Please Let Terri Schiavo Go!
 
(Important Note: Please, be sure to read BOTH articles here; the one about animals and PETA immediately following the one about Terri will give you more insight into Dave Gibson.)
 
June 8, 2004

By Dave Gibson
 
 
 
To submit a Letter to the Editor: editor@americandaily.com

I recently received an email from the American Family Association, which once again told the painful story of Terri Schiavo. The AFA strongly urged me to contact Governor Jeb Bush (R-Fla.), and beg him to take more measures to see that Mrs. Schiavo continue to be kept alive.

The AFA email also complained that in 1995, Terri's husband (Michael) began living with another woman and announced their engagement two years later...As if Mr. Schiavo's life is any of these people's business! They also went on to say of Michael Schiavo: "he continues to live with his lover and wait for the day Terri will die." In addition to their attempt to paint Michael Schiavo as evil incarnate, they claim that there is a large inheritance to be had, after Terri's death...Another lie!

I truly hope that there is a special place in hell for these people, who are doing nothing but adding to Michael Schiavo's pain.

For those of you who do not know...Terri Schiavo is a Florida woman, who suffered heart failure in 1990. As a result of the attack, oxygen was cut off to her brain which robbed her of any cognitive ability. She has been in a vegetative state since the 1990 incident. She cannot wash, dress, nor feed herself. Doctors inserted a feeding tube directly into her stomach. She is unable to speak or communicate in any form. Terri Schiavo has spent the last 14 years in a hospital bed, unable to move.

Despite Terri's tragic existence, and her husband's wish to allow her to die with at least a shred of dignity...There are many who wish to keep her "alive." Last October, the Florida State Legislature passed a bill which allowed Gov. Bush to order the feeding tube replaced--after her husband told doctors to remove it.

Immediately after signing the measure last October, Gov. Bush said in a statement: " Like tens of thousands of Floridians who have raised their voices in support of Terri Schiavo's right to live, I have been deeply moved by these tragic circumstances."

The key word in the governor's statement is "live." No one of sound mind could say honestly that the current state in which Terri Schiavo exists, could be considered living!

Conversely, Oregon is the only state in the country, which allows doctors to help quicken the death of a terminally ill patient. The law was voted in by Oregonians in 1994. It allows physicians to prescribe a lethal dose of narcotics to anyone suffering from a terminal illness, who asks for their assistance. The law is called the Death With Dignity Act.

Of course, United States Attorney General John Ashcroft challenged the law and tried to block the wishes of Oregon's voters. However, on May 26 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Bush Administration had no right to interfere with any state's doctor-assisted suicide law. Ashcroft's Justice Department had maintained that suicide is not a "legitimate medical purpose." The court though, saw it differently...Thank God!

The issue of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia has long been a topic of heated debate. I believe that it is a decision which must be left exclusively to the patient and their doctor. Politicians simply have no place in this matter!

In Terri Schiavo's case, she is not able to communicate her wishes to the doctors. That decision must then be left to the one closest to her--her husband Michael.

I consider myself to be a compassionate man. I love animals and have been fortunate enough to have shared my life with several of them. Consequently, I have been faced with the deaths of many of my best friends. Many times, I have had to make the decision which ended their suffering. It is a measure of last-resort and it is always one made out of love and compassion.

When it comes to the issue of ending the suffering of one's beloved pet...We all seem to be in agreement, that it is the right thing to do. We hear our friends say: 'it is selfish to keep them here, only for you, and "it is cruel to allow them to go on suffering." They are absolutely right, it is cruel to allow another living being to suffer, with no hope of recovery.

If our animals deserve to end their lives with compassion and dignity...Do not our human loved-ones deserve at least, as much?

Let Terri go.

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After completing two years at Tidewater Community College, Dave Gibson became a Virginia Beach Deputy Sheriff. He has since left the department and now owns a small business in the city of Chesapeake, Virginia. An active volunteer in many animal organizations, he has worked at the Virginia Zoo, the Norfolk SPCA, and currently works for the K-9 New Life Center based in Virginia Beach.
 
 
PETA: Lies, Abuse, And Death
March 18, 2004
 
By Dave Gibson
 
We all know that PETA is quite possibly the most annoying and certainly the most arrogant of all the leftist groups currently attempting to alter our way of life. However, I doubt that outside of a few nosy people and former PETA employees anyone knows how they care for homeless pets in Hampton Roads, Virginia (their headquarters, right)...They kill them!

That's right, this warm fuzzy bastion of animal rights kills every once beloved family pet who has the misfortune of being carried through PETA's doors. People take animals to PETA instead of local shelters because they believe that they will be placed into a home and will not be put down. Unlike local animal shelters, PETA doesn't even bother trying to find homes for these pets. All of them are killed within a few hours. In fact, PETA has gone through several area vets, and they refused to euthanize healthy animals. Finally PETA constructed their own facilities for this practice.

A former PETA employee spoke of one particular incident that burned into her mind forever: A teary-eyed man showed up at PETA headquarters one day with his beloved pet rabbit. The man had grown old and sick and was no longer able to care properly for his friend. He supplied a cage, bed, toys, and even vet records for this pet. He was assured by PETA workers that they would take "good care" of his rabbit and find him a home. The man left distraught but no doubt believing that his friend would be able to live out the rest of his life in a loving, compassionate home...PETA workers carried him to the 'death house' immediately and ended his life!

PETA doesn't stop with animals who are dropped off at their facility. No, they actively seek out animals throughout the community to kill. PETA sets traps to catch roaming animals all over Hampton Roads. These traps are designed to catch cats, many of these are not just strays but people's pets. They have even ventured onto a local federal installation, where they captured dozens of cats and immediately killed them. The cats at this particular facility were living in a 'feral cat colony'. They were well fed, spayed and neutered, and received regular veterinary care at the expense of the government workers. PETA in their renowned arrogance decided that they knew better and illegally entered the installation several times, stole these people's cats and ended their lives.

PETA employees and volunteers regularly enter private property to capture animals, which according to former PETA employees are often times people's pets - someone's cat out for a midnight stroll or even just sitting in their owner's yard! Car loads of cats are regularly brought to PETA headquarters by employees and volunteers whose job it is to 'round them up'. One such volunteer has brought in hundreds of cats, many wearing tags bearing the name and address of their owner. The animals are loaded into a small storage shed, where they sometimes sit for several hours in the heat and cold...awaiting their date with the executioner.

We have all seen the outrageous costumes worn by PETA wackos. As an example of just how callous and truly bizarre these people truly are, two of the employees who perform the euthanizations came to a PETA function dressed as syringes! PETA's co-founder (Alex Pacheco) left the group over its absurd policy of feline genocide. PETA's mission statement, written by that group's leader Ingrid Newkirk states "We believe that animals have an intrinsic worth of their own". So Ms. Newkirk...Did you forget your mission?

In researching this article, I spoke to former PETA employees as well as people whose pets have been stolen by PETA (which were undoubtedly killed). Everyone of these people were willing to talk to me but insisted I not divulge their names or even the cities in which they now reside! When I asked one of these people why she was so afraid of retribution from PETA, I was told..."They will take it out on my animals".

Ingrid Newkirk is not only hypocritical but incredibly cruel. Euthanasia is something which is at times necessary, I know this all too well as I have had to make this heart-breaking decision. It is something that is done as a last resort, not a first response. It is a decision which must be made out of love and compassion, with a great deal of soul-searching. It is not something to be committed out of haste and blind loyalty to some feminazi. It is done to end suffering or when all efforts to find one a home has failed. It must never be done to animals that don't belong to you!
 
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After completing two years at Tidewater Community College, Dave Gibson became a Virginia Beach Deputy Sheriff. He has since left the department and now owns a small business in the city of Chesapeake, Virginia. An active volunteer in many animal organizations, he has worked at the Virginia Zoo, the Norfolk SPCA, and currently works for the K-9 New Life Center based in Virginia Beach.