Selective Restraint: Liberals cheered when Janet Reno defied the courts to seize Elian Gonzalez.

Wall Street Journal ^ | 03/28/2005 | John Fund

[Hawk44]

The sad case of Terri Schiavo has raised passions not seen since five years ago. Then another bitterly divided family argued in Florida courts over someone who couldn't speak on his own behalf: Elian Gonzalez. In both cases, those who were unhappy with the courts' decisions strained to assert the federal government's power to produce a different outcome. The difference is that in Mrs. Schiavo's case, Congress backed off after passing a bill that merely asked a federal court to hear the case from scratch, something that U.S. District Judge James Whittemore declined to do. By contrast, those who wanted the federal government to intervene in Elian Gonzalez's case went all the way, supporting a predawn armed federal raid on the morning before Easter to seize the 6-year-old boy despite a federal appeals court's refusal to order his surrender. Both cases were marked with hypocrisy and political posturing galore. Both times some conservative Republicans talked about issuing subpoenas to compel the person at the center of the case to appear before Congress; they swiftly backed down when public opinion failed to support their stunt. Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, argued that by opposing Elian's return to his father in communist Cuba, conservatives were abandoning the principle that "the state should not supersede the parents' wishes." In the case of Terri Schiavo, many conservatives who normally support spousal rights decided that Michael Schiavo's decision to abandon his marital vows while at the same time refusing to divorce his wife rendered him unfit to override the wishes of his wife's parents to have her cared for.

[Hawk44]

Liberals are now singing a different tune.

[.30Carbine]

Thank you for posting this.

[CDHart]

As Rush said last week, "Where's Janet Reno when you need her? She could have done the same thing she did with Elian."

Carolyn

[Diogenesis]

Reno had more cajones than Jeb can muster.

Jeb is toast.

[bill1952]

Liberals are now singing a different tune.

Yes, trash that they are, but after that little escapade, I laughed out loud when I heard that Ruby Ridge Reno was returning to Florida to run against Bush for Governor.

I laughed even harder when all the MSM was crowing about Florida being "too close to call," and that they were counting on a strong showing for them by the Hispanics here.

It sounds like an old saying, but I'm not kidding:

These people don't have a clue!

[bill1952]

No, he isn't.

[Diogenesis]

Maybe you haven't seen MSM already attacking him for thinking about
rescuing Terry. They will continue. He should have, too.

[bill1952]

I happen to agree with you, but he will still be a powerful figure in the future, and the MSM will blast any Repub for anything at all.

Or, in the case that they have nothing, they will just invent it.

[ContraryMary]

Excellent article.

[KateatRFM]

Today you are begging a governor to wade in with the troops and kidnap a citizen for what you call worthy purposes. Tomorrow when the governor and the troops come to remove your children because you smoke cigarettes in your own home, will you be cheering as loudly?

The minute you authorize the government to use its own particular agenda instead of the law to kidnap citizens and remove them to government-approved surroundings of their own choosing, you have given up all right to expect that government or any government to leave you alone. I am amazed to hear Republicans, conservatives and Christians advocating forcible seizure of citizens in definance of the law, no matter what your own view of their reason may be.

[Diogenesis]

Sorry. Murder of the sentient handicapped innocent for the convenience
and PROFIT of someone AND the Judge (who gets $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ from the lawyers) is evil.

Torture used to murder-for-profit is not in the US Constitution.

DOCUMENTS TYING MS's LAYWERS TO THE HOSPICE

More info on the tangled web the Florida Judiciary has woven here

---

	GREER DONOR	AMOUNT	POSITION	ACTION
Lawyers For Michael Schiavo	Hamden Baskin III    Felos & Felos            Deborah Bushnell     Gyneth S. Stanley    Steven Nilsson         Beth Wilson	$500  & $500 $250 $250 $150 and $250 $250 and $250 $250 and $100	Michael Schiavo’s Lawyer[s]	Greer denies many or all of Schindler’s in favor of Felos Greer Allows hearsay as evidence/disallows Schindler’s statements Felos former chairman of board of directors of Hospice of Florida Suncoast
	Daniel Grieco	$300	Employer of Michael Schiavo at time of Feb. 25, 1990 then attorneyOf record for Michael up until the malpractice award,	Incident when injuries occurred to Terri,Reappeared as attorney for selected pleadings
State/County Employees/Elected	Frank Nagatani	$50 and $50	DCF Attorney	Squashed testimony for DCF Investigator to appear on behalf of abuse allegations
	Bernie McCabe	In-Kind	State Attorney	Allowed underling to appear in campaign ad for Greer Will not call Grand Jury
	Everett Rice	$500 & In-Kind	Sheriff/State Rep	Didn’t conduct criminal investigation into what really happened to Terri or allegations of abuse after initial incident Allowed Deputy & use of county property to appear in campaign ad for Greer
	John Carassas	$100	Deputy Attorney General	Florida Deputy Attorney General, involvement with Rice in Sept. 2003 motion for Greer recusal dueTo improper discussion of case
	James Hellickson	$150 & In Kind	Assistant state attorney in office of Bernie McCabe, Pinellas/Pasco State Attorney	Appeared in Greer Campaign Ad
	Paula Shea	In Kind	Assistant Pinellas Public Defender	Appeared in Greer Campaign Ad
	Andrew Sasso	$100	Officer in Guardianship monitoring program and Guardian ad litem pool	Was supposed to: “evaluate information about the well-being and property of all persons adjudicated of having a legal incapacity so that the court can fulfill its legal obligation to protect and preserve the interests of the ward,” FL COURTS
Misc. People w connections	Richard La Belle	$100	Member of Board of Directors of Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities	Supposedly ACPD doing investigation into Schiavo case
	Battaglia, Ross, Disus and Wein	$250	Principal Kelli Crabb is past chairperson of Hospice Foundation of Florida Suncoast and member of Board of directors
	Gus Bilirakis	$40 cash	Former Hospice Board member and of American Hellonic Education Progressive Assoc. (AHEPA)	Felos past Governor
	Divito and Higham	$250 and $250	Law firm employed by St. Petersburg/Venice Dioceses	Terri’s Dioceses

 

 

 

 

More? Click here

[poobear]

You wish. I don't know where you're from but Jeb Bush is greatly respected among many!

[MisterRepublican]

If Terri had been a French/Arab/black/Hispanic/Native American/Eskimo/Canadian, Jewish/Muslim/Buddhist/Hindu/Scientologist/Taoist/Sikh, lesbian/bisexual/trans-gendered, vegetarian, atheist/pantheist, antiwar, environmentalist, socialist/communist, convicted felon, recovering addict/alcoholic, pro-Choice, liberal, Democrat, attorney/author/activist/professor/journalist/news-anchor/poet/actor/producer/director/publisher/artist with breast cancer; she'd be well-fed and hydrated, doing a guest appearance on Oprah. And Michael Schiavo would be sitting in a jail cell awaiting attempted murder charges.

[Diogenesis]

You should get out more. The MSM is --and will-- attacking him for
having moved (partially) to get Terri.
Want to bet otherwise?

America is very very very very lucky the right Bush brother is POTUS.

[G.Mason]

"Jeb is toast."

Well then I reckon we won't have to debate the "Bush dynasty" any longer, here on FR.

What do you say to a Randall Terry for president drive?

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Today you are begging a governor to wade in with the troops and kidnap a citizen for what you call worthy purposes. Tomorrow when the governor and the troops come to remove your children because you smoke cigarettes in your own home, will you be cheering as loudly? The minute you authorize the government to use its own particular agenda instead of the law to kidnap citizens and remove them to government-approved surroundings of their own choosing, you have given up all right to expect that government or any government to leave you alone.

Your argument is irrelevant. The governor would grab your kids if sent a court order. Government judicial power is already completely arbitrary. There is no law, only judges. The only issue is the agenda and bringing it back to the elected branches.

[Steel Wolf]

Reno has more cajones than Jeb can muster.

Tell me you're kidding. How many innocent children died in that fire in Waco? You want to bring that same kind of pig headed leadership back?

As a Sergeant Major I knew used to say, 'There's a fine line between hard and stupid, and once you go stupid there's no comming back'.

Reno's not hard. Don't give her more credit than she deserves.

[Diogenesis]

Cajones. I did not say, "brains"

Reno and Clinton "burning down the house"

[Muleteam1]

The Republican Party is now so diverse that it would not be difficult for them to sever ties with groups within itself. Having controlled the nation for half a century, the Democrats never seemed to worry about this until they had moved so far left they started to lose elections. As the Democrats are learning, once severed it is very difficult to reconnect those severed ties. Although I could be very wrong, I personally doubt that the Shaivo issues are large enough to cause a major rift in the Republican Party. Most conservative Christians realize the U.S. Legislative Branch of government and Florida government did about as much as they could against a heavy-handed Judicial Branch which continues to enjoy broad support by Americans. Logically these issues surrounding Terri Shaivo will more hurt the Democrats who were, not surprisingly, "missing in action" during this fight for life and who will become even more associated with promoting the death of innocents.

Muleteam1

[poobear]

You sound like the MSM pal.