As Franklin Graham Faces Losing His Mother, May He Be Reminded of His Cruelty to Michael Schiavo

I am very sorry to see the news stories about Ruth Graham's failing health and that she is approaching death. Today's USA Today also reports that the 88-year Reverend Billy Graham "suffers from fluid on the brain, prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease and age-related macular degeneration." The report further states that any "decision" about the wife of the famous evangelist "would be his and his wife's alone." And that's how it should be, right?

Unfortunately, Ruth's son, Franklin, an evangelical preacher himself, went out of his way to make cruel and uncalled for comments when poor Michael Schiavo, who had lovingly cared for his wife, who like Ruth also lingered in a coma, for over a decade, felt it was time to also make his "decision" about the woman he had loved. For whatever reason, Franklin Graham thought it necessary to be seen on national television on Fox News making judgmental injunctions and crude interference into Michael's life. Graham also thought it necessary to write an article in USA Today that had these ironic words, "Schiavo was just 41 and powerless to speak in defense of her precious life."

Michael Schiavo, who had quit his job and learned nursing to care for his beloved wife found himself branded a "murderer" by many of Franklin Graham's associates and was hounded at the hospital and eventually even drew the focus of President George W. Bush's ire and legislation to involve the federal government into his wife's death. Indeed, George's brother, Jeb, in sick pandering to the religious zealots, abused his power as Governor of Florida and pressed for a full homicide investigation into Michael's personal decision to finally let Terri go in peace. Homicide!

Meanwhile, President George Bush --- who was too busy vacationing at the former pig farm he calls a "ranch" down in Waco to even consider returning to Washington, D.C. when Katrina was approaching and even destroying New Orleans --- had no problem whatsoever hopping on an emergency flight back to the White House at midnight to sign the shittiest possible piece of legislation interjecting the powers of the federal government into a family's most difficult time to "save Terri Schiavo". Granting that Bush's priorities have been a matter of peculiarity anyway, still this even raised eyebrows that figured there was no more raising to be done up there.

The carnival atmosphere that plagued poor Michael Schiavo during his wife's last days and all of the cruelty that was targeted to him came from religious "leaders" like Ruth's very own son, Franklin, is a dark episode in this nation's history. I suggest that it is Franklin now who should search his "pious" soul and seek forgiveness from Michael for his hateful actions. For it was Franklin Graham who was one of the first ones casting a stone at Michael. Seems to me that there was once a scripture about that...

Losing a beloved family member, be it one's spouse, parent, sibling or child is probably the most soul-wrenching experience we can suffer during our lives. Many of us have been "there". Certainly, affording the grieving family members their "space" and privacy, our words of love and support, and dignity in that time is the hallmark of human civilization.

Again, the statement from Reverend Billy Graham's family that any "decision" about the wife of the famous evangelist "would be his and his wife's alone" is how it should be and how it should have been for Michael Schiavo: "his and his wife's alone".

Here's my sincerest hope that Franklin Graham can have the privacy, dignity and respect for his mom in her last days that he deprived Michael Schiavo of. And here's my hope that Jesus will have a little "talk" with Franklin after-wards.



USA Story in Reference: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070613/ap_on_re_us/billy_graham_burial

in this situation. My mother passed on May 28th and we had to remove her respirator. It was the RIGHT thing to do. Nothing would be gained from leaving my mother in such a hell as assisted life. May they find peace with whatever they have to do for her because in the end it is the right thing. She will find her way toward wherever she is headed knowing her family loved her more than they loved themselves. I agree. I hope he has that much love and compassion for her. She is a helpless woman right now.

you beat me by one minute!

Welcome to DU.

Anyone who loves Jaco is OK with me. God I miss him.

I was fortunate to meet him in 1977 after a Weather Report concert
Great guy!
Then came the demons that eventually led to his downfall
I miss him also..but he lives on as I study his music..along with many other bassists world wide

Thanks for the welcome

The day he died I could not focus on anything. I know he had terrible demons but it was such a surprise, just to hear it and about it. Very sad, very talented man.

My youngest son is a bass player who studied/studies Jaco as well.

Colon and Rectal Cancer

<snip>
Beginning at age 50, both men and women should follow 1 of these 5 testing schedules:
<snip>

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_2_3x_acs_cancer_detection_guidelines_36.asp

It is not talked about as much as it probably should be.

Your mother was very lucky to have such a loving family.

I'll never forget when my mother was dying I asked her doctor about a feeding tube. He told me, "We could do that but you have to understand that we would not just prolonging her life, but also prolonging her death. I tell my patients' families that sometimes now too.

works for the family that suffers, not for the person who will linger because of it. my condolences to you also, sweetie.

logical mind around when my turn comes. I have told everyone I know that they are not to let me suffer when there is no hope of a better life. We do it for our animals, we should do it for ourselves. Your Mother would be proud of you, as I am.

Wow, they really do work miracles!

Perhaps his daddy has an open mind after all.

:shrug:

It is impossible for a woman to have prostate cancer.

On edit: Oops.

Don't people ever check what they write anymore? The editor? I am stunned. Well at least she is not suffering from prostrate cancer. :eyes:

Edit to say that I did not read this as carefully as I should have. It is a bit misleading when they are talking about a family and don't use their first names but they were referring to him. I am the one who did not check.

"Graham, who is 88 and suffers from fluid on the brain, prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease and ge-related macular degeneration, responded by saying the decision would be his and his wife's alone."

Mrs. Graham has "degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck and has been bedridden at their home in the mountains of western North Carolina for some time, "is close to going home to heaven."

See above edit. Thanks.

It is difficult to tell but you are correct. I was the one who could not read. :blush:

I hope the message about Franklin's great hypocrisy and cruelty gets out.

but those who believe everything they are told by their ministers probably won't worry their pretty little minds over it enough to actually put two and two together. That is the biggest reason we are in the mess we are in.

but the link is no longer "active". I wish I could locate it.

I offer my heart to Ruth and her entire family as they struggle through such hardships,...no strings attached.

:hug:

May the challenge deliver peace and wisdom.

Would that Franklin Graham would read and heed your words and search his own heart regarding his actions toward Michael Schiavo. Ruth Graham has lived a long and good life and deserves to be released from her pain. As a believer in Christ (experiencing a crisis in faith right now), I have to trust that Ruth's eternal destiny is sealed and she is going to live with her Saviour. There are those believers, however, who have branded me as a crass money-hungry person because I chose to let my comatose father (80s), mother-in-law (80s) and mother (90s) be taken off life support and released from their suffering. Better, according to my critics, to have them kept alive by artificial means for years, I suppose, than to let them go home to be with the God they had served so well all their lives. They say I only did it ("pulled the plug" as they put it) because of the "financial burden" I would have incurred. I watched the whole Teri Schiavo fiasco in awe of the depths to which those, including Franklin Graham, sank with their ugly and pious rhetoric. What Michael and people like me most need, as you so beautifully put it, is love and support and comfort as we deal with the loss of our loved ones, trying to maintain what dignity is left in their final stages of life. Grief never truly ends, it seems, but it is made all the worse by coming under condemnation from those who know nothing of our lives and what we are enduring. May everyone in these circumstances find peace. I wish that for Franklin Graham and his family, and like you, I hope at some point Jesus has a little talk with him!

Blessings.

My family also has been through this with parents and children. It's the toughest times in our lives. Only those who have been "there" and had to make these "decisions" will ever understand.

Reading the Graham's statement that it would be Reverend Graham and his wife's "decision alone" reminded me of how awful Franklin had acted toward Michael Schiavo and how cruel and unchristian his actions and words were. And as I said, I hope he has his time of peace, privacy and dignity with his mom as everyone else should. Thanks for getting the spirit of my message.

Franklin has made the most mean-spirited comments about gays and lesbians, Muslims and yes, Michael Schiavo that I felt it required calling him out.

"We saw a poignant picture this past week in the passing of Terri Schiavo and Pope John Paul II. Schiavo was just 41 and powerless to speak in defense of her precious life. The pope, about twice her age at 84, was one of the world's most powerful and influential men. Yet, at the end, he, too, was voiceless. Everything was done to keep him alive; even so, modern medicine and science could not extend his life beyond the days God gave him."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/2005-04-05-model_x.htm

I was unable to get the video or transcript of Insanity & Colmes interview so who know what he said there, but I didn't see any "cruel or uncalled for" comments about Michael Schiavo in the USA Today article you referenced.

"And I think it's so important that we continue to read God's word for all of us, to see what God has to say in these things. And life is so important. And it wasn't just the unborn, but Terri Schiavo last week. That's a case that I hope doesn't fade away. This is something where we do need to come back and visit this. And we do need to protect the people like Terri." --- Franklin Graham on CNN's Larry King.

Also on still another program, Franklin pops up again giving his opinions about Terri:

"And I was so proud of Jesse Jackson last week, when he was in Florida, when he was taking the case of this Terri Schiavo, it was a wonderful thing that Jesse did." Franklin Graham with Wolfe Blitzer on another CNN program.

He should have left Michael and Terri alone and kept his mouth shut. I hope someone can access his Fox interview, too.

But in any event, writing in USA Today about Terri, going on Fox and all over CNN and rattling off about Terri is pathetic. "And we need to protect people like Terri." Jeeze!

:shrug:

The thing is, I don't know that Franklin Graham would see the hypocracy in his words regarding Michael Schiavo, should he be in agreement with the family statement regarding Mrs. Graham. Is life precious? Sure it is. But being alive is more than breathing and such with the aid of machines, when the person's brain is essentially gone.

Years ago, my father was diagnosed with cancer. He and my mom talked about what to do should he get to a point mentally where he could not make his own decisions. He decided he did not want his life prolonged if "he", the essence of who he was, was no longer there. He and my mother then sat us down (my siblings and I), and discussed it with us. There was nothing in writing, no living will, but we knew what dad wanted.

The night before he died, he had several grand mal seizures, and it became obvious, as he was cared for and observed in the hospital, that his brain was no longer functioning, so my mom had the machines sustaining his body shut off. It hurt like hell to lose my dad, but I am not sorry for accepting his wishes and not fighting to keep him on life support.

Losing a family member is a profound experience, regardless of how it happens. Having someone outside the family, who doesn't even know the family, pass judgment on such a personal matter is beyond the pale. Maybe, just maybe, Franklin Graham will learn that as he deals with the end of his mother's life.

The last thing any of us want to see when we are going through the hell of losing our loved ones is some jackass self-righteously wagging their finger or pontificating about what we "should" do.

I don't know how Michael Schiavo handled it all so well.

there's a PS to the first.

Also, Billy Graham has something (I'm not quite sure what it is). Franklin Graham has nothing (I do know what that is).

bullshit, aren't we.