Posted on 08/28/2003 5:20:42 AM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl
Freepers, we may be able to help Terri:
I made some phone calls today and have the ULTIMATE PHONE CALL for registering a Complaint against Judge Greer. I can't reveal my sources but this is the phone number for a few pay grades above J. Greer.
Call the: Judicial Qualifications Commission at
#1-850-488-1581. I am complaining to them tomorrow that J. Greer isn't God, that he's been in the husband's corner since Day One, he doesn't care a wit about Terri's parents or her husband's attempt at medical neglect, and I'd like to know if Greer can be recalled or impeached.
HE SHOULD HAVE OR COULD HAVE HONORED GOV. BUSH'S REQUEST TO ASSIGN A GUARDIAN AD LITEM to represent Terri's interest instead of once again, taking the side of the husband. Judge Greer is from the Sixth Circuit Court, Pinellas County.
Oh, and ping everybody you can think of.
72 posted on 08/27/2003 5:06 PM EDT by floriduh voter
From summer:
"..do a separate thread asking people to call this phone number FV provided. This could get a guardian appointed if the judge is tossed off the case for BIAS."
Background:
In a letter, Bush asked Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George W. Greer yesterday to keep her alive until a court-appointed guardian can "independently investigate the circumstances of this case and provide the court with an unbiased view that considers the best interests of Mrs. Schiavo."
8 From JEB to FR: Full text of Gov Bush's letter to Judge Greer re: Terri Schiavo. Email from Gov Bush to summer, for FR | 8/27
----- Original Message -----
From: [Governor Bush's office]
To: [summer's email]
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 8:06 AM
Subject: Letter regarding Terri Schiavo
> August 26, 2003
> The Honorable George W. Greer
> Judge, Sixth Judicial Circuit
> 315 Court Street, Room 484
> Clearwater, Florida 33756
Dear Judge Greer:
> I appreciate the challenging legal and ethical issues before you in the case > of Terri Schiavo. As I have expressed over the course of the past several > weeks, our system of government has committed these decisions to the > judicial branch, and we must respect that process. Consistent with this > principle, I normally would not address a letter to a judge in a pending > legal proceeding. However, my office has received over 27,000 emails > reflecting understandable concern for the well being of Terri Schiavo. > Given that there is no procedural avenue available for these views to be > expressed to you in the normal course of the proceedings, I feel compelled > to write in the hopes that you will give serious consideration to > re-appointment of a guardian ad litem for Mrs. Schiavo before permitting the > removal of her feeding tube or other actions calculated to end her life.
> This case represents the disturbing result of a severe family disagreement > in extremely trying circumstances. Emotions are high, accusations abound, > and at the heart of this public and private maelstrom is a young woman > incapable of speaking for herself.
> I am disturbed by new rumors about the guardian's actions related to the > current care of Mrs. Schiavo. It has come to my attention that Mrs. Schiavo > has contracted a life threatening illness, and that she may be denied > appropriate treatment. If true, this indicates a decision by her caregivers > to initiate an "exit protocol" that may include withholding treatment from > Mrs. Schiavo until her death, which would render this Court's ultimate > decision moot. While the issue of Mrs. Schiavo's care is still before the > Court, I urge you to ensure that no act of omission or commission be allowed > to adversely affect Mrs. Schiavo's health before the September 11th hearing > you have set. No one involved should be permitted to circumvent due process > or the Court's authority in order to achieve personal objectives in this > case.
> Even discounting these rumors, there are a number of factual disputes > regarding Mrs. Schiavo's medical condition, past and current care and > therapy, and her prognosis. Given the contradictory positions of her > guardian and other family members, I respectfully ask that you re-appoint a > qualified guardian ad litem to independently investigate the circumstances > of this case, and provide the Court an unbiased view that considers only the > best interests of Mrs. Schiavo.
> It is a fine balance between Mrs. Schiavo's right to privacy and her right > to life, both of which are co-equal in our Constitution. To err on one side > is to prolong her existence, perhaps against her wishes, and continue the > debate. To err on the other is an irrevocable act that affords no > remediation. I respectfully ask that you give Mrs. Schiavo's family the > opportunity to present any new evidence as to her wishes. Evidence as to > her wishes should be reweighed as often as necessary to take into account > the effect of any new evidence, that is, to determine whether "clear and > convincing evidence" still exists that Mrs. Schiavo would now choose > withdrawal of life-prolonging procedures. While this process may delay the > surrogate's exercise of Mrs. Schiavo's privacy rights, it is necessary to > avoid denying her right to life. I urge you to err on the side of > conservative judgment to ensure that all facts can be uncovered and > considered before her life is terminated.
> I appreciate your compassion for Mrs. Schiavo's plight, and that of the > family members locked in dispute in these tragic circumstances. In light of > the ongoing contention related to so many issues in this case, I hope you > will consider appointing a guardian ad litem to ensure that the ultimate > decision is based on facts presented clearly, unclouded and uncolored by > personal interests of litigants.
> Sincerely,
> Jeb Bush
> cc: Patricia Fields Anderson, Esq.
> George J. Felos, Esq.
(WND article excerpts, cont.:) "On Friday, the Florida Supreme Court refused to intervene in the case, clearing the way for a Sept. 11 hearing in which Greer would set a date for removal of the feeding tube.
Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler of Gulf Port, Fla., have been locked in a decade-long legal battle with their son-in-law over the care and custody of their daughter, who suffered massive brain damage when she collapsed at her home 13 years ago under unexplained circumstances at the age of 26.
***The bitter dispute over Terri's lack of care became a major euthanasia battle five years ago when her husband Michael Schiavo petitioned the court for permission to have her feeding tube removed, claiming she is in a persistent vegetative state and would not want to be kept alive "artificially." The Schindlers and a number of doctors and therapists believe she could be rehabilitated, but the courts have consistently sided with Schiavo and his lawyer, right-to-die advocate George Felos.
~~~~
The article is on CNSNews.com.
Florida Judge Rejects Governor's Bid to Help Terri Schiavo
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
August 27, 2003
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Florida Circuit Judge George Greer Tuesday rejected a plea from Governor Jeb Bush to appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the best interests of Terri Schindler Schiavo, a 39-year-old disabled woman who suffered a brain injury in 1990 under questionable circumstances. Bush had intervened Monday after receiving 27,000 email messages asking for his help on Terri's behalf.
"I read [Gov. Bush's letter] because it came from the governor and I respect his position," Greer told the Tampa Tribune. "Beyond that, it is going in the file."
As CNSNews.com previously reported, Bush wrote Greer Monday asking him not to remove the disabled woman's feeding tube until a new guardian ad litem could "independently investigate" her condition. In the letter, Bush referenced the "fine balance between Mrs. Schiavo's right to privacy and her right to life," which Bush noted are co-equal under the Constitution.
"To err on one side is to prolong her existence, perhaps against her wishes and to continue the debate," Bush wrote. "To err on the other is an irrevocable act that affords no remediation."
But Greer told the Associated Press that he no longer has a choice in the matter.
"Frankly, I think I'm operating under a mandate from the 2nd District Court of Appeals," Greer said, "and frankly I don't think I can stray from that mandate."
In that same interview, however, the judge contradicted his own assessment of the limitation on his authority by stating that he was "not inclined" to appoint a guardian ad litem.
Michael Schiavo called Gov. Bush's intervention on behalf of Terri "crazy."
"The governor has deliberately twisted the facts in this case in an apparent effort to kowtow to his right-to-life political supporters," Schiavo told Tampa Tribune reporter David Sommer. "This has nothing to do with him. He should stay out of it."
Schiavo - who, for five years, has been seeking judicial approval to end his wife's life by denying her nutrition and hydration - also accused Terri's parents of manipulating their Catholic faith to keep their daughter alive.
"I believe in God and so did (?) Terri," Schiavo said, speaking of his still living wife in the past tense, "but they are out to push it on people... suddenly they are on a religious kick."
Judge refuses motion for hearing to set 'death date'
Greer also denied a motion Tuesday to hold an immediate hearing to set a date for the removal of Terri's nutrition and hydration tube. The hearing will be held, as previously announced, on Sept. 11. At that hearing, Greer will also rule on whether Schiavo may legally prohibit Terri's priest from visiting her.
Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, had also petitioned the court Monday to prohibit doctors from caring for Terri's current fever, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea and a "substantial infection."
"Given the imminence of the ward's death, further treatment (other than comfort care) for the ward's infection and other medical problems is unnecessary, unwarranted, inappropriate and futile," Felos said in an emergency motion, adding that Terri, "should be put back in hospice and receive comfort care and die in a peaceful setting."
Greer denied that motion, as well.
55 posted on 08/27/2003 5:29 PM EDT by yhwhsman ("Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small..." -Sir Winston Churchill)
Michael Schiavo is using "privacy" as an excuse for denying Terri every contact from the outside world, even flowers. "One sign of the case's nastiness is the Schindlers' complaint that Schiavo limits their visits with their daughter. They also say he has refused to allow doctors to examine her, refused her antibiotics and needed dental work, refused to replace a broken wheelchair so she could be taken outdoors and refused the delivery of flowers from a friend to her room on her birthday."
"Her teeth are fine; she doesn't eat," Michael Schiavo said. "Why take her to a gynecologist? She was supposed to die months ago. I don't want her room filled with flowers from strangers or right-to-life activists. Even though she is vegetative she has a right to privacy."
17 posted on 08/27/2003 10:14 AM EDT by I still care
***
I thought Gov Bush very eloquently made his case here, in this part:
To err on one side is to prolong her existence, perhaps against her wishes, and continue the debate. To err on the other is an irrevocable act that affords no remediation.
18 posted on 08/27/2003 10:14 AM EDT by summer
***
..this judge is going to look really bad if this part is ignored by the judge:
Even discounting these rumors, there are a number of factual disputes > regarding Mrs. Schiavo's medical condition, past and current care and > therapy, and her prognosis. Given the contradictory positions of her > guardian and other family members
21 posted on 08/27/2003 10:17 AM EDT by summer
*** HE SHOULD HAVE OR COULD HAVE HONORED GOV. BUSH'S REQUEST TO ASSIGN A GUARDIAN AD LITEM to represent Terri's interest instead of once again, taking the side of the husband. Judge Greer is from the Sixth Circuit Court, Pinellas County. That is one thing that floors me .. This Judge should have long ago appointed an independent Guardian Ad Litem and not left her husband as her sole guardian .. especially since there are questions about her husband with abuse and the fractured bones that were reveled in xrays of Terry. Everything I have read .. this Judge seems hell bent on having her killed 73 posted on 08/28/2003 2:45 AM EDT by Mo1 (http://www.favewavs.com/wavs/cartoons/spdemocrats.wav) *** I know that Mr. Schiavo has tried to ban Terri's mother and family and priest from seeing her. 27 posted on 08/26/2003 7:34 PM EDT by hocndoc (Choice is the # 1 killer in the US) *** Judge Greer has been with the husband since day one. A guardian ad litem would have been fair for Terri and her parents. Her parents love her but they are treated as the enemy. I'm ashamed this is happening in Pinellas County. 31 posted on 08/26/2003 7:41 PM EDT by floriduh voter
Judge Greer will not appoint a guardian ad litem. I have phone numbers from the phone book for the Clearwater Courthouse and all the guardianship phone numbers. He husband held a presser today and was very flippant about Jeb's letter and called the emailers a "bunch of right to lifers." Hubby is looking a little nervous but with a pal like Judge Greer who is no Judge Moore, Terri has until the September 11 hearing to decide the date her starvation begins. Here are the phone numbers: courthouse - 727-464-3000, guardianship numbers: 727-582-7563, 727-582-7771, and 727-464-8700. We can at least call as friends of Terri and voice our concerns. 25 posted on 08/26/2003 7:34 PM EDT by floriduh voter Freepers, please call the Juducial Qualification Commission regarding Judge Greer: 1-850-488-1581. *** Contact friends, thank those have been fighting on Terri's behalf, including Glenn Beck, Lars Larson, CNS News.com, WND, and Bill O'Reilly. *** Terri Schindler Schiavo's website - background and news updates: www.terrisfight.org *** 8 Terri Schiavo's website Media Contacts Governor Jeb Bush (R) The Honorable(?) George W. Greer Attorney General Charlie Crist
But, I don't know how a court could prevent doctors from ordering therapy, speach therapy (which is often actually swallowing therapy) and most especially oral nutrition.
Office of The Governor
Florida Capitol Building, PL-05
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
(850) 488-7146
(850) 488-4441
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
6th Judicial Circuit
315 Court Street, Room 484
Clearwater, FL 33756
(727) 464-3933
ggreer@co.pinellas.fl.us
Office of Attorney General
State of Florida
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
(850) 487-1963
Fax: (850) 487-2564
ag@oag.state.fl.us
We stayed to hear the bouzouki band and they drafted my oldest daughter to help run one of the childrens booths. There must have been 2500 people there this evening. I had so much great food and then some wine from Crete, so I am only going to post this one thing tonight.
I bought a few small religious items and card that I would like to send to Terri and/or her mom. Can you freepmail me your address so I can send it to you, and would you mind giving it to her mom for me?
I found a paragraph towards the end of the Motion to Disqualify J. Greer.
2. "Further, Carassas told the undersigned (Terri's attys) that he had talked to Judge Greer recently and that Judge Greer told him that he was incensed by Jeb Bush's letter to the Judge about the case and if Jeb was a lawyer that he could be grieved."
FV SAYS: If this is legislator John Carassas, he's local and he's a compassionate conservative. He could have done nothing but he abided by his oath as a Florida legislator and as a member of the Fla. Bar.
His office did accept phone calls re: Terri Schiavo and for all we know, when Greer brought this up to him, Carassas DID THE RIGHT THING. He's GOP.
I did a post asking freepers to open their phone books and call the district legislator that that lived in. That was the same morning I called Carassas.
Why am I trying to figure that out? I AM TRYING TO DETERMINE IF I CONTACTED CARASSAS BEFORE J. GREER DID. If so, then Carassas had a conflict of interest by the time Greer contacted him and as a lawyer, followed the rules by informing Terri's counsel.
I can't find my silly post. I'll try just going through my posts. I've been through this thread and the other interesting item is that GREER AND RICE WERE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS at the same time in the late eighties. And now, Greer spills his guts to Rice and they're both in trouble... A freepsearcher connected Greer to Rice long before we saw any Motions or Affidavits from the case. Great work!
I could tell what day it was by the good nights and good mornings, sick kids, spider bites, a hurricane, having to go to work, pc troubles, it was quite a look back.
I'm going to find my post about legislators. I am going to be more careful after I re-copy that post if I find it. But, these are GOP that are in trouble - maybe that's why Jeb is staying out of it.
Anyway, he shows up in Terri's attorney's Affidavit that was just posted here on 9-12.
Greer talked to Sheriff Rice about Terri and Greer ALSO talked to Carassas about Terri. My eyes can't look any more.
If anyone's stuck at the house tomorrow, can someone look at the Affidavit of Terri's attorney that was posted on 9-12-03? It's pretty big, can't miss it.
I'm trying to see if Greer called Carassas after freepers called Carassas.
Carassas would have been in a spot if he didn't report to Terri's atty that Greer contacted him since constituents also contacted him. Does he have a duty to his constituents or to a GOP friend Greer? Does it give dates for when Greer contacted Sheriff Rice and John Carassas?
Freep on. I'll be sleeping in Saturday and check in after lunchtime. I am on hurricane watch too.
Judge Greer and Sheriff Rice went to a ballgame on August 30th and Greer talked to Rice about Terri.
John Carassas contacted Terri's attorney Crow on September 5, 2003 because Judge Greer also told him about Terri's case.
(Freepers called Carassas on 9-8-03 or 9-9-03.)
The Attorney General has been monitoring this case. See? The phone calls did help even though it didn't seem like it at the time.
Judge Greer and Sheriff Rice went to a ballgame on August 30th and Greer talked to Rice about Terri.
John Carassas contacted Terri's attorney Crow on September 5, 2003 because Judge Greer also told him about Terri's case.
(Freepers called Carassas on 9-8-03 or 9-9-03.)
The Attorney General has been monitoring this case. See? The phone calls did help even though it didn't seem like it at the time. KIMMIE7, please ping the list at your convenience to this post #. Thanks. It's time to go to sleep...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Perhaps it was another source?
There is a story by Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com dated 12 Sep "Hearing Scheduled on Parents' Motion to Allow Terri Schiavo to Eat". That pleading asks "....Greer....allow [Terri] to eat on her own....that Terri be given adequate time and therapy to relearn eating skills and receive appropriate rehabilitation before Judge Greer allows the removal of a gastric tube that provides her nutrition and hydration...."
" The motion calls for delaying removal of the feeding tube until the transition has been completed and Terri can eat on her own. "The court must give her a chance to transition to nutrition by mouth," Anderson said, adding that Terri 'has never been given the chance to get better. She's been treated as if she's already dead.'
"Anderson says if Greer withdraws the feeding tube without allowing Terri a chance to eat on her own, he is violating Florida law.
" The motion cites Florida statutes (744.3215) that allow disabled people like Terri the rights to rehabilitation.
"The petition also seeks to remove Michael as Terri's guardian ...."
The WTSP website is also running an AP story indicating Judge Lazzara will hold an "Emergency hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Schiavo case". Terri's video is attached to the story for reader viewing.
The usual media inaccuracies are included in the WTSP story: "She was 26 when she suddenly collapsed in her home after her heart stopped from what doctors believe was a potassium imbalance."
I hope locals are calling news media like WTSP on the misinformation they are foisting on the Tampa and St. Petersburg area.
More to the point that portion of the story sentence should have been truthfully written, 'She was 26 when she suddenly collapsed in her home from an unknown cause. Two doctors retained by her husband, who has told the court his wife wants to die, argued Terri's heart stopped from a potassium imbalance. Doctors appearing for Terri's mother and father dispute this claim. What happened on that day is only known to Terri, and her husband has refused any speech therapy, or any other kind of therapy, for his wife. since winning the 1.2 million dollar malpractice intended by the jury to be used for Terri's rehabilitation the funds have been only used to pay for testimony by professionals, lawyers fees, and bodyguards for Shiavo and those posted at the entrance to Terri's room. While his wife has been bedridden Michael Schiavo lives with another woman and has fathered a child in that relationship.'
Google News has no mention of the WTSP/AP story, or the LifeNews.com story referenced above.
WHY NOT???
About Terri's website It's unfortunate at best that there's no mention of the Monday or Tuesday filings on terrisfight.org.
Further, the 'Timeline' is only reflective of actions through June of this year.
It seems to me that volunteers would be itching to perform this service for Terri.
The lack of an up-to-date website suggest a less than motivated webmaster at the controls, and does a real disservice to the intent of the website conceived by the Schindler Foundation.
"....Though he has a fiancé and a child, he has steadfastly maintained he would not divorce his wife because that would mean losing the right to carry out her wishes."
--Orlando Sentinel, Wednesday, September 10, 2003
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