EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Schindlers Respond to Michael Schiavo's Larry King Love-Fest - PART1

THROWN BACK ^ | October 29, 2003 | Fr. Rob Johansen

[NYer]

NOTE

Fr. Rob Johansen is writing from Terri's vigil. He volunteered to drive down there from Michigan, to assist 81 year old Msgr. Malanowski, Terri's pastor.

FR restraints prevent me from posting this to the News/Activism Forum.

[NYer]

TERRI SCHIAVO PING! ­ let me know if you want on/off this ping list

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[ventana]

BUMP. V's wife.

[PeyersPatches]

Thanks for the ping. Now that blasted Larry King should give this family equal time on his show. I believe now more than ever that Michael Schiavo physically assualted Terri that night and is still trying to finish off killing her. That bone scan did it for me. He is a monster.

[windchime]

Thanks, NYer!

[Aliska]

Thank you for posting this and thanks for Fr. Rob. It might be a good idea to go to the daily Terri thread and put a link to this post (and the subsequent one) there so people who are following this on a continuous basis won't miss it.

This account sounds far more credible than the one put forward by MS.

[Catholicguy]

Good get. God Bless. I have been forwarding all this info to one of the editors of our local rag. He is a Catholic. So far, he has refused to write a column about this We see what the "Seamless garment of life" means to some, no?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[wisconsinconservative]

Plese add me to the Terri Ping List! Thanks!

[JustPiper]

NY your a doll for doing thid! God love you!

Bob admits that he got into an argument with Michael that day, but it was over Michael's promise to use Terri's settlement money for rehabilitation.

Of course it was, I did not know her Dad was on with Sean!

[old and tired]

Michael Schiavo's brother called into Michael Smerconish's local radio talk show this morning here in Philadelphia. He claimed that the Schindlers were living off Sciavo for a time as they (the Schindlers) had gone bankrupt. He claimed that Bob did indeed ask Schiavo for money.

I thought that Michael Schiavo looked like a first class blankety-blank on Larry King. But his brother seemed like a much more honest guy who genuinely believes his brother and is standing by him. I don't know if this is the brother who testified to knowing Terri's wishes, but I could easily believe it is, since I think he would probably say anything his brother asked him to.

The brother further said the only reason radion talk show host Glenn Beck has been rallying for Terri is because his brother refused to be interviewed by him. Smerconish asked then asked the brother if he himself would like to be interviewed by Beck. The brother said sure so Smerconish said he'd try to work that out.

I was unable to listen to Glenn Beck today so I don't know if that interview took place.

Anyway, the brother said Michael planned to continue appearing on the media. (Though apparently not Glenn Beck).

[UCANSEE2]

Does anyone know who paid for Terri's medical bills and care until the settlement came?

[UCANSEE2]

Thanks...btw

[shhrubbery!]

When asked why he did it, he responded that he "didn't think Terri would want to live like this." Notice that Michael said he didn't think so. Bob said, "he had the perfect opportunity there to talk about Terri's 'wish' not to be kept alive, and he didn't." In fact, it was another 5 years before they heard anything about Terri's supposed wish not to be kept alive.

Why judge Greer would take Schiavo's obviously fabricated story, plus that of Schiavo's brother and sister-in-law, as 'clear and convincing evidence' is beyond me.

[ruoflaw]

Thanks for the ping. I think it should be on the news/activism.

[ruoflaw]

Ping! this is from the Religion forum...I know you are not Catholic but I knew you would be interested

[Dixielander]

You're right that I'm interested. Please continue to ping me. Thanks!

[supercat]

Why judge Greer would take Schiavo's obviously fabricated story, plus that of Schiavo's brother and sister-in-law, as 'clear and convincing evidence' is beyond me.

There needs to be some sort of clarification in the laws as to what constitutes "clear and compelling evidence". In the hands of a reasonable judiciary, allowing judges to make such judgement calls would be a good thing. But in the hands of judges like Juge Greer...

Even if I had a magic crystal ball and knew with certainty that Michael's testimony about Terri's statements was accurate, I still would not regard such testimony as "clear and compelling" evidence that Terri wanted to be fatally dehydrated. For someone to say they "don't want to live like X" does not mean that, if they find themselves like 'X', that they would want to stop living altogether. It may also mean that they would want to do everything possible to live differently.

[shhrubbery!]

For someone to say they "don't want to live like X" does not mean that, if they find themselves like 'X', that they would want to stop living altogether. It may also mean that they would want to do everything possible to live differently.

Good point.

I'm convinced, after reading the NY Times article, What if There Is Something Going On in There (about the lives of people in a 'vegetative' state), that such a life is not necessarily the hell some people think it is.

In fact, the young man profiled in the article, Daniel Rios, communicates that he is "happy" in the end.

[krunkygirl]

Hope you will be able to post Part II --so far I don't see it, but I am not clever about navigating around FR's website.