Rolling Stone satires the death of Terri Schiavo
Standard fare. But following is a section from the “interview” that is egregious to the memory of Terri Schindler Schiavo.
Such contempt for the dead, particularly disabled, is unthinkable to me. I can’t imagine, for instance, Rolling Stone satiring Joseph and Rose Kennedy’s lobotomized daughter Rose Marie, who died just 2-1/2 months before Terri. There’s certainly plenty of fodder there for the imaginative.
But secular liberal minds at Rolling Stone confine their lampoons to acceptable “Christian” prey, with no regard given to Terri’s parents and siblings. Apparently their subjection to maligning will see no end or bounds, simply for trying to save Terri from being killed by dehydration and starvation.
Here’s the relevant excerpt….
Let’s talk about some of the low points of your second term. Why did you make such a big deal out of intervening in the whole Terri Schiavo thing?
Well, Jeb calls me up one day and says, “A bunch of Jew lawyers are trying to pull the plug on some broad down here. I think we can spin it that they’re doing it because she’s Christian.”
I ask him what he means, and he tells me the story. I tell Karl, and Karl says to me, “Mr. President, I am fully erect. This is a winner all the way.” He says we can jam up Bill Nelson down there for his Senate race by forcing him to take sides with the husband in the story, who’s like this Mike Ditka-looking atheist guy who wants to starve his wife to death while he’s running around knocking up other chicks.
Politics is all about forcing people to make simple choices, that’s what my dad always told me, and this one was an A+ choice for us. Karl, you should have seen him, he was on the phone day and night, telling every news director in the country that he wanted to see that Schiavo lady’s face “on every channel, like it’s the State of the Union address.”
So sure enough, we’re watching TV later that night, and CNN just has her and her drooling-ass, doped-up smile on this endless loop. Karl is literally jumping up and down with excitement at the sight of her. “She’s the best thing since Old Yeller,” he’s saying. “I want to see every liberal in the country on Larry King campaigning to yank her feeding tube. Get Ben Affleck on there, Sean Penn. Show them side by side with her looking fat and helpless with those dead-fish eyes of hers, split-screen. She’ll get us 10,000 votes an hour.”
Too bad she died.
Yeah. Karl was almost inconsolable when she passed. He kept looking for a replacement. Karen Hughes called it his “vegetable hunt.” He’d call long lists of registered Democrats, asking if they had a brain-dead wife they wanted to pull the plug on.
[HT: Bobby Schindler]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Disgusting.
I remember when I read that Terri was denied being able to receive the Eucharist by her husband. Just because someone has a disability does not mean they should be denied part of their faith.
The fact they are stating in their mockery that she died, means she was alive and vital prior to Judge Greer’s bogus death sentence.
The article is evidence of a particular kind of insanity that delights in the grotesque, like smashing and impaling babies for fun, (which the Khmer Rouge did). Unchecked, that’s where it leads.
Some are too insane to realize they’re already in hell, as they plod their way deeper into it.
Um…understanding satire and sarcasm, the takeaway from this excerpt should be what a jerk Bush and co. was/is, not about Terri Schiavo. She was used as a symbol of their pathology here. Not offended.
I guess that since Obama became president and the economy didn’t magically fix itself, the media has to stall for a while by mocking ex-presidents.
This dove right past “poor taste” into the deep brown cesspool of D.E.M.O.N.I.C. If our hope was in human-kind to save us, we would be better off dead ourselves. Our only hope is in God, and He alone can redeem this nation from this terrible place to which we have fallen. Oh, that we would turn to Him with our whole hearts. Redeem our life from the pit, Lord.
I can’t believe that people like Danielle are so calloused in their hearts and so dead in their spirits that they do not see how EVIL this mockery is.
Despicable.
Sick stuff.
Not offended.
Posted by: Danielle at February 24, 2009 11:52 AM
This is possibly the funniest thing that I have read in ten years.
I can’t believe that people like Danielle are so calloused in their hearts and so dead in their spirits that they do not see how EVIL this mockery is.
Posted by: Amy at February 24, 2009 11:54 AM
-Oh, yes, Amy. Thanks for that shout-out! Now that you’ve taken it upon yourself to call me callous and dead (um, spiritually, I guess?)… I really see the light now. OMG, just what I’ve been waiting for. You’ve been right all along and I was TOTALLY WRONG because I wasn’t offended! Of course I shouldn’t have been able to separate the condemnation of a president from the woman they used as propaganda…that was clearly the evil taking over again.
You are so right…Rolling Stone IS evil!! There in fact IS a giant, left-wing, socialist, homo-agenda spreading, Satan inspired conspiracy against you (I know, I went to the meetings). I’m renouncing as I type!
Some people are so blinded by their hatred for Bush that they don’t even realize how offensive this is to the memory of this poor woman.
I am appalled.
I remember when I read that Terri was denied being able to receive the Eucharist by her husband.
You remember wrong, Liz. She got the Eucharist through her feeding tube before it was removed and received communion again and last rites ten days after it was removed, but by then her mouth was too parched for the wafer.
Easy Danielle don’t go giving away all the secrets us Jews have been using for the last oh 3 000 years to defile the human race. If that gig was over I mean what would I do on Sundays?
You saved me much work reality much fun mocking those offended by the mocking back at my place. Man I dig this koo koo free speech thing.
What clarity an hour brings. My fault for hitting ‘send’ while angry…
I stand behind my first viewpoint about not being offended by the article, but let me apologize for my tone above. It was pretty childish, even though it reflected a sentiment that’s hard to convey sometimes without snarkiness. I should’ve written that I found Amy’s comment judgemental and passive-aggressive, which it was, rather than retort with a full sarcastic rant. This blog can be a powder keg of emotion at times and I normally do a better job of ‘walking away’ from the screen before reacting.
Danielle, you are pathetic. Bush is out of office, there is no valid point to this article only humiliation for Terri.
Appreciate the honesty and candidness, Danielle.
I often write things I wish I didn’t, but fortunately I have the privilege of being able to go back and change or delete them once I’ve cooled off :)
Bush is out of office, but we must never forget what he did to our country. Ms. Schiavo’s plight was taken from a private family affair to the highest reaches of our government. Once the Congress and President got involved, I’m afraid the way they handled the matter became fair game for ridicule. This article is humiliation for Bush and his gang, not for Ms. Schiavo.
Apparently their subjection to maligning will see no end or bounds, simply for trying to save Terri from being killed by dehydration and starvation.
It’s their fault for not honoring Terri’s wishes. The court — not Michael Schiavo — determined that Terri would not want to go on “living” like that, but the Schindlers refused to let Terri go, and dragged her husband through the mud for no good reason at all when they should have been respecting him as the rightful, legal, freely chosen and beloved husband and guardian of their daughter, united by God as one. They put their own selfish desires over their daughter’s wishes, and now they’re reaping what they’ve sown. Nobody likes meddlers, especially not such colossal meddlers that would put their poor daughter all over the news like a circus sideshow rather than respecting her wishes.
The Schindlers are truly despicable people, and they deserve every bit of scorn and derision they get.
Everyday I am more and more proud of my stance as a conservative. This disgusting piece of “journalism” turns my stomach.
My sympathy to the family of Terri who must continue to be subjected to someone’s idea of humor. She was a sister, daughter, friend. Let’s give some respect to her family please. It is not always about us and our strange idea of entertainment.
Danielle, you are pathetic. Bush is out of office, there is no valid point to this article only humiliation for Terri.
Posted by: Kristen at February 24, 2009 1:10 PM
-Hopefully Kristen, you have already read Hal’s response to this as well, I think he articulated the sentiment as to why this is article is NOT about TS better than I can.
As for Bush, we have less than 90 days distance between us and the past 8 years of what can only be described as the most dismal administration on record. I will never forget that damage he and co. did to our country and I am not ready to make nice. In fact, my outrage has only seasoned over time…particularly when I see military families cry over their dead. I won’t get into my viewpoint on the war, you can imagine what that is, but bottom line is ,I blame his short-sightedness for their deaths. Compounded with all the other damage to the planet, country, etc he’s responsible for, there’s plenty of blame to dole out, so sit back.
The Mockery of Terri Schiavo is despicable. We live in a culture that doesn’t value life unless it is “perfect” and “wanted.” I’m use to all of the mockery of Bush (I live in a very liberal area) – so I’ve seen/heard it daily for years, but this mockery of Terri is a very low one for the libs. How low can they sink themselves?
Danielle,
I wonder how “not offended” you would be if this were your sister, mother, cousin, or friend.
This is a disguisting piece of work.
Bush is out of office, but we must never forget what he did to our country. Ms. Schiavo’s plight was taken from a private family affair to the highest reaches of our government. Once the Congress and President got involved, I’m afraid the way they handled the matter became fair game for ridicule. This article is humiliation for Bush and his gang, not for Ms. Schiavo.
Posted by: Hal at February 24, 2009 1:15 PM
OK Hal,
Please explain what Bush did to this country.
While I agree that this article is in bad taste, I do not think the point was to ridicule Terri. I think the point was to ridicule Bush and his administration. Even if you don’t agree, many people are upset with Bush because of what they see as negative effects he caused in America. And the Terri situation is one of the things that many people believe was brought into the media in bad taste to start out with, and think that Bush and his administration used the situation to their own benefit.
Reality, you obviously do not know what you’re talking about in regards to the Schindlers.
OK Hal,
Please explain what Bush did to this country.
Posted by: Sandy at February 24, 2009 1:48 PM
He crushed our soul and stole our honor.
I don’t have time to lay it all out, and you wouldn’t agree anyway.
Here’s one list:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/broken_government/articles/full_list/
Rolling Stone Magazine: No home for intelligent articles
Hal,
Ridiculous.
What is not ridiculous is all of the earmarks in the new “stimulus” bill. Nobama stated there wouldn’t be any. Guess he lied again.
Where is his scapel??
I remember when I read that Terri was denied being able to receive the Eucharist by her husband
Liz, I remember that too. The priest was threatened with arrest if he put a drop of the Precious Blood on her tongue. Her spouse forbid it, permitting only a drop of the Precious Blood just prior to disconnection of the tube and later on Easter Sunday. (Just checked old news sources to be sure I had that right.)
It struck me at the time as an especially cruel shot to the family and to Terri for her spouse to deny her a daily drop of the Precious Blood. One drop a day. Sad.
the Schindlers … dragged her husband through the mud for no good reason at all when they should have been respecting him as the rightful, legal, freely chosen and beloved husband and guardian of their daughter, united by God as one
Reality conveniently omits the fact that Terri’s spouse had been living with another woman for years and had children with her. She neglects to mention that and the other conflicts of interest he had in remaining Terri’s guardian.
That garbage isn’t fit for print. It isn’t funny or clever, it’s depraved. And it’s equally disgusting that so many commenters here don’t have enough decency to understand that and denounce this pathetic “journalism” for the trash that it is. Life is sacred. Period. The condition of Terri’s body had no bearing whatsoever on her value as a human being, and it does not give anyone the right to mock her so disrespectfully. Shame on Rolling Stone, and shame on anyone who cannot see how appalling this is.
Rolling Stone has had some of the best political coverage over the years.
‘This article is humiliation for Bush and his gang, not for Ms. Schiavo.’
Posted by: Hal at February 24, 2009 1:15 PM
——————————————————
How you can say Ms. Schiavo and her surviving family were NOT humiliated and ridiculed and emotionally injured by this article?
Remember Hal, you labeled my comments about Obama using his grandmother as a political pawn ‘in poor taste’ after Obama had thrown her under the campaign bus by calling her a racist. And then within two weeks he threw his racist pastor under the bus. The one he could no more disown than his own grandmother.
You found my comments so offensive, so over the top, so beyond the pale, so distasteful that you asked that the post be removed. You wink at the gnat and swallow the camel.
Then after Obama’s grandmother passes he goes and scatters her ashes in the ocean with the fawing lap dog media looking on. Something he could have done privately, but he and/or his handlers could not pass up the opportunity to capitalize on her death and his display of grief. Something I predicted he would do.
I can and do appreciate political satire, even when it my elephant that is being gored, but for satire to be effective it has to have an element of truth and it has to be funny.
This does not make an honest effort to be true and it brutalizes a woman who could not defend herself while she was alive, much less after she was dead.
It is not funny. It is pathetic. Like ytl using Deal Hudson in an attempt to score political points against Jill Stanek by falsely accusing Hudson of rape.
Duplicitous, self serving, hypocritical, callous, opportunistic disregard for the woman’s memory or her family, just so the liberals can drag Bushes deak political body through the the mud one more time and hang their trophy in pubic display like the barabarians in Somalia and Iraq.
How long will BDS control your vindictive hearts and calculating minds.
yor bro ken
Did anyone notice that it was Bobby Schindler who brought the article to the attention of Jill? It breaks my heart that he read such horrible things about his sister.
Carla, yes and my heart breaks for him. I can’t even imagine.
I think this piece of satire was a little too crass when it comes to someone’s family members. I don’t think mothers of dead vets want to hear a fake george bush “saying” these sorts of things.
That said, the way that the repubs handled this was also too close for comfort. Leave family stuff to family stuff, it was appalling how they made this a public and political affair.
I am totally with PiP on this one. The satire wasn’t really funny and having the fake President Bush mock Ms. Schiavo’s appearance definitely crossed a line and was unnecessary to the point the satire was making.
However, I don’t read any intent in the article to dishonor Terri Schiavo. As others have said, this excerpt is about mocking President Bush and his political allies for the callous abuse of this poor family’s tragedy for their own political gain and for their cynical disregard for a court finding as to Ms. Schiavo’s own wishes.
How long will BDS control your vindictive hearts and calculating minds.
yor bro ken
Posted by: kbhvac at February 24, 2009 3:16 PM
I’ll let up after he’s prosecuted, convicted, and incarcerated. And Cheney too.
Seriously, though, I don’t recall asking for your post about Obama’s grandmother be deleted. Unless you said something more offensive than she was being used as a “political pawn.” I don’t remember the details, but if you implied that Obama was visiting her simply as a political stunt, that is a pretty offensive thing to say as she is dying. Doesn’t require deletion, necessarily, but maybe I over-reacted.
The problem was that one judge was able to sentence an innocent woman to death and no one in the country was able to overturn his ruling. The only person who would have been able to do anything was Jeb Bush and he did nothing to save her. If nothing else, this “satire” is ridiculous because it accuses Pres. Bush of something he had nothing to do with.
Here’s the timeline of her death.
http://terrisfight.org/pages.php?page_id=31
I agree with the Republicans on this, they tried to step in and save Terry from being starved and dehydrated to death by her creep husband.
Obama said it was his biggest regret trying to save Terry’s life.
It breaks my heart that he read such horrible things about his sister.
Yes, Carla. And not only that, it brings out the inevitable comments by people like reality who want to label the Schindlers as “despicable.”
Just shows you how far down the Culture of Death road we’ve gone when advocating for and loving a disabled daughter/sister is “despicable.”
God bless the Schindlers! They have suffered greatly but continue their advocacy for the disabled.
Agreed, Fed Up!! God bless the Schindler family!
Frankly I am FED UP with the ugliness about Terri and her family. It makes me sick.
“If nothing else, this “satire” is ridiculous because it accuses Pres. Bush of something he had nothing to do with.”
Bush certainly did have something to do with it. He flew back to D.C. in the middle of the night so he could sign this emergency legislation.
You can agree or disagree with what he did and said, but you can’t say he had nothing to do with it:
The legislation, said President Bush, “will allow Federal courts to hear a claim by or on behalf of Terri Schiavo for violation of her rights relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life.”
“In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life,” Mr. Bush continued, in a written statement issued as he signed the bill.
“This presumption is especially critical for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others,” said the president. “I appreciate the bipartisan action by the Members of Congress to pass this bill. I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities.”
Hal, the point is not that you asked for it to deleted. It is that you cannot seem to see the double standard. Bush is fair game. Terry Schiavo is not. She had no say in the matter. She did not ask the Bush administration to intervene. We can disagree on Bush’s motivation and actions. There is no room for debate about Terry Schiavos having any involvement in the affair. She was just there. She was not able to ask anyone for assistance. It is ‘wrong’ for some third party to ‘use’ her to satisfy his grievence against someone else. My concern is not with Bush, but with Terry Schiavo and her family.
I do not know if a dead person or the estate of dead person can bring civil charges against Rolling Stone, but I hope some creative tort lawyer gives it some thought. If the likeness or image or name of the president cannot be used with out his consent, then an arguement could be made that Terry Schiavos name or image cannot be used without her consent or the consent of her heirs or estate.
yor bro ken
Posted by: Jasper at February 24, 2009 3:45 PM
‘Obama said it was his biggest regret trying to save Terry’s life.’
—————————————————
Jasper are you saying that then Senator Barrack Obama voted to intervene in the Schiavo case?
yor bro ken
Yes Ken..
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57488
Fred,
You must be a writer for the Rolling Stone.
Fred, a part of the live and let live is allowing others to live differently than you. It may be your choice to pull the plug, but obviously others feel differently.
And that is the beauty of freedom. Everyone can have their opinion, speak it, and disagree with everyone else.
Deal Hudson? The Deal Hudson that was a philosophy Prof at Fordham in the 90s??
I’m a Fordhham alum and owned a limo service in the 90s in the city and gave the profs and alums special rates on the weekends you know how that goes. My my could I tell a few stories.
jasper sadly no but I do have a good gig where I am
Live and let live.
Precisely what the Schindlers wanted for their daughter.
You know I like snark and sarcasm
Is it necessary to throw it in the face of a family that’s hurting just because it pleases YOU?
Make love not war
How about be nice or keep quiet on an issue that is deeply painful to the Schindler family.
Humans ARE NOT Vegetables. Its disgusting the way the disabled are treated in this country and around the world.
If Terri had been a dog that was mistreated, Michael would most likely be in JAIL!
LizfromNebraska,
People euthanize their pets all the time.
I think, while it is a tragedy that Terri and her family and situation was brought so far into the public, at a certain point people need to think.
If she expressed to her husband that she did not want to live in that situation, then I think her wishes should have been met despite what others wanted. She is the one who was living in that situation, not you.
Fred, a part of the live and let live is allowing others to live differently than you. It may be your choice to pull the plug, but obviously others feel differently.
But a court found that Terri Schiavo DID express a preference to die in this situation. It was the “pro-lifers” who were interfering.
Also, I don’t approve of the mud-slinging at Michael Schiavo. The man lost his wife in a horrible, painful, and tragic way.
Prochoicer, I agree with you.
I was commenting more on how he said people should live their lives.
Jodes,
It looks we cross-posted. Perhaps I misunderstood your original comment to Fred.
fredrick: “This is possibly the funniest thing that I have read in ten years.”
Note to Fredrick: start reading more.
You know what to do, folks. RS has an e-mail address just like everybody else.
Heh -cross posted again!
Jodes, Pro-Choicer,
If Terry’s mother and father really wanted her not to be starved and dehydrated to death, what kind of husband would go to the lenghts he did to terminate her life?
Jodes, Pro-Choicer,
If Terry’s mother and father really wanted her not to be starved and dehydrated to death, what kind of husband would go to the lenghts he did to terminate her life?
One who respects his wife’s stated wishes.
Jasper, it was not them who had to live the way Terri did. Terri had made it clear prior to the tragedy that she did not want to be forced to live in that condition. I think we should give all people their dying wish, even if it is to simply die.
As much as it hurt her family, and I am sure it did, I do not think it is always the right thing to prolong someones life when it is clear that they made a wish to not live in a situation such as Terri did.
Hal: “Bush is out of office, but we must never forget what he did to our country. Ms. Schiavo’s plight was taken from a private family affair to the highest reaches of our government.”
Her FAMILY wanted the government to intercede, Hal. Her REAL FAMILY, i.e. not the man who was planning to start a FAMILY with another woman.
reality: “The court — not Michael Schiavo — determined that Terri would not want to go on ‘living’ like that…”
“WOULD” not want to go on living like that? I thought there was definitive proof, which you kinda sorta need if you’re planning on ending someone’s life. The lowest court based its decision on hearsay from Michael Schiavo, though no evidence was presented, and every court simply refused to overturn the prior decision in spite of the lack of evidence that she wanted to die.
Danielle: “In fact, my outrage has only seasoned over time…particularly when I see military families cry over their dead.”
Well, geez, Danielle, maybe we can just get a lower court to decide that they would want to die in that situation. Problem solved: just as was done with Terri Schindler Schiavo.
I think people, on both sides of the issue, needs to remember that NONE OF US has ever lived as Terri did. We do not know if she was in horrible pain through it all or if she was comfortable. All we know is what she wanted prior to having to live like she did.
And those wishes should be honored, just as the wishes of the dead are honored when they can (obviously) no longer express any new wishes.
“Terri had made it clear prior to the tragedy that she did not want to be forced to live in that condition.”
Wrong. Had there been proof of this, there likely would have been little to no protest of her being killed. The courts made their decision on two minor counts of hearsay.
bri, I don’t think the courts should have been making any decisions such as these. It is up to the next of kin to decide, AND ONLY THE NEXT OF KIN, should there be no living will or any clear evidence otherwise.
— including when that “next of kin” has gone and started a family with another woman? If Michael wanted to be done with Terri, fine — just divorce her and let her actual FAMILY take care of her. Problem solved.
Her wishes weren’t stated definitely. I wouldn’t trust the word of a man that went and violated his marriage vows by living with another woman and having children with her.
Plus, there were too many suspicious events after her “collapse” that made her family wonder what REALLY happened.
If your wife or husband had a heart attack, would you call 911 right away or wait an hour? I believe the autopsy showed no evidence of heart attack OR an eating disorder.
If she expressed to her husband that she did not want to live in that situation, then I think her wishes should have been met despite what others wanted.
Jodes, the problem is that her husband had conflicting interests. Because Terri’s wishes weren’t in writing, the spouse who’d abandoned her for another woman was allowed to make decisions, NOT the family who’d known her for a lifetime and who didn’t abandon her after her disability. If her husband wasn’t faithful to the marriage, am I supposed to believe he was faithful in the testimony he gave about her wishes? That’s a bit of stretch for me. But apparently it wasn’t for the court.
Even if you disagree with Michael Schiavo’s actions, I think it is unconscionable the way his opponents have demonized him. I don’t think it is anyone’s place to presume that his motivations are evil or that he did not love his wife. (I wouldn’t assume that because he became romantically involved with another woman years after his wife went into the hospital is relevant. It just shows that he is human, not that he loved his wife any less.)
Fine. Then divorce her and let her family take over, if you really want nothing to do with her anymore and have “moved on.”
Prochoicer, here’s some facts on MS if you’re interested.
http://www.terrisfight.org/pages.php?page_id=39
plus, you’re only going by Michael Schivo’s word. I wouldn’t trust that guy for a second, he probably put Terry in the coma..
I also don’t think, as a general matter, that it’s fair to assume that a woman’s parents know her better than her spouse. Parents have a way of projecting onto their children the beliefs and values and characteristics they WISH their children had. The relationship between parents and adult children is not generally as intense or intimate as that between husband and wife — even after just a few years of marriage. Also, we choose our spouses — we don’t chooose our parents.
I think the problem is, *you* seem to think that just because someone has moved on, and started a ‘new life’, that they don’t care about the other person anymore.
Micheal moved on with his life, as all people do over time. Should he have divorced her? Maybe. But, he didn’t, wish makes me think that he still cared for her and wanted what was best for her.
wow Fed Up, infomative link.
turns out Micael Schivo tried to terminate her way back in ’93 too….
Summer 93 – Michael Schiavo instructs Terri’s physician not to treat her UT infection that would ultimately lead to her death by sepsis. Nursing home intervenes, informing Schiavo that Florida laws do not permit him to withhold treatment.
1993, Spring – Subsequent to fallout, Michael Schiavo places DNR in Terri’s medical records, and instructs nursing home not to reveal any medical information regarding Terri to her family.
“The relationship between parents and adult children is not generally as intense or intimate as that between husband and wife — even after just a few years of marriage. Also, we choose our spouses — we don’t chooose our parents.”
Some other people who chose their spouses:
Phil Hartman
Nicole Brown Simpson
David Harris
Bri, I was responding to Fed Up’s observation that Ms. Schiavo’s parents had known her all her life. I don’t think the parental relationship or knowing someone her whole life is as important as Fed Up does. That’s all I was saying.
As someone who has dealt with domestic violence cases, I would never say that a spouses is always automatically trustworthy! But then again, I don’t think parents are automatically trustworthy either.
Jodes, he didn’t divorce her because he wanted her settlement money.
Lauren, speculation? or evidence?
Fed Up,
Thank you for the link. I had actually seen it already.
Here are my reactions to that:
1) I don’t pretend to be in a position to assess all the evidence heard by Judge Greer when he found Michael and his other witnesses to be credible.
2) The link is from a biased source and screams spin. But even with all the spin, it hardly makes a compelling case that Michael Schiavo is the anti-christ. It just has some out-of-context semantic quibbles with Michael Schiavo’s testimony, and inconsistencies in his recollection of the precise sequence of events. And some hearsay by an ex-girlfriend who never testified, whose comments are presented to us by Terri’s father, about something Michael said 10 years before in a context which is not made clear. Oh, the link also contains an unfounded implication that the Schindlers’ witnesses contradicted Schiavo’s witnesses, when it appears they merely said that Terri Schiavo had not expressed her wishes to them.
3) I am not really interested in re-trying the Schiavo case. My point is that you don’t know Michael’s motivations, and it seems cruel to demonize someone who has lost his wife.
Why can’t you just make the argument that we shouldn’t discontinue support without a living will? Why drag the poor husband through the mud?
Yeah, Jasper, curious timing. Having a new girlfriend prompts a husband to start taking his wife’s wishes into consideration?
I don’t think the parental relationship or knowing someone her whole life is as important as Fed Up does
Prochoicer, your point about the length of time you’ve known someone is well taken. I was bringing that up in the context of abandonment. In my mind they go together.
A spouse may well know his wife better than her own mother does. But if he leaves her for another woman, I’m going to give a lot of consideration to the view of the mother who may know her less well but didn’t abandon her.
You’re right that I don’t know MS motivations. His actions are all I can go by.
Why can’t you just make the argument that we shouldn’t discontinue support without a living will?
No argument there.
Why drag the poor husband through the mud?
I think he put himself in the mud when he didn’t end his marriage before starting a family elsewhere.
Jodes, look at the time line.
Lauren, I think it is still speculation. Afterall, in a divorse he would have gotten half the money anyways.
“My point is that you don’t know Michael’s motivations..”
Terry’s family does. I’ll trust them.
I trust the word of Terri’s family more than HIM.
A family that loved her and wanted to care for her during her remaining years, whether it was 3 years or 30 years.
Regardless of whether Terri Shiavo did or didn’t want to die, I expect that everyone who loved her would rather not have her referred to so disrespectfully. There’s a saying that tragedy plus time equals comedy, but insulting people who suffer neve really translates into comedy. “The Producers” was funny because it satirized Hitler, not because it satirized starving Jews dying in gas ovens.
Thank you, Marauder.
Good post, Maurader.
Jasper are you saying that then Senator Barrack Obama voted to intervene in the Schiavo case?
yor bro ken
Posted by: kbhvac at February 24, 2009 4:12 PM
Yes Ken..
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57488
Posted by: Jasper at February 24, 2009 4:14 PM
—————————————————–
Thanks Jasper. I was not doubting you. I just wanted to make sure I understood you correctly.
PBHO’s regret over doing the right thing one time reminds of this little tidbit:
‘Rest assured the devil can do a gentlemanly things.’ (But I had never considered he would publicly acknowledge doing of the deed and in retrospect his regret for doing it.)
But that is why he is called the great deceiver. his deception is so great he even deceives himelf.
yor bro ken
Deal Hudson? The Deal Hudson that was a philosophy Prof at Fordham in the 90s??
I’m a Fordhham alum and owned a limo service in the 90s in the city and gave the profs and alums special rates on the weekends you know how that goes. My my could I tell a few stories.
Posted by: Fredrick Schwartz at February 24, 2009 5:05 PM
——————————————————
Yes Fred I bet you could and it would be really enlightening if you included everyone involved, liberals and conservatives, theists and atheists alike.
I am not too interested in the lude details just the names of the adult individuals involved.
That would be enlightening for all of us.
But before you publish the tell all book make sure you have a good life insurance policy and let it be known that you have withheld the names of some of the highest profile individuals whose identities will be revealed if you die an untimely death.
yor bro ken
The tragic ending to the Terri Schiavo saga was a testament to multiple failures and breakdowns in our system. It is beyond our scope here to go into all of them, but there are two things that stand out: Judicial abuse and MSM distortion.
That Throwing Stone mag could find something humerous in the story is simply a logical spewing of the cesspool material in which they reside. Perhaps they could revisit the Holocaust and make light of that as well, and bring even more pain to the survivors and their families, that is if they have not done so already.
Judicial abuse plumbed new depths in this case because the courts found Michael Schiavo to be acting as a legal guardian in a role as “husband” when in fact he had been shacking up and fathering children with another woman for 10 years, and that Terri’s demise would translate into financial gain for Michael. These were conveniently overlooked by the court. And after Terri’s death, the court permitted the destruction of the remains post haste so as to prevent any chance of finding new evidence about what caused her initial, very mysterious collapse. A reading of Mark Furhman’s “Silent Witness” is a real eye opener as to what may have happened to cause that collapse.
The MSM also insisted on getting into the fray by giving major favorable play to the liberal, crackpot judge who issued the rulings. They then created the false perception that this was the goverment intervening in a private family decision, when in fact it was the thwarting of the legitimate attempts of Terry’s sibilings and parents seeking guardianship of Terry that made them turn to other legal means of redress. Leave it to the MSM to do what they do best: missrepresent and obfuscate the truth.
Finally, the legislative actions in Florida and the U.S. Congress, and the executive decisions of Jeb and George Bush constituted exemplary examples of concerned individuals doing all that they could to uphold the principle of the sacredness of innocent human life.
Terri Schiavo suffered about the most cruel injustice and death there is; being starved and dehydrated to death even as those who really loved her were prohibited from caring for her in her greatest time of need. May God have mercy on us.
Jerry,
As one who travelled to try and save Terri numerous times
during both of MS’ attempts to murder her, I very much
appreciate your cogent analysis.
The rants of those who pretend she wanted to be starved
and dehydrated to death are beyond nauseating!
Terri’s beautiful family were denied the right to love and
care for their beloved.
Florida’s evil trio will receive God’s perfect justice!
I pray it is in my lifetime.
That said, I do believe that President Bush and his brother
could/should have saved her.
Their failure to do so was a monumental travesty, for the Schindlers and America.
Photos of the massive police presence protecting the
Pinellas Park facility where Terri was murdered, are a chilling
reminder of the misguided police-state mentality that has usurped
our foundational and God-given constitutional rights.
Great post, Jerry.
I do believe that President Bush and his brother could/should have saved her.
Leslie, what legal remedies were available that they didn’t exercise? My memory must be getting fuzzy.
As one who travelled to try and save Terri numerous times
May God richly bless you for that :-)
“Thanks Jasper. I was not doubting you. I just wanted to make sure I understood you correctly.”
Ken, no problem, I didn’t think you were doubting me …
One of few decent votes Obama made and he mentions it as a major regret…….
Dear Frederick Schwartz,
Your last post was inflammatory. Absolutely come to discuss reasonably and your comments can stay. Minus the link to your blog. You know why.
Michael Schiavo was nice guy already.
Michael loves her his wife Terri so much that felt it neccessary to mention his Finance Joid in both of his parents obituaries.
It is unbelieveable that Michael had the guts and nerve to actually mention and honor Jodi in both of hs parents obits over Terri.
Posted by: Danielle at February 24, 2009 1:23 PM
Need I remind you that he won both elections. If you want to place blame you can hardly do so without implicating the entire nation. So sit back.
Oh, and any article or magazine that’s sole purpose is to humiliate someone is despicable in every way. And if you endorse that you are just as despicable.
The Obits
In 1997 Clara Schiavo, Michael Schiavo’s mom died. Her obituary is shown below:
Clara M. Schiavo
Former Levittown Resident
Clara M. Schiavo (nee Henkell), passed away Wednesday, July 2, 1997. For the past five years she was a resident of Seminole, Fla., living formerly for 30 years in Junewood, Levittown. She was the assistant personnel manager for the Gimble Department Store, formerly located in the Oxford Valley Mall, for ten years. She was a member of Hope Lutheran Church in Levitttown for 30 years. She was the beloved wife of William F. and the devoted mother of William F. Jr. and his wife Joan of Mayfair, Stephen O. and his wife Pamela of Fairless Hills, Brian J. and his wife Donna of Newtown, Scott E. and his wife Karen of Indiana and Michael R. and his fianc? Jodi of Fla. She was the dear grandmother of William J., Aleen C., Steven G., Kelly M., Scott R., Lisa M. Thomas M. and Ryan A. She is also survived by her sister, Joan May Enoch of Delran, NJ. Relatives and friends are invited to her viewing Mon., 10:30 a.m. until noon and to her funeral service at noon in the Campbell & Thomas Funeral Home, 905 Second St. Pike (at Old Bustleton Pike), Richboro. Her interment will take place in Sunset Memorial Park.
You will see that Terri Schiavo is not mentioned in the obituary. Jodi Centonze is mentioned instead as Michael’s fiancee. Michael claims his dad wrote this obituary and her knew nothing about it until later. But I do not believe Michael! I think Michael knew exactly that Terri wasn’t going to be in the obituary but had his father write it up to get him off the hook. I believe it was a convert attempt by Michael to announce his engagement to Jodi to his family and friends. Michael couldn’t make an official announcement since he was still legally married to Terri, so Michael used the obituary knowing it would be read by family and friends. Michael had his dad write up so Michael could deny everything.
This seems quite logical when one looks at Michael’s dad’s obituary in 2002, 5 years later and sees that Terri is still not mentioned. Michael was the primary trustee and executor of his dad’s estate and inherited over $30,000 when his dad died. The dad’s obituary is shown below:
Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) and Philadelphia Daily News (PA) – April 18, 2002
Deceased Name: William F. Schiavo Sr.
PA United States SCHIAVO WILLIAM F. SCHIAVO, SR., April 15, 2002. For the past 10 years he was a resident of Seminole, FL, living formerly for 30 years in Junewood, Levittown. Engineer Associate at AT&T for 35 years and was a member of Hope Lutheran Church in Levittown for 30 years. Beloved husband of the late Clara M. Schiavo (nee Henkell), devoted father of William F. Jr. and his wife Joan of Mayfair, Stephen G. of Fairless Hills, Brian J. and his wife Donna of FL, Scott E. and wife Karen of Levittown and Michael R. and his fiancee Jodi of FL. Loving grandfather of Margaret M., William J., Aleen C., Steven G., Kelly M., Scott R., Lisa M., Thomas M. and Ryan A.; also survived by his sister Helen Hillman and brother Richard Schiavo. Relatives and friends are invited to his service Sat. April 20, at Hope Lutheran Church in Levittown, 2600 Haines Rd., cor of Haines Rd. and Millcreek Pkwy at 9 A.M. Interment Sunset Memorial Park.
Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) and Philadelphia Daily News (PA)
Date: April 18, 2002
Record Number: 298823
Copyright (c) 2002 The Philadelphia Inquirer
You still see Jodi listed instead of Terri. Many have claimed that this was an oversight as the obituaries are virtually identical in structure and that is was a simple copy and paste the funeral home did.
This not entirely true as one can see the obituary has been updated to reflect new information. Observe:
1997 – Stephen O. and his wife Pamela are mentioned but in 2002 Pamela is left off. Stephen’s middle initial is also changed to G.
1997- Brian and his Donna lived in Newtown, but in 2002 it was changed to FL.
1997 – Scott and Karen lived in Indiana but in 2002 that had changed to Levittown.
It seemed that the funeral home did go out and seek new information to update the obituary and yet Terri was never mentioned in either one.
What a kind and loving husband Michael Schiavo was to mention Jodi over Terri in both obituaries.
If what Michael Schiavo says is true, how come Michael didn’t approach his dad on this. I don’t if he did or not, but it would seem he would have been rather pissed off had his dad had mentioned Jodi over his own wife. The fact that this was never fixed leads me to believe that Michael Schiavo was not bothered one bit about Jodi being mentioned instead of Terri.
Need I remind you that he won both elections. If you want to place blame you can hardly do so without implicating the entire nation. So sit back.
…
Posted by: Kristen at February 25, 2009 8:01 AM
I assume that this attitude will prevent you and others from placing blame on President Obama for what he does in office.
Obama is a usurper and not eligible ot be POTUS. He will hopefully be booted out soon enough.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=89837
Soldier doubts eligibility, defies president’s orders
‘As an officer, my sworn oath to support and defend our Constitution requires this’
A U.S. soldier on active duty in Iraq has called President Obama an “impostor” in a statement in which he affirmed plans to join as plaintiff in a challenge to Obama’s eligibility to be commander in chief.
As an active-duty officer in the United States Army, I have grave concerns about the constitutional eligibility of Barack Hussein Obama to hold the office of president of the United States,” wrote Scott Easterling in a “to-whom-it-may-concern ” letter.
Obama “has absolutely refused to provide to the American public his original birth certificate, as well as other documents which may prove or disprove his eligibility,” Easterling wrote. “In fact, he has fought every attempt made by concerned citizens in their effort to force him to do so.”
—-
I hope more active duty Military follow Scott.
Scott is a Patriot!!!!
We need more military persons like Scott to boot Obama the Usurper out of office.
Anon,
Please pick a name other than anonymous. :) Thank you.
Recent information on Obama, the Usurper
Michael Savage – “CNN Trying to Cover Up Obama Birth Certificate Controversy”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxnzlYAtqRQ
CHANGE AND WHAT’S COMING!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91nlwUR2t2c
Evne our Generals are gravely concerned about Obama:
I agree to be a plaintiff in the legal action to be filed by Orly Taitz, Esq. in a PETITION FOR A DECLARATORY JUDGEMENT THAT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA IS NOT QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT of the U.S., nor TO BE COMMANDER IN CHIEF of the U.S. ARMED FORCES, in that I am or was a sworn member of the U.S. military (subject to recall), and therefore when serving as an active member of the military, I would be unable to follow any orders given by a Constitutionally unqualified Commander In Chief, since by doing so I would be subject to charges of aiding and abetting fraud and committing acts of treason.
TYPED NAME or Signature: Carroll D. Childers
FULL NAME: Carroll Dean Childers
POSITION IN THE MILITARY/RANK/DATES SERVED/STATUS: Retired as Major General Commanding General 29TH Infantry Division VA ARNG 1999, 44 years service
OCCUPATION: Consultant Registered Professional Engineer
ACHIEVEMENTS: Retired 38 Yrs DON Civil Service, RDT&E, several patents, 14 months in combat zones as science advisor (Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Operation Desert Storm), Oldest DHG of a Ranger Course (42), retired MG, married 50+ years, still ticking and kicking
I can present a long list of reasons, taken individually, which convinced me NOT to vote for Barack Hussein Obama; his crime associates in the USA, his lack of experience, the mystery of his citizenship, his promise to make coal power industry bankrupt through excessive regulations, his constant adjustment of position on issues, his tax plan, his spread the wealth admission, his obvious socialistic goals, his associations with foreign leaders unfriendly to the USA, the lies he tells about a range of subjects including perhaps who his biological father really is, his most recent revelation of having a “National Security Force” (whatever that is)……………all of these says he is a person of mystery, of no integrity, and in fact paints him with the same narcissist paint of Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, and Kim Jong Ill.
But then, there is a simple more direct, easier to understand reason that I did not vote for him and that is his lack of respect for the country that is giving him the opportunity to run for the highest office in the land……..even though I personally think he is not constitutionally eligible.
But more than 50% of America voted for this charlatan and he now has the helm of the ship of state. Even so, he is not MY President. I will not refer to him as such. I will call him Resident Obama, and an illegal resident of the white house at that. I resent him for what he is not. He has not given proof that he is a natural born citizen of these United States. He has spent millions of dollars protecting the truth of his birth from public knowledge; therefore, it is obvious he has something to hide. He is an interloper, a usurper, a fake, a scam artist, a Chicago crook, a recipient of bribes and gratuitous income for which he paid no tax, a socialist (perhaps only a communist or Marxist), and a grave danger to the future of the America that I love and have protected since I was 17 years old.
I have told my two senators and my member of the House of Representatives. I have written 9 justices of the Supreme Court as well as President Bush before he left office. NONE have responded, therefore, they are all complicit and should all be severely punished for having failed in their sworn oath to protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The instant Obamb was sworn in, he violated the oath he took because he took the office knowing he is ineligible and there stood Judge Roberts who should have immediately had Obama arrested and deported.
Other than this, my key short-term complaint is that he has not had a heart attack in office. But most important, what I really want is the truth; is Obama a natural born citizen of the United States. If not a natural born citizen, America has been defrauded and then we would be stuck with Joe Biden whose only redeeming attribute is that he is probably not a communist.
Carroll D. Childers P.E.
Major General (Retired)
Posted by: Hal at February 25, 2009 9:33 AM
I haven’t blamed Obama for anything. Congress is a different story.
Here’s something we can hopefully all agree on- the importance of making a living will!!! State your wishes legally so there is no confusion about your final wishes!!
Regardless of how one feels about former President Bush, it is in poor taste to use this issue to mock him. It isn’t as if the left doesn’t have plenty of other issues they feel justified in mocking him about, why drag this poor woman’s family through more pain?
If anything I hope more people realize the importance of having proper legal papers in place regarding medical wishes in the event they become incapable of speaking for themselves.
As for the person who says we euthanize animals? Okay, true. But we don’t do it by starving them to death.
I hope more active duty Military follow Scott.
Scott is a Patriot!!!!
We need more military persons like Scott to boot Obama the Usurper out of office.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 25, 2009 10:21 AM
Lt Scott may end up in the Brigg.
the husband in the story, who’s like this Mike Ditka-looking atheist guy who wants to starve his wife to death while he’s running around knocking up other chicks.
At least something they said is true…
Need I remind you that he won both elections. If you want to place blame you can hardly do so without implicating the entire nation. So sit back. Oh, and any article or magazine that’s sole purpose is to humiliate someone is despicable in every way. And if you endorse that you are just as despicable.
Posted by: Kristen at February 25, 2009 8:01 AM
-Trust me, Kristen, I spent many a day shaking my head, dumbfounded at the decision the country made the 2nd time around to re-elect Bush. The blame is far and wide. However he was the leader who executed it.
And, nice to know that you can’t have an adult debate without lowering yourself to personal attacks and name calling. I’ll remember that the next time you attempt to engage me in a discussion.
One who respects his wife’s stated wishes.
Posted by: Prochoicer at February 24, 2009 5:48 PM
I’m just guessing here but I’m pretty sure that Terri didn’t say it’s okay to starve and dehydrate her.
And, nice to know that you can’t have an adult debate without lowering yourself to personal attacks and name calling. I’ll remember that the next time you attempt to engage me in a discussion.
Posted by: Danielle at February 25, 2009 1:30 PM
What? Does the truth hurt you? It’s a despicable article in which you find nothing wrong. I don’t think that’s name calling it’s simply noting a part of your character.
What? Does the truth hurt you? It’s a despicable article in which you find nothing wrong. I don’t think that’s name calling it’s simply noting a part of your character.
Posted by: Kristen at February 25, 2009 2:26 PM
-Further proving my point.
Thanks, but I’m shelving this conversation for now. I have no desire to defend my character or justify my position to you. Have a good evening.
I thought it was good satyr and captured the absurdity of the Bush administration perfectly. The bit about Terri Schiavo…well how could Terri Schiavo NOT be mentioned in this context? It was a perfect example of the calloused polarization of anything which Karl Rove, Bush (Jeb as well), and some others could use to divide our country and inflame a small vocal minority. This wasn’t disrespectful of Terri’s memory at all, it was about the way Bush/Rove/Jeb cabal used Terri for political gain, that‘s the ultimate disrespect.
I am a Momma of a child with a disability an it just makes me SICK when I see the mockery of this disabled woman and her family who loved her and just wanted to take care of her. We have ignorant people who say, “she would want to die, so yes, take her feeding tube out and kill her.” when she never said that.. anywhere! They demonize a famiily… A Momma who loved her! We approach Easter another year and all I can think of is Jesus dying on the cross when he also was killed without reason and saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” I rejoice that I KNOW that one day every knee shall bow and every toungue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. Then the truth about ALL things will finally be known. For some, it will be too late. Forgive us indeed!
As proof that good can come from evil, at least this example is so sickening it may well be the tipping point for many to wake up and see that the Culture of Death is very real, and becoming more dangerous all the time. The constant despair that the writers of this are living in is all too apparent. Imagine being unable to love or respect anyone or anything. Usually I find it hard to pray for our enemies, but not in this case. Their desperation is screaming from that page.
We have sunk to such depravity in America, the country that used to stand for all that was good and right and worthy and true.
God help us…
On a different but oddly similar note> I found this last night while researching:
http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/01/taking-chance.php
The review is pitiful and narcissistic, the responses eloquent – including several from Chance’s Mom. It rather restored my faith in the American people – at least those who value life and liberty, two inherent rights of which our dear Terri was deprived.
Another link to review and consider for action: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=90055
We MUST start letting our representatives know where we stand. We MUST no longer be the “silent majority”…
See you there!!!
And may God continue bless the Schindler family. God is righteous. He will not be mocked without consequences. Let’s keep our focus on our Lord Jesus Christ and continue moving forward.
I can not describe what it was like to hear the ache in my friend Bobby Schindler’s voice as we talked the day that Barack Obama said that his biggest mistake since he had been in the Senate was to support the legislation that would have saved Terri’s life. There are no words…
I devoted an entire chapter to Terri and the horrible effect her death had on our soldiers as well as the Iraqis in my book, A Ballad for Baghdad: An Ex Hippie Chick Viet Nam War Protester’s Three Years in Iraq. Trust me, if our soldiers could have found any way to commandeer a Blackhawk, they would have rescued her and taken her back to Baghdad where she would have been safer than here.
We actually lost Iraqis, possibly back to the insurgency, over what we did to Terri. They were looking to us for leadership and we gave them the Death Culture. Starving and deyhydrating people is the kind of thing Saddam did, let alone Hitler. God help us, because we are going to need it…
How disgraceful.This is the lowest of the low from Rolling Stone.
Wow. Just wow.
I’m not easily offended but that was egregious. Fark Rolling Stone. They used to be a decent rag but now they’re pathetic. They don’t even report on real musicians anymore. And making fun of a dead woman is cheap, horrible and repugnant.
Seriously. Fark Rolling Stone.
re: I thought it was good satyr and captured the absurdity of the Bush administration perfectly. The bit about Terri Schiavo…well how could Terri Schiavo NOT be mentioned in this context? It was a perfect example of the calloused polarization of anything which Karl Rove, Bush (Jeb as well), and some others could use to divide our country and inflame a small vocal minority. This wasn’t disrespectful of Terri’s memory at all, it was about the way Bush/Rove/Jeb cabal used Terri for political gain, that‘s the ultimate disrespect.
Posted by: Warren at February 25, 2009 9:08 PM
*** ***
Warren – “The ultimate disrespect”? Can you see how absolutely absurd that is? One judge, who never personally took the time to meet her, condemned her to death.
Perhaps you should review the facts before making sweeping statements.
Count me among the “small vocal minority” then, if you insist on a division… I would cherish standing next to the Schindlers and Ms Stanek, and the other posters of like-mind on this list.
Kind of makes me mad. Makes think about rolling “Rolling Stone”, but the Lord says revenge belongs to Him. He knows and sees and hears all – some day they will answer to Him for this outrage. Hope they’ve repented before that day. These buzzards don’t seem to get it – they think this thing we Christians have about protecting the disabled and dying is only a matter of our belief system exclusively. Meaning – the rest of the world can pretty much believe as it wishes. It isn’t. As many of the bishops and many popes have taught, the teaching of the Church is merely an expression of how the human world really is.
There are just two forces in this world. Good and Evil, God and the devil. God is the giver of life, the devil is the taker of life. If you are for abortion you are of the devil. If you were for starving Terri to death you are the devils advocate.
i feel for the family of Terri. i can’t imagine what they and she went through at the last.
rolling stone is irrelevant.
president bush is irrelevant.
may God have mercy on the soul of Terri and grant her peace.
“One judge, who never personally took the time to meet her, condemned her to death.”
As I recall,that judge’s decision was upheld by many others.
Sick.
May God have mercy on our nation.
I wish that all of you who think it was okay for Terri to be starved and dehydrated to death would try to go without food and water (especially water) for even one day. It is pure agony. In order to have a better understanding of what she was going through, I tried it, and could not even make it through one day without water. And she endured it for fourteen days!!! Removal of food and water is not “death with dignity”, it is torture. Please don’t try to say that she was unaware and therefore did not suffer. The fact is, we will never know for sure how aware or unaware she was. People speak of having been in a state of complete unresponsiveness (and Terri was a little bit responsive), and yet aware of all that was happening around them with all five of their senses. One woman relates that, aware but unable to communicate in any way, her feeding tune was taken away for six days — inside, she was screaming, “Give me water!”, but could not give any outward sign of that. As I said when I began this post: Those who think it was okay to take away Terri’s feeding tube should go without food and water for awhile, and they may think differently. That should not be done to anyone, no matter how “unaware” we think they are. And by the way, the government got involved at the moment when Michael took the case to court to have her feeding tube removed. Terri’s parents and siblings simply used all means available to try to have Greer’s decision overturned. If anyone here had been in their situation, would you have simply taken an estranged husband’s word for it that your beloved daughter/ sister had said she would want to die? I know I would have fought to save her life.
As for the Rolling Stone satirical piece, it was way beyond tasteless to refer to Terri in such breathtakingly derogatory terms, even if it was supposed to be Bush and Rove talking. (As if they thought it would score them political points to get involved?! – that position is flawed to begin with.) I am not particularly a fan of George W. Bush, and I find some of the vast pool of satirical writings about him humorous, but that piece is just astoundingly unfunny.
If I were related to Terri, I’d never refer to her as “Schiavo.”
And, a tasteless writing? I’m seeing it more and more..everyone thinks they can write. Many could write for Screwtape, and often do.
Regardless of the politics, the death of Terri should be a sober wake up call to the value of human life these days. We have a reverse in the funding of abortion, once more saying it’s ok to kill babies because “they are just tissue”, we see more reports of individuals being denied sustanance supposedly based upon the idea of “that’s what (s)he said (s)he wanted” or the financial aspect of the situation being used as justification. In the direction we are currently going, the unemployed should expect any day now interventions by our lovely government to start killing then because we all know, “I’m unemployed, I don’t want to live this way..”
Might seem ridiculous to some, but the fact is there is no value to live anymore beyond being a source of consumption and production. If you are producing then you have a place. If you can afford to consume, then you have a place. If you are disabled, unable to be “productive” or a “drain” on the economy, then you don’t have a place in this world-you deserve to die.
Welcome to the machine, the very one that was built in the name of “freedom” will end up chewing us all to bits.
All I can end with is “GOD have mercy on those of us who did try to make the difference for this young lady and others like her.”
Are we trying hard enough? Or has apathy totally overtaken this world?
Warren: “It was a perfect example of the calloused polarization of anything which Karl Rove, Bush (Jeb as well), and some others could use to divide our country and inflame a small vocal minority. This wasn’t disrespectful of Terri’s memory at all, it was about the way Bush/Rove/Jeb cabal used Terri for political gain, that‘s the ultimate disrespect.”
Huh, boy. I see so many twits making self-contradictory arguments such as these. Warren, pay attention: if those who wanted Terri not to be killed were such a “small minority,” then the Bush administration’s actions to spare her life could NOT HAVE BEEN TAKEN FOR POLITICAL GAIN. I see this with other issues, too. People claim that Bush is “out of touch with the American people” and that “Americans overwhelmingly disagree.” When asked why he still did x, y, and z, the same people will say, “Why, for political reasons, of course,” stupidly missing that selling out to such a “minority” doesn’t make mathematical sense.
Life is a gift from God and it is up to God when it should end. Why this material would be something to mock is beyond my imagination, thank you GOD
How fast we as a nation have descended into the pit of devaluing human life! With the lie of evolution, thinking we have come from “goo” with no purposeful meaning, only accidents and mutations (that have NEVER created something better) causing one specie to change to another, we have decided life means nothing and can be ended at the whim of the powerful. What happened to precious Terri was like burying her alive. It would NEVER have been allowed for someone to leave a DOG to die that way. They would be put in jail to treat an animal to such a slow, torturous, excruciating death. But we as a nation watched helplessly as Terri was cruelly required to go through this agony. I don’t know how her family lived through it! I cried daily and prayed daily for her as she endured for so many days. I kept praying that God would step in and relieve her from having to suffer so. I pray that as she was expiring outwardly, her “inner man” was “being renewed day by day.” II Corinthians 4:16 If we place no value on human life, then what is your life worth? What DO we value, and what does that say about us?
The callousness shown by the Rolling Stones publishers and those who defend them makes me shudder in holy fear for their souls.They are no friends of God and obviously not heaven bound.
God have mercy on them, though my prayer is that God deliver us from their evil by any means necessary.
dina
Terri was starved to death by a despicable flake of a breathing jerk. He already had another woman, and could have let her parents take her home. He wouldn’t of had the responsibility of taking care of her. But instead used a power trip that I hope he burns in hell for, to drag this horrible story out and torture someone who he most likely caused the injuries in the first place. Rolling Stone should be pulled from the shelves. The dumbass that wrote the article might end up in her same condition some day, which would be deserving.
you have to consider the source though – it is rolling stones, and it is not even a real interview. I think one of the most misunderstood things about Terri is the fact that she was not using extraordinary care to extend her life. Most people do not realize it was all about food and water. I take a more quiet approach to setting people straight about this argument. I just inform people of the situation that was really being debated and then they can make up their own minds.
I am for extending people’s lives with food and water – when they do not have the ability to make the decision (for whatever reason). But the media at the time did not have the facts straight and because of that they still don’t have them straight.
Most people do not understand why you would want to let your loved one live in a state that is not ‘normal.’ It is hard to explain ‘unnecessary’ suffering to people who already do not see the value in keeping people around who are not ‘normal.’
What do we do about it then? I think we should inform people of the truth – people are being forced to starve and go thirsty. And we should try to get laws in place that allow us to make medical decision plans so that when we are not able to make those decisions those who are will honor our wishes (be it medical community or our family). If we want to do something about what happened to Terri we have to get laws passed and information set straight. And not all people are going to understand – but they do not need to really. They just need to agree that patients should have the right to make choices about their care.
When I see comments by persons such as that Rolling stone article I think those comments can only have been made by a person animated by satan.
A soul who likely is living a life damned, a life
of sheer spiritual and moral misery with all the associated sufferings and consequences.
Then I remember that Terry could always see the light, focus on the light, and now enjoying
the eternal reward…
I pray to be like her.
I pray for the souls of the damned, the author of the article, and others who truly don’t realize that their lives have been made
a mockery by satan.
How fortunate is the family of Terry
awaiting Jesus and dwelling on His glory, knowing eternal joy is forthcoming through His divine mercy.
“Warren, pay attention: if those who wanted Terri not to be killed were such a “small minority,” then the Bush administration’s actions to spare her life could NOT HAVE BEEN TAKEN FOR POLITICAL GAIN.”
They were simply mistaken. They thought they were successfully pandering on this issue, when in fact there was a huge backlash that was the beginning of the end for the Repubs.
Hal, let me know if you in any way injure your back while performing the logical gymnastics you’re attempting there.
All along it has been my opinion that what happened to Terry was judicial murder and nothing will ever change my mind about this! All Terry’s loving parents ever wanted to do (at their own expense) was to take care of Terry. Obviously, Michael had his own personal financial agenda in denying Terry’s parents their wishes to take care of Terry. This case was such an abuse of the justice system. “Jerry” is right on target.
Whether people realize it or not, you are precious in the eyes of God whether you do anything/work/ or not. Just being yourself makes your life worthwhile. Terri Schiavo was not sick as some folks would have you believe and she wasn’t a “vegatable” either!
I’m glad that our 43rd president, George H. Bush, did his best to help her live. Had he signed an executive order, she might either still be here or she would have gone nataurally which is the way we’re all supposed to go.
Clearly this is the about the contempt and morally bankrupt mind set of the Bush Administration and Republican operatives and it’s/their willingness to use every advantage for political gain. Get a clue! Their ‘used’ the likes of you All. Bush and his cadre are neither moral or religious. Some of you figured that out … Catch up. Their just leveraging the prejudiced, selfish, greedy and the afflicted.
George Bush is not the President of my country, so the politics do not concern me greatly. However, I do ask myself,If Bush was so bad, why didn’t America vote him out of office? Isn’t America supposed to be the example of democracy? When he no longer represents you, you’re supposed to vote him out.
When our Prime Minister started to lie to us we voted him OUT! He became only the second Prime Minister in our history to be voted out of his own electorate.
Of course that means you have to get involved and actively make your feelings known by voting.
How the “greatest democracy in the world” can claim to be so when its Government is elected by such a pitifully small percentage of voters is beyond me.
Do Americans realise that their Government affects all of the rest of the World don’t they?
Get involved and don’t let the rest of us suffer from your apathy! It’s not good enough just to whinge about the damage he did over eight years. You should never have left him there for that long.
And certainly it does not excuse the scurrilous abuse to the memory of Terry Sciavo by journalists who should know better. She had no say or choice in any of the proceedings whether or not you believe they were justified.
Regardless of whether you side with her husband or her family, it was not they who were ridiculed. It is clear that the journalist concerned who thought this constitutes humour has not a vestige of dignity nor compassion.
I wonder how many lawsuits he would face if Terry were still alive?