The Home of the...Free?

[First, my random interjection of the day...

Why does my "instant" brown rice take 10 minutes to cook?]

This Terri Schiavo case has me more than a little worried about what rights we have left in this country. Isn't one of the greatest responsibilities in marriage deciding what to do should your spouse be in a vegetative state? How is that the government can use your final days and what happens to you as a political platform?

Oooh, what a naive question, I know-I know.

If you don't know, Mr. Schiavo and Mrs. Schiavo's parents are in a legal battle over whether or not to remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. After years of her being in this condition, Mr. Schiavo felt it was time to end this but Mrs. Schiavo's parents are appealing to every court they can find to keep her feeding tube in. Finally, a court ruled that her feeding tube was to be removed and now the in-laws are fighting to get the ruling overturned quickly before Terri dies.

And somehow...someway, the government got involved. Senators and what not. The Floridian Republican senators are trying to use the fact that a Democratic senator wouldn't get involved as a wedge issue in the hopes of getting a Republican in his spot next go 'round. Dirty business I tell ya.

I need a freedom checklist and everyday I'll wake up like:

The right to die? Nope.
The right to get married? Nope.
Freedom of Speech? Sometimes.

Some days I feel like I need to carry around a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation in my pocket just to make sure.

That's it, really, no big conclusive roundup at the end, just venting.