GOP Seeks More Curbs on Courts
Excerpt:
Thursday, May 12, 2005
House GOP plans strategy on federal courts
By Mike Allen
U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
"WASHINGTON — With conservative anger at the judiciary peaking, House Republican leaders plan to use budgetary, oversight and disciplinary authority to assert greater control over the federal courts before next year's elections. "
DOES SCHIAVO CASE SIGNAL 'CULTURE OF DEATH'?
By: John W. Kennedy
Published date: May 9, 2005
AG News - Conservative groups believe Terri Schiavo's March 31 court-imposed death by starvation signals a clear society shift in devaluing life.
"We are quickly slipping into a culture of death," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson criticized judges who failed to act to save Schiavo's life as "guilty not only of judicial malfeasance, but of the cold-blooded, cold-hearted extermination of an innocent human life."
Multiple legal challenges from Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, failed during the 13 days of Schiavo's slow death. Even though the U.S. House convened for an extraordinary special session vote during Easter recess and President Bush flew back to Washington from his Texas ranch to sign the bill, courts repeatedly refused to intervene to save the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman, who had been connected to a feeding tube for 15 years.
The Schindlers found broad support in groups rallying to the cause. "Pro-life groups, disability groups and even liberal feminist groups don't like the idea of a husband doing away with his wife," said family attorney Barbara Weller. Everyone from Jesse Jackson to 250 Alabama Assemblies of God youth made appeals to show Schiavo mercy.
Mary Schindler said 48 hours after Terri collapsed, Michael asked her and her husband to sign papers they thought only allowed Michael to be the spokesman to the doctor. "We didn't know we were giving up all rights to Terri," said Schindler, who criticized Michael Schiavo for stopping therapy for Terri 12 years ago. "All I wanted was for my daughter to just have a chance," Schindler told PE Report.
Dana Cody, executive director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation in Napa, California, said the disabled increasingly are being marginalized because of "quality of life" arguments.
"It's become standard operating procedure in the health care community," Cody said. "Seeing Terri die will advance the 'right-to-die' agenda."
Weller cited parallels to Nazi Germany with Circuit Court Judge George Greer's edict to end Schiavo's life. "If they can kill Terri, they will kill many more people," Weller said. "Once they start killing off one group of people who don't mean much to society, who knows where it will end."
Daniel Webster, the Republican senator in Florida who sponsored Terri's Law, which kept the woman alive an additional two years, noted that Schiavo had a heartbeat, brainwaves and - except for the feeding tube - appeared in excellent health. "She was no different than many other people who are severely handicapped," Webster said. "Her life was valuable and worth fighting for."
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CALL THE Toll Free Number for U.S. CONGRESS: 1-877-762-8762
Why?
On Thursday, May 12, thousands of citizens from across the nation will be calling their senators--demanding a vote that would guarantee an "up or down" vote on judicial nominations!
NOW, THE LEGACY OF TERRI'S FIGHT IS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO 
AND ALL OF US
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