can we put this in historical perspective for just a moment? the last time the feeding tube was removed from Terri Schiavo, in 2003, Gov Bush pushed thru the legislature a bill known as "Terri's Law." As a result of that law, her feeding tube was reinserted.
Terri's Law was challenged. and overturned by the Florida Supreme Court. Last week another, similar bill. modified to overcome the flaws the FL SC found in the original bill, was brought back before the Florida legislature, and FAILED. Therefore, there was no law for the Governor to enforce that applied to this case. He attempted to move thru Adult Protective Services, and that failed.
One can only imagine the havoc if the Governor sent in, i.e., state troopers, who would be met with resistance from the Pinellas Police while dozens of protesters were there (as they are around the clock) and with a nursing home full of aging patients (ditto as to around the clock).
Amazingly, the last, remote hope now for reinsertion of Terri's feeding tube, if that is even possible, would be for Jesse Jackson to prevail upon his Florida Legislature buddies to change their votes, and bring the amended law back up for a quick vote and Gov Bush's signature.
Yes, Governor Bush broke more than one lance against the shield of Death. People are technically correct, however, that Bush does have some very extreme options he could draw upon at this point. He refuses to admit it. And that ticks them off pretty bad.
I think he should flat-out say he refuses if he refuses, and that would be the end of it. If he said, "I refuse to declare a state of emergency to solve this. I'm not like Bill Clinton. I don't make EOs lightly, not even to save a single person's life. It's dangerous to our state's laws to open that door," then you have the stone-wall "No" without the arguable 'can't'.