Assisted Suicide

WARNING: This post contains spoilers!

Me before You, a Jojo Moyes novel (and soon to be movie) is amazingly written and while the story may be about a woman falling in love with a man there is a bigger question being brought up. Is assisted suicide okay? And if you don’t try to stop someone are you an accessory to their murder?

Will is a quadriplegic who once enjoyed living on the edge but after getting hit by a motorcycle while crossing the street he has to adapt to a completely different life but refuses to, even when finding love and happiness. His life, to him, is not his own and he refuses to accept it as such and instead travels to Switzerland where he can go to Dignitas, a place where he can die by choice.

Throughout the novel you hear a lot of talk from both the main character, and non-existent ones, about the stigma attached to assisted suicide, and how every life is valuable, and one shouldn’t be allowed to kill oneself. Many people have known someone who’s committed suicide. I myself have been through times where it seems like the best option, shit I even know exactly how I want to do it but that’s beside the point. I think we should all have a right to our own body, and our own lives, regardless of age and disability.

If I want to die why shouldn’t I be allowed to. And why not make it less traumatizing for the ones around? Rather then an impulse decision where a person flings themselves off a building or overdoses on drugs, maybe there should be clinics available where people have to go through a waiting period, with therapy, and upon completion, with a plan in action, if they still want to die then let them, painlessly and without judgment. Why should a person be forced to suffer against their own will?

Taina’s Monday Morning Response

Good Morning!

Here’s what’s important according to the New York Times followed by my own personal opinions.

Taliban strike playground in Pakistan.

The authorities are hunting today for the militants who killed at least 70 people — more than twice as many deaths as in the Brussels attacks last week — at a park in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city.

About 300 people were wounded. The death toll is expected to rise.

A splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, and its spokesman said the assault was targeting Christians on Easter.

A fucking playground?! Are you fucking kidding me?! I get how in some twisted way terrorists are seeking justice. There’s some whacko moral behind it but targeting children is beyond me. Children are yet to truly understand the implications of being Christian from the point of view of these terroristic Taliban. Why not target real bad people? You know like rapists, murderers and politicians. Even brothels would be better than a playground. And I bet these sick assholes even know where to find some. If you’re going to be psychopathic murderers why not be more like the Punisher? His agenda at least makes sense.

• The story behind Trump’s rise.

We’ve traced how the Republican elite abandoned its most faithful voters, blue-collar white Americans facing economic pain, while the party’s donors, lawmakers and lobbyists prospered.

But as infighting among Republicans grows over the front-runner, Donald J. Trump, the party’s leaders are still not embracing Ted Cruz.

What confuses me about Trump’s rise most is that aside from the crazy people you see at his rally’s the whole world seems to hate him. Has me wondering if this is all some kind of illuminati government set up. This surely can’t be like a real thing, can it?

• Sanders sweeps.

Bernie Sanders begins the week with hopes of staging a spring comeback against Hillary Clinton. He won decisively in voting in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington State on Saturday.

Mr. Sanders is expressing concern that Mrs. Clinton might not debate him because of her delegate lead.

Go underdog!! I’m completely a Bernie fan. Although I started out Hillary it doesn’t make sense to vote for her just because she’s a woman. Bernie seems to really want to make a difference where as Hillary seems more typical politician. Either way she’s a strong candidate though, so why wouldn’t she want to debate Bernie?

Man up Hilary. Wait that’s sexist. Stop being a Pussy. Nope that doesn’t work either. *sigh* Just Do It?

• The aftermath in Brussels.

New suspects in the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks have been arrested. The fact that extensive preparations for the bombings in Brussels went undetected is stirring anger and dismay.

But the question of what turns people toward violence — and whether they can be steered away from it — is bedeviling researchers.

Every morning this gets coverage on the news and I just don’t understand why. Not to discredit or devalue any of the lives lost here but this isn’t the only terrorist attack in the last week. It’s actually one of the smallest. But this does ask a very interesting question; what turns people toward violence? Probably revenge, and poverty, if not mental defect.

• Losses for ISIS.

Syrian government forces have regained full control of the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State militants after a nearly yearlong occupation.

While the U.S. announced the killing of a top Islamic State commander, the group struck again with a suicide bombing that killed at least 31 people at a soccer game near Baghdad.

The Syrian governments ability to regain control is amazing but it’s clearly not enough…

• A $15 minimum wage?

A tentative deal by California lawmakers to raise the state’s minimum wage could be announced as soon as today. The wage, which was raised to $10 on Jan. 1, would increase incrementally to $15 over the next six years.

If approved, California would become the first state to adopt a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

It would be wonderful if the whole nation adopted a $15 minimum wage but what about the people that currently make $15? or $20? We all better be getting pay raises because there is no reason why a McDonalds employee should be making as much as an entry level school employee.

So let’s sum it up; the world is going to shit but the media is biased (nothing new), Bernie might actually go up against Trump (why is Trump still here?!) and California may be the best place to live if you have no education.

Sounds about right.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter ya’ll. Even if you aren’t of the faith that recognizes this day I hope you have a wonderful Sunday. While I don’t personally follow the Christ centered religions I grew up in a Catholic family and always celebrated the Hallmark side of the holiday so I still love to paint and decorate eggs with my minion and I think even after she is too old, while I hope she always comes home and paints eggs with me, I think I’ll still do it just for fun. And then throw them out the balcony at children passing by. 

Just kidding about throwing them out the balcony.

Maybe.

Anyway here are some of the finer ones..

This chalk board inspired one:

 
Some paint marker ones:

  

Shimmery coated ones:

  
  

And my favorite (egg and painting) This starry night inspired one: