Posted on 04/20/2006 1:37:42 PM PDT by AZRepublican
CBS4/AP) WEST PALM BEACH Gov. Jeb Bush erred when he entered the bitter fight over whether to keep brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive because government should not be involved in end-of-life decisions, Attorney General Charlie Crist said Thursday.
"I am pro-life and I respect life," Crist, a Republican candidate for governor, said at a gathering of the nonpartisan Forum Club of the Palm Beaches.
"There are some decisions that ought to be left to God and family," Crist said. "Had I have been governor, I would have not done the same thing" as Bush.
Crist's Republican challenger, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, hedged a bit, noting the importance of having a living will, something Schiavo did not have.
"These kinds of end-of-life matters do not belong in government," Gallagher said. "But when these kinds of situations come in front of me, I would always err on the side of life. I think that's what you must do when you don't know anything else."
Schiavo was at the center of a 15-year legal fight between her husband, Michael Schiavo, and her family over whether she should be kept alive with a feeding tube after a brain injury.
Congress, President Bush and Gov. Bush pressed to keep Schiavo alive. Ultimately, the courts sided with Schiavo's husband. She died of dehydration on March 31, 2005, after having her feeding tube was removed.
The Republican gubernatorial candidates also addressed crime, the economy, prayer in public schools, the environment, and property taxes.
Crist, a former education commissioner now in his fourth year as attorney general, noted that violent crime in Florida is at a 34-year low.
Crist cited the importance of passing the "anti-murder" bill now working its way through the Legislature, a measure that would allow judges to put violent criminals back in jail if they violate probation. He has made the bill one of his top legislative priorities.
"When somebody is put on probation it is a privilege, it's not a right," Crist said. "This anti-murder bill will simply say ... that if they violate probation, they will go back to jail."
The bill is similar to legislation that failed last year when lawmakers questioned the high cost of keeping thousands of additional suspects in county jails pending trials.
Gallagher said he would make crime a top priority, specifically for child sex offenders.
"I will make sure we're the toughest state in the nation when it comes to punishing our sexual predators," Gallagher said. "The bottom line is if you touch kids, you'll pay."
Gallagher touted his fiscal superiority in managing state money, touching on the economy, taxes and the soaring cost of insurance.
"Florida's economy is an economic model. We lead in job creation. We're sitting with a 3 percent unemployment rate and our state is doing well because of that," he said, adding that the state needs property tax reforms to continue to prosper.
"I believe property tax should be limited to growth plus inflation," Gallagher said. "We are facing some major challenges and it's going to take somebody who understands those challenges to help carry us through."
Crist said the state needs "less taxing, less spending, less government and more freedom."
The candidates agreed when asked by high school senior Amie Bass, 17, what their thoughts were on prayer and Bible teachings in school.
"I don't have a problem with student-led prayer anywhere," Gallagher said. Crist noted that as a member of the state Senate, he voted for student prayer. Both agreed the Bible belongs in schools.
The candidates also agreed that protecting Florida's environment was important and that the nation needs to secure its borders and stop illegal immigration.
Finally, both agreed on the most important topic of the day when asked if forced to vote for a Democrat for governor, would it be for State Sen. Rod Smith of Gainesville or U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa.
"I wouldn't vote for either one of them because I think both of us are better," Crist said to applause. "And I guess I should add I'm going to vote for me."
"I agree with Charlie," Gallagher added. "Either one of us is better than both of them.
Huh? The judges saw video and heard arguments on her behalf.
Last thing most people want to do is leave it up to ex-husbands/heirs when they should die.
Neither Crist nor Gallagher are perfect. They take turns weaving first to the left, then to the right of each other.
Very good comment. The government is involved in all kinds of life cases. After guaranteeing the right to "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness", our government legalizes murdering unborn babies. I hope the people of Fla realize what a political jackass this Crist character is.
This will get the raving moonbats in an uproar.
Bullhockey.
'Due process', as defined by the Fifth Amendment, is a court trial, for someone charged with a capital offense.
Exactly which capital crime did Terri Schindler Schiavo commit?
Which Grand Jury indited her?
When was the trial in front of a jury of her peers? I musta missed it!
If I did miss a conviction, since when are those sentenced to death allowed to be killed by 'cruel and unusual' means??
That was the one thing that did it for me. Of course some of Greer's rulings were forced by the bizarre laws passed by the FL legislature at the behest of Felos and the ghouls in Clearwater.
But Greer's bizarre assertion that Terri wanted to be offed based on a truly unlikely conversation witnessed only by Michael.
That's right, but they are in the hands of the state.
Her death sentence was based on the illusion that she was PVS. They tried to bring her PERSONALLY into court to prove she was NOT. What were they afraid of?
Did the state take her life?
Are you arguing that she was not? The coroners report said she was blind and her brain was mush.
Definitely, and vice versa.
In the state Legislature, two CCHR-sponsored bills were backed by two Republicans, Rep. Gustavo Barreiro, of Miami Beach, and Sen. Victor Crist, of Tampa. Indeed, as Barreiro told the St. Petersburg Times, Scientologists had even written parts of the legislation. Both Barriero and Crist had been friendly with the church: They were guest speakers at a Scientology celebration where Crist touted the legislation and Barriero gave the church an award for volunteer work following the 2004 hurricanes.CCHR is the Citizens Commission on Human rights [link is from scientology.org -- despite their assertions, it is anti-psychiatry], a scientology subsidiary. Victor Crist is Charlie's brother.
Yes.
Greer actually issued what was literally a death warrant.
He didn't say, "You can kill her", he said, "She will be killed"!
One of worst atrocities in the history of this country.
And the entire political and legal class in this country meekly whimpered and let him get away with it.
Because of the craven cowardice of our elected "leaders", Greer was allowed to usurp the powers of the entire government of the United States and the state of Florida, however briefly. He was also allowed to completely ignore the clear words of the state and the national constitutions. He effectively gutted those documents.
And Charlie Crist bears a big chunk of the responsibility for it...he is the second most powerful law enforcement officer in the State, right behind Governor Jeb Bush.
All they had to do was exercise their executive prerogatives...based solidly on the clear wording of Article One, Section Two of the Florida constitution, as follows:
Aticle 1.
SECTION 2.
Basic rights.–All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law and have inalienable rights, among which are the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to pursue happiness, to be rewarded for industry, and to acquire, possess and protect property; except that the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship may be regulated or prohibited by law. No person shall be deprived of any right because of race, religion, national origin, or physical disability.
You can say anything you want, but she was denied her day in court. Considering there was a long line of witnesses that said she was not pvs, it does seem a little too convenient that she was not allowed in to prove her 'innocence'.
If you did to your dog what was done to Terri Schiavo, and LE found out about it, you'd be in jail.
Article 1.
SECTION 2.
Basic rights.–All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law and have inalienable rights, among which are the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to pursue happiness, to be rewarded for industry, and to acquire, possess and protect property; except that the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship may be regulated or prohibited by law. No person shall be deprived of any right because of race, religion, national origin, or physical disability.
What part of that don't you or George Greer or Charlie Crist or Jeb Bush understand?
You do understand that people are not dogs, or vegetables, right?
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