Res Publica 2005

Dear Friend:

I’m writing to you today because we are at a critical point in our efforts to save the life of Terri Schindler-Schiavo. Her estranged husband, Michael, will remove her feeding tube on March 18th at 1:00 p.m., as mandated by the courts. Never was there a more crucial time for you to get involved. YOU can help make a difference in saving Terri’s life with very little effort on your part. Time is of the essence.

The first thing you can do is to become informed, quickly, about the misinformation being perpetuated in the mainstream media and by Michael Schiavo and his attorney. Please visit BlogsForTerri and TerrisFight for extensive resources.

One of the most heinous distortions being reported is that Terri is in a “coma,” “persistent vegetative state,” or even “unconscious.” The truth is, Terri laughs, speaks from a small vocabulary of words, responds to others and is very aware of her surroundings. Numerous witnesses have testified to this and videos taken by her family also prove her abilities.

No one can “pull the plug” on Terri, as some have advocated, as she is not hooked up to any life support machines. She is simply being given nourishment through a feeding tube. Nothing more. Is helping someone eat and drink artificial life support?

Secondly, the mainstream media would have us believe that Terri’s guardian, Michael, is looking out for her best interests. In fact, Michael has denied Terri any rehabilitative therapy whatsoever and won’t even allow for her teeth to be brushed or sunlight to shine into her room.

Michael is now living with a woman (his “fiancé’) and has two children by her. That, at the very least, creates a conflict of interest in his guardianship. But there are other questions that may further compromise his role as guardian.

Medical experts have testified that bone scans show that Terri suffered some sort of physical trauma during the time of her collapse, injuries that one doctor suggests is consistent with having been beaten and possibly even strangled. And experts have testified that Michael’s behavior fits that of an abusive husband. (Again, you can find this evidence at Terri’s site: http://www.terrisfight.org ) No one knows the truth about what really happened but the suspicious circumstantial and anecdotal evidence should have motivated an investigation. None was conducted.

Although it is speculation, if Michael is the cause Terri’s injuries, it would explain why he doesn’t want her to receive rehabilitation and why he wants her to be starved to death. It would also explain why he wants her cremated immediately after her death (to hide any evidence implicating him in her injuries). Again, this is speculation. Only an investigation can reveal what actually happened.

Terri deserves to have her OWN legal counsel (which she has been denied so far) and Michael should be removed as her guardian since sufficient evidence proves there is at the very least, a conflict of interest.

Michael claims that he is merely carrying out Terri’s wishes and says that she expressed a desire to die in such circumstances. However, such a desire was never made known to her family and friends and no written documentation exists to support his claim. Furthermore, Michael’s former girlfriend, Cindy Shook, testified that when she asked Michael what Terri’s wishes were, his reply was, “How the h*** should I know we never spoke about this, my God I was only 25 years old. How the h*** should I know? We were young. We never spoke of this."

In addition, Terri's friends, family, co-workers and fellow church members dispute Michael's claims, and state that Terri was extremely upset when comatose woman Karen Ann Quinlan was disconnected from the respirator that had been keeping her alive years ago.

Another myth just surfaced recently, when the AP reported that Terri collapsed from an eating disorder. But the AP writer cited not one shred of evidence to support this claim.

Pamela Hennessy, spokesperson for the Schindlers stated, "there was never a determination by any court nor the Florida Department of Health that Terri Schiavo ever suffered from any eating disorder, bulimia, anorexia or compulsive behavior that would lead to a heart failure at the age of 26. Though Michael, Terri's estranged husband, accused Terri's general practitioner of ignoring a supposed eating disorder, Florida's Department of Health cleared him of wrongdoing or negligence in the case."

Finally, Terri has never received a proper medical evaluation by a team of experts that can testify as to her current abilities and her future potential with rehabilitation. At the very least, such an evaluation should be mandated before any decision is made in this case.

Now that you know the facts, here’s what you can do to help fight for Terri’s rights:

Here is what you can do to help Terri:
1. Pray for Terri and her family.

2. Blog - communicate the truth about what is going on and rally support for Terri and the Schindlers.

3. Visit BlogsforTerri ( http://www.blogsforterri.com) for information and to join the team of blogs for Terri.

4. Deluge Gov. Jeb Bush with emails and phone calls. He has the power to intervene. Here is his contact information:

Governor Jeb Bush
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
850 / 488-4441
850 / 487-0801 (fax)

(A sample letter for you to use can be found here: http://writewingblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/sample-letter-to-use-for-terri-schiavo.html#comments)


5. Support HB701(click here).

6. Important - Bypass the Mainstream Media - pledge support paid advertisements in various newspapers to inform subscribers about what is really happening to Terri. [http://www.blogsforterri.com/pledge.php] Your participation in help is desperately needed.

7. Call, write, fax, or email the contacts listed at Blogs For Terri: http://www.blogsforterri.com/archives/contacts/index.php


Please forward this email to all of your friends and family. Together, our voices can make an impact in the fight for Terri’s life. Please don’t remain silent while her life hangs in the balance. She needs each and every one of us to speak up for her. Now, more than ever.

# posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 1:19 PM