Picture of the children arresting for trying to bring Terry [Schiavo] water (God Bless Them!)

US News ^ | 3/23/05

[areafiftyone]

Pinellas Park police Lt. Kevin Riley, standing upper right, prepares to arrest members of the Keys family as they were attempting to bring Terri Schiavo water Wednesday morning, March 23, 2005 outside the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla. The Keys family, of Burnet, Tex., kneeling, from left, Josie, 14, Gabriel, 10, Chris, the children's father, and Cameron 12, were all taken into custody. Galen Keys, upper left, the children's mother looks on, but was not arrested.The mother insists it was the children's idea: "I am proud of them," said the boys' mother Geilen Keys from Texas, who was not arrested. "They are very mature and they said 'we want to go and offer some water to Terri'."

Pinellas Park police Lt. Kevin Riley, second from left, handcuffs 14-year-old Josie Keys, left, while Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies place her father Chris in the back of a van after arresting members of the family for trespassing Wednesday morning March 23, 2005 outside the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla. The family members were attempting to bring Terri Schiavo a cup of water.

Gabriel Keys (foreground) is arrested by police officers for trespassing in Pinellas Park, Florida, March 23, 2005. The young protester attempted to take a glass of water into the Woodside Hospice for the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo. A federal judge rejected a request from the parents of Schiavo to order her feeding tube reinserted, dealing a blow to attempts by the U.S. Congress and the White House to prolong her life.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Chad, again, what have you done to help Terri?

Other than adding her to my prayers? Nothing. I havn't encouraged others to engage in civil disobedience, and I havn't encouraged others to engage in illegal, violent activities, I havn't nominated her for sainthood, I havn't advocated having the catholic church name her a Martyr, I havn't called her the second coming of Christ, and I havn't thrown the word Nazi around...

So no, other than praying, and maybe sending an email or two, I havn't done squat.

[nimbysrule]

PS: Whoops, sorry, I meant Anti CHRISTIAN Litigation Unit.

[Critter]

I have taken my youngster to pro 2A raliies and she did wear a gold star that said "Gun Owner" on it, at the protest at the UN when they held their small arms conference a few years ago.

And then there's the time she carried the sign that said, "It takes TWO PARENTS to raise a child!" at an anti-Hillary protest.

And another time, at the capital in Hartford, when the state was considering some kind of sport utility rifle ban, and she held a sign that said, "I own more rifles than most politicians. What do they know about guns?" and it was the truth. She does own a few and she knows how to use them.

So, if I were in Florida and decided to bring Terri a bottle of water, would I bring her? No. That would be going a bit far. Not that I would be afraid for her to get arrested with me. That would be the least of my fears. My fear is that this will become violent at some point, and would not want her there to see me get shot. If I was there, and all hope was gone of saving this woman peacefully, I would not hesitate to try and do it in other ways. In fact, I believe that it has to be tried in other ways once all legal means are exhausted. The courts CANNOT be allowed to kill the innocent. If we let that happen, America is doomed in my opinion.

[EricT.]

I guess the truth bothers some people.

[Badray]

BobJ,

Disagreeing on this or any other issue is one thing.

Emotional exuberance and even hype, in frustration at a legalized murder is not unexpected. I can live with that.

Crude remarks, mocking faith, and disrespecting a lady who is dying, is quite another.

CF has been an ass. I don't see him as one of the good guys.

[HKMk23]

I'll grant you that I would find that disturbing, but not because the parents dragged the kids out there, too. I'd find it disturbing beacuse it strikes me that anti-animal testing cause is predicated upon a fabricated equivalence between mankind and lower animals, which is a lie, and I find it morally repugnant to indoctrinate children with lies. So, it is on that basis that I would object.

But I think we're missing the larger issue, here, which is not whether these particular parents are "using" their kids to "grandstand" for the press, but whether the overarching cause in which the kids are being involved -- saving the life of an innocent woman from judicial tyranny -- is moral and reasonable.

I have to commend the action of these kids -- even if their parents really DID put them up to it, as you suspect -- because I think that the cause is moral, righteous, and wholly worthy of people, even young people, taking such action.

Of course, if we were discussing children participating in some kind of cause where there was a fairly high potential for an outbreak of violence, I'd be incomplete agreement with you from the beginning as that sort of environment is no place for kids.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Crude remarks, mocking faith, and disrespecting a lady who is dying, is quite another.

Actually, it's been MY faith that has been mocked. The faith of every Christian on this board has had their faith mocked because of this issue. The fact that you don't see that makes me question how strong YOUR faith is...

CF has been an ass. I don't see him as one of the good guys.

If defending my faith from mocking, and defending my political views from extremist hysteria makes me an ass, then hey, I'll wear that title proudly.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Why? Because I don't believe that Terri Shiavo is Jesus? Get real.

When that stuff started, a line was crossed, in my opinion.

A Peep on a cross would have been less offensive than that bizzaro picture.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes, a line was crossed certainly.

[JoeA]

MY GOD!! Handcuffing a ten year old boy!!!! What is this country coming to? Have we all gone insane. How can we let this get this far?????

Thank GOD for these children who saw the right thing to do and took action. Where are the adults in this world? The time for legal action is long past.This woman is dying, and the only recourse at this point is action. A group of concerned citizens must take the law into their own hands and walk into the hospice and remove her to a place where che can be cared for. A large enough group won't be stopped by the police. We can't let this woman die. How about it Floridians? The time to act is now!!!

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes. Someone did. It was sickening, and the post was pulled, and rightly so...

[JoeA]

Yes. Yes!! DO IT SOMEBODY

[Chad Fairbanks]

Where are the adults in this world?

Ummmm... sending their kids out to be arrested for publicity, why do you ask?

[TexKat]

The children have been released. The father is still being held and has to spend 24 hours in jail. And some in the crowd are trying to collect $250.00 for the father per report on Fox News.

[politicket]

Ummmm... sending their kids out to be arrested for publicity, why do you ask?

Well Chad, someone had to be out there and put it on the line since us lazy slobs are just sitting here waxing poetically.

[SevenofNine]

ALright rack these kids now question this going sound stupid do you think the ACLU give these kids defense I doubt it

[Badray]

"Did you read 631?"

Year. See #733.

[Chad Fairbanks]

True, and if I were there, I might have been inclined to make a statement that way, but no matter how understanding my children were about it (and they know what is happening, and are unhappy about it just as I am) I wouldn't allow my children to join me...

My kids would still learn a valuable lesson by watching what happens to me, without the need to actually be arrested, cuffed, processed etc...

[Critter]

I wish man. I wish.

I am 1200 miles away and too poor at the moment to get there. I wish someone from up here was heading down so I could hitch a ride. :)

[Badray]

BTW - I believe what is happening to Terri is horrible. I don't understand how anyone, citizen, non-citizen, criminal, can show up at a hospital for treatment and the hospital be legally required to provide care regardless of ability to pay, until the patient can leave under their own power...but they can starve Terri to death.

I do believe in people being able to make living wills but I also believe if someone has not specified how they want these situations handled in advance, by legal written instrument, we assume they did not want any plugs pulled.

I agree 100%. That's why I told the other poster that you were a good guy. Now I just havta get your mind right on child exploitation. ;-)

Google "Michael Jackson." THAT'S exploitation.