BE SURE & READ MY VERY NEXT POST HERE with TONS of EVIDENCE to
counteract the VISCIOUS LIES propagated by Michael Schiavo, Michael
Schiavo's Attorneys, the complicit propagandists in the mainstream
media, including TV, and many others!

I have 2 websites dedicated to Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

Extensive evidence & information can be found on my yahoo site,
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/saveterrislife/
which you can easily find by typing saveterrislife (all one word)
into google or yahoo or go to http://www.saveterrislife.com
There is also a link there to my yahoo site.

Click on any post on my websites and find FAR MORE information,
evidence, and links than only what the TITLE of each post states.

I will be adding much more information to my yahoo website on a
frequent basis.
Keep checking back!


Melissa Roxanne Stanley
saveterrislife
DeLand, Volusia County, Florida



Due to what has been going on with Terri in the last few days, I have
been sending a tremendous amount of material out about Terri, but
have not had time to post it here yet.

Therefore, I am going to post material I have been working on today
first in my next message, and try to catch up on the rest as soon as
I have time.

I am also working on lots of other things which are very important
which could help to save Terri's life, so right now, I have to
concentrate on those things first and foremost, as Judge Greer has
ordered Terri's tube be removed on March 18th, 2005 at 1:00 PM EST!

Keep checking back for more info. frequently as I will be updating my
site as much as possible.

BE SURE AND READ MY VERY NEXT *LONG* POST HERE as it will contain
TONS of evidence to counteract the VISCIOUS LIES propagated by
Michael Schiavo, Michael Schiavo's Attorneys, the complicit
propagandists in the mainstream media, including TV, and many
others!  The PROPAGANDISTS ARE SPINNING LIES FULL TIME that Terri had
a heart attack, suffered from bulimia, had a potassium imbalance,
electrolyte imbalance, etc.  NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE TRUE!  They are
all HUGE LIES by Michael and Co. and others working with them,
including the media, to take the focus off of what happened to Terri
on February 25, 1990 and since then!

They are all just damage control rabbit trails and disinformation
benefitting Michael and extremely detrimental to Terri as this is
what the public is being fed by the disinformationalists and have for
years and years.

Please read the truth on my site and tell others the truth and refer
them to my websites!  Please send evidence you find here to others,
including the media, the officials, your friends, family, and others!

Thanks for your concern and support for Terri!

By the way, this site is a read-only site devoted to research I have
done since September, 2003 regarding Terri.

The only reason there are 2 members on this website is because yahoo
forced me to add another member or they threatened to shut my site
down!  Therefore, I asked a fellow Terri researcher and advocate to
join, but I am the only one who posts information here.

I plan to be doing more net radio interviews on
http://crusaderadio.com in the near future, but it is sometimes not
known by me until the night before when I will be asked to go on the
air.

It will most likely be on Mondays and possibly on some Tuesdays when
I will be on the air doing more net radio shows about Terri.  I will
also be talking about new information and things no one else talks
about, so keep listening!

You can click on old posts here about my old net radio shows on
crusaderadio.com for more details and links to click on so you can
listen!

You can check here many times for more information:

http://vetzine.blogspot.com as the person who owns that blog also
hosts the net radio shows I often do about Terri!

I will try to post a notice here to let you know when I will be on so
keep checking back!  I am sure I will be on again soon since Terri's
tube is supposed to be removed in about 3 weeks!

There is soooo much going on in this case it is UNREAL, so rest
assured I will be posting it here in the next few days and weeks and
thereafter!

If you'd like to be on my e-mail list, send an e-mail to me at
saveterrislife@... and let me know you want to subscribe to my
e-mail list regarding Terri.  It is different than asking to join my
yahoo site, as I do not allow anyone to join my site, because I could
not possibly keep track of what might be posted, due to the time
factor, and I have to keep my site truthful and accurate!  I work to
support myself plus work fulltime on trying to get the truth out
about Terri!  So, pls. be clear in your e-mail that you wish to
receive my e-mails about Terri!

Melissa Roxanne Stanley, saveterrislife
____________________________________________________________________


(Note:  Over 100,000 People Had Signed As of Last Night (meaning
Thursday, 2-24-05)

Melissa Roxanne Stanley / saveterrislife



FORT LAUDERDALE-More than 5,000 people an hour are signing an online
"Petition to Save Terri Schiavo." Schiavo, a 41-year-old brain-
injured
woman who has the capacity to respond to her environment, recognize
voices, and who brightens at the presence of her mother, may be
starved to death by court order, starting today at 5 p.m.

"This is one of the strongest responses we have ever seen for an
online petition," said Dr. Gary Cass, Executive Director of the
Center for Reclaiming America, which is sponsoring the petition
campaign.

"The life of an otherwise healthy 41-year-old woman is in jeopardy
today, and thousands of concerned Americans are pleading for action
from Governor Bush," said Dr. Cass, who will personally deliver the
names on the petition to Gov. Bush and Florida legislative leaders in
Tallahassee on Friday, February 25.

The petition urges Governor Bush "to take immediate action to stop
the forced starvation of Terri Schiavo," and calls for "legislative,
judicial and executive efforts that will stop the forced starvation
of Terri Schiavo."

The petition may be accessed at http://www.reclaimamerica.org.



Cass also urged that calls and e-mails on Schiavo's behalf be sent to


Florida Governor Jeb Bush (at 850.488.4441 or
jeb.bush@...);


Senate President Tom Lee (at 850.487.5072 or
lee.tom.web@...);

and House Speaker Allan G. Bense (at 850.488.1450 or
speaker@....)

Food and water may be denied to Schiavo beginning today at 5 p.m.,
when an emergency stay of an order to remove her feeding tube will
expire. Michael Schiavo, the estranged husband of Terri Schiavo, has
battled Terri's parents in court for years in an attempt to end her
life. Michael, who has lived for at least nine years with another
woman by whom he has had two children, claims Terri would not have
wished to be kept alive. There is no written request from Terri to
document his claim.

"Death by starvation is an extremely cruel and painful ordeal," said
Dr. D. James Kennedy, President and Founder of the Center for
Reclaiming America. "Unless Governor Bush, the Florida legislature,
or
a court intervenes, the court-imposed torture of Terri Schiavo will
take 7-10 days and end in what will be a tragic and, mark my words,
criminal death."

Human starvation and dehydration is attended by hunger pangs,
cracking
of the skin, lips, and tongue; nose bleeds as mucous membranes dry
out; and vomiting as the stomach lining dries out. As the process
goes
on, blood pressure drops, the heart rate increases, and blood is
withdrawn from the extremities and redirected toward vital organs.

"Thomas Jefferson," Dr. Kennedy noted, "said 'the care of human life
and not its destruction is the first and only object of good
government.' A court order that mandates the cruel and unusual
sentence of death by dehydration has violated the very first purpose
of civil government-the care and defense of life. Governor Bush and
the legislature must act now to protect the life of this defenseless
woman. Along with Dr. Cass, I urge concerned Americans to sign the
Center for Reclaiming America's online petition and to flood Governor
Bush, Senate President Lee, and House Speaker Bense with phone calls
and e-mails on her behalf."

To request an interview with Dr. Gary Cass, please contact John Aman
at

(954) 334-5330, or CRMNews@....



US Congressional Switchboard Toll-free Numbers
1-877-762-8762
1-800-839-5276
The White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
The line only accepts calls from 9-5 EST., Monday thru Friday.
A machine will detain you for only a moment and then a pleasant live
operator says "White House Comment Line" and then you can tell
her/him
how you feel.

Take Action NOW CALL & EMAIL
Please contact Governor Jeb Bush and encourage him to take all
necessary steps to save the life of Terri Schiavo. You may reach him
at: Governor Jeb Bush (850) 488-4441 jeb.bush@... WE CAN
MAKE THIS HAPPEN! CALL, CALL CALL!

Take Action!

Please contact Governor Jeb Bush and encourage him to take all
necessary steps to save the life of Terri Schiavo. You may reach him
at:

Governor Jeb Bush
(850) 488-4441
jeb.bush@...

____________________________________________________________________

100,000 Names on Petition to Save Terri Schiavo to be Delivered to
Representative of Gov. Bush in Tallahassee

To: National Desk

Contact: John Aman, of Coral Ridge Ministries, 954-334-5330,
CRMNews@...; Tallahassee contact is Lisa Ard, 850-284-
5165

FORT LAUDERDALE, Feb. 24 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Dr. Gary Cass,
Executive Director of the Center for Reclaiming America, will deliver
the names of 100,000 people who have signed an online petition on
behalf of Terri Schiavo at a press conference, Friday, February 25,
at 2 p.m. on the Plaza Level of the State Capitol Building in
Tallahassee.

Press Conference Details--

When: Friday, February 25, at 2 PM

Where: Plaza Level of Florida State Capitol Building

Who: Dr. Gary Cass, Executive Director of the Center for Reclaiming
America

Why: Dr. Cass will deliver the names on petition, generated in just
two days, to a representative of the Governor and will address
members of the media at the press conference. The petition urges
Governor Jeb Bush "to take immediate action to stop the forced
starvation of Terri Schiavo." It may be accessed at
www.reclaimamerica.org.

"The fact that this petition campaign, which began just yesterday,
has generated online signatures at the enormous rate of 5,000 per
hour, underscores how passionate people across the nation feel about
this issue," said Dr. Cass. "They want to see Terri spared from the
cruel and inhumane death by starvation and dehydration that may
commence tomorrow at 5 p.m."

"We appreciate the energy, concern, and effort which the Governor has
already expended in seeking a way to save Terri's live," Cass
said. "These petitions demonstrate the fervent concern in Florida and
across the nation that Gov. Bush act to save Terri's life."

Cass also urged that calls and e-mails on Schiavo's behalf be sent to
Florida Governor Jeb Bush (at 850.488.4441 or
jeb.bush@...); Senate President Tom Lee (at 850.487.5072 or
lee.tom.web@...); and House Speaker Allan G. Bense (at
850.488.1450 or speaker@....)


The Center for Reclaiming America is an outreach of Coral Ridge
Ministries, the television and radio ministry of Dr. D. James
Kennedy. The Center provides non-partisan, non-denominational
information, training, and support to all those interested in
positively affecting the culture and renewing the vision of our
Founding Fathers, as expressed in America's founding documents. The
Center for Reclaiming America is a national grassroots organization
with participants in all 50 states.

http://www.earnedmedia.org/crm0224.htm


____________________________________________________________________

Press Release

For Immediate Release - 02-24-2005 4:00 PM (GMT-5)


Associated Press Targets Terri Schiavo

Media repeats misrepresentations in Terri Schiavo case.


Clearwater, FL - On February 24, 2005, 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.

Indeed, Florida's Department of Health had completely and absolutely
cleared Terri's general practitioner of any negligence or wrong-doing
in her case. This was after the physician had been accused by Terri's
husband of ignoring evidence of an eating disorder.

Additionally, at the time of her mysterious medical episode, Terri
Schiavo stood 5'3" and weighed somewhere between 115 and 118 pounds -
a slim, but normal stature and weight.

Associated Press writer, Vickie Chachere cites not ONE medical
document that would affirm her careless contention that Terri Schiavo
was an irresponsible dieter or a compulsive victim of an eating
disorder. The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation asks Ms. Chachere to
readily produce the facts upon which she penned such assertions.

The parents and siblings have repeatedly offered to media and press a
copy of a bone scan conducted on Terri Schiavo just one year after
her incident that reveals multiple sites of trauma and broken bones
throughout Terri's body. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor the
media or press have made any effort to investigate why Terri
Schiavo's body was seemingly broken by battery.

Instead, they perpetuate the unsubstantiated claims that Terri
Schiavo suffered from an eating disorder that rendered her healthy,
26 year-old heart incapable of carrying on.

Statement of Robert Schindler, Terri's' Father: ""This is a
slanderous accusation against my daughter with no basis in fact.
Certain members of the press seem determined to spread misinformation
to kill Terri."

The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation is calling upon all of media
and press to take up the task of investigating allegations of serious
abuse against Terri Schiavo as are evidenced in the 1991 bone scan
and well as ongoing violations against Terri under Florida's
Guardianship Statutes.

http://terrisfight.org



____________________________________________________________________

Much evidence can be found here that I provided, which was NOT
included, by the writer, in an article about Michael:

Michael Schiavo: Loving Husband Or MONSTER?
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/saveterrislife/message/65

____________________________________________________________________

US Congressional Switchboard Toll-free Numbers
1-877-762-8762
1-800-839-5276
The White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111

The line only accepts calls from 9-5 EST., Monday thru Friday.
A machine will detain you for only a moment and then a pleasant live
operator says "White House Comment Line" and then you can tell
her/him how you feel.

Take Action NOW CALL & EMAIL
Please contact Governor Jeb Bush and encourage him to take all
necessary steps to save the life of Terri Schiavo. You may reach him
at:

Governor Jeb Bush
(850) 488-4441
jeb.bush@...
WE CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
CALL, CALL CALL!

Take Action!

Please contact Governor Jeb Bush and encourage him to take all
necessary steps to save the life of Terri Schiavo. You may reach him
at:

Governor Jeb Bush
(850) 488-4441
jeb.bush@...
____________________________________________________________________

----- Original Message -----
From: saveterrislife
To: jgrogan@...
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2005 2:50 AM
Subject: Columnist John Grogan Changes Mind About Terri Schiavo!



Philly columnist changes mind on Terri Schiavo
'Uncomfortable details' lead him to side with her parents

Posted: February 26, 2005

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

A Philadelphia Inquirer columnist who believes in the "right to die"
has changed his mind about the Terri Schiavo case, pointing
to "uncomfortable details" about her estranged husband that now lead
him to side with the parents of the brain-damaged Florida woman, who
are fighting to keep her alive.

John Grogan said in a column published today, "I no longer so
blithely believe Schiavo's feeding tubes should be pulled and her
life allowed to end. I'm no longer so sure her parents do not deserve
a say in their daughter's future. I no longer am totally comfortable
assuming her husband, Michael, who now has two children by another
woman, is acting unselfishly."

Michael Schiavo has been living with his fiance Jodi Centonze since
1995 and has said he will marry her upon the death of his wife.

Grogan said he hasn't changed his opinion that everyone has a right
to "die with dignity," but he believes that in the Schiavo case,
the "devil is in the details, uncomfortable details that raise sticky
moral dilemmas."

Terri Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 after collapsing.
Michael Schiavo attributes it to a chemical imbalance caused by an
eating disorder, but parents Robert and Mary Schindler believe he may
have tried to strangle her.

Michael Schiavo contends his wife told him she never would want to be
kept alive artificially.

But Grogan points out Terri Schiavo's heart and lungs function on
their own, and she requires only a feeding tube that might not be
necessary if she were given physical therapy.

The columnist notes Michael Schiavo, as her legal guardian, has
forbidden any therapy.

"If [Terri] Schiavo merely required spoon feeding instead of tube
feeding, would anyone seriously be arguing to withhold food and
water?" Grogan asked. "Does not every human, no matter how
incapacitated, deserve sustenance?"

Grogan also is concerned about abuse allegations against Michael
Schiavo and believes they should be investigated.

The allegations "may be nothing but scurrilous rumor spread to damage
his credibility," he wrote. "But what if there is even a tiny chance
he is guilty of abuse? Should such a person be in a position to
decide this life-and-death issue?"

When it comes to who is best to decide, Grogan wrote, it's clear that
Terri Schiavo's parents "have proved themselves nothing if not
fiercely loyal, utterly committed parents. They might be misguided.
They might be in denial. But no one can argue their devotion. They
have not given up. They have not stopped caring. They have not
stopped loving. Who are we, as a society, to tell them they must?

Grogan concluded:

Clearly, Schiavo's husband has moved on to a new life, and who can
blame him? It's been 15 long years. But parents cannot move on.
Parents cannot give up. Their child will always be the precious gift
they brought into the world.

If the Schindlers want to dedicate the rest of their lives and
resources to caring for their brain-damaged daughter, if they want to
shower her with attention and affection she likely will never
recognize, who among us will tell them they cannot

It won't be me.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43039




Court documents and other information are posted on the
Schindler family website http://www.terrisfight.org.

Links to all "Terri briefs" regarding the governor's defense of
Terri's Law are on the Florida Supreme Court website, public
information.


Recent stories:

Terri Schiavo's life in balance again
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43026

Stay extended in Schiavo case
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43006

Clock running out for Terri Schiavo
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42998

U.S. Supreme Court refuses Schiavo case
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42527

Terri Schiavo saved again
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41151

Judge spares Terri Schiavo ­ for now
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41111

'Terri's Law' struck down
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40594

Florida high court hears 'Terri's Law'
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40242

Recent commentaries:

Supreme ignorance
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40619

A right to live ... not to be killed
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40641

Read WorldNetDaily's unparalleled, in-depth coverage of the life-and-
death fight over Terri Schiavo.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35305




Philly columnist changes mind on Terri Schiavo
'Uncomfortable details' lead him to side with her parents

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43039




Praise God John Grogan woke up about Terri!  Others are also waking
up!  We must keep getting the evidence and the truth out to the
people and telling everyone we meet the truth about Terri.  I do, and
I am sure many of you do the same.  In addition to the radio shows
about Terri I have done many times, I have told people I have just
met, people who have come to fix my computer (several different
technicians), my friends, my family, my clients, people at the salon
I go to, people where I live, and you can do the same!

If you have only told your family and friends, try talking to
others.  I tell people as much as I can as fast as I can.  You can
also call in to talk radio shows, net radio shows, television shows
and write e-mails to everyone including the media, officials, people
you know, etc.

We ARE making a difference and we CANNOT stop now.  Terri's life is
still in GRAVE DANGER and so are the lives of SO MANY OTHERS who
could be next, including ANY OF US and our friends and family
members!

Please REMEMBER people CAN and DO change their minds, just like John
Grogan did!  I pray he will change his mind about more than just
Terri, but I am very grateful he came forward and wrote the article
that he did.  I commend him for having the courage to do so!

Please pray for John Grogan, others who have not woken up, and those
who want Terri to be killed.

Most of all, please pray for Terri and her loving family, who have
been through so much more than we can ever imagine for so very
long.

Melissa Stanley



Here is the new article John Grogan wrote and I was just, (as of 2:44
AM EST), finally able to read it after much trouble getting into the
website.  The page of "special offers" which is supposed to appear,
per the site, once you join, would not work, therefore I could not
join, however, it let me see the article hours later, after I was
able to change my password.  (I had actually joined long ago, back in
2003).  Now that I have finally read John Grogan's newest article on
Terri, I see that John still does not have all of the facts and is
putting out inaccurate information about Terri.  I will attempt to
call him regarding this as well as e-mailing him.  I implore all of
you who know the truth and the know the evidence to do the same
asap.  Melissa



Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005



John Grogan | Second thoughts on Terri Schiavo

By John Grogan
Inquirer Columnist

Sometimes even newspaper columnists change their minds.

In the matter of Terri Schiavo, the permanently brain-damaged former
suburban Philadelphia woman caught in a life-and-death tug-of-war,
this columnist has changed his.

I no longer so blithely believe Schiavo's feeding tubes should be
pulled and her life allowed to end. I'm no longer so sure her parents
do not deserve a say in their daughter's future. I no longer am
totally comfortable assuming her husband, Michael, who now has two
children by another woman, is acting unselfishly.

That's not to say I have changed my opinion about the right of all of
us to die with dignity when life has lost all meaning. But for Terri
Schiavo, who lingers in a Florida nursing home, the devil is in the
details, uncomfortable details that raise sticky moral dilemmas.

Detail 1: Terry Schiavo is not dying. She is not being kept alive
artificially. Her heart beats and lungs breathe without help. She
cannot swallow food or water. Once the feeding tube is removed, she
would slowly starve to death over days or weeks.

Detail 2: Schiavo is not comatose. Her eyes open, and she sometimes
responds to stimuli. Doctors say there is no brain activity and her
responses are simply reflexive. Her parents, Robert and Mary
Schindler, want to believe otherwise.

Unanswered questions

Detail 3: The Schindlers think their daughter could benefit from
physical therapy and might someday swallow on her own, but her
husband, as her legal guardian, reportedly will not allow it. Which
leads to an equally uncomfortable question: If Schiavo merely
required spoon feeding instead of tube feeding, would anyone
seriously be arguing to withhold food and water? Does not every
human, no matter how incapacitated, deserve sustenance?

Detail 4: Unproven allegations that Schiavo might have suffered
physical trauma immediately before her heart stopped for several
minutes in 1990, leading to brain damage, have not been fully
investigated. The Schindlers have long suggested their son-in-law
strangled their daughter; Michael Schiavo's lawyer says the abuse
allegations have never been substantiated. Before pulling the plug on
this woman, don't these questions need to be fully answered?

The abuse allegations against Michael Schiavo may be nothing but
scurrilous rumor spread to damage his credibility. But what if there
is even a tiny chance he is guilty of abuse? Should such a person be
in a position to decide this life-and-death issue?

Last month, I wrote that Michael Schiavo's wish should be granted and
his wife allowed to die rather than suffer for years in what the
courts have deemed a "persistent vegetative state." I still believe
Terri Schiavo, if she were aware today, would instruct us to not make
her linger on like this.

Undisputed devotion

But she is not aware and left no written directives. So we are left
to guess her wishes. Last month, I said we could look inside our own
hearts and know what she would want. Today, with the latest stay
barring the removal of the feeding tube set to expire in hours, I am
less confident making such assumptions.

Who best to decide? In the murky mess that this case has become, we
are left with one unwavering truth: Over the last seven years of
fighting, Terri Schiavo's parents have proved themselves nothing if
not fiercely loyal, utterly committed parents. They might be
misguided. They might be in denial. But no one can argue their
devotion. They have not given up. They have not stopped caring. They
have not stopped loving. Who are we, as a society, to tell them they
must?

Clearly, Schiavo's husband has moved on to a new life, and who can
blame him? It's been 15 long years. But parents cannot move on.
Parents cannot give up. Their child will always be the precious gift
they brought into the world.

If the Schindlers want to dedicate the rest of their lives and
resources to caring for their brain-damaged daughter, if they want to
shower her with attention and affection she likely will never
recognize, who among us will tell them they cannot?

It won't be me.


Contact John Grogan at 610-313-8132 or jgrogan@....
Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/grogan.



http://philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/10985482
.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp



Here's the older article John Grogan wrote about Terri:

Posted on Mon, Jan. 31, 2005


Just what life is being prolonged?

By John Grogan
Inquirer Columnist

For Terri Schiavo, there are no happy endings, only degrees of
sadness.

Her once-bright life has come down to two heartbreakingly bleak
choices: to live, if you can call it that, in what the courts have
determined is a "persistent vegetative state." Or to die.

If Schiavo could somehow make her wishes known, I have to believe she
would choose the latter - a peaceful death over a life sentence of
endless, unconscious tomorrows.

But the former suburban Philadelphia woman cannot and did not give
direction. And thus this anguished national debate.

Schiavo, who grew up in Huntingdon Valley, suffered brain damage in
1990 when her heart stopped as a result of an eating disorder. She
has been nonresponsive ever since and, unable to swallow, is kept
alive in a Florida nursing home with a feeding and hydration tube.

Her condition has left those who love her bitterly divided. Her
husband, Michael, formerly of Bucks County, has fought to let his
wife die with dignity. He says she made it clear to him she never
would want to exist like this, tethered to a machine with no hope of
recovery.

Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have fought just as fiercely to
keep her alive. They accuse the husband of being driven by greed and
a desire to remarry.

A political end-run

The case has wound through the courts and back again. After the
judiciary repeatedly sided with the husband, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush,
the president's brother, and his allies pushed through the state
legislature a special bill, "Terri's Law," designed specifically to
prevent Michael Schiavo from removing the feeding tube. A life was
being used to push political agendas.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to overturn a lower court
ruling that struck down Terri's Law, but that has not deterred her
parents, who vow to keep battling on other fronts.

For Terri, now 41 and blessedly unaware of the ugly and very public
family feud her condition has spurred, there is no end in sight. My
sense is both sides are driven by pure intentions. Michael Schiavo
does not want to see his wife's suffering prolonged.

Her parents cling to hope against all odds, as parents are meant to
do. They see glimmers of life behind the blank stares. They believe
their daughter still exists in there, just waiting to be freed. Her
doctors say otherwise.

The fact that Terri Schiavo left no written instructions greatly
complicates the debate. And yet we are not without clues.

Absent a written directive, we have the husband's word. And we have
our own common sense and decency. We each can ask ourselves, If it
were me, what would I want?

Is there anyone among us who would answer truthfully: "Yes, I would
choose to linger for years, decades, in a vegetative state with no
hope of ever regaining consciousness?"

Alarmist malarkey

What would a reasonable person want from such a tragic turn of
events? The answer seems obvious: Not to be kept lingering in a
permanent comatose state, unaware of yourself or your surroundings,
with no chance for recovery.

The right-to-life camp has wrapped itself around the Schiavo case,
and its members paint alarmist "slippery slope" scenarios that are
shameful in their deceit. To hear them spin it, if Terri is allowed
to die, then next we will be rounding up and mass euthanizing all
whom society does not value - the elderly, the handicapped, the
mentally diminished, the homeless.

Pure nonsense.

This wrenching case is not, as Terri's parents claim, about "judicial
homicide." The courts are not killing anyone. They are merely
attempting to determine Terri Schiavo's chances for a meaningful
recovery (none) and what she would want.

This is about honoring a woman's wishes. She did not write down
exactly what those wishes are. But we can peer inside our own hearts
and know without qualm what Terri Schiavo would want. It would not be
the perpetual and pointless purgatory known by that sterile and
inadequate term, "persistent vegetative state."

That is no life at all.

Contact John Grogan at 610-313-8132
or jgrogan@....
Read his recent work at
http://go.philly.com/grogan.

http://kentucky.com/mld/philly/news/10777048.htm?
template=contentModules/printstory.jsp



Posted on Tue, Jan. 11, 2005



Are we 'proudly gruff' - or what?

By John Grogan
Inquirer Columnist

The female caller on my answering machine wanted me to know she
usually enjoyed my column. "I'm probably your No. 1 fan," she said.

But on this day, she was anything but thrilled. In fact, she was
downright grumpy. And it all had to do with two little
words: "proudly gruff."

As I am slowly figuring out in life, it's the little things that get
under people's skin.

"I don't understand how you can say proudly gruff," she
carped. "Gruff would have been bad enough, but proudly gruff?"

It's true. I, indeed, had used the words to describe the demeanor of
the people of this great region.

The two words were part of a column I wrote last month describing a
Good Samaritan tow-truck driver who came to the rescue of a couple
lost near Philadelphia International Airport and in desperate need of
a hospital. The tow-truck driver could have ignored them. Instead he
led them through rush-hour traffic to medical help, possibly saving
the wife, who had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm.

The tow operator's actions, I wrote, "served as a reminder to us all
that even in a city as proudly gruff as Philadelphia... there are
still those knights among us who don't hesitate to come to the
rescue."

It didn't seem all that seditious to me, but No. 1 Fan considered the
remark an act of heresy.

No dissin' my hometown

"Philadelphia is the greatest city in the world. I've always believed
it, I always will," she said. "The people in Philadelphia are
marvelous; they are outstanding; they care about each other. They
talk to each other, waiting for a bus, standing in a supermarket
line, anywhere. Philadelphians are wonderful. We're not gruff at all,
and if we were gruff, we wouldn't be proudly."

Wow! Somebody sign this woman up with the tourism council.

I was pondering her reaction, wondering whether I had been unfair to
the good people of this region, when a second voice message came in.
It was No. 1 Fan again, and she had been doing some homework.

"I got out the dictionary," she said, "and under gruff it lists
harsh, brusque, markedly impolite in a manner of speech, lack of
civility, calculated rudeness... curt in manner, discourteous, blunt."

Hey, what about cantankerous?

After all, this is the home of the famous one-finger Philly Salute,
given each morning on the inbound Schuylkill. The place where Santa
got booed. The place tied with Detroit (my hometown!) for having the
country's rowdiest sports fans. The surly union town, home of bare-
knuckles politics, where men greet each other with the odd, guttural
grunt: Aye, Ow youse dune?

If anything, "proudly gruff" was a bit of an understatement.

But my No. 1 Fan was not buying my thinking. She ended with: "I've
traveled all around the country. I've lived in different cities. And
there's no city with people like Philadelphians."

No argument there.

Land of friendly faces

Actually, my caller makes a point. In my five years in the region,
I've met more kind and decent people than I can count. That's not to
say they weren't gruff - and proud of it.

My No. 1 Fan did not leave her name or number, but I want her to know
I'm open to the possibility that, as a relative newcomer with
sensibilities rooted in the Milquetoast Midwest, my perception might
be wrong.

My caller requested an apology, but I'm going to do even better. I'm
going to let the people of Greater Philadelphia - that means you,
too, South Jersey and the Pennsylvania suburbs - decide for
themselves.

Yes, folks, I'm suffering post-election poll withdrawal. So I'm
conducting one of my own.

So give it up, Greater Philly: What are we? Proudly gruff or
something else? Something more genteel? Look at the definition above
and tell me whether I was too harsh in describing the cheery denizens
of this gentle land.

And, if we are not proudly gruff, tell me what words would better
describe us. I'll even say please. You may vote by e-mail or phone
(contact info below), and I will report the highly unscientific
results in a future column.

Rise up and be heard, people. Not that that's ever been a problem.

Contact John Grogan at 610-313-8132 or jgrogan@.... Read
his recent work at http://go.philly.com/grogan.

(RISE UP AND BE HEARD ABOUT TERRI SCHINDLER-SCHIAVO, PEOPLE!  MELISSA)



About John Grogan

John Grogan joined the Inquirer in November 2002 as the Pennsylvania
metro columnist. He is a former metropolitan columnist and urban-
sprawl reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort
Lauderdale, where his work won several national and state awards,
including the National Press Club's Consumer Journalism Award. From
1999 - 2002, he served as editor of Organic Gardening, a Rodale Inc.
magazine based in Emmaus, Pa.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Click here to read and post messages on John
Grogan's forum page. John monitors this forum daily and occasionally
drops in to comment.

http://forums.prospero.com/kr-inq_columns/start  (This link is not
working at this time.  Melissa)

His column runs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached
at jgrogan@....




  LATEST COLUMN



     John Grogan | Second thoughts on Terri Schiavo
Sometimes even newspaper columnists change their minds. In the matter
of Terri Schiavo, the permanently brain-damaged former suburban
Philadelphia woman caught in a life-and-death tug-of-war, this
columnist has changed his.
By John Grogan / Inquirer Columnist







****

*****
*****
I am opposed to receiving unwanted e-mails.  If you do not wish to
receive e-mails from me, please send an e-mail to me with UNSUBSCRIBE
in the subject line, (from the e-mail address you want me to remove),
and I will remove that address from my list  as soon as possible.

I have 2 websites dedicated to Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

Extensive evidence & information can be found on my yahoo site,
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/saveterrislife/
which you can easily find by typing saveterrislife (all one word)
into google or yahoo or go to http://www.saveterrislife.com
There is also a link there to my yahoo site.

Click on any post on my websites and find FAR MORE information,
evidence, and links than only what the TITLE of each post states.

Melissa Roxanne Stanley
saveterrislife
DeLand, Volusia County, Florida



I have 2 websites dedicated to Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

Extensive evidence & information can be found on my yahoo site,
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/saveterrislife/
which you can easily find by typing saveterrislife (all one word)
into google or yahoo or go to http://www.saveterrislife.com
There is also a link there to my yahoo site.

Click on any post on my websites and find FAR MORE information,
evidence, and links than only what the TITLE of each post states.

I will be adding much more information to my yahoo website on a
frequent basis.
Keep checking back!


Melissa Roxanne Stanley
saveterrislife
DeLand, Volusia County, Florida