and SHERIFF EVERETT RICE, HOSPICE MARY LABYAK, THE APPEALS COURTS, THE SUPREME COURTS AND OTHERS helped.
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."
Was Michael Schiavo jealous of all the awards the corrupt men in black who killed his wife have been receiving since May of 2005? Terri died after being starved and dehydrated from March 17, 2005 through March 31, 2005.
Apparently, Terri's inhumane and unnecessary death wasn't as satisfying to him as he anticipated it would be. Gee, why not give him an award too, while all the comingled groups are at it? Michael Schiavo is Florida's Guardian of the Year.
It begs the question: Will Next Year's Guardian of the Year have to bump off two innocent Floridians to top Michael Schiavo's deadly achievement? It was a modern day lynching but Terri's executioners have no shame for what they've done.
As long as there are no real investigations in Floriduh, corrupt judges, public officials, illicit hospices, crooked lawyers, law enforcement and guardians like Michael Schiavo will be patting each other on the back for covering up and engaging in the onslaught of laundering wards' funds and then bumping them off.
from Conservative Spirit 8-8-05
When I see the word "forced", I think of Terri's forced exit. The judiciary thinks they are omnipotent and how long are Americans going to accept such crap?
and SHERIFF EVERETT RICE, HOSPICE MARY LABYAK, THE APPEALS COURTS, THE SUPREME COURTS AND OTHERS helped.
Martha got more jail time than some convicted domestic violence offenders, not to mention idiots who leave their offspring in hot cars to die. I wonder if Martha is still a liberal Democrat these days????
Ping to my #372 above on Project 21
8mm
From Felos's office. Careful, they have little teensy cameras and microphones.
http://www.lifenews.com/bio1108.html
The ant attack on my p.c. is pretty much over but I hope they haven't taken up residence in my monitor.
Terri will always be mentioned for many years in any debate over judges and politicians and in religious circles. Terri will never be forgotten and I intend to fight to get bad laws thrown out wherever they exist and the same goes for bad judges and rinos.
Go to the hardware store, and get those little bottle caps filled with ant poison. They work pretty good.
Judge Greed. LOL
Nobody thought the United States Govt. would abandon Terri. Nobody. I cannot forgive my govt for this barbaric murder and their inexcusable lapse in judgment. Money and power killed her. Follow the dirty money to aclu, dem and gop coffers.
You mean Attorney Feeble and Attorney Deathknell.
Halls, May God bless your grandfather and your family. He surely has enjoyed a full life if he was related to you. You have a good heart. If at any time you'd like a prayer thread for spiritual support, just ask.
Just waiting for the locusts - they show up by the end of August and buzz in the trees.
and the typo: Charlie Cursed.
floriduh voter said:
I was sitting in one of cbs's canvas chairs and was right there when Barbara Weller came out of Terri's room, well they were all kicked out by the police. Terri crying when she heard the news about the tube coming out is on this thread in one of bykrbayb's posts. If you want to hear a human being who is afraid of dying, listen to Terri's cries on March 18, 2005. Her dad tried to reassure her that she would have a milkshake again real soon.
Nobody thought the United States Govt. would abandon Terri. Nobody. I cannot forgive my govt for this barbaric murder and their inexcusable lapse in judgment. Money and power killed her. Follow the dirty money to aclu, dem and gop coffers.
I'm down to one bug on my p.c. monitor. I just hope they aren't living in my monitor.
http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGBGJPFI8CE.html
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/other_news/&articleid=247565
I heard on the news that even the sea turtles are crawling up on shore and dying...that must smell great
The sea turtles are huge aren't they?
The sea turtles are huge and they are crawling up on shore with big red sores on their shells. It's unprececented for the red tide right here to be lingering and taking out every living thing in the sea. Near where Terri's family lives.
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