Open letter to Gov. Bush on Terri Schindler-Schiavo

WorldNetDaily ^ | 10/20/2003 | Tom Ambrose

[Houmatt]

Dear Gov. Bush,

You have before you the most important decision of your political career: Will you or will you not uphold your oath of office to protect the constitutional rights of Terri Schindler-Schiavo?

Additionally, many of our readers have asked questions which, frankly – as reasonable as they are – I don't know how to answer them. Perhaps you do. For example:

1. Why is it that a governor can commute the death sentence of a person convicted of murder, but cannot stop the execution of an innocent young woman?

2. By the definitions of "cruel and unusual," our courts would not allow a convicted murderer to die of legally sanctioned starvation and dehydration. Why are you allowing this to be done to an innocent young woman?

3. If any person in America tried to euthanize their dog the way you are allowing to be done to Terri Schindler-Schiavo, they would be prosecuted for cruelty to an animal. Why are you allowing this to be done to an innocent human being?

Gov. Bush, I must also tell you that your pitiful attempt to make people think you are impotent to act in this matter is not credible. It makes people think you are acting in bad faith – washing your hands of a difficult matter just as Pontius Pilate did with Jesus 2,000 years ago. If such is the case – and I believe it is likely – you sir are a coward without modern-day peer. I hope I'm wrong. But, if you let this woman die, her blood is on your hands.

Oh, and yes, Gov. Bush, I am aware there may be a special session of the state legislature that might include a bill to address this matter. But the simple fact is you already have grounds to take charge now. By the time this "special session" gets done, Terri may very well be dead. But then you'll be able to shrug your shoulders and give yourself and the legislature enough cover to pretend you really tried to help Terri, right?

Surely, governor, there are ample reasons to warrant investigations into the activities of the people involved in seeking Terri's death. And surely there is ample evidence that Terri is no more a vegetable than you are, governor – she laughs, she cries, she moves in response to words and other stimuli. She is awake. She is alive. And she is a citizen of your state who is entitled to the full protection of the law.

Terri Schindler-Schiavo is being denied her right to life. She needs help to be rehabilitated. She does not deserve a painful execution that we wouldn't even subject dogs or criminals to.

So, governor, will you act honorably and uphold the integrity of your oath of office or will you allow an innocent, helpless woman to be murdered by legally mandated neglect?

The world is watching.

[sinkspur]

If you think it is better for someone who is in a position to do something to do nothing, not only am I not the one who is not thinking, I am not the one being heartless and cruel.

There's the rub: you think Jeb is in a position to do something, he and his advisors think not. You see a judicial ruling you would overturn, with no thought beyond this immediate situation.

Elected officials are bound by law and precedent and must be aware the implications of what they do for the future.

A governor who could simply ignore Greer's ruling here sets the precendent for another governor to ignore a judge who might take the side of the Schindler's.

Flatten the law, and you've got nothing to protect you or anybody else.

Get on your knees right now and beg God for forgiveness, in hope He will not decide to bestow the same fate upon you.

Forget about trying to terrorize me with God; I know Him better than that.

[MHGinTN]

Judge Greer is a state's guardina due to his assigning Michael Schiavo as guardian for a disabled woman. The judge has failed to exercise his guardianship thus the judge has ruled unjustly or at the very least left his rulings to be suspect for his failure to do his duty under Florida law.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

But, what criminal law has been broken? Don't you think if the Governor of Florida could do anything, he would?

[MHGinTN]

In your defense of this feckless governor, you have failed to consider that perhaps he and his advisers do see a way he can act to save Terri but they do not wish to take the political heat it would generate from the irrationa democrats in Florida. [You wrote to Houmatt, "There's the rub: you think Jeb is in a position to do something, he and his advisors think not."]

[tkathy]

Do not scapegoat Jeb. This is a tragedy, but the exception not the rule. Big government laws will not change the nature of the problems of the dying. The issues are not black and white, but degrees of gray. No law can stop all the problems of the dying.

[Pukin Dog]

I'm peddling that we encourage the governor to follow the law, and not convience, sentiment or passion. If you are not buying that, then what I said about society has already happened to a large degree.

[sinkspur]

The judge has failed to exercise his guardianship thus the judge has ruled unjustly or at the very least left his rulings to be suspect for his failure to do his duty under Florida law.

Those whose job it is to sit in judgement on Greer agree with him.

Where in the Florida constitution is the governor allowed to overturn a judicial ruling because he determines it to be unconstitutional?

[MHGinTN]

Don't you think if the Governor of Florida could do anything, he would? RedBloodedAmerican There was a time when I did believe this. When someone is being killed, you act to stop that, then deal with the fallout that may follow. I happen to believe that the governor does have legal authority to suspend the execution of a judge's ruling if the judge is susp[ect in his judicial behavior.

[MHGinTN]

Nice try at a red herring, sinky. I didn't say anything about overturning a judge's ruling. The governor can suspend the execution of the ruling and have his atty general institute investigations. The law enforcement people are the force behind the courts and can suspend execution of unjust rulings. You know that but prefer to ignore it in defense of a feckless governor.

[sinkspur]

In your defense of this feckless governor, you have failed to consider that perhaps he and his advisers do see a way he can act to save Terri but they do not wish to take the political heat it would generate from the irrationa democrats in Florida.

I understand that Jeb is a lame duck. I just don't see the "political heat" if a governor steps in to save a life.

In reality, there isn't any.

There WOULD be political heat if a governor overturned a ruling from a judge; in fact, it's likely he would overturned by a federal appeals court, and impeached later.

IOW, he would go down and would only prolong the inevitable.

[MHGinTN]

Here's a little something else that may have bearing on this fiasco, sinky:

Judge George Greer may not legally be a Judge in his current capacity
"Also, Judge Greer did not qualify to be on the 1998 ballot because he did not "qualify" in the statutorily-prescribed 5 day period. Nor did he file his FS876.05 Oath to the Laws and Constitution according to its nonexistence [based on] the records of where it should have been filed."

239 posted on 10/19/2003 6:22 PM EDT by pc93

[sinkspur]

The governor can suspend the execution of the ruling and have his atty general institute investigations.

Can he? Perhaps you could cite the statute that allows a governor to suspend a judicial ruling.

And, while you're at it, could you explain how the State of Florida would supercede the Pinellas County DA in "instituting investigations"? Aren't investigations like this a county function?

[MHGinTN]

Sinkspur: I understand that Jeb is a lame duck. I just don't see the "political heat" if a governor steps in to save a life.
In reality, there isn't any. You're not that naive, sinky. You knwo full well that the democrat party has calculated how to place this issue as a dilemma they can manipulate for leverage in 2004. I used to think you were an honest debater, too.

[MHGinTN]

I specifically addressed 'suspend the EXECUTION of a judicial ruling', not suspend the ruling.

[MHGinTN]

The guardianship laws are state laws.

[Houmatt]

There's the rub: you think Jeb is in a position to do something, he and his advisors think not. You see a judicial ruling you would overturn, with no thought beyond this immediate situation.

Jeb Bush has been presented with not one, but two different initiatives. He has acted on neither.

Elected officials are bound by law and precedent and must be aware the implications of what they do for the future.

Or, in this case, what they do not do. As I have said previously elsewhere, what you and your buddies fail to understand is regardless of the forum, you are in the minority. Many thousands of people do indeed care about Terri and what is happening to her.

A governor who could simply ignore Greer's ruling here sets the precendent for another governor to ignore a judge who might take the side of the Schindler's.

A governor who orders the state national guard to remove Terri by force and place her in a secret, guarded location in defiance of a corrupt, activist judge would be on the fast track to be the 44th President of The United States. (Hi, I'm Mr. Rogers. Can you say, "landslide?" I knew you could.)

Forget about trying to terrorize me with God; I know Him better than that.

I would suggest you pay heed to Galatians 6:7 :
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

[sinkspur]

Judge George Greer may not legally be a Judge in his current capacity

Now you're grasping at straws.

There are people on this website who think the 16th amendment wasn't ratified, and that justifies them not filing an income tax return.

[Houmatt]

Read post #76.

[sinkspur]

I used to think you were an honest debater, too.

I am debating with you in good faith. You, however, just can't resist slinging personal attacks.

I respect you for your pro-life views and opinions, but you have gotten down in the gutter in this Schiavo situation.

You knwo full well that the democrat party has calculated how to place this issue as a dilemma they can manipulate for leverage in 2004.

Jeb's not running in 2004, and this will be forgotten in six months.

[Houmatt]

If you weren't so excised over the fact that nothing legal can be done to stop this, you'd have realized that the humour was directed at people who actually give a damn about what is happening to an innocent woman in the name of convenience.

No, I got your point loud and clear.