Posted on 03/18/2005 9:20:02 PM PST by JennysCool
A note for those doing Terri Schiavo research. A bio of Judge Greer notes that "The Judge's parents both passed on in 1991."
That seems just a little odd. Accident? Disease? Sheer coincidence? Were they in an assisted care facility, perhaps?
If you have info, please pass it along.
Perhaps it was a Greer coincidence: he ruled to have them both terminated.
I would like to know if euthanasia was involved in one or both cases.
3
Tonight on Michael Savage's radio show, I heard a caller indicate that she has first-hand knowledge that Judge Greer is legally blind.
He cannot read court papers or documents. Everything must be read to him.
This would explain partly why Judge Greer has not visited or viewed Terri.
So many strange and unanswered questions.
As Michael Savage said tonight, this is reason alone that this judge should have been remove from this case.
Justice is blind ...literally.
"(hands Portrait of a Lady a flame proof suit and runs away)
Popping some popcorn waiting for the onslaught of people who are, or know people who are legally blind to start flaming lol."
Apparently, you need some clarification.
I was reporting was I heard tonight on the radio.
I was NOT making a personal statement.
For the record, my husband is legally blind.
It is not uncommon at all for a long-married widow/widower to die soon after the first.
There are more worthy questions to raise than that.
"Justice is blind ...literally."
I know you didn't intend our post as a slam on the blind. This Judge is spiritually blind and evil, more than physically so. That is the real problem. I believe he full well knows what he is doing.
I'd put a lot more faith in Helen Keller than this judge.
But our real faith needs to be put on God. The battle belongs to the LORD. (Why the silence, Lord?)
Very true.
I'm just hoping someone can provide some documentation so this possible conflict of interest can be discarded. Then we can deal with the 50 or so others!
Here's the bio, from the Clearwater Bar Association:
Judicial Spotlight
Honorable George W. Greer
by Carolyn DuPree Hill
Judge Greer was elected to the circuit bench in 1992. As most of you know, the Judge is no stranger to politics. As early as 1972, he began working in judicial campaigns for Judges Phillip Federico, Grable Stoutamire and Burton Easton. In 1973, the Judge was hired to help create a city charter for the Town of Largo.
After serving on the Board of Adjustment from 1979 to 1984, the Judge decided to run for county commissioner. Naturally, the Judge was the victor. As commissioner, he backed the Pinellas Trail, Penny for Pinellas sales tax and a redesign of the widening of the Courtney Campbell Parkway.
The Judge has been referred to as a hands-on everyday politician. Some say that his political prowess was such that when a prospective opponent learned that the Judge was the opposition, the opponent sought another seat. This was evident in 1992 when the Judge won his seat on the bench without opposition.
In January 1993, Judge Greer was assigned to the Juvenile Division. He was reassigned to the Probate, Guardianship and Trust Division in August 1994. In January of this year he was assigned to the Family Law Division. Judge Greer is experiencing a strong learning curve and is eager to mention that the lawyers have been especially kind to him. He reads everything he can find on family law and talks with other judges and lawyers. In February, he completed the Family Law Certification Review Course. The Judge brings a special talent to the bench, having been a custodial and a non-custodial parent. He understands the significance of the decisions that he makes. Judge Greer decided back in the early 1970s that he wanted to be a judge. He considers presiding on the bench to be the ultimate achievement in the legal profession. The Clearwater Bar Association considers the Judge to be the consummate professional.
In late January, the Clearwater Bar Association judicial poll was released. The Judge ranked number four in the overall score. He ranked in the top five for legal knowledge and legal ability, impartiality and freedom from bias, demeanor, courtesy, judicial temperament and diligence. Although the Judge was born in Brooklyn, NY, he grew up in Dunedin. He graduated from Clearwater High School, St. Petersburg Junior College, Florida State University and received his J.D. from the University of Florida. His first position after graduation was with Wolfe, Bonner & Hogan. From 1969 until 1992, he was a sole practitioner.
On a more personal note, the Judge is married to Patricia Greer and is the proud father of twin sons, Jeffery and Jason. Jeffery resides in St. Louis, MO, and Jason resides in Mobile, AL. Both sons miss dad and the great Florida climate. The Judge's parents both passed on in 1991. The Judge has one sister, Margaret, who he speaks of with deep love and admiration. Margaret and her husband reside in Denver, CO. The Judge frequently can be found on the slopes near Denver. He also enjoys running. Rumor has it, he was quite a basketball player in his more youthful days. The 6th Circuit is especially fortunate to have Judge Greer. His wonderful demeanor coupled with his legal acumen and life experiences are qualities necessary to handle tough legal matters.
I know. I was just joking. ;^)
The boards have been ultra-sensitive the last few days because of all of this.
From a blog called Straight Up with Sherri:
What's REALLY Driving the Death Train for Terri! EXPLOSIVE Revelations About Judge Greer and Pinellas County "Guardians!"
"Outside of execution, guardianship is the most radical remedy we have." — Elias Cohen, Philadelphia Attorney and Gerontologist
Is Pinellas County using guardianship as a cover for robbing the handicapped and elderly?
If you had found a way to steal thousands of dollars from wealthy elderly, where would you find the most victims? Yes, Florida is the first state that comes to my mind.
I never bought into the “right to die” thing. It is as much spin as the term “reproductive rights” is for abortion. "Right to die" is spin, but spin for what? While I know evil exists and admit I can’t understand the rational of being in favor of killing people; I felt there just had to be more than a pro-death “belief.” I think I found what is behind this “belief.” It isn’t about death with dignity. I think you will be shocked and horrified at what I found.
Pinellas County Internal Auditor, Robert W. Melton has been assigned by Florida legislators to address guardianship reform. He says, “….the practices I have seen in the short time I have been involved in guardianships is shocking. It is time to put an end to unscrupulous practices at the expense of our state's most vulnerable citizens."
Court appointed professional guardians in Pinellas County have a great system going under the protection of judges like George Greer. Most of these guardians handle cases for wards who are mentally or physically incapable of doing so themselves. Even though Michael Schiavo is not a “professional” guardian, this case will set a precedent for the treatment of the disabled. Right now the abuse robs these people of their life savings and assets, while accusing family members of being the greedy ones and these “guardians” are only “protecting” these vulnerable citizens.
A GREAT example of how they operate to gain guardianship and then “protect” their wards is below.
Here are just 10 of the "dirty tricks," as outlined by Pinellas County Internal Auditor Robert W. Melton:
* Guardian creation of a trust: Remove all oversight by the court as a provision of the trust agreement; guardian becomes trustee; provide that the trustee can do whatever they want at their sole discretion.
* Sell real estate at lowball price: Use "lowball" valuations as a benchmark; don't list property with Realtors; sell to a land trust, where nobody knows the beneficiary; watch property resold a few months later for a huge increase.
* Maximize your (or your crony's) profit from investments: Hire money manager for "financial expertise" and let the manager select an investment broker; invest in volatile stocks and trade frequently to generate commissions; if you run up a large gain, don't selectively liquidate over time to pay the taxes but hold a "fire sale" to raise funds all in one day.
* Undervalue beginning inventory: Have a used-furniture "friend" value a house full of antiques for $3,000; "forget" to put some of the more expensive items on the inventory; "forget" to include a $40,000 certificate of deposit.
* Pay yourself first: Make payment of guardian and attorney fees the highest priority; disregard mortgage payments and let ward's home go into foreclosure; squirrel away money in the attorney's escrow account for possible future expenses.
* Maintain guardianship at all costs: Keep family members uninformed; if family members try to become guardian, accuse them of stealing; use the ward's assets for legal fights to retain guardianship.
* Improper financial reporting: Bury asset-management and brokerage fees as aggregate capital losses "due to market fluctuations"; don't classify disbursements separately; file incomplete or incorrect safe-deposit box inventories.
* Forced incompetency: Visit assisted-living facilities and establish employee contacts; obtain voluntary limited financial guardianship; if there is money in the estate, do paperwork to force an evaluation of competency; get control over everything and the ward loses all rights.
* Pay your attorney well: Let attorney bill full rate to shop for a computer and set it up for the ward; let attorneys bill their full rate, even if work is done by a paralegal or assistant.
* Forget to file federal tax returns: Ensure there is a refund; wait till the ward dies; get check without oversight.
One way to prevent improprieties, according to Melton, would be to make public the initial inventories of wards' estates and the annual accountings of assets that guardians are required to file with the court. "The lack of public scrutiny breeds misdeeds and misappropriations because people who may know the truth would not have access," says Melton.
In Melton’s own words, "When we have both guardians and judges trying to keep auditors out, we have a system ripe for corruption and fraud."
"Absurd......" was the reaction of George W. Greer, a Pinellas circuit judge who hears probate cases, to Melton's proposal for more openness in guardianships. "I'm at a loss to see what that would accomplish."
As for auditing guardianships, Melton told the task force that his office is getting stonewalled.
"In Pinellas County, attempts are being made to limit the clerk's audit authority," Melton said. "This ranges from guardians that refuse to submit to an audit unless a court order is received, to judges that question the authority of the clerk to use professional auditing staff to conduct the audits."
As I researched further I found something even more troubling. I found the records of Judge Greer's campaign contibutions for 2004(You can go here to see them for yourself. When filling in the boxes, remember to list for General ELection 2004 and Greer's name. You will also need to change the amount of those you want listed from 500 to 1000 in order to get the FULL list.). Out of the 739 Contributors, well over half are attorneys. Many are also involved with real estate. Greer raised a total of $162,106.10. According to sources in the media, this is the most money ever raised by a judicial campaign.
If you use the links above, you will find much much more information on this DANGEROUS web of money and manipulaion. You will find stories of how professional guardians "shop" nursing homes for prospects, and are able to gain full control over people's estates by simply challenging
them in court to PROVE their own competency!
I will wrap up by sharing these quotes I found:
It is a system that in practice often serves lawyers over clients. Even as the court's lax oversight allows guardians to neglect their responsibilities, it also permits some lawyers to take unnecessary control of people's lives. — Washington Post, 2003
Judges and their favored professional conservators and guardians, expert witnesses and court investigators have unspoken agendas: money, power and control. When an elderly individual is brought into court and forced to prove his or her competence, we soon see that the system does not work. We have a system rife with court-sanctioned abuse of the elderly. Why? Judges override protections that have been put in place in the codes. It happens every day. Judges disregard durable powers of attorney — the single most important document each of us can create to determine our care should we become incapacitated. Judges ignore our lists of pre-selected surrogate decision-makers. The current system does not work. This reality is most apparent when a wealthy individual falls victim to these involuntary proceedings and his or her wealth becomes a ripe plum to be shared by the Judge’s favorites. — Diane G. Armstrong, Ph.D., excerpt of prepared statement before the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging, February, 2003. Author of The Retirement Nightmare: How to Save Yourself from Your Heirs and Protectors: Involuntary Conservatorships and Guardianships.
The denial of these rights is the consequence of a court determination that an individual is legally "incompetent" or "incapacitated" and the appointment by the court of a guardian to act as surrogate decision maker on the person's behalf. The real tragedy is that mounting evidence suggests that many of these individuals — having been stripped of their right to self-determination — are being poorly served, and even victimized and exploited by the very persons or agencies appointed to protect them and to make decisions on their behalf. — House of Representatives, Select Committee on Aging Report
"Ironically, the imposition of guardianship without adequate protections and oversight may actually result in the loss of liberty and property for the very persons these arrangements are intended to protect. — Chairman of the Senate Special Committee, Larry Craig
...guardianship can divest an elderly person of all the rights and freedoms we consider important as citizens. — Chairman of the Senate Special Committee, Larry Craig
“Instead of serving to protect the assets of incapacitated persons, the existing guardianship system presents the opportunity for unscrupulous guardians to loot the assets of their wards and enrich themselves with impunity.” — New York Grand Jury
"These are not isolated, occasional blips. This constitutes a significant portion of the cases out there. They were flat-out rip-off situations." — Robert L. Aldridge, elder law attorney and a member of ElderLawAnswers.com
http://straightupwsherri.blogspot.com/2005/03/whats-really-driving-death-train-for.html
Wow. Great post. And frightening. Thanks.
Shocking. I knew nothing of this.
If you find out about his folks, let me know; my personal opinion is this Judge is trying a new way of entering physician assited suicide into the State of Florida.
I just read this on PC93's tag line blog. It makes sense and is really frightening. The systemic looting of dependent adults before they die.
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