Paul Deignan (deignan@ada-vs.com) $100
Yep, good idea. I pledge $100. Maybe if we all put up the money Michael won't kill Terri. But we better hurry. It will take her up to 2 weeks to starve to death but she has had the plug pulled before and she knows what's happening now. She is running out of time (could be as soon as Feb 22). People worldwide are watching...
Add my $100. And I'm gonna track back on this in my blog, also(hopefully I'll do it right!).
Yeppers, count me in $100.00 Im following Tammy's suggestion also....
You've got my $100 pledge
I'm game, so count me in for $100.
But, I can't imagine that such a small amount would do it. Searching for a previous settlement attempt, however, I found nothing explicitly like this. Her family did allow him to maintain all legal rights to her estate if she was turned over to them for care. And, at one point he apparently did offer to donate any money from her estate to charity if they allowed her to starve to death--but the timing and details of this are unclear.
But I'm all for the experiment.
I pledge $100 as well.
Sorry to burst all of your bubbles...but it won't work. Money was already offered to him and he turned it down. Check out these sites for more info.
http://news.tbo.com/news/
MGBNXHT...GBNXHT9J4E.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focu...s/1331004/
posts
And Terrisfight.org even mentions it as well in this PDF link:
http://www.terrisfight.org/docum...Letter10-
04.pdf
Sad Selah. 
Hidden Nook,
Thanks for bringing the offer to my attention. Have you read the settlement offer? It only agrees to pay the husband from Terri's estate after her natural death.
Think about that. It is a horrible deal for the husband. What is the chance that there will be anything left of the "estate" when she eventually dies? When will that be?
This is all the more reason to make the proposition. I was surprised that such a poor bargain was offered. The husband gains nothing by accepting it.
First off I know of what you speak when you talk about Terri's story really touching you...I think you are on a "track" so to speak and although I think there are parts to that track that are the "right track"...I don't think a financial offer will work...Gave me something to really think about though for my post tonight! Nevertheless, if you find it indeed will work..please also count me in for $100...
my drop in the ocean $100
If he kills Terri now, Michael gets to keep several hundred thousand dollars left from the malpractice settlement. I don't think he would trade that for $50,000. He had joked with Terri's nurses about buying a Ferrari with the money.
Put me down for $20.
Regarding the negative posts:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.
-----------Martin Neimoller
To that add "They came for people like Terri, and I said nothing....
People, do NOT let this pass... Say Something now!
I think it's a great idea, but I think what needs to be done is praying for her husband. I for one will not give a cent to a man like that.
Basically the offer was floated some years ago of $700,000 for him to walk away and he didn't except it. So we are talking in the millions to walk away.. my guestimation would be 10 million US dollars.
I think part of dealing with Michael has to be a fine line of keeping pressure on him to NOT remove the feeding tube AND coming up with a way where he can look like the hero he wants to appear...He is not so stupid as to realize how awful it will appear to the world if he takes a large cash settlement to walk away...let alone the possibility if she speaks again he knows she might say something less than favorable about him...I am praying and hoping the worst case scenario right now is that he just keeps his option open of removing the tube and does not actually have it removed...Yes Michael Schiavo, the option to remove the tube is always there...please don't take it...
I think this is a wonderful idea, but I do see the other side of the coin as well. If Michael is guilty of causing Terri's injuries, it would explain why he's denied her speech therapy and wants her to die. No amount of money would be enough to risk his going to jail (which I believe would happen when Terri's family gains custody, gets her speech theraphy, and she explains what really happened to her).
I'd be willing to pledge $100, though, if you still go through with this effort.
PAUL
Have you contacted Terri's family with this idea?
As I understand it- this has been tried already--
I also understand that what is truly at risk here is that if he DOES back down now- and accept money to relinguish control of Terri's Health to her parents- He will risk HUGE vilification- and with the courts, the PRO-DEATH People and all behind him- he is winning... No reason to accept it- not to mention the "STAR" status he will be able to CASH IN ON once he is successful in getting this Precedent on the books for them.
He would NEVER accept this offer- IMHO-- BUT-
I admire your hard work to try it--
So- if it works- You got ME for $100 and I am a single mom of 3---- THIS IS BIG DOUGH TO ME!
God Bless you Paul- and I will certainly promote this idea on my blog- if we get the okay from Terri's family......
Sherri
The situation reminds me of a joke.
There was a story that Winston Churchill once attended a dinner party where he heard a fellow guest complain that another woman only married her husband for his money, some twenty thousand pounds -- that she was the equivalent of a prostitute.
Churchill asked her, "If I had 1,000,000 pounds, would you marry me?"
"A millionaire?! Well then certainly!"
"Then madam, you are the same prostitute as your friend -- only more expensive".
Hate has a price that can be bought off. It is a base self-serving emotion. Count on self-serving people to be consistent to their character. I have never been disappointed on this account.
I will send off an e-mail to the parents in a couple hours. I am nearly done going through the Terriburst blogroll.
if it works, you got me for $100
i hope you get a lot of trackback link-ups going
I don't understand why you want to pull resources (money) away from Bob Schindler's plea for support (in that link you've provided).
Wouldn't our money be much better spent supporting the Schindlers directly, especially since they sent out that urgent request? We can give them money right NOW, not just "pledge" it.
Paul,
I see what you're getting at but I think you've underestimated Michael. I suspect, from reading all the details of this case, that Michael is desperate to kill Terri because if she ever improves enough to remember, she may accuse him of attempted murder.
I do believe a clause to the effect that her family will never sue him for any reason is the only chance they would have to get him to divorce Terri.
Sunnye,
I have heard that hypothesis. It is insignificantly likely that even if such were the case that the husband could be prosecuted. It is a red herring.
jlfintx,
That is one option. What if it fails? Where is the back up plan? When would that plan be prepared?
Here we are being asked at a very late stage to mount an effort. The most rational course of action is what we need to throw our weight behind.
I understand that the Schindlers have been locked in a legal fight for a very long time. We are not prisoners of that battle. However, we do have a stake in the welfare of our fellow man as a nation "Of the People".
BTW, since this is a last ditch option and no money is diverted unless a solution is guaranteed, I don't see that it diverts money away from the legal effort.
Agreed - $100 USD
Hi Paul , keep me posted and let me know - i think he was offered a lot of money to walk away .. he is just evil !
Keep on Praying - keeka from the other modeling world
I don't mean to be skeptical, but I'm afraid $50k isn't going to cut it. The insurance settlement was something like $1.7mil. Even assuming he's already spent $.5mil on his lawyer and the same on Terri's (lack of) care to this point, you need to raise more than $700k - not $50k.
Now, if we can keep her alive long enough, his returns will diminish to the point that he may accept, but I think we've exposed him so thoroughly at this point that he will do anything to see this through.
I'll still pledge $100 if he accepts, but I'm afraid my money is safe.
Paul,
This is a very valiant effort. However, you have missed the fact that he is using absolutely none of the estate to fund her continued life. Some of it has been promised to his lawyers, but only an insignificant amount.
If I remember rught, they were talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly even millions.....okay. I found it here.
Here's the money quote from April 2001:
Robert Schindler said Thursday he also wants his son-in-law removed as Terri Schiavo's guardian because Michael Schiavo stands to inherit what remains of a $750,000 medical malpractice award when his wife dies.
If it would help I would pledge as well. Unfortunately, 50,000 is a drop in the bucket.
Jeremy,
This is a test of a proposition. It may be that $50,000 is too low. All the more reason to take the risk and pledge. More is being tested here than a price.
BTW, $1,000,000 is a drop in the bucket when you consider the time and effort of those exposed to this problem much less the value of the air time.
The question for each of us is, "What would we pay to save this life?" My time is worth $40/hr. Terri is worth 2 1/2 hours -- I have devoted that much simply considering the situation.
See this as a system. The parts of the system are needing to be tested. In one year, people will need to know what they can be trusted and what cannot. Obvious solutions must be tried. There are many millions of dollars available. It easily can be done.
Thanks for stopping by our blog. I'm of the opinion that paying Michael Schiavo off won't work. He's already spent tons on lawyers. At first, it looked to me like he just wanted her to die so he could pocket all the lawsuit money rather than spend it on her. But the more I've read about the case, the more it looks like money is really a small part of it. If he wanted to keep all the money, he would have quit paying the lawyers a long time ago, but he's sunk over a half million in fees already. It's looking more and more like Terri knows something that would endanger him legally--like maybe he tried to hurt or kill her. He might be afraid Terri will recover and eventually talk. The information I've seen makes that far more plausible than this being a money issue, and makes it unlikely that he would be willing to stop trying to get her killed for any amount of money.
I'll go ahead and leave your comment up, though, so anyone who reads it is free to check out the link you provided. Thanks again for stopping by, and feel free to come by anytime.
Money is no longer the issue. Though I am certain that a hunk of money would be enough to convince the deadbeat husband to drop the matter, he is no longer driving the bus. There is a powerful euthanasia movement afoot in this country that has made a tool of both Terri and the husband. He couldn’t get out now if he tried. Check out the website and press releases from the husband’s lawyer and the true nature of this conspiracy will become apparent. Once again, a miniscule political minority has found compatriots in the judiciary. The legislative process and the will of the people have no role in the new autocracy. Terri must die to achieve the grim milestone. Once she is disposed of, the euthanasia lobby will rewrite her epitaph as a pioneer in the so-called “right to die” struggle. First Terri, and then the judicially-mandated deluge. First Florida, and then the national movement geared towards a similarly elitist, similarly sovereign Court.
A miracle could save Terri, and we should all pray very hard. But our righteous indignation ought to be channeled to constructive endeavors. Florida’s governor and legislature have been humiliated. If all they now do is wring their hands in the face of judicial tyranny, they will share in the blame for Terri’s death and for the coming age of euthanasia. Now is the time to amend the Florida constitution to allow the legislature to review Supreme Court decisions and, under certain circumstances, to negate it. Without such a curb, in the States and in the federal judiciary, the Courts will continue to legislate an ultra-liberal agenda with little connection to traditional values.
Yup, we know that.
However, as the legal custodian, the husband does have the power to continue to feed Terri.
There is no law yet in the US that says that we must kill. If there was, I would expect a civil disobedience campaign (hopefully).
The best rule here is: "Do the right thing". I will explain why in my next post.
I'm pledging $100.
I am pledging $5000 total now.
I have heard enough to be convinced that this is the right action.
This offer will end at midnight tonight. Naturally, we hope that some sensible action of the court/governor will make this offer moot.
I think pledging is a great idea... but why not give it to the Schindler's for their publicity campaign and legal expenses? It isn't going to change Michael Schiavo's mind - but giving it to the parents could help change the media coverage, the courts mind and other people's minds - all of which helps Terri.
Note that no money exists as if it were a pool of resources to be drawn on for any purpose. This is a pledge in case of legal failure -- a last resort.
No army goes to war without a reserve. That would be foolish. Where is the reserve here? To the best of my inquiries, none exists.
We have to presume now that the pro-life side has an offer as backup. How prudent is that assumption given that not very long ago we went through this and Terri was starved for six days. How ethical is that?
It is always possible that the pro-life leaders have been running amok as well. Their actions must be consistent with their stated principles for us to have any assurance. Here we have none.
I am not a blogger, but have been reading blogs about Terri for the last half hour. It is obvious that Terri is a living human being.
I think the Florida AG should charge the husband with attempted murder. Why pay a ramsom to someone attempting murder? (Or would this be considered kidnapping with intent to kill?)
Ken,
Obviously this is not the optimal solution -- it is a last ditch attempt to save our fellow citizen. Unfortunately, what Schiavo is doing now is "legal" in the State of Florida due to the total abrogation of that state's judiciary's regard for their written law.
We never should have come to this, but now that we have let's make sure not to sacrifice an innocent woman on the altar of our stupidity and arrogance.
Money is the least of our worries.
One Robert Herring, Sr. has already offered Michael Schiavo $1,000,000.
Yup, Schiavo was unable to easily take the offer since it was contingent on the court approving the Schindlers receiving custody (and it is likely that Greer would not allow that).
It was worth the effort as it tends to narrow the focus of the problem on the courts and Schiavo's inconsistent and irrational behavior.
We don't know how Mr. Herring got his idea, but it is interesting that he lives in San Diego (one of the few markets for the Hugh Hewitt show on which I advocated the idea).
From all I have read in the court documents, Michael can not do anything. He did not make the decision to remove the tube. He petitioned the court to make the decision on tube feeding/hydration and the court ordered the removal consistent with Terri's wishes testified to my other witnesses. What I never see in any of these forums is the rift between Michael and the parents occurred when he did not split the $300K he was awarded from the malpractice suit. &750K went for Terri's care, which I guess means the lawyers collected almost half of the $2M award.
Debbie,
While this proposition has long past served its purpose of defining the positions of the adversaries, it is worthwhile to note that had Michael moved towards accepting such an offer, the position of Greer would have been very awkward.
Greer ordered the guardian, Schiavo, to execute Terri. What if Michael refused to carry out such an order?
As a point of fact, much less than the money awarded for the care of Terri went for that purpose. By admission of Schiavo, nearly half was spent on Felos by the permission of Greer. This was only one of many travesties of justice visited on Terri by Greer.
Michael cannot refuse to carry out the order to disconnect the feeding tube. He's not actually Terri's real guardian, in a way, he's just sort of an acting guardian that was chosen because he happpened to agree with the findings of the state.
Had the trials determined that Terri did NOT want to die Michael would probably not be the one in the position to make any decisions here.
In any case, yes, if Michael has a change of heart he will be replaced as guardian as he will no longer be carrying out justice as the state sees it.
Since Michael is human, he can choose to disobey an order. As a former military officer, I can assure you that it is not unheard of for a person to disobey an unlawful order.
BTW, there was no trial--that is a criminal law term and infers the protections of due process that did not exist here. It would be more precise to say that Greer (and Greer alone) asserted the absurdity of knowing Terri's wishes as a reason for his actions.
He does not know Terri's wishes--they can only be determined by asking her. In fact, since a person's wishes change from moment to moment, a living will does not "determine" or necessarily correctly represent a person's wishes just as I cannot perfectly predict the future of my own attitudes.
Should Michael refuse to comply with Greer's order, Greer would no more be able to enforce a sanction than Congress is able to enforce its supeona on Greer. It is politically untenable. As a violator of the law, Greer may and should be ignored by those who have the courage to uphold the written law. It is only a conspiracy of lawless cowardice that allows Greer to get away with what he has. Terror systems in Iraq under Saddam, Communist Russia, and Nazi Germany all worked the same. They must be broken before the cancer spreads and takes root in the entire body politic.
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