Terri Schiavo has passed away

CNN ^ | 3/31 1005 | CNN

[Eurotwit]

Breaking now on CNN

[Theodore R.]

Lawton Chiles was from Lakeland. His son is expected to be the Democrat nominee for governor in 2006, and Attorney General Charles Crist is expected to seek the Republican nod: he is part of the Greer organization and from the St. Petersburg area, if not the city itself. I think Chiles will take that governorship back with ease because of this disastrous Republican split over Terri. It may be that Jeb's lieutenant governor, a woman, can get the GOP nod from Crist, but I don't think she can win against someone named Chiles.

[mjtobias]

Thanks for that photo and the link.

You did the right thing not to post it here and to post only the link.

[ex 98C MI Dude]

The order directly prohibited any attempt at hydrating her naturally. By mouth. Not a feeding tube, hence my use of the word naturally. This contradicts established law, both federal and state.

Greer could indeed order all 'treatment' stopped, including feeding tube hydration. But it could not include prohibiting ice chips, et al, which it did.

[Txsleuth]

I heard Dr. Baden on Fox one night say that the autopsy would even show if she really did have a heart attack-or if the lack of oxygen (which caused the brain damage) was caused by something else--like smothering or strangulation!

He said that the autopsy would answer any of the questions the family has had---I hope so, and if it shows something other than a heart attack, I hope MS is prosecuted!

BTW--you have freepmail!

[Dan from Michigan]

This isn't a Republican/Democrat partisan issue. Some in both parties 'broke ranks' on this. Some RINOs even broke ranks and sided with life here. Joe Schwarz who I rarely see eye to eye with pushed very hard.

This is a case of local style "good old boys politics" and connections that you get in certain areas. Mikey's tied to the former sheriff(hired by him) who is now a rep. Felos is on the hospice board and is a donor and buddy of Greer's. The former sheriff is tied to Greer.

should be impeached or voted out, just like any incumbent politician that supports this kind of judicial tyranny.

That I agree with, but this isn't a partisan issue. There's plenty of blame to go around for people of all political parties.

[Askel5]

In short, the tainted Catholic cannot comprehend that direct opposition, per diametrum, of which St. Ignatius speaks in his Spiritual Exercises. He does not know how to give a direct blow. He knows no other tactics than to attack on the flank, tactics which, in religion, may perhaps be convenient, but are never decisive. He wants to conquer, but on the condition of not wounding the enemy, of never disturbing his ease or rest. The mere mention of war painfully agitates his nerves and rouses all his pacific dispositions.

With the enemy in full assault, with the implacable hatred and cunning of falsehood almost sweeping over him, he would withstand the hostile charge and stem the overwhelming tide with the paper barriers of an illusive peace.

In a word, we may recognize the extreme and moderate Liberal by his bitter fruits; the tainted Catholic may be recognized by his distorted affection for Liberalism and its works.

The extreme Liberal roars his Liberalism; the moderate Liberal mouths it; the tainted Catholic whispers and sighs it. All are bad enough and serve the devil well.

Nevertheless, the extreme Liberal overreaches himself by his violence; the fecundity of the tainted Catholic is partially sterilized by his hybrid nature; but the moderate is the real Satanic type; his is the masked evil, which in our times is the chief cause of the ravages of Liberalism.

Fr. Felix Sarda Y Salvany (1886) excerpted excerpt

[supercat]

Nutrition and hydration via a feeding tube is, under Florida law. Perhaps that law should be changed, but that's the law the courts had to work with here.

Greer didn't just forbid artificial nutrtition and hydration, but natural nutrition and hydration as well. There is no legitimate rational basis for doing so. Even if oral feeding would have imposed a significant risk of aspiration and had only a small likelihood of success, that is no basis for forbidding it altogether. Note, btw, that a patient will "fail" a swallowing test if doctors feel there's any significant risk of aspiration, even if there is in fact a high likelihood of success.

[TChris]

An appropriate verse, I think:

The Very Last Time
by Ian Bairnson (Alan Parsons Project)

I need to remember the day
when we said goodbye for the very last time.
There was still so much to say,
but time came between us,
and quietly stole you away

Let me remember the day.
We walk to the garden and sit for a while.
The hours are slipping away.
Still I try to hold them and freeze them in time.

So leave me believing we'll meet here again.
Promise me some kind of sign.

And as each day turns into night,
I blow out the candle and turn down the sheet.
And now that you've risen so high,
I know that you'll watch over me as I sleep,

always believing we'll meet up again,
waiting for some kind of sign.

So now I remember the day
when we said goodbye for the very last time.
No one can take you away,
'cause here in my memory,
there's never a very last time.

[Hila]

Watchful and involved, we must be! Establish Terri's Law so that this does not repeat. Le's work to have corrupt, hearless, senseless judges disbarred, fired, thrown out of their positions. The Scriptures teach that a judge should be a terror to the works of darkness. Not that the judge should be a terror, or combat good! May apathy fall in the evil judges and their companions, and diligence on the rest to fight this evil.

[Theodore R.]

Anyway, I should not be discussing FL gubernatorial politics on this sad day. Now if Terri had been rescued, the whole political atmosphere would be 180 degrees different, I think, though the popular polls said not so.

[Fantasywriter]

I just can't get over those posters last night who kept saying Terri's parents' place was by her side, holding her hand. Have any of them weighed in today on the barbaric behavior of her so-called husband who prevented them from doing just that at the moment when Terri needed them most?

[nicmarlo]

water is not medical treatment.

[Theodore R.]

A Terri's Law cannot be passed with the current complexion of the heavily Republican FL State Senate.

[k2blader]

Who refused what medical treatment?

[supercat]

Greer could indeed order all 'treatment' stopped, including feeding tube hydration. But it could not include prohibiting ice chips, et al, which it did.

Actually, Greer could have gone so far as to allow Michael the authority to forbid oral food and hydration to the extent that his judgement indicated it would not be beneficial to Terri. But his order, as written, would mean that even if Terri had started unambiguously vocally requesting water it would have been denied.

[nicmarlo]

YOUR BODY'S MANY CRIES FOR WATER

Julian Whitaker, M.D. reports in his Oct. 1994 Health & Healing newsletter on Dr. F. Batmanghelidj's book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water". Dr. Batmanghelidj argues that "water activates your body's systems, and the lack of it causes a variety of "thirst" responses that we call disease.

For instance, histamine, which causes the bronchioles in your lungs to constrict, is the primary trigger for asthma. However, histamine release is also the body's primary mechanism of stopping water loss from your lungs.

Dr. B argues that most of us are chronically dehydrated, and we have to discipline ourselves to drink water to avoid this. If you drink only when you are thirsty, it's too late - you are already dehydrated. In addition, as you get older, your sense of thirst doesn't work properly.

Water is a basic REQUIREMENT for all human beings. Withholding water creates a NEED for MEDICAL TREATMENT.

[technomage]

This isn't a Republican/Democrat partisan issue.

True, but I am not going to waste my time or effort on libs. I am targeting supposed conservative politicians.

We already know that the vast majority of DeathoCrats approved of this, including one I now no longer call friend. True conservatives are pretty much the only hope left.

[combat_boots]

Please see

http://www.thedavidallenshow.com/topics/terrishiavo/20050228.somethingsfishy/20050228.lawschange

I think there was even a court order about feeding her by tube, although I am not certain, but this change to the law in 1999 is crucial. The noise to change it started in 1997. It does include "hydration." As a matter of fact, using dehydration, lack of food and administration of morphine to hasten death is what is now used. See http://home.earthlink.net/~joyinlife/.

There's bunches of these links all over kingdom come now, so you can search for yourself. Even some bioethicists think/thought Terri and her ilk are/were non-person(s).

I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I will point you to http://www.lifenews.com/bio186.html

'Happy' searching.

[nicmarlo]

Who is J.D. Alexander? Is he some kind of FL version of Chris Shays?

In a word, yes.

[floriduh voter]

Doing all possible to get Greer impeached. His actions are beyond repugnant to the public at large and against the US Constitution.

He's already retained high profile attorney Barry Cohen, Tampa, FL. If he was innocent, why lawyer up with the biggest attorney in Florida? He's blind and guilty.