Statement by Governor Jeb Bush regarding the death of Terri Schiavo

Tampa Bay's 10 News ^ | 3/31/05 | Governor Jeb Bush

[This Just In]

Well said.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Then Bush stood back and lied about his supposed inability to recuse Terri.

Actually, you're the one who is lying. The question is, why are you doing it? Hmmmmm...

[TAdams8591]

So well said. I couldn't agree more.

[TAdams8591]

Well, at least Jeb Bush got THAT right.

[danamco]

The Governor could have stopped this evil, had Terri removed from the abattoir while an investigation into the credible allegations presented was completed. He did not. He claimed he must “follow the rule of law.”

The President could have stopped this evil, had Terri removed from the abattoir while an investigation into the credible allegations presented was completed. He did not. He claimed he must “follow the rule of law.”

The fact is that both the President and the Governor were afraid to act as what they are supposed to be, an independent arm of the government, protecting ur rights to LIFE, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

This was not the rule of law, but the worship of judge. The judges were wrong. Judges are often wrong, as Dred Scott.

They lacked the guts to do their job. There is an alternative explanation, but it puts them in a less favorable light than being assessed as cowards.

They did not act. When they allowed Terri to be tortured and murdered under color of authority, they lost some of their moral authority. Even more important, when Terri died, a part of their souls died too. They had the power, they chose not to exercise it. What choice would you have made?

My flag is at half mast, for Terri and for our country.


I agree with you on the last paragraph!
Your examples above make absolutely NO sense!!
How many times did the Schindlers go to courts, and what was their scores or results, unfortunately?

Your scenarios: While the President or the Governor now having Terri in custody, how would the President or the Governor get the courts to hear their cases or investigate?? I would guess they would be as "unsuccessful" as the Schindlers!!!
What would you then suggest the next step would be regarding Terri's future, "warehousing' for ever??? All of you wise Bush basher's theory falls flat to the floor!!! How many hurricanse did your State had last year???? We were pretty happy with both men's dedicated services during our State's trying time during four (4) devastating storms in less than two months. So please keep your bashing for what may lacking in your own State, OK!?!

[danamco]

Keyes

He didn't show up! Surprisingly enough another "fellow" of color tried to get into the media spot, however tooooo late!?!

[danamco]

How grotesque to thank the Governor who could have save Terri, but chose not to do so. Jeb Bush signed the Florida statute, in 1999, that redefined food and water as "artifical life support" and which drastically lowered the standards for evidence of a death wish. Everything that Michael Schiavo and George Felos did was made legal in 1999 by Jeb Bush. Then Bush stood back and lied about his supposed inability to recuse Terri.


Jeb was elected Nov. 1998 and took office in 1999. Are you positive sure that that stature was not a rollover from Lawton Chiles???

[GOPcapitalist]

Hmmm, so in other words, its Bush's fault. Sounds eerily familiar. . . .

No. It's most immediately the fault of Michael Schaivo, Greer, and Felos.

Pilate's wrong was not that he killed Jesus but rather that he did not intervene, and instead declared "I am innocent of this man's blood. It is your concern." In reality, Pilate was not innocent when he washed his hands because he omitted to use his power to stop the wrong from being done and thus permitted the crucifixion to occur.

Bush somewhat similarly committed a sin of ommission by deciding against intervention out of fear that he would be contradicting a corrupt and evil judge. He thus permitted the starvation of Terri Schaivo to occur.

And no, for any lurkers out there, making this analogy is NOT the same as saying Terri Schaivo was Jesus. It is a comparison of Jeb's sinful ommission to Pilate's sinful ommission, as the two are unavoidably similar.

[GOPcapitalist]

If they have ever listened to Jay Seculow, they would have known that if Jeb had acted he would have broken the Florida law, and that he had NO legal options available

Sometimes when the law is fundamentally unjust, breaking it is necessary. By the same token, all the people in Germany and the Netherlands and Belgium and Poland who hid Jews from Hitler's murder squads broke Nazi law by doing so. But it was the right thing to do because that law was unjust and those people had the means to help other people who were being unjustly persecuted.

Legal or not, Jeb was the one person with the most direct and viable means available to help Terri Schaivo escape unjust persecution. He chose not to out of misguided obedience for a fundamentally unjust legal ruling by George Greer, a low level nobody on a county court bench.

It's a sad day when a no-name swamp judge like Greer is able to assert himself to be more powerful than the Governor of Florida and the President of the United States. But Greer did just that, and thanks to Jeb's unwillingness to disobey those edicts even when he knew they were unjust, Greer got away with it. There is simply no way around it short of rejecting the invalidity of the Nuremburg defense and embracing coercion-based legal positivism wherein any act of the state no matter how evil is legitimate so long as its technically deemed "legal."

[Rca2000]

WHY are you so ready to blame Bush ,and his brother for this? Your letting yourself get way too wrapped up in this (As I also have, but at least I knew who was responsible). If you so want to blame someone, and point fingers, look to the judicial system, it is the out of control judges, that caused this whole thing and , THEY are the ones , who need to be held accountable.

Lets say, for a moment, that Jeb HAD sent troops in there, to "save" Terri. What do you think would have happened? did you want a shoot-out, between the national guard, and Florida police depts? Wouldn't that look good, around the world! Not to mention, Terri would have been snatched right back, or even killed in the process.

[Rca2000]

Not really. Pilate answered to NO ONE-- he was the ruler, and Jeb answers to a Lot of people. In the same way, W, as much as he wanted to, could not just had said "get her back on the tube, now", and it be an absolute decree. Bush is not a KING-- he is the president, and as much as it would had been good for him to had been able to do that, he cannot, by the laws of the constitution.

[danamco]

WHY are you so ready to blame Bush ,and his brother for this? Your letting yourself get way too wrapped up in this (As I also have, but at least I knew who was responsible). If you so want to blame someone, and point fingers, look to the judicial system, it is the out of control judges, that caused this whole thing and , THEY are the ones , who need to be held accountable.


How do you get this assumption of me? As a Floridian I'm pretty happy with our Governor, especially during our four (4) hurricanes we had last year!!!

[Rca2000]

Then, you agree, that if Jeb had done as others wanted him to, we would have had a MESS on our hands, of incalculable porportions?

BTW-- Alan Keyes was not the only one to get there, at the last minute, to get a "photo op", Ol' JJ got there, a couple of days ago, too, making sure he tried to place the blame at Bushs feet.(even though he did try.. a little, to save Terri... too little, WAY too late.)

To everyone else-- let's stop with all of the personal attacks(ALL of us, including me, have let this get to us,) let's settle down just a little, before we all end up hurting our cause, and each other... PLEASE?????

[Tax Government]

Jeb...is not a worthy champion of his position...

>>>How many hurricanes did you go through last year???

I went through NO hurricanes last year.

The thrust of your rhetorical question is that there is a tradeoff between how one responds to hurricanes, and how one responds to and prevents unjust and corrupt judicial murder, by the government of which one is the elected leader.

Is it ok to ignore Jeb's malfeasance -- his inability to act in a timely way to prevent Terri's death -- because of how he handled the state during recent hurricanes?

[Goodgirlinred]

Well, Jeb is certainly is not in with that crowd!

[Goodgirlinred]

Nope. He is right. Look how many high government officials have been arrested. He can't flaunt the law and do what he wants to do regardless of his personal beliefs. None of us can. Otherwise, why didn't you and your supporters go in and rescue Terri?

[danamco]

Jeb's first action would be to ensure that anyone in the police chain of command who does not respect that chain be summarily fired. After that is done, the police at the Hospice would be ordered to stand down and leave. A cordon would be in place by loyal police to maintain order.




To: Tax Goverment, and all the other out of State Bush bashers:

Your examples above make absolutely NO sense!!
How many times did the Schindlers go to courts, and what was their scores or results, unfortunately?

Your scenarios: While the President or the Governor now having Terri in custody, how would the President or the Governor be able to get the courts to hear their cases or investigate?? I would guess they would be as "unsuccessful" as the Schindlers, again -- unfortunately!!!
What would you then suggest the next step to be regarding Terri's future, ---"warehousing" her for ever??? All of you wise Bush basher's theory falls flat to the floor!!! How many hurricanes did your State had last year???? We were pretty happy with both men's dedicated services during our State's trying time during four (4) devastating storms in less than two months, where several people were killed!
Both men showed excellent leadership then and so did they also showed it, including Congress, regarding Terri with what options were available without breaking the law. We were certainly NOT happy with the way Clinton/Reno snatched away Elian Gonzales by unlawful "overrule" a Florida court order. As a "teflon" Executive, he always got away with it, including the outrages slaughter house in Waco, Texas. We opposed Terri's execution very clearly, my 92-year Father-in-Law and his younger bride camped outside the hospice Woodside in Pinellas Park for support and more importantly Prayers! Yet, we do not want the Bushes to break the Florida laws like Clinton/Reno did!
So please keep your bashing reserved for what may be lacking in your own State, OK!?!

[agrace]

I think (and hope!) A LOT of people will be catching up and connecting the dots, not just Jeb. Thanks to sites like this one and The Empire Journal, we can connect some of those dots ourselves, because there is still so much that's not generally reported. I just pray it all comes out eventually.

[GOPcapitalist]

Not really. Pilate answered to NO ONE-- he was the ruler, and Jeb answers to a Lot of people.

You are very incorrect. Pilate answered to the emperor and government of Rome. At the time of Jesus' death he was also having to walk a fine line politically as Israel was on the edge of revolt and he feared repercussions for any bold action.