File spoon-archives/anarchy-list.archive/anarchy-list_2000/anarchy-list.0007, message 278


From: "David M James" <shddemon-AT-concentric.net>
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:42:57 +0000
Subject: (Fwd) Open Lrtter to Bill Ellis of the U.S. Green Party


Here is yet another example of the Green Party's hypocrisy.
If you're going to vote at all, vote for Michael Moore's other brilliant 
idea, the Ficus Tree (www.ficus2000.com)

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date sent:      	Sat, 22 Jul 2000 15:12:48 -0700
To:             	"Bill Ellis" <tranet-AT-rangeley.org>, twbounds-AT-pop.mail.rcn.net
From:           	David Oaks - Support Coalition International <dendron-AT-efn.org>
Subject:        	Re: [pf] Ralph Nader stays silent about one consumer issue:
	forced 	 outpatient psychi
Copies to:      	positive-futures-AT-igc.topica.com

OPEN LETTER TO BILL ELLIS

Thanks much to Bill Ellis for dialoging about the issue of FORCED 
PSYCHIATRY, and why it's an important issue this election year 
(he 
doesn't think it is, we do).

Bill is concerned about our publicizing the fact that Ralph Nader has
refused to take a position on forced psychiatric drugging, 
especially the
rise of forced outpatient psychiatric drugging. .

Below is our dialogue (I'll copy this to the places Bill copied it, 
plus to some of our members).

At 6:09 AM -0400 7/22/00, Bill Ellis wrote:
>Tom and David, why blame Nader.
>What response have you gotten from George "W", or Al Gore?


We're asking all candidates.

George W is pro-forced psychiatry -- his state is one of the worst.

We have a whole CAMPAIGN to get an answer from Al Gore -- 
that's 
where we're mainly putting our energy. If you are truly interested in 
what
we're doing, I'd recommend our newsjournal which covers this topic.

Al and Tipper Gore's chief counsel agreed to meet with us, and on 
May 2 I
was in the White House with a dozen other disability leaders 
DEMANDING --
and we used that word -- DEMANDING that Tipper and Al speak 
out.

So believe me, we're campaigning on this issue with all candidates.

And remember, I'm a Green, I've promoted Ralph -- my hero -- for 
years.

But he's NO SAINT. What happened to everyone's "Question 
Authority" 
button when it comes to Ralph?

Aside from Ralph staying SILENT for a decade on this issue, 
there's a
deeper problem -- Ralph's MAIN advisers on mental health are 
among our
main opponents: Drs. Wolfe & Torrey. We think his close affiliation 
with
them is a red flag that we all need to know where he stands.

But you know who has been good on our issue? And I'm a Green 
so this is
strange to say: The Libertarians have been fantastic! They've
compassionately heard our concerns, and have a PLANK in their 
new platform
specifically on this!!!!

If you're going to vote against both Gore and Bush, and Ralph 
stays 
silent on this disability issue....it's time to take a serious look 
at the Libertarians.....


>You cannot expect Nader to take on every issue of the world.


For decades the progressive movement has IGNORED psychiatric 
disabilities. When do we have a chance to speak out?

The psychiatric survivors movement has been working for THIRTY 
YEARS, and
our sisters and brothers in other social change movement have -- 
like the
rest of society -- treated us with silence, silence, silence.

In the family of transformation movements, we are the aunt in the 
attic who has been ignored.

But I've been a paid activist in the peace and environmental 
movements, and I want to tell you this: The disability movement is 
huge, it has more than 40 million VOTERS, and they care about 
the 
psychiatric rights movement. Progressives ignore this issue just 
hands it over to the right wing.

When it comes to Ralph -- we've written to him for YEARS about 
his 
close affiliation with Drs. Wolfe & Torrey. He hasn't responded -- he
didn't have to, because he was just in a think tank (a law firm).

But now he's running for office. This is the BEST TIME to raise 
these
issues.

And finally, I know you wouldn't have said what you did if Nader was
anti-choice on abortion. But our pro-choice issue impacts people's 
lives
too. Have you ever seen the autopsy reports following forced 
psychiatric
drugging? I have.

And we're saying FORCED PSYCHIATRIC DRUGGING IS ON A 
MASSIVE INCREASE.

Why is it our group is expendable? Could it be our people are 
among 
the most powerless? We are not going to stand for the silence in 
the
family of progressive movements any longer.

Our board considers this an emergency time for people with 
psychiatric labels, whose rights are being targeted. This is similar 
to
what Japanese Americans faced during World War II. What should 
we wait
for.... how bad does it have to get..... until aerial spraying of Prozac
starts?



>How about the issue of parents having their own children kidnapped and
>put awat in island boot camps. Or how about TV advertising of drugs in
>general. Or how about....(you name your favorite issue).


Those are important. But over and over groups representing 
psychiatric survivors and mental health consumers have identified 
FORCED DRUGGING ESPECIALLY IN OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IN OUR OWN HOME, 
as the number one issue. No offense, but you don't speak for us -- 
psychiatric survivors identify their own priorities.

>
>Nader's, and our, job right now, is getting out the votes for
>Progressives and Greens.

Nader has zero chance of winning, so don't tell us to silence our 
message about human rights.

>  Important as it is "outpatient drugging" will not win many
>votes.

No, but I'm a Green and I know this:  Raising this  issue will show 
exactly which Greens really believe in GREEN VALUES when it comes to the
most powerless of people. We are watching, we will remember.


>Hot issues are: preventing George "W" from packing the suprene court,
>making abortion illegal, giving more tax breaks to the rich, back
>tracking on environmental laws, and a host of other topics with
>significant voter appeal.


Really? How about George Bush's connection to the right wing, and his
visits to their churches?

Our members are meeting personally with the Libertarian party 
candidate. They have a whole plank on forced outpatient drugging, 
they consider it important. And believe me -- they're very interested to
hear how close Ralph has been with Drs. Torrey and Wolfe, and how silent
he's been -- for a decade -- on this key disability issue.

If we were totally unimportant, why even bother to e-mail us?

>
>Vent your criticism where is is most needed.

We will speak out EVERYWHERE about what is happening to our people.

It breaks my heart as a radical left organizer for 24 years that the right
wing is way ahead of many people on the left. The right wing is doing more
to speak out, for instance, about the rise of Ritalin in the schools.
Unfortunately, many compassionate people on the left have been hired to
work in the human services, where more and more psychiatric jargon and
psychiatric drugs -- it's kind of a macro co-optation.

By the way, we've contacted the Gores, etc. many many times, but have not
received many personal responses.

The fact that a Green would take time to respond is evidence we are 
complaining in EXACTLY the right place. We are a small movement, so 
bringing this up with the Greens is apparently a good idea!

Thanks for the encouragement!

>
>Bill Ellis
>
>----------
>>From: Tom Wheeler <twbounds-AT-pop.mail.rcn.net>
>        David Oaks - <dendron-AT-efn.org>,
>>  Subject:
>>
>>  Ralph Nader is staying silent about "mental health's" number one
>>  controversy:


Those interested should ask us for a copy of our newsjournal and/or 
check out our web site.

Don't wait until a family member is in emotional crisis, and you're 
desperately searching for something other than forced psychiatric 
drugging and electroshock from a huge corporation.....

BREAK THE SILENCE ABOUT THIS OPPRESSION -- it impacts a huge number 
of people, but there is silence about it!!!!


David Oaks, director
Support Coalition International
454 Willamette, Suite 216
PO Box 11284
Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

e-mail: davidoaks-AT-post.harvard.edu
general info: office-AT-MindFreedom.org
web: http://www.MindFreedom.org
phone: (541) 345-9106
toll free: 1-877-MAD-PRIDE
fax: (541) 345-3737

Support Coalition International is a non-profit
federation of 88 groups in 13 countries
winning human rights and alternatives
for people diagnosed with mental disabilities.

Mad Pride Celebration 2000:
.... 10 years of Support Coalition International!
.... 30 years of the psychiatric survivors movement!


---
By his heretical views on ... soma, ...he has proved himself 
an enemy of Society, a subverter, ladies and gentlemen, of 
all Order and Stability, a conspirator against Civilization 
itself.
                    -- The Director, from Aldous Huxley's
                        _Brave New World_

   

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