last night misty queen and i visited the fine food establishment known as subway. on my budget, i consider it to be a fine establishment so keep your high brow talk to yourself of how you can afford to take your lady to swiss chalet. i'm poor dammit!

then it came it to pay, i realized my tangible money wasn't enough to cover the bill and had to rely on the intangible money that exists on a piece of plastic known as a debit card. which is only one letter off from being known as the debt card.

but in my wallet find something of more relevance and ties in with the schiavo story we all know about. you'll also find a donor card i got when the ontario government said i am competent enough to get behind the wheel of a car. that's the trade off in this province; they'll let you drive but they'll voluntarily ask you to sign over your organs if you crash. this proves you actually cannot drive at all. those organs then will go to a person in need of a heart, kidney, or whatever is needed for that person to live. meh, i thought. what good is my liver going to do me if i do die of a horrible death in the car? so i gave the government full permission to carve out my inside when my time will come. i carry the card to prove it. consider it my "living will."

then i got thinking about terri schiavo, because, let's face it, who isn't talking about it. few nights prior, my father and i got into a heated debated that almost lead to a fist fight. well at least girly girl slapping. it's really a touchy case and to actually debate on her condition is awfully sensitive. the government's involvement in it is fair game for debate because well, questioning what governments due is our enshrined right. i may not be an american citizen but their foreign policy has an effect on us all and on that level, the world has every right to take their own position on the white house is doing.

but about schiavo and her parents. for days now, her parents have vehemently argued this is about life, and the right of a person to live. granted, it's a valid argument based on your moral principles and your views on life, be it swayed by the Bible, your pastor, personal take on it. i fully argee life is the most precious thing any of us can recieve and make the most of it because it doesn't last forever. but i also recognize life isn't worth it if you don't make the most of it and well, terri schiavo's condition has been like this for 15 years and medical evidence is stacked against that she'll get better. i'm no doctor, but in fifteen yeas, her condition hasn't improved at all. more importantly, she doesn't have the mental cognition to recognize the state she is in. if you've seen the clips of her eyes following that ballon, that's just reflexes because her organs are fully functional.

here's where i get confused: the parents are fighting saying this a right to life in its generality, while terri's life is being artificially perserved and yet, her organs are fully functional. if the parents are that adamant about the right to life, why not use terri's organs and donate them to individuals who have the capability to improve their condition? she's got a heart, kidney, lungs, liver, & pancreas. those five organs potentially could save up to five lives.

i'm not suggesting terri's insides should be carved out the way mine are going to be one day, i'm just confused by the arguments put forth by those saying schiavo's feeding tube should stay in. supposedly, all life is important and i can't argue against that. but at some point, your permanently static life has the potential to save five lives who are equally important, according to the view that all life is equally important. not just your own. to me, that's the importance of the "right to live": when i or no one else cant do anything to repair my condition, i give someone the opportunity who can get better to and repair their situation. they want to go on living and desperately waiting on organ donor lists for that chance. i, on the other hand, probably don't even know i am alive. and even if i did, what good what it do me if i can't get better at all? i think it's my responsibility to fulfill their wish if i think life is the greatest gift anyone can have.