Judicial comment sets Crist apart

St. Petersburg Times ^ | July 31, 2005 | STEVE BOUSQUET

[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."

[T'wit]

>> He, she, it.

She it, 8mm, it was a he. Females of all species are far more clever than that.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Earthdweller]

Thanks for the ping.

This is one sick world we live in where people can off their brain damaged loved ones with blessings and those that assist them are given "awards".

[T'wit]

>> where people can off their brain damaged loved ones with blessings and those that assist them are given "awards".

The euthaNazi version of No-Fault Divorce.

We should give our own Annual Award. We could call it the Kill, Kill, Kill (KKK) Award. Annual winners to be determined by the highest scores on the Mengele Scale. This year Dr. Ronald Cranford and Dr. Theodore Bundy are running neck and neck. But it's only August. The Felos-Bushnell dysgenic duo might catch up.

Above: Famous bioethicist and compassionist Theodore Robert Bundy KEPT HIS PROMISE and admitted helping 30 women who "didn't want to live this way," he said. Observers believe his real score was over 100, whom he usually assisted with a blunt instrument, but sometimes by strangulation. Dr. Bundy himself DID "want to live that way," but ironically, he had a jolting experience with 2,000 volts donated by the state of Florida that cut his promising career short at age 42.

[tbritton]

According to Bill O'Reilly:

"If you still think Terri Schiavo was aware of her surroundings... this extreme is for you."

That one--from that source--surprised me.

[T'wit]

Elaborate a bit, please?

[tbritton]

Elaborate a bit, please?

Sure. On August 25, Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points segment on his O'Reilly Factor program was about extremism. In a sort of takeoff on Foxworthy's "you may be a redneck if..." routine, O'Reilly listed a number of examples of what he defined as "extremist" positions. You can find the transcript of that segment here, and here is a pertinent excerpt:

"So are you an extremist? "Talking Points" has devised a short list of indicators:

• If you think Michael Moore reports accurately, you're an extremist.

• If you think the documentary "Outfoxed" tells the truth about this network, you're in the extreme zone.

• If you agree with Reverends Falwell and Robertson that gays and abortionists caused God to allow 9/11, you're an extremist.

• If you still think Terri Schiavo is aware of her surroundings, this extreme is for you.

• If you believe an open border is good for the USA, you have entered extreme territory.

• If you feel foreign terrorists have constitutional rights, and convicted child sex offenders should not serve long prison terms, say hello to the extremist label.

• If you agree that Allah is OK with slaughtering civilians, you're extreme.

• If you admire the philosophy of the Third Reich, you're there.

• And if you agree with everything President Bush has done, you're an extremist.

• And if you think everything he's done has been wrong, put a big 'E' on your forehead as well.

• And finally, if you applaud when Barbra Streisand (search) talks geopolitics or when a right wing talk show host urges a nuclear strike on Iran, welcome to the wonderful world of extremism."

I was surprised to see O'Reilly articulate that position with regard to Terri Schiavo. O'Reilly made the same entry into his daily blog (about extremism), in his 8/24/05 entry, except on the blog, he said "If you still think Terri Schiavo WAS aware of her surroundings, this extreme is for you." You can find his blog at www.billoreilly.com/blog.

[T'wit]

Thank you, that answered my question about this. O'Reilly just called President Bush, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, the Congress, every disability rights group in the country and, of course, us, "extremists." Nothing to get worked up about. He doesn't know what he's talking about, which is not unusual for him.

[8mmMauser]

Coleus found this old thread.

About the Butcher family

8mm

(this includes Ohioan from Florida's ping list, v.7-10-05 with personal updates 8/22.)

[8mmMauser]

"He,she,it"

androgynous? They seem to be.

[8mmMauser]

Fresh from the St. Petersburg Times on the Governor's Race,

Gallagher has transformed himself into an ultra-conservative, opposing the constitutional right to an abortion and supporting amending the state Constitution to ban gay marriage. A prominent leader of his campaign's "Family Policy Team" is Rep. Dennis Baxley of Ocala, an extremist who helped lead the failed effort to prevent Terri Schiavo's feeding tube from being removed.

Story here

[T'wit]

>> Androgynous? They seem to be.

It has long seemed to me that liberalism is the thinking of bad little girls.

Male specimens usually become sissies. Conservatives believe in something, so they will draw a line in the sand and defend it. But what liberal will roll up his sleeves and fight for being a squish?

In the end it gets pretty hard to tell girl little bad girls from boy little bad girls.

[T'wit]

Politics in Florida. If you believe that Terri Schiavo or unborn babies have a right to life, you are an "extremist." If you believe that Terri was a useless, disposable houseplant and that killing babies is guaranteed by the Constitution, you are not an extremist.

Quite a few years ago, God addressed these two points of view. He called the first group sheep and the second group goats. (Mat 25:31-46 kjv)

[Goodgirlinred]

Why don't you just move out of Florida? All of this has made me realize that I don't ever want to live there. I am not old and infirm yet, but I would hate to be there when that happens. I wouldn't last long with those kind of people running things.

[Goodgirlinred]

LOL! Good for her. That is all Florida needs is a gay governor. Next thing you know, you will have same sex marriages down there.

[floriduh voter]

Why don't I just lv Florida, family's here, I love the weather and didn't find out until 2003 how stinky the politics were in Florida. Now I know and I'm really paying attention now.

Local Color Hurricane Report: The outermost band of Katrina blew by Tampa bay yesterday afternoon. It rained for awhile and my elm tree needs re-staking because it's tipping over again. I tried to freep yesterday but the power went off.

A cat 5 headed towards Louisiana, I wish them the best. They have a law protecting disabled citizens from being starved to death. Louisiana obviously hasn't been infiltrated by Florida's death mongers (guess they haven't left Tallahassee yet).

FV Update on recent accident. I'm on pain meds and ice packs. Freepers practicing medicine without a license needed a little scrap today.

[floriduh voter]

bumping to 595. "This Time it is called Murder"

By the way, a few days ago, I posted that the local GOP were going to put me on their email list. Guess they changed their mind after I told them that someone was going to be arrested, not just on judgment day. The GOP here is afraid to acknowledge that murder is illegal and against God. Guess they want to stay in the dark over there across from Bernie McCabe's jail complex.

PINELLAS GOP HQ 727-539-6009. They ENDORSED JUDGE GREER in 2004, did a deceptive MAILER sent only to senior citizens. Shame on them.

[exDemMom]

Quite a few years ago, God addressed these two points of view. He called the first group sheep and the second group goats. (Mat 25:31-46 kjv)

Sheep, goats, I always forget which group is which. However, those verses in Matthew are completely relevant to the situation with Terri and other helpless people.

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Matt. 25:34-45

[floriduh voter]

NOW THAT HE MADE SURE THAT TERRI WAS MURDERED BY REFUSING FOR HER FEEDING TUBE AND REFUSING WATER FOR HER, Judge Jamse Whittemore shows up in a paper (not local) making sure that he follows the ADA.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/12481619.htm

[BykrBayb]

Neither side could say when Whittemore might render his decision.

Will anyone be surprised if Wittemore decides the boy must be starved and dehydrated to death?