Charlie Crist Let My Daughter Die

Human Events ^ | July 31, 2006 | Robert Schindler Sr.

[Quiet Man Jr.]

Charlie Crist Let My Daughter Die

by Robert Schindler, Sr. Posted Jul 31, 2006

As most Americans know, on March 31, 2005, my daughter, Terri Schindler Schiavo died of starvation and thirst after having her feeding tube removed by court order. The sad chain of events that concluded with Terri’s death ignited a media firestorm nationally and internationally. What few saw or heard was the callous inaction of aspiring governor Charlie Crist.

Florida Atty. Gen. Charlie Crist let my daughter die. He had it within his authority to save her life, but he turned a blind eye to her suffering. Even worse, he worked to ensure her death.

Terri lived in a neurologically compromised state for reasons that are still unknown, and my family wanted nothing more than permission to care for Terri for the span of her natural life. We were denied.

My daughter tenaciously fought for her life for more than 13 days after being deprived of the most basic, natural and constant need that we all share—the need for nourishment—food and water. Terri was not on a respirator, nor terminally ill. She was not dying, nor succumbing to a dreadful disease. She was disabled. She was dependent on others, but still very much a life, a woman, and a person.

Over the course of several years, our family, our lawyers, and our friends pleaded for help from local, county, and state police and regulatory agencies with constitutional and statutory authority to investigate the many sworn statements of extreme abuse and neglect suffered by our daughter.

Hoping to save my daughter’s life, our family sought the help of Attorney General Charlie Crist. Not only did Charlie Crist refuse our family lawful access to the assets of his office, but he violated his oath of office by actively cooperated with those in positions of political and judicial authority whom denied us legal access to the police and regulatory systems meant to protect the weak. Multiple sworn agents from responsible police and regulatory agencies who found probable cause to investigate allegations of abuse in Terri's judicial and physical care, were ordered to shut down those probes. This heavy-handedness made us powerless.

Information of direct interest to Attorney General Charlie Crist's office was directly delivered to his personal hands, and he refused to properly execute the duties of his office. And it was with deliberate decision that he failed to attend a scheduled Tallahassee meeting with our family. On another occasion, we approached each other by chance. Upon recognizing me, Charlie Crist abruptly stopped and walked away.

That callous action encapsulates Charlie Crist. He walked away from a man whose daughter’s fate he controlled. At that moment, he turned his back on Terri. And he turned his back on the most fundamental duties of his office.

It is quite clear that Charlie Crist, to this day, has demonstrated no public affection for the cause of life, or Christianity, or any set of core values. He has been posturing to become governor for decades. With each voting audience he has crafted a message based on the expediency of the moment.

To add insult to injury, at a recent banquet, our alleged pro-life candidate for the Governor of Florida said the following about Judge George Greer and other judges involved in the death of my daughter, "You are heroes to all of us, and your defense of the judiciary and what is right is beyond admirable."

Through his actions, Charlie Crist has demonstrated that he has no regard for our most vulnerable citizens, the high duties of public office, or life itself. Charlie Crist’s celebration of the merciless judges who condemned Terri to death speaks to his true character.

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Copyright © 2006 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.

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Haleigh Poutre Update!

(some cheerful info leaked out of the DSS seal...)

WESTFIELD - Child abuse victim Haleigh Poutre, once deemed to be "virtually brain dead" by medical experts, continues to improve and is even speaking a few words, her biological grandmother said this week.

Sandra Sudyka, of the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, angered over the state Department of Social Services apparent termination of her and her daughter's bimonthly visits to Haleigh at her Boston hospital, said she has decided to speak publicly of her granddaughter's condition.

Snip

"They don't want people to know how she is doing after they wanted to pull the plug," Sudyka said.

Haleigh spoke her first word to Sudyka and Avrett in June as one of their visits to Franciscan Hospital for Children drew to a close.

Relative says girl making progress

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(this includes Ohioan from Florida's ping list, update to July 23.)



Terri on the road to recovery before the second stage began.

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Terri's Legacy List

(Original Ohioan from Florida's ping list, update to July 23.)

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With Mikey as a friend, who needs... Go Mikey,go, you new face of the faceless libs.

Weston, FL (AHN) - A year after the Terry Schiavo court battle and media blitz, Michael Schiavo is in the midst of the political arena to make a stand against "interfering politicians." However only time will tell how much influence he has with voters.

Michael Schiavo Speaks Out Against Politicians In The Midst Of Elections

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World Net Daily book review out on David Gibbs book...

The first duty of government is the protection of life, not its destruction. The chief purpose of government is to protect life. Abandon that and you have abandoned all.-Thomas Jefferson

Fighting for Dear Life

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Randall Terry live...

Nor was there any mention of the Schiavo case, which put Terry back in the spotlight in 2005 as he unsuccessfully argued against disconnecting the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube.

Terry remains fervent on both issues. But he has found other, newer hot buttons to press as he tries to unseat Republican state Sen. Jim King of Jacksonville in Tuesday's primary.

"The one (issue) that we mention the most... is the vote on illegal immigrants getting college tuition with our tax money," Terry told local radio host Kris Phillips during a recent half-hour interview in which abortion and Schiavo were barely discussed.

Election 2006: Culture warrior takes fight to 'Big Tent' foe

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Nebraska measure failed...

Don’t look for an ad campaign this fall that reminds of Terri Schiavo. Secretary of State John Gale announced Friday that a proposed constitutional amendment dealing with end-of-life issues did not get enough petition signatures, so it will not be on the November ballot.

The so-called humane care measure would have made it illegal for hospitals and other institutions to withhold food or water from an individual unless the person made his or her intentions known, in advance, through legal documentation. The measure was inspired by the Terri Schiavo case from last year.

'End-of-life' petition fails

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David Gibbs again...

(AgapePress) - A Christian attorney says, contrary to the claims of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a North Carolina school board's policy banning sex-based student clubs is clearly constitutional and within the boundaries of the law.

The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education enacted the ban in response to the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club at South Rowan High School. The new policy is based on the school district's existing abstinence-only sex education policy.

David Gibbs III, the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo's parents in their very public fight for the disabled woman's life, has been advising the Rowan-Salisbury School Board and defending their decision to enact the ban on sex-based school clubs.

Attorney NC School District Did Well to Ban SexBased Student Clubs

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[T'wit]

Yesterday, we came across nuns doing bluegrass. That still makes me smile. It brought to mind Tere Rios's character, the flying nun. Marie Teresa Rios Versace (Tere Rios) -- Another Teresa! -- was a devout Catholic and an extraordinary woman (see her bios below). She was married to a West Pointer and her son, also a West Pointer, was executed by the Viet Cong -- the first American to win the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam. Under her maiden nickname, Tere Rios, she wrote three books -- Brother Angel, An Angel Grows Up, and The Fifteenth Pelican (which has the flying nun character). The first two are hard to come by but worth the effort. They all seem to be about little angels and very human angels they are indeed :-)

Marie Teresa Rios Versace (Tere Rios)

Marie Teresa Rios Versace (Tere Rios)

Remembering Rocky Versace -- the first American medal of honor winner in Vietnam

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Jay Sekulow on the UN and Terri, from Townhall...

Further, the language of Qatar proposed early in the Committee plenary, which supported the right of the disabled to receive full and adequate care, including food and hydration [an obvious response to the Terri Schiavo events which transpired in the United States last year] was all but completely reworded during the negotiations due to EU disapproval, and as such lost most of its meaning.

"U.N. "Stands for "UnNecessary"

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One nun in our lives has marked us forever. Before she took her permanent vows, my wife and I would gaze at her in amazement, someone so beautiful in her purity it was like out of a master's painting. But if one would look at her as a mere human, her features were humble indeed. We think of her as a saint in waiting.

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I am reposting the now infamous Dr. Linda letter first released yesterday in World Net Daily and now getting traction as this female Mengele has shown another face of the libs. Today it is posted in ProLifeBlogs. This tar baby glues herself to Crist.

Editor's note: This Letter of the Week is in response to a letter to the editor that appeared Aug. 29. It is reprinted here for the reader's convenience:

Just thought you'd like to know that most, if not all, medical personnel here in Miami are endorsing and voting for Charlie Crist for governor. I'm a physician in Miami and my colleagues, both doctors and nurses, have been strong advocates against any public official who had the audacity to interfere in what should have been a family medical decision. Yes, that's right. Our hospital had a poll two weeks ago which showed that 96 percent of us are voting for Crist, and we hold politicians accountable.

Terri Schiavo had the cognition of a bag of lettuce. We've had many cases like hers since, but we're smarter now. We'll never let the religious fright know. The psychochristians, like you, have no place in the medical field. Neither do ignoramuses like the Schindlers. If you're interested, we're having a huge celebration after Charlie wins next week. Gallagher doesn't have a chance in hell of winning. Sorry!

Dr. Linda

Commentary from Jerri Ward follows.

Battle the Medical Elite

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Ping to davidosborne thread on a new endorsement for Tom Gallagher...

Senator Dan Webster Endorses Tom Gallagher

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DIY suicide thread by wagglebee...

Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- An Australia lawmaker made good on her promise to deliver a speech with explicit instruction on how disabled or elderly patients can kill themselves. The speech was designed to get around an Australian law that prohibits disseminating assisted suicide or euthanasia instructions over the Internet or phone.

Because South Australian Democrat Sandra Kanck is protected by legislative privileges, her speech can be posted online, including on the legislature's web site.

Australia Lawmaker Gives Speech With Explicit Assisted Suicide Instructions

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I finished David Gibbs's book and can cheerfully recommend it. Fighting for Dear Life: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo and What It Means for All of Us, by David Gibbs, Bob Demoss, and Robert G. DeMoss. (Amazon offers it for $13.59.) Well written, in plain English words. (That's good. It's hard to twist plain words, so right away one is confident of Gibbs's and DeMoss's honesty. You can't say as much for authors on the other side who call murder "positive assisted euthanasia.")

The book is in two parts -- the first follows Terri's case from when Gibbs's law firm took it for the last two years or so. It is most compelling for his eyewitness accounts of how alive and "in there" Terri really was, despite all the lies about her. Brain damaged, of course, but not PVS. (He does not address how she was injured, except to say he heard every imaginable theory.) Gibbs saw her beauty and conveys it to the reader.

The second half is about meanings, much of it at some removes from Terri's story: about others who have recovered from brain injuries, about Christian witness, about possible legal reforms. Good, but less pertinent to our discussions. Nice photo section.

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On the same topic of DIY in Australia, thanks Coleus...

SOUTH Australia's Parliament has voted to block the internet version of a speech from Australian Democrats MP Sandra Kanck which detailed ways to commit suicide.

The Government last night presented a motion to Parliament's upper house which called for Ms Kanck's comments not to be displayed on Parliament's website.

Net version of suicide speech blocked

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Good for Grandma! I don't know what's with the DSS, denying visiting privileges to Haleigh's mother and grandmother. Nothing can help the girl as much as family and love. Trust the [expletive deleted] bureaucrats to cite some obscure rule and screw everything up.

Meanwhile... children survive brain injuries markedly better than adults. Go, Haleigh! May God bring you back to us.

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>> Michael tells the Sun-Sentinel that interference was one of "personal gain for their own political agenda."

As you so often observe: projection. They blame what they themselves are doing on the other side.

The Schindlers' efforts to save their daughter's life could not have been further removed from either gain or politics. They offered Michael Schiavo everything -- no divorce, he gets the estate, everything -- if he would just let Terri live and let them take care of her. Michael was so lost in hatred and so bent on murder that he turned them down.

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Uh huh, the petition fell about 4,000 signatures short. And how many signatures did the politicians invalidate to get that result?

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Haleigh Poutre spoke.

Sudyka said that during that visit she told Haleigh, "Before I know it, I am going to walk in here and you are going to say 'hello.'"

Haleigh responded to Sudyka by saying 'ello,'" Sudyka said, adding that hello was Haleigh's first word when she was 10 months old.

Relative says girl making progress

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Just enough.