THE BLOG
of John Gelles		 Saluting a passing color guard.
—    March 30, 2005    —

I sent the following message in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

From: John Gelles
To: Governor Jeb Bush ; President Bush
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 3:18 AM

Dear Mr. President and Governor Bush,  

I sent this message to an internet audience. I have previously demanded you intervene effectively and chastise errant courts—at the risk of impeachment, not.

Subject: On Death Row with The Internet Archive of the Library of Congress

To my American Brethren:

Yesterday I listened on CSPAN to the Library of Congress presentation of its Archive program to have all the world's knowledge archived for me and anyone else on the web and its successor forever. I tried using it as it is now—and found my old websites that have been dead for a decade preserved (in part) for me to see now.

During the day I argued with friends and a minority within my family along the lines offered by the eloquent Jesse Jackson below: "We cannot hide behind the law and not have justice. This is a moral issue, and it transcends politics."   (Jesse said "mercy" where I have said "justice".)  

Barbara Bush has also spoken out on my side—although she has not found her sons guilty of cowardice, as I have, for not doing their duty to implement our tradition of executive pardons for deserving death row mothers.  

There are so many people who see themselves as Terri and want out.

But it is imperative that we see ourselves as Mary, her mother, and listen to reason:

Terri is not dead (as I write)—and does not have to be—for God's sake.

Perhaps in a while I'll be able to read this message on the Internet Archive in the context of worldwide opinion on husbands who have moved on, Mothers who have stayed in the room with death outside the door, and courts who may have come to their senses.  

John Gelles  

Copyrighted work reprinted here is for educational non profit purposes. It was offered free to me on the internet (as a member of a wide audience) and is copied here free to others (adding to its value)—it is fair use of the work.  

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com

Jesse joins Terri fight
BY HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, March 30th, 2005

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - The emotional battle over Terri Schiavo's impending death brought the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Florida yesterday to pray with her parents and call on lawmakers to reinsert her feeding tube.

"This is one of the profound moral, ethical issues of our time, the saving of Terri's life," Jackson said. "We cannot hide behind the law and not have mercy. This is a moral issue, and it transcends politics."

Remarkably, Jackson's appearance prompted some of the fundamentalist Christian protesters keeping vigil outside the hospice to cry fervently, "Bush voters for Jesse Jackson!" and "Jesse for President!"

Jackson spent an hour calling black Florida state lawmakers, urging them to intervene. None seemed inclined to do so, and there was little chance any dramatic, last-minute action would overturn court rulings allowing Schiavo's husband, Michael, to remove the feeding tube.

Still, the federal appeals court in Atlanta unexpectedly offered the dying woman's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, one last, slim hope early this morning, agreeing to consider their petition for a new hearing in the case.

The court has previously ruled against them, and after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their case last week, the Schindlers said they would no longer pursue their federal appeals.

It was unclear when the new appeal was filed.

Jackson said he arrived to offer his support on Schiavo's 12th day without nourishment because he was called by the dying woman's parents.

"I wanted the Rev. Jackson here for moral support," said Mary Schindler. "I feel good with him here. He gives me strength."

As Jackson made his way from one network interview to another, holding hands with Mary Schindler and Terri's sister Suzanne Vitadamo, protesters repeatedly called out, "Bless you for coming."

Only the deeply emotional issue - and perhaps the huge cluster of TV cameras - could have brought together Jackson and Schindler family spokesman Randall Terry, the founder of the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, who is as hated by the left as Jackson is by the right.

The two men stood side by side and all but slapped each other on the back. "I'm honored to stand with the Rev. Jesse Jackson," Terry said.

Privately later, Terry told Jackson, "We'll have to do a cigar sometime."

"Or something," Jackson replied.

As Jackson climbed into his white stretch limo to leave, Terry mused, "I couldn't have written this script if I was on acid."
. . .

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