As I have written about in previous posts, Battleground Texas is organizing around the state in hopes of bringing back the bad old days of a Democratically controlled government.  They hope that Texas goes back to the hands of the Democrats so that the party can also put Texas in the blue state column in presidential elections. 

The small core of organizers for this group have been busy networking and getting settled all around the state.  In Lubbock, in Waco, in Tarrant County, in Dallas , in El Paso,  and inMcAllen all since the big kick-off event in Austin on March 8.  Trips on the agenda include Brownsville and Houston.

Below is a text message reminder of the meeting Saturday at the IBEW Hall.

They are here, Harris County Republicans. They are financed. They are organized and passing out all the goodies to garner attention - baseball caps, t-shirts, bumper stickers.  These are former Obama people who have those campaign successes under their belts.  

Frankly, we can not count on those at the Harris County Republican Party headquarters for push back. This group's efforts have to be taken seriously and squashed - or at least countered - immediately.  

Just got a call from Steve Wachter and Ray Givens who are in Annapolis because the legislators will be voting on SB 281. They ran into Delegate Ron Young and asked him to vote against the bill. HE SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AND SAID "I CAN'T DO THAT."

They told him that they represent 925 members of the Isaac Walton League of America; 10,000 customers of Hendershots Sporting Goods; and 21,000 members of the Western Maryland Coalition and that they want him to vote against the bill. HE SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS!

They told him that all of the voters in those organizations will remember this when it is time to vote. HE SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AND WALKED AWAY!

Please contact him and let him no that you do not appreciate being shrugged off as if you do not matter. Let him know that you are against this bill and you do matter!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Democrat, District 3, Frederick & Washington Counties
James Senate Office Building, Room 316
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3575, (301) 858-3575
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3575 (toll free)
e-mail: ronald.young@senate.state.md.us
fax: (410) 841-3193, (301) 858-3193
253 East Church St., Suite 100, Frederick, MD 21701

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diamondback-Police-Supply/143341839017998

    The gun control debate rages on an on. I have attended rallies and town halls. I have read innumerable posts on-line and newspaper articles. I have had countless conversations with gun enthusiasts and protectors of our 2nd Amendment. I know that this is an important issue. Yet the longer the debate goes on the less inspired I have felt to write about it. As I watched the video of the Fox45 Town Hall on Gun Control in Maryland that I attended last week...it finally hit me. We all know that gun control is not the issue of what happened in any of these mass shootings. Our gut tells us it is a human defect, a societal problem, but the politicians--wanting to appear as "doing something"--have introduced gun control bills all over the country. They have forced every freedom-loving citizen to engage in fighting these bills that do nothing except make the politicians look good and the public feel good. The unintended  consequences (or are they?) are the infringements on law-abiding citizens liberties. These laws do not help the mentally ill or protect the public from their sometimes deadly affects on our society. These laws do nothing to repair the damage done to our society by the glorification of extreme violence in movies, on television, and the most damaging of all video games. That would take time, money, and most of all courage.

While everyone is focusing on an inanimate object the people who need help go without it and many more people will be killed because of it. Unfortunately, a good guy or a mentally healthy guy with a gun is their only defense.

    There was a psychiatrist on the panel of the Fox45 Town Hall. To be honest I was a little bored with most of the discussion, not because it isn't important, but because I have heard it all many times over the last couple of months. What did interest me was the doctor. He didn't say much. He only spoke when he was directly asked a question, unlike the other panelists who talked over each other trying to make their points. He sat quietly with a pained look on his face. The cynic in me wondered if he was trying to appear interested. I wanted to know "his story." Those who read my blog know my story about my sister's shooting death (http://tinyurl.com/berdpvu), and that I believe that her death was a result of the failure of the Veterans Administration, law enforcement, the court system, mental health workers, social workers, and lawyers to protect her and the glorification of violence in movies such as "Rambo," and I suspect similar-themed video games. I wanted to hear solutions from this doctor. I wanted him to address the elephant in the room. 
    The moderator finally asked the doctor a direct question about the role of mental illness in these mass shootings. This is what he said,

We don't know who the ticking time bomb is. We don't know who is going to pop. We are not in a position to predict violence. It sounds like we are trained to do that, but that is not really our training. ANYONE IN THIS AUDIENCE COULD PREDICT VIOLENCE AS WELL AS I CAN. 

This is not an answer to the question. This is not a solution. This is a defense. I was so annoyed with his answer.  I am still annoyed because it enabled everyone to go back to focusing on the gun. At this point I realized that this was about him and not about the issue. The answer is not even an honest answer! Do you mean to tell me that in all of his education they did not have one course on detecting when someone many be a danger to himself or others? I refuse to believe it! I also believe that in the most recent cases most of everyone in the audience probably could have predicted a possible violent outcome and therefore there had to be some professional somewhere in their lives who could have as well. Somebody dropped the ball and he knows it or he would have answered the question instead of putting up a defense.
       Later the moderator asked the audience a question to be answered by a clap of hands. The question was, "There is a sufficient amount of money and attention dedicated to mental health issues, yes or no? The audience overwhelmingly believed  there was not. 
     The doctor again went on the defense offering no solution and no hope. He said,

There is not enough money. There will never be enough money. We have a doctor shortage. Try to get an appointment with a psychiatrist today. I am booking May. You have a choice--the ER or me in May. IS IT MY FAULT IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME BETWEEN NOW AND MAY? WE ARE NOT CLAIRVOYANT. WE ARE NOT MIND READERS, AND WE CAN'T PREVENT VIOLENCE.

Really? This is the message he wanted to bring to the conversation? This is all he has for us? The moderator pressed him for some kind of a solution or just a sliver of hope, and asked him, Are there any stop-gap measures or perhaps social workers who can possibly fill a void? He said,

They are under the same situation. Call your social worker and see if she will book you by the end of April. 

The doctor sat looking pained almost to the very end of the night when he was asked, If you suspect a ticking time bomb where is that line between a patient's privacy and your responsibility to report that to authorities? The great doctor said, 

If someone presents imminent danger I can involuntarily commit them with another physician to a facility. That can be upheld by a judge 72 hours later. If it is upheld, BY THIS BILL---THAT IS WHERE YOU HAVE LOST YOUR RIGHT TO A HAND GUN. THAT PUTS ME IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION because many people who are involuntarily committed, that is a small snap shot of their life 3, 5, 6, 7 days, months, years later they are perfectly fine. Now they have to re-apply for a hand gun. 

AS A PHYSICIAN WITH ALL THE LAWYERS WE HAVE IN THIS TOWN, I'M NOT GOING TO SIGN A DOCUMENT THAT SAYS THAT THIS PATIENT IS GOING TO BE SAFE WITH A HAND GUN FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES (sic). THAT IS A HUGE LIABILITY.

One of the other panelists stated that the law does allow the appeal, but as stated by the doctor, no doctor would  likely support your appeal. Again, he is worried about his personal liability. I understand that doctors and social workers are people too and that they need to look out for themselves. However, I like to think that many of them were led by some level of "altruism" to get into their career fields. This doctor could have used this forum to say anything he that he felt was important regarding mental illness and gun violence and all he addressed the entire night was liability. I found that very disappointing. 
    My questions to the doctor would have been, Why aren't politicians, mental health physicians, social workers, healthcare workers, and politicians introducing and supporting bills that help the mentally ill? Why aren't they demanding government funds and introducing laws that would address the real issues behind these mass murders? Why are we all focusing on an inanimate object that can not kill anyone without someone with a mental illness or a criminal background or intent pulling the trigger? I just want to stop the music and stop the dance we are all engaged in and address the real problems! 
   The doctor did say one thing that I could agree with wholeheartedly. The moderator asked him, How do we bridge the issue of trust, or lack of trust, that many people feel towards the government? The doctor separated himself from himself for a moment and said,

I think it's real concerning when we have political officials who say take full advantage of a good crisis to promote your career and your political stance." 

It becomes very hard to trust that mentality and the narcissism that goes along with taking advantage of a crisis to promote your career.

This is often what we see on TV. We see these three-week long stories and every politician trying to get their word in edgewise.

Bravo Doctor! Bravo!!