1) Message boards : Politics : Legalize Assisted Dying. (Message 863946) Posted 10 Feb 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: You know, I really think sometimes, this is not about trying to conserve someone's life; it's more about trying to keep control over other people's lives. Governments kill people all the time. They're not interested in saving life. Everything politicians do is all about politics, and far less about altruism or humanitarianism. She was a political pawn in the eyes of this politician: no more, no less. It's all about power. They just don't want individuals to have power over their own lives and deaths. I'd never trust a politician to do anything for me on moral grounds. I'd rather have the freedom to make up my own mind about my own destiny.

2) Message boards : Politics : Legalize Assisted Dying. (Message 860949) Posted 2 Feb 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: Thank you for that. I shall look through it.

3) Message boards : Politics : Legalize Assisted Dying. (Message 860451) Posted 1 Feb 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: Hello Ozz Fan, No, of course I have no plans to leave this mortal coil. I do suffer some pain, but it is manageable and at the moment life is well worth living. The Schiavo article was interesting, but were they not keeping her alive artificially, in which case they were surely acting contrarily to what Nature or 'God' intended anyway? She died naturally after her feeding tube was removed. This is what I say about medical science. It so often keeps people 'alive' long after what 'God' or 'Nature' intended. Meanwhile these people have no quality of life at all. But they can become political pawns for a wider agenda. I am sure her family loved her, but what of the Government or the Courts? Did they do it merely for altruistic reasons or because they wanted to push a political/religious agenda? I have very little faith in the State making decisions about what is best for people in awful circumstances like this, and of course she could not speak for herself. If she could have done, would they have listened anyway? I recognise that there are arguments on both sides of the debate. One argument is that once a country legalizes assisted suicide or euthanasia, it is only one step away from forcing people to die against their wishes. But I am not sure if there is any real evidence for this. Sure, there will always be some cases like that, where a doctor might kill someone against their wishes, but that is happening right now in societies where assisted dying is not legal. There will always be doctors who kill people without their consent, in the same way that there will always be teenagers who commit suicide. It doesn't matter whether a society has assisted dying as a legal option or not. I think some countries are still studying the Dutch model. So far, they say it seems - for the most part - to be working quite well. I remain optimistic that such a law, if it were legalized in the UK, will not be open to abuse in the way some people might think.

4) Message boards : Politics : Legalize Assisted Dying. (Message 860074) Posted 31 Jan 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: Legalize assisted dying. Legalize voluntary euthanasia. It is time to give sick and terminally ill people a choice at the end of their lives. Owing to the advances of medical science, we are living longer than ever before, sometimes beyond what is acceptably comfortable or humane. But we are also taking longer to die as well. Also because we are living longer, degenerative and painful diseases that were not as commong to previous generations are now much more common among the elderly. I feel this is not a moral issue but a political one. I am supposed to have a 'right' to life. If my life belongs to me, I surely have a right to relinquish it when and how I like, at a time of my own choosing. My life belongs to no one, not God, nor the Church, nor the State. It belongs exclusively to me. Elderly and sick people now have to fight for a basic liberty in the way that other groups in society fought for many of the rights that we now take for granted. It is time to reach out for the ultimate in civil liberties, the right to a painless and dignified end, without fear of prosecution or censure. Some enlightened countries, notably in Europe, have now adopted this attitude. Let the fight begin - for the ultimate freedom to choose. Choices

5) Message boards : Politics : Obama - A New Hope? (Message 857397) Posted 25 Jan 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: There's a good looking guy you've got there for President. I hope they can keep him safe.

6) Message boards : Cafe SETI : The new Doctor is..... (Message 848980) Posted 3 Jan 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: I was quite surprised to hear it would be Matt Smith. I've never heard of him until now, but he might make a good Doctor Who. I hope he can rival Tennant.

7) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Pain Department (Message 847983) Posted 2 Jan 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: I suffer from back pain. Sciatica they call it. And from pain in my mouth and gums as well, even though the dentist said nothing was wrong. Some people are just prone to pain it seems and I am learning to live with my pains. As far as I know there is no cure for chronic pain. It helps if you have a sympathetic doctor but not all doctors, sadly, are sympathetic. If your doctor doesn't seem particularly caring, my advice is seek another one. A second opinion can help sometimes.

8) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Happy New Year from MacGirl. (Message 847513) Posted 1 Jan 2009 by Mac Girl. Post: It's now 2009 in the UK. I would like to wish everyone on Seti@home and all those who run the project for the rest of us a very happy and prosperous New Year. (And let us hope we find some aliens in 2009). Best wishes to you all.

9) Message boards : Politics : Obama - A New Hope? (Message 828465) Posted 9 Nov 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: At least I don't think that the white 'supremacists' will resort to suicide bombings. They would have to be like Al Qaeda to go that far, and I think they are too fond of their own lives. But it only takes one nutter. However good the security services, the would-be assassin can still end up slipping through the net. Remember what happened to Martin Luther? Mind you, I would hope that the President would have better security than Martin Luther did, and maybe it's improved nowadays anyway. But as I'm such a pessimist, somehow I still fear the worst!

10) Message boards : Politics : Obama - A New Hope? (Message 828126) Posted 8 Nov 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: Well I just hope you're right. But it will be a nightmare for the security guys around him. I believe the biggest threat does come from the race-hate groups. But I'm not convinced that the worst of the threats has passed. I think Obama's still in great danger.

11) Message boards : Politics : Obama - A New Hope? (Message 828013) Posted 7 Nov 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: I like Obama, but his days are numbered, I fear!

12) Message boards : Politics : Obama - A New Hope? (Message 827386) Posted 6 Nov 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: Well, congrats to all the US citizens. Actually, I rather liked Obama and hoped he would get in. He's full of youth as well, so he might bring something fresh to politics and especially to foreign policy.

13) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Do you dream in color? (Message 821172) Posted 20 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: I went through I period when I was having quite a few lucid dreams. I seemed to enjoy flying and could do more or less whatever I wanted. Lately they haven't been happening though. I would like to dream that way again, but I have heard it takes some practice. Apparently, first you have to learn how to remember your dreams and jot down what you can remember as soon as you wake up. So I shall start by keeping a dream diary.

14) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Do you dream in color? (Message 819455) Posted 16 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: That's interesting. I never thought there was a problem, although I am aware of struggling to catch my breath and that wakes me up.

15) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Thought of the day. (Message 819449) Posted 16 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: If so many can commit evil in the name of God, that rather puts the Devil out of business.

16) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Do you dream in color? (Message 819445) Posted 16 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: I would like to add that at times when just before waking, I often find myself struggling for breath in my dreams. In those moments I have sometimes had visions of being in a mist with a bright light in the distance, or just being in a misty place. Then I have struggled to wake up and so far I've always managed to do so.

17) Message boards : Cafe SETI : True music II (Message 819439) Posted 16 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: This is a good one too. Englishman in New York

18) Message boards : Cafe SETI : True music II (Message 819399) Posted 16 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: Fly Me to the Moon Fly me to the moon And let me play among the stars, Let me see what spring is like On Jupiter and Mars.

19) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Do you dream in color? (Message 817822) Posted 12 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: I've had dreams in glorious technicolour. I always dream in colours. I've had lucid dreams as well. I would like to find the secret of dreaming lucidly all the time, but cant' really manage it. It would really be fun and yes, they would be in colour.

20) Message boards : Cafe SETI : Thought of the day. (Message 817236) Posted 11 Oct 2008 by Mac Girl. Post: What is death? The silence that follows a loud FART in a crowded lift. That's death.

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