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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 08/10/2004 : 02:36:23
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quote:
Now Bush wants to test every American for mental illness--including you! And guess who will create the tests?
By Jordanne Graham
Next month, President Bush plans to unveil a broad new mental health plan called the “New Freedom Initiative.” Never mind that it couldn't have less to do with freedom; if you're a thinking American, this initiative should scare the hell out of you.
The New Freedom Initiative proposes to screen every American, including you, for mental illness. To this end, the president established a New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, to study the nation's mental health delivery service and make a report. It's interesting to note that many on the staff appointed to the Commission have served on the advisory boards of some of the nation's largest drug companies.
The commission reported that “despite their prevalence, mental disorders often go undiagnosed,” so it recommended comprehensive mental health screening for “consumers of all ages,” including preschool children because “each year, young children are expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severely disruptive behaviors and emotional disorders.”
Read on....
http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=830
While this sounds like something Prez Shitforbrains would come up with (if given plenty of assistance), I find it a bit far out even for him. Or perhaps I've misread it -- the font is small; my eyes ain't good.
Also, the site seems to be pretty far-left, which might or might not explain something.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Edited by - filthy on 08/10/2004 02:55:26
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tomk80
SFN Regular
Netherlands
1278 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2004 : 03:42:46 [Permalink]
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The way the article was written, the "new Freedom Initiative" had an almost Orwellian sound to it (Ministry of Love anyone?). However, it also seemed to have an inherent distrust of the pharmaceutical industry, which I think is a little fishy.
On the whole, screening for mental illnessess might be a good thing, if it doesn't lead to overdiagnosis. You'll need very strict criteria to be effective.
edited for spelling |
Tom
`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'
-Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll- |
| Edited by - tomk80 on 08/10/2004 06:37:44 |
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tomk80
SFN Regular
Netherlands
1278 Posts |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2004 : 06:41:23 [Permalink]
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Yes, on the surface it looks like it might be of some benefit, but it begs all sorts of questions. Not the least of those is: where is the money gonna come from? Another is: someone gets called in for an exam and tells the, I asume, health provider to piss off, he ain't doing it. I know of at least one prospective madman who'd do exactly that. Would there be a penalty? And if so, what? Involentary commitment? That could keep trial lawyers and the ACLU busy, off the streets and out of trouble for a lifetime.
Futher, might this not spawn yet another tangled beaurocacy, filled with political appointees being over-paid to work at cross purposes, as so much of our government seems to be?
I think that, if Bush is not just blowing smoke, this could be a huge mistake. But, it's an election year, so he's probably just blowing smoke. And if indeed it comes to pass, he'll let it wither on the vine as he's done with virtually all of his domestic programs. After all, you can't get much oil out of a hyper school child or a homeless veteran.
We shall see.
Edited to thank Tom for the links. I'd forgotten the drug angle to all this. That is a LOT of dollars in the pot. Therefore, perhaps you can get oil from a hyper school child or a homeless vet.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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| Edited by - filthy on 08/10/2004 06:56:00 |
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tomk80
SFN Regular
Netherlands
1278 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2004 : 07:09:19 [Permalink]
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| Welcome. Reading the responses to the BMJ-article on their site, one important aspect caught my eye. Would we, at this point, be able to screen for mental illnesses? Since the diagnosis is so hard to make and often subjective, how do you want to screen on it? I'll have to talk to my housemate about it (he being a psychiatrist in training and all), maybe he has some pointers. |
Tom
`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'
-Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll- |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2004 : 17:57:31 [Permalink]
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Need an "disbelieving shock" emoticon....
All I can say is.... wtf? |
Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Maverick
Skeptic Friend
Sweden
385 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2004 : 07:40:17 [Permalink]
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It's been a while since Bush and his crazy ideas actually surprised me, but now it did. Amazing. I did not see this one coming. And what's with the "freedom" part of it? What freedom, and how? Is it just another step in the attempt at making that word mean absolutely nothing, like how they named the Patriot Act, or freedom fries(!) or FOX's the Cost of Freedom, etc.? I guess that if anyone tries to oppose this new mental illness program, they will only hear "Why do you hate freedom so much?"
One question one might ask: How many of these drug companies have donated money to Bush's campaign? |
"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy." -- Carl Sagan |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2004 : 10:16:41 [Permalink]
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quote:
How many of these drug companies have donated money to Bush's campaign?
From what I've read, all of 'em and a lot of it.
Further, just today I've read that a shipment of prescription drugs going to seniors was confiscated at the border.
I'll try and find the link again.
Edited: Drat, can't find it in any of my regular news sites. It might have been archived or even taken down. |
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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| Edited by - filthy on 08/16/2004 10:33:08 |
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Maverick
Skeptic Friend
Sweden
385 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2004 : 03:25:28 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
quote:
How many of these drug companies have donated money to Bush's campaign?
From what I've read, all of 'em and a lot of it.
If this is true, then what a coincidense! What are the odds...?
Btw... do you have sources for that? |
"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy." -- Carl Sagan |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2004 : 07:44:19 [Permalink]
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I dunno. I'm fairly skeptical of some of these claims. For instance, I searched the New York Times website and found no article that mentioned the screening of every American.
I also looked at the website of the White House regarding the New Freedom Initiative. It also doesn't mention such screenings. Instead, it notes that the initiative, announced back in February 2001, was:
quote:
a comprehensive program to promote the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of society by increasing access to assistive and universally designed technologies, expanding educational and employment opportunities, and promoting increased access into daily community life.
Regarding the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, there is no mention in the press release of the final report about such screenings. I admit, however, that I didn't read the final report in total.
As has been noted, the cost of screening some 280 million Americans would be colossal. It also seems to go against basic Conservative thought (though not much this administration has done has followed basic Conservative thought).
To summarize, I think that the author of filthy's linked report either isn't reading the information properly, or she is distorting it on purpose. |
| Edited by - Cuneiformist on 08/17/2004 07:45:54 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2004 : 08:10:38 [Permalink]
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Yeh, I too have some doubts.
But I have a feeling that even if it's true as read, cooler heads will see to it that it will not again show up in public forum any time soon.
We shall see. Or perhaps not -- Kerry's looking pretty good and there may be no time for such silly shenanagans.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Maverick
Skeptic Friend
Sweden
385 Posts |
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