Danger Zone - (Haleigh Poutre)

National Review ^ | February 01, 2006 | Wesley J, Smith

[Ohioan from Florida]

In the court (and courts) of life and death, a little 11-year-old Massachusetts girl named Haleigh Poutre could be the next Terri Schiavo. For those who have not heard the tragic story, Haleigh was beaten nearly to death last September, allegedly by her adoptive mother and stepfather. The beating left her unconscious and barely clinging to life.

Within a week or so of the beating, her doctors had written her off. They apparently told Haleigh's court-appointed guardian, Harry Spence, that she was "virtually brain dead." Even though he had never visited her, Spence quickly went to court seeking permission to remove her respirator and feeding tube. The court agreed, a decision affirmed recently by the supreme court of Massachusetts.

And so, no doubt with the best of intentions, a little girl who had already suffered so much was stripped by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of even the chance to fight to stay alive. If she didn't stop breathing when the respirator was removed, which doctors expected, she would slowly dehydrate to death.

Close Call

Then came the unexpected:

[8mmMauser]

Terri updates..

Lucky Mikey

Perhaps Schiavo had some advance notice about the new policies of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department concerning adulterous relationships.

Pinellas Adultery Policy Adopted After Schiavo Marriage

Dr. Humane ducks like a quack.

Dr. Humane Death To Speak At Schiavo Case Symposium

8mm

[T'wit]

The news stories didn't say anything about a religious aspect to the story. I googled it again adding the word "zealot." That took me out of news stories and into the fever swamps of opinion. The word first turned up in someone's toss-off comments deep into the discussion in Daily Kos (surprise!).

Let one uninformed Leftist get the vapors and the next thing you know, Meywes's non-existent "religious zealotry" is proclaimed as "fact."

[T'wit]

>> Dr. Humane ducks like a quack.

You quack me up :-)

[8mmMauser]

BTW. I shudder each time I see that word, Kos. It just sounds like something really obscene and foul in some obscure language.

I know it is a pharmaceutical company and a Greek Isle, but somewhere, someplace, decent women blush when they hear that wicked word.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Thanks for that. Until I read something that would indicate religious zealotry, I am going to say that so far this doesn't qualify IMO. There were plenty of atheists who supported Terri's right to live, so are they religious zealots as well?

[TheSpottedOwl]

Thanks for reminding me to contact my TV provider. We have to have dish or cable in our area, because we cannot receive regular TV signals. BF searched through the entire menu and could not find "wealth tv". He would also like to watch this program.

If Haleigh is a vegetable, then I'm a teatotaller. Haleigh is a young child, and there are proven statistics about young children being able to get past head trauma, among other ailments, and get most functions back to normal. Their bodies are still growing.

[steelcurtain]

It wasn't an analogy, least of all an apt one. Perhaps it's all beyond the comprehension of you and 8mm, after all.

[steelcurtain]

Dr. Hammesfahr, on the other hand, most certainly is a quack.

[floriduh voter]

TOM DELAY RETURNS:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1574898/posts

[Ohioan from Florida]

In regards to the first link:
I'm not sure that the new rule at the sheriff's office would have any bearing on Michael and Jodi. When I read the article, it sounded like it applied to those in the sheriff's office who were committing adultery with each other. Maybe it wasn't worded well, and maybe I misunderstood. It just didn't make sense to me. Jodi doesn't work the sheriff's office, too, does she? I know her mother did (before she died at Michael and Jodi's home). Even so, it seems like the Schiavo-Centonze situation wouldn't apply, since Michael was "legally" *separated* from Terri as of March 31, 2005.

[floriduh voter]

BY THE WAY, the "murder plot" was AGAINST TERRI and the state, judges, aclu, and lawyers almost pulled off the perfect crime.

THERE IS NO STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON MURDER.

[Ohioan from Florida]

I suppose you probably think all doctors who thought that Terri wasn't PVS are also quacks, huh?

[floriduh voter]

Guardians should not be guardians if they are committing adultery. I don't really care if other people live in sin but Judge Greer didn't fire Michael even though Greer knew Michael was violating a guardianship statute.

Someone was murdered because the adultery law was violated. Typically, people who co-habitate are not trying to murder their ex.

[steelcurtain]

On what basis would you make that supposition? Oh, that's right, no facts needed.

[floriduh voter]

sorry. I used to be in the newspaper biz and we used to write headlines in caps. I know internet folk think it means yelling. It's not - did it hurt your ear drums? If it didn't then it wasn't shouting.

Anyway, the murder plot was against Terri Schiavo. And, a grand plot it was. I'm hoping a wide net is cast someday and lots of people go to prison.

There is no statute of limitations on murder.

[floriduh voter]

I don't think Sheriff Coates wants any employee to commit adultery. It's not just employee on employee adultery. The first new policy was written in October of 2005. It was updtaed as of today's date. WINO marries in between the two policies. I guess he's not taking any chances since he was a guardian while committing adultery and it's so messy since former Sheriff Rice and Judge Greer are best friends.

Sheriff Rice hired Michael Schiavo before Rice went to Tallahasse as a House member to vote to kill Terri last March.

Are we conspiracy theorists? No. The facts speak for themselves. Amerika better wake up. What is happening in Pinellas County is spreading. People bring their relatives to Florida for a little dehydration/starvation. Pinellas is known by decent attorneys as Death Central.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Other speakers on the program will include Raquel Rodriguez, general counsel for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; Mary I. Combs, professor of law, University of Miami School of Law; Rebecca S. Dresser, Daniel Noyes Kirby professor of law and professor of Ethics in Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis; Dr. Leslie P. Francis, Alfred C. Emery professor of law and professor of Philosophy, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah; Lili Levi, professor of law, University of Miami School of Law, Alan Meisel, director, Center for Bioethics and Health Law, Dickie McCarney & Chilcote Professor of Bioethics, and professor of law and psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh and Bruce J. Winick, professor of law and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, University of Miami School of Law and School of Medicine.

Anyone besides me see a lot of "law","professor","ethics", and "bioethics" in that paragraph? Ph.D.'s are not the same as M.D.'S yet they are effecting the way medicine is practiced. I think this is one of the areas that supporters of anti-euthanasia (my take-off of the term "anti-abortion") need to make inroads if we're ever going to get anywhere.

[Ohioan from Florida]

The same basis that you made the supposition that Hammesfahr was being talked about.

Facts? YOU don't need no steenkin' facts!

[Ohioan from Florida]

Ahh, I see.

As for conspiracy theorists, I know we aren't them. Others who accuse us of that don't seem to understand that government agencies are big bureacratic messes. They think we'll see Haleigh's situation as one of conspiracy also, when it's much more likely that the Department of Social Services has plenty of incompetent bozos working for the government. Same as the incompetent bozos who let Terri down. The laws are there to protect from the kind of crap she had to endure, yet she was victimized by incompetence just the same as Haleigh. It's past time to lance the boil.

[floriduh voter]

Re: living in sin. Don't take that personally. That's what I call it.

We are all sinners.