Breaking: Public urging Gov. Bush to use National Guard to protect Terri Schiavo

The New Tech Diary | 3/18/2005 | 1stFreedom

[1stFreedom]

March 18, 2005 -- New York, NY

People across the nation are contacting the Governor's office encouraging him to utilize the Florida National Guard.

Under provisions of Florida Statute 250.28, the Governor may utilize the guard in order to execute the laws of the state when the local authorities are not able to.

Orders issued by Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer are in clear violation Article I Section 2 of the Constitution of the State of Florida.

These orders have created confusion as to what course of action is to be taken by local authorities, and has resulted in a resistance to protecting the rights of Terri Schiavo.

Under Florida Statue 250.28, the Governor is given authority to use the National Guard to prevent resistance to the execution of state laws.

X X X

[little jeremiah]

Yes, we should all march along happily to the brass band. Just following orders.

Ever heard of the American Revolution and the Boston Tea Party?

[Bogolyubski]

There seems to be some very verious dispute - among board-certified neurologists - about the claim that Terri Schiavo is in a "persistent vergetative state." Michael Schiavo's record, the donations by his lawyers to Greer's campaign, and the poor woman's parents all give weight to the claim her death is being facilitated for the benefit of Michael Schiavo.

One thing that is striking is the behavior of the Republican controlled Florida legislature. Is there no provision under the Florida constitution for the impeachment and removal of judges like Greer? If this supposedly "conservative" judge had any sense of ethics at all he should have recused himself from the case, as Schiavo's lawyers donated money to his campaign. I've not been following this case in great detail, but the more I read, the more I am convinced that it is yet another example of judges who have taken over ruling the country - with the wink and nod of politicians who actually have the legal authority to remove them from office, but refuse to do so.

[Destro]

I am sorry you do not accept a medical fact as fact. A vegetative state is not a theoretical construct.

[utcamper]

Thanks for the answer, but under the circumstances that doesn't sound inappropriate. Maybe one night before she was injured, she watched a movie or something with him about a person in a similar state and asked him in tears to promise he would never let her end up that way, but to end her life if she was unable to take care of herself. It sounds like he's fulfilling a promise to the woman he loved. He's her husband. The decision lies with him. As I said though, I'm not super familiar with the situation. Can you expound on this for clarification?

[ContraryMary]

Greer did not ignore the state constitution. And Jeb can only utilize the Guard to enforce the law -- not to break it.

[shhrubbery!]

I assume her actual medical information was revealed in court and their was no counter evidence.

I've always agreed with you about Clinton's criminal war against Serbia, but you are misinformed here.

There is tons of counter evidence. The parents' attorney has presented 33 affidavits from neurologists, speech pathologists and other experts that Terri is indeed sentient, and could very likely benefit greatly from rehabilitative therapy. The judge has consistently chosen arbitrarily to to ignore evidence presented by anyone on Terri's parents' side.

Michael Schiavo has refused to allow Terri any therapy -- even though he won millions in a jury verdict to provide for that very therapy.

There have been two recent articles in the New York Times, stating that there's strong evidence, from MRIs and PET scans, that patients in a "vegetative state" have very vigorous brain activity, particularly in the areas of their brains that have to do with memory and verbal thinking.

The problem is, without therapy, these patients can't express what's going on in their minds:

See: New York Times: What if there is something going on in there?

See also Sarah Scantlin, pictured left, who just "woke up" this year after 20 years in a "vegetative state," and who now speaks as intelligently as you or I. Even less communicative than Terri, Sarah could only blink her eyes until a couple of months ago; no one knew whether her eye blinking meant she was trying to communicate or not. Doctors told her parents Sarah would "never" recover.

I have plenty more where that came from, but not enough time to post now.

[Jrabbit]

Sadly, it seems he doesn't want to go that far. Congress either. They make a lot of noise and huff and puff, but really do nothing. Felos just called their subpoenas "bogus". We'll see. But I don't have much hope left that anyone will truly save Terri.....except God.

[ARA]

Exactley... No one here wants to understand this part of it... They are so wrapped up in the emotion that they are not looking at the situation with a negative capability.

[xsmommy]

hearsay, regardless from whom, should NEVER be sufficient to deprive someone of life.

[Canadian Outrage]

NOW that's what should have been done LONG before now.

[l.tecolote]

> A press release from an interested and involved party is not a legitimate factual source worthy of consideration - sorry. There is no independent verification.

Then the same restriction has to apply to HINO. He is one of the closest interested and involved parties (and not an officer of the court who must, on pain of disbarrment, be truthful). HINO has consistently claimed that, at age 26 and on the basis of questionable hearsay evidence from only HINO, a HINO brother and sister-in-law married to a different HINO brother, that Terri would not want to be kept alive by artificial means. Thus, HINO family claims cannot be independently verified.
Greer chose to reject the strongest non-family independent account of Terri's opinion favoring sustaining life -- "Where there's life there's hope."

[ModelBreaker]

I am sorry you do not accept a medical fact as fact.

From your description of the 'fact', it seems to me that noone is capable of determining whether facial expressions, smiles, trying to get out of the chair etc are mere reflexes. So when a medical professional asserts such a fact, I am suspicious that they have repeated it to family members so often when they pull the tubes that they have gradually come to believe it is true with no real basis to believe it one way or the other.

[Destro]

I don't assume a concpiracy. The judge weighed teh medical evidence and judge her to be ina vegetative state - such a state is considered a form of brean death and state law allows the "plug to be pulled".

This is how I am reading this. The parent boosters all claim she is in fact not a vegetable but just brain damaged and that she does in fact function. I find this position without merit.

[Destro]

I will clarify my statement - the judge found the counter evidence without validation. How is that?

[Canadian Outrage]

NEITHER IS MURDER!!

[Destro]

Since this went to court - facts were considered by a judge. No more need be said.

[utcamper]

What hearsay?

[processing please hold]

Do you want to die like this?

"WHAT HAPPENS to non-terminally ill people with cognitive disabilities whose feeding tubes are removed? Do they suffer from the process?"

"When I conducted research on this question in preparation for writing my book "Forced Exit," I asked St. Louis neurologist William Burke these very questions. Here is what he told me: "

A conscious [cognitively disabled] person would feel it just as you or I would. They will go into seizures. Their skin cracks, their tongue cracks, their lips crack. They may have nosebleeds because of the drying of the mucus membranes, and heaving and vomiting might ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining. They feel the pangs of hunger and thirst. Imagine going one day without a glass of water! Death by dehydration takes ten to fourteen days. It is an extremely agonizing death.

Well, do you?