Dr. Kervorkian runs for Congress

Dr. Kervorkian, the 79-year old doctor who helped 130 people die is running for congress in Michigan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080312/ap_on_el_ho/kevorkian_congress

Obviously he has no chance of being elected because he believes in personal freedom. And he’s so old he probably carries his own little suicide kit around in a lunch pail just in case he needs it. But I love the fact that he’s running. This should make the race interesting.

My hope is that he gets elected, serves for a few years then runs for president when he’s in his late eighties. That’s the sort of race that makes the choice of vice president extra interesting. All he’d need to do is name Oprah as his vice presidential running mate, whether she agrees or not, and promise to whack himself after a week in office. He’d win in a landslide.

I wonder if Dr. Kervorkian has trouble entertaining guests at home. I can imagine this scene playing itself out a lot:

Dr. Kervorkian: “Carl, you look tired. Can I get you a beverage?”

Carl: “NO! Nothing! I’m good!”

Comments

[Eize]

I'm curious. Does the good doctor attend funerals? I can just imagine a family member standing up and saying, "And here's the man who made all this possible!"

[Bridget Jones]

Scott,
I love you.
Bridget.

[Cal]

I once read a paper about one of Kevorkian's procedures. After the "process" had taken place, he wrote something similar to this (not exactly, as I don't have the quote memorized):

"and as she smiled, her eyes slowly closed. A ray of light then burst through the kitchen window..."

I had no choice but to reread that sentence a couple of times to make sure I hadn't misread it ...and then I shuddered. "Twisted," I called it.

[patti]

Patti says:
TO Rita Mae... "Yes,some are" ..but not just a teeny weeny.. itsy bitsy... bit
They are big-time names "livin' large"

[derek]

Now that is not the same as winning, but you never know.

[jmc]

Why is euthanasia a blessing to our pets who are dying slowly and/or in pain, and a crime to help a human being who is dying the same way?

I never understood that. Seems like cruelty to humans, to me.

[jmc]

Why is euthanasia a blessing to our pets who are dying slowly and/or in pain, and a crime to help a human being who is dying the same way?

I never understood that. Seems like cruelty to humans, to me.

[Amy Alkon]

Kevorkian is a hero. Where Mother Theresa fetishized suffering of desperate people and is lauded for it by the porridge-brains, Kevorkian endured great suffering to alleviate others' suffering.

[e-kitap]

Dr. Kervorkian: “Carl, you look tired. Can I get you a beverage?”

Carl: “NO! Nothing! I’m good!”

Ahahaha :D Superb

[Carinya]

My sister was one of those "assisted" to her death by Dr. Kevorkian........she was 52, and had convinced herself that she had some sort of terminal disease......in fact, she did not. Nearly 10 years has not eased the grief needlessly caused by the ignorance of someone who assumed he knew what he was doing. I thought he was still in jail........

[daniel]

Kelly Chesney, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state's office, said state election law only governs legislative and state offices and there is nothing that would prevent Kevorkian from running for federal office.

And this is one loophole that they would want to plug. In any case you are right that he surely won't be elected even if the law doesn't prevent him from doing so

[Trickypickle]

His views are radical. Views that are too different from what the views held by the majority tend not to win. On a side note, people keep throwing the word Freedom around like it's the best darned thing in the world. It isn't. Absolute freedom is anarchy. Absolute freedom sucks folks. What we want is a measure of freedom.

[Steve]

I support the doc in principle, but in practice, it does get a little hairy, because how do you PROVE that someone really wanted to die?

It's a regulatory and legal nightmare. Just as one example, the sitcom "Scrubs" did something about this, where a surgeon was trying to persuade a family to get a donor heart from a comatose and vegetative patient who would never recover... as it turned out the fellow had an organ donor card all along, but the family had been adamantly against letting their son die, even to save someone else.

I do believe people have a right to die if they wish, but the "how" is, at best, an incredibly complex and delicate thing to manage. Without serious regulation and oversight, it would essentially open the door for people to literally get away with murder and have a pretty good cover story.

[skitle]

I agree about the name recognition. He would probably get a lot of votes just because of that.

Voter: Hmmm.... Kervorkian. Where have I heard that name before? I should vote for him just to make sure. I bet he is the one I was planning on voting for. I can't remember the name of that other guy...

[Ann-Marie]

Dr. Death for Congress!

I'd love to put that sign on my lawn.

[Mark Robinson]

Off-topic: Dilbert's got someone called Jesus working with him. Have you thought about trying out that joke with Mohammed? Recommendation: don't! I don't think some Muslims would laugh a lot...

[andrew]

in the comic you forgot to wait 3 days for jesus to come back but funny tho

[GJC]

Scott,

I don't know why you are purposely trying to anger the Christians of the world with your latest series of "comics" - especially at this time of year.

I used to like your work, but I do believe I shall no longer patronize your Dilbert website or blog. I shall no longer purchase your merchandise and will discard any materials related to you that I have in my home.

Now, you might think this is hypocritical, but it is not. Let me explain. Not every person is required to like every other person. It would be unnatural. Now, you are probably thinking: aha, another hypocrisy - those Christians are supposed to love everyone. But, no. The concept of Christian love revolves around mutual respect and understanding. At its basest root, it means if I pass you on the street, I will not look to do you harm. It does not necessarily mean I should want to strike up a lifelong, familial type of relationship with you.

You have offended me, and I forgive you, but I do not believe that you will ever change your point of view and I am not required to constantly subject myself to it. That would be foolish.

So, I bid you a fond farewell and I will pray for your conversion. I sincerely hope that some day you will see the light and realize there is a higher power - that you are not the supreme being.

It has been fun. Goodbye.

[wernman]

Sanctity of life over personal freedom.

[Cobus]

Hi Scott,

This has nothing to do with your current post, but I guess you've heard about the women who sat on a toilet for 2 years!

(see http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2287139,00.html)

Care to comment/post?

[quantum_flux]

Want to drink some Absolute Kavorkian, Carl? It's 199 proof and it goes down smooth because it's taken intravaniously and thus bypassing the stomach and going straight to the brain! You know, so you can go out spinning like a Carl-Mo-Bobb.

[Johno]

Off topic for a moment:

I am a Christian. Now, depending on how broadly you define things, the "Hay-soos" cycle has at least[gently!] poked fun at what I believe. It is instructive to note that whilst at times I may have had a little pang of offense, perhaps 2 or 3, in the main my sense of humour has been more than up to the task of appreciating the irony in this series.

Curiously, Scott, I have felt no desire to call for death squads to bump you off. Nor have I been protesting in the streets about his misuse of sacred things. I haven't even gone onto media programs and made comments like "This is unfortunate".

Now, my opinion isn't a big deal; I'm just one guy. But I bet I'd have heard about it if the Christian Community in the USA by and large had been sufficiently upset to demand that Scott Adams be executed. So let's just say that until I hear anything that says otherwise, Christians have not reacted to this series like some muslims did to a series of cartoons a few months back.

I'm not actually sure what this proves, mind. But I'm pleased to note it. :)

[Aditya Simha]

I always thought he was famous for encouraging youth in asia, but then I found out he was talking about euthanasia. Which is of course a sin according to the holy books except when it comes to an issue of punishing blasphemy!

[kman]

Carl: No! Nothing! I'm good! Although, my wife was complaining she was dying of thirst on the car ride here. Ask her!

[D. Mented]

Years ago, when Kevorkian was in the news for helping someone die, a coworker commented 'Why do they need a doctor if they want to die - why don't they just get a rope?' I answered 'Maybe they want to die because they can't even get out of bed, forget about the rope'
He admitted I had a point.
I'm not sure what I would do in that situation, but I'm absolutely sure the government doesn't have the right to decide for people.
Maybe a different occupation than doctor, though. There are medical technicians and the like that can give injections without a full medical degree. I'm not sure a doctor should be euthanising patients, although there definitely should be doctors at the level of determining if the disease is really terminal.
D. Mented