What was all that talk about her being ugly? Must have been a Janet Reno fan who said that.
Hey Phil! What's that under the blue blanket? I'm guessing it's Crist, Greer or King.
Posted on 07/31/2005 3:38:47 AM PDT by amdgmary
TALLAHASSEE - It was one of the shortest speeches of Charlie Crist's career, but as a campaign for governor unfolds, it may prove to be one of the most memorable.
Two weeks ago, the Republican attorney general and candidate for governor gave a late-night speech to a roomful of lawyers in Miami where he referred to the judges in the Terri Schiavo case as "heroes."
Crist insists he wasn't endorsing court rulings that prevented the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube from being reconnected, but critics view it differently. And by appearing to break his silence in the Schiavo case, Crist has sharpened the contrast between himself and Republican rival Tom Gallagher, who has said he favored government action to "prevent Terri's starvation."
At the dinner in Miami, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer and U.S. District Judge James Whittemore of Tampa were honored as jurists of the year by the Florida chapter of ABOTA, the American Board of Trial Advocates. The group champions judicial independence and its members are lawyers who represent both plaintiffs and defendants.
Greer is the judge who ordered Schiavo's feeding tube removed, rejecting a subpoena from Congress and pleas from Gov. Jeb Bush, and Whittemore also denied emergency requests to reinsert the tube in the weeks before Schiavo died March 31. Both men's decisions were later upheld by higher courts, and both were praised and vilified by opposing sides of the emotionally charged end-of-life case.
Crist said he was "proud" of both judges.
"You are heroes to all of us, and your defense of the judiciary and what is right is beyond admirable," Crist was quoted in the Daily Business Review, a Miami newspaper that provided the only news account of the July 15 event at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.
In an interview, Crist did not dispute the quotations. Nor did he offer a view of whether he agreed with their decisions. Rather, he said, he praised them for fulfilling their constitutional duty to provide checks and balances against the other two branches of government.
"I try to say nice things about judges. I'm sure I was complimentary," said Crist, who as the state's chief legal officer often speaks at bar-related events. "I didn't talk about any specific case. ... It's important that those checks and balances exist. Our system of government needs to have that."
Crist's comments have resonated far beyond the Biltmore.
"Judge Greer is a poster child for everything that's wrong with the judiciary," said Gary Cass, executive director of the Center for Reclaiming America, a grass roots Christian political group in Fort Lauderdale that lists "sanctity of life" as one of its priorities and plans to form a political action committee.
"For Charlie Crist to hold that up as an example of good judicial practice concerns me," Cass said. "I think it was a mistake for Charlie to say that. I don't know how anybody can be happy about a woman being deprived food and water."
Rep. Dennis Baxley, the Republican from Ocala who sponsored legislation last spring to force the tube to be reconnected, said Crist's speech was revealing.
"I think it is one of those very important moments for us to know where he (Crist) stands," Baxley said. "I truly believe there's a lot of people out there who were sensitive to this case who are going to find those comments, and that association, very instructive. I'm understanding where people line up on this."
Baxley said that while Crist was "conspicuously absent" from the Schiavo debate in the Legislature, Gallagher sent Baxley a personal letter of support last spring. While activists in the Schiavo debate take aim at Crist, his Republican rival Gallagher is not.
"Tom's made his position very clear in the past. There's really no comment we're going to make on that," said David Johnson, a Gallagher adviser.
Polls show a majority of Americans agreed with the judges' decisions to order the removal of Schiavo's tube, as her husband, Michael, said she wanted. By a greater margin, polls show people were opposed to Congress' intervention in the case.
But to those who view the long-running Schiavo saga as a test case of support for the sanctity of life - like abortion - Greer and Whittemore are "judicial activists" who starved a woman to death.
Many of those people can vote in the Republican primary for governor in September 2006. Crist's stand on the Schiavo case could prove to be an asset if he wins the GOP nomination and faces a Democrat. But one Republican strategist said the damage has been done.
"Schiavo killed the Republicans. They've lost the women's vote," said Matt Towery, an ex-Republican legislator who now runs an Atlanta media and polling firm. "It's one of those turning points that you just can't get away from."
Liked the cartoon on your website.
If you have any friends in Florida, tell them to vote against Charlie Crist.
Terri Schiavo, 41, died March 31 after her feeding tube was removed after a seven-year court battle.
Schiavo's attorney in this case, Mark Perenich, said he was not able to discuss the proposed lawsuit behind Tuesday's request for an extension of the two-year statute of limitations.
By law, medical malpractice lawsuits must be filed within two years of the alleged misconduct unless an extension is granted.
In October 2003, Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed on court order. Doctors reinserted it on orders from Gov. Jeb Bush.
David Sommer
Coming Soon!
READ
Over 400 pages
Trafford Publishing: Our Fight4Terri
http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/robots/05-1041.html
The first expose and sourcebook on the Terri Schindler-Schiavo case! Discover the true facts behind the most significant legal battle over constitutional rights of the disabled in history. Read the actual documents. Discover the dangers all Americans face with Terri's death!
Fight4Terri @aol.com
Theresa Marie Schindler
December 3, 1963 ~ March 31, 2005
Light a candle For Terri at her online Memorial Website
Memory-of.com - Memorial website in memory of Theresa Schindler (1963-2005)
http://theresa-schindler.memory-of.com/about.aspx
Visit: www.fight4terri.blogspot.com
Cheryl Ford, RN (Fight4Terri@aol.com) is not affiliated with any other group and works to protect the rights of the disabled community.
Gallagher is a much better man!
(and I've lived here --Florida--for 30 years)
That blanket isn't big enough to hide Jim King.
Even if you were Cheryl's PR person, what of it?
I guess there are a lot of PR people on FR, author's have a really large audience in this forum.
Maybe a new topic classification ought to be considered...
FRPR
A FReeper FRPR....has a nice ring to it...
Thanx
8mm
It does have a nice ring!
Perenich is a Greer campaign contributor...my first instinct was right when I read this article.
The Floridians for Patient Protection collected a total of 28,422,670.04
Greer, George W. (NOP)(CTJ) 03/30/2004 500.00 CHE PERENICH MARK H.
Floridians for Patient Protection (PAC) 06/30/2004 1,000.00 CHE PERENICH MARK H.
Floridians for Patient Protection (PAC) 04/10/2003 2,000.00 CHE PERENICH MARK H.
Vinson, Bill (NOP)(CTJ) 06/15/2004 500.00 CHE PERENICH MARK H.
She's dead jim.....
Yes, how special...
Bush might steer clear of King-Terry race
A little bitty blurb at the bottom of a page that may not be read much!!
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/081005/met_19463083.shtml
Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he probably won't pick sides in next year's state Senate primary between Jim King and Randall Terry.
Bush told reporters he hasn't decided whether he will support King or Terry, both Republicans. The governor has feuded with King in the past, while the Jacksonville legislator was Senate president. Terry and Bush were allies this year in the battle to keep Terri Schiavo alive, but Terry later turned critical of Bush.
Jeez, just when we think we've heard the last from that asshole.
Just once I'd like to see a court say "NO" to him...
If Jeb doesn't stay out of the race and supports King, Florida will be leader of a banana republic and he'll just receive more anti-Jeb phone calls and emails. Under the Constitution, Jeb was supposed to save Terri. He failed to follow his oath as Governor.
So, the media can't contrive a falling out between Randall Terry and Bush.
What this is about is the GOP abandoning Terri for GOP Judge Greer. They martyryed Terri. Hope they're happy.
www.electharris.org
They never know when to quit. I find from a friend from Italy that Schiavo means slave. To what??
8mm
And, remember DCF and ACHA said there was no wrongdoing by "anyone" and Jeb said Michael was cleared by SATTY Bernie McCabe.
If HINO sues, who will the Judge be? They are all corrupt and will hand him taxpayer dollars which ends up paying for malpractice awards because docs lose their practice and medical costs go up, etc.
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