Analytical

Bill's Brain
"Damn the consequences, give me the pen!"
Lewis Morris, signing the Declaration of Independence

Creative

For the benefit of everyone who is criticizing the judges and the courts for their decisions in the Terri Schiavo case, we present this Public Service Announcement and brief civics lesson:

JUDGES DON'T MAKE THE LAW!

COURTS DON'T MAKE THE LAW!

THE LEGISLATURE MAKES THE LAW!

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE LAW, TAKE IT UP WITH THE LEGISLATURE, NOT THE JUDGE!!!

You idiot.

We'll try to keep this simple. You see, in America we have these three branches of government, the Executive branch (that's the president and some other folks), the Legislative branch (that's Congress), and the Judicial branch (that's the courts and judges).

The Legislative branch makes the law, including the law that allowed Michael Schiavo to have his wife's feeding tube removed. The Judicial branch interprets the law. In this case that meant that a judge in a court looked at the law and said "Yep, the law says he has the right to do that."

Did you notice how it wasn't the judge or the court that made the law that allowed Michael Schiavo to have his wife's feeding tube removed? Did you catch that? If not, go back and review the previous two paragraphs and come back here when you're done. We'll wait for you.

Good, you're back. Now, here's a simple quiz (don't worry, it's multiple choice and we'll grade on a curve): If you're really, really mad about the fact that the law says Michael Schiavo has the right to have his wife's feeding tube removed, who should you be mad at? A) the Legislature, or B) the courts and judges.

Take your time to think about it, there's no rush.

If you picked "A" then congratulations! You're getting it! You're beginning to gain an understanding of how the American government and justice system works. An embarrassingly inadequate and rudimentary knowledge, on par with that of a chimpanzee, buy hey, it's a start. If you keep it up, some day you might actually be able to cast an informed vote! (We can dream ...)

If you picked "B" then well, I'm sorry. Perhaps you should go live in a country where it's not so complicated, where the government just tells you what to do and you don't have to think. We'll arrange some lovely parting gifts for you.

If you're still having difficulty with this concept, you may want to see the enhanced version of this Public Service Announcement.