Archive for » June 24th, 2012«

24 Jun 2012

Mental health should not be an ‘exit-plan’ for criminals – lobby group

A victim’s rights campaigner says mental health should not be an
“exit-plan” for convicted criminals after TV ONE’s Sunday revealed
a dangerous murderer sentenced to life in prison has been granted
trips into the community. 

Grant Smithers has been repeatedly denied parole since he was
convicted of brutally stabbing young mother Karen Jacobs with a
garden spade in her Dunedin home in 1997.

However, under his treatment at Hillmount hospital in
Christchurch where he has spent a large chunk of the last 15 years
of his sentence, Smithers has been allowed three week-long
supervised visits into the community.

Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesperson Garth McVicar told TV
ONE’s Breakfast the convicted murder should not be able to “exit”
his prison term through powers granted to clinicians under the
Mental Health Act.

He said the victim’s parents – Maureen and John Watson – have
been caused a large amount of stress and anxiety by attending all
five parole hearings since 2007 only to find out their daughter’s
killer is already in the community.

“Basically if they have been through the justice system then
that should be the only way out,” said McVicar.

“I go to parole hearings with Maureen and John and I see what it
does to them but they are involved in a tug of war between the
mental health system and the justice system.”

Smithers could soon be granted unsupervised visits into the
community as the next step in his rehabilitation plan, despite a
recent parole board decision that deemed him a long way off from
release as he is yet to complete a violence prevention
programme.

Prison reformer campaigner Peter Williams QC said there was
nothing new about criminals entering the community for short
periods of time and they were key rehabilitation mechanism.

He said Smithers had caused no problems during his visits where
he was escorted by two wardens.

“What they are doing is preparing this young man because one day
he will be released,” said Williams. 

“It’s better that he is rehabilitated, it’s better he has these
excursions and is able to deal with the outside world when he is
released.”

He ignored calls for a change to the Mental Health Act but said
the process needs to be more transparent to ensure the families of
victims and criminals are not left in the dark.
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24 Jun 2012

NSW Nationals bid on donations ‘embarrassing’

Posted

June 25, 2012 07:34:42


New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell
Photo:
A spokesman for Barry O’Farrell says there are no plans to change donations laws, but Labor says the National Party’s motion is embarrassing for the NSW Premier. (AAP: Paul Miller)

The New South Wales Opposition says Premier Barry O’Farrell should be embarrassed by a National Party push to reverse a ban on donations from developers and tobacco, alcohol and gambling firms.

Rank and file Nationals members supported a motion at the party’s annual state conference on the weekend calling to wind back the strict laws that came into force earlier this year.

A spokesman for Mr O’Farrell has already rejected the idea, saying there are no plans to change the existing donations laws.

But Opposition Deputy Leader Linda Burney says the Premier’s Coalition partners have put him in an awkward position.

“I can’t decide if the National Party are politically naive or dumb or both,” she said.

“To want to reverse political donation laws in New South Wales in relation to developers, mining companies and tobacco companies is just astoundingly hypocritical of the Nationals.

“The Premier should be embarrassed and is embarrassed about this position that his Coalition partners have taken.”

The Greens say reversing the ban would take the state back to the days where public policy decisions could be corrupted by those industries.

Topics:
states-and-territories,
activism-and-lobbying,
nsw



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24 Jun 2012

Street charity fundraisers are ‘breaking every rule to get your money …

By
Colin Fernandez


PUBLISHED:

16:24 EST, 24 June 2012

|

UPDATED:

16:39 EST, 24 June 2012

Fundraisers: Are they fair or underhand?

Fundraisers: Are they fair or underhand?

Charity fundraisers have been accused of using underhand tactics to encourage people to part with their money.

An undercover investigation has found chuggers – short for ‘charity muggers’ – are being trained to be persistent when stopping people in the street and to use ‘spin and  confuse’ techniques.

Chuggers have become a common sight on the streets of Britain and often pursue members of the public to make donations via a monthly direct debit payment.

But an undercover investigation says it has discovered that street  fundraisers employed by Tag Campaigns, a firm whose directors have made millions working for big-name charities, allegedly breached the guidelines.

Team leaders are seen urging staff to be persistent and to ‘spin and confuse’ the public.

A team leader was also filmed following pedestrians down the street after they had clearly  indicated they were not interested, stating ‘we have to bend the rules every now and  again’. Under fundraising guidelines, they are not allowed to  follow pedestrians more than three steps.

Eric Pickles, the Local Government and Communities Secretary, whose department has ultimate responsibility for charity street fundraising, said: ‘These are extremely serious allegations that need fully investigating. People donate to charity in good faith.

The allegations raise questions about whether we need statutory regulation to ensure chuggers work within very tight parameters.’
One in seven councils are calling for a ban on ‘chugging’, which they argue is damaging high-street trade.

An undercover reporter discovered charity fundraisers are trained to be persistent

An undercover reporter discovered charity fundraisers are trained to be persistent

An undercover Sunday Telegraph reporter spent 12 days working for Tag, which at the time was fundraising on behalf of Marie Curie.

Other clients have included WWF and the RSPCA, but the investigation targeted only Tag, not the charities it worked for.

The undercover footage showed a Tag team leader trying to stop an elderly shopper, who was waving the collector away.

One team leader told the reporter: ‘You are not being persistent. You are being pathetic . . . spin them [the public] around and confuse them a bit.’

After watching the footage, Alistair McLean, chief executive of the Fundraising Standards Board, the watchdog that enforces codes of conduct, said Tag Campaigns had ‘broken every rule in the book’.

Mr McLean said that the watchdog would investigate the allegations.

Tag Campaigns’ chuggers ask donors to send a text on behalf of charities, which will receive £5 deducted from the sender’s phone bill. The donor is later asked by phone if they would agree to a direct debit.

The undercover reporter found that some of the chuggers were texting donations for each other from their own phones to hit ‘sign-up’ targets.

Fabian French, director of fundraising for Marie Curie, said: ‘We take this extremely seriously. We are disappointed by these allegations and have launched an immediate investigation.’

Tag has held its own investigation and found ‘worrying shortcomings in the behaviour of some of our fund-raisers’.

The company said it was immediately retraining all staff and increasing the number of ‘mystery shoppers’ to ensure fundraisers are complying with the rules.


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24 Jun 2012

'Constant voice' of mental health

Thirty-two years ago, when Mary Steffy joined the board of directors of the Lancaster County Mental Health Association, Jimmy Carter was president and Andy Gibb topped the pop charts with “Shadow Dancing.”

Much has changed politically and musically in those three-plus decades, and so, too, has the perception and treatment of mental illness.

Steffy, who’s retiring June 29 as the longtime executive director of Mental Health America of Lancaster County (formerly known as the Mental Health Association), is a witness to those changes.

 ”I think there’s less of a stigma” associated with mental health issues, she said.

Instead, there’s the attitude of, “I have a mental illness, but my mental illness doesn’t have me,” Steffy said.

A career is born
A Lancaster County native who was the oldest of four siblings, Steffy, 65, grew up on a dairy farm that also raised corn and tobacco.

She attended Messiah College for a time and then got married at the age of 20.

While her husband was with Mennonite Voluntary Service, the couple moved away from the area for several years, coming back in 1970. Her two children, Christina and Eric, arrived in 1969 and 1971.

With her children in school, Steffy worked nights at the former Dempsey’s restaurant and then was employed by Stauffer Printing.

Steffy said she joined the board of directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of America because her daughter had a seizure disorder, which turned out not to be epilepsy.

Then someone suggested she become a board member of the Lancaster County Mental Health Association, which changed its name to Mental Health America of Lancaster County several years ago.

She did so in 1978 and was hired as an administrative assistant/executive secretary there in August 1981, setting in motion a career that would last more than 30 years.

Steffy was promoted to executive director of MHALC in January 1984.

The mission of Mental Health America of Lancaster County, which is a nonprofit, nongovernmental entity, is “to promote mental well-being for everyone, to make life better for people with mental and emotional illnesses,” she said.

“Every person has value,” Steffy said. “That’s what MHA is all about.

“If you value yourself, you’re much more likely to make good decisions.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one of every two Americans will experience “some kind of mental health issue” over their lifetime, Steffy said.

Mental illness “is a brain disorder,” she said. “In many cases, it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain.”

Progress through the years
One of the major changes Steffy has observed over the decades is that individuals “do expect to recover,” she said.

Those who use mental health services today “help define what those services are,” Steffy said. New medications also have been developed.

People with mental illness are more likely to realize they aren’t alone, with persons from all walks of life in the same boat they are, she said.

Steffy also applauds the advent of “people first” language, in which blanket phrases such as “the mentally ill” are considered derogatory.

But funding for mental health services continues to be an issue, Steffy said. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed 2012-13 budget, which would cut the money counties get to provide mental health services by 20 percent, “is the worst … I’ve ever seen,” she said.

Distributing money to counties via block grants also could put mental health funding in danger, Steffy said.

“People who need services should have those services available,” she said.

Still, Mental Health America of Lancaster County continues to have a strong presence, Steffy said, whether it’s through community education, such as mental health first aid training; support groups and anger workshops; sponsorship of Alpha Clubs; monitoring mental health services in Lancaster County; or its Compeer Lancaster program, which recruits, screens and trains adult volunteers to spend time with someone who has mental illness.

“We collaborate with lots of organizations,” Steffy said.

MHALC, which has a contract with Lancaster County, also employs a client family advocate and a peer educator.

Its budget is about $340,000 annually, she said. Eighty percent of that used to come from the United Way, Steffy said. Now it’s 17 percent.

“There are some amazing people” at Mental Health America of Lancaster County, she said.

She also had high praise for staffers and board members of local mental health providers, such as the Lancaster County Office of Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Early Intervention. “We have a good working relationship with MH/MR.”

Mental Health America of Lancaster County doesn’t provide direct clinical services. “You can’t be an advocate if you’re a service provider,” Steffy said.

Joe Puskar, board president of MHALC, said he’s known Steffy about 17 years, dating back to when he was invited to join the board of directors.

Steffy has a way of encouraging people — even those who aren’t mental health professionals — to apply their skills and knowledge, said Puskar, senior vice president of customer support services at Lancaster General Health.

“She’s very willing to go out of her way to make people feel useful and valuable,” he said.

Steffy also succeeded in broadening perspectives on mental illness, explaining that it could be episodic — brought on by events — as well as chronic, Puskar said.

“Mary truly has made a significant difference,” he said.

Director of community health and wellness at Lancaster General Health, Alice Yoder has known Steffy since the 1990s, first serving with her on the Youth Violence Council.

Both agree that mental and physical health go hand in hand, she said.

Steffy has been a “constant voice” to connect larger problems to the topic of mental health, Yoder said. “She really got … people in the community to readily talk about mental health issues.”

In 1994, Steffy received the Pennsylvania Psychological Association Public Service Award.

To honor Steffy as she departs, MHALC is hoping to raise $100,000, of which $30,000 has been achieved so far.

She said it’s jokingly referred to as the “Hail Mary” campaign.

Her impending retirement is bittersweet, Steffy said. The Manheim Township resident is looking forward to it, yet “can’t imagine” not going into the MHALC office.

Steffy’s replacement, Jan Baily, began her duties last month. Baily is a former state executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (PA).

What comes next
Steffy hopes to enjoy her six grandchildren more when she retires. Daughter Christina lives in Eugene, Ore., with her husband, Kevin Prier, and their two kids, Isaac, 12, and Jocelyn, 9. An electrical engineer, son Eric and his wife, Becky, reside in Telford with their four children, Daniel, 13, Lauren, 11, Natalie, 9, and Sarah, 7.

Divorced from her first husband, Steffy also wants to spend time with her husband of three years, Ben Martin, who’s retired from the sales and marketing field.

She regularly Skypes with her daughter’s family in Eugene and hosts her son’s children one weekend a month. “My grandkids are very important to me,” she said.

After taking six to eight months off, Steffy said she’ll get involved in advocacy once again, “possibly prison- related.”

She’s been involved with Have a Heart for Prisoners in the Criminal Justice System, an organization that’s criticized Lancaster County Prison’s “culture of abuse” and called for the resignation of Warden Vincent Guarini.

After more than 30 years as warden, Guarini announced his retirement in April.

Forty-three percent of those incarcerated at LCP have mental health issues, Steffy said, but Have a Heart’s cause goes well beyond that.

The prison, Steffy said, is “dangerously overcrowded,” which makes life difficult for prisoners and guards alike. The situation is getting better, she said, “but it’s not improving fast enough.”

Penn Ketchum, a former director of the Office of MH/MR/EI, said Steffy is “one of the most passionate people I’ve ever worked with.”

“She will be missed greatly,” he said, when she leaves Mental Health America.

There are so many individuals who’ve been touched by Steffy, proving how effective she is “on an individual level and a systemic level,” said Ketchum, managing partner of Penn Cinema in Lititz.

“She speaks eloquently and gracefully” for people who need a champion.

Contact Sunday News staff writer Paula Wolf at pwolf@lnpnews.com.

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24 Jun 2012

Many men suffer with mental illnesses, avoid seeking help because …

By 

Ben Sutherly

The Columbus Dispatch

Sunday June 24, 2012 6:06 AM

Enlarge Image

Chris Russell | Dispatch

Christopher Shackelford, like many other men, did not initially seek help for his severe social anxiety.

In February 2010, Christopher Shackelford’s life seemed to be getting back on track.

After the Columbus man had major surgery for Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of the bowels, his
physical health improved. He enrolled at Franklin University in pursuit of a master’s of business
administration.

Then, a nemesis from his past resurfaced and derailed his life.

By 2011, social anxiety had virtually imprisoned Shackelford in his home. He stopped going to
the movies and the mall. He couldn’t stand to interact with his barber or the gas-station clerk.

“I wouldn’t go to the grocery store, because I knew I’d have to talk to the cashier,” he
said.

For years, Shackelford, now 33, had kept his mental condition from his physicians.
Previously, he had shared his secret only with his girlfriend.

And it was only recently that he found professional help through Mental Health America of
Franklin County.

“It appeared that I was the only one going through it,” Shackelford said.

But among men, he has plenty of company, experts say.

“There are a lot of men who struggle silently with these problems without bringing them to
anybody’s attention,” said Dr. Alan Levy, a psychiatrist whose private practice is at Riverside
Methodist Hospital.

The impact of mental illness on men has been highlighted recently by the large number of
military personnel — most of them men — returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between
fiscal year 2007-08 and fiscal year 2010-11, the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center in
Columbus had a 21 percent increase in the number of veterans seeking mental-health services, from
7,953 to 9,590, according to officials there.

From October 2001 through March 31, nearly 1,600 veterans seen by Veterans Affairs in
Columbus potentially had post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Veterans Health
Administration.

During that period, among all U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, there were
424,803 diagnoses of mental disorders, second only to 456,006 musculoskeletal ailments, mainly
joint and back problems.


“I think, really, our society underappreciated the problem that this was going to be,” Levy
said.

The prevalence of mental illness is higher among women than men, according to the Substance
Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. In 2008, 6 percent of American women had a
serious mental illness, compared with 3 percent of men. But some experts say such statistics don’t
tell the whole story. They say mental illness is underreported in men, in large part because of the
stigma.

“They’re supposed to just suck it up and deal with it,” said Dr. Elizabeth I. Jackson, a
psychiatrist with the VA in Columbus. “I can’t tell you how many men I’ve had in here who’ve broken
down talking about something and are so ashamed because they think that means that they are very
inept or very damaged or something.”


Regardless of the degree of underreporting, there’s little dispute that mental illness is a
major issue for men as well as women. For example, suicide is far more common among men.

More than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have risk factors such as mental or
substance-abuse disorders.

Suicide is an issue not only for young male veterans returning from war but also for older
widowers who often don’t have the social support network that widows have, Levy said. “They can
feel much more isolated and much more depressed.”

Psychotherapy traditionally has been used more with women than men, largely because men tend
to hesitate to talk to mental-health professionals.

“Women are more open to talking about relationship and interpersonal issues,” Levy said.

Jackson, the VA psychiatrist, said many veterans just want to resume their normal lives after
returning from deployments, during which they sometimes encountered horrific events. She said that
was especially the case earlier in her career when most of her patients were veterans of World War
II or the Korean or Vietnam wars.

“It wasn’t until they retired or got divorced or something happened — they lost a job — all
of a sudden, that stuff comes flooding back,” she said.

In many cases, men turn to street drugs or alcohol to deal with their depression rather than
acknowledge their feelings, said Laura Moskow Sigal, the executive director of Mental Health
America of Franklin County.

The VA has tried to, in a more-proactive way, help returning veterans of more-recent wars
deal with the trauma they’ve suffered and compartmentalized, Jackson said. The VA in Columbus has
95 full-time mental-health professionals, up from 60 four years ago, a spokesman said.

The VA also has done more outreach in recent years and has educated local law-enforcement
officers and other first responders on how to handle crisis intervention with veterans returning
from war.

For its part, since February 2011, Mental Health America of Franklin County has linked

230 uninsured and underinsured people dealing with mental illness to free, short-term
counseling. For more information, call 614-242-4357 or go to mhafc.org.

Shackelford enrolled in the program about nine months ago and meets with a therapist once a
week. He keeps a journal of his dreams, meditates and has learned breathing techniques to keep his
uneasiness under control when he’s around other people. His primary-care doctor also has prescribed
medication for his anxiety, he said.

Through the process, he learned that the trauma of losing his father to suicide in 1997 might
be one underlying cause of his social anxiety.

Now, he’s trying to “unlearn” his anxiety so he can hold down a full-time job and,
eventually, move out of his mother’s house and start a new life with his girlfriend.


Shackelford said his therapist has not only lowered his anxiety levels but also helped him
reconnect with his religious beliefs. “He’s improved my overall outlook on life.”

If you or someone you know needs emotional help, a variety of resources are available,
including the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 and a 24-hour local suicide hot line at
614-221-5445.

bsutherly@dispatch.com

@BenSutherly

 


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24 Jun 2012

Romney and Obama both tap Mass. for donations but spend little …

BOSTON — Mitt Romney and Barack Obama aren’t spending much time stumping for votes in Massachusetts, but that hasn’t stopped them from using the Bay State as a campaign ATM.

The two have so far raised more than $12.6 million in direct contributions from residents of Massachusetts — a Democratic-leaning state that both parties have all but conceded will likely back Obama in the fall.

While Romney’s most recent campaign bus trip skipped over the state he governed for four years, he still has plenty of Massachusetts supporters.

He’s already collected nearly $4.9 million in direct contributions from Massachusetts residents as of the end of May. That’s from a state where Republicans make up just over 11 percent of the electorate.

Obama, who easily won the state in 2008 and is leading here by double digits in one recent poll, has pulled in more than $7.7 million in contributions as of the end of the month.

Each candidate has different pockets of support in the state, according to an Associated Press review of Federal Election Commission records.

Obama, for instance, raised more than $939,000 from Cambridge, which is home to Harvard University and has a reputation as one of the most liberal communities in the state. Obama graduated from Harvard Law School.

Romney, who graduated from Harvard with joint law and business degrees, raised just $120,000 from the city.

But he was stronger in some of the state’s wealthier communities, like Wellesley, where he collected $379,000, more than twice as much as Obama’s $165,000.

Obama has also outraised Romney in Boston and in liberal-leaning communities like Brookline and Newton.

The totals cited in the FEC reports don’t include money raised during the current quarter from joint fundraising committees of the candidates and political parties.

Obama is hoping to add to his total with a series of fundraisers in Massachusetts on Monday, including an event at Boston’s historic Symphony Hall.

“It’s clear that the more people learn about Mitt Romney, the less they like what they see,” said Obama campaign spokesman Michael Czin. “Those in Massachusetts who know Romney well reject his failed policies.”

Romney, who co-founded the private equity firm Bain Capital before being elected governor, has long ties in his adopted state.

Peter Blute, a former GOP congressman and deputy chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said those connections give Romney a deep vein of support.

“Mitt Romney has built a lot of success here, not just for himself but for a lot of other people,” Blute said. “I think Romney is regarded as a successful businessman and a successful governor so he’s got a financial base to tap into.”

Although Blute conceded Romney has a tough road to victory in Massachusetts, he predicted he would do better than expected.

While both candidates rely on the check-writing prowess of Massachusetts residents, their public visibility in the state has been low.

One of the most recent, high-profile campaign events with Obama in Massachusetts came near the end of the 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward Kennedy.

Obama visited the state to make a last minute attempt to rally support for Democrat Martha Coakley, who lost to Republican Scott Brown.

“Understand what’s at stake here, Massachusetts. It’s whether we’re going forward or going backwards,” Obama said during the rally two days before the election.

Romney has kept an equally low profile — although he returned to the state to cast his primary ballot in March.

He gave a speech that evening during an event at the Westin Copley Place hotel in Boston where he acknowledged his support among Republicans in his home state. He handily won the primary.

“We’re going to take your vote, a huge vote tonight in Massachusetts, and take that vote all the way to the White House,” Romney told his backers at the time.

Obama will continue the tradition of tapping the wallets and pocketbooks of Massachusetts residents this week.

The first fundraiser Monday is a small campaign roundtable at Hamersley’s Bistro in the city’s South End neighborhood with 25 people. Tickets cost $40,000 per person.

Next Obama will deliver remarks to about 1,800 people at Symphony Hall. General admission started at $250 with top seats going for $2,500. A limited number of $144 tickets were available for younger supporters.

Obama wraps up his Monday trip with a fundraising dinner with 100 people at a private home in Weston with tickets costing $17,900 per person and $35,800 per couple.

Money from all three events will go to a joint fundraising committee of Obama for America, the Democratic National Committee and several state Democratic parties.





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24 Jun 2012

Website "Funny Junk" Steals, The Oatmeal’s Work, Sues Charities


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6 comment(s) – last by Tali.. on Jun 24 at 12:08 PM

Supposedly “funny” site, can’t take a joke, tries to block $210,000 donation to charity

A website called Funny Junk has gained in popularity in recent years as a place for people to post random images they find on the internet.  Its owners profit off ads placed to monetize their site’s role as a repository of funny.  The only problem is that many of the images posted (thousands) were web comics stolen (taken without permission) from hard-working artists’ sites.

The Oatmeal, a rather famous web-comic took the site to task, which led to Funny Junk admins posting a frantic forums post last year that somehow jumped to the conclusion that The Oatmeal artist Matt Inman was planning to sue.  Subsequently an email/Facebook flame war erupted between fans of the two sites.

Then in a shocking twist Funny Junk ”lawyered up”, hiring celebrity lawyer Charles Carreon.  Mr. Carreon sent Mr. Inman a legal threat demanding $20,000 USD and an apology — all for calling out Funny Junk for its infrigement.

Matt Inman responded by founding a charity entitled “Bear Love Good” and promising to give not a single red penny to Mr. Carreon, but $20,000 instead to charity.  But he promised, “I’m going to take a photo of the raised money.  I’m going to mail you that photo, along with this drawing of your mom seducing a Kodiak bear.”


The Oatmeal received a threat letter from Funny Junk‘s lawyer. [Image Source: The Oatmeal]

Mr. Inman quickly collected the $20,000 used charity open community platform IndieGogo, with the proceeds going towards the American Cancer Society and the National Wildlife Federation.

This outraged Funny Junk‘s owners and Mr. Carreon.  They filed a lawsuit against IndieGogo, Mr. Inman, the American Cancer Society, and the National Wildlife Federation, seeking to prevent the charity donations from going through.  Mr. Carreon claims the charity was not properly registered with the state of California and should not be allowed to operate.

He also claims Mr. Inman defamed him and his clients, commenting, “I think satirical content is fine, but him accusing my mother of bestiality is revolting, and I will not forgive it.”

But apparently Mr. Inman thinks its okay to post crude, explicit Photoshop cartoons of George W. Bush and Condoleeza Rice having sex [NSFW].  He and his wife and posted this and several other images.  And for the record, Mr. Inman never specified the ursine seduction to be sexual in nature, and for the record he says the picture was of the Funny Junk administrator’s mother, not Mr. Carreon’s mother.

And Mr. Inman now has some high profile help defending himself from Funny Junk and Mr. Carreon in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco).  The Electronic Frontier Foundation has announced it will be joining Mr. Inman’s lawyers.  


Funny Junk and its lawyer are suing to try to deny the ACS $100,000 to try to cure cancer.
[Image Source: Stage Mom]

EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry calls the lawsuit “bizarre” and comments, “This lawsuit is a blatant attempt to abuse the legal process to punish a critic.  We’re very glad to help Mr. Inman fight back.”

This type of lawsuit is commonly referred to as a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), according to the EFF, and is a well known censorship tactic.

As publicity for the case has exploded the charity’s collections have soared to $210,000+ USD.  A donate link can be found here.  The Oatmeal/Mr. Inman urges his fans and readers to donate to charity if they’re upset about the case, not take their rage out on Funny Junk or Mr. Carreon.

Sources: Bear Love Good, The Oatmeal [1], [2]


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24 Jun 2012

Ministry 'hides test's real purpose'

Kiwi pre-schoolers are undergoing mental health tests – some without their parents’ knowledge.

The Ministry of Health’s B4 School Check was thrust in to the spotlight after Australia announced plans to introduce a similar programme which created controversy as critics warned about the risk of creating an epidemic of problems such as autism.

The Australian programme would see doctors use a checklist to consider behaviours like shyness and sleeping with the light on as signs of possible psychological problems.

Christchurch Mum Jordana Clarke put her son Oliver through B4 School six months ago, assuming it was compulsory. No one told her otherwise.

She found the vision and hearing tests useful but said the questionnaire was “very black and white” with little room to elaborate.

“We have a child who is affected by the earthquake, so some of the questions were influenced by that. The teachers weren’t keen to do it, they didn’t like the questionnaire. They didn’t want to tick the boxes because it labels children.”

When she completed the forms, a nurse gave them a “cursory glance”, and Clarke says she wasn’t aware they could stay on her son’s medical file, or were being used to predict mental health issues.

“Do kids have mental health issues at that age?”

Since 2008, Plunket, doctors, mobile clinics and home visits have screened more than 100,000 four to five year-olds for health, behavioural, social and developmental problems.

In the same period, Pharmac figures show a 140 per cent increase in antidepressant prescriptions for 0 to 4-year-olds between 2009 and 2010, and an average 10 per cent increase in mood-stabilising drug prescriptions in the last five years for children aged five and over.

B4 School includes a checklist called the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire alongside vision, hearing and health tests. It asks parents and teachers about a child’s behaviour, including if they often lose their temper, are easily distracted, are generally liked by others, and if they are nervous or clingy in new situations.

It rates children as normal, abnormal or borderline, and produces a score indicating whether a child is likely to have a significant problem.

The results can be broken down for pro-social behaviour, hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct and peer disorders.

In the most recent quarter one in 10 children was identified as borderline or abnormal. They can be referred to a paediatrician or child mental health expert.

The questionnaire was developed by King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry child psychiatrist Dr Robert Goodman.

Community Action on Suicide Prevention Education and Research founder Maria Bradshaw says Goodman’s test is designed to screen for mental health disorders, and his website and academic papers outline how scores are used to predict issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

She says the ministry does not disclose the questionnaire’s real purpose to parents, and discourages those conducting the test to tell parents if their child’s scores are borderline or abnormal.

Ministry child and youth health adviser Pat Tuohy said the key was identifying issues early, before they became a problem, a view supported by some paediatricians and doctors, who say child health and welfare checks are critical.

Medical Association GP Council chair Dr Kate Baddock said it was a good idea to screen children for problems before they began school. “Particularly picking up deafness because of glue ear. You might pick up autistic tendencies, you might pick up dyslexia, and that’s the kind of thing it’s good to know before school.”

Baddock said while the questions might appear intrusive, they were there for good reason, although that may not have been adequately explained.

Tuohy was adamant the questionnaire was not a diagnostic tool that attaches a label to a child, but a screen that triggers professionals to offer parents help. He said the checks were optional and last year “3 or 4 per cent” of parents opted out. “No one is leaning on them to say they have to do it.”

One Auckland mother, who asked not to be named, did her son’s check through Plunket.

She wasn’t told about or given a Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire to fill out with her son’s preschool teacher, and instead completed a form about how well she thought her child was developing. After reading the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire she described it as “full-on” and broad.

“All four-year-olds display those behaviours at some point. I don’t know if I’d like a Plunket nurse deciding whether my son was normal or not. I’d probably try to make him sound as normal as possible.”

Another said the questionnaire became a two-hour ordeal that almost left her in tears, with her twin boys’ running around the clinic. She wondered how her answers would be interpreted.

“In the back of my mind I was wondering if there were some negatives and they would want to send counsellors round. The forms were fine but you never know what the agenda is.”

Her boys’ scores came back as normal, however one was almost borderline for discipline.

“But that could have been because I was stressed in the office, so I ticked the box for that day. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have.” Told she would have signed a consent for the form to go to her family doctor, she said there were several forms to sign, and “I always just sign those things”.

A Sunday Star-Times reader poll asked if it was right to profile preschoolers for mental health issues and came back with 49 per cent saying yes, 38 per cent no, and 14 per cent didn’t know.

– © Fairfax NZ News

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So they find that a child has a tendency towards Asperger, anti-social behaviour, hyperactivity, conduct disorder etc.

What are they going to do about it? Nothing!

Group Special Education services don’t have the money, and questionably, the expertise. The teachers are already overloaded and are generally ill equipped or experienced to make an individual difference. Further more, Key and colleagues are wanting to include very high needs children from specialist schools into the general class room.

The Christchurch Health and Development Study has been following a sizable group of children (adults) for 35 years and has published extensively on early childhood behaviours and issues in later life. What is known is that early childhood head injury such as from falls can have prolonged consequences, but these overt injury events are rarely followed up. Therefore, what is the likelihood that less tangible behaviours will result in the child and parents receiving the required support.

It would be nice to think that is would happen, but the more likely outcome will be labeling, blame and marginalisation.

Looks like social engineering is alive and well in big brother land.


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24 Jun 2012

Parents advised to ‘abandon’ children in order to secure mental …

It was the hardest letter John ever had to write.

After weeks of trying to find a facility for his 17-year-old son before the teen was discharged from a youth academy, the Roselawn resident had lost hope. John penned a letter to the academy and Indiana Department of Child Services to let them know he would not be picking up his son — even though it would lead to a finding of child neglect against the father.

It was a desperate scenario — but John’s best option to get mental health services for his son, according to some mental health professionals.

Parents, judges, prosecutors and other officials in Indiana say there is a multiagency failure to provide mental health services to the children who need it most. Children who don’t get appropriate services can end up in the juvenile delinquency system.

As a last resort, some region parents told The Times they were advised to “abandon” their children to obtain mental health services.

John’s son, Zachary, has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pervasive developmental disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Mental health officials said Zachary was defiant and had been exposing and fondling himself publicly.

A therapist warned that Zachary’s behaviors could lead him to become a sexual predator. John said he couldn’t risk the safety of the rest of his family — including 5-year-old triplet daughters — by bringing Zachary home.

John’s private insurance wouldn’t cover residential placement, state agencies had denied his requests for assistance and his family couldn’t afford the $200 to $300 per day cost for a residential facility for troubled youth. A mental health official told John that Zachary could receive mental health services as a ward of the state.

John’s letter to the academy and state officials was a last plea for assistance.

“How do you tell someone you’re leaving your kid? How do you do that?” John asked. “(My son) doesn’t understand it either. He thinks we gave up, and we don’t want him home. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We want him to get the help he needs in the right way.”

More than a dozen region parents told The Times they’ve had difficulty navigating that same maze of state agencies.

A tangled network

A recent report published by the National Center for State Courts found there are more than 30 Indiana-based entities, committees or groups that focus on various issues affecting children.

The Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Indiana Department of Education, Medicaid and DCS are among those that share responsibility for Indiana children who need mental health services.

The National Center for State Courts report found a lack of communication among key agencies that causes duplicated efforts, divisiveness and extra costs to taxpayers. It also found that most people are unclear about the purpose of each entity.

The result is a tangled network of agencies that can be difficult to navigate for parents like John — and for those who work in a mental health profession. While many Indiana children receive mental health services, child welfare advocates say an increasing number are falling through the cracks.

‘I stand here broken’

A Lowell woman said her 16-year-old niece has been hospitalized eight times, attempted suicide four times and is in her third residential placement in three and a half years.

Sharon, who became her niece’s legal guardian nearly 10 years ago, said she has struggled to find appropriate mental health services for the girl.

Sharon said her niece has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. The teen’s difficulties have been exacerbated by drug and alcohol use.

Sharon said DCS officials have investigated her for child abuse three times since 2009 because of her niece’s false claims. Officials did not substantiate abuse against her, she said.

But Sharon said the allegations could have cost her employment at a local hospital.

“I’m just going to sit here and stare at you and tell you how much I hate you,” Sharon recalls the 16-year-old saying in April. “I’m glad you lost the baby because you don’t know how to care for a child. I hope you lose your job, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen.”

Sharon said her niece’s behavior brought her to the edge.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Sharon said. “I stand here broken.”

Sharon said she had called DCS’ child abuse hotline four times since April 10 to plead for help, but they told her it sounded like she was the one being abused, not her niece.

“We’re for child abuse, not adult abuse,” Sharon said they told her. One person gave Sharon the phone number for a crisis center, but that number was disconnected.

Sharon said she considered refusing to pick up her niece from a local hospital in May, but DCS officials said they would charge her with neglect. A child welfare advocate told Sharon that she also would have to pay the hefty hospital bill.

“I was backed into a corner, and I had to go pick her up,” Sharon said.

She said a transition place for children who leave the hospital and are waiting for residential placement is needed — rather than sending troubled children home with no resources. Sharon’s niece was home for nearly two weeks before Medicaid approved her residential placement.

“There’s a gap in the system somewhere,” Sharon said. “There should be a middleman — a middle place between hospitalization and Medicaid approval.”

Limited options

A Crown Point resident named Jill said a mental health official advised her several years ago to leave her son at Options Treatment Center in Indianapolis to get him services. She refused.

“I didn’t like it, and I didn’t think that was right,” Jill said.

Jill’s son, Bryan, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and pervasive developmental disorder. He also was diagnosed as mildly mentally disabled.

The 12-year-old has been in and out of psychiatric residential treatment facilities since he was 7.

In August, Bryan was placed back in Options Treatment Center after he tried to burn down his mother’s house, Jill said. He remained there until March, when Medicaid said it would no longer pay for Bryan’s residential placement because he hadn’t shown enough progress.

He was sent home without resources for the family. Since then, multiple state agencies have denied Jill’s requests for help.

‘We’ve really gone too far’

Thomas Pavkov, director of the Institute for Social and Policy Research at Purdue University Calumet, said he is disturbed by the idea of parents abandoning their children in order to secure services.

“Any time you have to make a choice about getting your kid what they need and retaining your parental rights … if we’ve gotten to that point as a society, we’ve really gone too far,” Pavkov said.

Pavkov, who has done research on mental health services for children, said he believes there is much room for improvement in how the various state agencies work together.

State officials and child welfare advocates also have recognized the need for improvement. They said services for children with mental illness or developmental disabilities has been a problem for more than 40 years.

The National Center for State Courts report published earlier this year recommended Indiana create a statewide commission to establish partnerships, drive policy and identify common goals.

The state Legislature created interim study committees to look at DCS-related issues and the unmet mental health needs of children.

In the meantime, some parents who are desperate for services believe abandoning their children is the only available option.

‘I would do it again in a heartbeat’

John’s son, Zachary, is receiving therapy and services as a ward of the state.

After John wrote his letter to the academy and DCS in December, a DCS caseworker visited the family’s home and asked him to reconsider his decision not to pick up Zachary.

They contacted Zachary’s grandparents, who refused to take him for more than a few days because of his aggressive and sexual behavior, Newton Circuit Court records show. Foster care wasn’t an option for the same reason.

So DCS officials picked up Zachary from the youth academy on Dec. 17 and placed him at ResCare residential facility in Greencastle. Officials substantiated neglect against John for leaving his son, records show.

The judge put John and the rest of the family on a schedule of visits and phone calls to maintain the family’s relationship. The family also pays the state for Zachary’s care.

But John said he is relieved his son is getting the services he so desperately needs.

“For me to take this neglect charge … I would do it again in a heartbeat for any of my kids if that’s what it takes,” John said. “It’s a shame I had to take a charge like that to get him the help he needs.”


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24 Jun 2012

Hunters asked to donate game to feed needy

Sprague’s Sports Shop is asking Yuma-area hunters to donate portions of the game they have bagged this year to the inaugural Aim To Help Hunger food drive in July.

The food drive will benefit Crossroads Mission, the Salvation Army and the Yuma Community Food Bank.

“The fall is coming up and maybe some of us have limited freezer space and need to prepare for the fall,” said Richard Sprague, owner of Sprague’s Sports Shop. “This is a good opportunity to help those in need and make room for the fall hunts.”

Hunters can donate dove, quail, deer, turkey, elk, sheep or buffalo. The skilled cooks at the mission and with the Salvation Army will be able to use the meat to create succulent meals for those in need, Sprague said.

“Taking something out of the freezer and making a great meal out of it is no problem.”

The donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to noon July 14 in the parking lot of Sprague’s Sports Shop, 345 W. 32nd St.

A refrigerator truck will be at Sprague’s to store the meat and transport it to the food bank, which will distribute the meat to Crossroads Mission and the Salvation Army as needed.

Those who donate food during the event will get a free chance to use the indoor shooting range at Sprague’s and be entered into a raffle to win one of three $100 gift cards usable at the store.

“I think it is going to be a win-win for everybody,” Sprague said, noting the charitable organizations are in great need of food donations during the summer months. “It is great to be able to help people, and I think there will be positive aspects to it.”

Those who do not hunt but would still like to participate in the drive can drop off nonperishable food items at Sprague’s Sports Shop at any time up to July 14 which will be donated along with the meat.

For more information, call 726-0022.


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