"Blessed are the peacemakers." Matthew 5:9 By applying daily Bible readings to current events, I aim to reclaim the word of God from the warmongers. Bush is the war president, and Jesus is the Prince of Peace. May He return soon! Carol Wolman
posted by carol wolman @ 10:58 AM
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posted by carol wolman @ 10:47 AM
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Write or call your legislators if you do not think this is a good idea...Under new law being considered, the federal government would require that every child in America undergo psychological screening and receive recommended treatment, including drug therapies.
would require that every child in America undergo psychological screening and receive recommended treatment, including drug therapies. Next week the Senate re-convenes to consider an omnibus appropriations bill that includes funding for grants to implement mandatory universal mental health screening for almost 60 million children, pregnant women, and adults through schools and pre-schools. But officials of the respected Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS) decry what they see as “a dangerous scheme that will heap even more coercive pressure on parents to medicate children with potentially dangerous side effects.” One of the most “dangerous side effects” from anti-depressants commonly prescribed to children is suicide, regarding which AAPS added, “Further, even the government’s own task force has concluded that mental health screening does little to prevent suicide.” The bill would fund initiatives of the “New Freedom Commission on Mental Health,” including a program designed to subject every school age child in the country to psychological testing and recommendations for treatment. The House has already voted to appropriate $20 million for the plan, and the Senate will be considering whether to bump it up to $44 million. Last September, AAPS lifetime member Rep. Ron Paul, M.D., R-Tex., tried to stop the 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. Paul tells NewsMax: “At issue is the fundamental right of parents to decide what medical treatment is appropriate for their children. The notion of federal bureaucrats ordering potentially millions of youngsters to take psychotropic drugs like Ritalin strikes an emotional chord with American parents, who are sick of relinquishing more and more parental control to government. “Once created, federal programs are nearly impossible to eliminate. Anyone who understands bureaucracies knows they assume more and more power incrementally. A few scattered state programs over time will be replaced by a federal program implemented in a few select cities. Once the limited federal program is accepted, it will be expanded nationwide. Once in place throughout the country, the screening program will become mandatory. “Soviet communists attempted to paint all opposition to the state as mental illness. It now seems our own federal government wants to create a therapeutic nanny state, beginning with schoolchildren. It’s not hard to imagine a time 20 or 30 years from now when government psychiatrists stigmatize children whose religious, social, or political values do not comport with those of the politically correct, secular state. “American parents must do everything they can to remain responsible for their children’s well-being. If we allow government to become intimately involved with our children’s minds and bodies, we will have lost the final vestiges of parental authority. Strong families are the last line of defense against an overreaching bureaucratic state.” “Congressman Paul and several of his colleagues will never give up,” adds an AAPS spokesperson. “He and his colleagues have drafted a letter to Chairman Ralph Regula, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations, asking for his help.” The letter states in part: “We respectfully request that the following language be included in the final committee report on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005, or any report accompanying an omnibus bill containing the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations for fiscal year 2005: ‘None of the funds made available for State incentive grants for transformation should be used for any programs of mandatory or universal mental-health screening that performs mental-health screening on anyone under 18 years of age without the express, written permission of the parents or legal guardians of each individual involved.’” By way of background: in April 2002, President George W. Bush created the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Its objective was to enhance mental health services to those in need. Among other things, the commission concluded that there is a need to search for mental disorders – especially in children – and the best way to do this was with mandatory mental health screening for everyone, starting with preschoolers. According to the Commission's 2003 report: “Quality screening and early intervention should occur in readily accessible, low-stigma settings, such as primary health care facilities and schools.” The report goes on to say: “...the extent, severity, and far-reaching consequences make it imperative that our Nation adopt a comprehensive, systemic approach to improving the mental health status of children.” However, critics of the plan suggest that the random testing of millions of people makes little sense to anyone but the drug companies that will stand to profit from the potential customers. The New Freedom Commission’s proposed treatment programs are based on the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). TMAP, which was first used in Texas in 1996 and has since expanded to other states, is a set of very specific medication recommendations – most of them new, expensive, psychotropic drugs. Despite the criticisms, the White House has remained solid behind the testing initiative, noting that the commission found that schools are in a “key position” to influence the phenomena of young children being “expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severely disruptive behaviors and emotional disorders.” But detractors are just as adamant that “problem” children in schools are readily identifiable, making the universal testing an unnecessary tool that does nothing but infringe on a parent’s right to make decisions regarding their child’s welfare. Earth Changes TV Top of Page __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com
posted by carol wolman @ 6:44 AM
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----- Original Message -----
From: "goldi316"
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 6:50 AM
Subject: Fwd: Volusia County on lockdown:TUESDAY NOV 16 2004
> Report from blackbox voting in Florida...
> * * * * *
>
> TUESDAY NOV 16 2004: Volusia County on lockdown
> County election records just got put on lockdown
>
> Dueling lawyers, election officials gnashing teeth, Votergate.tv
> film crew catching it all.
>
> Here's what happened so far:
>
> Friday Black Box Voting investigators Andy Stephenson and Kathleen
> Wynne popped in to ask for some records. They were rebuffed by an
> elections official named Denise. Bev Harris called on the cell phone
> from investigations in downstate Florida, and told Volusia County
> Elections Supervisor Deanie Lowe that Black Box Voting would be in
> to pick up the Nov. 2 Freedom of Information request, or would file
> for a hand recount. "No, Bev, please don't do that!" Lowe exclaimed.
> But this is the way it has to be, folks. Black Box Voting didn't
> back down.
>
> Monday Bev, Andy and Kathleen came in with a film crew and asked for
> the FOIA request. Deanie Lowe gave it over with a smile, but Harris
> noticed that one item, the polling place tapes, were not copies of
> the real ones, but instead were new printouts, done on Nov. 15, and
> not signed by anyone.
>
> Harris asked to see the real ones, and they said for "privacy"
> reasons they can't make copies of the signed ones. She insisted on
> at least viewing them (although refusing to give copies of the
> signatures is not legally defensible, according to Berkeley
> elections attorney, Lowell Finley). They said the real ones were in
> the County Elections warehouse. It was quittin' time and an
> arrangment was made to come back this morning to review them.
>
> Lana Hires, a Volusia County employee who gained some notoriety in
> an election 2000 Diebold memo, where she asked for an explanation of
> minus 16,022 votes for Gore, so she wouldn't have to stand
> there "looking dumb" when the auditor came in, was particularly
> unhappy about seeing the Black Box Voting investigators in the
> office. She vigorously shook her head when Deanie Lowe suggested
> going to the warehouse.
>
> Kathleen Wynne and Bev Harris showed up at the warehouse at 8:15
> Tuesday morning, Nov. 16. There was Lana Hires looking especially
> gruff, yet surprised. She ordered them out. Well, they couldn't see
> why because there she was, with a couple other people, handling the
> original poll tapes. You know, the ones with the signatures on them.
> Harris and Wynne stepped out and Volusia County officials promptly
> shut the door.
>
> There was a trash bag on the porch outside the door. Harris looked
> into it and what do you know, but there were poll tapes in there.
> They came out and glared at Harris and Wynne, who drove away a small
> bit, and then videotaped the license plates of the two vehicles
> marked 'City Council' member. Others came out to glare and soon all
> doors were slammed.
>
> So, Harris and Wynne went and parked behind a bus to see what they
> would do next. They pulled out some large pylons, which blocked the
> door. Harris decided to go look at the garbage some more while Wynne
> videotaped. A man who identified himself as "Pete" came out and
> Harris immediately wrote a public records request for the contents
> of the garbage bag, which also contained ballots -- real ones, but
> not filled out.
>
> A brief tug of war occurred, tearing the garbage bag open. Harris
> and Wynne then looked through it, as Pete looked on. He was quite
> friendly.
>
> Black Box Voting collected various poll tapes and other information
> and asked if they could copy it, for the public records
> request. "You won't be going anywhere," said Pete. "The deputy is on
> his way."
>
> Yes, not one but two police cars came up and then two county
> elections officials, and everyone stood around discussing the merits
> of the "black bag" public records request.
>
> The police finally let Harris and Wynne go, about the time the
> Votergate.tv film crew arrived, and everyone trooped off to the
> elections office. There, the plot thickened.
>
> Black Box Voting began to compare the special printouts given in the
> FOIA request with the signed polling tapes from election night. Lo
> and behold, some were missing. By this time, Black Box Voting
> investigator Andy Stephenson had joined the group at Volusia County.
> Some polling place tapes didn't match. In fact, in one location,
> precinct 215, an African-American precinct, the votes were off by
> hundreds, in favor of George W. Bush and other Republicans.
>
> Hmm. Which was right? The polling tape Volusia gave to Black Box
> Voting, specially printed on Nov. 15, without signatures, or the
> ones with signatures, printed on Nov. 2, with up to 8 signatures per
> tape?
>
> Well, then it became even more interesting. A Volusia employee boxed
> up some items from an office containing Lana Hires' desk, which
> appeared to contain -- you guessed it -- polling place tapes. The
> employee took them to the back of the building and disappeared.
>
> Then, Ellen B., a voting integrity advocate from Broward County,
> Florida, and Susan, from Volusia, decided now would be a good time
> to go through the trash at the elections office. Lo and behold, they
> found all kinds of memos and some polling place tapes, fresh from
> Volusia elections office.
>
> So, Black Box Voting compared these with the Nov. 2 signed ones and
> the "special' ones from Nov. 15 given, unsigned, finding several of
> the MISSING poll tapes. There they were: In the garbage.
>
> So, Wynne went to the car and got the polling place tapes she had
> pulled from the warehouse garbage. My my my. There were not only
> discrepancies, but a polling place tape that was signed by six
> officials.
>
> This was a bit disturbing, since the employees there had said that
> bag was destined for the shredder.
>
> By now, a county lawyer had appeared on the scene, suddenly
> threatening to charge Black Box Voting extra for the time spent
> looking at the real stuff Volusia had withheld earlier. Other
> lawyers appeared, phoned, people had meetings, Lana glowered at
> everyone, and someone shut the door in the office holding the GEMS
> server.
>
> Black Box Voting investigator Andy Stephenson then went to get the
> Diebold "GEMS" central server locked down. He also got the memory
> cards locked down and secured, much to the dismay of Lana. They were
> scattered around unsecured in any way before that.
>
> Everyone agreed to convene tomorrow morning, to further audit,
> discuss the hand count that Black Box Voting will require of Volusia
> County, and of course, it is time to talk about contesting the
> election in Volusia.
>
> # # # # #
>
> http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
>
>
>
> Download Wikipedia on VOTERGATE!!!
>
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S._Election_controversies_and_irregulari
ties
>
>
>
> More Voter "Irregulsrity" Stories
>
> http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=3820
>
>
>
>
>
>
posted by carol wolman @ 5:16 AM
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