[Dialogue] A hopeful development

[jim rippey]

Like Janice Ulanga, I have been frustrated about what can be done. That's the main reason I have writen so much about the Schiavo situation. Looking at the majority reaction, it seemed to me there is a good chance that the current Republican excesses have created an opportunity. Maybe we can use it to get more people to face up to how real the danger is. Here's an example of what I am hoping for. This headline ran on the op-ed page of the Omaha World Herald Sunday.

Harold W. Andersen: 

Republicans have way to protest party's takeover by religious right

What's so interesting about this is that the prominent author of this article has, over the years, generally been a vocal GOP conservative. But note what he writes at the end of his article. He says:

"I would think that I'm not the only Republican who feels the party's leadership has engaged in an irresponsible and perhaps unprecedented effort to subvert the traditional separation of government powers. How to express our disapproval? 

I'm going to the Douglas County Election Commissioner's office on Monday to change my political registration from Republican to Independent, while continuing to feel sympathy for Terri Schiavo and her parents and believing that the most compassionate course is to free her from her sad existence, Republican Party politicians to the contrary notwithstanding."

There have been some good letters to the Omaha paper on the Schiavo situation, plus the usual pro-life ones. I submitted my letter in an effort to keep up the drumbeat. I hope it gets published and I hope others are doing the same in their communities. As it happens, Harold Andersen is the retired publisher of The World-Herald. The full article is available at

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=609&u_sid=1369734