“A Frenzy Of Lobbying On 21st Century Cures”

Three lobbyists for every member on Capital Hill…what could go wrong?

Report comment

This was posted on Congressman Tim Murphy’s website on Friday:

Washington, D.C. – Today, a healthcare reform package, including language from Congressman Tim Murphy’s (PA-18) Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646) and Chairman Fred Upton’s 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6), was finalized. The reform package will be voted on next week.

Congressman Murphy released the following statement:

“This is a landmark moment. The federal government’s course in addressing mental health and illness in America is being fundamentally changed. Congress has finally come together in a bipartisan effort to bring serious mental illness out of the shadows. Now federal agencies will be moving from feel-good programs for behavioral wellness to ones that emphasize evidence-based care for those at highest risk and those with symptoms of serious mental illness. We’ve achieved long-sought reforms by creating an Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to elevate, integrate and coordinate programs; investing in services for the most difficult to treat cases; expanding the mental health workforce, and so much more.

“It couldn’t be more fitting that we’ve reached this bipartisan agreement between the House and Senate at the close of Thanksgiving week. I am tremendously grateful for everyone who joined in the cause because we wouldn’t be here if not for the unwavering efforts of the of the families, caregivers, providers and organizations that worked tirelessly to fix our broken mental health system. We won’t solve it all in in one bill and we didn’t get everything we needed, but we needed everything we got. It is my pledge to the patients and families in crisis that I will never stop fighting to deliver treatment before tragedy for those most in need.”

The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act unanimously passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee, 53-0, in June and passed the U.S. House of Representatives, 422-2, in July .

https://murphy.house.gov/latest-news/breaking-helping-families-in-mental-health-crisis-act-language-finalized-full-vote-to-take-place-next-week/

Report comment

This is getting very frustrating, so congratulations, Murphy assholes.

Some of us have been trying to research this and alert people all weekend; despite all that I’m currently unable to identify a specific bill # to vote against so wtf good does it do to call anyone without that?

The original link I got has the 21ST CENTURY CURES bill listed as “House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 34, Tsunami Warning, Education and Research Act of 2015.” This means this shit is being slipped through on another bill’s coattails, right? Or if not what? Is anyone here familiar with Congressional procedure and what all this means??? http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20161128/CPRT-114-HPRT-RU00-SAHR34.pdf (this link came from Jaffee’s group: https://mentalillnesspolicyorg.blogspot.com/2016/11/senate-agrees-to-pass-lame-duck-mental_24.html)

For now I think when we call we have to just say we OPPOSE the 21st Century Cures Act, OPPOSE the inclusion of HR4626 in this “cures” package, and in particular OPPOSE Section 14002 (AOT).

However, do we call Representatives or Senators? Hopefully MIA’s crack news team will figure this out soon. 🙂 Once we have the right info:

— TALK AND POST info about this and strongly encourage others to make their voices heard; people with access to relevant websites besides MIA should post them there as well.

— USE THE ANTI-AOT/ANTI-MURPHY “TALKING POINTS” for anti-psychiatry people we developed last summer: https://www.madinamerica.com/forums/topic/anti-murphyaot-talking-points/

— SHARE YOUR OWN IDEAS AT THE MIA ORGANIZING FORUM.: https://www.madinamerica.com/forums/topic/a-nightmare-bill-including-aot-funding-is-about-to-be-passed/

Most important, whatever you do, prepare to DO IT NOW! Hopefully people will take offense at the way they take us, and themselves, for granted. Basically some “bi-partisan” politicians apparently agreed that they can decide amongst themselves what gets passed without any of the pesky opposition that comes from announcing their plans prior to a “vote.” (Sort of like the PATRIOT Act.) When politicians want to sneak something past people they always announce it on a weekend; twice already with Murphy they’ve done this on a HOLIDAY weekend.

Finally, I think we should remember and constantly repeat this timeless quote from DJ Jaffee:

“From a marketing perspective, it may be necessary to capitalize on the fear of violence to get the law passed.”

Report comment

THE 21ST CENTURY CURES BILL IS THE REPACKAGED MURPHY BILL WITH AOT

This was not even mentioned.

By the end of today there will be a finalized recommendation of what to say tomorrow when calling your congressional representatives.

Report comment

OK here’s what we know and what to do today (Tuesday):

As succinctly as possible — the main language from MURPHY (including AOT funding) has been consolidated with another bill, the 21ST CENTURY CURES bill, which is being introduced as a “House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 34, Tsunami Warning, Education and Research Act of 2015.” In other words, Murphy is being slipped through on another bill’s coattails, if Murphy, Jaffee & Co. have their say.

From Murphy’s recent press release:

Murphy to Testify Before House Rules Committee on the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act,
Vote Expected Wednesday

Washington, D.C. – Tomorrow [Tuesday — ed.] evening, Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) will testify before the House Rules Committee to discuss the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646). Murphy will discuss, among other provisions, the establishment of an Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the establishment of the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory (NMHSUPL), additional funding for the Assisted Outpatient Treatment program (AOT), and increasing the mental health workforce…

Then on Wednesday, November 30, the House is expected to vote on the provisions from the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act as a part of the 21st Century Cures healthcare reform package. If the bill passes, it will move to the Senate and will likely be voted on next week.

====================================================

So there we have it, I guess. We should be calling our congressional representatives TODAY — TUESDAY — to request that they vote AGAINST the 21ST CENTURY CURES bill being amended to H.R. 34 if it is consolidated with HR 4626 (the original Murphy bill). You could mention that you are specifically opposed to TITLE XIV Section 14002 (AOT). I know this is a mouthful. People with the time should focus on Democrats, but first make sure you contact your local representatives. If it’s a Republican focus on the enormous cost and waste of taxpayer funds. Use our anti-AOT talking points as a general guide. They’re posted in the organizing forum if you don’t already have them.

Report comment

It is essential that we oppose Murphy and anything else like it, without even one word of legitimacy for Psychotherapy, Recovery, or Healing. And we must never ask for pity.

The reason we have these things is to make societal scapegoats. We used to get these scapegoats from the immigrants and minorities who did low wage labor. But today there is just less need for labor. So now we get out scapegoats directly from the middle-class family.

So we must make people understand that mental illness, ADHD, Autism, and Eating Disorders are just middle-class child abuse. And we must never endorse psychotherapy, recovery, or healing, only legal and political action to obtain justice.

And we must make it clear that we will fight back, using ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Underlying all of this is a eugenics argument. Since people will allow forced treatment and be shunted into psychotherapy and recovery, then these people must be defective. So we must disabuse our society of this view, by fighting back. We must protect ourselves, those at risk for psychiatry, psychotherapy, and recovery, and we must demonstrate that we will do WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN OF TODAY, ESPECIALLY FROM THEIR OWN PARENTS!

And we must make it clear that this is not a no fault campaign either, we want the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy practitioners behind bars. They are accomplice child abusers and the violate mandatory reporting. Both felonies.

There is today zero anti-psychiatry movement. Those who would lead it refuse to look a the full picture. Most treatment is after all voluntary, and most of those most severely impacted are children, who are being severely harmed long before they are anywhere near any kind of a doctor.

So those who claim to be anti-psychiatry are merely looking at this from a Libertarian Anti-Government perspective. And that is totally useless.

Organize, Move From Talk To Action, Please Join:
http://freedomtoexpress.freeforums.org/fighting-to-eradicate-the-mental-health-system-and-incarcerate-the-practitioners-f2.html

Nomadic

Report comment

“There is today zero anti-psychiatry movement. Those who would lead it refuse to look a[t] the full picture. Most treatment is after all voluntary, and most of those most severely impacted are children, who are being severely harmed long before they are anywhere near any kind of a doctor.”

I presume you are speaking for yourself when you say there is zero anti-psychiatry movement whatever that means.

I wouldn’t say “Most treatment is after all voluntary” when voluntary treatment is basically no more than a form of plea-bargaining, if possible, for a less severe sentence, or outpatient treatment AKA drugging. Voluntary status, where if the patient were to opt for discharge, would be changed to involuntary, isn’t voluntary. Only when all doors are unlocked, and patients are free to come and go as they please, will you have any voluntary treatment worth talking about. Voluntary treatment today isn’t voluntary.

Labeling and drugging children is something that just shouldn’t be done, especially to the degree and extent to which it is today.

If you aren’t pro-psychiatry, as Jeffrey Lieberman would put it, please, by all means, Nomadic, clearly and succinctly, so that a child could understand, explain to us what your position is. Are you anti-psychiatry or are you for furthering the cause of psychiatry, medical fraud as far as I’m concerned, in all lands?

Report comment

Call BOTH your Senators BEFORE NOON TODAY (Monday). Tell them to OPPOSE THE 2!ST CENTURY CURES ACT BEING APPENDED TO H.R. 34. FURTHER, tell them you want MURPHY’S SO-CALLED “MENTAL HEALTH” PROVISIONS FROM HR 4626 REMOVED from the “Cures” package.

Report comment