Okay. Lunchblogging on a desperate day for Terri Shiavo.
In case you haven’t been keeping up with developments:
- The U.S. Congress reportedly issued a subpoena that was served on Terri, requiring her to come to Washington to testify to Congress and making it a federal crime to harm her until this could be done.
- A judge (not Darth Greer) ordered that Terri’s food tube not be removed.
- Darth Greer overturned this order and re-ordered Terri’s starvation.
- Terri reportedly tried to say "I want to live" in front of multiple witnesses.
- UPDATE: Terri’s food tube has been removed. The MURDER has begun.
MORE:
On Friday afternoon, less than a hour after probate court judge George W. Greer ignored federal subpoenas and ordered that Michael Schiavo remove the feeding tube from Terri which will cause her death by starvation, Terri Schiavo before multiple witnesses indicated that she wanted to live.
According to attorney Barbara Weller, one of the attorneys representing Terri’s parents, Mary and Bob Schindler Sr., when her parents and attorneys visited Terri at the Woodside Hospice where she resides to tell her they were going to remove her feeding tube, Terri began to cry and tried to say “I want to live”
Attorney Weller said she had a difficult time calming Terri down.
Meanwhile, Peggy Noonan warns:
Here’s both a political and a public-relations reality: The Republican Party controls the Senate, the House and the White House. The Republicans are in charge. They have the power. If they can’t save this woman’s life, they will face a reckoning from a sizable portion of their own base. And they will of course deserve it.
This should concentrate their minds.
So should this: America is watching. As the deadline for removal of Mrs. Schiavo’s feeding tube approaches, the story has broken through as never before in the media.
Noonan, as usual, is right on the money here.
I am so worried about this situation – it’s breaking my heart! Wouldn’t a sane person want to ascertain the truth about Terri’s attempt to speak? Wouldn’t a judge with a modicum of humanity & compassion (Darth Greer is apt, Jimmy – I wonder if his eyes are yellow) want to make sure the right thing is done? If find it shocking & perverted that Florida has laws against starving animals to death but can’t get one for humans past their senate! And how could the folks who work in that hospice facility simply remove the feeding tube while Terri’s apparently obviously aware of what’s going on & reacting so strongly? I’d refuse & let them put me in jail for contempt. How horrible this must be for the Schindlers!
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle! Be our safeguard the wiles & wickedness of the devil. Restrain him, O God, we humbly pray! And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan & all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin & desctrustion of souls! In the most Sacred Heart of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ! Amen.
I appreciate Peggy Noonam’s position, but I think that this will ultimately favor the Republicans in that this will reinforce the perception of imperialist judges. The public will start supporting the Republicans in their bid to stop Democractic filibustering and appoint conservative/originalist judges.
Noonan’s essay should be studied in a modern rhetoric class.
And there is NO WAY it could ever help Republicans if TS dies.
I agree with Peggy and with Ed Peters: the Republicans will be hurt if Terri dies. The last thing the Republicans need is for the pro-life base to get the impression a) that voting for Republicans is useless because they can’t do anything anyway or b) that they’re just being taken for a ride and the Republicans don’t really intend to ever do anything about abortion, euthanasia, starvation of disabled persons, etc.
That said, Brian may have a point which works whether Terri lives or dies: this whole case works in senate Republicans’ favor and against imperialist judges. Of course it works much more in their favor if they actually succeed in saving Terri, since then they won’t be to blame for complicity by omission in her death.
Co-conspirator Greer has claimed that the federal Congress has no authority to issue supoenas. He has committed a high felony of Contempt of Congress. He faces 10 years imprisonment.
Lawyer Felos of the Hemlock Society called the Congressional supoenas “thuggery”, he too has committed Contempt of Congress and faces 10 years imprisonment.
Did anyone tell the “doctors” and “nurses” at the hospice that they were acting in contempt of Congress, that doing so is a high felony, that they face 10 years imprisonment?
Where is the Seargent-at-Arms of the House? Where are the Federal Marshalls for the Federal Witness Relocation Program?
The mainstream media reporting about Ms. Schiavo is very bad reporting. They keep referring to “anti-abortion” activists picketing. But the case has nothing to do with abortion. Very bad reporting.
Why? She is just a post-partum fetus. . . .
The mainstream media is so biased that they do not allow the phrase pro-life so they automatically find and replace the phrase pro-life with anti-abortion regardless of the story. This policy made big news when implented in a Los Angeles Times opera review.
Ed and Publius,
I can see where this will not help the Republicans, but I am not sure that it will hurt them either. The Republicans haven’t overturned Roe v Wade in 30+ years and I don’t think it has hurt them that much.
The Republicans haven’t overturned Roe v Wade in 30+ years and I don’t think it has hurt them that much.
Until January 2003, the Republicans never had control of the White House, the Senate (excepting a few months in 2001 before Jumpin’ Jim jumped), and the House at the same time. Now they have firm control over all three; we, the pro-life pro-family base, should and do expect results.
the Republicans never had control of the White House
I should clarify and point out that I was talking about the post-Roe era.
Can we consider emergency fasting for Terri?
Options: 1) a “Bread and Water” fast until Terri is fed again; or 2) a “Good Friday” fast (one meal per day, two smaller ones if necessary, and no meat) until Terri is fed again; or 3) no snacking or eating out till Terri is fed again; or 4) some physical sacrifice for Terri, her husband and his lawyer, all those defending Terri, and all those attacking her.
Any of these still allow us far more food and water than Terri is getting. May God bless Terri, and may God bless our country.
Saving Terri
Terri Schiavo is not being “allowed to die”. She’s being starved. She’s being killed.
I don’t understand how this is all of a sudden a Republican issue.
This is about a life, a precious life that an Adultrous Husband and mis-guided power hungry Judge has decided doesn’t deserve to live. Only God knows their hearts, however it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to understand death by starvation is horrible.
Why would the media (Peggy Noonan) turn this into a political issue. Why does it have to come to “boy, I Mr/Mrs. Politician better be on the right side of this issue so I don’t get voted out of office”. What about “this is a life that needs to be preserved…because it’s the right thing to do..only God can take a life.”
If anything, it’s the Judicial Branch of the Government that’s gone off the deep end. They are the one’s this article should take aim at (Judge Geer).
It was the Republican Congress that initiated this “subpoena” attempt to stop the removal of the feeding tube.
The White House has stated it’s support for Terri (..although President Bush should be more forceful).
In Florida, it was the State Senate (lead by the Democrats) that stopped a bill supporting Terri.
God forgive us for we know not what we do…
Tim Robles +<><
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20050318/ap_on_re_us/brain_damaged_woman_68
Some interesting quotes from the article above:
“Felos called the congressional subpoeans ‘nothing short of thuggery,’ repeatedly lashing out at lawmakers at a news conference.
‘It was odious, it was shocking, it was disgusting and I think all Americans should be very alarmed about that,’ he said.”
I’ll tell you what’s “shocking,” Mr Felos, your callous disregard for human life! And I’ll tell you what’s “thuggery,” as well: Darth Greer’s judician tyranny!
Tim, it is a Republcan issue because the Democrat Party purged all known members of the Culture of Life from its hierarchy. The GOP, on the other hand, appeals to the Culture of Life when trying to elect candidates.
Remember the Whigs!
One is tempted to wish that, when Co-conspirator Greer, Hemlock Lawyer Felos, the “doctors” and “nurses”‘ are arrested for Contempt of Congress, the guards will “forget” to bring them food and water for a few days.
I won’t be eating till Sunday unless she gets food. A little fruit juice should tide me over.
I would like to know if it is allowable to apply the civil disobedience principle in this case, in order to disobey the court ruling and reinstall the feeding tube.
How about St. Terri?
Under Reformation principles, once her life is actually in danger, and the legal process has not availed, civil disobedience becomes the right thing to do. I don’t know what the Magisterium says on that.
DeLay has told Hannity today that he is going to press charges against co-conspirator Greer for Contempt of Congress, and that Felos of the Hemlock Society is “the personification of evil”
So, there -is- hope yet within the legal process. However, I always thought a person could only surive three days without water.
That’s what I thought too Puzzled: 3 days without water, 50 days without food. But apparantly that’s an old wives tale as Terri has already made it 6 days without water in 2003 and they say it’ll take one to two weeks for her to die.
Maybe the three days figure is for someone who’s active, not completely sedentary. That would make sense, actually.
If Terri were a dog people would be in jail over this. The more delicate don’t want to call this murder, but that is exactly what it is. Yet people for the sake of their consciences wish to starve her to death so that she may die “naturally” rather than murder her the humane way with a drug overdose or a single shot to the head.
May I never become as compassionate as these monsters.
Hey, I just realized that the day the feeding tube was ordered to be removed was a Friday. I guess this was done intentionally because most government and court business is shut down for the weekend?
O the evil.
Not to mention that she will be suffering during Holy Week possibly dying on the weekend.
That has to be intentional – this is the ‘judge’ who denies her the Blessed Sacrament, anything Catholic, any pictures or flowers, and even that her curtains must always remain shut.
I have heard reports that Michael had allowed Terri to receive the Blessed Sacrament before the feeding tube was finally removed…O, but that Terri could receive Our Lord in the Eucharist each day(until her subsequent death from dehydration and starvation or the tube is reinserted, please God) that she has Spiritual Food and Spiritual Drink to nourish her soul!
God Bless.
Maybe she’s getting a reprieve. May God’s will be done.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-03-19-schiavo-congress_x.htm
God rises in the divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.
“How long will you judge unjustly and favor the cause of the wicked?
Defend the lowly and fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and needy.
Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
The gods neither know nor understand, wandering about in darkness, and all the world’s foundations shake.
I declare: “Gods though you be, offspring of the Most High all of you,
Yet like any mortal you shall die; like any prince you shall fall.”
Arise, O God, judge the earth, for yours are all the nations.
Tom DeLay said today that those responible for this (Terri’s death) will ulitmately have to pay for their behavior. This could be a reference to the results of the autopsy, or when they stand before God as their judge. But…Teddy Kennedy quickly suggested that DeLay should make it clear that DeLay was not advocating violence against anyone! C’mon Teddy, cut the Democratic bullcrap! Besides…does anyone want to hear Teddy weighing in with comments and wisdon relative to “questionable death”?? Also, wasn’t it nice of Michael Schiavo to agree to an autopsy? Wasn’t it also nice of him to agree to wait until Terry died to have the autopsy performed??
We need God back as a vital part of our country, and a whole lot less of these “secular morons”.
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