Replies

Well, well.

Let's compare, shall we?

World Net Daily:

President Bush plans to unveil next month a sweeping mental health initiative that recommends screening for every citizen and promotes the use of expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs favored by supporters of the administration. The New Freedom Initiative, according to a progress report, seeks to integrate mentally ill patients fully into the community by providing "services in the community, rather than institutions," the British Medical Journal reported. Critics say the plan protects the profits of drug companies at the expense of the public.

bmj.com:

A sweeping mental health initiative will be unveiled by President George W Bush in July. The plan promises to integrate mentally ill patients fully into the community by providing "services in the community, rather than institutions," according to a March 2004 progress report entitled New Freedom Initiative (www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/toc-2004.html). While some praise the plan's goals, others say it protects the profits of drug companies at the expense of the public.

Wow, that's almost word for word, isn't it?

Except of course, this from bmj.com

While some praise the plan's goals, others say it protects the profits of drug companies at the expense of the public.

becomes this:

and promotes the use of expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs favored by supporters of the administration.

in WorldNet Daily (to put the WORST possible spin on it, you see?)

Now who was it up the thread who was asking why nobody signed this screed?

---The plan promises to integrate mentally ill patients fully into the community by providing "services in the community, rather than institutions," according to a March 2004 progress report entitled New Freedom Initiative (www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/toc-2004.html). ---

We did this already, under Reagan in California. Now the crazies are all over the streets in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Berkeley. It's just wonderful: I'm moving.

It's actually not really a WND story. It is lifted almost directly from the BMJ. The byline is Jeanne Lenzer.

Ah yes, Jeanne Lenzer:

From xxxxx@VERIZON.NET Mon Jun 21 08:32:30 2004
From: Jeanne Lenzer <xxxxx@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: [IRE-L] Fabio and me
To: IRE-L@PO.MISSOURI.EDU (Discussion of Investigative Reporting Techniques and Training)
When my dear friend Fabio pointed out the atrocities at Abu Gharib there was a period of dead silence for a while. The news had not yet hit the U.S. while it was all over the rest of the world.
When I wrote my BMJ piece, it was striking to me that news of Bush's plan to screen the whole U.S. population for mental illness was not news here in the U.S. - but has triggered quite a bit of an uproar in the rest of the world.
Let's see, if we agree with the 9/11 commission that there appears to be no credible link between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda does that make us "delusional" and in need of psychotropic medicine - or is it the other way around?
Ok. Maybe I jest - but only by a little.
In the meantime, we'll ignore the U.S. violation of every international accord regarding "pre-emptive" strikes and the creeping drugging of our population under a Patriot Act that is sweeping us into a Brave New World - while arguing over Sr vs Jr used solely to clarify who was who.
Wonderful.
Jeanne
___________
Jeanne Lenzer
Freelance journalist
[address and phone numbers redacted]

Doesn't sound like much of a Bush fan to me. What do you all think?

You might want to factor that in when reading her BMJ article.