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Ron Paul: "Mental Health Screening A Good Way To Decrease Liberty, Poor Way To Increase Security"
Submitted by Ron Paul via The Ron Paul Institute,
Last week Americans were shocked and saddened by another mass killing, this one near a college campus in California. We all feel deep sympathy for the families of the victims.
As usual, many people responded to this shooting by calling for new federal gun control laws, including the mental health screening of anyone attempting to purchase a firearm. There are a number of problems with this proposal. Federally-mandated mental health screenings would require storing mental health records in a government database. This obviously raises concerns about patient privacy and doctor-patient confidentiality, as well as the threat of identity theft. Anyone who doubts that these are legitimate concerns should consider the enormous privacy problems with the Obamacare website; some have even suggested that healthcare.gov be renamed indentifytheft.gov.
Giving government the power to bar some Americans from owning guns by labeling them as “mentally ill” could easily lead to serious abuses. Even authors of mental health manuals admit that mental health diagnoses are subjective and can be based on “social constructions.” Thus, anyone whose behavior deviates from some “norm” could find himself deprived of his second amendment, and possibly other, rights.
People could be even be labeled “mentally ill” because they are outspoken critics of the government. Currently, as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Vigilant Eagle” program, veterans who express dissatisfaction with government polices run the risk of being labeled mentally-unstable terrorist threats. There has also been at least one federally-funded violence prevention program that determined that holding certain political and social views indicates a propensity for violence. So there is precedent for labeling those with unpopular political beliefs as being “mentally ill.”
We have also seen how US presidents from both parties have used the IRS to target political opponents. Imagine the potential for abuse if those same politicians had access to the mental health records of their political opponents, or the power to label opponents mentally ill because those opponents were “dissatisfied” with the government?
People who say that the threat to liberty posed by mental health screenings is outweighed by the enhanced security they provide should consider that expanding background checks and mental health screening is unlikely to make us safer. Professor Richard Alan Friedman, director of the Psychopharmacology Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College, has written that it is imposable to predict whether an individual will act in a violent manner.
One effective way to limit mass shootings may be to repeal gun control laws that, by disarming the law-abiding, turn the innocent into victims. Like most recent shootings, this one took place in a location where the attacker could be confident his intended targets could not defend themselves. It is interesting that even though the attacker used hammers and knives on some of the victims, no one is calling for background checks on those wishing to purchase hammers.
Instead of focusing on passing more laws, our focus should be replacing the entitlement culture with a culture of self-responsibility and respect for the rights of others. Government can help this process by ending its routine violation of our rights and the use of violence as a means to achieve domestic and foreign policy goals. This is not to suggest that government policies are directly responsible for the shootings, but it is not unreasonable to suggest that growing up in a time of preemptive war may feed a deranged person’s delusion that violence is a proper way to deal with personal frustrations. Fixing the culture is much more difficult than passing new laws but is the only way to guarantee our liberty and our security.
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matters not, they'll just use knives. I'll betcha these 2 are on some sort of psychotropic meds too.
http://fox6now.com/2014/06/02/two-girls-in-custody-now-accused-of-planni...
Poor parenting. Period.
Why does the US have such a high firearm homicide rate? Because we have so many firearms. Duh.
Why does Japan have such a high Katana homicide rate? Why does Germany have such a high bratwurst homicide rate?
WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT THE "FIREARM" HOMICIDE RATE? You're playing fucking games with numbers. Look at the overall homicide rate, not the rate by one particular means.
The US has one of the highest firearm ownership rates in the world; Japan, the lowest. We both have similiar rates of suicide (or Japan may even be higher than the US).
Does it really fucking matter how someone kills themself once they are dead? Or kills someone else?
giorgioorwell Seriously, yet another person replying about the record for number killed during a mass shooting.
That was not the question.
I give up, apparently no one can read on ZH
Yea asshat, you're sooooooooooooooooo smart.
Tip of the iceberg there hoss.
The numbers are actually into the hundreds now but you'll never hear it on MSM. Legally drugging the little ones is a big bidness.
http://www.cchrint.org/school-shooters/
http://www.ssristories.org/
http://www.naturalnews.com/039752_mass_shootings_psychiatric_drugs_antid...
http://www.cchr.org/documentaries/the-hidden-enemy.html?gclid=CKP1zLyx3L...
http://www.psychintegrity.org/isepp_statement_on_the_connection_between_...
But hey, never let a little bit of truth get in the way of a stupid political rant by someone with an agenda.
Oh, gee, someone else who can't answer the question
Why don't we do mental health screenings for the psychopaths in office first? They got tanks, jets, troops, aircraft carriers, drones, and nukes.
+100000000000
Mental Health Screening, good for screening out libtards.
It might have prevented (at least for a little while) Pierson or Holmes from killing.
Just ask the simple question, "Are you a socialist? You are! Denied on the grounds of irresponsibility."
Anders Brevik is a socialist as well ;-)
(Once again, a nazi...neo or otherwise is, a socialist)
betcha 90% of folks u know don't know what NAZI stands for, was the shorthand name of. I agree though, seems an awfully high percentage of these mass murders are not by people showing 'conservative' or 'libertarian' tendencies.
Depends on who writes the screen ... all the mental health professionals I know are Libtards so ...
Does Mr. Paul have reason to be concerned personally about the prospect of a mental health evaluation? Just asking.
Aw come on. If you don't agree with him just say so.
Sure sounds good how the guns will be resonsibly controlled. [Typing on this pad sucks ] . When I was a tennager my friend Pat had access to his fathers gun and wanted to rob a gas station on the Clifton Paterson Boarder. Oh they will be unloaded, etc. Nobody wouled get hurt. Pats family were well to do and prominent in ghe community. I had wisened up bdfore and was determined to clean my sock drawer before becoming a prison inmate sp Pat could head off with the loot, and probably turn states evidence agaist us in his defence.
For fuck sake the kid in question. Had a Hollywood director dad. Drove a BMW and still had enough cash for sig handgun. Yet for some reason couldn't get laid. He also stabbed and ran people over. He was nuttier than squirrel shit.
Mental illness might include homosexuality. After all, it isn't a favorable evolutionary trait. Mental illness might include a lot of other traits too, like OCD, ADD, ADHD, fear of heights, agoraphobia, and on and on. Where does it end?
Actually, and more realistically these days, so-called homophobia and other meaningless permanent revolution slurs are more likely to be indications of "mental illness". "Mental Health" is always defined in the context of the current state of the revolution. Always.
Deviance IS a social construct.
Riddle me this one Batman. Probably nobody outside 100 miles of Milwaukee heard about this one since no GUN was involved.
Has anyone heard this story outside of Milwaukee area?
http://fox6now.com/2014/06/02/two-girls-in-custody-now-accused-of-planni...
Oh man, I just read the story. I blame the loser parents. You can mold these kids to whatever you want them to be. It's a lot of work, but once you have those kids, you better roll up your sleeves and get to work. Sheeesh. Saddened by the story.
"You can mold these kids to whatever you want them to be."
The parents may well have been at fault, I don't know. But your statement is ridiculous.
Children have their own personalities. You can "roll up your sleeves" and guide them, provide them with opportunities, etc. But, you can only guide them so far from their own proclivities before you drive them nuts and end up worse than if you hadn't tried.
One for the ZH Headline Hall of Fame.
I had a good laugh reading it, as I'm sure someone there had a good laugh writing it.
The point is good, however y'all know that's not how we go about it, we just drug *everyone* its safer and fairer that way.
"some have even suggested that healthcare.gov be renamed indentifytheft.gov. "
I was the first!
http://thebullelephant.com/it-cant-be-fixed/
I've had a suspicion that Ron Paul is a crazy old coot... this article proves it.
You are absolutely right! Only a certified lunatic would say something like this:
"Instead of focusing on passing more laws, our focus should be replacing the entitlement culture with a culture of self-responsibility and respect for the rights of others. Government can help this process by ending its routine violation of our rights and the use of violence as a means to achieve domestic and foreign policy goals."
Not only does he sound mentally ill, but he's obviously fomenting terrorist plots. /s
Last year, on average, 93 people were killed on the US roads every day. Just for perspective. Of course a mass killer like Elliot Rodger is terrible, and the debate around how to prevent it is valid. But these type of events are extremely rare, and not a reason to be fearful of living in the US. It seems those who favour gun laws think anyone who wants to own a gun has a desire to run around shooting at people.
A free society means you have to have the means to stand up against authorities. When the state succeeds in disarming the people - which they sadly managed here in Europe a long time ago - the people lose the last resort to hold the state responsible.
Having grown up between Baltimore and DC...I've read and heard first hand (LE family) about more people dieing from firearms than any combination of these rare off kilter individuals.
You can't get a conceal carry in Maryland unless you know the Governor and he passes a note to the Maryland State Police for ya.
Tell me again what the bigger problem is that gets ignored.
Look at it this way. For a DWI/DUI road stop, in Maryland, you have to publish it in the local paper. Time date, where.
You have to put up signs allowing people to turn around and not be pursued to avoid the DWI stop.
So, you stop thousands of people and arrest less than ten.
When all you had to do is go to the bar parking lot before 2am closing.
If you want to really make a dent in gun crime then go to the source.
These aberrations will always happen.
Otherwise just demolish every clock tower in Texas, you know...to prevent a sniper from thinking about going up there.
Feel so safe, man.
Nowhere is the Profit From Disease System worse than in psychiatry, which betrayed itself even worse than in other areas. Modern "psychiatry" is already primarily based on profit driven disease identification and management. All the problems Ron Paul identified are very real, and getting worse faster!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1nbZCNDgbY
The Marketing of Madness (1/18)
The more one looks behind the facade of modern "psychiatry" the more one will see at work the banksters' foundations, gradually using their power to fund to take control. It is the same kinds of evil people at the top of those "psychiatric" institutions which are NOT healing people, but rather torturing them, for the sake of profit, and perversity.
Of course, the same sorts of systems want to disarm the American people as much as possible, because they want to be able to exercise more total control. Indeed, they want to be able to engage in democidal martial law, in order to consolidate the degree to which their frauds have already been able to control America, and similarly around the whole world.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE ESTABLISHED SOCIAL SYSTEMS ARE ENFORCED FRAUDS!
THOSE ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT EVERY ASPECT OF SOCIETY, INCLUDING MEDICINE, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN MEDICINE IS USED AS THE FAKE "RATIONALITY" TO IMPLEMENT AN EVIL ULTERIOR AGENDA!