Martin Amis and the Silver Tsunami.

British author Martin Amis is taking it from all sides for suggesting that there should be euthanasia booths on street corners for the impending "silver tsunami" of feeble seniors. The Guardian article is here.

George Pitcher at the Telegraph rightly Amis the slightest shadow of his father and says he may cause damage to the aid in dying movement.

From the tcot-ers at Common American Journal - comes fear that the elites are working to engineer population numbers.

From Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, paternalizing Schadenberg once again fails to see more nuance in the discussion than simple "culture of death" hatred for the elderly.

He suspects Amis may be kidding, trying to promote his latest book, or simply represents all the rest of the blood-thirsty in society who can't wait to knock off our "useless and disrespected" elders.

Egads! At least Amis-the-younger showed how little a sense of humor or proportion both the Antis and the Pros tend to have: the former just 'cause it's their demeanor and they have an entire population to scare with hyperbole; and the latter cause they can't afford the damage a wrongly-placed or too-bold-faced joke or fact will do them.

If Amis is the great commentator on modern culture he has been hailed as, at least with this issue he earns his keep. His simple comments, some absurd, some colorful, some realistic, about aid in dying, euthanasia, assisted suicide - call it what you will - cut through the pastel-colored, soft-voiced, hallmark-esque culture that surrounds the aid in dying discussion.

We're all going to die, he says. Some of us would like the rather practical choice of how to do so rather than be hooked up and strung out for one segment of the populations' gooey adoration and fawning. Give patients choice. Uh, that is what personal rights are all about after all.

And he expectedly draws the "end times," "elder abuse," claims that opponents leverage to reduce seniors to incapable children, fearful for their lives, and unable to make their own medical decisions.

Pro-life groups have done it with women for - ok, forever. Take that "silver tsunami." Your turn.

(Which brings me to the point I'm always making: get the elder's rights folks and the women's rights folks together to fight not only the horrors of pastel leaflets! but the religious efforts to impose doctrinal medicine on patients, ah, could be liberating. Makes sense. Can't be worse than what either group is getting so far on its own.)