[Magdalen] Fwd: Breaking News Alert: Cancer has spread to brain, Jimmy Ca...

[Roger Stokes]

On 20/08/2015 18:12, Cantor03--- via Magdalen wrote:
> In a message dated 8/20/2015 11:27:54 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> jay.weigel at gmail.com writes:
>
> Jimmy is  a smart man. He knows what his options are, what the realities
> are, and I  think he'll know when to say "enough".>>>>>
>   
> I'm not in any way being disrespectful, but the reality here is that  I
> read some time ago that the Washington National Cathedral has
> plans for the funerals of all the living Presidents and ex-Presidents
> of the USA.

I would not expect the National Cathedral to be the body responsible for 
such plans (separation of Church and state and all that) but I would 
certainly expect there to be plans that have been drawn up by some 
responsible body within government.  Such a funeral requires discussion 
and negotiation on a confidential basis between a number of parties and 
it is better to have done this before the subject dies rather than in 
the immediate aftermath when time is pressing and people want decisions.

This side of the pond it is known that there are plans, reviewed 
periodically, for the state funerals of various members of the Royal 
Family.  When Diana, Princess of Wales, died this was obviously 
unexpected and there was nothing in place so they adapted the 
arrangements proposed for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill and 
last month I went to a special exhibition at Chartwell, his home in 
Kent.  This included letters indicating that the Queen had suggested 
that he be given the singular honour of a state funeral and the 
agreement from various people that would be involved.

Obviously this is a separate consideration from whether and what 
treatment an elderly person should receive.  It is a simple recognition 
of the inevitable even though its timing may be unpredictable and so 
being prepared for it when it happens.

Roger