- There were two distinctly different news briefings today
(March 31-05) on the death of Terri Schindler. One was George Felos, Attorney
for Michael Schiavo. Mr. Felos, was pompous and preening, much as the male
grouse drumming. He was certainly relishing his 15 minutes of fame. He
went on in the new buzzwords of death; about some bizarre nonsense, of
the peacefulness of a person being starved and dehydrated to death, before
the whole world, as a state of dignity and peaceful passing.
-
- Mr. Felos has a bizarre religious philosophy, and according
to his book, 'Litigation as Spiritual Procedure', sees himself as an agent
of God. This God-Squad stuff is getting more than a bit spooky. The law,
supposedly to protect the rights of citizens, has now become an instrument
of tyranny. Even at the hour of death the family was kept from her last
moments; a touch, a kiss, a goodbye to their daughter and sister. Mr. Felos,
gloating, from the most attentions he's received in his life; launched
into a tirade against Reverend Frank Pavone, one of the family's spiritual
advisors. If only the good Father; would have been more cooperative, more
amiable, more in tune with neo-pagan, relativism, and higher consciousnesses;
seeing the 'reality' that "you've never been born therefore never
die;" he could have gathered around with the others and watched
Terri being dehydrated and starved to death; in a circle of unified reconciliation!
As it was, staff, doctors, police; all just "following orders",
watched and assisted in a woman's death, in a place called a Hospice. Food
and water are not extra ordinary measures in care---Florida does more for
cattle, dogs, and beached porpoises.
-
- Hospice is a place defined by the World Health Organization
in 1990; as palliative care which seeks to address not only physical pain,
but also emotional, social, and spiritual pain to achieve the best 'quality
of life' for patients and their families. Apparently these ministers of
mercy (killing) never heard the words of Dame Cicely Saunders, Founder
of the first modern-day hospice in London, England; "You matter to
the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help
you die peacefully, but to LIVE until you die".
-
- In all this recent brouhaha over family values; apparently
a man proclaiming total commitment to a woman, after six years of marriage,
and living with another woman (two children), within a few years of this
tragedy; is of no consequence? Under Biblical law and secular law, dress
it up any way you want, adultery is adultery, and severs any right to guardianship
or authority. "For better or for worse, in sickness and in health",
used to mean something, once upon a saner time. The love of a mother, father,
and brother and sister; was tossed aside in a perverted, political, judicial
process of depraved indifference. The agony of this family, who only wanted
to care for and love their blood relative, is beyond imagination. Who
can know the sufferings of Terri in the long days of dehydration and starvation
before the whole world? Certainly no judge, (who never met her), no lawyer,
and not an adulterous husband feigning commitment and love! Love doesn't
kill. Love never fails.
-
- Terri's brother and sister made a brief statement a few
hours after Attorney Felos. It was a simple, thank you to all those who'd
stood by them and "Father forgive them-for they know not what they
do". Terri's brother John, then told of the man born blind. "As
Jesus was passing by, he saw a man born blind from birth. His disciples
asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born
blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This
took place so that the works of God might be made manifest through him.
We must do the work of the one who sent me while it is still day. It will
soon be night, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the
light of the world.'"
-
- "After saying this, Jesus spat on the ground and
made some mud with the saliva. He put it on the man's eyes and said to
him, 'Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam' (this word means Sent). So he
went and washed and he came back able to see". John 9:1-7 At this
point in time, with the death of a woman named Terri, whom none of us knew
personally, would that we might also see more clearly. It most certainly
is not a time of vengeance or hate. The world is full of the suffering
and wounded; if we would just look around us. The debate on TV tonight
between various clergy and rabbis; was that since Roe vs. Wade, we have
insidiously become a 'culture of death'. The rabbi went on to say, that
this was the reason there was such silence, on the part of pro-choice people
in this matter, and the reason that the ACLU so quickly sided with Mr.
Schiavo. Why did Mr. Schiavo deny his 'loving wife', various therapies,
antibiotics, sunshine, and stimulation? We can only surmise. I fear none
of us will know the fullness of this situation on the part of Michael,
the judges, politicians or the lawyers. Terri, alone remained silent through
it all. How much could Terri have recovered through intensive therapy,
once the monies became available will never be known? As it was, hundreds
of thousands went to lawyers to hasten Terri's demise!
-
- Ignoring the facts of the case, the American Civil Liberties
Union marched to support the husband, despite his grave conflicts of interests.
Frankly the ACLU disgusts me in whom they don't protect. Years ago when
working in an institution, I like many people; believed that the ACLU was
the champion of the disenfranchised and those without a voice. I witnessed
many abuses, some resulting in deaths. These ranged from grave medical
neglect, residents not being properly fed and clothed, over medicated,
to abuses by sadistic and incompetent staff. I made it a point (it was
the law) to write up and report each and every incident that I witnessed.
When I would write up conditions in the daily log book (a legal document)
supervisors would tell me to alter or get rid of them. I of course refused,
which resulted in attempts to fire me, the staff going on strike (to get
rid of me) and numerous hearings, including court proceedings. I won every
one which resulted in firings of some, and threats against my life. I made
the long arduous trip out of the mountains to a distant city to seek help
from the ACLU.
-
- I had the idea, that since the residents who were being
so horribly abused; were multi-handicapped, neurologically impaired, voiceless
et al; that I could act as their advocate and bring a class action suit
against the state; whom were not seeing to their rights being protected
or having employees answerable to the law. I shall never forget the indifference
or the arrogant response I received from the head of the ACLU in that city;
"Look Mrs. Moriarty, the world doesn't need any more martyrs or another
Joan of Arc". I won but without the ACLU. It just took a bit longer.
I found it interesting that the ACLU would not defend the most helpless
and needy amongst us; but cheered when Governor Ryan (legitimately so)
of Illinois substituted his judgment for that of the "courts"
(too bad Gov. Bush didn't do this for Terri) by removing many prisoners
from death row. I fear that the ACLU, like abusive staff; had the same
mind set about the handicapped and mentally-impaired; "Look what's
the big deal they're nothing but vegetables-it's not like they have feelings
like the rest of us". Funny how much we've heard this in the past
week in reference to Terri. People aren't vegetables---and they don't vegetate.
We miss the holiness the reverence of man's spirit; beyond the atrophied
limbs, the drooling, and the frail, twisted body---seeing only a burden.
No time-we're late. We miss the gift.
-
- In part, the law for Terri in Florida reads; "A
caregiver's failure or omission to provide an elderly person or disabled
adult with care, supervision, including, but not limited to FOOD, nutrition,
clothing, shelter, supervision, medicine, and medical services that a PRUDENT
person would consider essential for the well being of the elderly person
or disabled adult; or a caregiver's failure to make a REASONABLE effort
to protect an elderly person or disabled adult from abuse, neglect, or
exploitation by another person..complete statute: Title 46, Chapter 825,
Section 102 (3)(a). Governor Bush should have; but didn't intervene."
The Governor has the constitutional duty to prevent any action taken pursuant
to such a court order, because such action would violate Ms. Schiavo's
constitutionally guaranteed 'inalienable right to enjoy and defend life'
regardless of her 'physical disability' as secured by Article 1 Section
2 of the Florida State Constitution" wrote constitutional attorney
Herb Titus, of Chesapeake, Va., in a memorandum faxed to the governor's
legal office. It is a crime to abuse or neglect a disabled adult in any
state! If we permit legalized murder because a person no longer conforms
to our standards; of a supposed quality of life, how soon will it be, before
it's those with autism, Alzheimer's, AIDS, cerebral palsy, etc? What's
been lost in all of this is; that in protecting and speaking out for a
Terri-we are advocates for ourselves. Once upon a time, a society did away
with the infirm, the retarded, the crippled, the elderly, gays, and then
the Jews! Oh, but we were told, "Never Again!" Really? Visit
the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. to see a possible scenario of
Christmas Future.
-
- In the novel The Trial by Franz Kafka, an innocent man
is suddenly arrested and accused of crimes that he did not commit. He is
thrown into prison and no one comes to his aid. Afraid of the authorities
his friends all abandon him. Overnight he finds himself in a nightmare
world. The State that he cherished has become, a cold, contemptible, uncaring
enemy, and there is no one---not all the kings' horses nor all the kings
men to save him. There are times, and they are now upon us, if we don't
heed the message of Terri-----when a government and system of justice can
turn into a plague against the very citizens whom they are supposed to
protect. What we should be asking is; Qui Profite? Who Profits? Think about
this; in a society where draconian cutbacks; are marginalizing the elderly,
the poor, the mentally-ill, the handicapped, and the chronically ill. Compassion
costs time and money. We've no appetite for either; with obscene billions
upon billions being spent; not to "err on the side of life",
but on annihilating death! The insanity of it all has us all the innocent
man in Kafka's, The Trial.
-
- "Once more the odious courtesies began, the first
handed the knife across K. to the second, who handed it across K. back
again to the first. K. now perceived clearly that he was supposed to seize
the knife himself, as it traveled from hand to hand above him, and plunge
it into his own breast. But he did not do so; he merely turned his head,
which was still free to move, and gazed around him. He could not completely
rise to the occasion, he could not relieve the officials of all their tasks;
the responsibility for this last failure of his lay with him who had not
left him the remnant of strength necessary for the deed" from The
Trial
|
