The right-thinking response to the Terri Schiavo case reminds me of my own actions on some warm afternoons when I sat on the swing on our front porch. I'd be reading a magazine or just gazing off at Tenderfoot Hill when our dog would start barking and running up and down the fence in response to a pedestrian on the sidewalk.

Naturally, I'd yell at the dog to shut up. This was not for the dog's benefit. It was for the ears of the pedestrian. It was my way of saying "Yes, I know my dog is annoying you. I care about this, and as you can tell by my shouting, I am trying to do something about it." Even so, I didn't actually get up and do anything about the dog, like put her in the backyard, or spend time trying to teach her not to bark at pedestrians.

Similarly, the blustering about Terri Schiavo was not for her benefit, but for a public facade. It was a way for politicians to say "I care about life," without actually doing anything to make sure more Americans lived.