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LIVING WILL/LIVING WON'T

Katie and Stan and I went over to the boat and got things all set up for the move to The Anchorage yesterday, then went and had a late late lunch at The Dixie Crossroads in Titusville. They were out of mullet so I didn't get to eat what I usually have there, but I loaded up on rock shrimp and then waddled out to head back to dry ground. The task of getting the mast down onto the deck was less of a struggle than I thought it would be. Zoom zoom.

After getting in I went out to Otters to see Elaine. For some reason, everyone in the bar was arguing about that Schaivo (sp?) woman. Now, normally this crowd is up to their elbows in fishing, and sailing, and the best way to mix Mexican peyote into your daily routine, but they managed to get off on the "Should they or Shouldn't they" argument.

Bob, you're a smart guy (fools! Little do they know.) Whatcha think? Well, my understanding is that the husband has a girlfriend and wants the money that the lady has in her insurance when she dies... and I also understand that her parents are willing to assume custody of the woman even if that lizard husband won't (so much for "better or worse" eh?). Also, I remain unconvinced with the notion of "vegetative state". What is that? Dead? Well, no... it's just that her quality of life is diminished. Well, that's a shame, but damn. They don't call it the practice of medicine for nothing. Let the damned doctors practice and maybe they can save the woman's life. They will never get better if they don't practice.

So you're for keeping her alive? Well, yeah. Vegetative is not the same thing as dead. Dead means that it is over. If there's the remote chance that something good might happen then they should try to help her out. And... I just got back from carrying my extremely pregnant daughter out boating and so I'm thinking a lot about the ole "Circle of Life" thing today.

What that Schaivo woman is is an inconvenience to a man who no longer wants her. That's a shame. But the real shame is that the State is willing to say that her life is worth less than the lousy husband she got stuck with. If the bastard wants off the hook then let him off the hook and move on. I wonder if his parents would fight as hard for him as his wife's parents have fought for her. I'll bet no.

As far as the law is concerned... the citizens of the State of Florida are big losers here. What that judge did was say that even if there was no "Living Will" spelling out the Schaivo woman's wishes we should go ahead and snuff her out. What that means is that the living will that I have is not really a serious document spelling out what I want to happen with me if (God forbid) I find myself in the same spot that the Schaivo gal is in. That judge is saying... hey, we don't need to take the written wishes or lack of same seriously. We're just gonna do what is convenient and to hell with the letter of the law.

That stinks.

Look, I had a little "mini stroke" about ten years ago. A real whack to the head. Things looked serious there for a while. Thank goodness, I got over it, and today I'm completely OK... but I learned the hard way that I need to take that hypertension medication. And I do. But... the affair was more than a little instructive for me concerning some of the "loved ones" around me. At the time I was living with a woman who wanted very much to make it permanent... that would make her "the beneficiary"... then I had this "hypertensive event" (lovely medical jargon)... and Glenda came and took my watch off my arm. She wanted to "make sure" that my things were safe. Yeah, right. Two weeks later, I was back on my feet, a little shakey but back on my feet, and I had to go and ask for my watch back. A nice classic Rolex Oyster worth around $5K that I've had since I graduated from college back before indoor plumbing. The lady had stolen my watch because she figured that it was one sure way to get a couple of grand out of my estate. Hey, I was in some sort of "vegetative state" or some shit like that, right? She was so sure that I was dying that she was in there stripping off my jewelry before the morticians could get into the hospital room.

So you tell me... should we just starve that Schaivo woman to death? Hell, I'll go buy the gal a Big Mac and supersize her fries any time. Shame on that judge. And that husband of Ms. Schaivo... he needs to be put into a vegetative state of his own for a while.

Damn.

Elaine said that maybe I'm losing my sense of humor. Heck, I've read the entire Divine Comedy from cover to cover. Hell, I was there when the bitch took my watch and almost had to go fight to get it back.

Bob