Posted on 09/01/2005 9:51:24 AM PDT by NYer
TAMPA BAY, August 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ten year-old Joshua Heldreth, the eldest of eight children, was arrested on Good Friday of this year for trespassing while attempting to bring a drink of water to Miss Terri Schaivo. Days later Schiavo died of intentional dehydration. In court Joshua pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service and ordered to write an apology for his actions.
The boy whose arrest photo was splashed on front pages of newspapers across the nation wrote in his apology letter, "I was arrested on Good Friday for trespassing on the hospice center's property . . . Not giving Mrs. Shiavo (sic) food or water was wrong. The reason I had to go on your property was because Jesus would do the same thing. It made me sad that she was so thirsty and it made Jesus sad too. I knew she would die without water and I am called by Jesus to be a defender of the defenceless. So I had to go on your property to try to bring her a drink."
Joshua added, "I am sorry that you didn't like that and wouldn't allow me to help save her life and one day you will have to tell God why. I won't be able to help you then like I tried to help her. I will pray for you every day . . ."
LifeSiteNews.com caught up with Joshua's father Scott Heldreth today. Scott told LifeSiteNews.com he is very proud of his son. "My son has amazed me through this whole thing," said Heldreth. The proud father said it was his son's own initiative to attempt to give the starving woman a glass of water, and despite the warning of his parents that he'd be arrested, the boy insisted. "He was the one who begged us to go down, because he wanted to give her a glass of water . . . We explained that police will never let you help . . . you'll be arrested, but he went anyways."
Pro-life leader Rev. Flip Benham of Operation Save America told LifeSiteNews.com that the whole pro-life movement shares Heldreth's pride in his son. Benham recalls the reaction of Heldreth on Good Friday as he watched his son being arrested: "When that all took place Scott was weeping, this father was weeping tears of joy seeing his son not only talk the Christian talk but walk the walk."
While the apology letter has been submitted, Heldreth told LifeSiteNews.com he's not completely sure it will be accepted.
See Joshua's full handwritten apology letter here:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/JoshuaApolog...
Now THAT's an apology! LOL
What would you do if a judge ordered you to apologize for doing what Jesus wants you to do? Joshua did a great job!
I thought it was Schindler supporters they won't talk to.
Oh, please. The judges are the fanatics in Florida and they were derelict in their duties and violated laws, much like the thugs who are shooting at the guard in NO.
He pled guilty - they would ahve no legal legs to stand on.
Yes
Fair enough - I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I don't believe a 10-year-old is capable of making these types of decisions and implementing them completely on his own.
God was not wrong to use Joshua.
Well, Salt Grain - I don't know about your children, but either one of my sons could have written that apology by the time they were 10.
I would never ask my son to do what this boy did, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had happened here in my town, that one of them would have thought about wanting to do it.
Have a little faith - some kids are just good kids.
After reading the title and before reading the article I was all set to rant and rave about why this kid never should have apologized, etc. What an awesome kid!! I don't care if he had help writing it or not. To "apologize" and still be able to hold to his beliefs is fantastic. I would be so proud if I were his parents!
So let me ask you again - what if this child was arrested protesting the Iraq war? Would you still be as supportive of a child protesting and being arrested in this way? Would you still believe that this child came to the conclusion he did completely on his own as you believe Joshua did?
One poster here called the Terri supporters fanatics. Well, it's those who hated Terri and wanted make sure she died a horrible, painful death, even if it meant denying her due process, who are the fanatics.
A normal person would not want to see an innocent person starved and dehydrated to death. Or would a normal person prevent the parents from the bedside of their dying child.
What Michael Schiavo did to Terri and her family was sadistic.
In light of the order for him to write an apology for doing the right thing, I have to wonder what assignment he got for community service. One of our local judges has been known to order kids to help out at one of the churches. I'm sure that wasn't the case here.
The indoor cops were even worse. The kid got nowhere NEAR the door to Hospice Woodside. The one person who did was TAZERED. Someone tried to go in the back and the K-9 team got him. HW has a large parking lot and a lovely FOUNTAIN before their parking overhang and front door.
The police inside and out were RUDE and they also LIED on numerous occasions.
Great.... I'm talking to myself now... : )
If the kid was exploited by his parents as you speculate despite their denials, forcing his apology is a more exploitive act on the part of the judge.
So let me ask you again - what if this child was arrested protesting the Iraq war? Would you still be as supportive of a child protesting and being arrested in this way? Would you still believe that this child came to the conclusion he did completely on his own as you believe Joshua did?
Does anybody bother reading the articles any more? Sheesh!
As has been demonstrated to you many, many times on the Terri threads, the judges involved in the case followed the letter of the law.
You just didn't like the law and wanted activism from Florida's judges.
Let it go.
Since I don't know the mindset of the child and his position on the war, I'm unable to comment on that.
For sake of debate however, if this child felt moved to protest the Iraq war, then so be it. We all have that right, even a 10 year old.
I'm sure he did hear his parents discuss this death watch. Great. His parents taught this boy to pay attention to society changing issues that are simply wrong. Wrong not because of "politics", but wrong because of life being taken for no reason other than "politics".
The war is much more than politics. Millions now have an opportunity to be free. That is a noble cause and certainly worthy of the effort.
The only reason to protest against Iraq is all selfish reasons. I have yet to hear one valid non-selfish reason not to be there.
All of us will die, yet only a few will die with honor while attempting to free a whole society...or even 1 person. That is a true hero and may God Bless them all.
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