"The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped."

-- Hubert Humphrey

Where have Hubert Humphrey's Democratic heirs been on the Terri Schiavo question?

The vote on the Palm Sunday Compromise allowing Terri Schiavo's parents to take her case to a federal judge: 156 Republicans and 47 Democrats for, 53 Democrats and 5 Republicans against (with 102 Dems, 71 Republicans and 1 independent not voting).

Among the Democrats voting not to interfere in the starvation of a brain-damaged woman by her estranged husband: Michael Capuano, the Democrat who holds Tip O'Neill's old House seat; Barney Frank, D-Newton and Provincetown, who famously quipped that pro-life Republicans care more about people before they're born than after; Patrick Kennedy, nephew of the late Rosemary Kennedy, brain-damaged woman who inspired the Special Olympics; John Lewis, civil-rights activist and MLK protégé.

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Longtime University of Colorado English professor Donald Baker sees a parallel between Terri Schiavo and Elian Gonzalez:

In each case, the victim is under the legal control of a man who is no longer living with the victim, who in fact has run off with another woman and fathered her children, and who no longer plays an active role in the victim’s life. In Terri’s case, this is her husband. In Elian’s case, it’s his father.

Moreover, in each case there are people willing and able to care for the victim – Terri’s parents; Elian’s relatives in Miami. Yet in each case, the man with legal control insists that the victim be harmed – Terri killed, Elian shipped back to Castro’s Cuba. And in each case, the liberals – who never shut up about their concern for the weak and the oppressed – have sided with the creep against the victim.

"The liberals now stand for death and oppression. And, with their allies on the courts, they use the letter of the law to impose their will."

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The Corner has been covering Terri Schiavo non-stop * Amy Welborn provided a very useful service live-blogging the congressional debate on Terri Schiavo on March 20 and 21 * Mansfield Fox also has been following the debate in Congress.

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Blogizdat surveys the churches on Terri Schiavo, and mostly comes up with crickets.

But at least one Catholic bishop from Florida – the one from Orlando – marks Holy Week with an appeal for Terri Schiavo.