Posted on 03/24/2006 2:33:29 PM PST by topher
Michael Schiavo Caught in Serious Distortion of Truth on NBC Interview
By John-Henry Westen
CLEARWATER, FLA., March 24, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Michael Schiavo, who ordered doctors to withhold food and water from his severely disabled wife Terri until she died, and his current wife Jodi were interviewed by NBC's Matt Lauer. Those exclusive interviews based on Schiavo's upcoming book "Terri: The Truth," are to be broadcast on "Dateline," Sunday, March 26 at 7 p.m.. Ironically, despite claiming to speak about 'the truth' concerning Terri, NBC's Lauer catches Schiavo in a serious distortion of truth as the interview begins.
In the interview, Michael responds to Lauer asking why he would not just divorce Terri - since he was already living with another woman with whom he had fathered children - leaving Terri with her own parents who were begging to be allowed to care for her. Michael answered, "When you sit in a courtroom and you hear her father say I'll cut her arms and her legs off, just to keep her alive, why would I want to put their daughter back in their care if he's gonna (sic) do that to her."
At this point Lauer interjects to say, "Let's make sure we understand that statement," with Schiavo trying to cut him off all the while, he adds, "I think the statement was, if she were to develop gangrene, and had to have limbs amputated, he would do that and okay that as long as he could still have her alive. That's a little different than the way you . . ." At this point Schiavo, who had been interrupting Lauer the whole way through his clarification interrupts definitively cutting off Lauer and changing the subject.
The interview is one sided, in that it presents only Michael's point of view and ends with Michael relating through his tears his last moments with Terri, going so far as to say, "She's up there praising me right now... and saying thank you."
Lauer notes that the book is not about honouring Terri, but about settling some scores. To which Schiavo responds, "Oh yes it does."
At another point in the interview, Lauer asks, "People have often asked. Michael why didn't you divorce Terri, you were living with Jodi." Schiavo replies, "Why do I have to divorce Terri? Terri wasn't like a football- an inanimate object you pass back and forth. She was my wife. You mean because your wife gets sick, do you give her back?"
Asked about his decision to remove Terri's feeding tube despite the pleas of Americans, groups from around the world and even the Vatican, Schiavo said, "Yeah, well I guess when it all boiled down, I couldn't understand why these people were so passionate about my life... People are allowed to die every day. Feeding tubes are removed every day."
Schiavo will appear live on "Today," Monday, March 27, and with Jodi on Tuesday, March 28.
To see a preview video excerpt of the interview go here and click on the 'launch' button;
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11943750/
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: Terri Schiavo's Husband Re-Married in Catholic Church http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jan/06012306.html
Ten Year Old Arrested for Giving Food to Terri Schiavo Apologizes
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05083103.html
They can't figure it out, syriacus, or they wouldn't keep voting liberals into office in both parties. There's an old cartoon of an elderly woman on life support. Her son is fighting with her to remove the life-sustaining tubes. She arises just long enough to say: "I knew I should have aborted you TOO!"
I am so happy for you that you have made your wishes well known to your family. I don't know how old you are, but just know that you also have the right to change your mind at any time about that. Lots of people do when the chips are down. That we might be ignored because of something we said 20 years ago is horrific, but as Michael noted, humanitarian that he is, it happens every day.
About Terri - the bottom line is that a non-terminally ill severely disabled woman was killed by court order. Terri was not comatose and could feel pain (she got morphine suppositories while she was being dehydrated to death). Michael's conflict of interest as her guardian is obvious to all except the ill-informed and those who just don't give a damn about disabled and old people being euthanized.
Bottom line for Michael -- he has never been put under oath about what happened to Terri in the first place. He was repeatedly on Larry King show telling different stories every time he was on. He even declared that he had no idea what Terri would have wanted, but that "this is what we want." That is, he and his girlfriend wanted to be married by a priest in the Catholic church (ahh, the irony). Michael had to be a widower and not divorced for that to happen.
Were Terri's best interests served in any of this? All I can say is that Michael can't hurt her any more. For that I guess I am grateful.
WOW, what a letter. Michael is a murderer and honestly we can blame Greer, Felos, and all the snakeswho were involved in Terri's murder, but it all falls back onto Schiavo. He is the one who wanted this and got it, without him I doubt likely Terri would have been dehydrated to death.
FV, we've now known each other for some time now seeing we shared such an emotional time last year when Terri died. I will never forget and I'm glad I'm a part of this continued group of people here at FR who care about life so much and how precious it really is!
Your bias when discussing the two main characters in this situation is so subtle...
This is the last time that I state this. I do not care 'about' the character of Michael Schiavo nor do I care 'about' the position or situation of Terri Schiavo. I simply do not care. I don't want to hear about conspiracies, doctor's opinions, police reports, interviews, 'supposed' (and ridiculous I might add) 14th Amendment concerns, or anything else. Why is that so hard to understand? The issue of the morality of this case, at least according to the Constitution, should be discussed in one place alone, the legislatures of the separate and sovereign states
The only concern I have in this is the constitutionality of addressing a completely internal state affair within the federal realm. By the intent of the Framers and by everything I have read from them discussing the separation of the general government from the state governments, in no way should this have been addressed by the federal system nor should Congress have been involved. And considering how fast even the most ardent 'conservatives' in Congress dropped this issue, even those buffoons can see they overstepped their bounds.
With the first anniv. of this atrocity nearly upon us I suppose we can expect all kinds of lousy retrospectives from the "news" media. Once again they and the liberal intelligentsia will scream about Bush and the Christian right trying to impose their will on the nation. I see the cable guide already refers to the Dateline NBC show as an issue of Terri's "right to die." What a load of garbage.
Oh yes, that's so much better. A family that would cut off all your appendages just to keep you alive.
I'd rather be alive with no appendages than dead with them. Says in the Bible to poke out the evil eye, doesn't it?......
Matthew 5
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
No it says if your eye offends you, then you should poke it out, or if your hand offends, then you should cut it off.
Not your neighbor, not your parents, but you. It is absolutely ridiculous for one to state that you can prevent yourself from sinning by allowing another to cut off your body parts. Of course it's also ridiculous to state if you cannot speak, eat, drink, or even communicate on your own (please no recordings of one syllable moans), that it would still be a sin if you choose to be allowed to die.
We do not forget evil. One may get away with murder in the courts, but not in the judgment of history, and certainly not in the eyes of God. Michael Schiavo was so self-absorbed, he couldn't grasp the consequences of his crime. He will forever be a leper in decent society, throughout his life and for time out of mind after he's dead. His children will be cursed by his name.
I defer to authors getting ready to publish who have much more to bring to the discussion. I have so much respect for them that I wouldn't want to step on their toes by scooping them. It's not about you or me. It's about what happened to Terri and she was MURDERED.
He's in for one Almighty shock someday...
Of fer cryin out loud. Get off the soapbox already. The issue is moot. She is gone to that great gig in the sky (and a happier gig, imho). You lost. Sheesh its like listening to Kerry supporters all over again when they refused to acknowledge anything.
"does not believe in a "Creator."
That's what it boils down too for me. Would my Creator want me to help and protect a fellow human being...am I my brothers keeper. I believe that answer is yes.
If I didn't believe in a higher being, it would be easy to take a different position on human life.
Ms is on T.V. now..he just said he loves Jodi to death. He apparently told Terri that too!
Most folks water plants. Especially vegetables.
Exactly, T. And the ilk that think that it was OK to starve a human being to death just turn my stomach.
Every single person that thinks that Terri should have died, (been murdered,) makes my skin crawl.
Every single one gives me the heebie jeebies.
Disgusting death people.
{Spit.}
Pardon my animosity on this subject. Some things done in this world "just ain't right".
I second that emotion, philman.
Now it's, "I had seconds...seconds...to get in there and hold Teri before she died." He maybe said he told her loved her, too.
But he didn't mention the flower he allegedly put in her hand or anything else.
Anyway, I taped it and think I'll watch it again.
Thank you for this important news and thread, topher.
He promise that Terry family would never get control of her..
Than on the tomb stone he had it posted
"I kept my promise!"
there is no other reason for that statement, because after the trauma, she was never in a frame of mind to make an agreement with him!!
Well he tried to soften that line but I recall during her last days he was making threats with those words.
His eyes have a scary edge to them and that phone tearing for the camera at times was sicking...
I think the guy is a sociopath!
I am sorry to have be the one to tell you, but your side lost the war back in 1865. The federal government has been the final authority for the proctection of all civil rights since the ratification of the fourteenth amendement.
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