Left-to-right: Mathy Downing, Bob Fiddaman, Kristina Gehrki, Kim Witczak
~~~
Love is all you need
~ Lennon–McCartney
~~~
Last weekend I celebrated some special champions of human rights at a star-studded Hollywood event. It was the 50th anniversary of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR). I respect this organisation and support their goals which include investigating and exposing psychiatric violations of human rights and demanding medical doctors become competent. Today's post is about the well-attended California event.
The "S" Word
For some people out there, there's an elephant in the room whenever CCHR's public health and safety work is referenced. It's an elephant I noted in my book years ago and one that I'm never shy to address. That it has to do with labels is something I find ironic considering labels are often the first tool psychiatrists use to lead unsuspecting victims down the destructive path of wrongful drugging.
CCHR is a nonprofit mental health watchdog responsible for helping to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive practices. CCHR has long fought to restore basic inalienable human rights to the field of mental health, including, but not limited to, full informed consent regarding the medical legitimacy of psychiatric diagnosis, the risks of psychiatric treatments, the right to all available medical alternatives and the right to refuse any treatment considered harmful.
CCHR was co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus Dr. Thomas Szasz at a time when patients were being warehoused in institutions and stripped of all constitutional, civil and human rights. That the pharmaceutical companies and their PR machines often try to use one's spiritual beliefs to discredit those harmed and divert the public's attention away from real facts about the pharma and psych industry is nothing new. I've met countless victims and their families whose spiritual beliefs and the church they attend were the subject of depositions conducted by pharma. Pharma basically tried to link the SSRI-induced death of a 12-year-old girl to their family's Protestant religion and the church the family attended.
Here's the interesting thing. The surviving family members were questioned by the drug manufacturer's attorneys. They were trying to claim that the family were Scientologists because they supported the work of CCHR. For four hours the victim's sister was grilled. The drug manufacturer was trying to suggest that the family was unstable and that their sister/daughter died because of their beliefs and not because of Zoloft induced suicide.
That little girl, by the way, was just twelve-years-old and died by hanging shortly after her Zoloft dose was doubled. She weighed just 67 pounds.
Seriously, no kidding here. But what do you expect given pharma tried to blame another young child's death on possible "sex games" gone wrong. (The child was found hanging after consuming Zoloft and Pfizer claimed the boy may have died because he was possibly engaging in sex games. Matthew Miller was just 13 years old.)
So, back to the "S" word, Scientology. I was born into a Catholic family. While I no longer practice Catholicism, I also don't practice Scientology. Not that my religion should be anyone's business but my own, but apparently some people refuse to share helpful research, resources and stories of prescribed harm simply because of other people's religious beliefs or affiliations. This alarms me because as I noted, labelling and censorship is exactly what the psych and pharma industry promote to keep information about prescribed harm out of the public's eye. I'd hate to see people killed or harmed because they didn't have an opportunity to access factual information and/or read the avoidable tragedies of prescribed harm suffered by their neighbours.
I have many friends with various spiritual beliefs. They include Catholics, Scientologists, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus and atheists. While I'm always interested in learning more about my friends' personal beliefs, my friends don't pressure me to believe as they do and none have ever tried to convert me. Most people would agree it is wrong to be ridiculed and slandered based upon one's religious principles.
In my 13 years as a public health and safety advocate, I've seen one church constantly targeted and maligned by the psych and pharma industry--the Church of Scientology. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why pharma attacks Scientologists. One need only to look at the reliable and extensive research and resources freely offered by CCHR to understand why CCHR is a target of these industries. In addition, I suspect if any of these other religions advocated as CCHR does, they, too, would be targeted by psychiatry and pharma.
These well-funded, systemically-organized attacks are merely manipulation tactics. An appropriate word for this behaviour is one I've just invented and rather like: hoodwinkery. So don't be hoodwinked by hoodwinkery.
Now back to last weekend's CCHR 50th anniversary events.
A CCHR event is a cross between a library and a rock gig. This may sound like a contradiction, but here's why I describe it as such. Attend any CCHR event and you will find yourself in a room full of knowledgeable people. Everyone there knows what's going on in the dark world of brain pellets. Audience members and hosts represent the knowledge, and the rock gig vibe is represented by, well, by accomplished musicians.
This Los Angeles event was the third one I've attended. (I also previously attended a CCHR award event in the UK years ago.) This year's human rights award recipients were film-maker Kevin P. Miller and attorney Andy Vickery. I have previously corresponded with both and was glad to meet Kevin Miller last weekend. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to meet Andy Vickery because honorees are swamped by the masses at after-show parties where everybody wants to talk with them. (I know because years ago I was one of several people recognized by CCHR for advocacy work.)
Another CCHR human rights award recipient was trial lawyer, Andy Vickery. Vickery was moved to tears when delivering his acceptance speech.
If you click on the New York Times link above about young Matt Miller who died while taking Zoloft, you'll see it was Andy Vickery who represented the family against Pfizer. Vickery was one of the first attorneys to represent families harmed by SSRIs and shined a public spotlight on the link between Paxil and violence when he represented the family of Donald Schell.
In 1998 the town of Gillette, Wyoming was shaken to its core, not by invading aliens arriving in motherships playing the five tones. Gillette was shaken by the Paxil-induced homicide and suicide of Donald Schell. Schell, age 60, shot to death his wife, daughter and baby granddaughter before turning the gun on himself. At that time nobody knew why such a loving man would carry out such heinous crimes. Thanks to Andy Vickery, the public soon learned about the link between Paxil and violence.
Schell's surviving son-in-law, Tim Tobin, brought a wrongful death lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline, Paxil makers. The jury in the Tobin v SmithKline Beecham (SKB) trial concluded that Paxil could cause someone to carry out suicide or homicide and that the drug was, in fact, a proximate cause of the deaths in this case. (1)
In 2004, some two years after the Tobin verdict, the FDA mandated black box warnings about the risk of antidepressant-induced suicidality, which SmithKline had denied, but which the Tobin case proved existed. The Black Box Warnings were a positive step in the right direction when it comes to protecting the public. However, the FDA does not require that the warning be clearly communicated by prescribers.
Vickery's award is well deserved.
(1)
For Those About to Rock... Da Sisterhood (You know who you are!)
The event itself was classy. It's glitz with a message and that message comes across loud and clear in a fantastic awards' show with top-notch talent. Award-winning Broadway star, James Barbour and Mark Isham, a Grammy-award winning, Oscar-nominated recording artist ended the program with an amazing rendition of the song "From Now On."
The spectacular finale had me wanting to jump on the table in the style of Thor whilst pulling a sword from my side. I was pumped up and proud of CCHR's accomplishments. Man, these folks know how to put on a show.
I met with past winners. I met with old friends and made new ones. I had a special time celebrating 50 years of CCHR and honouring Kevin and Andy. There really aren't enough superlatives for this ass-kickin' organisation that, in the face of extreme adversity, continue to fight to safeguard human rights for all.
It was especially rewarding for me to spend time with CCHR UK's Brian Daniels. I've known Brian for years. He's a top advocate and a dear friend (Oooh friend**). You kind of know how deep a friendship is when you, for whatever reason, don't see a lot of one another, but when you do meet again it's as comfortable as slipping into an old favourite coat. Brian is not only a friend, but he's also a fellow warrior and we share the same goals in life. (Oooh sharing friend**)
Another long-time friend, Gary Brown, was recognized for his support of CCHR. It was great to see Gary on stage. He is another favourite coat of mine.
I fully anticipate today's blog will be met by some with silence and continued censorship. While I don't give a toss if some people choose to judge or label me, I do care about protecting the innocent. If I saw my neighbour's kid playing with matches in his backyard, I wouldn't first ponder if my neighbour was a Catholic or a Muslim or a whatever before I rushed over to inform the parents and save their child from the fire.
CCHR has your back, folks, whatever your beliefs. I, unequivocally, have theirs too.
Bob Fiddaman
**In-joke
No comments: