Originally Posted - July 17, 2006




return home

Op-Ed - Why Won't He Just Go Away?

"I am proud of Michael Schiavo's support".

                                                    Ms. Peggy Lamm, Former member of the                                                 Hemlock Society and currently a                                                 Democratic congressional candidate

You would think that Michael Schiavo would have been content to walk away after he successfully killed Terri Schiavo.

But not Michael Schiavo.

Schiavo, obviously starving for more attention, is good and angry and has now decided to exploit, or as he likes to put it, "honor" the dehydration death of his former wife by creating a PAC. Schiavo's rant is that government invaded his personal privacy.

"The sanctity of marriage and personal privacy - the right to make life's most personal decisions for ourselves and our families free from government interference - are fundamental freedoms and American beliefs that I hold dear".

                                                    Michael Schiavo, 2005

Schiavo's rage that the personal privacy of his "family", and that the "sanctity" of his marriage were violated not only reeks with hypocrisy but is just plain disgraceful.

What he seems to conveniently forget is that this "private family matter" ended when Michael Schiavo, himself, made the decision in 1998 to hire a lawyer and go to a Pinellas County Court seeking to have his brain injured wife put to death, which I like to add, was against the wishes of her real family and closest friends. I guess in Michael's world, having a circuit judge invade a private family matter and decide the fate of an innocent disabled woman is perfectly acceptable, but for the other arm of the government to question the motives of a "husband" who had enormous conflicts of interest must be dead wrong.

But the hypocrisy doesn't end there. Schiavo continues with his self-serving dual set of standards, demonstrated by his childlike criticism of those who publicly spoke out trying to protect Terri, as a violation of her privacy. He self-righteously states on his website, "If our political leaders have taken no lessons from their shameless exploitation of Terri, and the public outcry against it, I have".

Yet, in November 2003, when Michael Schiavo was a guest on Larry King Live, he employs his other set of standards that he apparently believes it is appropriate in "protecting" Terri's "privacy" by commenting on his former wife's gynecological exam saying, "I'm sorry to be so explicit - to open her legs. She doesn't open them like you and I would at a gynecological examine. . . . So unless there's blood, or if there's foul smelling - I'm sorry to be so explicit, but that's what it's all about".

No one who publicly spoke out trying to protect Terri delved into anything so extremely personal like Michael Schiavo did on national television in front of millions of viewers.

However, what is most shameful with Schiavo's new calling in life, advocating for the killing of our most vulnerable, is his attempt to assert that his "sanctity" of marriage was somehow desecrated by Congress.

According to Michael Schiavo's new book, which is filled with additional lies and contradictions that have yet to be challenged by our "fair and balanced" mainstream media, he has admitted to asking his current wife, Jodi Centzone, to marry him as early as 1994. It was then in 1998, eight years after Terri's still unexplained collapse, when Schiavo petitioned the court to remove her feeding tube. This petition was based on the alleged "wish" that Terri wanted to die. These so-called wishes suddenly surfaced four years after his intentions to marry his live-in girlfriend, and came at a time when upwards of a million dollars would have landed in his pocket once Terri was out of the way (Schiavo eventually fathered two children with Jodi as well).

And although Schiavo likes to blame Terri's father, Robert Schindler Sr. for encouraging him to "move on" with his life after Terri's collapse, Schiavo admitted to having a sexual relationship with another woman, prior to meeting Jodi, and just a few months after his wife Terri became disabled.

Despite all this, Schiavo is now obnoxiously going around and demanding apologies from some in Congress (so far just Republicans) under the facade that Congress violated his wedding vows that he took with Terri. What is so offensive is that Schiavo is somehow able to do this with a straight face. Here is a man that has had sexual relationships with different woman, became engaged, fathered children, dehydrated his wife in order to marry the woman that he asked to marry him, and then points his fingers at the government for invading his personal privacy and dishonoring his wedding vows.

If Schiavo's approach was not so abhorrent it would be pathetic. But he is doing whatever he can to convince his supporters, by repeatedly reminding them that the government has so cruelly infringed on his personal privacy and have completely dishonored the sacredness of his marriage that they should come to his aid. What is so disturbing is that it appears his cohorts are not only excusing his past behavior, but are validating it.

It was this type of perversion by Schiavo that lead to Judge George Greer's ruling that Schiavo's hearsay testimony regarding Terri's alleged death wish was clear and convincing. However, the more Schiavo speaks, the more his dishonesty is exposed, and for anyone to believe that Terri made such wishes wanting to die would be similar to believing that Barbaro somehow spoke his wishes to his owners. But then again, you never know, if Schiavo told Judge Greer that the horse made such a wish, Judge Greer would probably accept it as clear and convincing.

What is true is that the number of lies and inconsistencies seriously questioning Schiavo and his family regarding Terri's wishes are mounting. This, along with all the unanswered questions that still remain regarding the night Terri collapsed, mandates that Terri's case to be handed over to a grand jury.

Despite Michael Schiavo's claims there has yet to be a proper investigation and Schiavo has never had to answer any questions regarding all the conflicting statements he made regarding the night of Terri's collapse.

However, I'm sure Michael Schiavo would vehemently object - it would be invading his privacy.   7-17-06    June Maxam

Visit Our Home Page and Shop Amazon To Help
The North Country Gazette Stay Independent

«« Join Our Members Only Section »»
Introductory Special Offer, 30 days for $2.95!

© 2006 North Country Gazette


COPYRIGHT 2006 - NORTH COUNTRY GAZETTE
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
without the express written permission of the publisher.