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THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE
(TERRI SCHIAVO)
 
 
It had been a long, hard, stressful day for Michael Schiavo. Earlier he went to see his Attorney George Felos to sign more papers. It seemed the paperwork never ends. After he signed the papers, he and the lawyer went to the courthouse where the decision was made by Judge George Greer to disconnect and remove Terri's feeding tube. Michael was thrilled with the Judge's decision. It was a sweet victory and milestone for him and his beloved Terri.
There were TV and news reporters, commentators and cameras everywhere. They wanted him to make comments which he did since he couldn't get away or hide from them. After he made his comments, he and the lawyer went to the Hospice to visit Terri. When they got there, they couldn't believe their eyes. There was a bunch of rowdy people camped outside. It was chaotic; it was a total mess. Many were carrying placards and signs, some were singing hymns, others had their heads bowed in prayer. In disgust, he looked at them and mumbled: "Bunch of hypocrites".
For the life of him, he couldn't understand all this fuss when all he was doing is carry out his wife's wish to die with dignity. What was wrong with that? He thought the Schindlers were just hard-headed people unable to comprehend the most basic of human rights--the right to die. He was especially irked with Bobby Schindler. He was such a nitwit, always causing problems. The other day he had him kicked out of Hospice. Served him right. Michael didn't realize until now how mentally exhausted and drained he was fighting the Schindlers. He had to admit they were tough.
In the quiet and comfort of his home, he sat back on his recliner and relaxed as the events of the day replayed in his mind over and over again. Everything was going his way, he thought. The gods were on his side.
But, oh, how he yearned for all this to be behind him. He desired to live his life the way he wanted it, away from the spotlight, away from mean-spirited, unmerciful people, away from religious fanatics. He longed to be with those who are closest and dearest to him. Lately, he hadn't been spending quality time with his two precious boys and his beloved significant other. The battle with the Schindlers was relentless; it was taking up all his time and energy.
He comforted himself with the thought that soon, soon all this mess would be over with. After all, how long could one live with the feeding tube removed? He didn't think it would be long. For some reasons, he felt good. He felt like he had gone to fight a fierce battle in a far-away country and returned home with war trophies and the victor's crown upon his head. He closed his eyes and a smile spread across his tired face.
What Michael Schiavo didn't know is that the wheels of justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. He didn't know that there's a God who rules over all, that there's a Creator of heaven and earth, a Creator and Sustainer of all life who looks down from His lofty throne in the heavens. That night, God looked down at Michael Schiavo sitting half asleep on his recliner, and the Lord of Life and Glory wept.
It was a sad, sad day in this country when Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed. It was sad because Terri wanted to live. Yes, she wanted to live. She had made known her desire to live to those closest to her, to those who loved her and knew and understood the language of her heart and soul. This language was a foreign language, unknown, undeciferable to Michael Schiavo, his lawyer, his doctor, and all his euthanasia buddies. Death is an enemy. It came from beneath; it came from the wicked one. Someday God will vanquish death forever, but for now He wants us to choose life.
It was a sad day in America when Terri Schiavo was classified as brain dead, when in reality she was not. She was brain-impaired. There's a difference. Terri was a living, loving, breathing person just like you and me who needed daily sustenance to survive. She was perfectly healthy in body. She was responsive to the people around her and especially to her family. She lighted up when her mother enters her room. She communicated with grunts and smiled when talked too, turning herself in the direction of the voice. She expressed sadness and disappointment when her family leaves.
At one time, her parish priest came to her room and told her that many people love her and are praying for her. She smiled. Before the priest left, he said to her: Terri, we're going to pray now. At that, Terri closed her eyes and bowed her head. When the prayer was finished, Terri opened her eyes and smiled. Her countenance emitted a clear message of Thank you! to her priest. Pray, tell me, was this just a natural, automatic meaningless reflex of a brain-dead woman? I don't think so!
Could it be that there was something intangible and immeasurable in Terri Schiavo that a mere mortal couldn't have seen to write about in an autopsy report? Could the will to live be measured? Could hope, love, and joy be measured?
But aside from all that, let's consider some unanswered questions: Could it be that if rehab, which Michael Schiavo adamantly refused for his wife, had been done from the get-go, Terri's brain wouldn't have atrophied like it did? Anything not used or exercised would atrophy, wouldn't it? Wasn't conflict of interest due to an adulterous relationship with another woman ground to have guardianship transferred to loving parents who had Terri's best interest at heart? Oh, the inequities in this case were enough to make the heart of stone weep.
It was a sad day for freedom-loving people everywhere when an innocent, disabled woman was legally murdered because the powers that be did not think her life was worth saving. They did not think she was worth keeping alive because she didn't have enough cognitive ability to interact with the world around her. She didn't have quality of life, and, sadly, she was thrown to the human trash heap.
Yes, it was a sad day in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave because the road ahead is stained with the blood of Terri Schiavo. The lives of other handicapped or disabled
people are in jeopardy and in great peril because they do not have quality of life. There is nothing now to stop judicial tyrants from making decisions to starve and dehydrate others to death because the quality of their lives is not what it should be. But, pray, tell, who defines and measures quality of life?
Our beloved country's character had changed. This was no surprise to me. Her social and moral fabric had greatly deteriorated and badly torn. She was weighted in the balance and found wanting. Some of her leaders had gone a-whoring and had betrayed her. They had become torturous, barbaric or murderous in their dealings with Terri Schiavo, yet they thought they were acting wisely, nobly, mercifully and graciously in letting her die with dignity.
"Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people..." --Isaiah 10:1,2.
"You have condemned, you have murdered the innocent...while he offers no resistance to you." --James 5:6 (Amp).
"...the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." --John 16:2.
Caught up in the emotion of the moment, I was enraged by the injustice that was shown to the least of the least. Having a tender heart of a mother, I sympathized and empathized with the Schindlers as they fought giants and demons in the harsh, cold, rugged land of Legal to save their precious daughter.
I was overcome with grief and sadness as court after court turned down the heart-wrenching, desperate plea of a mother and father in their last-ditch effort to save their child. My mind traveled back in time to the cruel days of the Dark Ages where human flesh was cheap, where justice untempered with morality was exercised, and millions of innocent people were legally slaughtered. These slaughters started with one person.
I thought of the statement made by William Lloyd Garrison: Enslave the liberty of one human being and the liberties of the world are put in peril. I pondered that statement and its relevancy to the current crisis with the Schindlers. Then I thought of the events of September 11, 2001, the subsequent USA Patriot Act that was passed and its effect on civil liberties.
I knew, then, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this country is well on its way to repudiate its Constitution in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Our constitutional, God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are slowly but surely being stripped away--one person, one family at a time. For more information on the USA Patriot Act as it relates to Bible prophecy, click here: The Real Hero of Operation Iraqi Freedom
As the right-to-die crisis culminated with the removal of Terri's feeding tube, I was devastated and felt an overwhelming sadness not only for the Schindlers but for the country which started out as the bastion for human rights and freedom, where "justice for all" was tempered with morality.
It seemed there was nothing I could to change things for the Schindlers. I suppose I could cry with them, pray for them, and I could send an email to President Bush to try to persuade him to save their daughter. So, send an email, I did.
23 February 2005
The White House, Washington, D. C.
My Dear Mr. President George W. Bush,
As part of the court of public opinion, I am speaking on behalf of a defenseless human being who can't speak out for herself. Terri Schiavo's life is being decided by people who do not know her, did not raise her, and obviously do not love her. The courts have ordered her starved to death. How could they do this horrible crime in this wonderful country of ours? These judges, Mr. President, are not God. God alone gives and God alone takes away.
It is in your power, Mr. President, to pardon criminals at your discretion. Oh, that you could use this power vested in you to stop these ruthless judges from committing a great sin against Almighty God by disconnecting Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. This is murder in the books of Heaven. God created Terri in His image and is precious in His sight. Please let her life be spared. Have them reconnect her means of life support. The days of miracles, Mr. President, are not over. God could intervene and bring a miraculous recovery to this poor woman. Please, let the glimmer of hope shine brighter in the hearts of the parents who love her dearly.
Thank you for your time and may God bless you and this Nation of ours.
Respectfully yours,
Lydia Haga
Contrary to what many people believe, the Terri Schiavo controversy was not about the Nation being divided--the liberals against the conservatives, Democrats against Republicans, the left against the right, the non-religious against the religious zealots, etc. It was not about separation of church and state or legislating moral and ethical issues. It was not even about big brother Government sticking its nose into personal and private affairs nor was it about tyrannical, activist judges who have gone amuck. So, if it wasn't any of these, then, what was it about?
The Terri Schiavo controversy was about protecting the constitutional, God-given rights of every living soul in this country. It was about saving the life of the innocent, the weak, the disabled, and those who do not have a voice to speak for themselves. It was doing our part to help a fellow human being, by being informed, by researching the issues and getting our facts straight and correct for ourselves, never relying solely on the often bias media, then letting our views be known by pen or voice to influence the powers that be to do the right and ethical thing because it is right and ethical. That's what it's about. But, sadly, the American people didn't do this because the polls showed two-thirds of Americans believed Terri Schiavo should be starved to death.
Sadly, the intervention of the Governor of Florida, the Congress and the President of the United States was ridiculously weak and spineless--comparable to the character, strength, and stalwartness of wet noodles. I wept that those who were guardians and protectors of Terri's constitutional right to life did very little to protect her. They failed to err on the side of life, although they talked about it. Perchance they were afraid to commit political suicide? I was flabbergasted to see one lone, puny, defiant state Judge tower mightily over the Governor of Florida, the Chief Executive, and all the elected representatives of We, the People.
Life doesn't belong to us to do as we please with it. To end life is not a choice. Abortion is not a choice. Life is sacred. Even 'pre-life' is sacred. Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee..." (Jer 1:5). We are His purchased possession for we are bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20). The Almighty God is the Giver, the Purchaser, the Redeemer of life; hence, He ONLY can take it away.
Terri's passing had brought to a close the longest, most bitter, and most heavily litigated right-to-die dispute in U.S. history. But all is not over. Terri Schiavo was legally murdered and her blood was upon the garments of many people who would have to give an account to the Creator of all living things in heaven and earth as to why Terri Schiavo died.
Was there a lesson to learn from the Terri Schiavo controversy?
Jesus said: For the poor always ye have with you..." --John 12:8. I am inclined to believe that the "poor" are worthy poor (not those who are able-bodied people, welfare-recipients, who abuse the system). The "poor" would include all who are helpless and defenseless--those who cannot fend for themselves--the orphans, the poor widows, the aged, the lame, the deaf, the blind, the unborn, the brain-impaired, and even the brain-dead.
Before sin entered this world, it was natural for man to do what was right. It was natural to be righteous. Heavenly principles were naturally followed. It was a joy to do right and be right.
However, when sin entered, man's nature became sinful and corrupt. His character was marred. Unrighteous principles reigned in the soul and ruled the life. In his fallen condition, man now had the propensity or a bend toward sinning. It was more natural to sin than to do righteous acts. Man became selfish. He was a sinner doomed to die eternally. However, because of His great love, God promised and sent a Saviour to die and cleanse man and bring him in right relationship with Him. He provided all the resources whereby man could grow with sweet Christian graces.
When we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit directs us to read the Bible. God's Words are Spirit and life. Read and meditated on, we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. To know Jesus is life eternal (John 17:3). As we grow in grace and knowledge, our characters begin to develop, sometimes slowly but always surely. We desire to overcome as Christ overcame. We want always to do His works. Thus, we become more and more Christ-like in spirit and character.
What develops, cultivates, and refines our characters is overcoming life's obstacles and challenges through Him who dwells in us. He gives us strength to overcome, and He motivates and prompts us to obey Him and do works of righteousness for others. "...Faith without works is dead." --James 2:20. If we do not have the poor, the Terri Schiavos, amongst us, we would not have the opportunity, the training ground to learn and develop kindness, compassion, tenderness, pity, mercy, patience, long-suffering, forbearance, trust, and love in us. Ask people out there who have loved ones who are handicapped, and the first thing they'll tell you is that they have learned a lot from them.
I read a book entitled, Stasia's Gift by Brian and Alsie Kelley. This book is about a baby who was born with only a small fraction (10%) of a brain. It relates not only the heart-wrenching struggles of the parents, but the joy they experienced caring for this baby. Doctors said she would not be able to do anything, not even smile. But every smile, every belly giggle from this tiny, brain-deficient baby brought deepest joy to the hearts of her parents. This is a must read to all especially those who believe that all the "inconvenients" and the "discards of humanity" out there are just a money-drain to society and to their families and should be starved to death.
The poor, the Terri Schiavos out there, are God's gift to the world. Those who care for them experience inward joy, a feeling that cannot be explained for it comes from God. The character is developed and refined, the life becomes fruitful and sweetened by grace; thus, one is fitted and made ready to live in the society of unfallen beings. Did you know that the only thing we take to heaven with us is our character? I think it's high time to cultivate and develop it for His Name's Honor and Glory, don't you?
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I saw unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." --Matt 25:32-40.
Here's the lyrics to the midi on this page:
I Dreamed That the Great
Judgment Morning Had Dawned
I dreamed that the great judgment morning
Had dawned, and the trumpet had blown;
I dreamed that the nations had gathered
To judgment before the white throne;
From the throne came a bright shining angel,
And he stood on the land and the sea,
And he swore with his hand raised to Heaven,
That time was no longer to be.
Refrain
And O, what a weeping and wailing,
As the lost were told of their fate;
They cried for the rocks and the mountains,
They prayed, but their prayer was too late.
The rich man was there, but his money
Had melted and vanished away;
A pauper he stood in the judgment,
His debts were too heavy to pay;
The great man was there, but his greatness,
When death came, was left far behind!
The angel that opened the records,
Not a trace of his greatness could find.
Refrain
The widow was there with the orphans,
God heard and remembered their cries;
No sorrow in Heaven forever,
God wiped all the tears from their eyes;
The gambler was there and the drunkard,
And the man that had sold them the drink,
With the people who gave him the license,
Together in hell they did sink.
Refrain
The moral man came to the judgment,
But self righteous rags would not do;
The men who had crucified Jesus
Had passed off as moral men, too;
The soul that had put off salvation,
"Not tonight; I'll get saved by and by,
No time now to think of religion!"
At last they had found time to die.
Refrain
--Words: Bert Shadduck, 1894.
Music: Lycurgus L. Pickett
Related Topics:
Reflection of Thee
He's Still Working on Me
Land of the Free
 
I Dreamed That the Great Judgment Morning Had Dawned Midi
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