Open Letter to Philadelphia Radio Talk Show Host Michael Smerconish about Terry Schiavo

From

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1350578/posts



Open Letter to Philadelphia Radio Talk Show Host Michael Smerconish about Terry Schiavo
Me 2/24/2005 Me

Posted on Thursday, February 24, 2005 6:00:26 PM by TorahTrueJew

As an introduction, there is a local "conservative" talk show host in Philadelphia named Michael Smerconish. He calls himself conservative, but is even more liberal than Sean Hannity. He is always talking about things that bug him, and how the government ought to make laws against these common annoyances. Today, he actually said that Terry Schiavo's husband loved her and had her best interests in mind, and that he would want to die too if he were PVS like her. I was shocked, so I wrote this letter to him. It is important that we get ALL media talking the truth, especially talk radio, since if talk radio isn't supporting her, nobody will. I sent this letter to him tonight, and thought you'd all like to see it.

Dear Michael, My wife and I listen to 1210 everyday, from Smerconish to Dom, we listen to everybody. We always joke with each other about your liberal comments, oftentimes when you think some new law should be passed against something that annoys you. I have to admit to you, we jokingly call you, "Michael Jerk-onish" when you say something really pro-big government, or just throw softball questions at really liberal guests.

Today, however, your show ceased to be amusing. We always cringe when you have on that Bio-Ethicist Arthur Kaplan. Every person I ever met or heard speak called a "bio-ethicist" was anything but ethical, and Kaplan is no exception. The things I hear him say are terrifying. When you told him that you saw video of Terry Schiavo interacting, he calmy explained that it was all "reflexes", and that she was for sure unconscious. He sounded like the doctors who tell you that the movement of a baby at 9 months gestation inside the mother's womb is all reflex, and that the baby isn't really aware of what is going on. You accepted his explanation and decided that her husband must be correct in trying to kill her.

I cannot believe you could even engage in a conversation like this, much less agree with him. Terry Schiavo is a living, breathing human being. Who cares if her eyes followed the balloon because she liked it or because her "eye muscles reflexively followed the color and light"? It is an academic question that can be debated among teams of doctors trying to find ways to make her better (something no doctor has been allowed to try since he won his lawsuit). The only thing she needs to keep her alive is food. Many doctors say she can even eat by mouth, but her husband won't allow it. Babies and small children must be fed. The elderly must be fed. Many people who are in accidents and are handicapped must be fed. Relying on others to feed you is NOT life support. Last year, Oreilly interviewed a woman who was diagnosed by all the doctors as PVS. She had been operated on with no anesthesia, and was in the process of being starved to death when she finally regained the ability to talk. She has since told her story. She was aware of everything going on around her, and described the excrutiating pain of not only hearing her starvation discussed, but what it felt like to starve to death. It is a horrifying way to die. Can you imagine the outcry if we decided to execute the prisoners at Abu Ghirab by starving them to death? What if we tortured them by starving them for 3 days? Why no outcry at starving this poor woman to death?

If you are intellectually honest, and you really think that she is PVS and deserves to die, then I challenge you. Tomorrow morning, at 7:30am (when I am listening), announce that you support blowing off Terry Schiavo's head with a shotgun. If you are condemning her to death, then at least, on the doubt that she may still feel pain, let the death be painless. If you refuse to support blowing off her head with a shotgun, then why do you support starving her to death? Mass murderers are entitled to execution without pain, so why not Terry Schiavo?

Please do not politicize the issue of Terry Schiavo. It is not a right/left, prolife/prochoice, liberal/conservative issue. There is a mountain of evidence that her husband does not have her best wishes in mind. There are written statements by nurses who attended to her indicating abuse. Her husband could be afraid that should she recover, she'll tell the police about what he's done and he'll be criminally liable. The only doctors allowed to examine her closely have been pro-euthanasia doctors, hand-picked by a lawyer who has made a career (and a book) out of right-to-die cases. Her parents have offered Michael all the remaining money from the lawsuit, all the money from her estate, and complete freedom from further litigation. All they want is their daughter. Her husband is now essentially a bigamist, living a common law marriage with another woman, and it is inconceivable that he really has his wife's best interests in mind.

I was also shocked when you said that you felt that if the courts of Florida ruled in favor of her husband, that he must be correct. This logic supports both Slavery and Abortion, both of which were upheld by our country's judiciary. I suggest you read Mark Levin's "Men In Black" if you do not understand how judicial tyranny threatens our freedoms. In the case of Terry Schiavo, it threatens her life.

Terry has suffered for years being called a vegetable by the main stream media. Thanks to the internet, the blogosphere, and MOST talk radio (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity), the message is getting out and political pressure is being brought to bear on Jeb Bush. You can do a great service to Terry by examining the case, and even if you don't have enough evidence to convince you she is alive, at least err on the side of LIFE! If she really is PVS, then she won't care that she is still alive and her family will be happy. If she isn't PVS, then you will have saved an innocent woman from death.

Sincerely, Me Suburbs of Philadelphia, PA







____________________________



To: floridavoter2
Actually, he has taken up for Terry Schiavo, which I appreciate. My wife and I had been getting so annoyed by him as of late, but Michael Smerconish shows us it could be a lot worse. I could go on and on about Sean Hannity. One example--he goes on an on about how sacred a life is, and how abortion at any point is wrong. Then he says that it is okay in the case of rape or incest. How can he argue that abortion is murder unequivocably, but then say that the murder is okay if it is preceded by rape or incest?



______________________________



To: TorahTrueJew
Oh I see what you're saying. I guess he is rather hypocritical in that sense. Besides, he shouldn't assume abortion will ever "help" a rape victim. Abortion just re-victimizes her by violating her body in another horrible way.





_____________



To: Tribune7
Oh yeah--forgot about that. He loves Arlen Specter. I can't stand him and am embarassed that I voted for him. But Smerconish just adores him. Goes well with Arthur Kaplan who is pro-abortion.





_______________________________________



To: TorahTrueJew
Do you remember when Smerconish went to Cuba and sucked up to Castro. He asked him some asinine question about Frank Rizzo, as if the decrepit old creep had any idea who he was. Lost all my respect for Smerconish.





______________________________



To: TorahTrueJew
We must use all of our might to right this injustice. When it involves radio talk show hosts, we need to light the fire under those who have become lazy and would allow neglect and expediency become the status quo rather than engage in the hard work needed to protect the sick and infirmed. We must oppose government when it fails to protect us from those who would threaten our life when we are in our most vulnerable condition.This is a battle for the future which will determine the ethical treatment of human beings as determined by the extent forces succeed in the erosion of the value of human life. This battle will be lost if we allow public opinion from such moral degenerates as Michael Smerconish to dominate the cultural discourse. When those such as him advocate for what used to pass for murder, they are opening the door for such moral decay that the taking of a life for some imagined justification may become commonplace and legal. What I fear are relatives pressuring poor souls to a early death for expediency sake; especially when such pressures are being aggravated by increased health care costs that have been affected by temporary economic forces.When the Baby Boom Generation makes its way through the dying years, the moral decisions that are made will determine the dignity we will place on human life in the future. The Terri Schiavo case is a litmus test to see if the forces of moral ethics can stand up to the legal challenges of the culture of death. We are beginning to wake up to the fact that the culture of death is becoming entrenched. The alarm bells are sounding. We will need to be weeded out of the culture through expensive court action and support of right to life candidates if people are to be safe in their hospital beds from the barbaric bargaining of human life on the auction block of expediency.
Finally, one most important action that everyone can do daily: We can pray to our Creator that all people will be given the dignity that life made in God's image deserves.



_____________________



Michael is the guy who has bragged about his friendship with Arlen Spector ad nauseum and had him as a guest on his program many times. Spector took a group of people to Cuba. Michael was one of them. When Michael returned, he bragged about having smoked a cigar with Fidel Castro, oblivious to the sensibilities of conservatives in his listening audience which is a mistake (either doing it or bragging about it) no TRUE conservative would ever make.
There are a host of other issues large and small, for which conservatives could take him to task.
Most recently Smerkonish supported Lynne Abraham and the ridiculous charges she filed against the protestors from REPENT AMERICA.
And now this. He sides with Michael Schiavo and the court without knowing and understanding the facts of the case.
Smerconish is another intellectual LIGHTWEIGHT who doesn't belong where he is. Michael Smerkonish is solely about promoting Michael Smerkonish and nothing more.
Your letter is excellent. Far better than anything Michael has ever written. Thank you for taking the time to write it and for defending Terri to a SMALL TIME KNOW NOTHING talk show host who I stopped listening to long ago.
45 posted on Thursday, February 24, 2005 9:31:17 PM by TAdams8591 (The call you make may be the one that saves Terri's life!!!!!!)
[ Post Reply Private Reply To 1 View Replies]



______________



I don't think that Sean is a conservative. He supported Schwartzenegger over McClintock, the true conservative.He sounds very supportive of Rudy Giuliani for any office (especially against Hillary), even though Rudy is not only pro abortion, he's also pro partial birth abortion.
I stopped listening to Sean, too.
49 posted on Friday, February 25, 2005 12:09:45 AM by Lauren BaRecall (Blue state address, red state soul.)
[ Post Reply Private Reply To 47 View Replies]



________________________






I wonder if he thinks the court was right in dropping charges against the Philly Christians.
I don't know, since I never heard him discuss the charges being dropped. Smerconish certainly did side with the "Pink Angels", the District Attorney, and the Philly Police regarding the arrest and prosecution of the Christians. He was very, very hostile to Christians and their lawyer when they were on his radio program. When they tried to tell their side of the story, he accused them of "spinning the truth."
Smerconish also took calls from homosexuals on the program, who tried to paint the Philadelphia 5 Christians with hate groups and terrorists. Smerconish let them talk all they wanted.
Then Smerconish wrote an article in the Philadelphia Daily News attacking the Christian group--saying basically that they got what they deserved.

When callers where upset and outraged with Smerconish's approach to this issue, he got very testy on the air, and claimed "Listen pal, I worship the same God that you do!"
Lately, there have been a number of editorials on the net critical of Smerconish's behavior. He also admitted he is good friends with the DA, prosecutors, and Judge in the Philadelphia 5 case who wanted the Christians punished for appearing at the "Outfest!" demonstration.
53 posted on Friday, February 25, 2005 4:50:59 AM by SkyPilot
[ Post Reply Private Reply To 52 View Replies]