sardine -- 10/23 -- the gaze

Are you into Scary? Let’s do Foucault.

That Panopticon is here. And we are living it and agreeing with and aiding it. We are part of it. We could call it the Inquisition, but I have another name for it. Allow me to introduce the New Freedom Initiative:

"The New Freedom Initiative: Fulfilling America's Promise to Americans with Disabilities
'My Administration is committed to tearing down the barriers to equality that face many of the 54 million Americans with disabilities...My New Freedom Initiative will help Americans with disabilities by increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life.'
President George W. Bush in the Forward to the New Freedom Initiative" (http://www.hhs.gov/newfreedom/).


However, the “New Freedom Initiative” doesn’t mention that this “New Freedom” was based upon the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). This project was funded by the drug companies while Bush was governor of Texas. An algorithm is a flow chart used by clinicians to chart disease and medication. The drug companies funded this project to promote their special medications to be part of the government and insurance companies’ formularies.

Unfortunately, what does this mean for you, me, and the kids of America? It means forced mental health screenings and forced drugging of children and adults. For children, this “New Freedom” means forced mental health screenings for children in grades 0-12, including homeschooled children. ADHD and the new disease du jour, Autism, are among the great money making “diseases” for children. (See “The Autism Dragnet” by Thomas Sowell) Already there are a number of families who have been forced to remove their children from schools because they refuse to be coerced into drugging their children. Many families are coerced (see a list on www.ablechild.org). Parents are finding themselves charged with child abuse and neglect for refusing to medicate their children. These medications include anti-psychotic medications, Schedule II amphetamines, anti-depressants, etc. Scary medications for children. And scary for you if you think they are safe.

The Gaze is upon us and our children. Those in power invent the language, the diagnoses, and the cure. We participate. Those who object are marginalized, labeled, chemically restrained, and institutionalized. Welcome to the Panopticon.

Happy Halloween! Sites to scare you:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/interviews/breggin.html

http://www.ablechild.org/

“The Autism Dragnet” http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1029

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7454/1458

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medication_Algorithm_Project

Or just go wild and type into Google: New Freedom Initiative forced drugging