Terri's Day challenges the nation to unify

Renew America ^ | March 13, 2006 | Kevin Fobbs

[KevinNuPac]

Terri's Day challenges the nation to unify

Kevin Fobbs

March 13, 2006

Terri's Day — A Celebration of the Culture of Life honoring Terri Schiavo with a day of remembrance challenges each and every one of us to stop for a moment and ask ourselves a question, do we respect ourselves, our families, our lives?

And if we are faced with the question of the possible certainty of death, does anyone truly know, or even have the faintest clue about, our wishes? That is the greatest good, the greatest legacy that Terri Schiavo's death and an annual "Terri's Day" can bring to our lives and to the celebration of the Culture of Life.

On March 18th, we as a nation will begin to grieve again, to reach into our hearts and feel with our collective national spirit what the Schindler family felt last year at this time as each moment since Terri was disconnected from the feeding lifeline, the moments crept by like hours and hours like days.

All of us have felt in some way that pain — even if it were only in the privacy of our loved one's home, hospital room, hospice or perhaps talking with an attorney and doctor attempting to make sense out of some fleeting comments made in a conversation perhaps voiced ten, twelve or even two decades earlier — not necessarily an expression of her true feeling about an end-of-life decision but merely an incidental musing in a long-forgotten side conversation.

For at least one million Americans, and quite possibly a whole lot more, this is an opportunity to voice an opinion through a pledge supporting a resolution in each state called "Terri's Day — A Celebration of the Culture of Life." Each and every person who cares that your family, your spouse, your mother, your father, your sister or brother understands with clarity what you wish the end of life for you to be, with dignity and certainty should sign the online pledge at www.kevinfobbs.com and take the additional step to sign a Living Will — or as they call it at www.terrisfight.org, the Will to Live.

Some have asked why Americans should care about an annual Terri's Day. It is quite simple, we tend to keep turning the page on the Culture of Life because we feel it does not affect us. We tend to believe that seemingly universal belief that those who are handicapped, those who are not quite living a "perfect" life or by contemporary notion "ideal" then those lives are possibly disposable, marginal, not relevant, and part of the Culture of Death which embraces a "disposable society."

But life and our values for the Culture of Life are not disposable. Think about the young people today who would rather hurt themselves or even take their own lives rather than feel "imperfect" or the elderly person whose family is told by an insensitive health care professional while the stricken person struggles to cling to life, "she would be better off in another place," — just let her die, disconnect her from life, because her quality of life is not up to "contemporary standards. "

Why does celebrating the Culture of Life in Michigan become so essential for all of us in America? It is important for several reasons. Dr. Jack Kervorkian, also known as "Doctor Death" helped launch first in Michigan and then the nation the notion of the death culture. Secondly, and equally as important, at the May 12 event — just two days before Mother's Day — there will also be a "Mary's Moms" celebration of those women and mothers who have met challenges in standing up for some aspect of the Culture of Life.

This past weekend I sat at my cousin's funeral — or going home celebration, which more accurately describes it — thinking about the dearly departed and how she packed so much caring for others into her life even as she struggled with illness and advancing age. She was a wonderful woman who had lived through many, many challenges in her life, but in her 73 years she had met these challenges with dignity and had conveyed to her family when would be the right time to allow her to pass away.

Her daughter, who is a minister, spoke to the packed church about the times when, with all of her pain and then a stroke, the doctors had informed them that perhaps it was better to let her go. Yet that was three years ago that that occurred, and if the family had listened to the doctors and refused to see how she fought back and not only recovered but went back to volunteering at the church to feed and clothe the homeless. The medical professionals didn't care about an elderly lady who was on dialysis, but the family did and they knew better. Patricia lived three more years — years her extensive extended family considered "a gift from God."

So isn't part of the lesson of Terri's legacy and Terri's Day for families and loved ones to have a meaningful conversation with their family and to have the written document on hand as well that conveys the wishes clearly and concisely? You betcha.

As I sat in the church I thought of all of the families across the nation and the world who were sitting at their loved one's bedsides — or even standing outside of a hospital emergency room — overwhelmed with emotion, torn by what may be days of conflicting anguished decisions. I thought again of how out of death we may have the certainty of life. Terri's death reminded the nation that yes a state can and will starve you to death, and your family may be rendered helpless as you watch your loved one's precious life forces drain slowly away.

By signing the online pledge at www.kevinfobbs.com or going to www.terrisfight.org, you can learn about how to encourage your state legislature to establish March 31st as an official Terri's Day. Hold a Culture of Life Home Party or meet-and-greet to sign pledges, share ideas and support The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation as well as Culture of Life activities and events in your community or around the nation. Between now and March 31st you can make a dramatic difference for yourself, your family and for the nation. Stand up for the Culture of Life because one person, one life, one family can and does make a difference in America. Make the difference and be the difference today. America...The countdown for the Culture of Life has begun.

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Kevin Fobbs is President of National Urban Policy Action Council (NuPac), a non-partisan civic and citizen-action organization that focuses on taking the politics out of policy to secure urban America's future one neighborhood, one city, and one person at a time. View NuPac on the web at www.nupac.info. Kevin Fobbs is a regular contributing columnist for the Detroit News. He is also the daily host of The Kevin Fobbs Show on News Talk WDTK - 1400 AM in Detroit. Listen to The Kevin Fobbs Show online at www.wdtkam.com daily 2-3 p.m., and call in toll-free nationwide to make your opinion count at 800-923-WDTK(9385) © Copyright 2006 by Kevin Fobbs http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/fobbs/060313

[Sun]

"That's one of the attention-grabbing facts that came out: the entire "investigation" was 2 hours and 22 minutes. It had no forensic work. The original papers were lost (not that there was anything much to be seen). Michael was not asked any embarrassing questions. The investigating officers did not wait to get a medical report though bruises and other symptoms sometimes show up as much as two days later. That is, they didn't really know what her medical condition was, so they couldn't tell if she was a victim of domestic violence (by far the most likely answer, statistically).

Where are the police when you need them."

It seemed as if everything, but EVERYTHING, was against Terri, but yet she still lived for 15 years, despite all odds.

Our next goal is to join the Schindlers and fight so that this doesn't happen again.

[8mmMauser]

This day last year was dark and gloomy, despite the weather. We could see nothing more on the horizon. No rescues coming down the street, no more gargantuan or even normal efforts were to come. We were amazed that Terri was still alive after this horrible torture. What a strong heart!

Diana Lynne is a powerful advocate for Terri.

Editor's note: The following commentary is by Diana Lynne, author of a powerful, comprehensive book on Terri Schiavo's life and death, titled "Terri's Story: The Court-Ordered Death of an American Woman."

Excerpt

In my column yesterday, I explained how the simple chronology of the Schiavo case proved the exact opposite – Terri Schiavo was a tool used by the liberal Left. Specifically, the case was a right-to-die case five years before it even crossed the radar screens of the right-to-life forces. In the column, I employed the methodology Eisenberg used to draw the conclusion the Schiavo case was part of a multi-million-dollar conspiracy by pro-life foundations and organizations to usurp Americans' right to personal autonomy, to demonstrate his reasoning could equally validate a conspiracy to kill Terri Schiavo by billionaire Left Wing political activist George Soros.

Religious Right 'using Terri'? – Part II

8mm

(this includes Ohioan from Florida's ping list, update to 3/27.)



Terri after the attack and before bioethicking.

[Dante3]

Well stated.

[8mmMauser]

A profile of a sociopath moment reported by North Country Gazette...

“I love her to death”, Michael Schiavo says about his new wife, Jodi, the woman he lived with for nearly 10 years while still married to Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

Commentary - In Death Did Schiavo Part

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[8mmMauser]

From North Country Gazette...and a note on Haleigh Poutre.

Disability activists marked the anniversary of Terri Schiavo’s death and vowed to renew their resolve to continue the battle to promote meaningful safeguards for the thousands of disabled Americans who, like Terri Schiavo, have guardians making life-and-death decisions on their behalf. The dangers to people with disabilities did not begin with the publicized tragedy of Terri Schiavo and they did not end with her death, the activists say.

Disability Activists Mark Schiavo Anniversary

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[Dante3]

The very fact that Micheal, an estranged husband, only recalled what he alleges is Terri's wish after receiving the money says it all. But there is more, such as his sadistic treatment of her and her family.

It is scary that someone who has such deep hatred as Michael and conflict of interest is allowed to be the guardian - there was even suspicion that he might have cause her condition.

[8mmMauser]

Schindlers family and their book...

Bob and Mary Schindler appeared on Hannity and Colmes to talk about their fight for their daughter, Terri Schiavo, the book they wrote to honor her life (A Life that Matters) and their work on behalf of others.

The Schindlers answered charges, laid by Michael Schiavo, that their resentment of him and action to protect her life was about the money won in a malpractice lawsuit. Bob Schindler agreed that money was the catalyst that began the controversy. "He had committed to spend that money on her rehabilitation. But rather than do that he put her in a nursing home," he said.

Schindlers discuss Terri Schiavo Book

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[BykrBayb]

That's how you honor disabled people? By mocking them? What is wrong with you?

[8mmMauser]

Living wills by Pamela Hennessy...An excerpt...

Since the court-ordered dehydration death of Terri Schiavo in March of 2005, many people -- both known and strangers -- have contacted me to suss out my take on the topic of living wills. Since I’m not an attorney, I’ve always thought it best encourage people to do a little research and talk to their attorney for more solid answers. It seems that the subject of living wills is one that creates startling confusion among the most intelligent of folks and now I know why. More...

While engaged in research at the highly visited FindLaw website, I came across an unsigned article titled Living Wills: 10 Things to Think About.

Living Wills Remain a Mystery - Even to the 'Experts'

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[Freedom Dignity n Honor]

And during Michael's interview with Matt Lauer, he said that Terri had been discussing "not living like that" on a train.

I thought it was while watching a movie or at a funeral?

There were several inconsistencies between what he has said before and what he says now.

The Martha Moxely case was reopened and the two Skakel brothers had changed their stories of what happened the night Martha died and that really got the investigators attention so I don't see why in the future that a case can't be reopened for Terri's incident due to Michael's changing stories and the disputed timeline.

Plus, if it can ever be shown that Michael possibly lied about what Terri allegedly said about "not wanting to live like that", I'd think then one could go after him for her death in 2005.

[8mmMauser]

Plewis1250 pinged this to me, Kevin Fobbs new article of today on a separate thread. Excellent article!

Michael Schiavo's statements make best case for Terri's Day movement

8mm

[8mmMauser]

More profile of a sociopath....pinged from FairOpinion

Michael Schiavo's side of the story [sicko' barf-ola ALERT]

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[T'wit]

>> It seemed as if everything, but EVERYTHING, was against Terri, but yet she still lived for 15 years, despite all odds.

Two observations. One, Terri's survival for that length of time is by itself powerful evidence that she was not "PVS." The case is even stronger. According to Dr. Thogmartin, she had at least ten more years to live, despite being deprived of therapy and stimulation. That's theoretically at least 25 years of surviving her disability. What killed her was Michael, not some mythical "persistent vegetative state."

Two, thanks be to her caregivers along the way -- to the nursing angels who tended to her every day. She was well cared for. I would be surprised if Terri didn't touch many another heart besides Carla Iyer, Heidi Law et al. In time -- when they don't face dismissal for doing it -- perhaps these good folks will come forward and tell their stories.

[Dante3]

As you pointed out, there are serious contradictions in Michael's statement. Terri's case should be reopened.

[freema]

I am going to make a crass comment. Can't help it. Can't stand this worm. He makes my skin crawl. I couldn't even finish reading the Gazette account.

There should be a Michael Schiavo Invitational Celebrity Med/Law Open in which doctors and lawyers get to whack little balls all over the place. I just can't decide what time "T" "off" would be.

[8mmMauser]

If we include Mikey and the Murderers, the horse felos bunch, we would have plenty to be T'd off about..

[8mmMauser]

On a sadder note today, Lyn Nofziger died. He died of cancer and had been in bad shape for a few months. Lyn was a powerful champion of those things we hold dearly in these threads. In the mid eighties, his daughter was stricken with leukemia. Suzie went in and out of remission just at the time the Kangaroo Kourt at the time persecuted him and Ed Meese. She then took a turn for the worse and died, leaving him devastated as the merciless libs tried to grind him to pieces.

This after Jim Baker and the Prince of Darkness sandbagged the President's close advisors following the Hinkley shooting. It took great courage for him to stand up under the onslaught.

Lyn has always been the true rallying point for the few real Reaganites, right up to the present. We miss him greatly.

God watch your soul Lyn, and protect Bonnie and Glenda

Requiescant in Pace

[8mmMauser]

Repeating the post of Sun, as it is a great resource...by Diana Lynne

As the rest of the news world works to catch up on this complex, multifaceted, precedent-setting case, readers have asked WND about errors and glaring omissions in the current widespread media coverage. In addition, much of what WND reported in previous years is now topping headlines elsewhere, leaving readers to question why they're not finding the same details in current editions of WND.

In view of this, WorldNetDaily has decided to mine our extensive archives to compile a comprehensive analysis of the Terri Schiavo story.

The whole Terri Schiavo story

8mm

[pickyourpoison]

NBC also said Terri collapsed from a heart attack. I thought that had been disproven too.

[T'wit]

>> We do not practice radical Islam in this country, at least we didn't until now.

Terri's situation has been likened also to that of Dred Scott, a slave who sued for his freedom in the 1850s and lost. The Supreme Court infamously ruled that Scott, as a black, was not a citizen and had no standing to sue for his freedom. The furor over his case was among the proximate causes of the Civil War and, in time, helped lead to the passage of the 13th and 14th Amendments prohibiting slavery and giving citizenship rights to former slaves.

Terri was in every way a chattel slave of Michael Schiavo. Over time he deprived her of all of her God-given rights, and he did it with complete impunity. He took her property, her liberty and her life -- all supposedly unalienable under God and guaranteed to her by the whole of American law. Yet Michael was never held to account under the law.

Some legal scholars opine that this case has gutted whatever rights remained under the 14th Amendment and put us back to Dred Scott days. Makes an interesting discussion!