THE WORLD HAS GONE MAD

8/9/2006

Terri Schiavo's Trust Fund

By Carrie K. Hutchens

A recent Letter to the Editor to Dakota Voice proved my observations (as written in "Forget the Discussion Points -- Distract, Distract, Distract ") about the Terri Schiavo affair. In fact, I couldn't have asked for a better one.

The writer stated of my piece: "... its a piece that uses a whole lot of filler to wrapper the authors opinion and position on the Schiavo matter. The author makes clearly biased statements about the Schiavo case that are clearly unresearched and unsupportable as being provably factual."

Unfortunately, I don't think the writer understood that what they called "filler" is what the article was actually about.

The "Schiavo matter" the letter spoke of was merely example of comments/behaviorism in discussion that I came across while writing the article. I saw it. It was exactly what I was talking about. I used it. I said, "What I have written thus far has nothing to do with whether it is okay to smoke or smell like smoke. It has to do with people that are so into either themselves (feelings of superiority) or their belief focus, that their fairness in debate, as well as their hearing and reading abilities, becomes irritatingly impaired. It has to do with what these types of people do in all discussions -- things like (but not limited to): take the opportunity to push their beliefs on the audience (even if it is off-topic); distract and evade when they can't defend their position; talk down to everyone as though they are of superior intelligence and everyone else is of less; and, call people names and then get upset when someone calls them one."

It looks like the letter writer took my article as an opportunity to push back with their own Schiavo beliefs, talking down as though I am biased, ignorant of the facts, lacking research efforts, and basing my opinion solely on information (misinformation?) the Schindler's and their "rabidly pro life supporters" supposedly released. But let's examine the accusations made by the letter writer.

In the Letter to the Editor , the writer stated that I make biased statements that are clearly unresearched and unsupportable. They further stated that "Since no accounting records or reports regarding Mrs.Schiavo's trust fund has ever been made public by the court or the trustee clearly the author (Hutchens) has adopted as factual the information (misinformation?) released by the Schindlers and their rabidly pro life supporters that trust assets were spent entirely to pay lawyers fees "to KILL her"."

I said.. "I read some comments today that are alleged to be on a forum. Comments that are saying that the autopsy report says Terri Schiavo was brain dead at the time the feeding tube was removed. Excuse me, but the autopsy does not say that. Doesn't matter. By presenting a falsehood as truth, they are (or appear to be) attempting to gain support through deceit. After all, brain dead is an absolute and the body is being kept alive "solely" by machines. (If this were the case for Terri, she would have passed the minute the feeding tube was removed.) I think I can be pretty sure there aren't many people who would insist on keeping life support going on a person proven to be brain dead. That's the point. Give the audience the lie that will convince them."

Michael Schiavo and George Felos were on Larry King Live. They both said that Terri was not "brain dead". (I saw it live. I have the transcript.)

It is fact. That is researchable and definitely unbiased on my part. I said... "Then there was the person that made the snide comment about financing extended care for anyone and everyone no matter what. That's an inflammatory statement that certainly was meant to incite people. Make the people think they are paying for something -- that it is costing them even when it is not or shouldn't be or have been. Like in Terri Schiavo's case... how the heck did Michael get her on Medicaid in the first place with the assets they had? That's something the public ought to be concerned about, rather than just focusing on their feelings that they shouldn't have to pay for Terri to be kept alive."

Why does the writer feel I am biased?

There are people that don't feel others should get medical care, especially for an extended period, on what they feel to be their tax monies. That's a fact -- not a bias on my part. I don't understand how Michael could have gotten Terri on Medicaid in the first place with the assets they had, but somehow he did. He did, so why blame and punish her? If it really shouldn't have been, why aren't people trying to take back from him what they feel was an inappropriate allotment of benefits, instead of feeling she should die so their money wouldn't be used on her care?

I refer to the letter again:

"Since no accounting records or reports regarding Mrs.Schiavo's trust fund has ever been made public by the court or the trustee clearly the author (Hutchens) has adopted as factual the information (misinformation?) released by the Schindlers and their rabidly pro life supporters that trust assets were spent entirely to pay lawyers fees "to KILL her"." I never said the assets were spent entirely to pay lawyers fees "to KILL her".

I said, "It was the lawyer fees to kill her that majorly depleted the trust fund -- not her care, even though that is what the money was specifically awarded for." Here is a quote from the St. Petersburg Times, Fund for Schiavo's medical care dwindles, by Anita Kumar and J.Nealy-Brown, June 3, 2001...

"The $700,000 or so earmarked for Mrs.Schiavo's medical care for the rest of her life has dwindled to about $350,000, court records show. Most was spent in the past two years on the intense legal fight that made its way to the U.S.Supreme Court and is still not over." An article, Legal battle for Schiavo nearly over , appearing March 27, 2005in The Oakland Press, states, "Bushnell said she has been paid $80,309 since getting involved in the case in 1993. George Felos, who was hired by Michael Schiavo around the time he began the effort to remove his wife's feeding tube in 1998, has been paid $358,434, she said. Neither attorney has petitioned the court for payment since 2002."

I do feel that Terri was killed. I believe it was judicial murder. However, the Schindler's have (had) nothing to do with me having formed that opinion. The letter writer stated as fact, "... clearly the author (Hutchens) has adopted as factual the information (misinformation?) released by the Schindlers and their rabidly pro life supporters that trust assets were spent entirely to pay lawyers fees 'to kill her'" and "...The author makes clearly biased statements about the Schiavo case that are clearly unresearched and unsupportable as being provably factual." My statements are well supported, as they are derived from

Michael Schiavo, George Felos(Michael's attorney), Deborah Bushnell(Michael's attorney), the St. Petersburg Times and The Oakland Press.

Clearly, the letter writer made assumptions and statements that aren't supported. However, I'm thankful to the writer for proving my observations in the initial article to be accurate.

Carrie Hutchens is a former law enforcement officer and a freelance writer who is active in fighting against the death culture movement and the injustices within the judicial and law enforcement systems.