Revealed Truth
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Visit this site for verifiably accurate opinions on all things political - in contradistinction to the INcorrect opinions you are likely to find elsewhere.
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Unintentionally Hilarious Leftist Paranoia 
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Saturday, March 26, 2005
Debra Saunders on the Schiavo Case "(S)pare me the rhetoric about Republicans being hypocrites on states' rights -- fresh from the mouths of Democrats who don't want to let Alaskans drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, who don't want states to determine their own gun-control laws and couldn't wait for the feds to storm the home of the Miami family of Elian Gonzalez." The rest of her fairly restrained piece can be found here. ----- Affidavit of Carla Iyer STATE OF FLORIDA ) COUNTY OF PINELLAS ) BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who being first duly sworn, deposes and says: 1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make this statement of my own personal knowledge. 2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years. 3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in Largo, Florida from April 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo was a patient there. 4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial training there consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael Schiavo tells you or you will be terminated." This struck me as extremely odd. 5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo's intimidation. Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as "This is my order and you're going to follow it." He is very large and uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you, getting right in your face and practically shouting. 6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens while I was there. I became concerned because Michael wanted nothing done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a wash cloth in Terri's hand to keep her fingers from curling together, and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy. 7. Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and misrepresented by Michael. When I worked with her, she was alert and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence, saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds of times. Terri would try to say the word "pain" when she was in discomfort, but it came out more like "pay." She didn't say the "n" sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort by saying "pay" and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper and scooted in bed on her bottom. 8. When I came into her room and said "Hi, Terri", she would always recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way toward me, saying "Haaaiiiii" sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a "hi", which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound being only a second or two long. When I told her humrous stories about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle, sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body, upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart. Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's, someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in her room with him. I documented Terri's rehab potential well, writing whole pages about Terri's responsiveness, but they would always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act, and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that. 9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused on Terri's death. Michael would say "When is she going to die?," "Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?" These statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I recall him making include "Can't anything be done to accelerate her death - won't she ever die?" When she wouldn't die, Michael would be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be given information. He made numerous statements such as "Make sure the parents aren't contacted." I recorded Michael's statements word for word in Terri's chart, but these entries were also deleted after the end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn't to be contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they should know about their daughter. 10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her lungs, colds, or pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die. He would say something like, "Hallelujah! You've made my day!" He would call me, as I was the nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out "I'm going to be rich!" and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died, which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among other things. 11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction, so I'd check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low it was below the range where it would register an actual number reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This happened about five times on my shift, as I recall. Normally Terri's blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet through tube feeding. It is medically possible that Michael injected Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting, but I don't have any way of knowing for sure. 12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the reasons I've said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named Carolyn Adams, known as "Andy" Adams who was a particular concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift, but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as "They are old - let them die." I couldn't believe her attitude or the fact that it didn't seem to attract any attention. She made many comments about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She said it was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she would be worth more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were cited, but I was convinced it was because of my "rocking the boat." 13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would tell me afterward and relay orders from him. 14. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn't stand by and let Terri die without the truth being known. FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT. CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N. The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this 29 day of August, 2003, by CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who produced her Florida's driver's license as identification, and who did take an oath. Notary Public My commission expires Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Why some conservatives support gun control... Francis Porretto has written a typically insightful essay on why certain elements of bourgeois conservatism find gun control legislation appealing. "The politically engaged tend to be among America's better off. Conservatives in particular often feel they have a lot to defend. In the main, they've worked hard for what they have, and justifiably feel that they deserve it and deserve to keep it. If our typical conservative, Smith, senses some sort of threat to his position and holdings, from where would it emanate, and what form would it take? Most violence and crime against property takes place in a relatively small sector of the country: the heavily populated urban areas and their nearest, densest suburbs. Smith is highly unlikely to live in such a locale, preferring the greater safety and gentility of the outer suburbs or rural America. Therefore, he's unlikely to be too often aware of his vulnerability to personal attack. Nor will he think of his home as a probable target for plunderers. However, Smith hears the stories, as do we all. He hears about the plagues of gunfire and gang warfare on the evening news; he simply can't get away from them and remain reasonably well informed. So the 'threat' posed by firearms, which the Old Media have promoted ceaselessly since 1965, will appear linked to forces which, were they to impinge upon his life, would have the aspect of an invading army, albeit one that wears no uniforms and flies no banners. Given this sense of a potential but distant threat, Smith would prefer to see it kept at bay by 'professionals': the police and armed forces...." ...and other conservatives support starving the inconvenient That last sentence above is important. Porretto talks about the comfort the content-but-insecure take in the knowledge that "professionals" are looking out for them. Listen closely to the comments of the death-merchants in the Terri Schiavo case and you'll hear echoes of the same. Just substitute "judges" for "professionals." We've become a nation anesthetized by the notion that judges are the possessors of all the wisdom, whose every pronouncements constitute revealed truth. The JUDGE said Terri Schiavo should die. He made a FINDING OF FACT that Michael Schiavo isn't a murdering demon, but rather a concerned husband. -Albeit a concerned husband who has repeatedly asked "when is that bitch going to die?" -Albeit a concerned husband who, according to the sworn testimony of the nurse entrusted with her care, when left alone with her, injected her with enough insulin to lower her blood sugar level to nearly zero. -Albeit a concerned husband who is fanatically insistent that her body be cremated IMMEDIATELY upon her death. -Albeit a concerned husband whom Terri told her parents she planned to leave the night of her mysterious "heart attack." The same crowd that holds candlelight vigils to protest the execution of mass-murderers now cheers as a backwater Florida judge orders a woman who was almost certainly the victim of domestic abuse to be starved to death on the word of her abuser. Because the judges say so. Sunday, March 20, 2005
Cognitive Dissonance Main Entry: cognitive dissonance Function: noun : psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously Source: Merriam-Webster Online. The Terri Schiavo case has induced this unlike any other news event I can remember. One one side of the ledger are my libertarian inclinations, which tell me that her case isn't a matter calling for government intervention. This, though, isn't an insurmountable burden. The state is, after all, the entity we entrust with the protection of life and liberty against aggressive acts of individuals. For all but the anarchist fringe of libertarianism, that is. So while my instinctive libertarianism gives me pause, it's only a momentary one. Much more troublesome are the 11th-hour machinations taking place even as I write this. The Constitution prohibits Bills of Attainder - laws aimed at punishing individuals rather than those setting forth general prohibitions and punishments. This has some of the same feel, although we're clearly not dealing with a Bill of Attainder since no punishment is contemplated by the provisions under consideration. Philosophically, though, it is problematic to see the U.S. Congress making such heroic efforts on a case that really does focus on one lone individual. So where's the dissonance? Simple. Were I a congressman, I'd be doing everything in my power to save Terri Schiavo as well. I'd be right there with Tom DeLay doing everything I could to stop her slimebag of a husband from starving her to death. I have tended not to write a lot about issues like abortion and euthanasia on this blog. Not because they aren't worthy subjects for discussion: they just haven't really been what I do. But this incident has convinced me that I might need to reevaluate my position. The facts of the Schiavo case are so disturbing that they have made me step back and wonder if I haven't given insufficient consideration to the idea that the secular left - many elements of it at any rate - are indeed fostering a culture of death in our country that needs to be more forcefully resisted. Terri Schiavo is not a woman in constant pain. This is not a woman who is in a "persistent vegetative state." This is a woman whose eyes can follow visitors and who can smile. And visitors she has. Her devoted parents visit her daily. Her siblings visit her often. All she needs to be kept alive is what you and I need. To be periodically fed. And the man upon whose word we are to believe she wishes to be starved to death? In 1993, for reasons he has never explained, he denied Terri Schiavo recommended rehabilitative treatment. He tried to deny her treatment for a common bladder infection. Here's the transcript from a guardianship hearing in November of that year: "Michael Schiavo Deposition, Guardianship Hearing Q. What was her bladder condition? MS. She had a UTI. Q. What is that? MS. Urinary tract infection. Q. What did the doctor tell you treatment for that would be? MS. Antibiotic usually. Q. And did he tell you what would occur if you failed to treat that infection? What did he tell you? MS. That sometimes urinary tract infection will turn to sepsis. Q. And sepsis is what? MS. An infection throughout the body. Q. And what would the result of untreated sepsis be to the patient? MS. The patient would pass on. Q. So when you made the decision not to treat Terri's bladder infection you, in effect, were making a decision to allow her to pass on? MS. I was making a decision on what Terri would want. Q. Had the bladder condition been treated? MS. Yes. Q. And was...what was the reason that the bladder condition was treated? MS. Sable Palms Nursing Home said they could not do that by some Florida law which wasn't stated. Q. But you didn't change your opinion or your decision to not treat the bladder condition? MS. We did change it. Q. Correct? MS. Repeat the question. Q. You did not change your decision not to treat the bladder condition, correct? MS. I had to change my decision. Q. Sable Palms changed it for you? Attorney Nillson Objection Q. Okay. Is there any reason that you would not make the same decision that you previously made if the problem came up again? MS. Repeat your question. You're losing me here. Q. Let me be more specific. If your wife developed another condition that could result in her death, is there any reason that you would not take the position that you're not going to treat that condition and you're going to instruct the doctor not to treat that condition? MS. I wouldn't instruct anybody, no. Q. You instructed the doctor not to treat the condition, correct? Attorney Nillson Objection Q. You did instruct the doctor not to treat her bladder condition, correct? MS. Uh-huh. Yes. Q. If a similar...would you do the same? MS. I'm thinking. Q. Take your time. MS. I probably wouldn't instruct the doctor to do it. Q. So you've changed your opinion? MS. Sort of, yeah. Q. Why have you changed your opinion? MS. Because evidently there is a law out there that says I can't do it. Q. Is that the only reason? MS. Basically, maybe. Q. What you're telling me is, is that there is nothing in your belief or feelings that have changed. The only thing that has changed is the fact that you perceive the law prevents you to do what you intended to do? MS. Correct. Q. What did you do with your wife's jewelry? MS. My wife's jewelry? Q. Yeah. MS. Um, I think I took her engagement ring and her...what do they call it...diamond wedding band and made a ring for myself. Q. What did you do with her cats? MS. Her cats were put to sleep n the advice of my mother-in-law. (Note: The veterinarian who performed the euthanasia of Terri's pets came forward to say there was never any suggestion from Terri's mother that this be done and only Mr. Schiavo's insistence.) This guy's been trying to kill her for 12 years! Do you understand, as well, that the original cause of her lapsing into her present state is extremely mysterious? Do you also understand that Michael Schiavo has started a new family and has every incentive to wish Terri's inconvenient existence to end? Finally, are you aware that he has requested that her body be cremated immediately upon her death? How have we come to this point? Where a woman whose only need is a feeding tube is being denied that lifeline, against the wishes of every other member of her immediate family, by a man who has started a new family with another woman. A man, incidentally, against whom a large body of evidence exists that he might have had some culpability in her being in her present state. These questions lead in only one direction. There are judges and legislators, and more importantly, too many every day citizens, who have come to believe that human life has value only when it poses no inconvenience to the comfort of the unafflicted. That "quality of life," refers not to the quality of life of the bed-ridden, but to the quality of life of those whose daily activities might be inconvenienced by the obligations attendant to caring for the seriously ill. Political conversion is fairly easy. One sees the light and one breaks ranks with those whose values he no longer shares. This, though, is a much trickier matter. Those of us on the libertarian right tend to harbor an attitude of superiority toward our allies of less secular inclination. We respect their right to believe in their primitive superstitions, of course, but we find their obsession with issues unrelated to economics rather off-the-mark. WE have been wrong. I have been wrong. I have seen the face of evil and it doesn't care nearly as much about raising income tax rates as it does about killing a defenseless woman in Florida. |