6.19.2004

Bush Plans to Screen EVERYONE for Mental Illness

This (relayed by a friend) isn't good on so many different levels, despite what happy horseshit he attaches to it:

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.
Do we really want the government screening each and every one of us? The government, who gets so much wrong?

Will the indices look for people who might speak out, who might have leadership qualities that would make them organize others to resist some government policies?

Is this a new pre-emptive strike? Identify, label, and tuck people away? This way, the government can pull out a diagnosis on anyone they don't like, and potentially hide a diagnosis on someone they want to promote.