Posted on 04/01/2005 7:02:13 AM PST by Yknot
The short life and long death of Terri Shaivo have captured the news media across the United States and, indeed, the world for the past few months. Like many of you, I prayed for her and for her family, including her husband because I knew that no one involved with Terri Schaivo would ever be the same again. And that brings me to the reason for this posting. Although the Terri Shaivo case is predominantly a Florida issue, Ive put this posting here to provide for national input and so that Freepers from other states can see and understand how some of us in Florida feel.
I was at a VFW meeting last night here in Pinellas County, only a few miles from Terris hospice. After the meeting, we discussed what happened, and how everyone felt about it, and what effect it had on us individually. It was interesting to note that, of this group of predominantly Republican conservatives (a few independent conservatives like me), all felt the same way about President Bush, Governor Bush, Senator Martinez, and the other Republican lawmakers in Congress and in the State Legislature who got involved in Terris tragic life. These people will not receive our votes in any future elections in which they may run because, in our opinion, they violated their trust with those of us who elected them.
There are two big issues that have caused that rift. The first is the fact that conservatism is all about less government and less government intervention in our lives. It is about a citizens individual rights and responsibilities and it is most certainly about a states right to regulate, legislate, and govern the electorate of that individual state. Sorry folks, but I am a Southerner and states rights are very close to my heart. When elected officials, such as President Bush and Congress exceed their authority and attempt to usurp the rights of the State of Florida, they have lost our support. We are all combat veterans of wars ranging from WWII to Desert Storm and have bled for our country and our Constitution and for our individual rights and we will not support any politician who seeks to take those rights away from us. To those of you Freepers who are strong Second Amendment supporters, you had best take note, when one right is violated, all our rights are violated. We will no longer support Governor Bush and Senator Martinez because they and several others in the Florida Legislature- either participated in the actions of the President and Congress against Floridas state rights or did not openly and strongly fight it. We are all in favor of a state law protecting a class of people who are in a physiological condition as Terri was, but against governmental intrusion into the individual family.
Finally, for those of you Freepers who do not live in Florida, but who had opinions about what Floridas Legislature and Governor should do for Terri, let me ask you this. Do you know who Rilya Wilson, Joshua Saccone, Alfredo Montez, and Vanna and Zachary Ward are? I doubt it. They are children who are either missing or dead who were under the care of Floridas Department of Children and Families. Why were both President and Governor Bush not there for these children as well? Why are their names not in the mainstream media, why were they forgotten by both the Governor and the Legislature?
I strongly agree that we must err on the side of life, but only a hypocrite or a politician selects whose life is more important than others. Unfortunately, these children and the hundreds of other Florida children who are still missing from DCF dont have parents who vote.
Yall can take out your BIC lighters and flame me now, if you wish, but if you are against government intervention in your personal life, if you are against abuse of power by any government officials, and if you are true conservatives, you will reevaluate your positions and think about the far-reaching and long-lasting effects of the actions of the President, Congress, and the others who imposed themselves into the Terri Schaivo tragedy. Of course, if you feel it is OK for the government to meddle in our personal lives, to create legislation on a national scale for one, individual person, to trample on states rights, and to add additional bureaucratic layers to the human condition, you are probably a closet liberal. Based on the comments of many Freepers who wrote in supporting federal government intervention for Terri, I can only say that Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean would like to talk to you.
Here is the link for more information about the failures of DCF:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-dcfstorygallery,0,2448446.storygallery?coll=sfla-home-headlines
I support states rights, but even the state right to govern itself does not trump the rights of a citizen protected by the United States constitution.
But continue to lecture us, please, about what a true conservative is.
Why was only one man, Judge Greer, the determinant of the facts in Terri's case?
In most other cases, it is a jury that determines the facts. Certainly the facts in all capital cases are determined by a jury.
Qualified individuals can make wise judgments. An individual can also make horrific judgments. Our society has determined that groups of individuals are more likely to be wise. That is why we have city councils, company boards of directors, and jury trials. Groups of people tend to be "less imperfect" than single individuals.
Setting aside personalities, as distasteful as they appear to be, having only one person determine the facts seems to be the central failing of the judicial system in Terri's case. For the future, that failing could be solved by legislative action.
Your words are heartfelt. I respect your opinion. I know it is counterintuitive to see Congress's and the President's actions as consistent with the Right's belief in state's rights and a non-meddling government. However, I believe the actions were consistent. Why?
Because what so many of us are concerned about is a judiciary that rules
NO MATTER WHAT. Conservatives that believe in states rights and lack of government interference assume the constitution with its balance of powers is the ultimate authority. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING ANYMORE.
The judiciary has been thumbing its nose at the constitution and at the people's ELECTED spokespeople for years. This time a trial court judge thumbed his nose at all of our elected officials. A trial court judge, who apparently for some reason had no interest in even appearing to be just and fair, allowed a woman's feeding tube to be removed when 1.) there was no evidence she would have wanted this and 2.) when the medical community was split about whether she was in a vegetative state (you cannot pull a feeding tube under Florida unless a person is in a vegetative state.) Even the court appointed doctors were split 3 to 2 about whether she was in a vegatative state. This looks like a grave miscarriage of justice to many of us. We do not understand why this judge is not being held accountable. All Congress asked for was a new look at the case. In my opinion, this was not too much to ask for when a life was at stake and the whole country was watching. Finally, please think carefully about the concept of govenment interference. To me this
case represents the ULTIMATE in government interference by the State of
Florida. If state ordered death by starvation and dehydration is not government interference, I'm not sure what is.
To Madeline Ward
You wrote, "I support states rights, but even the state right to govern itself does not trump the rights of a citizen protected by the United States constitution. " You are probably a Northerner who really doesn't understand the state's rights issue. That was not meant as an offense, simply a fact. Additionally, you, and the others who feel the way you do, care only about one person's rights, Terri's, but what about the rights of the rest of the citizens of the State of Florida. And if the President and Congress can do it here, how long will it take before they do it in your home state? Where will it end?
You also wrote, "But continue to lecture us, please, about what a true conservative is." I must ask then the question, if it is not someone such as Yknot described, what do you consider a true conservative to be?
To LOC1
You wrote, "Why was only one man, Judge Greer, the determinant of the facts in Terri's case?. . . having only one person determine the facts seems to be the central failing of the judicial system in Terri's case."
I'm sorry but I disagree with that statement. Judge Greer, a man still respected in Pinellas County, was not the only person who decided Terri's case. Have you forgotten all of the appeals that were filed and all the courts from Pinellas County to federal courts, to the Supreme Court? Any judge in any of those courts could have made a different decision, but none of them did, did they?
You also wrote, "For the future, that failing could be solved by legislative action." In that, I definitely agree. However, it must be by the Florida Legislature, not from Congress. Besides, had our legislature passed something during the last few weeks, Terri would have been excluded as "ex post facto."
To Redmominbluestate
You wrote, "If state ordered death by starvation and dehydration is not government interference, I'm not sure what is." I disagree with this statement as well, because the state did not order Terri to be starved and dehydrated, her husband did. All the state and the courts did was to uphold the law, which gives the husband responsibility for his wife, not the parents. It was sad, and it was wrong, but it was not the state that did it.
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