# Schaivo and the Pope: The Similarity is Scary! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 31, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031 "2005-03-31T01:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/1 "2005-03-31T01:29:41Z")
Bullocks they are, you bubble headed talking shit from brains automaton! They fucking well are not similar. Just cuz you can use the words “feeding tube” in context with each name, doesn’t mean that any significant similarities exist. Certainly none that you should be using as a segue point into either story. Report the fucking news and quit trying to be creative with the moronic tie ins that aren’t. I’m embarassed for you, you fuckwit! ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/2 "2005-03-31T01:46:30Z")
Er… who made this comment, if I may ask? (National news, local news, or something else?) ---
**Author:** ![High\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8797f3/32.png) [@High\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/3 "2005-03-31T02:07:06Z")
Maybe the “tie-in” is that they are using the **same** feeding tube. They take Schiavo’s tube from her and suddenly The Pope is getting a feeding tube!? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/4 "2005-03-31T03:01:03Z")
I am with Jon Stewart on this one, it’s the media’s feeding tube. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/5 "2005-03-31T10:57:08Z")
[Nitpick] The term is “bollocks” as in “Bollocks they are!” or “Bollocks you paid for the last round!”, not “bullocks”. [/Nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/6 "2005-03-31T11:08:30Z")
Some mental heavyweight [commented on a letter to my local paper](http://blog.news-record.com/staff/letters/archives/2005/03/congress_should.html#comments) making this comparison: > [@](#): > > Terri Schiavo is no more incapacitated than the Pope, who is also on a feeding tube. Both are awake, alive, responsive, and breathing on their own. Good thing he isn’t married, or I guess he’d be starved to death as well. I thought about commenting back, but I’ve spent most of the last two weeks trying to fight ignorance on this subject, and while I’ve seen a surprising lot of people changing their minds about it when they know the facts, I’m just tired. Earlier in the week, someone else wrote a [letter saying that we should see the cautionary tale in Terri’s bullemia](http://blog.news-record.com/staff/letters/archives/2005/03/dont_forget_wha.html#comments), and a couple of hosers had to come by to say that, no, her husband beat her. You can’t prove he didn’t! Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/7 "2005-03-31T19:49:02Z")
But they’re both carbon-based life forms… ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/8 "2005-03-31T20:48:04Z")
and both were brain dead!! ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/9 "2005-03-31T20:59:09Z")
Neither has ever been in my kitchen. Now I see a news flash that the Pope’s condition is “worsening”. Imagine the circus if the Pope actuallly dies in the next 24 hours or so. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/10 "2005-03-31T21:24:19Z")
Let’s not ignore the odd-vious–They are both Catholic ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/11 "2005-03-31T21:50:27Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > Neither has ever been in my kitchen. > Now I see a news flash that the Pope’s condition is “worsening”. Imagine the circus if the Pope actuallly dies in the next 24 hours or so. So help me Buddha, and with no malice to the old coot, I sure hope so. His gathering to God is the only thing that will yank the jackals off Terri’s corpse, and make CNN safe for viewing again. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/12 "2005-03-31T22:03:42Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > Now I see a news flash that the Pope’s condition is “worsening”. Imagine the circus if the Pope actuallly dies in the next 24 hours or so. That’s certainly possible. He has been given last rites, which by itself doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but there has also been a statement that he is not going back to hospital. Sounds to me as if he is beyond the point of medical help, and they are going to let nature take its course. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/13 "2005-03-31T22:12:46Z")
People tend to die near major, to them at least events. Women just after, and men just before. Lots have been written about this observered and confirmed by statictical analysis observation. The pope made it through Easter, which I assume for him was a major event. That to me speaks of strong will. I hope that the Pope’s death is not as drawn out as Mrs. Shiavo’s was, even though that would be a very interesting situation. In fifteen years, how many Cardinals would still be eligible to vote for the next pope? ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/14 "2005-03-31T22:20:42Z")
> [@Annie](#): > > So help me Buddha, and with no malice to the old coot, I sure hope so. His gathering to God is the only thing that will yank the jackals off Terri’s corpse, and make CNN safe for viewing again. Actually, my thought was that the nutters who are latched on to the Schaivo case would see some divine message in the Pope dying the same day and _really_ go off the deep end. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/15 "2005-03-31T22:38:52Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > Actually, my thought was that the nutters who are latched on to the Schaivo case would see some divine message in the Pope dying the same day and _really_ go off the deep end. And I would start wondering how good Schiavo, the Pope, Cochran, and Falwell are/were at PSP. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/16 "2005-04-01T00:04:44Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > That’s certainly possible. He has been given last rites, which by itself doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but there has also been a statement that he is not going back to hospital. Sounds to me as if he is beyond the point of medical help, and they are going to let nature take its course. Sounds like suicide to me. Looks like ol’ JP2 will be going straight to hell. You know, suicide being a sin and all… -Joe, sinful ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/17 "2005-04-01T00:15:22Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > And I would start wondering how good Schiavo, the Pope, Cochran, and Falwell are/were at PSP. Has any of them even had a chance to _try_ the new PlayStation Portable? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/18 "2005-04-01T00:21:40Z")
I heard they are going to take some of Schaivo’s cells and inject them into the Pope to help cure him. That was one of the major reasons they took her off the feeding tube to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/19 "2005-04-01T00:22:36Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Has any of them even had a chance to _try_ the new PlayStation Portable? 😕 Did you see last night’s South Park? ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031/20 "2005-04-01T00:31:38Z")
You people aren’t conspiracy-minded enough. The Pope worsens several hours after Terri Schiavo dies. Nobody has seen Michael on the news networks since last night. Coincidence? Clearly, that evil scumbag Michael Schiavo left the hospice after his wife kicked the bucket, immediately hopped a plane to Rome and has now beaten the Pope into a persistent vegetative state. The liberal media is refusing to report the real cause of the pontiff’s condition, and will certainly not air the video footage of several cardinals trying to hold the madman off. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schaivo-and-the-pope-the-similarity-is-scary/297031.md?page=2)