To The Honorable Governor Bush;
Though I currently reside in North Carolina, I lived 33 of my 41 years in the Sunshine State and wish to make a suggestion that may be available to you as a means of assisting Mrs. Schiavo.
The Florida Statutes under chapter 252 provide the Governor with a wide range of powers available via Executive Order. Most of these deal with handling widespread calamity or disaster. However, there is no requirement relating to the size or scope of such a disaster, only that you make the declaration that a threat exists that will impact the health or welfare of at least one of Florida's citizens.
Let me quote from 252.311:
"The Legislature finds and declares that the state is vulnerable to a wide range of emergencies, including natural, technological, and manmade disasters, all of which threaten the life, health, and safety of its people; ..."
The Statute permits you to mobilize health care resources in a declared emergency:
"The Governor shall employ such measures and give such directions to the Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration as may be reasonably necessary for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of ss. 252.31-252.90 or with the findings or recommendations of such agency of health by reason of conditions arising from emergencies or threats of emergency."
I ask you, then, to declare a "minor" State of Emergency that imminently threatens the life of Mrs. Schiavo in order to permit the resources to be mustered that would keep her alive.
Yes, this would be an extraordinary step to take: but I believe that this is an extraordinary situation perpetrated by one man and one judge in an attempt to take away the life of one of your state's citizens against the wishes of blood relatives and family. The only reason the husband is being permitted to have standing in court has to do with a marriage contract -- that he himself has so obviously and blatantly broken.
Please act quickly. Thank you and God bless you.
Respectfully submitted,