February 2005 Archives

The BlogsForTerri ad compaign continues....

Having just completed our first fire across the bow of the mainstream media via our BlogsforTerri ad in the Tampa Tribune, we are now preparing to place an ad in the "USA Today" on Friday week. That day has been chosen for both maximum readership and also timing within the narrow window of opportunity to contribute to the growing grassroots campaign at the nation-wide level to save Terri.

Several groups have already expressed an interest in joining with BlogsForTerri by co-sponsoring the ad that is expected to cost almost $20,000. We have already contacted USA Today and are working with the Schindler Media office and others, to prepare the content and layout of the ad. BlogsForTerri expects to be prepared to raise about one-third of the total cost.

Blogs are encouraged to help get the word out. Pledges are requested immediately in order to be prepared for the placement of the ad next Tuesday for the Friday, March 15, just three days before Judge Greer has scheduled Terri's execution to begin.

In related news on the BlogsForTerri campaign to draw attention to Terri's plight, we were interviewed by a journalist with the New York Times over the weekend. Details will be released on the interview by the NYT sometime in the next two weeks when the article is expected to run that weekend in one of their weekend features.

Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International (LID), today called on all Americans, especially those involved in the Terri Schindler Schiavo case, to refrain from being swayed by pro-euthanasia rhetoric and to keep in mind the facts of the case. "There are some basic facts that are getting lost in this case," Scott said. "It's time that we review the facts and keep them in mind as we determine Terri's fate."

In a shocking move, Judge George Greer ordered court-appointed guardian Michael Schiavo to begin starving and dehydrating Terri Schiavo on March 18, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. "This is not simply a court order removing a judicial stay and allowing the guardian to proceed as he sees fit," said Diane Coleman, President of Not Dead Yet, which was joined by sixteen other national disability rights groups in three amicus briefs filed in support of Terri Schiavo's right to food and water.

URGENT: Blogs please see that this gets swarmed!

Terri Schiavo’s life is hanging in the balance. Right now, the Justice Coalition is launching this EMERGENCY PETITION to rally grassroots support to save Terri’s life and affirm the value of life for all Americans.

As I’ve aged, I’ve become increasingly disgusted with the human race. As if it weren’t bad enough that we engage in the most absurd, wasteful and personally depreciating behaviors, there seems to be nothing we enjoy more than giving each other a hard time. People, it seems, can be stunningly unkind to one another.

Merriam-Webster defines the word prejudice as “an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge”. By that description, it appears that many of us live with prejudices and we rarely make effort to keep them under wraps.

SunnyeWriter is has asked President George Bush for an executive order that will "pardon" Terri Schiavo.

Mr. President, in swearing to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States surely you also assume the protection of those inalienable rights defined by our forefathers for the citizens of this country.

Therefore, we respectfully ask you to issue an Executive Order to stay the removal of Terri's feeding tubes and to remand her to the care of her parents.

President George W. Bush
(202) 456-1111
president@whitehouse.gov

Source: BlogsforTerri

Update 2(by Richard)

At 5:30 PM this afternoon, after earlier attempts had failed to reach me at a time that I that I could speak with him, I received a phone call from Mr. Eric Myers, National Sales Manager for the St. Petersburg Times. Mr. Myers told me that the St. Petersburg Times was prepared to run the BlogsforTerri ad exactly as it was originally presented, without the changes that they had earlier insisted upon(I received the required changes by email as did the Schindler's press office). I was told that they were not censoring the ad and that they didn't want the blogs using the word censorship when in fact they were now willing to run the ad, and definately wanted to run the ad this Sunday as originally requested by BlogsforTerri.

Judge Greer has given Terri Schiavo another three weeks. Here is the final paragraph of his order:

ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that absent a stay from the appellate courts, the guardian, MICHAEL SCHIAVO, shall cuae the removal of nutrition and hydration from the ward, THERESA SCHIAVO, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2005.

MSM:

Judge Orders Florida Woman's Feeding Tube Removed

"We're happy that we have at least three weeks until they kill Terri [Schiavo]. We're unhappy that we don't have much time" for more legal maneuvers, said her father, Bob Schindler. - CNN

George Felos, the "right-to-die" attorney representing Schiavo told Florida Baptist Witness his client "deeply loves Terri" and cares about her despite cohabitating openly with his fiancée, Jodi Centonze, since 1995. The couple now have two children together.

"He simply is not gong to walk away from that promise he made to [Terri] when she said, ‘Honey, don’t keep me alive like that,’” said Felos, describing statements made to a guardianship judge after winning a $1.3 million malpractice settlement for his wife’s care.

A Vatican official launched an appeal to save Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman whose husband wants her off life-support care.

Thank you, Andrea, for being willing to expand on your prior comments. Your testimony dispels the widely held myth that those who are classified as PVS lack mental capabilities. It also confirms the benefit of rehabilitation and being placed in familiar surroundings; opportunities that Terri has not been given. Of course, the PVS classification seems to have been used rather liberally (or erroneously) on both Andrea and Terri Schiavo (more here and here).

I want to tell you all a little of what I remember after my brain surgery in 1984 when I was PVS, mute and paralyzed. My earliest memory was from late November- about two or three weeks after surgery. My aunt came to visit me and gave me a gift: a music box that played "It's a small world". She played the music for me and asked me if I knew the song. I knew it! I was so mad that I couldn't tell her.

How the nine Supreme Court judges voted on this is confidential information I’m not allowed to divulge. However I am able to share a few very telling details, directly from the attorneys representing Norma McCorvey:

Read more...

HT: AfterAbortion

Associated Press released a report penned by Vickie Chachere which cited an eating disorder as the cause of Terri Schiavo's mysterious collapse and ensuing brain injury on February 25, 1990.

Contrary to the account of writer Chachere, 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.

While examining the takedown of Dan Rather, Hugh Hewitt wrote in his groundbreaking book, The Blog,

The destructive energy of the blogsphere is fierce indeed when focused.

Today David Limbaugh writes about the blogosphere's constructive possibilities, using THIS group of 200 or so pro-life bloggers as an example:

Nothing illustrates the constructive possibilities for blogging better than pro-life bloggers' concerted effort in defense of Terry Schiavo. As I've written before, blogging is a way to "electrify" the grassroots and that seems to be exactly what is in the process of happening here.

Others share the same vision. La Shawn Barber writes,

Bloggers caused enough ruckus to topple someone in Big Media, so let’s see what we can do to save a life.

Let's take the Blogosphere out for a spin and see what we can accomplish: I think we can do great things, starting with Saving Terri

Others Blogging: MyVastRightWingConspiracy

Washington Post, Feb. 23 -- The administration of Gov. Jeb Bush, already forcefully rebuked by the Florida Supreme Court for trying to override judicial orders and block the removal of a brain-damaged woman's feeding tubes, launched itself back into the case Wednesday by asking for a delay to investigate abuse allegations.

The surprise request by Florida's Department of Children and Families to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo stirred an already emotional atmosphere. A woman broke with courtroom decorum and called out "Amen" when an attorney for Schiavo's parents, who are trying to stop her husband from removing the feeding tubes, announced in Pinellas County Circuit Court that the department has asked for a delay.

While the Post labels the events as a "legal maneuver" there are concrete reasons why the suspicious circumstances surrounding Terri's "incident" should be investigated.

For example, although Terri's brain injuries were thought to have resulted from heart failure,

Dr. William Hammesfahr, a world renowned neurologist wrote a complete report concerning the Schiavo case in September, 2002, revealing that medical tests conducted after her collapse did not show evidence of a heart attack.  In the emergency room, a possible diagnosis of heart attack was briefly entertained but then dismissed after blood chemistries and serial EKG's did not show evidence of a heart attack. ( Complete Report of Dr. William Hammesfahr)   Dr. Hammesfahr testified that she had sustained injuries consistent with abuse.

A bone scan, conducted in 1991 and hidden until 2002, revealed the following:

The bone scan report completed in March, 1991 by Dr. Campbell Walker was done to "evaluate for trauma " that may have been caused by a suspected "closed head injury". Walker wrote that "this patient has a history of trauma. The presumption is that the other multiple areas of trauma also relates to previous trauma". He listed apparent injuries to Terri to the ribs, thoracic vertebrae, both sacroiliac joints, both ankles and both knees.

Soure: The Perfect Murder and Empire Journal on Michael Schiavo.

CLEARWATER, Fla. Feb 23, 2005 — A judge Wednesday extended a stay keeping brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive until Friday, saying he needed time to decide whether her husband, who wants to remove her feeding tube, is unfit to be her guardian.

Thanks, Tom McMahon, for writing about your son:

In February 1991 our son Ryan suffered a severe brain injury. He was in the hospital for 6 months, and has never regained the ability to walk or talk. He cannot answer Yes or No by any means. He is totally dependent on our care. When he came home from the hospital, he had a feeding tube to his stomach just like Terri Schiavo does now.

[snip]

Right now the chess game in the courts continues. And when Terri Schiavo is put to death, you all will feel bad about it for a while, but it will slowly fade from memory as you move on to other things. But for us, a haunting question will remain: When Will They Be Coming For Ryan?

[more]

If the current battle were only about Terri Schiavo it would be worth waging. It's not. There are thousands of others who are watching in horror as the courts bestow the legal right to murder on Michael Schiavo. There were many victims who were not well known that preceded Terri. There were will be thousands more if this is not stopped here.

Knowing what we know and having seen the videos, the following partial transcript from "On the Record," (February 21, 2005) is outrageous.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: A legal setback for a Florida family trying to keep their daughter alive. Terri Schiavo (search) has been in a vegetative state for 15 years. Her family lost an appeal Monday and now there are just hours until a court order could lead to the removal of the feeding tube that keeps Terri alive. Terri's husband has been steadfast in his effort to take her off life support. His attorney went "On the Record" last week:

Judge Greer Issues Temporary Stay till 5:00 pm tomorrow!

Attorneys for the Schindlers have just been notified that Judge Greer has granted their Emergency Motion for a Temporary Stay. The new Stay will hold over until after tomorrow's hearing and by its terms will remain in effect until 5:00 pm, February 23.

2nd DCA Issues MANDATE Without Further Instructions
As expected, the 2nd District Court of Appeals issued its Mandate this afternoon at 1:00. The stay protecting Terri's life has now expired by its own terms. A motion for a new stay is set to be heard by Judge Greer tomorrow at 2:45. [more]

Attorneys for the Schindlers have been advised that Judge Greer is in possession of the 2nd DCA's Mandate and their Emergency Motion for a Temporary Stay, and that he intends to rule on that motion this afternoon as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Terri is being fed. Her family is with her and she is doing well.

More info:

BlogsforTerri
TerrisFight

Not responsive? PVS?

You decide

Great thanks to the reader that sent it in.

Thanks to Chad from InTheBullpen, please find below the email addresses and contact information for most newpaper editors in the State of Florida. Now is the time to tell them about Terri Schiavo and the information published here and at BlogsforTerri.

Conveniently, WriteWingBlog provides an example and helpful information about how to write to editors.

US top court rejects bid to reopen Roe v. Wade

The article doesn't say who voted or how this time, only that three justices "have voted" (assumed to mean in the past) to overturn.

Please read more at AfterAbortion.

Today, Michael Schiavo has promised to withhold food and water from Terri Schiavo to bring about her death. Despite reports that show up in the Mainstream Media, we know that Terri is not a "vegetable" and not "brain-dead". We've seen the videos and have read the depositions.

We need to tell others. Here is what can be done in the time that we have:

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. Call him constantly. Here is his contact information:

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



5. Deluge President Bush - contact


6. Support HB701(click here).


7. Important - Bypass the Mainstream Media - pledge support a paid advertisement in the St. Petersburg Tribune to inform its 450,000 paid subscribers about what is really happening to Terri. [http://www.blogsforterri.com/pledge.php]

Here is the latest from LifeNews:

Terri Schiavo's estranged husband Michael plans to remove her feeding tube on Tuesday, even though a hearing on whether to renew a stay preventing him from doing so won't take place until Wednesday.

The current stay is in effect until Tuesday afternoon, when the Florida 2nd Court of Appeal is expected to finalize its decision against a claim by Terri's parents saying starving their daughter to death would violate her religious liberties.

Once the mandate in that decision is issued at 1 p.m. EST, Michael plans to remove the feeding tube.

[click here to read the rest]

by Pamela F. Hennessy

Michael Schiavo made a promise.

According to him, he promised his wife more than 20 years ago that he would never let her linger on artificial life support. He has said that he and his young wife were watching a television movie that depicted a dying man who was attached to a ventilator when she turned to him and said: “Don’t let that happen to me.”

“I promise,” responded Michael Schiavo.

Previously I communicated that Judge Greer barred Michael Schiavo from withholding food from Terri Schiavo until Wednesday based upon an Empire Journal article that was quoted by BlogsforTerri. Lifenews reported the same information. It now appears that the information is in error and that Michael Schiavo will have the ability to remove Terri's feeding tube tomrrow at 1 pm. Read on.

Michael Schiavo and his attorney, euthanasia advocate George Felos, have been barred from withdrawing the feeding tube from Schiavo's brain damaged wife until a hearing can be held Wednesday.

Sixth Circuit Court Judge George Greer ruled late Monday afternoon that Felos and Schiavo cannot implement their stated plan to withdraw the gastric feeding tube of Terri Schindler-Schiavo until a hearing is held to determine if the stay in effect from Greer's 2000 death order should remain in place while her parents, Mary and Robert Schindler Sr., continue with their legal options in trying to keep her alive.

Source: BlogsforTerri

Eric at Vince Aut Morire has more.

Today, the 2nd DCA denied the Schindlers' motion to withhold their mandate, which is expected to be issued tomorrow morning, Tuesday - February 22, 2005.

Upon learning of this, attorney George Felos contacted the Schindlers' attorney to inform him that he intended to instruct the staff at Hospice to remove Terri Schiavo's food and fluids at 1.00pm ET on Tuesday, February 22.

The Schindlers' attorney, David Gibbs, filed an emergency motion today for clarification and temporary stay, asking that the court direct no further action be taken until the rescheduled hearing on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 at 2.45pm ET. Mr. Gibbs also asked Mr. Felos if he and his client would refrain from instructing caregivers to remove food and fluids from Terri. Mr. Felos refused, stating that he was under instructions from his client.

Judge George Greer has declined to rule on the Schindlers' motion for clarification and stay until 1.00pm tomorrow, the same time Mr. Felos has declared Terri's tube will be removed. It is the opinion of the Schindlers and their attorneys that Mr. Schiavo has no authority to instruct such an action without a specific court order that mandates the date and time of such action. Mr. Felos does not agree.

Mr. Felos also wrote to the Judge Greer, claiming he no longer had jurisdiction and that his client will have Terri's tube removed.

Related Documents:

Emergency motion for clarification and stay - http://www.terrisfight.org/documents/022105emmot.pdf
2nd DCA's denial of motion to withhold stay - http://www.terrisfight.org/documents/0221052dca.pdf
Felos' Letter to Judge Greer- http://www.terrisfight.org/documents/022105felos.pdf

Source: The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation

What You Can Do:

HB701 - Action Alert

Support BlogsforTerri Ad Effort

Deluge with Phone Calls and Emails

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

Richard announced that BlogsForTerri, on behalf of all 150+ blogs will place an ad in the Sunday edition of the St Petersburg Times (largest paid circulation in Florida - 450,000+). The ad will be an open letter to the residents of Florida from BlogsForTerri and their readers calling them to action that will provide significant attention to the truth about Terri where it is needed most, in Pinellas County and the State of Florida.

The contents of the ad have been derived from the work of our bloggers in pursuing the following points:

• Terri is not unconscious, brain-dead or in a PVS (videos at site).


• Terri has been treated with negligence and denied her own legal counsel.


• A proper evaluation of awareness in the presence of profound and complex neurological disabilities such as Terri's requires the skills of a multidisciplinary team experienced in long term management and tests. Terri has never had this opportunity.

To go forward we need funding, $10,000 to be exact (every cent will go into the advertisement). And, we desperately need the participation of every Blog for Terri to raise it quickly – time is of the essence.

Currently we are taking pledges through this page (http://www.blogsforterri.com/pledge.php). You can participate by doing the following:

• Pledge


• Call your readers to get involved by supporting the advertisement. Direct them to the pledge url.


• Call and email friends, family, organizations and business with a personal invitation asking them to fund the ad.


• Contact organizations and businesses or send us the contact information for organizations and business interested in sponsoring the advertisement through a substantial contribution (they will get their name listed in the ad).

Note: as you publish this information on your blog please trackback this post - no link is necessary.

Cross-posted at BlogsforTerri

Today, the 2nd DCA denied the Schindlers' motion to withhold their mandate that would clear the way for Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed.

The Schindlers have filed today an emergency motion for clarification and temporary stay and are asking the lower court to ensure that the issuance of the 2nd DCA's mandate does not automatically permit the withdrawal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. This was after being informed by Michael Schiavo's attorney that he intended to have Ms. Schiavo's assisted feeding and hydration discontinued tomorrow, February 22, 2005, by 1.00 pm ET (GMT-5).

A press conference is to be held at 2.30 pm today and an update will be sent following.

Crystal Clear does a great job exposing the clear bias against Terri Schiavo in the Orlando Sentinel’s article, Courts expected to settle Schiavo's fate this week. Not surprising, the article also contains reference to the feeding-tube myth:

Early this week, the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland or Pinellas Circuit Judge George W. Greer could end her parents' seven-year legal battle to keep their daughter alive, paving the way for her husband to carry out what he says were her wishes and remove the feeding tube that sustains her unconscious state.

The feeding tube inaccuracy, eluded to by both Crystal and Lilac Rose, is in the phrase "remove the feeding tube that sustains". This statement, used regularly in the mainstream media, makes it sound like Terri Schiavo is on life support that artificially sustains her.

Terri is healthy and is not on life support. She does need someone to feed her through a removable tube which experts testify would not be needed if she were given therapy. Terri is healthy but requires assistance eating. She currently might not be able to swallow (adequate tests have been blocked) although a nurse testified that she covertly fed Terri Jello and medical experts have stated their opinion that Terri is able to swallow.

This assisted feeding is a natural means of preserving life and not a medical act of life support. In addition, the feeding tube is detachable, only inserted during feedings. Michael will not have to cut the line or withdraw the tube. Rather, he will order health care workings to stop feeding his wife.

Many people, including small children and the sick and impaired, require someone else to feed them, often through feeding tubes. We never talk about this as if it were “unnatural” or an artificial means of sustaining life.

So, let’s call the “removal of the feeding tube” what it truly is: withholding food and water for the purpose of causing death. This latter statement is far more accurate and while strong, not strong enough.

Along these lines, it should be obvious that the only outcome of withholding food and water from Terri is death by starvation or dehydration. This is not "allowing death to occur" but causing it by not giving something that Terri’s guardians are morally obligated to provide.

Barbara Simpson has written an excellent article titled "The wonderful world of legal murder" for WND. Here are a few paragraphs that should make a difference:

The media conspire against Terri. Virtually every news report says she is "vegetative" and "brain dead." The media have so bought into the idea of the "right to die" that they are complicit in the false reporting of Terri's condition creating the impression she's on the verge of death

Uh – no.

She wakes and sleeps, responds to people, smiles, reacts to her family – especially her mother – and vocalizes, making sounds in response to statements and questions as though trying to speak.

[more]

Wittenburg Gate reproduces an article by Doc Washburn, a Florida radio talk show host who asserts that Gov. Jeb Bush has the right and authority to intervene and save Terri Schiavo's life right now. The meat of his argument is:

Florida’s state constitution says "All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law and have inalienable rights, among which are the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to pursue happiness...No person shall be deprived of any right because of race, religion, national origin, or physical disability." The fact that a Circuit Judge continues to ignore Florida statutes does not change the state constitution. Jeb Bush took an oath to uphold that constitution and yet (despite receiving 120,000 e-mails begging him to save her), he let Terri Schiavo starve (and dehydrate) for six days back in October 2003 until the Florida legislature passed a law that gave him political cover.

Jeb Bush
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
850 / 488-4441
850 / 487-0801 (fax)
Executive Office of the Governor
400 S. Monroe Street
The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001

He is right, bloggers have shown proficiency in taking down hypocritical politicians (and journalists). Let's show that blogs can be effective in standing up for the life of Terri Schiavo.

The Terri Schiavo blog burst continues and is growing (rapidly). Dory from Wittenburg Gate has published a phenomenal collection of new posts by over 40 bloggers called "Bloggers' Best for Terri Schiavo". The diversity and quality of the entries is excellent and Dory has taken the time to categorize and describe each post for easy browsing.

Note: if you are blogging in support of Terri Schiavo please list it with BlogsforTerri. Many of our bloggers also join ProLifeBlogs so that their posts on Terri Schiavo can be aggregated here.

Posted by Richard on BlogsforTerri - spread the word.

We are in daily contact with those closest to the effort to save Terri, and they believe what we have outlined here is the most effective way that over 100 organized and motivated bloggers can help save Terri Schiavo.

Although a hard legal battle is being waged, our job is to work on the political and public-opinion side of the equation which is extremely important, and is the only thing that can save Terri should the legal fight fail. Much of the problem is related to political issues in Pinellas County and at the State Capital. We are aware of what they are and are working to address them. Now is not the time to divide further two opposing camps, we need both sides. That is what "BlogsForTerri" plans to do. We will take the high road and not get involved in vitriol. That doesn't mean though that we aren't going to attack, because we are - without quarter.

Rough outline of the "BlogsForTerri" attack plan:

On Sunday Wittenberg Gate will host a Bloggers' Best for Terri Schiavo . Any blogger may submit one best post on behalf of preserving Terri Schivo's life or closely related subjects such as care for the disabled or euthanasia. Anyone who does not write a blog may also submit an article or just a few quick lines by including the entire text in an email. Submissions should be sent to this email address by noon Saturday, EST. More details and submission instructions are available here .

TheBandWagon has updated the Terri Schiavo index of all of ProLifeBlog's aggregated posts grouped by blog. Thanks Jody!

To add your blog to the Pro-Life Blogs aggregator and database click here.

I have received a number of emails from individuals who can truly sympathize with the Schindlers because they have walked a similar path. Their testimony is powerful and reveals that Terri Schiavo's parents are not alone in their desire to care for and treat a loved one who has been classified by the medical establishment as in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) [see Hyscience for the truth about PVS in Terri's case]. In addition, the struggle over Terri Schiavo’s life has increased public awareness and enabled many to deal more effectively with difficult and trying situations.

Today the Supreme Court is beginning private deliberations to decide whether or not to hear the case of Norma McCorvey (the "Roe" of "Roe v. Wade"), who is now seekig to overturn the courts prior ruling which legalized abortion. [more from LifeNews]

AfterAbortion writes,

Please stop--today--and say a prayer or lift up a positive, encouraging thought, a wish, a hope, for the Supreme Court Justices, by name. Takes but 30 seconds.

Today's the day, folks. They're meeting to discuss Norma's motion right now:

William H. Rehnquist
John Paul Stevens
Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia
Anthony M. Kennedy
David Hackett Souter
Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Stephen G. Breyer

Congratulations to the BlogsforTerri Swarm! Last night we added our 100th member blog and are still growing fast.

Having met the milestone we have launched BlogsforTerri as a central point for future information and to promote and network with TERRI's Team of 100 Bloggers.

Most of my blogging related to Terri will be done at the new site along with Richard from Hyscience and Beth from MyVastRightWingConspiracy.

Are you committed to blogging regularly in support of Terri? Then join us in our fight for justice by adding your blog to the BlogsforTerri blogroll. [click here]

Most of our members publish the BlogsforTerri blogroll on their site by placing the following code among their links:

<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://rpc.blogrolling.com/display.php?r=1d56e37cbdc6ea945e3bf5be790faac9"></script><br />

In addition, hundreds of posts supporting Terri Schiavo and the Schindler family have been aggregated here and are updated several times per hour. If you haven’t added your site to the ProLifeBlogs.com aggregator please do it today by clicking here.

A former girlfriend of Michael Schiavo has revealed publicly that he believes his wife, Terri Schiavo, recognizes him and responds emotionally to him. This information is consistent with the testimony of health care workers, Terri's family and video footage which agree that Terri is not a "vegetable" as Michael has alleged in his bid to end her life.

Naaman puts Joni Eareckson Tada's quote in perspective.

The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (Matthew 25:40)

Check it out here. Note that Hyscience is listed above DailyKos and Wonkette.

WriteWingBlog is writing. She just published a sample letter for newpaper editors that will also be useful when contacting Florida officials. At her request, I'm reproducing most of her post below.

A reader pointed me to this article in the National Ledger by L.A. Morris. He notes right away that popular blogs in the blogosphere seem to have forgotten or overlooked the danger to Terri Schiavo. As early as Feb. 22, her husband may have the legal right to starve her to death.

Well, the day of reckoning is at hand. You wouldn’t know it from scanning the mainstream media, digging through internet news, or even perusing the more popular blogs. But that fateful day has arrived nonetheless, my friends, and every single one of us better sit up and take notice.

Nevertheless, he is right about most of the bloggers who have the highest traffic ratings. I'm not concerned. We are close to 100 strong and growing rapidly. Our traffic and readership is highly distributed and Terri's Bloggers are making an impact. However, it might be a good idea to send our friends at the top a few invitations to join TERRI's swarm.

Update: I noticed that Joe Carter (Evangelical Outpost), a top blogger and favorate of mine, also recently posted on Terri and BlogsForBush's Mark Noonan picked up the story.

John has the master list. It's time to act!

Update: Governor Bush's office (850-488-4441) is receiving a substantial volume of calls today in support of Terri.

The army of Terri's bloggers is growing rapidly and gaining attention through-out the blogosphere thanks to each member of Terri's blogroll [if you haven't signed-up add your blog]. Minds are being changed and action is being taken.

Hyscience has written a brief description with pictures about yesterday's rally at Terri's hospice that is far from glowing [more here]. What is important about Hyscience's posts is that they provide a general framework for action:

1. Governor
   a) avalanche of phone calls and emails
   b) personal phone calls and meetings with respected leaders


2. The Legislature
   a) phone calls and emails in district and Tallahassee
   b) on-site lobbying in Tallahassee when Legislature opens


3. Michael Schiavo
   a) pickets at home and work - relentless


4. Judge Greer
   a) church connections
   b) public protests


5. Federal cause of action
   a) President Bush
   b) Department of Justice


6. Local Doctors and Hospitals
   a) protests and potential boycott


7. Local church recruitment

To his call I'll add that the work on the ground, such as lobbying and picketing, will not be publicized by the MSM but it can be uniquely reported by you and thereby be made more effective.

A significant amount of raw material lies waiting to be explored, connected or republished [here and here]. It is esstential that this material be digested and communicated in a manner that changes minds and motivates action.

The task before us is too big for one or even ten bloggers. I'm thankful we have close to 100 in the swarm. We've signed-up for a lot but our cause is good and the truth is on our side.

HT: MyVastRightWingConspiracy

Dory explains. And here she shines some light by writing, "Terri Schiavo is not being kept alive artificially. She is merely being fed. She is not dying. She is disabled."

Terri's bloggers have a lot of work to do. We need to do what we are doing which is organizing the largest telephone and email campaign this ole country's seen in a very long time. And we need to advertise in the St Petersburg times as a collective of over 100 bloggers and their readers - the message that Terri is alive now and she doesn't deserve to sit in a room with no stimulation or connections to those who love her until she is starved and dehydrated to death in a death camp in the middle of and under the protection of a political beast called the Pinellas county court system. - Hyscience

We are 78 bloggers strong and growing!

Hyscience has posted information about the event held in front of Woodside Hospice today. This is a must read for each of Terri's bloggers.

"Thousands of Americans with disabilities understand the gravity of Terri's situation. We know that if every last legal safeguard around this brain-injured woman is dismantled, if every option is exhausted, then all of us are exposed, all of us are left vulnerable. And all of us will have to swim against the mounting tide of public opinion that Terri's demise will reinforce, that one is 'better off dead than disabled.' We must not, we cannot let this happen." -- Joni Eareckson Tada, JAF International Disability Center

[Source: Christian Communication Network]

Here is the first report I've read about today's protest:

Standing outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo lives, family and supporters of the severely brain-damaged woman on Wednesday kicked off a campaign of lobbying and protests hoping to block her husband from removing the feeding tube keeping her alive.

The following Press Release is from a group called "Not Dead Yet" (HT: LifeSteward - LifeNews has more)

Disability activists have called for a nationwide moratorium on the
dehydration and starvation of people alleged to be in “persistent
vegetative state.” This would apply to individuals who do not have
an advance directive or durable power of attorney.

Marlowe's Shade comments on the Terri Schiavo blogburst:

Terri's case is significant because she is a human being. She was and is still dearly loved. Despite her serious impairment, she has intrinsic worth. I believe from her interactions with her family she is still aware and capable of feeling love. There simple shouldn't be a question of keeping her alive. So why is her life in danger?

[snip]

The same judicial activism that seeks to secularize our society, hampers the war on terror, and redefine marriage has now assigned itself a new and deadly role. - more

Check out thebandwagon's master list of Terri Schiavo posts, organized by Blog.

Ask Sarah Scantlin whether she is glad to be alive today. On second thought, don't insult her.

If you've ever wondered why relatives of some accident victims who wind up in comas with "permanent" brain damage never give up hope or abandon their loved ones to substandard treatment, meet Sarah Scantlin. More than 20 years after being struck by a car driven by a drunk, this Kansas woman is talking again. She piped up with "OK" during a therapy session in the nursing home where she stays and apparently has been expanding her vocabulary ever since. - More