Knitting a Conundrum

Facts on Terri Schaivo:
(borrowed from Straight Up With Sherri)


DON’T BE FOOLED! TERRI IS VERY MUCH ALIVE. SHE RESPONDS TO PEOPLE, TO VOICES, TO MUSIC, AND UNDERSTANDS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING TO HER. TERRI SHOWS REAL EMOTIONS. SHE IS ALIVE. THERE ARE NO MACHINES HELPING HER BREATH. NO MACHINES HELPING HER HEART BEAT. THERE IS NO “MODERN SCIENCE” INVOLVED IN HER HEALTH CARE. SHE IS SIMPLY GIVEN FOOD AND WATER, EVEN NEWBORNS NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE FEED THEM! HER HUSBAND AND THIS ACTIVIST JUDGE WON’T LET TERRI TRY AND SWALLOW. IF YOU READ HEIDI’S AFADAVIT, YOU WILL FIND OUT THAT TERRI CAN SWALLOW! TIME IS RUNNING OUT! THEY PLAN TO START STARVING TERRI ON TUESDAY! ACT NOW!


HERE ARE SOME MORE FACTS:

Go HERE to find an affidavit by Heidi Law, a nurse that cared for Terri.

Here is HB 0701, a bill that we are URGENTLY trying to get passed that will make it illegal for the state to STARVE TERRI TO DEATH!

From HyScience:

The life of Terri Schindler-Schiavo will hinge on the outcome of two dramatic hearings scheduled to unfold Monday, Feb. 21 in the Florida courtroom of Sixth Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer.

David Gibbs III of Seminole, Fl., attorney for Mary and Robert Schindler Sr., parents of the brain damaged woman, said Thursday that he will file a new motion Monday asking Greer to allow new medical tests for Terri based on the findings of a new brain imaging study published in the journal Neurology.

Gibbs said a hearing is also scheduled for Monday at 2:30 p.m. on the Schindlers’ motion to extend the stay of Greer’s 2000 court ordered judicial homicide which could remove Terri’s assisted feeding tube as early as Tuesday. Continue reading "Breaking News: NEW MEDICAL TESTS SOUGHT FOR TERRI SCHIAVO"

Following the press conference at the Woodside Hospice on Wednesday, Hyscience, ProLifeBlogs and Teknosis , in behalf of Blogs for Terri - interviewed Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother. Read the interview HERE.


EASY LINKS TO ACT NOW!!!!!:

Local Media: (Terri's Local Meida, Florida)St Pete Times President - timespresident@sptimes.com
Customer Service - Subscriptions - custserv@sptimes.com
Letters to the Editor - letters@sptimes.com
Mr. Bill Levesque, The St. Pete Times -- levesque@sptimes.com
Mr. Dave Sommer,
The Tampa Tribune -- mailto:dsommer@tampatrib.com

National Media:

Fox News- Comments@foxnews.com
On the Record with Greta- Ontherecord@foxnews.com
Mr. Sean Hannity - Hannity@foxnews.com
Mr. Bill O'Reilly, Fox News -- mailto:Oreilly@foxnews.com
World Net Daily -- news@worldnetdaily.com

Florida State Contacts:Governor Jeb Bush (R)Office of The GovernorFlorida Capitol Building, PL-05Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001(850) 488-7146(850) 488-4441mailto:488-4441jeb@jeb.org

Attorney General Charlie CristOffice of Attorney GeneralState of FloridaThe CapitolTallahassee, FL 32399-1050(850) 414-3990Fax: (850) 487-2564mailto:487-2564ag@oag.state.fl.us

State Attorney Bernie McCabe14250 49th Street NorthClearwater, FL 33762(727) 464-6221

Senator Bill Nelson (D)United States Courthouse Annex111 N. Adams St.Tallahassee, FL 32301(850) 942-8415Fax: (850) 942-8450or:524

Hart Senate Office Bldg.Washington, D.C. 20510(202) 224-5274 Click here to contact Senator Nelson

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

Meditation on the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery

How hard that final rise was,
Step by step up the hill,
how hard you had to cling to life,
how hard you had to cling to consciousness,
hard hard each breath,
each jarring step.
Even with Simeon carrying your cross,
the ground came swoop up,
and you tasted the dust,
felt the pavement one last time,
falling one last time
to panic the centurion
into thinking you would die
before they could kill you..

Only your burning love
burning like an eternal flame
echoing down the ages
stood you up that last time,
pushing away
the effects of shock,
and dehydration
and beating,
to crest the hill
for your final glorification.

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.

And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him.
But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, `Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, `Fall on us'; and to the hills, `Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

Luke 23:26-31



How thick the crowd must have seemed,
O Lady of Sorrows,
as you threaded your way
in that numbing timelessness
that comes with crisis,
each second seeming to last minutes,
your son,
your son,
his beautiful face,
swollen,
bleeding, battered,
breaking your heart.

How much you must have wanted to scream
NONONONONO!
Don't let this be today,
now,
at this moment,
ever,
even though you knew he was given to you
for just this purpose,
and the sword you felt
had been fortold long ago.

How hard it must have been
not to throw yourself at the guards,
to some how get them to stop,
to let him rest,
to give him a chance
to change his mind
and make this all a nightmare.

And yet, you merely told God
Your will be done,
and continued on,
giving all you had
until the end
and darkness fell.



In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion begins its slow journey along the Via Dolorosa. In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance.

The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock, until the 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha is finally completed.

From A Physician Testifies About the Crucifixion by Dr. C. Truman Davis

Lord,
Let me never take for granted the pain, the grief, the sorrow of what you did. Instead let me offer you the tears of my remorse, the sighs of my heart, and may I always know how much I am loved, now and forever.

Amen.

What is wrong with this statement?

And while I know some fine people who don't believe the fetus deserves human status, I know others, like me, who think a fetus is indeed a human life, though without rights equal to the woman's. (Source Chicago Tribune)

Reminds me of George Orwell's Animal Farm: "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

I thought we had been fighting a long and hard battle on that issue.

If a fetus is human, doesn't it deserve to be as protected as any other human under our law?

Is what she saying really: "Mothers have a right to say, 'because I have physical and mental strength over you, you must submit to my desires"?

We have other words for that in America, when it's for anything but the fetus.

Abuser. Murderer. Rapist.

Think about it.

The life of Terri Schindler-Schiavo will hinge on the outcome of two dramatic hearings scheduled to unfold Monday, Feb. 21 in the Florida courtroom of Sixth Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer.

David Gibbs III of Seminole, Fl., attorney for Mary and Robert Schindler Sr., parents of the brain damaged woman, said Thursday that he will file a new motion Monday asking Greer to allow new medical tests for Terri based on the findings of a new brain imaging study published in the journal Neurology.

Gibbs said a hearing is also scheduled for Monday at 2:30 p.m. on the Schindlers’ motion to extend the stay of Greer’s 2000 court ordered judicial homicide which could remove Terri’s assisted feeding tube as early as Tuesday.

James Bernat, professor of neurology at Dartmouth College, said the study findings are relevant to the Schiavo case and that a brain image test could determine if she is in a persistent vegetative state as Greer has labeled her.

“Terri deserves to get these tests”, her father said. “Terri is alert, she’s aware. I think the bottom line is that Terri deserves to get these tests. It would be unconscionable for Judge Greer or any other judge to order her death without these tests”.

Source: Hyscience

The Third Sorrowful Mystery:

Jesus is crowned with thorns and mocked

The Crowning

The dirty soldier's cloak,
a proper Roman scarlet
is draped over his bleeding raw back,
the fabric growing darker
wherever it touches
the handiwork
the soldiers left behind
in long red stripes
still bloody.

A game he has become in their hands.
For the soldiers
bored,
violent children of a violent culture,
he is a doll to take their frustrations out
against everything
they hate about this
dusty foreign place
filled with strange people.

They crown him with their
disdain,
hate,
fear,
wrapped amid the thorns.

And as they bow low before each blow,
they ignore the miracle in their midst,
the privilege they have been given,
to be the ones to stand in
for all the mockery,
all the disdain
of God and good
that we heap upon the head of Jesus
until the end of time.


Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Matthew 27: 27-31

You stand there Lord,
before the haughty Roman judge,
bloody,
beaten,
abandoned.

Behold, says Pilate.

So frail you seem,
as you lift your bloodied head
and look upon this gathered crowd,
hungry as jackals.

Bruised and battered, the face
that looks out over the assembly
gazes not with hot hatred
or numb resignation of the broken,
nor self-pity,
but with love
and grief
and an unfathomable caring
that yearns to heal each of us.

Lord, I am not worthy to meet your gaze.
Have I not, like Peter,
denied you?
Or like Judas, betrayed you;
Time after time, have I not
added to your stripes,
pierced your head
with the hard thorns of an unloving heart?

And yet here you stand,
pouring yourself out like a drink offering,
letting the cup be drained
until nothing is left.

Lord, you said the word to heal me -
let me never forget the price you paid.



The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood. The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be king. They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a crown to make their travesty complete. Flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used in bundles for firewood) are plaited into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.

After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. Already having adhered to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, its removal causes excruciating pain just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, and almost as though He were again being whipped the wounds once more begin to bleed.

From A Physician Testifies About the Crucifixion by Dr. C. Truman Davis


O Lord,
Let me consider in awe the price you were willing to pay for our redemption, how you accepted the blows and mockery of those who would be the tools of your death so that we all might live. And when my heart rages with impatience and anger, bring to mind your loving response, and teach me to be the tool in your hand

Biggest list of who to contact to help Terri Schaivo that I have found so far: Source:

Michael Schiavo is going to starve Terri not because she's dying, but because she ISN'T.

Florida DOH Destroyed Records After Schiavo Doctor Cleared Of Wrongdoing
Following Investigation -

http://www.theempirejournal.com/SCHIAVO_florida_DOH_destroyed_records_after.htm

Judge George Greer Making Mockery Of Florida Judicial System

http://www.theempirejournal.com/judge_greer_fraud_in_the_court.htm

PLEASE DEMAND A GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION IN THE SCHIAVO CASE!!!!!!!

ALSO A REAL KEY, NEW TALKING POINT: Terri was NEVER represented by counsel while
others decided to starve her to death. That's against Florida and U.S. law. Even
criminals on death row are entitled to legal counsel. BILL TO THE FLOOR TO
PROTECT TERRI AND FUTURE TERRI's. A NEW Bill 692 please!

This is YOUR last chance to make a difference! CONTACT THESE PEOPLE.

Florida Attorney General's Charlie Crist, AG Citizen's Services & Office
1-850-414-3990 / 850-414-3300

Bernie McCabe, State Attorney Pinellas and Pasco Counties
727-464-6221
bmccabe@co.pinellas.fl.us

Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities 800-342-0823
850-488-9071
info@advocacycenter.org

Pinellas County GOP 727-539-6009

Gov. Jeb Bush 850-488-4441
jeb.bush@myflorida.com, fl_governor@myflorida.com,
jeb@jeb.org,jeb@myflorida.com

State of Florida Office of Civil Rights 954-712-4601

Senator Mel Martinez
Washington: Phone: 202-224-3041

Congressman Jim Davis
Washington: Phone: (202) 225-3376
FAX: (202) 225-565
DISTRICT: Phone: (813) 354-9217
Florida Toll Free: 1 (888) 266-0205
Fax: (813) 354-9514

Satellite Office: (727) 867-5301
FAX: (727) 867-5302

Florida Senate 800-342-1827
http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Mode=Member%20Pages&Submenu=1&Tab=legislators

Senate President Tom Lee: 1-800-560-4403

Daniel Webster
Capitol Office: Phone: (850) 487-5047
District Office: (407) 656-0066

The Florida Senate-2004-2006 Senators

alexander.jd.web@flsenate.gov
argenziano.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
aronberg.dave.web@flsenate.gov
atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov
baker.carey.web@flsenate.gov
bennett.mike.web@flsenate.gov
bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov
campbell.walter.web@flsenate.gov
carlton.lisa.web@flsenate.gov
clary.charlie.web@flsenate.gov
constantine.lee.web@flsenate.gov
crist.victor.web@flsenate.gov
dawson.mandy.web@flsenate.gov
portilla.alex.web@flsenate.gov
dockery.paula.web@flsenate.gov
fasano.mike.web@flsenate.gov
garcia.rudy.web@flsenate.gov
geller.steven.web@flsenate.gov
haridopolos.mike.web@flsenate.gov
hill.anthony.web@flsenate.gov
jones.dennis.web@flsenate.gov
king.james.web@flsenate.gov
klein.ron.web@flsenate.gov
lawson.alfred.web@flsenate.gov
lee.tom.web@flsenate.gov
lynn.evelyn.web@flsenate.gov
margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov
miller.lesley.web@flsenate.gov
peaden.durell.web@flsenate.gov
posey.bill.web@flsenate.gov
pruitt.ken.web@flsenate.gov
rich.nan.web.@flsenate.gov
saunders.burt.web@flsenate.gov
sebesta.jim.web@flsenate.gov
siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov
smith.rod.web@flsenate.gov
villalobos.alex.web@flsenate.gov
wilson.frederica.web@flsenate.gov
daniel.webster.web@flsenate.gov

Florida House of Representatives 850-488-6026
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/legislators.aspx

Speaker Allan Bense
Capitol Office: Phone: (850) 488-1450
District Office: Phone: (850) 914-6300
speaker@myfloridahouse.gov

Frank Peterman
Capitol Office: Phone: (850) 488-0925
District Office: Phone: (727) 552-1370

Florida Department of Law Enforcement 850-410-7000

Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities 850-488-4257

Federal Bureau of Investigation
202-324-3000
tampa@fbi.gov, jacksonville@fbi.gov

U.S. Department of Justice
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
202-514-2000 Main Switchboard
202-353-1555 Office of US AG

U.S. DOJ Disability Civil Rights
Section Chief John L Wodatch
Phone: (202) 307-2227
Fax:(202) 307-1198
John.L.Wodatch@usdoj.gov

Section Deputy Chief Renee M Wohlenhaus
Phone: (202) 307-0663
Renee.Wohlenhaus@usdoj.gov

Philip Breen
Special Legal Counsel
U.S. Department of Justice
Phone: (202) 616-7526
Fax:(202) 307-1198
Philip.L.Breen@usdoj.gov

Liz Savage
U.S. Department of Justice
Phone:(202) 514-7173
Fax:(202) 514-0293
E-mail: liz.savage@usdoj.gov

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

TTY/TDD
Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO MAKE SOME CALLS ON BEHALF OF TERRI!!!!

THE CALL YOU MAKE MAY BE THE ONE THAT SAVES HER LIFE!!!!

From Spirit Daily:

NURSES ASSERT THAT SCHIAVO WOMAN, SET TO HAVE FEEDING STOPPED, HAS SPOKEN WORDS SUCH AS 'HI,' 'MOMMA,' AND 'HELP ME'

Nurses who tended to Terri Schiavo -- the Florida woman whose feeding and water tubes may soon be removed -- have stated in affidavits provided by her family that the 41-year-old has exhibited clear-cut behavior indicating she is conscious and aware of her surroundings.

In stunning testimony, one nurse, Heidi Law, a certified nursing assistant who took care of Terri when she was at Palm Gardens Nursing Home in Largo, Florida, in 1997, said that the severely disabled woman formed words such as "mommy, "momma," and most hauntingly, "help me."

"While it is true that those patients will flinch or make sounds occasionally, they don't do it as a reaction to someone on a constant basis who is taking care of them, the way I saw Terri do," claimed Law in a formal deposition. "I witnessed a priest visiting Terri a couple of times. Terri would become quiet when he prayed with her. She couldn't bow her head because of her stiff neck, but she would still try. During the prayer, she would keep her eyes closed, opening them afterward. She laughed at jokes he told her. I definitely know that Terri 'is in there.'"

The testimony, contained in affidavits provided to Spirit Daily by her family, the Schindlers, who are desperately attempting to prevent her death, contradicts widespread perceptions that Terri is a nearly brain-dead or comatose woman living in a vegetative state. In fact, by some indications the woman may have greatly improved had she been provided adequate therapy.

"I have heard her say 'mommy' from time to time, and 'momma,' and she also said 'help me' a number of times. She would frequently make noises like she was trying to talk," said Law.

That the disabled woman acknowledges the presence of her parents, responds to music, and follows the movement of objects such as a balloon has long been known and documented by videos [click here]; and the affidavits have appeared on advocacy websites. Indeed, the caretakers have testified that Terri seemed to stare out her window as if waiting for her mother -- not only denied therapy, but also in a small room with a radio that her husband allowed to be left on only a single station.

But that she actually formed words is attested by a second caretaker, Carla Sauer Iyer, a registered nurse who was at Palm Garden from 1995 to 1997.

"Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and misrepresented," stated Iyer in her own affidavit for the family -- testimony that was not allowed into court by a judge who has consistently ruled against the Schindlers. "When I worked with her, she was alert and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence, saying such things as 'mommy' and 'help me.' 'Help me' was, in fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds of times. Terri would try to say the word 'pain' when she was in discomfort, but it came out more like 'pay.' When I came into her room and said 'Hi, Terri,' she would always recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way toward me, saying, 'Haaaiiiii,' sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a 'hi,' which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound being only a second or two long. When I told her stories about my life, or something I read in the paper, Terri would sometimes chuckle, sometimes more a giggle or laugh."

The nurses said the Schiavo woman was often silent for hours and in a "cold sweat" after her husband visited. It was her husband Michael -- now living with a woman by whom he has had two children -- who the nurses said limited her rehabilitation and allegedly "intimidated" staff at the nursing home -- charges that, if true, warrant a major investigation. (Let us emphasize that thus far they are just that: allegations.)

"I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart," claimed Iyer in potentially devastating detail. "Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's, someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in her room with him."

Schiavo, they assert, was denied rehabilitation even though there was evidence that at times she could swallow on her own. "I personally saw her swallow the ice water and never saw her gag," said Law. "On three or four occasions I personally fed Terri mouthfuls of Jello, which she was able to swallow and enjoyed immensely. I did not do it more often only because I was afraid of being caught by Michael."

The affidavits, it must be underscored, were conducted in 2003 on behalf of the Schindlers, and as such are in the category of advocacy for their position. Moreover, other nurses who tended to Terri have not yet been fully debriefed in public. Some experts have asserted that Terri's responses are not coordinated ones but nearly instinctual or reflex-like, indicating no real awareness.

But the facts as presented in the affidavits indicate quite differently -- if the testimony is correct, shockingly so. The two nurses portray Terri as a woman who adores baths, liked having her hair combed, and enjoyed a sweet-smelling lotion and soft nightgowns her mother provided.

"Every day, Terri was gotten up after lunch and sat in a chair all afternoon," said Law. "When Terri was in bed, she very much preferred to lie on her right side and look out the window. We always said that she was watching for her mother. It was very obvious that her mother was her favorite person in the whole world."

It is now her parents and siblings who are desperately fighting to prevent her husband from "pulling the plug" on feeding and hydration tubes, which could occur as soon as this month if the Schindlers do not win court victories. So far, judicial decisions have been baffling, with little consideration to Schiavo's state when an actual appearance by the woman might be all that is necessary to display her true condition. Thus far, only the actions of Governor Jeb Bush and the Schindler lawyers have prevented her death. But last week a Pinellas County judge turned down a request to set aside his order allowing Terri's feeding tube be removed, closing yet another legal avenue to her parents in their quest to keep her alive.

Instead of rehabilitation, a "do not resuscitate" sign has been hung on her door. The woman has been denied Holy Communion and Mass attendance, her father told Spirit Daily two weeks ago.

Iyer claims that she "became fearful for my personal safety" and was terminated after she called police about comments and activities at the nursing home relative to the Schiavo woman. "When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the door closed and locked while he was with Terri," the affidavit alleges. "He would typically be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction, so I'd check her blood sugar." The glucometer reading would be so low it was below the range where it would register an actual number reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This happened about five times on my shift as I recall. Normally Terri's blood-sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet through tube feeding."

Added Law, the nursing assistant, "When she was upset, which was usually the case after Michael was there, she would withdraw for hours... Several times when Michael visited during my shift, he went into her room alone and closed the door. When he left, Terri was very agitated, was extremely tense with tightened fists, and sometimes had a cold sweat. She was much less responsive than usual and would just stare out the window, her eyes kind of glassy."

More About Terri's husband and how she has been treeted (from And Rightly So):

When people think about COMA’S, they often assume the victim is unconscious and unaware of their surroundings. This is true in many cases, as I have described here before. I work mainly with younger people, but do “float” over to the Adult Brain Injury unit quite a bit. I see lots of Terry’s there. People like her are indeed alive; they are living breathing humans who have survived an often tragic event. Are they who they used to be? No. Will they ever be who they used to be? Probably not. Do they respond to stimuli? Yes. Do they respond to people? Yes. Do they talk? Not usually, but they make eye contact and smile and laugh. And they reach out to you. They are human beings, who tend to like the company of others and…well…like to be alive. Terry smiles a lot, and she seems happy almost all the time. She is not hooked up to any machines.

Terry’s husband refuses any mental and physical stimulation for his wife. She is located in a skilled nursing facility in a tiny room. The blinds are not allowed to be opened. Ever. There is no TV allowed in her room. No radio or other means of music is allowed either. He restricts visitors. No pictures, posters or orientation boards are hanging in her room-not even a calendar. Nothing. A bleak environment that I cannot understand…Nursing homes have federal standards they are required to abide by. One of the more important standards evolves around activities. And therapies. How Terry is allowed to be so abandoned in this area baffles me. Any nursing home would face huge fines and penalties for allowing such sub- standards to exist. Terry is the victim of a broken enforcement system, for sure.

Some other interesting things…Terry’s condition is what is called Persistent Vegetative State. In other words, she is serverely brain damaged: she has no control over her body, she is incontinent of bowel and bladder, cannot swallow, cannot move her limbs…She is awake,and knows her name, but not overly aware of where she is. She probably has no idea about time and place. Most people living in nursing homes who need it are “toileted” (Depends type brief’s) changed at least every two hours. Terry’s husband doesn’t allow the aides to do this. She will sit/lay for hours in a soaking wet diaper.

Terry has contacted several infections during her stay at the nursing home. Strep throat, urinary tract infections, bronchitis…things that are easily treated with antibiotics. Her husband won’t allow any treatment. Another limit her husband has placed on the nursing staff is the typical turning/repositioning protocols: Every two hours bed bound residents are placed into a different position to help prevent skin breakdown. Bed sores. Once a bed sore develops, it takes MONTHS and months to clear it up. And a lot of pain for the resident. Depending upon the stage of the sore, these things can become deadly very quickly. They go down deep into the tissues and right into bones. Infection sets in, and death can occur fast. He tried to limit the nursing staff as to how often Terry got repositioned; but the staff won that battle with the help of the state.

Places you can contact:

Florida Attorney General’s Charlie Crist, AG Citizen’s Services & Office
1-850-414-3990 / 850-414-3300
ag@oag.state.fl.us

Bernie McCabe, State Attorney Pinellas and Pasco Counties
727-464-6221
bmccabe@co.pinellas.fl.us

Gov. Jeb Bush
850-488-4441
jeb@jeb.org, jeb@myflorida.com

Tom Lee, Senate President
(850) 487-5072
lee.tom.web@flsenate.gov

Allan G. Bense, Speaker
(850) 488-1450
speaker@myfloridahouse.gov

St Pete Times President - timespresident@sptimes.com

Customer Service - custserv@sptimes.com

Letters to the Editor - letters@sptimes.com
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 1121
St. Petersburg, FL 33731

Mr. Bill Levesque - levesque@sptimes.com


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Judge doesn't believe that Terri Schaivo needs a lawyer:

LAKELAND, Fla. (BP)--On the fifth anniversary of Circuit Court Judge George Greer’s Feb. 11, 2000, order to remove Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube, Greer struck another blow to Robert and Mary Schindler’s efforts to keep their daughter alive when he denied their Jan. 6 motion to set aside that 2000 order and appoint an attorney for her.

The Schindlers are the respondents in the guardianship petition filed by Terri Schiavo’s husband, Michael Schiavo, who has been trying since 2000 to have her feeding tube removed. Schiavo, the woman at the center of the nationwide life-and-death debate, has been in and out of nursing homes and hospice care since she collapsed in 1990, possibly of a potassium imbalance. With her heart stopped, her brain was deprived of oxygen and she became severely disabled.

In their Jan. 6 request to set aside, or “void,” the 2000 feeding tube removal order, the Schindlers made three arguments.

No protection, and a judge and some lawyers that want her dead. A martyr, witnessing man's inhumanity in the name of mercy killing.

Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood,
soul and divinity of your dearly beloved son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world.

For the sake of his sorrowful passion,
have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

"No More Secrets," Visionary Said in 2001

Sister Lucia Confirmed That Russia Had Been Consecrated to Mary

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 14, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Fatima secret has been totally revealed by the Vatican, and Russia has already been consecrated as Mary requested, confirmed Sister Maria Lucia of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart.

The witness of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin of Fatima made this statement to the then secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, on Nov. 17, 2001, contradicting those who say that the Church still has secrets about the Marian apparition.

The content of the interview held between the Vatican representative and Sister Lucia in the convent of Coimbra, Portugal, where she resided, was made public by the Vatican press office on Dec. 20, 2001.

The text of the document states: "In recent months, especially following the sad events of the September 11 terrorist attacks, articles appeared in newspapers alleging new revelations by Sister Lucia, announcements of letters of warning to the Pope, and apocalyptic reinterpretations of the Fatima message."

"Moreover, emphasis was placed on the suspicion that the Holy See had not published the entire text of the third part of the secret, and some 'Fatimist' movements have repeated the accusation that the Holy Father has yet to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary," the document continues.

As a result, the Vatican note clarifies, it was considered necessary that Archbishop Bertone go personally "to clarify and obtain direct information from the visionary."

The meeting was held in the presence of Father Luis Kondor, vice postulator of the cause of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta (the other Fatima visionaries), and of the prioress of St. Teresa's Carmelite Convent.

The conversation took place on the afternoon of that Nov. 17 and lasted more than two hours. Sister Lucia, then 94, "was in great form -- lucid and vivacious," the Vatican envoy said.

The meeting addressed the question of the third part of the secret of Fatima. The Portuguese religious said that she had read "carefully and meditated on the fascicle published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and confirms everything that is written," the Vatican statement noted.

When the archbishop explained that there are doubts that part of the secret remains unknown, Sister Lucia replied: "Everything has been published; there are no more secrets."

"If I had received new revelations, I would not have communicated them to anyone, but I would have told them directly to the Holy Father," the religious added.

There was then talk about the statements of Nicholas Gruner, a Canadian priest suspended "a divinis," who is collecting signatures insisting that the Pope finally consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and alleging that this has never been done.

Sister Lucia told the archbishop: "The Carmel community has rejected the forms for the collection of signatures. I have already said that the consecration requested by Our Lady was done in 1984, and it has been accepted in heaven."

Lastly, the conversation turned to Sister Lucia's personal life. Some press articles suggested that her concern robbed her of sleep and that she was praying night and day.

The religious answered: "It's not true. How would I be able to pray during the day if I did not sleep at night? How many things they attribute to me! How many things they make me do! They should read my book; the advice and appeals that correspond to Our Lady's wishes are there. Prayer and penance, with great faith in God's power, will save the world."

The Second Sorrowful Mystery:

Jesus is Scourged

The First Blow

The whip travels in a descending arc,
three thongs carrying weights of lead
double headed cargo
to increase the impact.

The hand that wields is
the rough and calloused hand
of a soldier doing a duty,
unknowing,
uncaring
of whose back it was in front of him.

Perhaps as he swings,
he thinks of all the looks of disdain,
the women who turn away,
the men who spit when he passes
and they think he does not see,
this strange people
with their strange hates
and strange language
and strange god,
and in retalliation,
he swings harder.

Yet his hand is not alone
on the braided leather of the handle,
his hand,
shadowed by every hand,
my hand,
my arm swinging the leather,
my sin adding to the agony
of that blow,
my darkness slapping against his skin,
causing him to gasp for breath
as it bites
my weakness the lead gouges digging.

Mea culpa,
mea culpa,
mea maxima culpa.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. John 19:1

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4, 5


By His Stripes

Let me never forget, O Lord,
how you offered yourself for the soldier's whip,
the slapping and blows
of anger and mocking,
and by the blood you shed,
and the death you died,
you wrought our salvation.

And yet we hold the whip still in our hands,
the flagellum with it's biting teeth
flailing through the air
to land with its sickening slap
on your bloodied back
each time we choose to hurt,
to have the final word,
to force,
to gloat,
to ignore,
to deny.

Teach us, O Lord,
to heal instead of harm,
to bless instead of curse,
to love instead of hate,
to see you always in the face of the stranger,
the downcast,
the needy,
the empty.

Instead of the whip,
send us the tears of true repentence,
that with you help,
we may go and sin no more.


Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman executionand only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in eases of desertion) were exempt. The usual instrument was a short whip (flagellum) with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals . Occasionally, staves also were used. 8, 12 For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.

Medical Aspects of Scourging

As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and Subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.

From A Study on the Physical Death of Jesus Christ by William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI. http://www.frugalsites.net/jesus/


Prayer: O my Jesus, teach me always to remember what depths your love went to, how you would undertake this death of shame and misery for the likes of me. Help me Lord, to appreciate your love for a sinful and suffering mankind, and help me, in gratitude for the endless sea of your love and mercy, to be willing to take up my cross and follow you, however and wherever you call.

O Jesus, whose loving heart is big enough to hold the whole world, teach me to love thee more!

Amen.