“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness” -- Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness

As Kevin Lynn so correctly, for once, put it, we don't have a constitutional right to life. Okay. But we have a fundamental right to life don't we? Is that what is happening to Terri Schiavo. My concern is that we err on the side of life until all details are known. There has been more back and forth on this issue than Borg-McEnroe. And everyone has the facts.

The biggest concern of mine was that this woman, years ago, WAS eating on her own and was communicating. But somehow, for some reason, her therapy was halted and she was thrust into a life of near seclusion, and her condition deteriorated. I guess that is expected. Here's a personal example. I received a call one February evening about 11:30.

"Is this Jerry?" asked the caller.

"Yes," I said.

"My name is Mariann, and I have your grandmother at my home."

I was shocked. Seems my grandmother who was starting to deal with Alzheimer's, decided at 11:30pm on a freezing cold night, to put on her slippers and bath robe and take a walk up the street. When she got to the top of the hill, she took a left and kept walking. At some point she realized she was lost, her senses came back to her and she headed for the first house she saw-thank God.

She had been alone for a long time after my grandfather died. And while her health remained very good, her mental health deteriorated. My mother and her brother acted and moved her to a very nice nursing home a few minutes from my mom's house. My grandmother had been sitting in that house, with very little stimulation, and nothing more than a TV or newspaper. After some research, my mother found out that she had stopped going to her woman's organization, visiting a local nursing home, her bus trips to downtown Wilkes-Barre, her visits to the local fire company, and her visits to church. Slowly, she was backing herself out of society and her health slowly turned for the worse.

But an amazing thing happened. When she got back around PEOPLE, her spirits lifted. She started participating in life again. She started activities and trips and exercise that were stimulating, and her memory and health came back to her. I wonder what Terri would be like had her therapy continued. This has been a slow, painful process and it is very sad for all involved. I do not offer a solution, but I think a very full investigation is called for as so many people are coming forward now with new information, even folks that have been under a gag order for years. I think we have given better protection to folks on death row.

Should the government get involved with this? I'm not sure at what level, but I think this deserves government intervention/participation more so than steroids in baseball (oh, my-steroids in professional sports-you're kidding). And going forward, I think we need to take an in depth look at how we treat the thousands of people like Terri. Short of having a living will, what can be done? And who has rights to make this type of decision? Shouldn't the parents have some rights as well? I think that some sort of pecking order must be established, but I also feel that these laws should be left up to the states.

One thing for sure, is that our open form of government is not perfect-people are not perfect, but I think the fundamental right to life should take precedence where no clear law can be established, and even more so where all the facts are not known.

One thing that really ticked me off about Kevin's comments was that he said that all the Republicans are liars and are grandstanding and it wasn't that they really cared. Somehow I doubt that. I'm sure there are folks on both sides of the aisle are grandstanding, but at gut level, I believe that many folks on both sides of the aisle wish they did not have to deal with this situation in which many folks could be hurt. Do I believe in the death penalty? Yes. Would I be able to pull the lever? I'm not sure-that is a different question. It must be even more difficult for our government folks who are constantly in the spot light.

By the way, "Bush bashing" has been given a back seat by Kevin. He has moved on to "Santorum bashing." Wonder how long it will last, because Rick isn't the President. My guess is about a week.

Has anyone seen Nancy Kman recently? This new co-host, Nancy Lynn I think her name is, sounds a lot like a parrot.

Then we have the Red Lake shooting. Man, oh, man. What is going on with the kids today? I have heard many a talking head or article using the phrase, "Culture of death." I am starting to believe it. It seems more and more, death is becoming a mainstream issue. Almost a philosophy. School shootings, Terri Schiavo, suicide by cops, etc, etc, etc. Wake up folks. This is getting out of hand. One comment that got me was that a tribal spokesman made this the problem of the white man. This from a tribe that has purposefully shut themselves off from the rest of the world. Yep, it is always someone else's fault.

It is so nice to see all the work going on around the city. As I drive around I see things happening everywhere. The streets are clean. It seems as if this administration is following a plan and is securing funding for projects before they start. I am really excited to think about where we might be in two years' time. Yes, there is still a ways to go. Yes, the potholes (or is it potwholes) have to be fixed. Give it time. The ball is moving. Ever hear of trickle, flow, flood? Right now, we are in the trickle phase-things are starting to happen. Soon we will have a nice flow of improvements taking place, businesses moving in, and with time, hopefully a flood of growth will take place. I know for my own part, my company continues to hire people, and that is a very good thing. "Let it roll, baby, roll."

Hey, Copper Dude. You check out Evanescence "anywhere but home" DVD/CD. Got get a copy. Amy looks awesome.

Mark and the Chamber Dude? What is up with that? Can there be some more cool stuff on the way? A few beers, a few hints maybe?

And what is up with those NY Football Giants? Takin' away Plax from my Steelers. He was a headcase, but on the field he could be as dangerous as anybody…especially when paired up with Ward and Randle El. Oh well. At least Junior will have a big time target.

Keep the faith.
Private Sector Dude.