Replies

Thank you cyn for your support in this outrageous
injustice against another Pinellas County disabled
person, who is moreover a dedicated Terri supporter.
Here is some more info to add to my earlier posts:

If you want to write Rus a support note,
her is the email: UUDRE@aol.com

This is the info, if you want to get the booklet:

* NEW Occasional Paper - When I woke up. . .a personal
journey with Terri Schindler-Schiavo by Rus Cooper-Dowda

Terri Schindler-Schiavo is a woman whose life has been
the subject of court battles for over 10 years. At 26
years of age, she suffered a massive heart attack. The
event was followed by a malpractice suit, the guardianship
of her husband, and life for Terri in a hospice, being
fed through a tube. Eventually, Terriâ€™s husband
pressed to have the tube removed. Her parents objected,
and another court case ensued. A judge ruled for the
removal of the tube, Terriâ€™s parents appealed, and
the case made its way through various Florida courts.
In time, a Florida appellate court called for a new
hearing.

In October, 2002, Rus Cooper-Dowda went to what was
then the latest hearing, to report on the proceedings.
The case that she describes and so profoundly identifies
with presents the reader with painful questions about
human achievement and human failing, about human
rights and professional judgments, and about how we
decide who speaks for those whose voices we may not
be able to hear.

In an age when some voices call for human genetic
engineering, this case draws our attention to the
limitations imposed on us by preconceived notions
of disability and meaningful life.

Single complimentary copies of When I woke up . . .
are available upon request.

Â To make enquiries about complimentary copies,
contact:

The Edmonds Institute
20319-92nd Avenue West
Edmonds, Washington 98020 USA
email: beb@igc.org

The Edmonds Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization under
the rules of the Internal Revenue Service and is registered as a charitable organization with the State of Washington. Donations to the Institute, above the cost of materials ordered, are tax deductible, well-used and greatly appreciated.

Rus has several blogs which you are invited to visit.
Here are the URLs:

Â
My blogs:

Rus Rustlings
http://www.webeone.org/rus/

Max' Mom
http://www.webeone.org/max/

Ed's Daughter
http://journals.aol.com/uudre/EdsDaughter/

Rus

Your support for Rus is urgently requested. She is
scheduled to be publicly and on camera humiliated
by the school in which she has been teaching disabled
children. They plan to fire her on December 9 for
"not fitting in". (After she has been a good teacher
for 26 years!) The school in Pinellas Country where
she works, not far from the hospice where Terri is,
decided to fire her one day after Rus spoke out about
Terri on a local TV station. She did it off school
grounds and on her own time, and did not mention
during the interview that she was a teacher.

She was simply interviewed because she herself is
disabled and had been diagnosed PVS in the 1980s. She
too had to experience the horror of other people deciding
that she should die. For sharing her concerns about Terri,
she is now being fired from her job as a teacher. It
is an outrage and calls for action.

Pertinent facts of what is happening to Rus. These
points can be used in crafting complaint letters:

An experienced exceptional education teacher is
being punitively fired at the Pinellas County,
Florida School Board meeting on December 9th.

Her terrible crime was to say on her own time
solely as a private citizen that as a Floridian
female with disabilities Terri Schindler-Schiavo
starving to death is very scary to her.

She is being fired for suddenly "not fitting in."

How can a veteran teacher with disabilities who
teaches students with disabilities suddenly
"not fit in?"

Because she would not quietly resign for speaking
out of her faith and experience --
her last work day was moved up far enough to deny
her a month of health insurance,
she lost two checks at Christmas time,
and her legally required exit interview was cancelled.

She was cruelly fired on The Great American Teach-In
Day while out recovering from a student attack that
the administration knew was coming and would not prevent.

Here is a letter Karen Kranz wrote to OReilly"

Dear Bill,
I'm afraid this may not be quite as "pithy" as you
wish, but then to explain someone's unjust situation
can't be conveyed in a quip or two.

I am pleading with you to use the same power and
influence you used with CBS and Pepsi - only now with
the Pinellas County, Florida school board.

Rus Cooper-Dowda, is being punitively fired by them
on December 9, 2003 simply for saying on her own time,
solely as a private citizen, that as a Floridian female
with disabilities Terri Schindler-Schiavo starving to
death is very scary to her. She was merely speaking out
of her own faith and experience.

Their label (excuse) for their action is "not fitting in".....after 26 years as a veteran teacher???
Excuse me....but that doesn't pass the giggle test!!
They have attempted to force her to resign, but she has
too much dignity to do so. As a consequence:

1. Her last work day was moved up far enough to deny
her a month of heath insurance
2. She lost two checks at Christmas time
3. Her legally required "exit interview" was canceled.
She was cruelly fired on the "The Great American Teach-In
Day while out recovering from a student's attack that
administration knew was coming and refused to take the
necessary precautions to prevent!

Please don't let this beautiful role model of courage,
of overcoming the adversity of a disability, moving
forward via a positive attitude, and so much more, be
trampled upon by this board.

You can read far more about her strengths and courage here:

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-usschi023527678nov06,0,3738951.story?coll=ny-health-headlines

I know you can help.

Please try Bill.
A fan.
Most sincerely,

Karen Kranz

Here is some generic information for actions:

Public School Teacher Fired on TV for Supporting Terri --

Who?
Rus Cooper-Dowda
exceptional education teacher

When?
December 9th at 5 PM

Where?
Pinellas County, Florida School Board meeting
The School sysytem where Terri is struggling to live

Open to Public
Anyone can speak for 3 minutes by signing a speaker's
slip by 4:45 pm.
Signs without sticks are permitted.

Address:
Pinellas County School Administration Building
Conference Hall
301 4th Street SW
Largo, Florida 33770

Televised live with reruns on WPDS
GTE Americast channel 14
Time Warner Channel 14

If you want to protest:
Board@pcsb.org
727-586-1818
Pinellas County School Board
301 4th St. SW
Largo, FL 33770

Members of the Pinellas County School Board:
Dr. J. Howard Hinesley
Superintendent
Jane Gallucci
Chair
Carol Cook
Vice-Chair
Board Member most likey to be unhappy about this:
Linda Lerner

Rest of Board:
Mary Russell
Nancy Bostock
Mary Brown
Lee Benjamin

My note:
If any of you web research wizards can come up with
email addresses for quick action, it would be very
much appreciated. If you post them on this thread,
everyone could use them to show our support for Rus
now. The links can also be forwarded to Rus via
her email above and to any willing supporters.

emails of the following would be helpful:

the individual schoolboar members,
Pinellas County Teachers Union,
any other person or agency you think might
be helpful in a situation like that.

(Teachers, do you have any ideas about specific
recourse availabe, especially where we could add
our voices of support?)

UUDRE@aol.com wrote:

Thanks Dear.
Today I bought a brand new outfit to get fired in
on Tuesday. :-)

I have started getting copies of e-mail from around
the world that have gone to the board.

I don't feel quite as alone as I did before..

Thanks for your concern.

Love,
Rus

I got slacks with big pockets to care the TBI e-mails
in when I go to that meeting.
Rus

Rus is a very dedicated Terri supporter. She wrote us
this in an email:

Thank you so very much for your note.

I would love to keep folks up to date on Terri's
situation. it would be an honor. I live in the hospice
neighborhood and am the only writer with disabilities
covering the case locally.

I have a booklet out about mine and Terri's story
called "When I Woke Up..." that might be of use to you.
A non-profit institute puts it out. Let me know if you
are interested. No on emakes any money off it. It
appears in translation in Germany next month.

I also post Terri's status on my blogs. I would be
happy to give you those addresses.

I want to keep the focus on Terri while protecting
local right to speak out. That's my sole perspective
in this.

I am working on a book aboiut the TBI community
perspective on Terri. It is a collection of everything
I've written. When I find a publisher I will let you know.

There is also a CBS/A&E documentary in the works by
very pro-Terri folks in Miami who retained content
control. I'm in that demonstrating blink and
communication board conversation. I'll let you know
when that is scheduled to run.

You can contact Rus at UUDRE@aol.com