President's Statement on Terri Schiavo

The White House ^ | 3-17-2005 | George W. Bush

[BobS]

The case of Terri Schiavo raises complex issues. Yet in instances like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern. It should be our goal as a nation to build a culture of life, where all Americans are valued, welcomed, and protected - and that culture of life must extend to individuals with disabilities.

[BobS]

I am on the side of life with you. Myself and two of my AF friends avoided getting blown up by a bomb at the Rib House in Alcala, Spain by 10 minutes in the late '80s. We drove down the M2 to Madrid when we heard it and got to a turnoff to get us back there. In civilian clothes, we tied off limbs, comforted those dying, tried to stop bleeding where possible. I saved 2 little kids and moved to the next victim. 15 dead, 28 disabled. Covered in blood, we directed the ambulances to the people most likely to live. Some people lived for a short time and wanted someone to say goodbye to. We understood each other's language. Those bastards were not ETA. ETA always phones in where a bomb is 15 minutes before it explodes.

Nobody around here can imagine a damaged person grasping for life like all those people that it was impossible for more than a few minutes with large parts of their bodies blown off. This restaurant was built of stone. The OSI interview told us the bomb was placed in a men's restroom near the waiting bar where folks wait for tables.

Which brings me 8000 miles around to find out what Michael Schiavo knows what the AFOSI and the Guardio Nacional can squeeze out of him.

[Admin Moderator]

Knock it off.

[Trust but Verify]

A prime example of what a farce this has turned into is when conservatives have no problem with a stunt like that subpoena. I know the President has more sense than to get involved in nonsense like that.

It is all good intentioned, but you know what they say.

[Lurking2Long]

Well, then why don't you find somebody else to stalk?

If you are going to parade yourself as FR's premier RINO, you should expect to have other people take issue with you...

[Cultural Jihad]

No, I did not support the way the took that child from his Miami family.

Yet in that case, as in this one, you seem to support the supposed right of a deadbeat male family member to make decisions to the detriment of someone in their family, as if family rights were an absolute good rather than a relative good.

[Tuefel Hunden]

Yes.

[Lexinom]

I'm questioning the veracity of the morphine claim. The poster from whom I've read it has been banned or suspended.

Moderator, would you remove my #295? I have not been able to substantiate the claim that Terri is being given massive amounts of morphine, and don't want to be complicit in spreading rumors without some modicum of supporting evidence, like this video provides.

[TigersEye]

No, what do they say? "Live and let die?"

[Trust but Verify]

I guess they say that, too.

[BigSkyFreeper]

I wondered the veracity of the morphine claim myself the very instant it came up. Someone wandered into a Shiavo thread earlier today making an unsubstantiated claim, then proceeded to post a thread about it, and it was pulled, for good reason.

[texasbluebell]

I could be wrong, but I don't believe that the POTUS is authorized to call out the National Guard in this situation. I'd like for him to stay within his powers. Am I wrong?

Santorum said tonight on Hannity that the President can send in federal marshalls.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

ok, thanks.

I still don't understand the consistency part you were stressing so much at the beginning of this thread. I was trying to figure out if it was 'application of the law' or 'support of life/liberty', but I think it was simply 'not having federal agents intervene'.
I completely agree that we need to have principles. And stick to them. I suspect we would disagree as to which principle here is the most important. But I know better than to argue this one. Sometimes...

[texasbluebell]

Sorry, that was Rep. David Weldon who said the President could send in federal marshalls, not Santorum.

Information overload tonight.

[BobS]

"bump! bump! bump! "

Thanx. I don't post a lot. Just the important things. Carry on!!

[Trust but Verify]

What did he say was the basis for such a move?

[the invisib1e hand]

that man with the machine gun? I'll bet he still can't sleep at night, or look people in the eye. I wonder if he abuses his wife.

[attiladhun2]

Dear Mamzelle:
The killing of the unborn has fundamentally twisted a great portion of the American public. What would have outraged people years ago now produces only an indifferent shrug. It all goes back to the slippery slope introduced by Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton. The evangelists of death were not satisfied with seeing just the innocent unborn sacrificed on their altar of evil, now they tell us the mentally ill, the blind, the crippled, the not-so-bright, etc. should all be eliminated, because their "quality of life" fails to meet some minimum standard. It seems to me some one tried to take human race tried to be taken down this path once before.
The evangelists of death (Jack Kevorkian, Planned Parenthood, the Hemlock Society, et al) have flourished because of the indifferent shrug. I hope Terri's plight is the wake up call for decent people to rescue this nation from the purveyors of death.

[Xenalyte]

Oh, man, you are gonna be SO flamed for calling the concubine's illegitimate children bastards. (I'm still smoking from the last round.)

[andysandmikesmom]

God Bless you for helping all of those people...and giving them comfort for whatever length of time your could...

In all my years of working in nursing homes, I have had to watch many of my beloved charges die..in most cases it was expected, these for the most part, were extremely old residents...most of them seemed to sense when their end was near , many of them no longer had any family who came, so it was often up to us, the nursing home caregivers, to comfort them, to read to them, to hold them, when their turn came to die...it was always difficult, yet it was also an honor to be with them, as they died...

However, luckily for me, I have never had to witness a resident being starved or dehydrated to death...I dont think I would be able to handle that...my residents who died, just died from natural causes...a natural progression from old age...

[Xenalyte]

If I was in a vegetative state I would like the plug to be pulled and my body donated to research.

Okay, now you've gone on record in writing.

That's the difference between you and Terri.

What about that is so damn hard to understand?