I don’t think there’s really much to say today. Terri Schiavo, a woman without an advanced directive, was murdered by her estranged husband and the courts today. Her evil (sorry I call it like I see it) husband even disallowed her parents from being in the room this morning when she passed away-kicking them out 10 minutes before Terri took her last breath. The Schindlers pleaded with the Michael Schiavo, through the police, to be allowed to remain in the room as Terri was about to pass. But Michael told the police to threaten them with arrest if they didn’t leave and even had them escorted clear off the hospice property, not just out of Terri’s room. Less than 10 minutes later, it was reported that Terri had passed away. I’m sure not having her family with her when she died was really what was in the best interest of Terri. *sighs*

Terri hasn’t had food or water now for over 11 days and all I can say is that she has to have an amazing spirit to have lasted as long as she has. That alone should say something about this woman. If she dies (and it’s looking like no one is willing to come to this defenseless woman’s rescue) it seems Michael has heard enough outcry from the family and the public to agree to an autopsy. Originally it was feared that any abuse (broken bones, etc) might be covered up by cremation by Michael, but as of now (and lets face it, that could change) he has agreed to have an autopsy. He also finally gave into the communion request on Sunday. So either he realized that the Schindlers could have pushed the religious rights issue or he’s caving into public pressure. In either case, he finally agreed to give her the same rights someone on death row would have had. I suppose he expects the family and the public to be grateful now and forget about all of the years of abuse. Yeah it’s so easy to be magnanimous now, isn’t it Michael? Now that Terri almost for certain is going to die.

Tomorrow is Easter and time is running out for Terri. Terri has been starved now for over 8 days. You have to notice the irony of the timing and wonder if God is trying to send his people a message….this is what happens when we sit idly by and do nothing.

A favorite quote of mine:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke

What disturbs me most about the Terri Schindler case (sorry I won’t dignify the lowlife of her husband by mentioning her married name) is how jaded and myopic the American public has become on some issues. I will admit that I sometimes will jump to conclusions on certain sensitive subjects, but usually I try to research an issue on both sides so I make sure I am making the right decision. This is something that the press and the American public has avoided doing in this case. And because of this they are dooming a young woman to a horrific death by starvation.

First off Terri is not in a PVS (persistent vegetative state). A perfect description of this is the following except from www.terrisfight.org:

Terri’s behavior does not meet the medical or statutory definition of persistent vegetative state. Terri responds to stimuli, tries to communicate verbally, follows limited commands, laughs or cries in interaction with loved ones, physically distances herself from irritating or painful stimulation and watches loved ones as they move around her. None of these behaviors are simple reflexes and are, instead, voluntary and cognitive. Though Terri has limitations, she does interact purposefully with her environment.

Throughout this case her husband (and I use the term loosely) has refused efforts to have Terri rehabilitated. He has also continuously refuses efforts to have her attempt to manually process food by swallowing. A nurse that used to treat Terri at a hospice in Florida (and whose blog I will refer to later) has stated that she used to feed Terri via bottle and spoon with thick liquids and pudding without her husbands knowledge. When her husband found out he ordered it ended immediately. You see if she can eat without a feeding tube then this whole issue is moot isn’t it. On another occasion this nurse walked into Terri’s room, after her husband left, and noticed that Terri seemed off. She checked Terri’s vitals and noticed that she her blood sugar levels where at alarmingly low levels. Upon further review she found a vial of insulin that was hidden in a trash can in the room. She also found injections marks under her breast, arms, and near her groin. Of course the goal of this was to cause her to go into a coma where pulling life support would be easier. On several occasions several members of the hospice staff have overheard her husband asking “When is that bitch going to die”.

Unfortunately attempts to have Michael declared unfit as a guardian have failed, largely because of a biased judge in the Florida system who refuses to consider the fact that Michael is an unfit husband and guardian.

I can accept the arguments that there are cases where people would like to not see themselves hooked up to machines keeping them alive. I watched my grandmother slowly die from cancer, so I understand the emotional toll a long drawn out death can take on a family. The problem is food is not the same thing, ESPECIALLY when there have been no recent attempts to try to feed her without the tube due to a refusal from the husband to allow it. This fact has so infuriated people that many have been arrested just trying to deliver her water.

Again to get back to my point, there is a lack of understanding of this case by most people. This is mainly due a biased media who assumes every case like this is dealing with some brain dead person who is on a ventilator. But that doesn’t excuse Americans from their duty. The Constitution claims that our primary right that we are given by our creator is the right to life. In capital cases the argument is always made that we should side on the side of life as much as possible because a jury/judge could be incorrect in a judgment. Isn’t this woman allowed that right? She has no signed directive, just the word of her husband. Her parents are willing to take care of her and take guardianship over. And besides we’re not talking about your typical heroic means argument here. We’re talking about food. This woman can breathe on her own and take care of her other major bodily functions. We may not think that is a great standard for life, but who are we to judge who has the right to live in what state? When does the state have a right to allow a persons rights to be stolen from her. And where does it stop. What if we determine that certain disabilities do not allow a certain quality of life?

This case scares me because it’s silence on issues like this that led to much greater problems in other areas of the world in history. It also goes against our founding documents.

I also am ashamed I have not done more to help this young woman out. And just consider the ironies. This woman could have her suffering and eventual death during the same time period as Christ suffered on the cross while a unsympathetic public looked on.

The most heart breaking portion of this story is listed in the following blog entry. After reading that I have no words.

Attorney Barbara Weller’s Last Visit With Terri

A judge in Florida has rejected a petition by Govenor Bush to transfer custody of Terri Schiavo from Michael Schiavo to the state. *sighs*

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal by Terri’s parents. Some people are saying Gov. Jeb Bush may still be able to step in but that possibility is likely. Without a miracle, Michael Schiavo will succeed in murdering his wife. Something that many people feel he was trying to do to begin with that landed her in this situation anyway.

Terri has now been starved for almost 7 days…and somewhere I feel God is weeping…

A sentence to death and other headlines:

A federal judge on Tuesday refused to stop Terri Schiavo’s painful starvation death and allow doctors to reinsert the feeding tube that provides her with food and water. The judge said attorneys for Terri Schiavo’s parents had not demonstrated enough of a likelihood that they would succeed in winning their case.

Terri Schaivo’s parents have appealed a Tuesday morning ruling by a federal judge refusing to stop Terri’s painful starvation death. Attorneys for Bob and Mary Schindler have asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an immediate injunction allowing Terri’s feeding tube to be reinserted before she dies.

A former nurse for Terri Schiavo who treated the disabled woman in the mid 1990s says Terri would interact with her family and staff and would even say some words in an attempt to communicate.

Carla Sauer Iyer is a registered nurse who provided Terri with care at a convalescence home from April 1995 to August 1996 and told Fox News in an interview that Terri was alert and aware. “Her cognitive abilities including laughing, talking, letting you know she was in pain,” Iyer told FOX News. She said Terri could say words like “mommy,” “help me,” “hi” and “pain.”

To read the full stories go to Life News

Terri has been starved now for 4 days…..

WASHINGTON, March 19 /Christian Wire Service/ — Two-time Emmy winner and New York Times best-selling author Patricia Heaton pled for the life of Terri Schiavo today as Terri’s life-sustaining feeding tube was removed. Heaton serves as Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life of America.

“We must not let Terri Schiavo be starved to death,” said Heaton. “This deliberate and painful destruction of a woman’s life cannot be justified or tolerated. Terri deserves better.”

Fifteen years ago Terri’s husband Michael testified in the medical malpractice suit he filed: “I believe in the vows I took with my wife: through sickness and health, for richer or poor. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m going to do that.”

But after being awarded $800,000 for Terri’s rehabilitation and lifetime care and $640,000 for his loss, Michael had a do-not-resuscitate order placed on his wife’s chart and repeatedly denied her treatment for infections. He now lives with a woman by whom he has fathered children.

The star of Everybody Loves Raymond says she is outraged. “By his actions Michael Schiavo has demonstrated that he should not be the one making the ultimate life or death decisions for a woman who, only in legal terms, remains his wife. His belief that this was Terri’s wish counters the views of Terri’s family who, no doubt, know Terri well. Removal of a feeding tube will result in a slow starvation that is cruel and painful.”

“Feminists have always challenged the idea that married women have no rights of their own,” said Heaton. “A husband should not be granted absolute control over his wife’s fate, especially a disaffected husband with dubious motives.”

“Terri has parents whose unselfish desire is to simply love her, care for her and let her live. She is not in a comatose state and she is not suffering from terminal disease. Terri may no longer be perfect or complete but she has a fundamental right to life. Her feeding tube must be re-inserted.”

The starvation of Terri Schiavo will take at least seven to ten days.

Feminists for Life opposes the killing of a disabled woman under a so-called “right” to die. We believe there is no justification for the deliberate destruction of human life. FFL opposes all forms of violence, including euthanasia, as they are inconsistent with the core feminist principles of justice, nonviolence, and nondiscrimination.

Feminists for Life of America (www.feministsforlife.org) is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots, 501(c)3 organization that seeks real solutions to the challenges women face.

Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube has been removed.

LifeNews Article

Peggy Noonan: If Terri Schiavo is killed, Republicans will pay a political price.

Bills designed to protect Terri Schiavo head to the full Florida House and Senate after clearing their final committee hurdles in both chambers. If passed, the could prevent Terri’s estranged husband from starting a painful week-long starvation process that would ultimately kill her.

Committees in both chambers endorsed competing legislation on Tuesday.

“It is a statement of public policy that, in this culture, we don’t starve people to death,” said Rep. Dennis Baxley.

To read more about it to to LifeNews.

Well Richard gets rid of the pager tomorrow and it couldn’t have come one day later or else we both may have wanted to scream. It’s been a really bad week and a busy week. Richard has been awaken by the pager in the middle of the night for about 5 of the last 6 nights and right now Richard is working over to help resolve an issue. So I hope the moment he gets home and gets to sleep he doesn’t get paged. Shrapnel is busy, Richard job is busy, Right to Life stuff is busy…..basically EVERYTHING is busy right now and we NEED a break. Hopefully this weekend we can relax a little, but I tell ya I don’t have much confidence in that!

It was with tremendous surprise that we learned yesterday of the offer to save the life of our daughter, Terri Schiavo, by Mr. Robert Herring. We learned through news reports that Mr. Herring, through his attorney Gloria Allred, had offered a sum of one million dollars to Michael Schiavo to let Terri live and return her to us - her immediate family.

Written words can simply not express the gratitude our family now feels for Mr. Herring and his most generous offer to save the life of our dear daughter and sister, Terri Schiavo.

We are not at all surprised that Mr. Schiavo’s lawyer, George Felos, will not allow him to entertain such an offer. It seems to us that the case law has become far more important to Mr. Felos than making any attempt to mediate the matter outside of the courts.

It also seems clear to our family that Mr. Schiavo has neither the inclination to discuss the matter with our family – as we have proposed previiously – nor the desire to move on with his own life with his new fammily. After he has denied Terri therapy for so many years and denied our family any opportunity to help her, we can only come to the conclusion that he is not comfortable with the prospects of her regaining her abilities to speak and communicate to us the reasons for her condition.

Clearly, Terri’s situation has touched the hearts of many people. Mr. Herring’s generous offer is surely one of the most incredible we’ve seen, but it is also illustrative of how good people can not sit idle when a grave injustice such as this is taking place.

We thank Mr. Herring sincerely and we regret that the spirit of his charitable proposal has been dismissed out of hand by Mr. Felos and Mr. Schiavo.

A few developments about Terri Schiavo:

Judge Greer
Judge Greer has ruled that the Florida Department of Children and Families can’t investigate the thirty allegations of abuse and neglect it says have come at the hand of Terri’s estranged husband Michael. Greer claims that the request for investigation “appears to be brought for the purpose of circumventing the court’s final judgment … in violation of the separation of powers doctrine.”

On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge George Greer rejected two motions by Terri Schiavo’s parents. One asked that Terri be given neurological tests prior to her estranged husband Michael starving her to death and another sought to overturn Greer’s initial starvation order.

Congress introduces bill aimed at helping Terri and people like her

Rep. Dave Weldon and Senator Mel Martinez introduced companion measures in the House and Senate on Tuesday that would allow Terri Schiavo’s family to take their case to prevent her starvation death through the federal court system. “This legislation is about due process equal protection for disabled individuals like Terri Schiavo,” Martinez said. “It ensures Terri has the same federal legal protections as convicted murderers.” The bill would allow Terri’s parents to use a “writ of habeas corpus” to take the case out of the Florida state courts and to federal courts.

Michael Schiavo offered $1 million dollars not to kill Terri

Statement from Gloria Allred, Attorney-at-Law, Representing Robert Herring, Sr.:

We are here today to announce that our client, Robert Herring, Sr., is making an offer to Terri Schiavo’s husband, Michael Schiavo, which could save Terri’s life.

Terri Schiavo is currently in a coma in Florida. Michael Schiavo has asked the court for permission to disconnect her feeding tube, which would result in her death. Terri’s parents, Bob and Mary Schiavo, have opposed the request. After a long court battle the court has set March 18, 2005 for the removal of Terri’s feeding tube.

It now appears that the court process is ending, and that the legislative process has failed to stop the removal of the feeding tube.

This situation has deeply moved and distressed our client Mr. Herring who has been observing the case in the media, as millions of others have for about a year.

Mr. Herring is a successful, socially responsible entrepreneur who spent more than 30 years in the electronics industry as the founder and owner of HERCO Technology. In 2000, Mr. Herring sold HERCO Technology to a New York Stock Exchange listed firm.

In 2003, Mr. Herring founded WEALTHTV, a lifestyle and entertainment television channel. He is a supporter of and a believer in stem cell research and the medical breakthrough that are occurring in this area. He is married with 5 children and 19 grandchildren and lives in the San Diego area.

He recognizes that unless something is done immediately, Terri Schiavo is not likely to survive very long after March 18th. Knowing that time is of the essence and realizing that he is fortunate enough to be able to help, he has decided to take action.

He contacted me and retained my law firm to convey the following offer to Terri’s husband. If Mike Schiavo agrees to transfer the legal right to decide all of Terri’s current and future medical discussions to Terri’s parents, then Mr. Herring will pay Mr. Schiavo the amount of 1 million dollars (subject to court approval of Terri’s parents as her conservators or guardians).

The million dollars was deposited into my law firm’s client trust account yesterday and this morning we communicated this million dollar offer in writing to Mr. Schiavo’s attorney.

This offer will remain open until Monday, March 14, 2005 at 5:00 p.m.

Mr. Herring thinks there might be hope for Terri Schiavo and wonders why there is a rush to death, especially in view of the advances being made in medical research. He feels that he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t make this offer and he sincerely hopes that it will be accepted.

We commend Mr. Herring on his creative and decisive attempt to peacefully resolve this legal dispute over Terri.

We look forward to Mr. Schiavo’s response.

Click here to see the letter of confirmation of the $1M deposit from the National Bank of California

————————–
Statement from Robert Herring, Sr.:

I became interested in the Terri Schiavo story some two years ago, and have followed the ups and downs in this tragic situation closely. After viewing video of Terri on television, I came to the belief that there was hope for her. As events have proceeded in the legal battle, it became clear to me that if something was not done for Terri, that all hope for her would be lost.

It was at this point that I decided to take action to try and bring a positive resolution to a very distressing situation. I therefore have made an offer to Terri’s husband in the amount of $1,000,000 to relinquish his custodial rights to Terri’s parents in an effort to keep the hope for Terri alive.

I believe very strongly that there are medical advances happening around the globe that very shortly could have a positive impact on Terri’s condition. I have seen miraculous recoveries occur through the use of stem cells in patients suffering a variety of conditions.

I decided to contact Gloria Allred to assist me in keeping this hope for Terri alive due to her long history of protecting and being an advocate for those in need of help. I believe that by making this public offer it will encourage people around Mr. Michael Schiavo to help him with a decision that will be most beneficial to Terri. This is a decision that must be made immediately to keep Terri alive.

I have had no contact or association with either Mr. Michael Schiavo or Terri’s parents or family.
I am a neutral party as it relates to any dispute between them. I am not a medical expert, and do not have opinions on her specific condition. I am however aware that her condition, and potential for recovery is in dispute amongst learned medical professionals.

I am not affiliated or associated with any cause or organization. I am a private individual who is looking to bring hope to Terri’s family.

It appears that the court battles may be coming to an end. With a date of March 18th quickly approaching, and no other viable hope for Terri to be able to keep her feeding tube, I felt compelled to act.

Robert Herring
March 10, 2005

We’ve been through a minor crisis with our Cocker Spaniel, Jax, the last couple of days. He was in pain and having problems walking funny and stopped jumping up on the couch to snuggle up next to me. We finally got him into our vet this evening to find out that they think he has some acute disk problems in his back but it wasn’t bad enough to be able to pinpoint the region he is having problems in. So he received a steroid shot and I will be giving him steroids for the next couple of weeks to help reduce the inflammation.

Here comes the hard part though, for the next four weeks I have to try to keep him from jumping up on anything or being too active! This means making sure he doesn’t get in a fight with the cat (which they do all the time), not playing fetch with him (which is going to break his little puppy heart), not allowing him to go upstairs, not allowing him to jump up and sit with me (and if I pick him up to sit with me, I can’t allow him to jump back down), etc. This will not be an easy task! But I am relieved that at the moment it is nothing too serious as I have been a wreck the last couple of days. Jax is like our baby and it broke my heart to see him in so much pain.

Yep, you heard me right. A woman in Mansfield, OH has been arrested for not paying $.96 worth of city income tax in 2001. The city of Mansfield contacted Markeeta Gould for not filing a tax return in 2001. According to Gould, she called the city tax department and told them that she only made $55.00 that year as a nurse’s aide because of pregnancy difficulties and the woman she was talking to told her for that amount of money, not to worry about it.

When Gould reported a break in on the 19th of last month, the officer that came out to investigate the break in informed her that she had a warrant out for her arrest and the police arrested her in front of her children. She had to call her brother to get the kids and she had to bail bail herself out of jail. She pleaded innocent to the charges and a bench trial is set for March 15th.

Finance Director Sandra Converse said the city has a mandatory income tax return filing requirement for working-age residents — whether they earned income or not. “We don’t know what people owe if they do not file,” she said.

Individuals who did not work “can file a zero return, telling us that they made nothing, that they did not work,” Converse said.

“If they owe less than $3, of course they don’t have to pay anything. But they still have to file,” she said.

“I’m a mother and I’m a law abiding citizen. I paid my taxes every year before and I paid my taxes every year after,” she said. “With me getting arrested, I could lose my job.”

To read the full story: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050304/NEWS01/503040321/1002/NEWS17

I’m sure everyone in Mansfield really think this is the best way to use their tax dollars…to go after a mother for money she doesn’t even owe according to their own policy just because she didn’t file a form. Oh and don’t forget to arrest her in front of her kids. Yep, that’s really where I would want to live.

It’s been a very long weekend as we have been fighting with forum changes and upgrades for the last two days until we were blue in the face. We didn’t get to bed last night until 5am this morning and trust me, we were dragging today! But hopefully things will settle down soon and we will have another project marked off our list. The trick is marking off projects without adding new ones.

So tomorrow it’s back to work for Richard and I have a birthday party to go to for my niece after church. After I get home from that I have a feeling I may just pass out for a few hours! So maybe tomorrow evening I can update everyone on the latest developments in Terri’s fight as pro-lifers across the country are contacting their congressmen to encourage the passage of a new bill that might help save Terri’s life.

Well it’s finally the weekend! Unfortunately this is the calm before the storm as we have a million projects to work on this weekend and next week Richard gets the pager for his job. On a positive note though the snow has almost all melted, now hopefully we won’t get anymore for a while! I can’t wait to get out in the yard this spring and do some clean up work. We need to patch the lawn, do some weeding, and replace some flowers, but I am up for the landscaping challenge!

So that’s all for this evening, I am barely keeping my eyelids open until Richard gets home as our dog has woke us up several nights this week and it’s finally catching up with me. *yawn*

Long Island, NY (LifeNews.com) — Relatives of a slain Long Island woman say she was murdered because she refused to have an abortion. Susan Ambrosino was shot in the head last week and then shoved into a car trunk. The alleged killer, Steven Schiovone, was the father of Ambrosino’s unborn child.

Ambrosino’s brother, Anthony Napolitano, said at a news conference that Schiovone wanted Ambrosino to have an abortion, an idea that repulsed her.

Go to Life News for the rest of the story.

Judge Greer needs to be taken off the Terri Schiavo case, if not disbarred totally for obstructing justice. Greer recently denied several motions by Terri’s parents without even the due process of a hearing. Furthermore, Judge Greer has stated that he will only consider motions from Terri’s family as they relate to the death process, which include but are not limited to a motion to allow Terri Schiavo to die at home instead of a Hospice facility, a motion for a Florida burial, and a motion allowing her immediate family uninterrupted access to her throughout the death process.

Basically he’s refusing to hear anything that could pertain to Terri being kept alive for any reason.

I swear sometimes I think if Terri started feeding herself and talking, this ‘judge’ would tell her that she should starve to death anyway. It’s a very odd, almost obsessive fixation on being ‘right’ that this woman needs to die. So much so that he continuously refuses to hear anything that could refute the truth that Terri is not in a ‘persistent vegetative state’ and has been denied rehabilitation for years that could have possibly made this discussion about her not being able to feed herself a moot point a long time ago!

Recently the Florida Department of Children and Families have even petitioned the court to stay Terri’s starvation for 60 days while they look into new allegations of possible abuse and neglect. Did Judge Greer comply with the request from the STATE AGENCY? Well of course not! He simply postponed her starvation for 3 more weeks while Terri’s parents pursue some court options, but then HE IS REFUSING TO HEAR some of those same court options he granted the postponement for in the first place!

Judge Greer is denying the Schindlers due process of law and needs to be removed from this case before it’s too late for the Schindlers and too late for Terri.

Well I have been learning more about blogging and getting our blog as well as Shrapnel’s submitted to a ton of blog directories. When we first wanted to set up a blog we didn’t really have a chance to really understand everything we could do with our blog as it was the first blog we had ever set up (forum and portal sites are normally our specialty), but I am so glad we chose to do our personal site as a blog! It’s great to be able to catch everyone up on what’s going on in our lives and share with others our interests and what things we are passionate about. So I am sitting here learning more about the cool things we can do with our blog while looking out the window at the snow falling down.

OH HOW I WANT SPRING!

It rained and drizzled all day yesterday and in the evening turned to snow. Now don’t get me wrong, we haven’t had much snow yet, but at this point any snow is too much snow for me. I have cabin fever I guess and am longing for the ability to go for a walk and feel the warm sun beating down on my face and looking out my window right now makes me feel like that won’t happen for many weeks yet. So until then I am concentrating on the million projects Richard and I constantly have going on and praying winter is over soon.