Most of what is currently wrong with this country began with the Zombie King.

leads back to him.

division and hatred, exactly what the mic desires.

In the early 70's I had a friends whose mom had severe depression, and had been institutionalized several times. After her last hospitalization, they were told that unless she would be determined to be a danger to herself or others, she could not be hospitalized again. That was in Wisconsin. And long before Ronnie Ray-gun.

patients had to stay in the hospital. That ruling is why so many patients were dumped on the streets.





http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2012/12/17/1970s-aclu-guided-mental-health-care-reform-haunts-us-today.html

The ACLU bears some of the responsibility for all the random shootings by mentally unstable individuals.

It was the ACLU that worked tirelessly for the rights of the mentally ill back in the late 1960’s early 1970’s. This advocacy led to the closing down of State run Mental Hospitals. Admittedly, some of these places had degraded to the point of being archaic. The States had underfunded them for years leading to limited care and poor infrastructure maintenance.

Even with these shortcomings, they were still a place where “homeless” psychotics could be brought to receive 3 square meals a day and a warm secure place to sleep at night. A place where medications were dispensed and the clients required to take them.

They were there for the police to bring “out of control” individuals who had committed no crimes or the crimes were of the minor variety such as verbal assaults, and criminal mischief (breaking stuff). These “crimes” would only result in a hand slap and a return to the same environment where they were acting out. Jail is not a good alternative for mental health care.

But at the same time, I understand that putting delulsional people in charge of their own healthcare is a very bad idea. I don't know if there is a good solution to this, and as a mother, my heart goes out to the family and friends of people like Adam Lanza, who are ticking time bombs.

on the part of the ACLU, an organization I generally have high regard for.

Turning people loose so they can stop taking meds out of paranoia and then sink more deeply into delusion is a horrible idea.

adequately set up or funded.

As a nurse in training in the late 70's so many children with problems were in huge institutions. It was assembly line care and horrifying. I would walk up and be swarmed by children desperate for a hug. Will never forget it. http://www.abandonedfl.com/sunland-mental-hospital-orlando/

Was governer of Cal. he closed most of the mental health institutes and turn the inmates out onto the streets... that was the start of it, he just carried that same program to the federal level, so now we have thousands of homeless mentally incompetent people on the streets..

and when he closed Agnew State Mental Hospital. Those people were displaced to half-way houses in the campus neighborhood. They would wander the streets daily highly medicated. I saw two of them get hit by cars. That was the foundation for my feelings toward Reagan.

Oakdale in fact... He was a disaster for cal and then the US ..

"techniques," hence the inclusion of "civil libertarian lawyers and psychiatrists"

we need not a middle road but something that can handle all sides on their own terms

of a parole officer. Wouldn't it be cheaper and better to let mentally ill patients live a free life, with a "parole officer" (mental health social worker) making sure they see their doctors, take their meds, and remain able to live as normal a life as possible. And to make sure they don't end up homeless and on drugs?

It would cost less than trying to keep them all locked up, and in the past, that has proved to be horrific for many of them.