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15 days before Terri was forced to endure surgical removal of her feeding port from her abdomen/stomach, etc. this heinous little e-mail was sent out from Jeb's account. Heinous because it was false-to-facts and full of lies and for what they suggest his course of action would be.. follow blindly the ruling of Greer, etc. also lies about no investigations or nothing provided for investigation, all lies. Greer already ruled by fax shortly after a Sept. 11, 03 hearing (which I attended). He basically ruled by fax and gave Terri's death sentence to begin on Oct. 15, 2003. So you can imagine how pissed off I was to receive this false-to-facts e-mail from Jeb. I did take him and Lauren O'Connor to task and I can scan those documents for anyone to see. They did not send out a retraction nor apology. Their e-mail was sent not just to people here in Florida but to people all across the US and the World. Read and weep:

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From: Governor Jeb Bush
To: "'pc93@bellsouth.net'"
Subject: Theresa Schiavo - Update
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 09:51:49 -0400
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Thank you for your e-mail expressing concern for the well being of Theresa Schiavo. The Governor also is concerned for her and for her family and is keeping them all in his prayers. The case represents a tragic situation of family disagreement under very trying circumstances.

This office has made several inquiries with agencies responsible for investigating abuse allegations. Neither the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office nor local law enforcement agencies have received or investigated any reports of abuse of Mrs. Schiavo. The office of the state attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Bernie McCabe, reviewed the matter and found no basis for any criminal investigation.

In keeping with Florida law, our court system oversees the well being of incapacitated adults, including the oversight of guardians and their activities. A Florida court appointed Mr. Michael Schiavo as his wife's guardian more than 12 years ago. In this role, he has been under the supervision of the probate division of the state court system. Critical decisions related to guardianship, including the decision to terminate life support, must be approved by the court. Mr. Schiavo obtained such a court order to remove his wife's feeding tube. Mrs. Schiavo's parents have appealed that order, and the court has postponed the removal of her feeding tube until the Florida Supreme Court reviews the case.

In Florida, these matters are entrusted to the system that our elected officials established to protect incapacitated adults. We must respect that system and trust the judge will listen to the views of all interested family members before reaching a decision in the best interest of Mrs. Schiavo.

It is never easy to make a life-and-death decision for a loved one. Under Florida law, residents can indicate in advance how they want to be cared for should they become unable to express their wishes. The Governor supports the use of advance directives or living wills. These tools ensure Floridians will be cared for in the manner of their own choosing and save their families the anguish of having to make these decisions for them.

For more information on advance directives, please visit these websites:

Aging With Dignity -- Five Wishes Advanced Directive

American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging

Sincerely,

Lauren O'Connor

Office of Citizens' Services