Two Days Before The Day After Tomorrow
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Follow That Egg
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Erection Day
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Best Friends Forever
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- Follow That Egg (originally aired November 2, 2005) : Mr. Garrison tries to politicize a class parenting exercise in order to convince the Colorado governor to veto a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state.
- Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow (originally aired October 19, 2005) : Stan and Cartman destroy a beaver dam, causing a flood of the nearby town Beaverton. Adults start trying to assign blame for the dam's destruction and overreact to the possibility that global warming was involved.
- Erection Day (originally aired April 20, 2005) : Jimmy tries to prepare and give his topical stand-up routine at the talent show, but faces distractions.
- Best Friends Forever (originally aired March 30, 2005) : Kenny is trapped in a persistent vegatative state while Heaven needs him to defeat the forces of Hell. Cartman fights against Stan and Kyle in a fight very reminiscent of that surrounding Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo.
Follow That Egg (originally aired November 2, 2005) (back to top)
Mr. Garrison tries to politicize a class parenting exercise in order to convince the Colorado governor to veto a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state.
- Same-Sex Marriage in Colorado. In reality, Colorado has not enacted any legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Colorado actually has no state law explicitly limiting marriage to a man and a woman or explicitly prohibiting same-sex marriage (Colorado Statute 14-2-110 prohibits some marriages, but not same-sex ones). Many states have moved to explicitly ban same-sex marriages in recent years, first with legislation and then with amendments to their state constitutions. In November 2004, voters in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah approved measures amending their approved measures in November 2004 amending their constitutions to ban same-sex marriage either by defining marriage as between a man and a woman or by going further and stating that legal equivalents such as civil unions may not be recognized.
As of late 2005, only Massachusetts recognizes same-sex marriages, a distinction resulting from decisions by that state's highest court and not by legislation. Only two states currently recognize same-sex couples' rights via an equivalent to marriage such as civil unions or domestic partnerships: Vermont and California.
- Studies. As for Mr. Garrison's very unscientific study, many studies have looked at different aspects of the effects of children having gay parents. Researchers Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz conducted a survey (on-line here) of the social-science research on the subject, which they called a "rapid growth industry that incites passionate divisions."
In their study, Stacey and Biblarz wrote that "this body of research, almost uniformly, reports findings of no notable differences between children reared by heterosexual parents and those reared by lesbian and gay parents, and it finds lesbigay parents to be as competent and effective as heterosexual parents." However, they wrote that such research is limited to some degree and that the sexual orientation of parents does matter. "There is suggestive evidence and good reason to believe that contemporary children and young adults with lesbian or gay parents do differ in modest and interesting ways from children with heterosexual parents," they wrote. "Most of these differences, however, are not causal, but are indirect effects of parental gender or selection effects associated with heterosexist social conditions under which lesbigay-parent families currently live."
At the same time, Stacey and Biblarz criticized researchers who found negative effects of children having gay parents. They wrote that such researchers have "deeply rooted" views against homosexuality that "hinder[] their ability to conduct or interpret research with reason, nuance, or care."
Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow (originally aired October 19, 2005)
Stan and Cartman destroy a beaver dam, causing a flood of the nearby town Beaverton. Adults start trying to assign blame for the dam's destruction and overreact to the possibility that global warming was involved.
- Hurricane Katrina. This episode obviously was inspired in part by debate as to whether some of Hurricane Katrina's effects could have been prevented and by criticism of the governmental response. Katrina, which may be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, caused massive flooding and destruction in the Gulf Coast states in late August, first hitting Florida as a category 1 hurricane on August 25 and then hitting Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane on August 29.
Many possible factors have been cited as contributing to the extent of the hurricane's effects, including global warming, federal budget priorities, and inadequate warnings. In particular, one suggestion has been that some flooding in New Orleans could have been prevented if some pending hurricane protection projects in New Orleans had been completed and that the war in Iraq has strained available budgets. Lt. General Carl Strock, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said on Sept. 2 (on-line here) that New Orleans' levee system was designed only for a class 3 hurricane and that "the intensity of this storm simply exceeded the design capacity of this levee." Strock also said that he did not believe that the Army Corps of Engineers' budget had suffered because of the war in Iraq. A September 3 press release is on-line as a PDF here.
Some have criticized the governmental response to Katrina at the federal, state and local levels as slow, unclear and insufficient. President George W. Bush said on September 6 (on-line here) that he did not want to play the "blame game" and would "lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong" to better respond to future disasters or terrorist attacks. Bush did urge Gulf Coast residents on August 28, the day before Katrina hit Louisiana, to take precautions (on-line here), but was criticized for continuing with his vacation and with political events for several days instead of visiting the area more quickly. In addition, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown received much criticism for his actions and comments in the wake of Katrina and was replaced by R. David Paulison on September 12, 2005.
- Global Warming. Many people do agree that global average surface temperature has increased over the 100 years by about one degree and that higher concentrations of greenhouse gases relating to human activity such as the use of fossil fuels have contributed to this increase. The debate continues more as to how much of the increase is attributable to human activity as opposed to natural variations, as well as to what kinds of measures are appropriate in response.
President George W. Bush himself acknowledged the temperature increase and the greenhouse effect in a June 11, 2001 speech (on-line here), though he also raised questions about how much was known. "We do not know how much effect natural fluctuations in climate may have had on warming. We do not know how much our climate could, or will change in the future. We do not know how fast change will occur, or even how some of our actions could impact it," he said. "Finally, no one can say with any certainty what constitutes a dangerous level of warming, and therefore what level must be avoided. The policy challenge is to act in a serious and sensible way, given the limits of our knowledge."
The effects of global warming are likely to make themselves known over decades, not days. However, some have at least considered the possibility of abrupt climate change as depicted in the movie The Day After Tomorrow and as feared in this episode. In October 2003, consultants to the Pentagon prepared a report (on-line as a PDF here) entitled "An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security," which looked at an "extreme" scenario in which temperatures raised by 4 to 5 degrees around the world resulting in food shortages, water shortages, and disrupted access to energy supplies. The authors of this report called this scenario "plausible" "although not the most likely."
Footnotes for "Erection Day" (last updated April 21, 2005) (back to top)
Jimmy tries to prepare and give his topical stand-up routine at the talent show, but faces distractions. Here are quick footnotes on some of his topical jokes:
- Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart was released from a West Virginia federal prison on March 4, 2005 after serving a five-month sentence. She was convicted on March 5, 2004 of four felonies relating to her selling stock of ImClone Systems Incorporated using insider information. She was not convicted of insider trading but of charges related to her alleged cover-up, specifically: (1) conspiring to obstruct justice, make false statements and commit perjury, (2) making false statements to federal agents on February 4, 2002, (3) making false statements to federal agents on April 10, 2002, and (4) obstructing justice.
- New Pope.. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, who served as Pope John Paul II's chief theologian and was the head of the archdiocese of Munich and Freising, was elected the new head of the Roman Catholic Church on April 19, 2005. As pope, he will be known as Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican has information about Pope Benedict XVI on-line here.
- China and Japan. Thousands of Chinese people protested on April 9 against Japanese textbooks that allegedly do not sufficiently address abuses committed by Japan during World War II. The controversy reportedly centers around the upcoming edition of a middle-school history textbook, which a Chinese government spokesman condemned on April 7 (statement on-line here) as a "provocation against human justice and conscience" for "gloss[ing] over [Japan's ] aggression and even overtly preach[ing] the 'feat' of aggression." Japan's foreign ministry spokesman condemned the Chinese protests on April 13 (on-line here) and re-iterated past statements of "profound remorse" and "deep remorse" for actions during the war.
- Gas Prices. U.S. retail gasoline prices (info on-line here) have increased dramatically in recent years, with retail gasoline prices increasing from about $1.00 a gallon in January 2002 to $2.20 in mid-April 2005. Prices were relatively stable in the early and mid 1990s, but have fluctuated more since 1999. Prices are not record-highs when inflation is taken into account; gasoline in the 1970s cost around $3 per gallon when adjusted for inflation.
Footnotes for "Best Friends Forever" (last updated March 31, 2005) (back to top)
This episode of South Park appears to be inspired by the controversy surrounding Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo, who did not have a living will that detailed whether she would have wanted to withdraw medical treatment if she was in a persistent vegetative state as she has been for years. Her husband has argued that she would have wanted to withdraw medical treatment while her parents have contested her husband's fitness as a guardian and argued that she would have wanted to continue medical treatment.
In real life, of course, courts probably would not take the word of a person's "best friend forever" such as Cartman over that of his or her guardian, which would be Kenny's parents barring their being seen as unfit guardians.
The fight over Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo became a national issue in 2003 when the Florida legislature and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tried to stop the withdrawal of medical treatment through legislation and an executive order that were later declared unconstitutional. The fight reached a new level when a state court judge ruled in February 2005 that medical treatment could be withdrawn on March 18. Congress quickly passed a bill giving Schiavo's parents the standing to bring a suit in federal court to resume medical treatment, and President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on March 21. Nevertheless, federal courts have continued to reject Theresa's parents' arguments and the unsuccessful intervention by Congress and the White House has been criticized.
It is worth noting that the entire controversy could have been avoided if Theresa had thought ahead and prepared an advance directive stating what she would want in such circumstances. The United States Supreme Court and many states have recognized that people have the right to decide when to end medical treatment and when to refuse it, and the only legal controversies arise when people did not formally express their preferences before falling into a non-communicative state. Relatively few Americans have prepared such orders, according to some surveys. Only 9 percent of hospital patients surveyed under the age of 30 had done so, according to a 1993 study by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General.
Background
Theresa Marie Schindler was born in 1963 and lived with or near her parents in Pennsylvania until 1984, when she married Michael Schiavo just short of her 21st birthday. Michael and Theresa then moved to Florida in 1986. After five and a half years of marriage, Theresa, then 27, suffered a cardiac arrest on February 25, 1990 and was rushed to the hospital. She has never regained consciousness and lived in nursing homes with constant care for the next decade.
Theresa's parents argue that Theresa is not in a permanent or persistent vegetative state and that she has some limited cognitive abilities.
However, courts hearing the issue have found that evidence does not support the parents' allegations.
According to a Florida appellate court's January 2001 opinion, "the evidence is overwhelming that Theresa is in a permanent or persistent vegetative state." Moreover, her brain has deteriorated and now has a "severely abnormal structure." "At this point, much of her cerebral cortex is simply gone and has been replaced by cerebral spinal fluid. Medicine cannot cure this condition. Unless an act of God, a true miracle, were to recreate her brain, Theresa will always remain in an unconscious, reflexive state, totally dependent upon others to feed her and care for her most private needs."
Legal Dispute
Most state laws, including Florida's, recognize that a person's spouse should act as a guardian and decide what happens if that person is so incapacitated. Under Florida law, parents have such rights only if a person has no spouse.
However, Theresa's parents have challenged Michael Schiavo's fitness as a guardian, noting that he now lives with a girlfriend and her children. In particular, Theresa's parents have contended that Michael Schiavo wants to terminate his wife's life so that he can inherit the remaining award from a medical malpractice lawsuit that he filed on his wife's behalf in the early 1990s. Courts have rejected this concern.
"We see no evidence in this record that either Michael or the Schindlers seek monetary gain from their actions. Michael and the Schindlers simply cannot agree on what decision Theresa would made today if she were able to assess her own condition and make her own decision," an appellate court said in January 2001. Still, that court did express its hope that Michael Schiavo would volunteer that money to a charity instead of keeping it.
Regardless of Michael Schiavo's motives, courts have considered what Theresa herself would have wanted in such circumstances. They have found that the Theresa would not have wanted a life-prolonging procedure to be used to sustain her life in these circumstances. In affirming a trial judge's decision that Theresa would choose to die in such circumstances, an appellate court said in 2001 :
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"The testimony in this case establishes that Theresa was very young and very healthy when this tragedy struck. Like many young people without children, she had not prepared a will, much less a living will. She had been raised in the Catholic faith, but did not regularly attend mass or have a religious advisor who could assist the court in weighing her religious attitudes about life-support methods. Her statements to her friends and family about the dying process were few and they were oral. Nevertheless, those statements, along with other evidence about Theresa, gave the trial court a sufficient basis to make this decision for her.
"In the final analysis, the difficult question that faced the trial court was whether Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo, not after a few weeks in a coma, but after ten years in a persistent vegetative state that has robbed her of most of her cerebrum and all but the most instinctive of neurological functions, with no hope of a medical cure but with sufficient money and strength of body to live indefinitely, would choose to continue the constant nursing care and the supporting tubes in hopes that a miracle would somehow recreate her missing brain tissues, or whether she would wish to permit a natural death process to take its course and for her family members and loved ones to be free to continue their lives. After due consideration, we conclude that the trial judge had clear and convincing evidence to answer this question as he did."
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Sources: Findlaw has information on the case on-line here. General Accounting Office, Patient Self-Determination Act: Providers offer information on advance directives but effectiveness uncertain (August 1995).
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West Wing: Santos discusses a lawsuit about intelligent design
West Wing: Electoral map as of the 10/9 episode; Santos needs to catch up big-time
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South Park: Inspired by Katrina
Boston Legal: End to assault-weapons ban
Daily Show: A 2004 study found that 21 percent of young people regularly get their campaign news from comedy shows like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live. So, some footnotes.
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