Maybe she was trying to say 'I want to be left alone'

Terri Schiavo's parents are reported as telling a federal judge today that their daughter attempted to say ''I want to live'' a week ago. Fortunately, this circus does have an end, and it won't come too soon for anybody except the Bush brothers and their ilk. They're making enough political hay out of this whole farce to coast til the mid-term elections.

In the Chronicle, Mark Morford asks, "Are we entering a new dark age?" I'm afraid so, though I hope he's overstating things just a bit. Last time I looked, we still had a free press, and internal visas were not required for interstate travel. But ask me again in 2010.