If anyone thought that the international death with dignity crowd would allow Washington voters to decide for themselves whether to legalize assisted suicide, they were living in a fantasy world. The campaign was barely born last November and the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Committee donated $200,000 to the cause. They want this election and they want it bad.
Now, a quick question: Will the media, which are so often exorcised about the influence of money in political campaigns make a stink about this? Not on your life. Self Righteous condemnation of big money in campaigns is expressed only when the money is donated for causes with which journalists disagree.
Remember Missouri and Amendment 2 and Proposition 71? Huge bucks from special interests were poured into those campaigns with nary a peep from an outraged media. But had, say, Mel Gibson donated millions to defeat those plans, the howling would have been loud enough to wake the dead.
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