Sam Harris is right about religious extremism in public affairs. It is costly and dangerous to an extent that it should not be tolerated. Moreover, it should be clear that there can be no true freedom of religion without freedom from religion.

Tolerance is a virtue except when costly destruction is involved, in which case it can be a vice. Feigned tolerance when opposition is called for is a failure of courage.

Religious pluralism is perhaps as wise as religious freedom is valuable. But when religious moderates tolerate the efforts of religious groups to restrict freedom of AND FROM religion they are part of the problem. It does not matter if the destructive religious extremism derives from an arrogant ignorance not amenable to enlightenment or the intelligent, articulate purveyors of delusion or from the pathetically uninformed, misinformed and mislead (no matter how educated they may think they are), it is time for religious moderates and religious apathetics to stand up for what is right.

I wish Michael all the luck and success in the world for his newly formed PAC and I urge everyone who see's the GOP bible beaters for the hypocrites they really are to donate. The "Christian" clowns in congress are not real Christians. Just what kind of Christian lets millions of American children go without access to medical care? What kind of Christian gives tax cuts to billionaires while denying an out of work pregnant woman pre-natal care? What kind of Christian cuts money from meals on wheels for the elderly? What kind of Christian starts bloody wars? What kind of Christian leaves people stranded and dying in New Orleans? Just where in the New Testament does it say that Jesus is Pro-war and Pro-rich? These "Christians" in congress don't support a culture of life;they support a culture of corruption, greed, and depravity.

As someone is who is staunchly pro-choice both in terms of reproductive freedom and euthanasia, conceptually I am all for Schiavo taking on Frist, Santorum and the rest of the intolerant Right. As a corollary, I believe in the primacy of "quality of life". But from the time I first heard about this guy, something never quite smelled right about him. I know that arguably his wife was in a vegetative state, but he seemed just a little too eager to end her life. And the fact that he felt no qualms about "moving on" with an employee at Terri's medical center is a bit creepy. I can't help but wonder why he just didn't turn over legal guardianship to her parents since they were quite interested in her continued care and feeding. Was his decisionmaking influenced by Terri's inability to consent to a divorce decree? Maybe I should suppress these doubts, lest they play into the hands of the right wingers. But if pro-choicers are going to wage campaigns, we have to be careful about the leaders we choose.

At the very least, Terri Schiavo has highlighted the importance of letting others know your wishes. And I've proclaimed mine loudly, from the rooftops, in addition to my living will. Everyone else should do the same.

I'm sure he's not a saint, none of us are. But:

Michael Schiavo quit his job, put himself through nursing school, and became an RN so that *he* could care for his wife. He was by her side every day to dress her and bathe her. He could have divorced her, but he didn't. If he turned her estate over to his in-laws, they would have kept her hooked up to feeding tubes in perpetuity, which is what Terri didn't want. By staying married to her, he was (or should have been) in the best position to do right by her. This wasn't about money, it was about respect for his wife, her dignity, and her wishes.

I'm not sure why you consider him has having been "too eager" to see her die, after sitting by her for 11 years. That's a long, long time to stand by someone if you really don't want them around. As for moving on, well, that is what people do over time. Life continues for the living.

Faith and others who have doubts about Michael Schiavo, I suggest you go to the Abstract Appeal blog at http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html. The Florida attorney who writes the blog has links to many original court documents, including briefs written by Terri Schiavo's court appointed guardian.

As you will see by reading the documents, Michael Schiavo was incredibly devoted to Terri's care, so much so that she never suffered from bed sores despite being incapacitated for 11 years. In addition, Terri was comatose for six years before Michael became involved with his current partner, so it's not fair to say he was in a hurry to move on to another relationship.