Conflicts of interest among key players in the Terri Schiavo controversy could give the United Nations oil-for-food investigation a run for its money.
The conflict of interest-ridden Schiavo case goes beyond membership on the board of directors of the hospice where Terri Schiavo died and even beyond the ties of key players to the right-to-die movement.
Conflicts of interest crop up in the Jerger & Centonze Insurnace (sic) agency established in January 2001 at the home of Michael Schiavo and girlfriend/fiancé Jody Centonze.
Michael, reported to be on the lam since his wife's death, is listed on the Board of Directors for the Clearwater, Florida Corporation.
The mailing address for Jerger & Centonze Insurnace (sic) agency Inc. is 2807 Marrie Court.
Listed as directors of the insurance agency at the Marrie Court address are Richard M. Jerger Jr. and Catherine M. Quinn-Jerger.
Campaign contributors to the political campaign of district 8 Florida Senator James W. "Jim" King include Richard M. Jerger of Jerger & Centonze Insurnace agency (sic).
Senator King seemed in a rush for Terri Schiavo to depart planet earth.
"I believe that there is a heaven and that's where Terri is going to go, and that's a trip that's long overdue," said Senator Jim King, the Jacksonville Republican who authored the state's death with dignity law after watching his parents suffer drawn-out deaths from cancer."
"Had God not wanted what happened today, He would have intervened," King said after the Senate failed to pass legislation aimed at preventing Schiavo's feeding tube from being removed by a judge's order." (St. Petersburg Times).
What Senator's King's take on the lack of God's intervention in the subsequent death of Pope John Paul II is unknown.
Senator King is a board member of the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, which oversees the day-to-day operation of Woodside Hospice where Terri died, last Friday.
Commenting on the passage of "Terri's Law", which he originally upheld, Senator King said it was "probably one of the worst votes that I've ever done."
It seems that potential for conflict of interest embraces even Florida's Catholic clergy. Bishop Robert N. Lynch, was out of town the day Terri died. In Indonesia when last week's earthquake struck, he was surveying damage of December's tsunamis.
The law firm employed by both the St. Petersburg and Venice Diocese is DiVito & Higham. Joseph DiVito is allegedly a personal friend of Bishop Lynch and has contributed to the re-election campaign of Florida circuit Judge George Greer.
If no one much noticed that the bishop was missing during the time of Terri's death, actor/director Mel Gibson did and criticized the cleric for "being quite indifferent" to the plight of Terri Schiavo--even in the face of strong comments from the Vatican against death by court-ordered dehydration.
Still another conflict of interest was revealed by a local newspaper: "The Empire Journal has learned that days before leaving office as Pinellas County Sheriff, Judge (Everett) Rice hired (Michael) Schiavo, a registered nurse, to work in the Inmates Medical Care Division of the Pinellas County Jail.
Rice's hiring of Schiavo came at the same time that guardianship proceedings were being heard in the courtroom of his long-time friend, Judge Greer.
Meanwhile, if there are any key players in the ongoing Schiavo controversy who do not have a hospice board of director, right-to-die membership, or political campaign contribution conflict of interest to declare, would they please stand up?
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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