Re: [A-List] An Apology To Anne

["Annewilliamson" <Annewilliamson@xxxxxxx>]

Dear Hari:

Thank you for your gracious response.  And I do understand
that you are no less passionate about your beliefs than I am,
and that passionate people - like the two of us - sometimes
put their foot in it.....I know I have!

As far as books on the drugging of schoolchildren (sadly,
just this week I read a report that girls are now increasingly
being targeted for schoolhouse meds, grrrr, along with the
boys), I know that Christina Hoff Summers has written about
this issue in "The War Against Boys."  However, she is
a conservative writing a critique of the impact of feminism
on young men and boys....so, you may not find this study
appropriate due to the book's overarching theme.

Dr. Mercola at www.mercola.com has written quite a few
articles on ritalin, and if you go to his site and type "ritalin"
in the "search" box, all these articles will appear.  Dr.
Mercola is a crusading, anti-establishment physician, and his site
carries a wealth of material.  You will have to judge his
credibility for yourself, of course, but I can say that I have
employed some of his advice/treatments and benefited.

I would also direct you to Dr. Ron Paul's congressional
speech webpage:

http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/welcome.htm

Congressman Paul is a pediatrician by profession, and
often speaks on medical issues in the House.  I think the
following speeches might be of interest to you:

7-2-01, 6-18-01, 8-2-00, 10-18-99, 10-11-99, 12-14-98, and
1-19-98.

Additionally, the Ron Paul archive at www.lewrockwell.com
has a number of articles focusing on government involvement
in medical issues.  Since Dr. Mercola's search page brings up
google listings, I typed in "Ron Paul" from his google page and
instead of getting all the google listings for Dr. Paul, I got a list
of Dr. Mercola's articles on Ron Paul!  I didn't have time to read
any of them, but it's potentially useful to read a physician's thoughts
on a physician/politician!

Though probably none of these individual's resolutions will suit
you, I think they can be useful to you in identifying some of the
problems socialized medicine needs to address.  Perhaps you
and your colleagues on the left can devise solutions -- I wish
you well in the effort -- and it is in the spirit of identifying "root
causes" that I have sent you these links.

I believe I found the Bismarck quote in Rothbard's work, but this
a.m. I went through several books without finding it -- I'll keep at
it until I succeed as I'm certain it's in one of the books from my
personal library.

All the best,

Anne

PS  I am very sorry to learn that Canadian schoolchildren are
also being ritalin-abused.  Several months ago I commented to
Kelly O'Meara of "Insight" (she has written on the issue) that
I found it appalling that parents were allowing their children
to be drugged by the state.  She brought me up short when she
responded, "Anne, you don't understand.  If they don't allow,
they lose the kids."  And, indeed, there have been instances of
parents who refused vaccinations and schoolhouse meds for
their children having Social Services take those children...as
if they were the property of the state.  This is chilling, no matter
one's own political views, or - at least - I think it is.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hari Kumar" <hari.kumar@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <a-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 9:26 AM
Subject: [A-List] An Apology To Anne


> Anne: " Your final, mocking comment of "But why don't we just take a leaf
out of Jonathan Swift's
> book, & just change the age-scale on his prescription? eh?" only
demonstrates that you didn't read
> what I wrote which is that state-subsidized medicine is dangerous for this
very reason. As far as
> the implication that I am some unfeeling monster happy to see old people
suffer and be hustled off
> to eternity goes, I want no one to die unnecessarily or to be denied
needed care, but I do have
> different, sincerely held ideas about how that can best be accomplished."
> HARI:
> 1) THE MAIN THING I SHOULD WRITE is: I certainly did not mean to imply
that you were an "unfeeling
> monster" - I do apologise. It was a polemical flourish - meant to show the
logical implication of
> your views. However, like many "flourishes" - it was in retrospect,
totally off-mark. But I
> certainly, and very sincerely apologise for that implication. On
re-reading I can see how one could
> make the un-intended implication. It was not meant - I assure you - And I
once more swear off
> rhetoric!
> 2) However - I do remain [& just as passionately as you but in an opposite
direction] of the
> overall views re state ownership/control of health care - that I had
stated.
> Frankly it is not the mere fact of State control- it is WHAT TYPE of state
it is we are talking of.
> [Though clearly we will not agree on this matter].
> 3) Canadian Drugging: You are of course quite right - that Canadian kids
are subject to the same
> degree of over-drugging/Ritalin-Keep-The-Brats-Quiet Syndrome. I have not
really seen any good
> analyses of this syndrome [Perhaps I have not adequately explored that
literature], and it is
> entirely unclear to me whether or not there is truly a:
> (i) Secular rise in the prevalence of Attention Deficit Syndromes
(so-called in the jargon -
> Hyeperactivity otherwise) or not. It is entirely possible given the degree
of hidden drugging (let
> us call the food additives/the environmental pollutants including lead
etc) that this is a true
> phenomenon. (ii) Or whether this is a purely 'social' phenomenon driven by
over-crowded
> class-rooms/alienation of families etc.
> Of course all that begs the question that you are raising : What is the
root cause? And I do not
> dispute that the ROOT cause should be sought and found before effective
therapy can be prescribed -
> both individual & societal.
> PS: I would be very interested in an exact citation for your quotation
from Bismarck.
> Hari
>
>
>
>