There has been a lot of news about euthanasia: simply helpfully putting someone to death.

To listen to Republican media and politicians discuss the Obama health care plan, every American grandpa and grandma is in the crosshairs of some Democratic Waffen-SS death squad. Lead by the likes of Kathleen Sibelius, Tom Daschle, Ted Kennedy, and Al Franken.

You get visions of Benny Hill’s skinny little sidekick under the gun, of Sarah Palin being shot at from helicopters by Democratic hunters. Of little Trig…… perhaps even Stephen Hawking…….You get the picture.

All this talk of euthanasia carried me back to the Middle East, to the shores of my native Gulf (Persian, not of Mexico). Especially to the wider Arab world.

It occurred to me that if any places needs euthanasia, some of them are probably in the Middle East. The health plans we have in the region are simple: they are based on a health caste system (no, I am not talking about India). All the ailing ruling oligarchs and most of their flunkies and retainers are flown outside the country, mostly to Europe but a few the USA, in private jets (at public expense). The rest are usually left at the mercy of local health care. The local doctors are mostly good and dedicated, but you can only work with what you got.

Actually the one time I had to enter the hospital I wondered why the oligarchs needed to be flown out to Europe in private jets (at public expense) for simple procedures. That was before I tried to use the bathroom, where I had to wade in the water covering the floor, and on the lookout for the giant cockroaches that might challenge me if I stare at them for too long. Maybe it was just sour grapes on my part because I was not the type to be flown on a private jet (at public expense) to Europe.

Which reminds me: European health care must be better than Republicans think. Or maybe the oligarchs don’t know how horribly socialist European health care is in such places like Germany, Britain, France, Holland, Italy, Scandinavia, Ireland, Greece, Austria, etc.

But my mind latched onto 'euthanasia', and focused on it like the TV junkie that I am not. It occurred to me that euthanasia for oligarchs and life-long dictators would be sort of like term limits for politicians.

Why can’t the United Nations establish a committee a la the Obama health plan (whatever that turns out to be) to look into the lingering leaders of the Middle East. It would have members form the Security Council as well as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, World Health Organization, among others. They don’t have to call it a “Euthanasia Committee”, they can be more delicate than Sarah Palin and Chuck Grassley.

Term limits don’t work in most of the Middle East, especially in the Arab part of it. So why not, for once, borrow something useful from the West?

Cheers

mhg