The Marketing of Terri Schiavo

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, RepublicansLeave a Comment

This is the "urgent message" sent out by Randell Terry:

Dear Friend,

It is unthinkable… like some dark scenario in a horror movie… but true. An innocent, disabled woman is now being starved to death. Her food and water were suspended on Friday afternoon. […]

Even if Congress does pass a bill and President Bush signs it, it will only put Terri’s case into Federal jurisdiction. Our struggle to save Terri will begin anew.

If you can help us keep up the fight, Just Go Here Now. 

At the minute we are sending this e-mail to you, Terri is starving to death. […]

Give as generous a gift as you can in this historic battle to save Terri’s life.

We have to pay for email campaigns, meeting rooms, for a bus, for food, press releases, and a host of other items needed to create a firestorm of protest and outrage on Terri’s behalf. The buses alone are $1000 each for each day. […]

Friend, every action we can take on Terri’s behalf is worth the effort. A nation is judged by how it treats its weakest and most defenseless members. Each of us needs to love Terri, as we love ourselves. That means we do all we can to save her life. […]

Sincerely,

Randall Terry, President Society for Truth and Justice

William Greene, President RightMarch.com

If you click "go there now," you come to a group called RightMarch, which was formed in March 2003 in order to counter MoveOn.org’s "attacks on President Bush and his conservative policies".  It is a "conservative organization dedicated to giving hundreds of thousands of hardworking, patriotic Americans across the country a strong collective voice in the political process."  The group does this by placing ads;  providing email forms and online petitions that people can send to elected officials;  and by soliciting funds.  They are a 501 organization, so "your contribution is NOT tax-deductible."

What does that have to do with Terri Schiavo?  Nothing.  But they are happy to use her to raise money.