Dear Sir,
I have been a daily reader of this site from the very beginning and have found it to be a very valuable resource for my information and awareness needs. Mr. Rawles has always been a straight forward, no nonsense fount to which the prepper/survivalist community relies upon, a mecca as it where. Mr. HJL specifically, (I don’t know how to formally address a pseudonym, my apologies), you have started off in your editing of Mr. Rawles’ sight with great enthusiasm, and I respect that. This site has large shoes to fill. I think you are off to a great start. That being said, I feel I must write to you and make a request. Regarding the article “Where There Is Smoke“, in my opinion, you have gotten away from the concrete and no-nonsense tone of this blog to the fringe elements of your audience. The “reptilian eyes” sentiment just seems a bit off the edge for the flavor of what I thought this site should be. I am not judging the veracity of these claims, but this seems not the place to expound on this line of thought. The net is full of conspiracy sites, and that serves to confound many and leads them off on a tangent that does not contribute to the basic and bare-bones truth of what may become of our future. I ask you in all humbleness to please refrain from proceeding down this path. What I believe is needed is a home of enlightenment and wisdom that this landmark venue was originally destined for.
HJL Replies: I guess you missed my comment under “Notes from HJL” that prefaced the article.
“Today’s entry in the writing contest deals with a subject that many of us would just rather pretend doesn’t exist- mental illness. This subject has long been a difficult issue to deal with in our society, and being diagnosed as mentally ill (whether correctly or incorrectly) has long lasting consequences. Because the issue is so complicated, it is often terribly abused by those in authority, leaving no recourse for those who are victimized. It is also an area that we need to prepare for, because it is not going away. During a TEOTWAWKI event, it will only get worse. The causes of real mental illness are many, and the length of duration is as varied. However, once diagnosed as mentally ill, you always have, at a minimum, the stigma and legal consequences for the rest of your life (unconstitutionally, I believe). As a reader of this blog, you are probably already outside of what is considered “normal”. It wouldn’t take much for someone to use that against you.”
Mental illness is an issue that we will have to deal with for a long time to come. There is no sense in pretending that it doesn’t exists and that it doesn’t affect us. I, myself, have been in a situation where a doctor wanted me to sign an agreement that I admitted I had a particular mental illness in order to save his license. (It’s a long story involving doctor’s misconduct in a messy situation.) I held to my principles,and the doctor was eventually disciplined, though it took years for the process to work.
I published this piece because I wanted our readers to hear from someone on the inside of “mental illness”. What is logical to you or me just doesn’t make sense to them at times, and we can’t just turn our backs on them. We have a moral obligation to help.
An example of the repercussions would be the right to protect yourself. The 2nd amendment doesn’t give you the right to defend yourself. It simply outlines a God-given right that is pre-existing in all humans. If we incarcerate a person (or commit them to a mental institution), we take away that right to self defense. That only works because the state guarantees their safety while interned, but what happens when you release them back into society? Since they are no longer under the control of the state, the state cannot guarantee their safety any longer. Yet we do not allow them the ability to protect themselves in the best manner possible. This is a huge issue that stands just under the radar because no one wants to deal with the realities of it. Yet in a TEOTWAWKI situation, it WILL rear up. Dealing with mental illness needs to be part of our preps, both as a defense against those who would do us harm and for those loved ones of ours who are subject to the illness.
o o o
Recently my husband went to our family physician for a routine physical. The first question out of the nurse’s mouth was, “Do you own any guns?” After saying this, she became silent and shook her head, “No”. It caught my husband off guard, and he said “Yes” without thinking about the implications of her question. Later, the doctor came in and the first thing he said to my husband was, “Do you own any guns? He answered the same as before, “Yes”.
Later, at home, we were discussing this. My husband has a diagnosis of BIPOLAR DISORDER. The next time he is asked that question he plans on saying, “I do not think that question is pertinent to our situation.”
Why did they ask those questions? Is this yet another big brother thing with the government? Sadly, I’m concerned that my husband is now on a list somewhere, possibly with the police. I told him to say “No”, the next time. I think we also may need to hide our guns. My husband’s mental illness is very stable. He does not pose a threat to anyone. Even his psychiatrist said that he was the most stable bipolar patient that she has.
Just thought you might want to warn folks of this question that your physician may ask the next time your physical is due. – M.V.
HJL Replies: While I understand why medical care facilities may want to ask those questions, I do not think it is safe to answer them. They started asking those questions because mass statistics show that there are certain behaviors, illnesses, and injuries that often proceed life-threatening suicides or homicides. However, with the advent of governmental interference in medical records, and the potential violations of liberty that will occur, it is readily apparent that you cannot answer those types of questions without repercussions, especially since the answer, once given, will be part of a permanent medical record that the politicians and the IRS have access to.