Posted on 03/23/2005 11:00:46 AM PST by MHGinTN
Aside from killing a disabled woman, what’s the controversy?
A cousin asked me the other day, “What’s this Terri Schiavo thing all about down in Florida?” I did my best to catch cousin up to speed on the history of the plight. While on line, a newbie at FreeRepublic cited four points over which the newbie needed confirmation or correction. I did my best to address the problems with the perspective expressed in the four points of interest as stated by the poster.
Clearly, there are different levels to this issue; this is not a simple controversy lending itself to sound byte explanations, though the mainstream media tend to over simplify and use sound byte explanations, usually tainted with the network’s bias –such as the stilted poll done by ABC, for which they received precisely the ammunition they were trolling for, rather than an honest perspective of the American people.
Let’s take a look at the controversy from a perspective other than bedside sadness.
First, there is a lengthy judicial process followed in Florida, and controversy and major dispute beginning with the power and perspective of one Judge Greer. Terri was receiving due process without complaint from any family member, until Judge Greer’s court took over dealing with the controversies. Every appeal following the Greer rulings amounted to other courts rubber stamping Greer’s actions … and therein lies the reason for the Congress of the United States finally getting involved.
That brings us to a second point of controversy, with major political ramifications. A state judge in a Florida court has order that a non-criminal severely disabled woman be put down via starvation and dehydration by ordering that the port for her feeding tube be removed … and a feeding tube is all this woman needs to continue living. [Is food and water actually artificial medical intervention?]
Last week, the United States Congress issued an oversight action authorized by the Constitution in the Third Amendment, in order to give Terri Schaivo assurance that her Fourteenth Amendment rights were not short changed in arriving at her current court ordered sentence of death by dehydration. The bill issued by Congress stated a request for a ‘de novo’ hearing of the case at Federal level. The Federal Judge who received the case chose to ignore the request and do yet again what has been done at every judicial stage in this controversy, glance at Greer’s rulings and stamp them adequate for Terri’s rights.
It is precisely the questionable nature of Greer’s rulings that caused Congress to request a Federal de novo hearing. What if Greer has a bias or new facts have come to light that indicate Terri Schiavo has not in fact received fair and balanced treatment from the court or the court has been in error due to inadequate facts? How can the wrong rulings of a judge be questioned in a process where rubber stamping passes the rulings along without honest ‘de novo’ review? Apparently, not even Third Amendment responsibility of the United States Congress can break the bias of particular court systems.
And therein is the substance of the second major controversy: how can judicial activism and rubber stamping based on political/philosophical bias be corrected, if Congress only requests without any consequences to follow when a judge such as Whittemore (the Federal appeals Judge who received the Congressional request) thumbs his nose at the Congress in their Constitutionally authorized oversight of the judiciary?
Terri Schiavo is not going to be saved from death by dehydration through a conflict between the Legislative and the Judiciary. As things are now progressing, Terri will be dead before the controversy could be resolved. And therein is the substance of a third controversy: what’s the damn hurry to execute Terri Schiavo before full de novo hearing can be accomplished? Is it so outlandish to consider that Judge Greer has a bias that has prevented Terri from receiving fair and balance justice? If a de novo hearing concludes that all court rulings have been sound, without new information changing anything of the findings of fact and promotion of truth, Terri isn’t going to flee to some other jurisdiction and thus be beyond the judge executing her after further review. What’s the hurry to put her down without actual Federal de novo hearing?
And therein lies the fourth controversy: political forces are thrashing the issues around for political empowerment; one force with a heavy bias toward granting to one person the right to kill another alive, sensing human being feels their rite, er excuse me, their right is threatened by de novo review that potentially could change the now obvious destiny of an inconvenient human being; Terri, if granted a fair and thorough review, just might get a stay of execution and then be given therapy that would improve her interactions with her environment, and thus embarrass the faction pushing for this inconvenient human to be put down. Surely the other faction, the one wishing to value even the life of a severely disabled woman, realized that further review might confirm what are already the findings, so that faction was willing to risk the ridicule inevitable from the liberal media in their water-carrying for the other political faction.
So how honest is the faction now demanding that Terri be put down and cremated immediately, without a final de novo hearing? And how cold, political, calculating, and stark is the wrong committed by a Federal judge ignoring the oversight request from the Congress of the United States, to yet again rubber stamp the rubber stamps forwarded up from his fellow Florida Judges?
This truly is an historic controversy, but it remains to be seen if the Congress has the loyalty to our Constitution that would follow through in settling judicial tyranny that is killing one severely disabled woman in Florida.
Yep!
I'll bet you if you put the food on the floor of the playpen and sat him down amidst it, he would eat on his own.
Where have we sunk to when the authorized Congressional oversight can be summarily ignored by a judge? What if there are flaws in the court proceedings that are revealed at the eleventh hour but a Federal judge refuses the authorized Congressional request for a Federal de novo review? [Note, there is no bias for liberal or conservative lurking in the question.]
lol
You might be right. Might be why the demonDeathPushingRats say there is no problem with Social Security. They plan to snuff everyone out so they won't have to pay!
But it seems you like to mix different things together..
I thing GloriaJane was right in reply #13.
Interfere far too much in their life, my @$$. Abortion should not be a means of birth control. Freedom of choice should be made BEFORE engaging in sex.
over 15 years she's in that state..
And you are how old? You've been eating for over 15 years too, I presume?
That's possible. On the other hand, he might just put the bowl on his head. He only has two teeth, and he has yet to eat a bite of anything with even the smallest lump; he even choked on cake crumbs! So he could possibly starve even if surrounded by food.
Can't believe he had to ask.
Don't mean to sound snide. (I know it came out that way. Very sorry.)
My husband and I already have living wills but I asked him if Texas considered feeding tubes extraordinary means and he looked shocked! I think he's looking at our living wills, now. I'm sure we'll redo them if there's ANY question to make sure we get food.
Being a shell (truly brain-dead) is one thing: Being treated as yesterday's unwanted garbage is another thing.
My best friend's 2 y.o nephew needs a feeding tube because his medical condition prevents him from eating in the "lawfully" accepted fashion. Should he be starved to death because he'll always be on *artificial* nourishment? BTW, despite his disability, he breathes on his own (just like Terri).
I pray that those on FR who want Terri to starve don't find themselves in the same situation Terri has been forced into. Life is unpredictable. One minute a person is hale and hearty. Then, in the blink of an eye, things can change for the worse (sometimes, permanently).
Never mock God. What He has given, He can take away because of our ungratefulness.
no.
Ya think?
I'm thinking this person may be one of Dr K's biggest fans.
LMAO
good i'll let my daughter know her g-tube is considered artificial,i am sure she will be happy to know that. and she needs to die now.
Let her go in peace by starving her to death. Aren't you the rightous little bugger....
My oldest son suffered brain damage at birth due to lack of oxygen. Shortly thereafter, we were called into the doctor's office and advised strongly and harshly that we should discontinue all efforts to save him, including feeding, as he would, and I quote, never know us, never smile, and only live his entire life in a vegetative state. Instead, my wife gave him mother's milk from a little dropper, we held him, we talked to him, we loved him and prayed. Today, he walks and runs, he puts his own shoes on, he loves music and controls the radio himself. And when we put him to bed and cover him up and kiss him at night, we get the biggest smile you ever saw. Don't believe the right to die crowd when they cry doom and no hope. Where there's life -and prayer- there's hope. And food and water are NOT extraordinary life-sustaining measures. Witholding them, however, IS murder.
That's my two cents.
I just understand that the same thinking which allows one to dehumanize unborn children, and kill them, is the same type of thinking which allows one to dehumanize the mentally disabled, and kill them.
PROABORTION = KILL TERRI
Thanks for confirming my hypothesis.
"under Terri's condition, let her go"
What is it with you starvation-cheerleaders?
Terri Schiavo IS NOT TERMINALLY ILL! By definition she can't be "let go." Stop using this euphemism; it is not applicable. She is being euthanized. Have some guts and admit what you starvation-cheerleaders are afraid to say: "I support euthanasia."
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