No evidence of that, unless you have something new.
Posted on 04/20/2006 1:37:42 PM PDT by AZRepublican
CBS4/AP) WEST PALM BEACH Gov. Jeb Bush erred when he entered the bitter fight over whether to keep brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive because government should not be involved in end-of-life decisions, Attorney General Charlie Crist said Thursday.
"I am pro-life and I respect life," Crist, a Republican candidate for governor, said at a gathering of the nonpartisan Forum Club of the Palm Beaches.
"There are some decisions that ought to be left to God and family," Crist said. "Had I have been governor, I would have not done the same thing" as Bush.
Crist's Republican challenger, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, hedged a bit, noting the importance of having a living will, something Schiavo did not have.
"These kinds of end-of-life matters do not belong in government," Gallagher said. "But when these kinds of situations come in front of me, I would always err on the side of life. I think that's what you must do when you don't know anything else."
Schiavo was at the center of a 15-year legal fight between her husband, Michael Schiavo, and her family over whether she should be kept alive with a feeding tube after a brain injury.
Congress, President Bush and Gov. Bush pressed to keep Schiavo alive. Ultimately, the courts sided with Schiavo's husband. She died of dehydration on March 31, 2005, after having her feeding tube was removed.
The Republican gubernatorial candidates also addressed crime, the economy, prayer in public schools, the environment, and property taxes.
Crist, a former education commissioner now in his fourth year as attorney general, noted that violent crime in Florida is at a 34-year low.
Crist cited the importance of passing the "anti-murder" bill now working its way through the Legislature, a measure that would allow judges to put violent criminals back in jail if they violate probation. He has made the bill one of his top legislative priorities.
"When somebody is put on probation it is a privilege, it's not a right," Crist said. "This anti-murder bill will simply say ... that if they violate probation, they will go back to jail."
The bill is similar to legislation that failed last year when lawmakers questioned the high cost of keeping thousands of additional suspects in county jails pending trials.
Gallagher said he would make crime a top priority, specifically for child sex offenders.
"I will make sure we're the toughest state in the nation when it comes to punishing our sexual predators," Gallagher said. "The bottom line is if you touch kids, you'll pay."
Gallagher touted his fiscal superiority in managing state money, touching on the economy, taxes and the soaring cost of insurance.
"Florida's economy is an economic model. We lead in job creation. We're sitting with a 3 percent unemployment rate and our state is doing well because of that," he said, adding that the state needs property tax reforms to continue to prosper.
"I believe property tax should be limited to growth plus inflation," Gallagher said. "We are facing some major challenges and it's going to take somebody who understands those challenges to help carry us through."
Crist said the state needs "less taxing, less spending, less government and more freedom."
The candidates agreed when asked by high school senior Amie Bass, 17, what their thoughts were on prayer and Bible teachings in school.
"I don't have a problem with student-led prayer anywhere," Gallagher said. Crist noted that as a member of the state Senate, he voted for student prayer. Both agreed the Bible belongs in schools.
The candidates also agreed that protecting Florida's environment was important and that the nation needs to secure its borders and stop illegal immigration.
Finally, both agreed on the most important topic of the day when asked if forced to vote for a Democrat for governor, would it be for State Sen. Rod Smith of Gainesville or U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa.
"I wouldn't vote for either one of them because I think both of us are better," Crist said to applause. "And I guess I should add I'm going to vote for me."
"I agree with Charlie," Gallagher added. "Either one of us is better than both of them.
Yes, you do. Now tell us when and in what words Terri Schiavo so requested?
But speaking of psychological disorders, you need to look into the depths that anorexia can bring one to.
Anorexia seldom causes neck trauma.
Terri? I don't believe anyone ever claimed that she was anorexic. On the contrary, she was a good eater. The bulimia theory, invented by a Schiavo lawyer named Gary Fox, was popular for awhile. Dr. Thogmartin dismissed it politely but firmly. It never did make sense.
Nor a compression fracture of the spine at L1 or a bone bruise on the right femur. Both of those traumas are unusual and a reasonable theory of the case must explain them.
No evidence of that, unless you have something new.
Oh, sorry, bulimia - anorexia, both can be deadly. But my recollection is that it WAS anorexia. And I think her problems with overeating are a little better documented than you seem to indicate.-- For starters, I seem to recall a few Karen-Carpenter-type photos of Terri.
Name one.
Sorry, I live in Central Florida, I've followed this case for years. That's all I'm going by. I don't have the time or inclination to provide the documentation for you. But you are welcome to provide any documentation you have to rebut my understanding of the case.
Sorry, I just did.
If your point had been worth making, I'd have considered it.
>> There is a big difference between denying food and water to a dog and force-feeding a human against her will.
Whatever are you talking about, "force-feeding"? Terri received nourishment and liquids for fifteen years through an ordinary g-tube. The decision was made in 1990 by her doctors and by Michael Schiavo. At no point did Terri refuse it. On your own characterization of her condition, she was incapable of refusing it.
Very rare in both cases. Let's dust off Occam's razor and look for a simple, logical explanation. There is one: domestic violence. It's the commonest cause of injury and death to young females and many thousands of times more likely than death from dietary disorders.
If one regards Michael Schiavo as a liar, and I believe there is more than enough evidence to regard him as such, then there is zero credible evidence that Terri wished to be fatally dehydrated--a method of execution that makes burning at the stake seem downright pleasant by comparison.
Really? I'd be interested in seeing those.
Her problem was overeating, not undereating. But the worst of it was way back in her high school years, some eight years before her so-called collapse. She conquered her weight problem, partly by going on a Nutra-System diet. Her weight in 1990 was excellent and stable.
So, she COULD talk after all. That certainly destroys the notion that she was PVS.
Yes, the liberal let's murder the helpless contingent.
Enjoy your stay on this Earth. If someone wants to murder you I will think they shouldn't and support the law stopping it.
How about leaving them to spouses that want them out of the way and ignoring the family's wishes?
This is one of the most egregious abuses of judical power we have ever seen.
None of us are safe if we allow judges to assume this kind of power.
Offhand, I can't remember God ever removing a feeding tube in order to dehydrate the patient to death. Quite the contrary, God said that if you deny water and food to the least of his children, you are denying Him. If you want to see what comes next, check out Matthew 25:41.
Who is this bozo?
You should hear my pooch when it DOESN'T get fed fast enough. No Hollywood star could equal the dog's heart-rending performance when its food dish is neglected.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
