Rich:

When I started paying attention to the Schiavo case, three days going on a

hundred years ago, I got regular e-mails from readers saying: “Check out

this Michael Schiavo guy. When you find out what he’s like, you’ll come

round.”

I have been obediently checking him out. (Just one google on “michael

schiavo” will keep you busy for an afternoon.) The more I have found out,

the more I find my original, very vague, impression supported.

Michael Schiavo, as best I can judge, is Everyman. He has not behaved with

high nobility; but then, very few of us do, certainly not for 15 years at a

stretch. He seems to have done his best for a decent while, then given up

in despair and turned back to his life, to the degree the situation and his

conscience would let him. It’s possible I’ve missed something, but I

haven’t seen any point in Michael Schiavo’s trajectory this 15 years past

where I couldn’t all too easily see myself doing pretty much what he did.

For all I can see, this is Ordinary Joe doing his imperfect and occasionally

erroneous best with an appalling situation.

I think I have now read all the slanders against him, including the really

lurid ones. All I can say about that is: If all the people who hate

Michael Schiavo have, after all these years, not been able to persuade the

authorities to charge him with anything, then the presumption of innocence

seems to me a pretty good position to take.

I’ll say this publicly to Michael Schiavo: Michael, if you are ever in Long

Island for any reason, you’re welcome to drop in at my house for a beer and

a chat. By all means bring Jodi and the kids. National Review has my

address.