Meeting new 'old' friends

This weekend has been one of meeting new friends that I have known via internet for several years for the first time in-person.

I am in NY attending the Jews and the Church conference with David Moss, and many others I have met on the AHC yahoo discussion group, such as Ronda Chervin, Roy Shoeman, Mark Grogin, Ariela, Athol (ofAustralia), Jacov ben jacov IV, Nona, and so many others. And I have to say, that each is just as nice and interesting in person as they are online.

At a time when discussion is going on in the Church about relationship between Jews and the Church, it was nice to learn from 'our elder brothers/sisters'. When so many are realizing just who Jesus Christ is (not was) and coming home to the Church, hearing the stories and testimonies of my friends over the years has taught me a lot.

Each of them is in love with the Church that they are members of, and many have written books that are available online. Announcements of the next conference was made, and hopefully, I will be able to meet even more of these friends in Florida in January, 2006. There will be others elsewhere in the US in the future, just as there was one held in Dec, 2004 in DC.

And someday... perhaps the Conference will be held in Jerusalem....

God bless all of you!

Fla. House Passes Bill to Keep Schiavo Alive

LET'S KEEP PRAYING!!

Fla. House Passes Bill to Keep Schiavo Alive
Thursday, March 17, 2005
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The state House passed a bill Thursday that could keep Terri Schiavo (search) alive, less than 24 hours before the severely brain-damaged woman's feeding tube is scheduled to be removed.
The Senate began debating a more limited version of the bill as lawmakers rushed to beat the scheduled removal of Schiavo's feeding tube.
The legislative action was part of a last-minute flurry of attempts to save Schiavo's life. Congress was also considering legislation to move the case to the federal courts, Schiavo's parents appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Florida Circuit Court Judge George Greer (search) scheduled a hearing Thursday to consider a request from the state to halt the removal of the tube.
The House bill would block the withholding of food and water from patients in a persistent vegetative state who didn't leave specific instructions refusing the artificial measure. It passed 78-37."This provides a safety net where the government stands up for the vulnerable who don't otherwise have a voice," said Republican Rep. Kevin Ambler (search).
Gov. Jeb Bush has strongly urged the Legislature to pass a bill that would save Schiavo, as it did in 2003. That law allowed Bush to order doctors to restore Schiavo's feeding tube six days after it had been removed. The law was later declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court.
"We have a responsibility to act, to deal with this issue," Bush said. "It breaks my heart we're in a situation where it's possible this woman could starve to death."
The Senate bill could also prevent Schiavo's death, but would only apply to cases where families disagreed on the patient's wishes.
Schiavo, 41, has been at the center of a long and bitter court battle between her parents and her husband, who wants to remove her feeding tube so she can die.
Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped temporarily, and court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, says she told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents disagree that was her wish and say she could improve with proper treatment.
Greer has granted Michael Schiavo permission to remove the feeding tube, a ruling a state appeals court upheld Wednesday. Without the feeding tube, Terri Schiavo would likely die in one to two weeks.
Late Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would delay removal of the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube by moving such a case to federal court. Federal judges have twice turned down efforts by the parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, to move the case out of Florida courts, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., urged his chamber to save Schiavo."If we don't act or if somebody does not act, a living person who has a level of consciousness, who is self-breathing will be starved to death here in the next two weeks," Frist said.
At the White House, press secretary Scott McClellan said the case raises "a lot of complex issues" and declined to comment on specific legislation. But he said Bush "stands on the side of defending life."
Also, Schiavo's parents filed an emergency motion at the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the removal of her feeding tube so lower courts can consider whether their daughter's religious freedom and due process rights have been violated.

Neurologist shocked by no MRI or PET exam for Terri

Rev. Robert Johansen's Killing Terri Schiavo is surrounded on this site by many other good articles about different aspects of this tragedy. Fr has part of Michael's OWN TESTIMONY in this article from the 1993 guardianship hearing.

But he also has a new article that is in the National Review, entitled
Starving for a Fair Diagnosis

He described a conversation with Dr. Peter Morin who questions why Michael is still guardian after refusing Terri a more definitive set of tests like the MRI and PET that would much more clearly give MD's information NEEDED to make a more definitive diagnosis.

Quote:
In the course of my conversation with Dr. Morin, he made reference to the standard use of MRI and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans to diagnose the extent of brain injuries. He seemed to assume that these had been done for Terri. I stopped him and told him that these tests have never been done for her; that Michael had refused them.

There was a moment of dead silence.

“That’s criminal,” he said, and then asked, in a tone of utter incredulity: “How can he continue as guardian? People are deliberating over this woman’s life and death and there’s been no MRI or PET?” He drew a reasonable conclusion: “These people [Michael Schiavo, George Felos, and Judge Greer] don’t want the information.”

Dr. Morin explained that he would feel obligated to obtain the information in these tests before making a diagnosis with life and death consequences. I told him that CT (Computer-Aided Tomography) scans had been done, and were partly the basis for the finding of PVS. The doctor retorted, “Spare no expense, eh?” I asked him to explain the comment; he said that a CT scan is a much less expensive test than an MRI, but it “only gives you a tenth of the information an MRI does.” He added, “A CT scan is useful only in pretty severe cases, such as trauma, and also during the few days after an anoxic (lack of oxygen) brain injury. It’s useful in an emergency-room setting. But if the question is ischemic injury [brain damage caused by lack of blood/oxygen to part of the brain] you want an MRI and PET. For subsequent evaluation of brain injury, the CT is pretty useless unless there has been a massive stroke.”

Other neurologists have concurred with Dr. Morin’s opinion. Dr. Thomas Zabiega, who trained at the University of Chicago, said, “Any neurologist who is objective would say ‘Yes’” to the question, “Should Terri be given an MRI?” End quote.

The entire article is very revealing, and explains why they cannot make and defend the diagnosis of PVS on just a CT scan, INCLUDING that there is no cerebral cortex ... being said more recently again on various media. Read it, and understand why "Almost 50 neurologists all say the same thing: Terri should be reevaluated, Terri should be reexamined, and there are grave doubts as to the accuracy of Terri’s diagnosis of PVS. All of these neurologists are board-certified; a number of them are fellows of the prestigious American Academy of Neurology; several are professors of neurology at major medical schools.

GO, WI's SENSENBRENNER and FL's WELDON!

Congress may intercede in Schiavo right-to-die case
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Republicans may try to pass legislation this week moving the final decision over Terri Schiavo’s life to federal court, a move they hope will delay the removal of her feeding tube on Friday.
House Judiciary chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Dave Weldon, R-Fla., introduced a bill Wednesday that would allow Schiavo’s parents to ask a federal judge to hear her case after the state appeals process is completed.
That judge would be limited to deciding whether withholding or withdrawing food, fluids or medical treatment from an incapacitated person violates the Constitution or U.S. law, according the legislation.
The measure is expected to be before the full House for approval by Thursday.
Congress is set to start its Easter recess Friday.

A "Painless" Death?

Quote:
Wesley J. Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and an attorney and consultant for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. His current book is the revised and updated "Forced Exit: The Slippery Slope From Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder."

Mr Smith, an expert in euthanasia issues, presents the facts on what Terri will suffer in his article "A 'Painless' Death?"

"When I conducted research on this question in preparation for writing my book "Forced Exit," I asked St. Louis neurologist William Burke these very questions.
Here is what he told me:
'A conscious [cognitively disabled] person would feel it just as you or I would.
They will go into seizures.
Their skin cracks, their tongue cracks, their lips crack.
They may have nosebleeds because of the drying of the mucus membranes,
and heaving and vomiting might ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining.
They feel the pangs of hunger and thirst.
Imagine going one day without a glass of water!
Death by dehydration takes ten to fourteen days. It is an extremely agonizing death.'

Symptoms of Dehydration Good description of what happens. And WHY they MEDICATE those they starve and dehydrate to death ... ever wonder why, if it is such an EASY death they need PAIN medications????

"Questions and Answers about "Artificial Feeding" EXCELLENT ARTICLE!!!

Terri Schiavo case portends an ominous future for America

Terri Schiavo case portends an ominous future for America
Chuck Baldwin
March 15, 2005

It is extremely difficult to believe, but it appears that the State of Florida will order a young woman to be slowly starved to death. I'm referring to Terri Schiavo, of course.

Very good article that raises points many of us wonder about regarding Church leaders and even the President...use the hyperlink on the title for the rest of the article. .

FOR TERRI SCHIAVO, DUE PROCESS DENIED

WELL SAID, MR. GAYNOR..................

FOR TERRI SCHIAVO, DUE PROCESS DENIED
By Michael J. Gaynor
MichNews.com
Mar 15, 2005

Due process is "a course of formal proceedings (as legal proceedings) carried out regularly and in accordance with established rules and principles."

The Bill of Rights was enacted to protect the people from abuse by government officials.

Including judges.
The Fifth Amendment mandates that "[n]o person shall be...deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law."

A disabled person whose spouse wants to starve her to death with judicial approval and then inherit from her is...a person.

With a God-given and unalienable right to life and a constitutional right to due process.

The Fourteenth Amendment mandates that "[n]o State shall...deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."

Terri Schiavo is a person.

Florida is a State.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that if an accused is in custody, he or she must be personally present at every stage of a trial where his or her substantive rights may be affected by the proceedings against him or her.

When Michael Schiavo went to court for permission to starve Terri Schiavo to death, did Judge Greer assure that Terri was personally present at every stage where her substantive rights may have been affected by the proceedings against him or her?

No.

At any stage?

No.

Did he ever visit Terri?

No.

Can the law in the United States really be that an innocent person for whom the spouse proposes to starvation to death has LESS right to due process than a person accused on the worst conceivable crimes?

Or has Terri Schiavo been deprived of due process?

Judge Greer says Terri has been treated fairly.

In Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Mr. Bumble crudely, but compellingly, dismissed such nonsense:

"If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, "the law is a ass — a idiot." Mr. Bumble was, understandably, very upset when he made this statement.

He had been accused of stealing jewelry.

After making sure that his wife had left the room, he had said: "It was all Mrs. Bumble."

And been advised by a lawyer: "that is no excuse."

Because:

"'You were present on the occasion…and, indeed, you are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of the law; for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction."

To which Mr. Bumble had replied:

"'If the law supposes that, the law is a ass — a idiot. If that's the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience — by experience."

The Sixth Amendment guarantees an accused the right "to have the Assistance of Counsel for his [or her] defence." Is a disabled person to be put to death entitled to less? Is a disabled person to be put to death at the instance of her spouse to be legally represented by that spouse in the proceeding brought for that purpose?

Even when that spouse will inherit from the disabled person? Even when that spouse already is living with another by whom he has had a couple of children? Is that faithless spouse really a suitable champion of the interests of the disabled person?

Or is there a conflict of interest so flagrant as to be obvious?

How asinine and idiotic has the law become?

------Email: GaynorMike@aol.com

Transcript: Michael Schiavo on 'Nightline'

Michael Schiavo and his attorney were on Nightline, talking again about Terri's 'wishes'. The transcript is available. He 'loves her'..... it is four pages.

That is why he will treat her as no animal would be treated. Starve her and dehydrate her til she dies. Don't ANYONE ever 'love me' that way. Until I am actually dying, and my body can no longer assimilate food and water, don't anyone ever tell anyone that it is for MY sake that you are killing me with such 'kindness'... remember my patient from the other night....

Lord have Mercy.

Cardinal von Galen, pray for Terri.


Another site, with a brief comment on the interview.....

Michael Schiavo attacks legislators 'Nightline' interview

Dunedin, Florida - The husband of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo attacked Florida legislators today, saying they were pandering to voters by trying to pass a bill that could prevent the removal of her feeding tube.

Michael Schiavo says Governor Jeb Bush and legislators stepped into his personal life and used the case to win votes. Schiavo made the comments during an interview with ABC News "Nightline" as lawmakers worked in Tallahassee to pass a bill that will prevent the feeding tube's removal, now set by a judge for Friday.

Bush's office did not return telephone calls on the subject late today.

Terry Schiavo, 41, has been at the center of a long and bitter court battle between her parents and her husband. He wants to remove her feeding tube so she can die -- he says by her wishes, made long ago.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

[Augusta Free Press] What about Terri Schiavo's rights?

This story was forwarded to you by Manila's Mail-This-Story feature: Story URL: http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$32516.

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Title: What about Terri Schiavo's rights?

By Crystal Graham, 3/13/2005; 10:42:19 PM.

Guest View

June Hughes

Special to /The Augusta Free Press*/

What is so inconceivable to me about the Terri Schiavo case is that Michael Schiavo would be charged with animal cruelty if he starved a dog to death, as would the judge in this case.

If it's not OK to starve an animal, how is it OK to starve this human?

Where are her victim's rights?

Why doesn't her husband turn her care over to the parents, who are more than willing to take up her care?

Why doesn't the judge look at the videos of this woman which clearly show her reacting to various stimuli? A vegetable couldn't react that way! In the videos, Terri clearly reacts to music, watches the track of a balloon, responds to questions, to requests, and struggles to avoid a swab being placed in her mouth. The expression in her eyes, on her face, are not, in the opinion of anyone I know who has viewed these videos, the expressions of someone in a permanent vegetative state.

Why doesn't the testimony of nurses, doctors and friends of Terri Schiavo count in this case? There are 17 new pleas from very upstanding physicians asking that Terri be given new tests to determine her true state. Some of these 17 doctors are experts in the field of brain-damaged/ and comatose patients. Several do not agree that Terri Schiavo's case is hopeless.

Clearly there have been some questions regarding possible abuse of this disabled woman by her husband. Court transcripts of statements made by Michael Schiavo under oath, statements by concerned nursing staff, as well as a police report of a call to a nursing home following one of Mr. Schiavo's visits with his wife, can be viewed on-line, but none count for anything that might save this woman? We've all read about elder abuse cases with less evidence than this holding up in court, so what is wrong here?

The parents filed for their daughter's divorce from Michael Schiavo, since he has announced his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, apparently the mother of two of his children. What would Terri do if she were able to act on her own? Might we assume she would file for divorce on the grounds of adultery? The motion was denied, of course, since her guardian (Michael Schiavo) would have to approve of the divorce.

Mr. Schiavo has denied Terri's parents the right to visit her time and time again. He has denied her right to communion from her priest. He has admittedly denied her right to rehabilitation, to having her teeth brushed, to getting antibiotic treatment for a possibly life-threatening infection, even, it is stated, to having her draperies open so she can at least look outside. He has a court order that Terri is not to be filmed. Many years ago, from the witness stand, he admitted to having her wedding rings made into a ring for himself.

Roughly half of the money awarded to Terri from a malpractice suit, money earmarked for her care, has been spent on Michael Schiavo's attorneys' fees, fees incurred from his struggle to end his wife's life by starvation and dehydration ... something no state would allow a person to do to a dog.

June Hughes resides in Mountain Home, N.C.

The views expressed by op-ed writers do not necessarily reflect those of management of The Augusta Free Press.

What do you think? Share your thoughts on this story at letters@augustafreepress.com.

(Published 03-14-05

mailto:letters@augustafreepress.com
http://www.augustafreepress.com/opinion.

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This is a Manila site: http://manila.userland.com/.

The Reality of Terri's "Merciful" Death....

Tonight, I worked. I cannot give a lot of details, and cannot give any identifying information here, but tonight one of my patients was on Tube feedings via a new G-tube after brain surgery.

This person has been NPO (for those who are not in the medical field, this means NOTHING BY MOUTH) for about two weeks, including ice chips.... nothing, zip, nada.

This person is alert enough to BEG for ice. Literally, beg. We did use sponge type swabs to swab the inside of the mouth and tongue, and generously and often, put ointment on the cracked, sore and bleeding lips. But all this person wanted was ice or water.

Later in the evening, we did get an order for ice chips from the MD. I took them to my patient and placed one in his/her mouth and the cup of ice was literally grabbed, held, and not relinquished.

Less than 20 min later, two CNA's came out of the room saying this person was 'scarfing down ice like there's no tomorrow.... where did it come from?' I told them of the order change while they were on break. They could not get this patient to give them the cup of ice... and they were amazed at the enjoyment of something so simple, something we take for granted.

This is the 'easy death' that Michael and Judge Greer want for Terri. BALONEY. This is CRUEL, and ABUSE to the max. In order for her to NOT feel the same this patient feels, they will need to 'medicate' her .... cruel, cruel, cruel. And Terri is NOT dying.

He had more humanity for her cats that he had euthanized.... God have mercy on his soul, and that of Judge Greer's and Attorney Felos. I hope that they never have to experience what they will put Terri through.

Terri deserves the further testing and to have swallow tests done in order to KNOW that she cannot swallow, etc. His order for no nutrition and hydration is simply outrageous. It is murder. Period.

Will Terri Again be Denied Communion?

I was angry about it last time. I have a very hard time believing that anyone could do this. But Judge Greer ... Father forgive him, he knows not what he does.

See Peter Vere's column on this topic. I am beyond words.

Strong plea from Vatican for Terri

Code: ZE05031306
Date: 2005-03-13
Vatican Appeals for Terri Schiavo's Life
Bishop Sgreccia Warns of "Serious Consequences"

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).-

Sidestepping its general rule to not intervene in specific cases, the Pontifical Academy for Life has appealed for American Terri Schiavo's life.

The brain-damaged Florida woman has been at the center of a long and bitter court battle between her parents, who want to keep her alive, and her husband, who wants to remove her feeding tube so she can die.

A court order requires removal of her feeding tube next Friday, which would deny the 41-year-old the basic nourishment she needs to live.

Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Academy for Life, in explaining why the Holy See is speaking out in favor of Schiavo, said Saturday on Vatican Radio that her "case goes beyond the individual situation because of its exemplary character and the importance that the media have rightly attributed to it."

"Silence in this case might be interpreted as approval, with consequences that would go well beyond the specific case," he said.

The bishop explained that Schiavo is not in a genuine vegetative state, but rather she "seems to be in a sort of subliminal vegetative state, at the limit of consciousness, which might be described as 'minimum consciousness state.'"

"Unfortunately, official medical examinations and expert assessments were not carried out on the patient to clarify her precise neurological state," he said.

"No decision on the life of a person should be made legally without these assessments and, whenever necessary, one should also proceed to carry out cross-examinations by several experts," the prelate added.

"From all worthy accounts, Schiavo may be considered a living human person, deprived of full consciousness, whose juridical rights must be recognized, respected, and defended," the president of the pontifical academy said.

"The removal of the gastric feeding tube from this person, in these conditions, may be considered direct euthanasia," said the bishop. Making the distinction between "ordinary" and "extraordinary" means to keep someone alive, Bishop Sgreccia said, "The gastric feeding tube cannot be regarded as an 'extraordinary' or as a therapeutic 'means.' It is an integral part of the modality in which Schiavo can be fed and hydrated."

"To prevent someone access to food and water, represents a way of killing that person," he said.

Regardless of secondary aspects of the case, Bishop Sgreccia says that he feels it to be the duty of his academy "to affirm that such a decision goes against Schiavo's rights as a person and, therefore, constitutes an abuse of the juridical authority."

"If such a decision was confirmed and leads to Terri Schiavo's death," he warned, "it would create a juridical precedent and would present euthanasia in reality as a right before the courts of the United States, with the serious consequences that can be easily imagined for the lives of many other more or less autonomous persons, in this country and elsewhere.

"For these reasons we regard as illicit the decision to remove the gastric feeding tube from Mrs. Terri Schiavo."

Favorite Other Bloggers and Websites

Favorite Other Bloggers and Websites

Because I have NO idea how to make a links section (I really did try, grin)...I will have a 'floating' post and change dates to add this section. Hope it works!

Fight4Terri
Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion
Thrown Back by --Fr. Rob Johansen
Catholic Ragemonkey
With Issue
ProLifeBlogs
Hyscience(Terri's blogburst)

Catholic Marriage Petition
Defending Holy Matrimony
Stolen Vows
Divorce Reform (a Lawyer) and his other site
Americans for Divorce Reform