Posted on 03/31/2005 10:13:27 PM PST by goldstategop
Terri is gone.
But her memory and legacy live on.
What lessons will America draw from this horrific experience?
I pray that no other American – conscious or unconscious – is permitted to be starved to death. It makes no difference whether or not there is a living will. It makes no difference whether or not the subject made some casual remark in previous years about his or her wishes. It is one thing to deny extraordinary means of life support to a terminally ill patient. It is another for the state to sanction the killing by the denial of basic sustenance.
It's time for a re-examination and full public debate on these life-and-death issues. The state should never be placed in the position of executing death sentences on innocent people who are not dying.
A full review of the arrogant, unaccountable judicial decisions that mandated this state-sanctioned homicide is in order. Only the Congress of the United States can do this.
Criminal investigations should be opened at the county, state and, if appropriate, federal levels.
A conflict-of-interest ethics probe of Judge George Greer, who accepted campaign contributions from the lawyers for Michael Schiavo, should be opened at the state level.
We must not forget to hold accountable those public officials such as Gov. Jeb Bush, who had authority to intervene on behalf of Terri Schiavo, but chose not to do so.
We need to determine whether we really believe as a people that an estranged spouse is fit to be the best guardian in life-and-death decisions.
America is forever changed today as a result of this death.
We permitted this happen to an American citizen, and we must decide now whether this will be an aberration, an experience from which we learn, or another slide down the slippery slope toward broad use of euthanasia.
We heard consistently through this national ordeal from the proponents of death that the issue was really "choice."
Does anyone truly believe that Terri would have chosen this route?
Would Terri have consciously chosen to place her fate in the hands of a man who was living with another woman for 10 years and raising a family with her?
Would Terri have consciously chosen to place her fate in the hands of a judge who showed, through at least one previous decision, an inclination to withhold basic life-sustaining care even when a spouse wanted to maintain it?
Would Terri have wanted her parents, her siblings to be denied access to her?
Would Terri have chosen not to have any chance at rehabilitation?
Would Terri have chosen that money awarded to her for that rehabilitation go to fight a protracted legal battle with her parents over her welfare?
Personally, I don't believe Terri would have made any of those choices. Nor do I believe she chose to die. The evidence is circumstantial hearsay at best.
There was a day in America where judges were required to use common-sense wisdom in making decisions. But we have entered a time in American history where common-sense wisdom is in short supply – particularly among unaccountable jurists.
Maybe Terri's death won't be in vain if we, as a people, learn from this experience and return some degree of sanity and accountability to our system of jurisprudence.
God bless Terri. God bless the Schindler family for their loss. And may God bless America and bring us to our senses.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
"I pray that no other American – conscious or unconscious – is permitted to be starved to death."
It is very unfortunate, but this type of thing happens all the time.
There are people who are actually "conscious", talking and awake ( but in a questionable mental state ), who are starved to death even in a worse way than Terri. I have talked with an individual who works in these type of care facilities and have heard the horror stories of what goes on in there.
People begging for water as they die ! Because of some piece of paper "they" signed at one time, or because of the families wishes, no water can/is to be given to these poor people.
When you make out that living will, be careful of what you sign. Because you just may put yourself in a position that you will be begging/pleading for food and water, and nobody will give it to you.
I just saw a film clip on EWTN television of Terri's Mother begging Senators (Florida state Senators, I presume, but I am not sure) not to let her daughter die of thirst. After getting that out she couldn't go on and had to turn away and placed her head on her husbands's chest. God help us. We have become a nation where mothers must beg government officials not to let their children die of thirst.
Criminal investigations should be opened at the county, state and, if appropriate, federal levels."
Well said. I STRONGLY agree with your comments and the ones above!
Why was only one man, Judge Greer, the determinant of the facts in Terri's case? In most other cases, it is a jury that determines the facts. Certainly the facts in all capital cases are determined by a jury. Subsequent appeals generally deal with interpretations of the law, rather than redetermining the facts of the case, unless there is new evidence.
Setting aside personalities, as distasteful as they appear to be, having only one person determine the facts seems to be the central failing of the judicial system in Terri's case. For the future, that failing could be solved by legislative action.
In 1999, Jeb Bsuh SIGNED the new version of Statue 765 that redefined food and water as "artificial life support" and made hearsay, not just from a spouse, but ANYBODY into sufficient evidence to kill. Judge Greer was implementing a statute signed by Jeb Bush. One reason, in addition to cowardice, that Jeb Bush wasn't about to rescue Terri.
Top Neurologist's Report in Terri Released. (snip)
http://www.newsmax.com/
"Spinal Exam: The patient's exam from a spinal perspective is abnormal. The degree of limitation of range of motion, and of spasms in her neck, is consistent with a neck injury. The abnormal sensory exam, that shows evidence of her hypoxic encephalopathic strokes (right side sensory responses are different from left) also suggests a spinal cord injury at around the level of C4. Her physical exam and videotapes also suggest a spinal cord injury is also present, as she has much better control over he face, head, and neck, than over her arms and legs. This reminds one of a person with a spinal cord injury who has good facial control, but poor use of arms and legs. It is possible that a correctable spinal abnormality such as a herniated disk may be found that could be treated and result in better neurological functioning. This should be looked for, as may be treatable. Thus, there may be an injured disk or spinal cord; the disk injury is more treatable, the spinal cord injury, if present without a disk injury, may be more difficult to treat. A person with a spinal cord injury and hypoxic encephalopathy will need different treatment and rehab recommendations than one who just has a hypoxic encephalopathic.
Interestingly, I have seen this pattern of mixed brain (cerebral) and spinal cord findings in a patient once before, a patient who was asphyxiated."
TERRI SUFFERED FROM A SPINAL INJURY. WE WANT TO KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED.
Everyone should go to these links and read carefully.
Are you a target for euthanasia? (must read!)
National Right to Life – What is a Will to Live and Why You Need to Sign One
Accountability?
That's a dirty word to both political parties.
What about a class action suit of some kind?
Yes, you hit the nail on the head! Why was Judge Greer given complete control over this case? Why did everyone just accept everything that he did? This case makes it appear that our courts are full of judges who simply do not care about the people that they are paid so serve.
The USA can no longer be a guide to other countries for human rights, for our human rights do not exist, when an innocent one like Terri Schiavo is being murdered the slow, legal way of starvation and dehydration, a death that is not fit for the worst dog in America. No they could not kill Terri with a lethal injection, or a swift bullet to her head, but the evil ones found a way of taking the life of a helpless one by starvation and dehydration, where the blood came from her cracked tongue and her eyes. God have mercy on America, we are doomed if we do not change.
"Its time for accountability."
What judges thought a human life wasn't important enough to get curious?
I see no substitute for impeachment.
The reason:
Their education has pounded it into their heads to think the way they do. They think that basic compassion is naive. In my opinion, they want health care to become more like nature: survival of the fittest. They want the weak to simply die off, because 'odds are, they are genetically inferior'. At least, that's how I see it. Others may be concerned about too many people polluting our 'fragile planet'. Regardless, education has wired their brains.
Therefore, we have another batch of future judges waiting in the wings who are most likely even worse. While America has been veering back to conservatism, Big Mo suggests that judges are veering toward eugenics, socialism, and enviro-wacko'ism, which suposedly outweigh Constitutionalism.
Conclusion: only a punitive STICK will generate change until 'higher' education gets an overhaul.
Jeb Bush never really seemed very interested in Terri Schiavo's plight. He intervened with his power some years ago, but only after being forced into action by thousands of calls, letters and emails, (from all over the country, not just Florida). He truly took a cowardly stance after they pulled Terri's feeding tube by publicly declaring his impotence and rasing his white flag to the runaway liberal judges. Very dissappointing behavior.
"W" was no better as he did the same thing. Today the President was a lesson in contradiction, as he admonished all Americans that "it is the duty of the strong to protect the weak". Coming from the most powerful man on earth his words rang hollow, as he himself professed to be impotent and unable to help Terri Schiavo.
I heard an historian on the 'Savage Nation' tonight, (Thursday night), who listed several recent incidences where the Executive Office intervened in a Federal Court decision and essentially overruled it. He said there was a lot of precedent. Up till now I liked George W, but I now see through him a little bit. He's a tough talker, but he's always rolling over for the liberals and the liberal agenda. (Especially on border security issues, Mexican trucking and NAFTA, illegal immigrant amnesty, etc). Who do we have for 2008 that is a real standup guy with spine? Maybe Rudy Giulliani?
The root problem is 'higher education', even where the Bush family is concerned. Their advisers were educated where? In colleges, universities, etc.
Therefore, we need to use a stick against the worst-of-the-worst among the judges. This is a perfect place to do it. A lack of curiosity about overlooked evidence resulted in Terri's death.
While I am disappointed in the Bush family, I am also disappointed in myself. I and others could have done more sooner. Then who knows what may have happened?
FReegards....
Does anyone honestly believe that someone in the position to do something about these horrors will actually take action?
Absolutely nothing substantial will "legally" happen to stop things like this from occuring, or to stop worse situations from happening in the future.
I wish I wasn't so negative about this but I have seen absolutely nothing from so-called conservative office holders to suggest that they will do anything other than continue to sacrifice their principles and decency in the name of compromise.
BREAKING: GOTTA SEE THIS:Judgenfuhrer George Greer's biography
Scientology and Terri Schindler's Murder
Lawyer donations to the Murdering Judge
MICHAEL SCHIAVO'S lies and contradictory testimony in easy to read format
The Rule of Terri's Case Strikes Again. -2004- Judge Greer's crimes to Murder Terri
Law conveniently changed by Hospice where Terri was Judicially murdered
Suicide is immoral because we do not own our own bodies — God does. We lack the jurisdiction to determine whether we should live or die. It is biblically and (at common law) legally invalid to request assistance in the suicide of ones self through starvation or any other means. Even had Terri made such a recommendation (and there is no credible evidence that she did), Terri herself lacks jurisdiction to call for her own death by dehydration, starvation, or any other means which involves the suspension of a basic, God-appointed duty of care. Again, we must distinguish between the challenging ethical issues surrounding “extraordinary measures” in the midst (for example) of massive and persistent organ failure, versus the ethically perverse decision to deprive disabled or neurologically-impaired thriving humans of basic care. To the extent that any “living will” calls for termination of basic care, it is tantamount to a request for assisted suicide, which is biblically unlawful.
-- This is something I read on a blog earlier.
Giulliani would not be good either.
You only really begin to notice this for long, extended periods outside of the US so that you can watch from a distance, and also pickup the 'take' from foreigners, who might have some more distant objectivity due to their observation from afar (as long as they are not outright haters of America).
For example:
Over litigious society resulting such that signatures needed for EVERYTHING, once a contract is signed there is no backing out, vs. one that does not even require the signature of a woman to allow a third party to put her to death on hearsay with no witnesses.
It is a confusing country, indeed.
Giuliani is pro-abortion. There's no way he would have acted to save Terri--because the moment any President acted to save Terri, the question would immediately arise: "Why don't you use that SAME EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY to rescue babies being aborted all over the U.S.--in violation of the 14th Amendment?"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.