Prayer vigil for Schiavo draws crowd
Citing the Atlanta judge's killing, a monsignor tells the crowd that the judge who ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed could be "in danger."
By JAMIE THOMPSON
Published March 13, 2005
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/13/Tampabay/Prayer_vigil_for_Schi.shtml
PINELLAS PARK - They came from as far away as California, Pennsylvania and Georgia and stood along the grassy roadside in Pinellas Park, praying out loud and asking, once again, for a miracle for Terri Schiavo.
More than 100 people gathered for a seven-hour vigil on Saturday outside the Woodside Hospice where Schiavo lives. A judge has ordered her feeding tube removed on Friday.
A parade of people took turns on a makeshift stage, lined with long-stem roses and baby's breath, calling the crowd a "modern day religious Calvary." Young men and women took turns holding a wooden crucifix on stage, a rosary dangling from Jesus' neck.
Speakers, including religious leaders from Virginia and New Jersey, urged the crowd to continue writing letters to lawmakers, signing petitions for the impeachment of Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer and trying to persuade hospice nurses to refuse to participate in the "scheduled killing" of Schiavo.
In remarks to the crowd, Monsignor Thaddeus Malanowski mentioned the recent killing of an Atlanta judge. Greer, Malanowski said, probably will need more security now. He said he hopes "the judge sleeps well at night. His life is in danger."
More than a few people snickered.
Later, Malanowski, who has served in Largo churches and often visited Schiavo with her parents, said he meant nothing by the comment, except that all judges, particularly Greer, likely are taking security more seriously in light of the Atlanta incident.
He said the crowd assembled Saturday was peaceful, and no one was advocating violence.
David Gibbs III, an attorney for Schiavo's parents, said he had not heard anyone threaten Greer, and that neither he nor Schiavo's parents would tolerate it.
"We've told everybody, we're going to take the right stand, in the right way, with the right spirit," Gibbs said. "We've heard nothing among Terri's supporters, and if we did, we would report it immediately to law enforcement."
Actor Mel Gibson spoke by telephone to Schiavo's father, Bob Schindler, on Friday, telling him to "never give up," said the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation. Gibson faxed a statement saying he opposed the "cruel starvation" of Schiavo, and that her husband should sign over care to Schiavo's parents.
Schiavo, now 41, suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when she had a heart attack. Her husband has been fighting for seven years to remove her feeding tube. Her parents are fighting to keep her fed.
A Pinellas judge ruled Schiavo's feeding tube could be removed after hearing testimony at a trial that she would not have wanted to live that way. Twice she stopped receiving food and water, then the decisions were reversed.
The rallies will continue outside the hospice, with 24-hour vigils starting Wednesday.
[Last modified March 13, 2005, 00:21:06]
Coming Soon--Stay Tuned---
"Later Today: Unraveling The Stifling Corruption of Guardianships In Greer's Court"
http://www.theempirejournal.com/
Thanks for posting:
"In remarks to the crowd, Monsignor Thaddeus Malanowski mentioned the recent killing of an Atlanta judge. Greer, Malanowski said, probably will need more security now. He said he hopes "the judge sleeps well at night. His life is in danger."
I wish he had said, the Judge's soul may be in danger instead. But people are upset and saying things they shouldn't.