Ed Morrissey of Captian's Quarters has an excellent post today "Hijacking Terri" talking about how Randall Terry who calls himself the family spokesman is refusing to honor the family wishes and is creating a crisis outside the hospice where Terri is being killed.

The circus atmosphere has gotten to the point where the Communist Youth Brigades stole the microphones from Randall in order to get their message out.

"The emotions have run away with the argument, to the point where conservatives have now started to argue for the executive to outgun the judiciary and impose its will regardless of the law.

"It's time to put the signs down, and start praying for Terri. We need to fix the system, not trash it completely, and we need to stop giving air time to the most radical elements on both sides so we can determine the best way to do so."

Amen.

John Fund draws some interesting parallels between Terri Schiavo and Elian Gonzalez.

"On Thursday, April 20, [2000] the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals--the same court that rejected the pleas of Terri Schiavo's parents last week--turned down the Justice Department's request to order Elian removed from the home of his Miami relatives. Moreover, the court expressed serious doubts about the Justice Department's reading of both the law and its own regulations, adding that Elian had made a "substantial case on the merits" of his claim."

"clearly many of the people who approved of dramatic federal intervention to return Elian to Cuba took a completely different tack when it came to the argument over saving Terri Schiavo. Rep. Frank makes a compelling argument that Congress took an extraordinary step when it met in special session to create a procedure whereby the federal courts could decide whether Ms. Schiavo's rights were being violated. He may have a point when he accuses Republicans of "trying to command judicial activism and dictate outcomes when they don't like" rulings. But where were Mr. Frank and other liberals when the Clinton administration decided to sidestep a federal appeals court and order an armed raid against Elian Gonzalez? While Mr. Frank allowed that the use of assault rifles in the Elian raid was "excessive" and "frightening," he also defended the Justice Department's view that "of course [agents] had to use force."

"According to some reports, Gov. Jeb Bush considered seizing Mrs. Schiavo, à la Elian, and taking her to a hospital so she could be fed. But he did not do so. "I've consistently said that I can't go beyond what my powers are, and I'm not going to do it," the governor says. Janet Reno and the Clinton administration showed no such restraint when it came to Elian Gonzalez."

Read the whole article, and keep on praying.

Power Line brought my attention to "The Politics of the Schiavo Case" by Jeffrey Bell & Frank Cannon in the latest edition of The Weekly Standard.

Bell and Cannon make some very interesting points:

"It was a substantive policy victory for forces opposed to the right to life (it doesn't seem accurate, in this instance, to describe these forces as "pro-choice"), but it may be a victory they come to regret. For one thing, in content it was far more an extension of the implications of legalized abortion than of assisted suicide.

"Of the whole array of anti-life agenda items, assisted suicide receives the greatest level of support in public opinion polling, undoubtedly because it is seen as the least coercive. But in the end game of the Terri Schiavo case, the longstanding assertion by her husband that Terri would welcome what was being done to her seemed at most a formality. The courts all but made explicit that the killing was not really about her wishes but only about those of her husband and legal guardian. The implication that Terri's fate was to be the choice of the husband, and of him alone, followed the form of abortion law, which puts the choice in the hands of the mother, and of no one else.

"This matters because abortion, not assisted suicide, is the mother of all American social issues. We say American, and not Russian or Chinese or British, because it is the American founding document that guarantees the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and asserts as its only authority that of the Creator--the authority of Nature and of Nature's God. If you had to pick one reason that there is a pro-life movement in America and not Europe, it is the nature of our founding."

This observation of course is based on the Declaration.

Bell and Cannon then conclude by showing how this impacts the upcoming battles in the US Senate over President Bush's judicial nominations:

"For President Bush and the social conservatives who comprise the central rampart of his base, the courts' naked assertion of judicial supremacy in deciding the fate of Terri Schiavo represents an important moment. This is because the premise of the Democratic filibuster of the president's conservative judicial nominees is that the Roe v. Wade decision must never again be called into question.

"The judicial confirmation debate will now unavoidably be about whether democratic decision-making on abortion should continue to be prohibited by our courts and (effectively) by the American legal profession. From the beginning, those who believed Roe would corrupt the rule of law feared that state sanction of private killing would put all public order and all private restraint in doubt. The fate of Terri Schiavo makes clear that those fears were utterly on target."

As the death of Terri Schiavo grows near, let us not only continue to pray for Terri, her family, and our country, but also vow to do whatever it takes to reform the judicial system in our country.

Ed Morrissey of Captian's Quarters today writes on the calls of some for Jeb Bush to take Terri Schiavo by force and defy the courts. This would be an attempt to do right by doing wrong and would not help Terri, her family, the rule of law, or our country.

I find myself in agreement with his thoughts:

"But we have to draw a line here, and that line is the law."

"We cannot allow our passions for Terri and the Schindlers to overload our respect for the law which protects us from an overpowerful executive branch. Reverend Mahoney calls for little less than an armed coup d'etat in Florida, one in which Bush would make both the legislature and the judiciary completely irrelevant by the use of force. I cannot imagine a more dangerous and terrible outcome from this tragedy than that, especially since in the end it will have only the effect of momentarily delaying Terri's torturous death.

"It's time to cool the passions and start praying for mercy."

Amen.

Marianne M. Jennings has written one of the most powerful and moving pieces I have ever read on the Terri Schiavo situation. She does so from a unique perspective.

"Our daughter, Claire, has had a feeding tube for 10 years, and my mother is closing in on one year with hers. I am generationally sandwiched between feeding tube patients. Like Terri Schiavo, no one is really sure how much breaks through my daughter's or mother's neurological remnants. Also like Mrs. Schiavo, neither needs a respirator. To the clinical, the three are in a "vegetative state." The inexperienced callously refer to them as clumps of flesh that hover in a puzzling state for inexplicable reasons.

"But those of us who live with and care for these magnificent souls question the analyses hurled about as cherished life hangs in the balance. I offer my lessons from a decade of exposure to the "vegetative state.""

Marianne concludes:

"I fear for the clinical callousness of this tube removal. We turn our backs on the closest thing this world has to offer when it comes to angels. This removal is a giant leap backwards as mankind denies its spirituality and harms the helpless. I worry about the precedent for our Claire and my mom, but I fear for us."

Read the whole article, and please continue to pray for Terri, her family, and our country.

Hugh Hewitt today read on his radio program the affidavit of Dr. William Chesire a Board Certified Neurologist. Dr. Chesire examined Terri Schiavo on 1 March 2005. He discloses that to the best of his knowledge he was the first Neurologist to examine Terri Schiavo in nearly three years! He points out that studies have shown that there is a very high rate of false initial diagnosis of Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), and that scientific knowledge in this field has significantly expanded since Terri was diagnosed three years ago.

In particular since that time doctors have become aware of a different diagnosis that should be applied to some patients like Terri called "minimally conscious state". Like many other neurologists he says that a proper diagnosis must include PET or fMRI studies, which have never been done on Terri, apparently because her estranged husband has not permitted these tests to be done. He then goes into great detail why he feels that the original diagnosis of PVS is false.

He concludes "Based on this evidence, I believe that, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, there is a greater likelyhood that Terri is in a minimally conscious state than in a persistent vegetative state. This distinction makes an enormous difference in making ethical decisions on Terri's behalf. If Terri is sufficiently aware of her surroundings that she can feel pleasure and suffer, if she is capable of understanding to some degree how she is being treated, then in my judgement it would be wrong to bring about her death by withdrawing food and water."

"When serious doubts exist as to whether a cognitively impaired person is or is not consiously aware, even if these doubts cannot be conclusively resolved, it is better to err on the side of protecting vulnerable life."

Power Line tonight comments that one reason so many have come to similar conclusions as this Doctor is that we have seen the video tapes of Terri reacting to those around her, and just can't believe she is not alive and at least somewhat aware inside her crippled body. They quote Groucho Marx "Who You Gonna Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eyes?" to explain the reaction of those who will not look at the evidence.

There may be very little hope left for Terri, but please still continue to pray for her, and the judges and politicians who could help if they wished to.

We are in day 5 of the court ordered torturing of Terri Schiavo to death. Soon we may have the answer to her estranged husband's question quoted above. Please continue to pray for Terri and our country, and help in the ways suggested by Focus on the Family and Terri's family.

In defiance of the law passed by Congress and signed by the President, the Federal District Court in Florida (Judge appointed by Clinton) and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals have both refused to hear the case on the merits and grant an emergency halt to the dehydration and starving of Terri Schiavo to death. An appeal has been made to the Supreme Court. If there ever was more dramatic evidence of that fact that our Court system is out of control and totally unresponsive to the will of the people as expressed by our elected representatives, I have not heard of it.

No matter what happens to Terri we must get the courts under control. This will start with President Bush's nominations to the Court of Appeals and the Senate Democrat's attempt to impose an unconstitutional supermajority requirement on their approval. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile keep praying.

This evening we are entering the 4th day of the court ordered torturing of Terri Schiavo to death. She may only have a few days left to live, and everyone should pray for her and our country. Terri will be in a better place if she dies, but our country will no longer be able to claim:

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Our founding fathers believed "their Creator" gave us "unalienable Rights" and "that among these are Life". Our God given Right to Life is the most fundamental of all our human rights.

They further said:

"That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."

The whole purpose of Government is securing these Rights, the first of which is Life. The government of the State of Florida and to a lesser degree the United States have failed in this most fundamental duty.

But so what one might ask. The founding fathers had an answer:

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

This is not some radical call for "revolution now" or such nonsense. After all we must consider:

"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shown, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed."

However when our government abuses the Rights of the innocent, it does so at great peril. Eventually "If This Goes On -" our government will lose all the respect of the citizens. Then we will find:

"But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security."

I pray our country never reaches that point. The current path is not hopeful, however.

So let us pray for Terri and our country. Let us also work to right the wrongs starting by calling those in Florida who could help but will not. Be respectful but strongly urge them to change their minds.

On Friday Hugh Hewitt called on all Christians to hold up Terri Schiavo in prayer, and as well pray for those who can help that they choose to do so. This is indeed the main issue here. Have we as a country been so taken in by a culture of death that we will stand by silently as evil persons torture and kill Terri Schiavo? Has the Christian Church been so taken in by political agendas that we can't oppose the murder of the inconvenient?

Terri Schiavo facts:

Terri Schiavo is not on "life support". She is living and breathing on her own without medical aid, and has lived the last five years in a Hospice not a Hospital. All she requires is food and water delivered by tube, since she can not eat normally.

There is grave doubt that Terri Schiavo is in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) since the tests required to determine this have never been performed. Her estranged husband has not allowed them, and a Judge has sided with the husband.

Terri has not been given good care. In fact under normal circumstances the care would be considered criminal neglect since she has had teeth rot due to lack of proper dental care, and has skin ulcers that would be easily prevented though simple basic care. The Judge has refused to remove the estranged husband as her guardian so she can receive proper care.

Terri has not been given therapy or rehabilitation since 1992 since her estranged husband has refused to allow it. It is possible she could eat without the tube if the effort to feed her this way was not too much bother.

The judge's order to starve Terri to death is nothing short of Judicial Murder.

It is shameful that those who call themselves Christian have in many cases acted like the Priest and Levite Jesus spoke of in the parable of the Good Samaritan and "passed by on the other side" rather than get involved. Almost none of the larger Christian denominations in the USA have supported Terri's right to live. Her support has come almost exclusively from the conservative evangelical churches and the Roman Catholic Church.

The lawyer for Terri's estranged husband issued a statement trying to justify her murder and attacking those who are trying to save her life.

Terri's situation needs to be viewed in the broader context of attacks on life such as the infamous Gronigen Protocol under which children in the Netherlands are being murdered because they are inconvenient.

Unfortunately there is a political side to this as well, with congressional Democrats trying to oppose any attempt to help Terri, as they have for days. Peggy Noonan points out that if Terri dies the Republicans will be to blame too since they have the power to do something. Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family points out that shamefully one of the obstructionists in Congress has been a Republican leader.

In this case as with so many others, the Main Stream Media has been lying through their teeth to the American public. Read Pete Winn of Focus on the Family's article "Tell the Truth!".

The best single article on Terri situation I have found was published in National Review Online by Reverend Robert Johansen.

Dr. Dobson urged listeners to Hugh Hewitt's show to check his website Family.org and in particular the CitizenLink page for suggestions for what we can do to help Terri.

I pray that Christians and all who support Life will do everything in their power to help save Terri Schiavo.

UPDATE: President Bush has signed emergency legislation that allows Terri's parents to go before a Federal judge and ask their daughter not be killed. It does not require that the Federal courts agree to hear the case, nor does it mean the Florida judge will accept being over ruled by the Federal courts (if indeed he is).

This does not end the struggle for Terri's life, or the political ramifications. While even Bernard Sanders the Socialist member of congress (who the news media always call the "independent" member of congress) abstained from this vote, and therefore did not vote against this bill, 5 Republicans and 53 Democrats voted against giving Terri Schiavo a chance at life. All those who value life need to remember them and donate money to their opponents next election cycle.

Voted Against Life

Tammy Baldwin - Wisconsin-2nd, Democrat

Shelley Berkley - Nevada-1st, Democrat

Timothy H. Bishop - New York-1st, Democrat

Ginny Brown-Waite - Florida-5th, Republican

G. K. Butterfield - North Carolina-1st, Democrat

Michael E. Capuano - Massachusetts-8th, Democrat

Benjamin L. Cardin - Maryland-3rd, Democrat

Russ Carnahan - Missouri-3rd, Democrat

Julia Carson - Indiana-7th, Democrat

Michael N. Castle - Delaware-At Large, Republican

Wm. Lacy Clay - Missouri-1st, Democrat

Emanuel Cleaver - Missouri-5th, Democrat

James E. Clyburn - South Carolina-6th, Democrat

John Conyers Jr. - Michigan-14th, Democrat

Jim Davis - Florida-11th, Democrat

Charles W. Dent - Pennsylvania-15th, Republican

Norman D. Dicks - Washington-6th, Democrat

Michael F. Doyle - Pennsylvania-14th, Democrat

Lane Evans - Illinois-17th, Democrat

Barney Frank - Massachusetts-4th, Democrat

Luis V. Gutierrez - Illinois-4th, Democrat

Alcee L. Hastings - Florida-23rd, Democrat

Rush D. Holt - New Jersey-12th, Democrat

Steny H. Hoyer - Maryland-5th, Democrat

Steve Israel - New York-2nd, Democrat

Marcy Kaptur - Ohio-9th, Democrat

Patrick J. Kennedy - Rhode Island-1st, Democrat

John B. Larson - Connecticut-1st, Democrat

Sander M. Levin - Michigan-12th, Democrat

John Lewis - Georgia-5th, Democrat

Doris O. Matsui - California-5th, Democrat

Jim McDermott - Washington-7th, Democrat

Cynthia McKinney - Georgia-4th, Democrat

Brad Miller - North Carolina-13th, Democrat

James P. Moran - Virginia-8th, Democrat

John P. Murtha - Pennsylvania-12th, Democrat

Jerrold Nadler - New York-8th, Democrat

John W. Olver - Massachusetts-1st, Democrat

Frank Pallone Jr. - New Jersey-6th, Democrat

Bill Pascrell Jr. - New Jersey-8th, Democrat

Donald M. Payne - New Jersey-10th, Democrat

David E. Price - North Carolina-4th, Democrat

David G. Reichert - Washington-8th, Republican

Steven R. Rothman - New Jersey-9th, Democrat

Adam B. Schiff - California-29th, Democrat

Allyson Y. Schwartz - Pennsylvania-13th, Democrat

Robert C. Scott - Virginia-3rd, Democrat

Christopher Shays - Connecticut-4th, Republican

John M. Spratt Jr. - South Carolina-5th, Democrat

Ted Strickland - Ohio-6th, Democrat

Bennie G. Thompson - Mississippi-2nd, Democrat

Chris Van Hollen - Maryland-8th, Democrat

Peter J. Visclosky - Indiana-1st, Democrat

Debbie Wasserman Schultz - Florida-20th, Democrat

Melvin L. Watt - North Carolina-12th, Democrat

Anthony D. Weiner - New York-9th, Democrat

Robert Wexler - Florida-19th, Democrat

David Wu - Oregon-1st, Democrat

It was good to meet so many of the members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs. I was blogging in the corner right next to Jonathan & Lisa from Mangled Cat. They came all the way in from Salt Lake City on their anniversary for Blogfest!

Joshua Sharf of View from a Height was at Blogfest for a while, but had to leave early.

Jim of Thinking Right was there, and I was privileged to go out to dinner with him, Ben DeGrow of Mount Virtus, and Eric of Free Thoughts afterwards. Jim has personal experiences that make him particularly sensitive to Terri Schiavo's plight.

I must echo Jim's big thank you to Michael of Tucanos for a wonderful dinner. Tucanos is a Brazilian Grill. If you have not experienced Brazilian style grill, you are in for an experience and a treat.

Also at the dinner was Mr. Bob of The Daily Blogster. He gave me a little background on some of the members of the Alliance.

I got to briefly meet Marvin of Little Red Blog. Hugh gave him a nice plug on the radio program.

Jared of Exultate Justi was at Blogfest, as was Clay Calhoun. Clay arrived late, but not until after Hugh mentioned several times on the air that Clay was not yet there. I think Clay figued that all publicity was good publicity.

Other Bloggers at Blogfest included Pete of The Greasy Rag, Barbara of Girl in Right who I met briefly, Jed of Jed's who mentioned he is job hunting, Publicola, Mark of 1or2thoughts, Jiggity of Avoiding the Tar Baby, and Charles of Dilley Blog. Thanks to Ben DeGrow of Mount Virtus for the list of Bloggers and the links to their sites.