Posted on 03/18/2005 4:32:07 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay pledged Friday to hold Florida state judge George Greer in contempt of Congress for ignoring a congressional subpoena for Terri Schiavo's testimony, saying, "No little judge sitting in a state district court in Florida is going to usurp the authority of Congress."
"The Congress will pursue this, if we have to hold him in contempt of Congress," DeLay told radio host Sean Hannity.
Pressed on whether he intended to hold Judge Greer in contempt, the top Republican told Hannity: "Absolutely, absolutely."
"We will do everything to enforce the power and authority of the Congress and no little judge sitting in a state district court in Florida is going to usurp the authority of Congress," he added.
Earlier in the day Judge Greer rebuffed the Schiavo subpoena, telling attorneys in the case, "I have had no cogent reason why the [congressional] committee should intervene." He claimed that the last-minute action on the part of Congress does not nullify years of legal proceedings.
But DeLay told Hannity, "This judge and the Supreme Court of Florida are well known to be liberal judges that have a different worldview and they're imposing their worldview on the law."
The top House leader said that "no sane person" could look at Schiavo and say she's in a persistent vegetative state.
DeLay called a lawyer for Michael Schiavo, who has pressed for years to have his wife starved to death, "the personification of evil."
I would like to see the court authenticate the will, with an opportunity to appear before the court clerk during your lifetime and pre-authenticate a Living Will.
Simplest might be a standardized form, like a Bar Assn standard Deed form.
A list of a dozen or so possible ranges of impairment from "Brain Physically Removed" to "Just taking a nap after lunch" and a choice of a range of treatments for each, from "Massive dose of Morphine" to "Ignore Me" to "Total Mechanical Life Support till I rot through the sheets"
The use of a standardized form would allow rapid testing of each clauses meaning and eliminate future 'Interpretation'
Even better just leave it to the States the way it is now. It seems to work pretty well for most people most of the time. That's about all that can be expected of a legal system.
SO9
That's why hospitals have Ethics Comittees, to provide consensus.
SO9
Thank you for the sermon of the day.
Get in the way of me or my loved ones and expect to be 'collateral damage'
So9
Wpuld you fight so hard to keep them alive?
Are you for group-think then? You want rule of consensus?
That seems like a pretty good idea, with the proviso that there must be some means to prevent the state from forging such documents. Otherwise things could become very scary.
Even better just leave it to the States the way it is now. It seems to work pretty well for most people most of the time. That's about all that can be expected of a legal system.
I would agree with you to a certain extent. The real problem in this case is with corruption, and that needs to be cleaned up regardless of what happens to Terri. On the other hand, I see no reason why Terri should be sacrificed if the means exist to save her. Were Congress generally restrained in its exercise of power, it might set a dangerous precedent, but since Congress seems unrestrained already in its exercise of power it might as well use such power to do something good.
BTW, since the Fourteenth Amendment was written after most of the Constitution, I wonder to what extent it supercedes some of the limitations therein? It would seem even private legislation to protect rights would be allowable under the broad XIV.5.
You better believe it.
So9
It always comes down to consensus, that's what a vote is.
So9
I imagine we will know within a year, because this law is certain to be challenged as effectively a Bill of Attainder against the husband, among other things.
There are already predictions that the Supremes will throw out this law just as the Floriduh Supremes threw out 'Terri's Law'. In that case the tube will be back out again within a year.
SO9
Greer needs to be impeached. Then even if this law is struck down [and even before it is] an honest judge can decide that Terri should receive therapy so that she'll be clearly and undeniably not PVS.
Well, then, never stop doing so. There's always hope.
BTW, because the Fourteenth Amendment was passed after the rest of the Constitution, I don't think it's quite clear how its terms interact with the rest of that document. One could make the case that, at least to some extent, they supercede it.
Perhaps more interestingly, if Terri's case is given a de novo hearing and that judge were to decide that Terri is not PVS, or that the claims about her wishes are not credible, then a court that declared the law violated Terri's "rights" would have to declare that the findings of fact by the federal court were erroneous. And that would open up another interesting can of worms.
Of course, all this would be much easier if Terri could simply go home with her parents. I've seen nothing to suggest that she'd rather have her husband deliberately engage in hateful tactics against her parents as she's starved to death, than simply be allowed to be with the family she loves.
Sermon? You're the one throwing your loved ones to a consensus of doctors -- a consensus of doctors in a Florida hospice. That's worse than any "sermon". Might as well lock them in the junkyard overnight when the dobermans are out.
Absolutley. This entire thing is so evil and bizarre, I can't believe people can't see it. Or worse see Terri's STARVATION as somthing GOOD. The wanton destruction of Terri and her life is hell on earth. Everyone who had a hand in it will pay and pay dearly, in this world and the next. I am hopeful with Judge Greer's open defiance and disrespect for the ENTIRE U.S.Congress, he has made new enemies who will want to REPAY the favor!
So9
Ditto!
Well, it looks like that is just another burden we will have to shoulder.
I'm sorry, but I must have missed the news item where DeLay issued his contempt citation.
Anyone got a link?
Heheheh, that died pretty quickly, no?
kimmie -
Here is the original thread - posted by Ragtime Cowgirl back in August of 2003:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/971896/posts
5426 posts and a lot of information documented!
..And my comment was indirectly aimed at the hat owner not a critique of you or your comment so your response seemed a little touchy but that's ok. I think we would both like to serve up the felt to him so I will provide the salt if you bring the pepper. How's that? Sorry about the misunderstanding. Peace.
And someone may died because of it. The search for the truth isn't complete if we ..you and I.. are both unsure of the truth about Terri. It seems to me the obvious conflicts haven't been explored; I am puzzled about many aspects of the case but if Terri is really PVS then she suffers none at all due to any delay to determine if she really is. I know you believe that has already been tested but if we don't know where the lies are are we to toss her out because we tire of the search for the truth? If you were council for Terri (not her husband or the Shindlers) would you not want certainty before she is euthanized?
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