James Lileks, commenting in his Monday Bleat on Terry Schiavo, advocates "erring on the side of life." He also manages to channel some vintage Star Trek in making his point. His concluding paragraphs offer great insight:

I’ll stop here before someone feels compelled to send an email comparing Terry Schiavo to Spock in that horrible episode in which his brain was gone – but even then, you’ll note, they beamed down and looked around for the damn thing. In short: err on the side of life is not a bad motto to keep in mind. This seems simple enough. I respect those who nod, count to three, and offer a soft “however” so that we may refine the particulars. But I don’t have much time for those who hear “err on the side of life” and automatically bristle, because they hear the voice of someone who, damn their black and God-addled brain, once sent $10 to a politician who opposed parental notification law that did not have a judicial review.

You may not always agree with that sort of person. You may have no need for them. But you never think you have need of any chocks until you're in the truck, and you realize it's rolling down the hill. Backwards.

I use chocks. We're supposed to use them in case the truck starts rolling. Of course, this is the Army, where it doesn't matter what you think about an idea, just do it because I told you to!

Oh, yeah, and Read the Whole Thing. That's an order, soldier!