It is hard to understand why so many in FL rally to the cause of the blind (physically and spiritually) George W. Greer.
Their minds are on the Superbowl and when thats over, other matters of trivial importance.
The below article was originally published on Oct 17, 2003 by Newsmax, two days after Terri had her feeding tube removed. I included excerpts from the article, which is lengthy but an excellent read. Reporter Diane Alden writes about the promotion for legalized euthanasia in the U.S. against disabled people such as Terri.
Futile Care: The Terri Schiavo Case
Oct. 17, 2003
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/10/16/223430.shtml
"Termination by starvation and dehydration has been used many times before. Reports on elder abuse and news accounts from around the U.S. reveal that it is one of the most notorious ways to kill feeble elderly. It has also been used on disabled and brain-damaged younger people and babies."
"It was also used in Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka and the Soviet gulags. Stalin used starvation as a means of control. Nazi doctors experimenting on unwilling "patients" adopted all kinds of cruel techniques. One of those techniques was starvation and dehydration. It is recorded in the records of the Nuremberg Trials."
"Another description of this particular American way of dying is described by Justice Lynch of the Massachusetts Supreme Court in the case of firefighter Paul Brophy, who lapsed into coma after surgery. Removal of his G-tube led to his death eight days later, thanks in no small part to the efforts of (bioethicist) death squad professional Dr. Ronald Cranford."
"In his dissent from the court majority approval of Brophy's death in this manner, Justice Lynch states: "the [likely] various effects from the lack of hydration and nutrition" as follows:
"Brophy's mouth would dry out and become caked or coated with thick material. His lips would become parched and cracked. His tongue would swell, and might crack. His eyes would recede back into their orbits and his cheeks would become hollow. The lining of his nose might crack and cause his nose to bleed. His skin would hang loose on his body and become dry and scaly. His urine would become highly concentrated, leading to burning of the bladder. The lining of his stomach would dry out and he would experience dry heaves and vomiting. His body temperature would become very high. His brain cells would dry out, and the thick secretions that would result could plug his lungs and cause death. At some point within five days to three weeks his major organs, including his lungs, heart, and brain, would give out and he would die." (Brophy v. New England Sinai Hospital, No. 85E0009-G1,10/21/85:28-2]
"When he began having seizures, anticonvulsant medication was administered via the tube, as were antacids to prevent hemorrhaging and laxatives to make him more "comfortable" as he died."
"The inconvenient facts are that food and water are NOT medical treatment. They are not therapeutic nor do they treat diseases. They are a necessity for life. In Terri Schiavo's case, as in all others with the exception of those who can't hold food down, it is nothing less than legalized murder. It is a cruel and inhumane way to die enshrined by our legal, medical and "ethical" community."
"It will take a miracle or the bravery of a saint to confront our increasingly corrupt system. It will take a saint or brave person to intervene for Terri Schiavo and others like her."