[extropy-chat] Self-Termination - Assisted and Otherwise

[Olga Bourlin]

Hunter S. Thompson "assisted" himself:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/02/23/thompson.death.ap/index.html

Thompson's dilemma and solution reminded me of something that happened in my 
family decades ago in San Francisco, when I was a young girl.  A relative of 
mine (he was, in fact, the relative who picked my own family up at SF 
International Airport when we arrived to the United States) who had been in 
Czar Nicholas II's army before the Russian Revolution - was diagnosed with 
myasthenia gravis in 1963-64.  Being the proud, upstanding monarchist White 
Russian that he was, and before he became so incapacitated that the option 
would no longer be his,  he planned his own death very carefully.

Before he left for the lovely, secluded spot in Golden Gate Park where he 
was eventually found with a gunshot wound to his temple ... he left his 
medals and a vase of forget-me-nots on the mantel at his house.

Related to this subject, you may have read Michael Medved's rantings about 
"Million Dollar Baby" v. his wonderful-movie-of-choice "Passion of Christ." 
What's wrong with this picture?  Why, one would think (aah, but then 
*there's* the rub) it would be so obvious that the subject of both movies is 
in fact about the same thing (short and succint reply posted below link is 
my husband's):

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0508/050223_news_letters.php
Christ's Assisted Suicide?

I was bemused to read of Michael Medved's complaints regarding the ending of 
Million Dollar Baby while he also bemoaned the lack of accolades for The 
Passion of the Christ ["Million Dollar Brouhaha," Feb. 16]. Has it occurred 
to Medved that the subject of Mel Gibson's movie is itself nothing more than 
a highly elaborate assisted suicide?

Patrick Inniss
Seattle