Replies

REMEMBER THE ST. PETE TIMES CRUCIFYING TERRI A COUPLE OF SUNDAYS AGO? Here's a Letter to the Editor, Phillip Gailey. Of course, the Times has not printed even ONE reply opposing their astoninishingly cruel work.

An Open Letter to the St. Petersburg Times

Dear Philip L. Gailey.

Editor of Editorials and Vice President

St. Petersburg Times

By John Sipos

Some days back friends suggested this writer craft a response to the most recent of many editorial and columnist calls by the St. Petersburg Times for the judicial killing of Terri Schindler Schiavo.

If I've left any doubt, let's just say it: I am biased favoring the preservation and rehabilitation of Ms. Schiavo's life.

These are the facts admitted to even by those who seek to kill this tragically abused woman.

Ms. Schiavo is aware of her person, her existence. Around the world millions have viewed videos of her interacting with doctors and family. She is a woman who laughs at her father's teasing and jokes, who talks to the best of her injured abilities, and who precisely responds to requested behaviors under the expert direction of doctors who care about her life as opposed to doctors paid to affirm the court's sentence of brutally painful death by dehydration/starvation. When the woman's mother enters her room announcing, "Hi Terri, it's mommy," she turns toward her mom issuing a loving glow -- AND -- when surrounded by those who love her, she responds lovingly.

No matter. Judge George W. Greer has turned his back on sworn testimony of first person witnesses that Ms. Schiavo is a person, exactly responsive, a person with retained rights under Constitutional and guardianship and a bunch of other laws designed to protect the disabled and abused -- the judge insisting, while she may be aware, she's just not aware enough to be worthy of life and rehabilitative care in the loving arms of her parents.

What can be said here that would be different? Might I propose to the Editors of the Times the removal of natural nutrition and water resulting in the premeditated killing of a whole bunch of persistently vegetative trees, turn them into newspaper pulp rolls, smearing thereupon a bunch of barrels of ink for a special Sunday section titled -- BIASED.

Divide the writing side by side, on the left, Times reporters, editors, columnists (let's say, 3 or 4) -- defending the newspaper's call for death. On the right side of each page, a select group of independent journalists/commentators long associated with factually, credibly writing from a save Terri's aware of self life perspective.

They would be selected without interference by Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler. Give each side half the trees and half the ink and 3 weeks to substantiate the justness and factual basis of their positions, AT WHICH TIME -- each side presents to the other their writing, and one more week to write a point counter point response to the other. As the writing progressed, all the questions being raised, asked by each side would be shared with the other in the interest of complete, truthful, balanced disclosure.

I warn you, Mr. Gailey, accept this challenge -- and there is more dirt, evidence of law obstructed, corrupted, violated than you may want your readers to know about. But, then, you are interested in the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but, right?

Trusting, Dear Mr. G., you are a man of good faith, misled, an innocent victim of death biased reporters and columnists on your staff, and remote chance by wedding bells and social beverages ties, Times staff to the judiciary -- at any time -- those who love life, even brutally injured under suspicious circumstances, aware of self disabled life would welcome you over to our side, at which time, together, we could ask the governor to call the legislature into special session, enact within 24 hours, Gailey's Law, allowing for the surgical grafting of natural gravity delivered natural nutrients and water to the PVS trees marked for death in the production of this proposed special Sunday supplement. That sentence is a bit long, but it works.

What a unique concept. Genuine side by side editorial balance in the pages of the St. Petersburg Times.

Oh. One more thing. You pick up the tab for the truth centered independent reporters at the same rates paid your most favored freelance contributors.

What do you say, Mr. Gailey? Taking a deep gulp of air, holding my breathe -- let's see how long it takes for me to turn blue -- or for you, either to develop a thirst for knowing the true truth, or you turn beet red with rage, ordering the journalistic destruction of the messenger.

About the point of your editorial proposing blind obedience to the finality of court decisions, I/we do pledge to do that, Mr. Gailey -- in the precise moment Michael Schiavo and George Greer stop violating Constitutions and themselves breaking the law, too many laws broken to count.

John Sipos

jsipos@myrapidsys.com

FV SAYS: John Sipos is a local radio talk show host and he's been covering Terri's Fight for quite some time. Go, Sipos! (This was an excerpt)