Regret plagues King after Schiavo vote

St Pete Times ^ | 02/10/04 | By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor

[tutstar]

The Senate president says he bowed to pressure to pass a law that would reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.

ST. PETERSBURG - The phone calls and e-mails flooded into state Senate offices so fast and furious last year they crashed the phone and computer systems. Their message: Save Terri Schiavo.

State senators responded by following the lead of the state House and governor to pass an unprecedented law to keep the Pinellas County woman alive. Within hours a feeding tube was reinserted into Schiavo, whom courts had found to be in a persistent vegetative state and whose husband had insisted she would not want to live that way.

Senate President Jim King gave in to pressure and supported the legislation. Now he's sorry he did.

"The Terri Schiavo vote that I made was probably one of the worst votes that I've ever done," said the Jacksonville Republican and 18-year veteran of the Legislature.

In a meeting Monday with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board, King spoke of the "unbelievable" pressure to help Schiavo, his worries about being blamed for Schiavo's death and his regret that he didn't show more backbone.

After five years of bitter litigation over the wishes and fate of Schiavo, who had no living will, her feeding tube was removed Oct. 15. A massive campaign by religious conservatives across the country pressured lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush to step in and save her. The Legislature passed a hastily crafted law on Oct. 21, and her feeding tube was reinserted that evening. A legal challenge is pending.

King said other senators who voted for the Schiavo law have told him they also regret it, but the pressure of tens of thousands of phone calls and e-mails - and physical and political threats - was enormous.

"After the vote there were far more people critical of what we had done and very vehemently angry at what we had done than there were people supporting it," King said.

A Times poll in December found two-thirds of Florida voters opposed the Schiavo law.

There is "no question" he would not vote that way today, King said, "and if it comes up again I will not do it."

King said he won't try to repeal the law because he expects it will be overturned in court. But he made it clear, as he has in recent weeks, that he will block any bills aimed at making it harder to remove feeding tubes from comatose or mentally incompetent patients without living wills.

Bill Stephens, executive director of the Christian Coalition of Florida, one of the groups that fought for the Schiavo law, said he is "shocked" that King regrets his vote.

"It sounds like we're going to have a challenge this year," Stephens said.

King is a leader among moderate Republicans in Florida, and he has butted heads with Christian conservatives before.

One of his proudest and most hard-fought achievements was passing a "death with dignity law" that gives Floridians the right to refuse life-prolonging medical care.

King said he is wary of any bills inspired by Schiavo's case that could weaken those rights, which he pushed for after watching his parents die in nursing homes.

Underscoring his moderate views on social issues, King acknowledged Monday he disagrees with a Florida law that bars gay couples from adopting kids. The state allows homosexuals to serve as legal guardians and foster parents, but a law recently upheld by a federal appeals court does not allow them to adopt.

"They're doing everything else but adopting, and in many cases ... it is the adoptable child that really isn't being adopted by anyone else," King said in response to a question. "Empirical evidence is that gays that have been involved in foster parenting have better performance factors than a lot of the "normal' foster parents."

[floriduh voter]

Well, the rent-a-cop is watching the family but who's watching the nurses? This is such a made for tv movie that it makes me sick. Governor Bush is working with the legislature and still waiting for the decision from the 2nd DCA, MORTON PLANT HOSPITAL where Terri was taken for starting an IV on 10-21-03, is being demolished as I type this and Jim King is being plagued by the death lobby imo.

Back to who's watching who? It's the Court Orders that scare me. Whatever the cop or nurse is ordered to do by Judge Greer, Baird or Demers THEY FOLLOW ORDERS just like nazi germany. Terri is not at Hospice right now.

I don't think the assisted living place will do anything to harm Terri because they'd liable, BUT IF THEY HAD A COURT ORDER, Hospice who is always at the temporary place WOULD ACT. Terri's imprisoned and her family is always under suspicion. Welcome to Amerika.

[Askel5]

=== Translation: Democrat in sheep's clothing.

To the contrary ... his is a quintessentially GOP stand if you look at 1970 report of George H. Bush and the GOP task force on "Earth Resources and Population" wherein they quoted the American Academy of Sciences:

If the birth rate does not go back down,
the death rate must go back up.

... as they teed the ball for federal legalization of abortion by noting the "economic disparity" created by a woman's living in a state that did sanction selective homicide AND even found a "right" for parents to pre-determine the sex of their children. The ugly truth is out there for "conspiracy theorists" who actually READ the Congressional Record. Democrats are basically just Republicans charged with offing their "rainbow coalition" of dysgenic constituents, that's all.

[He Rides A White Horse]

Hello Askel5.......we've been over this before many times, haven't we?

[Askel5]

That's one reason I'm astounded folks keep pretending there is some difference between the parties ... particularly whe -- on only the most critical issue that is the "inalienable" right to life -- it's the Republicans who are ON RECORD as scripting so-called "Democrat" Talking Points in use to this date.

More than a few on this forum actually interested in the truth of the matter will experience the same gut-wrenching realization others of us have as they finally understand why the Pubbies appear to dog-paddle in place at best.

It's not just that the "I'm personally opposed, but .." party sees fit to compromise objective or self-evident truths in some Whore-owitz style bid to adopt leftist tactics in order to beat them at their own game.

(As if truth worked the same way as deceipt where "incrementalization" is concerned.)

It's that THEY are the architects and primary defense of what we like to think is the "Democrat" agenda.

To wit ... the way they have stuck their foot in the door to permit legal abortion with their "rape/incest" exception. Are there folks so deluded as to believe the overturning of Roe will affect legal abortion when the GOP has staunchly defended the right to off a child born of incest or rape?

Wake up.

[Rome2000]

Time for a new Senate President

[He Rides A White Horse]

Bear with me a moment Askel5..........I'm going to read this document for myself. I'll get back to you on it.

[ameribbean expat]

FL Senate President Jabba the Hut

[He Rides A White Horse]

Wake up.

Sounds like Bush Sr caved into a bunch of 70' era leftists. What does that have to do with the present? Because some Republicans are RINOs, the whole party is tainted? To every last man?

Secondly askel5, I'll ask you a direct question....what would you have me do? Join whatever political party you belong to? Tell me.

[tutstar]

You are right about that!

[He Rides A White Horse]

Askel?...Askel!?

[nicmarlo]

but the pressure of tens of thousands of phone calls and e-mails - and physical and political threats - was enormous.

And just what do they think Terri is being threatened by? Oh, that's right, her life doesn't count, just theirs.

[Ethan_Allen]

"From the looks of things, somebody needs to remove his feeding tube for awhile."

I was doing the usual fast boil I do when reading the Terri threads, but your comment had me laughing me so hard, I couldn't hit the scroll bar!

Askel5's comment brought me sharply back to sobriety.

Maybe we should petition to have a special caption added here for the genocide in america - babies and the coming genocide of the aged and disabled, (for now), who have outlived their usefulness as slaves to the Nazis at the 'New' World Order. One would think that should deserve SOME sort of mention.
http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/index.php?content=organize/

Hmmm; might be a good place to picket or hand out flyers as well......

"Every effort has been made by the Federal Reserve Board to conceal its power but the truth is the Federal Reserve Board has usurped the Government of the United States." "Mr. Chairman, when the Federal Reserve Act was passed, the people of the United States did not perceive that a world system was being set up here that the United States was to be lowered to the position of a coolie country. . . and was to supply financial power to an international superstate -- a superstate controlled by international bankers and international industrialists acting together to enslave the World for their own pleasure." http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/cmlaw6.htm

Back to the Federal Reserve
Part Ten of the British System
"But, how about the Federal Reserve itself? Does not his repeal allow them to, once again, demand payment in gold for the interest on public debt -- pursuant to the terms of the Federal Reserve Act? Remember, this act contains a provision made with respect to an obligation purporting to give the obligee a right to require payment in gold -- and that provision appears to be back in effect. If this be so, what can we expect to happen when the bankers present their demands -- knowing that there won't be enough gold to meet them and no hope of acquiring enough gold?

Any good banker knows that, in this situation, IT IS FORECLOSURE TIME -- it is time for distribution of the pool to the last survivors...... http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/cmlaw10.htm

"....The 14th Amendment [the one we hear so much about in regards to Terri's 'right' to 'privacy' and 'right' to die] to the US Constitution was supposedly inserted to give the black slaves citizenship which was denied to them by the States; but, in fact, what the 14th Amendment did was just transfer ownership from the private slave owners to the [Bankrupt] US Federal Government...." http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/cmlaw13.htm

[Ethan_Allen]

Re #19

Read about the strange ship we are on, which operates under Maritime or MERCHANT Law:

"...Under Common Law, your rights and property are considered and protected.

Now, in Common Law, we are totally responsible for our actions -- but under Maritime Law there is limited liability for payment of debts. And, if we just look at that a little bit further, we find how, now, we have a situation where even our criminal law has been corrupted by Maritime Law and we find people who have murdered and raped innocent people; eight, ten, twelve years later they are released from prison to become a probable danger to society again. A person who has murdered a supervisor and mayor of San Francisco is also out of jail in 7 years, because of limited liability for payment of debt. People can pull the trigger and wound the President and say I was insane at the moment that I did that -- and other than having to go to a mental institution, served no time at all in jail.

Under Common Law, these people would probably have been executed. John Booth didn't even get a trial when he shot President Lincoln. Under the Common Law, we have the right to refuse an order, as a free sovereign. Aboard the ship, the Captain can make every seaman perform, and do his duty -- as the Captain sees fit...." http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/cmlaw10.htm

MERCHANT.

See Canaanite, Strong's Concordance.

Canaanite = see Cana "zealous"

adj

1) descendant of inhabitant of Canaan

n

2) descendant or inhabitant of Canaan

3) a MERCHANT, trader

Hsa 12:7 [He is] a merchant, the balances of deceit [are] in his hand: he loveth to oppress. http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Hsa/12/7.html

Luk 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, [ye] lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Luk/11/46.html

I'll refrain from posting several other verses that deserve to be here. I pray that God's patience is wearing as thin as mine.

[kenth]

What a guy.

I just love those "moderate Republicans."

[Pegita]

Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks that we need not look to man for evidence that one has to the right to live ... thank You that You have said that in Your hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. You are Sovereign God ... You will decide ... and it is our constant prayer that You will grant this mother's child years of life with her family ... that You will sweep away all who hinder, for each is evidence that they are in rebellion against their Creator God, the One who holds their very breath.

Father, cause Your people to stand firm ... increase their numbers where they cannot even be counted ... take these blinders from our eyes, lest we go sightless into our own doom. The enemy is relentless and beguiling and so attractive, but deadly behind a friendly demeanor. Expose them, Lord, for the evil they are, yet save them, Lord, before it is too late. Thank You that You are not willing that any should perish ... may they come under the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And spare Michael's children, I pray ... change his heart, lest his children be raised in the knowledge that their father sought to murder his wife.

Hear our prayer, O Lord ... in the Name of Jesus, Amen ...

[Kenny Bunk]

Looks to me like King's feeding tube should be pulled. At least for a while!

[Kenny Bunk]

Excuse me, missed your post about this pantload's feeding tube.

[russesjunjee]

So, big Jim King regrets his decision to help Terri Schiavo?

Hmmm?.

When have you ever heard of a politician openly regretting anything unless not regretting it was going to hurt him personally ?

I wonder what big Jim stands to loose by helping Terri? It must be something very lucrative to generate all that regret......

[tuckrdout]

Well........what can one say? Praise the LORD for working to pass a bill that would not have passed without Him parting the political waters!

We pray every night, that Terri will be saved from a man who cruely stays married to her, just to "win" this battle over his former inlaws. A man who lives with another woman, has children by her effectively being a bigamist. A man who lived off of his father in law for years; letting the man pay the medical bills, then slandering Mr. Schindler on CNN; a man who lied and used his wife's medical condition to get money, then has done nothing---not paying his father in law back, or providing humane life giving care to his first wife, but instead used the money to try and kill her!

If God can and did move to get this sleezy politician to vote to save Terri's life, I have faith that in the name of Jesus Christ; that same God can and will move to get the judiciary to save Terri from her murdering, adulterous legal spouse.

[tuckrdout]

"From the looks of things, somebody needs to remove his feeding tube for awhile."

HAHAHAH ROTFLMAO!!!LOL!!!!............AHHHHHHHHH OOOOOOOHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHA!