http://oldright.com/cartoons/2005/03/schiavo_18.html
Posted on 05/02/2005 5:06:09 AM PDT by Quaker
NEW PORT RICHEY - Pinellas- Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer, who was thrust into the national spotlight and scrutinized by pro-life advocates during the Terri Schiavo case, was a consistent judge who followed the law, colleagues say.
His professionalism and integrity was punctuated by the way he handled the Schiavo case, said Alan Scott Miller, a New Port Richey lawyer and member of the West Pasco Bar Association.
As part of Law Week, which kicks off today, the association will award Greer, 63, its Special Justice Award.
``He's getting this award for all of his contributions on the bench, not just the Schiavo case,'' Miller said. ``It's like a lifetime achievement award for an actor.''
Greer will receive the award during a banquet Thursday at the Heritage Springs Golf and Country Club, 11345 Robert Trent Jones Parkway.
For years, Greer presided over the politically and emotionally charged Schiavo case, which ended when the 41- year-old woman died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed a third time on a court order.
Some doctors said Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state since suffering brain damage after her heart stopped in 1990.
Her husband, Michael, fought for years to have her feeding stopped, saying his wife didn't want to be kept alive by artificial means.
Her parents, hoping she would recover, fought him in court after court.
Eventually, Florida's governor and Legislature and then Congress took up the battle.
Supporters and detractors watched as Greer made rulings backing Terri Schiavo's purported wishes and received threats on his life.
``I don't think anyone could ever say his decisions were unlawful,'' said Joan Nelson Hook, president of the West Pasco Bar Association. ``They were very thoughtful. His decisions were meticulous.
``We admired his ability to sustain the pressure not to follow the law. ... I think that shows his character.''
Steve Doran, association president-elect, echoed Hook's thoughts on Greer's handling of the Schiavo case.
``His decisions in that unfortunate case withstood the test of every appellate court in the country,'' Doran said. ``Those who are criticizing him are not seeing the big picture.''
When the association voted this month on this year's recipient of the Special Justice Award, the result was almost unanimous for Greer.
``He's a man of integrity. He's followed the flow. He's done an excellent job on the bench,'' said Miller. ``That's why he's getting this award.''
In addition to Greer's award, the Law Week celebration offers events that allow the community to get a closer look at what the West Pasco Bar Association and the law profession are about, Hook said.
``It's an opportunity to interact with all levels of the community,'' she said.
``It's not just about battles; law is a way of life.''
Here are some events:
* Representatives of the association will be at Gulf View Square mall in Port Richey offering free legal advice from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
* All week, 22 lawyers will visit Pasco schools to discuss the law and this week's national theme, ``The American Jury: We the People in Action.''
* The 2nd District Court of Appeal will hold a special session at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the West Pasco Government Center, 7530 Little Road, in county commission chambers.
* Business suits, shoes and accessories will be collected at area law offices for Connections, a not-for-profit organization that helps people looking for jobs.
The following law offices are collecting men's and women's apparel:
The Law Offices of Attridge, Cohen & Lucas, 7136 Little Road, New Port Richey; The O'Conner Law Group, 9735 U.S. 19, Suite 2, Port Richey; Pejot Law, 11911 Pine Forest Drive, New Port Richey; and The Law Offices of Gay & Ehrhardt, 5318 Balsam St., New Port Richey.
Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083.
Not to mention a full employment plan for the legal profession.
Waiting for Godot?
When I read that, I thought it was either a typo or more likely, a Freudian slip.
How would you like to have this guy represent you? How'd you like to live there knowing guys like this get to be judges? How would you feel if every time you opened the phone book to call a lawyer you talked to someone with about the same emotional and professional development, if not the same ideologies?
An interesting analogy. In reference to my waste of time? However, it does seem appropriate to the endless round of posters and posts without a definite resolution. I do feel like the boy who never remembers the main characters. At my age that isn't surprising. And, as I recall, Becket wasn't particularly fond of any interpretation of the play. But then it's been a long time since I read it or saw a production. And I have to keep working on a report for work tomorrow, so this kind of philosophical discussion will have to wait for another time. Have a good evening.
It is unfortunate that lawyers so often confuse law and justice.
Your friend was lost to the light before the first letter, but you did the right thing to try to open his eyes.
Many Germans went to their end at Nuremberg proclaiming that the law and orders were on their side failing to see that morality was not.
http://oldright.com/cartoons/2005/03/schiavo_18.html
I have to tell you, the distinction between law and morals was articulated very well by another FReeper. I can't recall who or on what thread he said it. But it was an epiphany for me, even though it is obvious.
After reading dozens and dozens of EternalVigilance's postings, I can't for the life of me figure out how you and Central Scrutiniser can claim that ET is lying about anyone or making false accusations. Do y'all have guilty consciences that may be bringing on feelings of self-condemnation? If so, maybe you should see a priest and make a good confession...
NO the Judge didn't do his job. He failed to be an IMPARTIAL arbiter and he disregarded and thwarted the law, including the most revered legal document of all time, the United States Constitution.
You are just too blind to see it. Or maybe it's just your INTENSE dislike for the Religious Right.
boy, you accuse others of name-calling. "talk about the pot call the kettle 'black'". oops! that was name-calling, wasn't it? ;)
you really need to lighten up. But you should understand it's terribly hard for us who want to protect life to fathom that some want to argue in favor of the opposite.
Just noting the name-calling and pinging the one whom you accused of the same...
Men in authority have an even greater obligation to behave morally and responsibly. Thus, when their abuse of power results in the death of an innocent, they should recieve, no less than the death penalty. Unfortunately, in today's America, it will NEVER happen.
It is an OBSCENE NIGHTMARE that this Judge should be so honored and a further indication of what our Justice System has become.
There will be a day when GREER receives his just reward, and I look forward to THAT day.
It would be EXCELLENT if Florida Freepers got together to organize a FREEP of this event. I would suggest they FREEP any event that GREER attends. It is the VERY LEAST he deserves.
On all counts, just like the Liberals, they are guilty of that of which they accuse others.
I used to think that way regarding issues of this caliber. No more. NO WAY would any GOOD and DECENT person cognizant of the facts, be on the side of Michael Schiavo.
Only God knows how such people will ultimately be judged.
Saying people are pro MS or pro Felos, saying people are Nazis, saying people aren't conservatives and aren't pro-life when they have articulated otherwise is a lie.
Got that?
Do y'all have guilty consciences that may be bringing on feelings of self-condemnation?
No. And I'll point out that being accused falsely by others is by definition not "self" condemnation.
If so, maybe you should see a priest and make a good confession...
I suggest you take your own advice.
"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." ~Albert Camus
I have not seen but a couple of the Schiavo tapes. But the ones that I saw, were ones that the family claimed showed her responding. Frankly, she did not appear to be as responsive as even a two month old baby, much less a two to four year old.
But the real point of my essay, and the real point that you choose to ignore is that we have a system of local justice in America--one of the principles fought for in the Revolution--and you refuse to accept the result, simply because it doesn't fit your spectator notion of what the result should have been. If you do not see how quickly this type of reasoning leads to absolute anarchy, where no body respects anyone else's legal rights--one of the ideas you claim to agree is important, at least by implication--you are simply too focused on your own immediate perceptions.
Again, I am not going to try to repeat the whole article, endlessly. My essay touches upon many of the things that you express concern over, and tries to put them into a broader context, both legal, historic, cultural and ethical. It won't, I am sure, convince you, when you can redefine words the way that you did at the beginning of your post, but it is at Terry Schiavo.
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