Stop Mandatory Mental Health Screening

Liberty Committee ^ | 11/8/04 | Ron Paul

[Maceman]

High-priced lobbyists in Washington are tough to beat; especially the ones who represent the pharmaceutical industry. But we can't let them win this time.

On September 7th, we told you about the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's plan (a presidential commission) to subject every child in America to mandatory mental-health screening; a plan that will result in the forced drugging of children. Two days later, Congressman Ron Paul tried to stop this insidious plan by offering an amendment to the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act for FY 2005. The amendment received 95 "yes" votes, but it failed to pass.

However, Congressman Paul and several of his colleagues are not giving up. Neither are we. They have drafted a letter to Congressman Ralph Regula, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations, asking for his help. The letter will be sent to Mr. Regula this Friday. As of today, 11 House members have signed the letter which is a very good start. But the high-priced lobbyists representing the drug companies are already working to oppose our effort, so we need to get additional support for our side.

Read the letter and then urge your U.S. representative to sign it. If you think mandatory mental-health screening can’t happen in the good ol' USofA, think again. In 1995, while George W. Bush was governor, the state of Texas launched the Texas Medication Algorithm Project. The state of Illinois launched a similar program in 2003. Backers of those two state programs now want to go nationwide! We must stop them!!

Kent Snyder The Liberty Committee

[Maceman]

To read the letter and send your message, go here

Background

[nmh]

Oh no, not this debunked crap again!

Geesh why get hysterical over liberal propaganda.

There is NO required mental health screening.

All Bush was trying to do was have mental health care covered. Alot of insurance compaines do not cover it ot have low caps on it. God only knows how many liberals need mental healthcare help.

[Maceman]

Oh no, not this debunked crap again! Geesh why get hysterical over liberal propaganda.

If sitting congressman Ron Paul -- whom I respect even though I disagree with him on the Iraq war -- feels it necessary to take legislative action on this, then I am not inclined to dismiss it so easily as "debunked liberal propaganda."

[Maria S]

I don't know that much about this yet, but I have to wonder if there's an overreaction to something. I will try to learn more about it, but it does seem to me if this is legitimate (in the so-called "mental testing" of ALL kids) that it would have been used against Bush in the run-up to the election. Such an accusation would have doomed his re-election. Why didn't the Kerry camp use it if it's what he's really pushing?

Just don't understand this!

[SteveMcKing]

Psychosomatic victim disorder (PVD):


Does your child occasionally exercise?

Have they ever had interest in the opposite sex?

Do they wish to become normal adults who show initiative, solve problems, and generally take care of themselves with their friends and family without the aide of government?

Have they ever used 911-emergency for its real purpose, and not just to get attention and show their dependency on others?


Expensive government-subsidized medication may be the answer. If not, we're not sure what else we can do except pull your child out of school.

[GrandEagle]

I'll get the letter off tomorrow.
I'll find out if it is so or not.

[ladylib]

http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=19522

Already launched in IL. Bill supposedly on governor's desk. Don't know whether he signed it or not. People are really annoyed.

Group in Texas is circulating a Document of Refusal.

[sheltonmac]

From the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's website:

President George W. Bush established the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health in April 2002 as part of his commitment to eliminate inequality for Americans with disabilities. The President directed the Commission to identify policies that could be implemented by Federal, State and local governments to maximize the utility of existing resources, improve coordination of treatments and services, and promote successful community integration for adults with a serious mental illness and children with a serious emotional disturbance.

If this is tied to the Americans with Disabilities Act (Thanks, George Sr.!), you can bet that mental health screening will be mandatory.

[monkeywrench]

The U.N. Plan for Your Mental Health http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a36ef921821f2.htm

[american colleen]

I dunno, read "President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health". I guess one could read it either way (for screening/no screening) but I don't trust the gov't with something like this.

Recommendations
4.1 Promote the mental health of young children.
4.2 Improve and expand school mental health programs.
4.3 Screen for co-occurring mental and substance use disorders and link with integrated treatment strategies.
4.4 Screen for mental disorders in primary health care, across the life span, and connect to treatment and supports.

[longtermmemmory]

Your parents are Republicans who voted for Bush?

CHILD ABUSE! and the kid need Ritalin because such stupid people have impaired children.

(/sarcasm off)

[Ain Soph Aur]

by 4.3 and 4.4 there, it seems pretty obvious that scanning is intended.

[american colleen]

Exactly. Can you imagine all the possible scenerios here?

[nmh]

"If this is tied to the Americans with Disabilities Act (Thanks, George Sr.!), you can bet that mental health screening will be mandatory."

Does it say it's tied to this? NO!

Common sense tells you that FORCED mental health screening and FORCED drugs are not what Bush is about. He's simply trying find a way for people who have mental health problems to have insurance coverage and remove the stigma from getting help.

BTW, what paranoid theory do you have about the Americans with Disabilities Act?

[sheltonmac]

Does it say it's tied to this? NO!

Take a look at the website:

The President signed an Executive Order on June 18, 2001 supporting community-based services and programs for individuals with disabilities. This Executive Order directs key federal agencies to work together and with states to ensure full compliance with the Supreme Court's ruling in the Olmstead case (1999) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

"Full compliance" is government-speak for "expansion of federal control."

Common sense tells you that FORCED mental health screening and FORCED drugs are not what Bush is about. He's simply trying find a way for people who have mental health problems to have insurance coverage and remove the stigma from getting help.

Common sense also tells me that the president heading up the largest, most expensive government in over 30 years is capable of anything. Besides, since when is it the job of the president to solve the country's mental health problems? Is there some secret clause in the Constitution authorizing this socialist crap?

BTW, what paranoid theory do you have about the Americans with Disabilities Act?

I suggest spending some time reading up on it.

Forgive me if I refuse to go along with your brand of "compassionate conservatism." I'm one of those "small government" types.

[nmh]

You're forgiven

but I do think you are a tad paranoid.

Get a grip on yourself.

[the invisib1e hand]

here's an update, and I'll post it on the other thread as well.

November 9, 2004

Your efforts are paying off! Nine more members of the U.S. House signed Congressman Paul's letter today. The letter now has 20 signers. In addition, several producers of radio talk shows and press reporters contacted Dr. Paul's office.

Adding nine more signers in one day is great; especially when you consider that House members are not in their Capitol Hill offices this week, and many members of their staffs are away too. Your efforts have pushed staff members to call their bosses at home to get their approval.

We have one more day. Thursday is Veterans Day, so Capitol Hill offices will be closed. Dr. Paul will send his letter to Chairman Regula first thing Friday morning, leaving tomorrow as our last day to get more signers.

Here's the checklist:

1. Read the letter and see who signed today.
2. Send a message to your representative.
3. Spread the word.

Thank you for your help! We can't allow mandatory mental-health screening (and forced drugging) of kids to take place in America.

We have one more day. Let's make the most of it. Go to http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/regula.htm

Kent Snyder
The Liberty Committee
http://www.thelibertycommittee.org

[Coleus]

Shouldn't we contact President Bush who started this Nonsense?  Our mental health system is fine and it should be left up to the states as to what to do with their citizens.

President Says U.S. Must Make Commitment to Mental Health Care
      View the President's Remarks
     Listen to the President's Remarks

Mailing Address The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
Phone Numbers Comments:   202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX:             202-456-2461	TTY/TDD Comments:      202-456-6213 Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

E-Mail

President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Psychiatry and the State (Excerpt)
by Dennis Behreandt

The federal government plans a new role in delivering mental health care.  Historically, however, governments have used psychiatric techniques for harm rather than good.

On April 29, 2002, President George W. Bush issued an executive order creating a new commission charged with finding ways to “improve America’s mental health service delivery system.” One year later, the Orwellian-sounding New Freedom Commission on Mental Health released its findings.  Its final report recommended mental health screening for all Americans and, in a proposal that should alarm parents everywhere, recommended that the nation’s schools be used to assess the mental health of all schoolchildren.

President George W. Bush wants to have  American citizens, beginning with all school age children, examined by psychiatrists.

"The New Freedom Initiative is a plan to screen the entire U.S. population for mental illness and to provide a cradle-to-grave continuum of services for those identified as either mentally ill or at risk of becoming so. Under the plan, schools would become hubs of the screening process, not only for children, but for their parents and teachers. There are even components aimed at senior citizens, pregnant women, and new mothers.

"In April 2002, President Bush established the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health to conduct a 'comprehensive study of the United States mental health service delivery system.' The commission issued its recommendations in July 2003, chief among them being that schools are in a 'key position' to screen the 52 million students and 6 million adults who work at educational facilities."

This Draconian federal program began in Texas while G.W. Bush was Governor. It was called the Texas Medication Algorithm Project as an alliance between the pharmaceutical industry, the University of Texas, and the mental health and corrections systems of Texas. Now that Bush is President, he has begun implementing the program at the national level.

[PAWTUCKETROSS4]

Children don't realize that they can say no...for now, anyway. And it happens to them before parents can say no. It happened in my son's school (student body 750; screened -??). A federally funded "anger management" behavioral program run by a private psych hospital IN OUR SCHOOLS!! For parents who learned of this - it's "only an art program, why so upset, Mom?" Paranoid? I don't think so. FYI, most people who want mental health care, find it. I am a liberal - not a propagandist. Hope you don't have kids in the schools. Or they may be next!!