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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Mon, 21 Dec 1992 01:22:21 -0500
From:         Nocens <kilroy@GBORO.GLASSBORO.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kevorkian Strikes Again
              19 Dec 92 00:23:55 -0500.
              <CHRISTIA%92121822233581@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU>

Michael Kline quotes Rush Limbaugh talking about Jack Kevorkian:

> Let's make no mistake about this, he's killing people.

Rubbish.

Dr Kevorkian provides equipment and instructions on how to use it, but he
does not kill anybody.  They kill themselves.

The final action which terminates the life is taken by the person who is
going to die; it is suicide.

A rough, but workable analogy: suppose you buy a gun and ammunition, take
lessons on how to work the gun, and then intentionally shoot yourself in
the head.  Did the guy who sold you the gun and showed you how to work it
kill you?

No.  He provided the equipment and the instructions, but the final action
which killed you was one that you took yourself.  It was an act of suicide.


As Mr Limbaugh says:

> These are not people who are unconscience and unaware.  These are not people
> who don't know what they are doing.  These are people who if they wanted to
> die could do it themselves.

... and if they didn't want to die, they could simply refuse to turn the
lever.  They actively and consciously take an action which they know will
result in their own deaths; that is the definition of suicide.


> ... We are not forcing her to  [ gasp and breathe ].  You, sir, are
> simply convincing her that she would be better off dead.  She wouldn't do
> it, unless you were there to help her, unless you were there to kill her.

Mr Limbaugh's cultural illiteracy is far larger than I imagined; else he would
be familiar with the large number of suicides committed each year with no help
at all from Jack Kevorkian.  Some people apparently want some assurance that
their suicide works properly and painlessly; they want a visit from someone
who can provide that assurance.  But lots of people kill themselves without
such assistance; for Mr Limbaugh to claim that a given suicide would not
happen without Dr Kevorkian's help is really idiotic.  It might happen
differently, but there's no guarantee that it wouldn't happen at all.

 *

I'm not particularly happy with Dr Kevorkian's extracurricular activities, but
using highly-charged words ("he's killing people") to bias the discussion
suggests that either Mr Limbaugh is not thinking clearly about the issue, or
he is intentionally trying to mislead his audience.

I personally believe that he Mr Limbaugh trying to mislead his audience so
they reach the conclusion that he wants -- I believe that Mr Limbaugh uses
dishonest rhetorical tricks to convince people.  However, he's been wrong
before, and his semi-coherent rambling and agitated delivery would certainly
be consistent with his being muddleheaded.


(Note: some people say that Mr Limbaugh is funny, and that what he says is
 intended as humor.  If so, then the inaccurate tirade about Dr Kevorkian is
 a result of intentional satire, or something, and was not caused by either
 dishonestly-biased reporting or slow wits.  However, I wish to observe that
 I see nothing funny in falsely accusing Dr Kevorkian of killing people.)


Darren F Provine / kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU