OT: The Psycho State - by US Congressman Ron , MD, R-Tx

[Guest guest]

The Psycho State

by Ron , M.D., Republican member of Congress from Texas.

Tue Sep 14, 2004 13:00

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul203.html

http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?disc=192635;article=3332;title=Patriots%20\

For%20U.S.%20America

A presidential initiative called The " New Freedom Commission on Mental

Health " has issued a report recommending forced mental health screening for

every child in America, including preschool children. The goal is to promote

the patently false idea that we have a nation of children with undiagnosed

mental disorders crying out for treatment.

One obvious beneficiary of the proposal is the pharmaceutical industry,

which is eager to sell the psychotropic drugs that undoubtedly will be

prescribed to millions of American schoolchildren under the new screening

program. Of course a tiny minority of children suffer from legitimate mental

illnesses, but the widespread use of Ritalin and other drugs on youngsters

who simply exhibit typical rambunctious, fidgety, and impatient behavior is

nothing short of criminal. It may be easier to teach and parent drugged

kids, but convenience is no justification for endangering them. Children's

brains are still developing, and the truth is we have no idea what the

long-term side effects of psychiatric drugs may be. Medical science has not

even exhaustively identified every possible brain chemical, even as we alter

those chemicals with drugs.

Dr. Effrem, a physician who strongly opposes mandatory mental health

screening, warns us that " America's children should not be medicated by

expensive, ineffective, and dangerous medications based on vague and dubious

diagnoses. " She points out that psychiatric diagnoses are inherently

subjective, as authors of the diagnostic manuals admit. She also is

concerned that mental health screening could be used to label children whose

attitudes, religious beliefs, and political views conflict with the secular

orthodoxy that dominates our schools.

The greater issue, however, is not whether youth mental health screening is

appropriate. The real issue is whether the state owns your kids. When the

government orders " universal " mental health screening in schools, it really

means " mandatory. " Parents, children, and their private doctors should

decide whether a child has mental health problems, not government

bureaucrats. That this even needs to be stated is a sign of just how

obedient our society has become toward government. What kind of free people

would turn their children's most intimate health matters over to government

strangers? How in the world have we allowed government to become so powerful

and arrogant that it assumes it can force children to accept psychiatric

treatment whether parents object or not?

Parents must do everything possible to retain responsibility and control

over their children's well-being. There is no end to the bureaucratic

appetite to rule every aspect of our lives, including how we raise our

children. Forced mental health screening is just the latest of many state

usurpations of parental authority: compulsory education laws,

politically-correct school curricula, mandatory vaccines, and interference

with discipline through phony " social services " agencies all represent

assaults on families. The political right has now joined the political left

in seeking the de facto nationalization of children, and only informed

resistance by parents can stop it. The federal government is slowly but

surely destroying real families, but it is hardly a benevolent surrogate

parent.

September 14, 2004

[Guest guest]

I really don't understand what the fuss is about needing to screen

kids for mental health issues. My SIL's mother was recently off her

meds (for paranoid schitzophrenia and bipolar disorder)and was

experiencing psychotic episodes. The response was from the state

mental hospital that in the US and our state a person has a right to

be as unstable as they desire, so long as they do not pose an

imminent threat to themselves or another. Even though children are

seen as posessions from a law perspective, it seems that the same

right should hold.

Debi

> A presidential initiative called The " New Freedom Commission on

Mental

> Health " has issued a report recommending forced mental health

screening for

> every child in America, including preschool children. The goal is

to promote

> the patently false idea that we have a nation of children with

undiagnosed

> mental disorders crying out for treatment.

[Guest guest]

If anyone really wants to know what this is all about, you can access

the Mental Health Commission's goals and recommendations at

http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/

They actually want to assess all Americans' mental health, not just

school-age children. Look particularly at goals 2.1, 2.3, all of goal

4, 5.1, 5.4, and all of goal 6. The big deal is that government is

becoming more and more intrusive in our lives. Big Brother really is

watching! Having spent many years (33 of them!) working in our public

school system as both a teacher and an administrator, I can assure

you that I would not allow a teacher to be the gatekeeper regarding

my child's mental health, or lack thereof.

I've never felt I was particularly paranoid, but this commission and

its recommendations really concern me!

Jan

> The Psycho State

>

> by Ron , M.D., Republican member of Congress from Texas.

> Tue Sep 14, 2004 13:00

> http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul203.html

> http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?

disc=192635;article=3332;title=Patriots%20For%20U.S.%20America

>

> A presidential initiative called The " New Freedom Commission on

Mental

> Health " has issued a report recommending forced mental health

screening for

> every child in America, including preschool children. The goal is

to promote

> the patently false idea that we have a nation of children with

undiagnosed

> mental disorders crying out for treatment.

>

> One obvious beneficiary of the proposal is the pharmaceutical

industry,

> which is eager to sell the psychotropic drugs that undoubtedly will

be

> prescribed to millions of American schoolchildren under the new

screening

> program. Of course a tiny minority of children suffer from

legitimate mental

> illnesses, but the widespread use of Ritalin and other drugs on

youngsters

> who simply exhibit typical rambunctious, fidgety, and impatient

behavior is

> nothing short of criminal. It may be easier to teach and parent

drugged

> kids, but convenience is no justification for endangering them.

Children's

> brains are still developing, and the truth is we have no idea what

the

> long-term side effects of psychiatric drugs may be. Medical science

has not

> even exhaustively identified every possible brain chemical, even as

we alter

> those chemicals with drugs.

>

> Dr. Effrem, a physician who strongly opposes mandatory mental

health

> screening, warns us that " America's children should not be

medicated by

> expensive, ineffective, and dangerous medications based on vague

and dubious

> diagnoses. " She points out that psychiatric diagnoses are inherently

> subjective, as authors of the diagnostic manuals admit. She also is

> concerned that mental health screening could be used to label

children whose

> attitudes, religious beliefs, and political views conflict with the

secular

> orthodoxy that dominates our schools.

>

> The greater issue, however, is not whether youth mental health

screening is

> appropriate. The real issue is whether the state owns your kids.

When the

> government orders " universal " mental health screening in schools,

it really

> means " mandatory. " Parents, children, and their private doctors

should

> decide whether a child has mental health problems, not government

> bureaucrats. That this even needs to be stated is a sign of just how

> obedient our society has become toward government. What kind of

free people

> would turn their children's most intimate health matters over to

government

> strangers? How in the world have we allowed government to become so

powerful

> and arrogant that it assumes it can force children to accept

psychiatric

> treatment whether parents object or not?

>

> Parents must do everything possible to retain responsibility and

control

> over their children's well-being. There is no end to the

bureaucratic

> appetite to rule every aspect of our lives, including how we raise

our

> children. Forced mental health screening is just the latest of many

state

> usurpations of parental authority: compulsory education laws,

> politically-correct school curricula, mandatory vaccines, and

interference

> with discipline through phony " social services " agencies all

represent

> assaults on families. The political right has now joined the

political left

> in seeking the de facto nationalization of children, and only

informed

> resistance by parents can stop it. The federal government is slowly

but

> surely destroying real families, but it is hardly a benevolent

surrogate

> parent.

>

> September 14, 2004

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>