A Primer on Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Dimitri Mihalas

(2002)

Note: This material is not copyrighted. You may duplicate it and distribute it

freely.

I. INTRODUCTION

This essay is an outgrowth of ``interest groups'' on depression and bipolar disorder led by myself and my then wife Barbara at the InterMountain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Durango, Colorado in 1990 and 1991. We were surprised by the number of people who attended these groups, which we take as evidence that depression and bipolar disorder affect a

far larger number of people than is commonly supposed. I have written down some of the material we discussed in those groups in the hope of being able to reach a wider audience. Unfortunately many extremely important, and often quite moving, exchanges occurred only in passing in the discussion among the participants in the groups, and were not recorded; they are lost. But I hope that the material presented here will encourage other individuals and groups to begin to explore on their own, or together, the many dimensions of these complex illnesses, and to create their own metaphors as they struggle to understand and explain the world they live in. I have updated the original essay I wrote on the basis of 10 years additional experience with the disorder.

A. Why This Pamphlet?

Perhaps the most common reaction people have to mental illness in general, or to depression/bipolar disorder in particular, is to ask ``Why in the world would anyone want to discuss such an unpleasant subject?'' This perhaps along with an (unspoken)intimation that the subject is also in rather bad taste. The answer to this question is long and complicated; indeed it is the subject of the entire

essay. Yet there are a few basic points that need to be made from the outset.

First, mental illness of varying degrees of severity affects many people. The estimates differ a good good deal from one source to another, partly because the criteria used in different surveys differ from another. But it is clear that something like 3% of the population of the United States (i.e. roughly 7.5 million people) suffer from chronic depression or bipolar disorder. A similar number suffer from chronic schizophrenia. And another 1% or so suffer from various other mental disorders (e.g. obsessive-compulsive disorder, dementia, ...). These are the people who have chronic mental illness (CMI), the ones who must (and whose families must) struggle with the illness day-by-day, year-by-year, perhaps for a lifetime. Isolated episodes of serious depression are far more common. It is conservatively estimated that something like 25% of the U.S. population will have at least one bout of depression serious enough to merit medical attention during their lifetime.
Second, depression and bipolar disorder can be extremely unpleasant. It can blight a person's existence for years. In its more severe forms it can incapacitate a person as completely as any serious physical disability; often employment becomes impossible, which implies severe economic and social hardships for both the individual and his/her family. In its most extreme form, depression can lead to suicide, destroying one's life as surely as cancer.
Third, all mental illness strikes at the very ``part'' of us which makes us human: the mind. Depression and bipolar disorder are mood disorders; they affect how we feel about ourselves, our surroundings, our lives. In their most severe forms they can make life a living hell. Schizophrenia is a thought disorder; typically it causes major distortions in the victim's perception of reality, producing delusions and hallucinations. All of these illnesses tend to dehumanize the victim, leaving him/her more vulnerable to loss of self esteem, loss of will to live. It is one of our most sacred obligations as humans to reach out to our fellows who suffer, through no fault of their own, the extreme misery of these illnesses.
Beyond all of this, I want to offer a message of hope. I want to say from first-hand knowledge that depression and bipolar disorder are treatable, often with truly remarkable results. In fact, among other people who have CMI, I sometimes joke that depression and bipolar disorder are the ``Mercedes of mental illness'' just because they are so treatable. Next, I want to say first-hand that there is life after treatment; often a very rich and rewarding life. There are no guarantees, of course, but I can truthfully say that since successful

treatment of my illness, I have enjoyed the very best period of my life.

Finally, I want to do what little I can to help break down the stigma associated with mental illness. It is bad enough to have to suffer the horrors of an illness, but it is insufferable to be cast out of society just because one has the bad luck of being ill. The time has come to end this practice. Society has to change its views. I offer myself as an example of a someone who has CMI and who, thanks to treatment, can continue to function at a valuable level of creativity and productivity in a highly technical and demanding profession, and as a counterexample to the common picture of a mentally ill person as violent, disordered, and/or ``crazy''.

B. Qualifications

At this point it is logical to establish my ``credentials'' for writing this essay. First, I am not a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker. Likewise I am not qualified as a research worker in this field. Therefore you should not take what I write as medical advice; it is based only on personal experience. Always consult with your physician before you undertake any new treatment regimen or alter an old one. I am a layman in the field. Nevertheless I am an ``expert'' because I have had bipolar disorder for 46 years, and suffered with it, sometimes intensely, for 42 of those 46. I have also gotten to

know a large number of other people with CMI , mostly with bipolar disorder. We all know the illness ``inside-out''. And we all have had experiences we can share with others to guide them in their own struggles with mental illness, whether first-hand, or in helping a friend or relative.

So allow me to sketch here the course of my own illness. It has been a long journey since its first recognizable manifestation when I was 16, to its ultimate definitive diagnosis as bipolar disorder when I was 47 in 1986. From the ages of 16 through 20 I was an undergraduate at UCLA. During those four years I experienced the tremendous energy of very mild mania (hypomania), and was able to do things like take a triple major (astronomy, mathematics, physics) while getting all A's. At the time I thought that that was just my ``normal'' state; but in retrospect I can see all of the hallmarks of mania. In graduate

school at Caltech I had my first episode of depression when I was 21. I felt unhappy, discouraged, helpless, hopeless. Compared to my more recent experiences it was a mild-to-moderate episode, but at the time it seemed awful. The treatment I was offered was ineffective (really very little was known about treating depression then!); eventually the depression faded away. From the age of 24, when I completed graduate school, to 46, I had many ups and downs, sometimes hypomanic for a year or two, sometimes depressed for a similar period.

During this entire time I had no idea of what the nature of my ``problem'' was. Nonetheless I was able to have an active and successful research and teaching career at Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Colorado, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. In the Fall of 1985 my wife and I moved to the University of Illinois. That was the trigger for a rapid (!)

descent into the worst depression I have ever experienced. It was extreme misery: I was unable to think or concentrate (I was literally unable to read a newspaper); I felt utterly worthless, incompetent, and a failure; I would have nightmares of being sentenced to death; then I would lie awake for most of the night in extreme anxiety; I got out of bed in the morning only with the greatest of difficulty; I enjoyed nothing; I was in deep despair. I consulted a psychiatrist, who prescribed a medication that he believed was an antidepressant. We know today that the medication he prescribed is not an antidepressant, but a tranquilizer. Naturally, it didn't work.

In early December 1985 I crashed yet farther down and became suicidal: a quiet little voice in my mind started telling me that my condition was hopeless, and would not, could not, change; that there was only one way out, death; and that the time to take that exit was now. This went on relentlessly, over and over, hundreds of times per day. During the first week of January 1986, I returned home early one afternoon to take my gun and kill myself. But I couldn't find the gun (I found out later that my wife had removed it from the house on the psychiatrist's advice), so I was thwarted; I was in such a poor mental condition

at the time that I couldn't even think of another plan! A short time later I had an experience, which I will describe below, that convinced me that it is ethically indefensible to suicide, so I resolved to tough it out to the bitter end, whatever that might be, without taking the ``back door'' out.

I struggled onward with the same doctor and the same medication until the end of May 1986. Both I and my wife repeatedly complained to him that the medication was doing no good whatsoever; possibly it was making matters worse. He complacently assured us that it really was doing some good, that he could see the improvement ``from the outside'' even if I couldn't see it ``from the inside''. I was right and he was wrong. Indeed, had I known then what I know now I would have insisted that he try another medication (and yet another if necessary) until we finally found one that actually did work. And if he had refused, I would have found another doctor, fast! But I didn't know the ropes

yet, and I accepted his authority blindly. I hope that no one who reads this document will ever make that mistake; it is, after all, a matter of life or death; perhaps your life or death. In retrospect I believe that this particular psychiatrist is incompetent with medication. He meant well, and he offered me a lot of support through ``talk therapy''; but he didn't even try to do his job with the most critical part of the treatment -- the medication. To this day I will never recommend him to anyone with a biogenic (see definition of this term

on p. 7) mental illness.


At the beginning of June 1986, I returned to Boulder for the coming academic year. I had taken leave without pay from my Illinois position so as to seek better medical help in Boulder. I had the good fortune to start working with Dr. Kay Grace. She could immediately see the acute nature of the crisis I was in, and as soon as was feasible she recommended I consult with Dr. Steven Dubovsky of the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry. Dubovsky is at the cutting edge of research in psychopharmacology in the Rocky Mountain area. I was

in such bad shape at that time that I refused even to go into Denver to see him, and chose instead to wait for a time in early August, when he would be in Boulder. He interviewed me for nearly two hours, and finally said something to the effect that I was a perfect textbook example of someone suffering from extreme biological depression (he even would have liked a videotape of the interview). He then said ``I will predict, with a 95% confidence level, that it will be possible to obtain at least a 90% remission of your illness''. I was too

worn out to respond emotionally, and I said only ``I don't believe you'', to which he replied ``O.K., don't believe me; just do what I tell you to do.'' He prescribed new medication, and I promised to take it.

And so I did. In the next three weeks I began to experience an improvement in my physical state, but not in my mental state. Dr. Grace said this was typical, but she also stressed the danger: I still felt bad enough mentally to want to kill myself, but now I also had the physical energy to follow through. She wanted to hospitalize me, but I refused. I was afraid of being confined, and didn't want to be further stigmatized by having spent time in a mental hospital. Looking

back I realize that she was right and I was wrong. But she accepted my decision, and showed by example what she meant by the ``therapeutic alliance'' between victim and doctor, an alliance that both of us believed in and worked hard for.


Basically she went to the wall with me in each of our sessions during that critical time, each time getting me to agree/promise/pledge that no matter what I would return for our next scheduled visit. She was buying time; and I could see that her strategy was working. I could also see the cost to her of buying that time for me. I am eternally grateful to her for being willing to pay that price; there is no way I can ever repay her.

In what still seems like a miracle to me, I went to bed on Saturday night, August 30, 1986 still suicidal, feeling absolutely at the end of my rope, and woke up Sunday morning, not only not depressed, but even mildly manic. The medication had finally worked! I immediately called Dr. Grace, who said ``Fine! Now we can start you on lithium.'' The depression had been broken! I was feeling good for the first time in nine months. My sojourn in hell was over. Perhaps it wasn't going to be necessary for me to die after all! Thus began a period of rehabilitation and reconstruction that continues to this day. I am not

``cured''; the underlying causes of the illness are still there. In the

following months I had many ``ups'' and ``downs'', gradually decreasing in amplitude. But I was clearly in remission, and I had every reason to suppose I could stay there. In the following year Dr. Grace and I worked intensively at straightening out many psychological problems that had built up over a lifetime of fighting bipolar disorder on my own. I will describe some aspects of that work later. Years later, Dr. Grace said of August 1986, ``It was a close call.

And at the time I wasn't at all sure we were going to make it.'' But we did; and as Shakespeare said, all's well that ends well.

Unfortunately, as mentioned above there are no ``cures'' for the affective disorders. All the doctors can promise is a remission. I went along quite well from 1987 until the beginning of 1996, when the pendulum swung the other way, and I became severely manic. Instead of mild hypomania as I had experienced before, this time I had the full-scale disease; full mania is to hypomania as a tiger is to a house cat. I had stopped seeing my psychiatrist frequently because I believed that the medical regimen I was on would continue to work as it ``always'' had in the past. And as I became more manic, I felt ``better and

better'', and more convinced that there was nothing wrong. In reality, lithium was failing to be an effective antimanic medication for me, and I was making disasterous decisions in my life: spending money wildly, having an affair, jeopardizing my profession. Fortunately, in the beginning of 1997, I had a serious automobile accident (which I attribute directly to the mania) which landed me in a hospital. I had a significant, but not life-threatening brain injury. I was eventually moved to a rehabilitation hospital. While there, my lithium got severely out of balance, and I went into a deep coma induced by

lithium toxicity. At the time I was in what my daughter later described as a ``floridly psychotic'' state, eyes closed, and screaming constantly in terror from the psychotic ``dreams'' or ``visions'' I was having. I barely survived.


Once the reason for my psychotic manic state was recognized, it was brought under control with a new, vastly superior, medication, Depakote. So I have been ``cut with both edges of the sword'', and I have learned to respect this slippery illness even more than before. Even then, by the end of 1997 my brain chemistry had been so altered by Depakote instead of lithium that my old anti-depressant failed, and I again became suicidal (though not as bad as in 1986). But this time I had the wisdom to put myself in the hospital (stigma notwithstanding!) in order to make a safe transition from my old anti-depressant to the new one. That worked out beautifully.

II. MOOD DISORDERS AS PHYSICAL ILLNESSES

In this essay we will explore the nature of depression and bipolar disorder as physical illnesses of an organ of the body, known as the brain, which manifest themselves through mental symptoms (see definition on p. 8) in the magnificently complex set of internal experiences we call our mind. I will touch briefly on

causes, symptoms, treatment, suicide, impact on family and friends; my focus will be primarily on understanding these aspects of the problem. In addition, I will touch on the issues of self-help and support groups, stigma, public policy, and hope for the future. But the reader must be aware that what I write here is unabashedly devoted to the treatment of the physical aspects of depression and bipolar disorder. The process of healing one's psyche (i.e. one's internal feelings about oneself and the world) after successful medication moves the

brain's physiology into the normal range is barely mentioned; it is discussed in my companion essay ``Depression and Spiritual Growth" (see Bibliography). Both aspects of the recovery/rebuilding process are critical for sustained growth and wellness of victims of these illnesses.

A. Causes

The ultimate causes of depression and bipolar disorder are not yet known. But over the years a number of hypotheses, theories, or ``models'' have been advanced as possible explanations of these illnesses; some of them have proven to be much more useful in treating the illnesses than others. Some of the earliest work was done by Sigmund Freud, who tried to fit the mood disorders into the framework of ``psychoanalysis'', the talk-therapy technique he invented

to treat mental illness. He had some success treating some patients with mild to moderate depression, less success with people who were severely depressed, and essentially no success with people who suffered from bipolar disorder.

The latter illness he called a ``psychosis'', i.e. a very severe, and possibly permanent, mental disorder in his scheme of things.

The fact that Freud, one of the most brilliant, creative, and insightful of the talk-therapists of all time, got such poor results treating the severe mood disorders is very significant. It is strong evidence that he was using the wrong therapeutic approach; that these

illnesses in their most severe forms don't respond to manipulation of our thoughts, but require more direct medical intervention.

Freud's picture of the causes of the mood disorders is quite fanciful and misleading in the light of modern knowledge. But his pioneering methods were essentially the only therapeutic procedures available until the development of useful psychiatric medications starting in the 1950's and onward. Since that time there has been a rapid increase in the number of medications that can be used to treat depression and bipolar disorder effectively. Today, therapy using these medications has largely displaced psychoanalysis for the severe mood disorders. Even though methods based on a psychopharmacological model are often

preferred today, results are usually obtained if treatment with medication is combined with one of the modern forms of talk-therapy (usually quite different from Freudian psychoanalysis). Once medication permits the brain to function again within the normal range, it is necessary for almost all victims to go through a carefully-guided, and extensive, period of healing and rebuilding. The fruits of these efforts are frequently stupendous; the victim finds him/herself

feeling well, sometimes for the very first time in their lives!

Our basic picture of brain function today is that cognition, memory, and our moods all result from constant passing back and forth of electrical impulses through the extremely complex network of nerve cells that permeates the brain.

There is a large body of convincing experimental evidence that this picture is correct, and recently a great deal of theoretical work has allowed researchers to begin to simulate the behavior of this network with computers. If the message-passing process, neurotransmission, is broken, interrupted, diverted to the wrong place, then the transmission of information from one point in the brain to another where it is needed, fails. In some cases this loss may be inconsequential; in others it may cause a massive failure of the system: loss of

memory, misinterpretation of reality or inability to perceive reality, or inappropriate mood. The crucial nexus in the message passing process occurs in a small gap, the synapse, between the extremities of nerve cells, which do not quite touch. The ``firing'' of one cell excites a complex biochemical and biophysical reaction in the synapse, and chemical messengers flood across the synapse from the exciting cell to the receiving cell. The receiving cell, in turn, passes the message on by initiating the same process at the next synapse.


If anything goes wrong with this mechanism, if a nerve doesn't fire, if the chemical soup in the synapse is not exactly right, if the receiving cell doesn't respond correctly to the chemical messengers, then message transmission is disrupted. Depending on where and how the interruption occurs, we will experience one or more incorrect psychic phenomena in our minds; if the errors become large, we experience mental illness. In summary, in this model, we say that one suffers from ``mental illness'' when a definite set of physical/chemical disorders in the physical organ we call the brain causes us to experience abnormal and undesirable behavior of the complex phenomenon (which

includes awareness, mood, abstract reasoning, thinking, ...) which we call our mind.

The appropriateness of the title of this section now becomes apparent, and we shall henceforth adopt the model that major mental illness results from one or more serious defects in the neurotransmission process (and perhaps other brain processes as well, not yet fully understood). Indeed, in the case of schizophrenia and the major dementias (e.g. Alzheimer's) there is a great deal of evidence that over a period of time the brain suffers severe damage and/or

deterioration internally, again the result of (unknown) physical mechanisms. In other words, we will view the mentally ill brain as being, in a sense, ``broken''. And the job of the physician and patient is to repair or overcome, if possible, the damage. At the present time this is best done using specific medications, which have been carefully tested and validated, to relieve the symptoms of the various mental illnesses. The ultimate cause of these failures of brain function is not yet known. Some research strongly indicates that the

problem is genetic; that it is programmed into the DNA of our bodies at birth, an unfortunate inheritance from our parents. That, if true, has a sinister ring because it means some of us are ``doomed'' to the disease no matter who we are, or what we do. On the other hand it would also mean that at some point in the future in may be possible to eliminate the problem at or before birth, using rapidly progressing recombinant DNA techniques. Or it may be that the brain can

be damaged by physical or chemical influences from its environment. The jury is still out on these questions.


One important conclusion to be drawn on the basis of the biological model of mental illness described above is that mental illness is not the result of a failure of will, or of the desire to be well. Countless mentally ill people have had to suffer both the ravages of the disease, and the scorn of an uncomprehending society, a doubly cruel injury. One of my strongest hopes for the future is that all people who have CMI, and society at large, can learn that mental illness is illness in the ordinary medical sense, and deserves to be treated with as much respect and compassion as any other illness. Indeed, a workable metaphor for bipolar disorder is that in many ways it is a condition

something like diabetes. That is, the illness can cause major disability, or even death (through suicide), and it may well be permanent in many cases. But at the same time, it responds well to medication, and if the victim takes his/her medication faithfully, he/she can lead an essentially normal life. I have known several courageous diabetics who manage to lead productive and satisfying lives; and I know an increasing number of courageous people who have CMI who do so also.

The ``bipolar'' and ``unipolar'' designations have the advantage of being linguistically neutral, emphasizing the fact that the victim has a ``disorder'', i.e. illness, rather than that he/she is ``manic'' and/or ``depressed''. This is a fine linguistic point perhaps, but an important one, especially when most people in society don't distinguish between the words ``manic'' and ``maniac''.


In any event, remember that all these terms are only metaphors (as are all the terms of medical science); use them when they are useful, but don't feel bound to them in the face of a more complex reality.

B. Symptoms and Signs

In medical parlance a ``symptom'' is a description of how the illness feels to the person experiencing it (``the view from the inside''), and a ``sign'' is a result of the illness that a physician can see or measure (``the view from the outside''). Both are important in discussions of mental illness because the person with a mental illness often has a seriously impaired ability to notice and assess the significance of the symptoms he/she experiences.

Good descriptions of the signs and symptoms of mood disorders can be found in the books listed in the Bibliography at the end of this essay. I will quote briefly from the book Moodswing, using the mood scale given on p. 203. On this scale one assigns an index of 45 - 55 to ``normal moods''. Depression ranges downward to 0, and mania ranges upward to 100. Consider depression first:


At 40 the victim's mood is mildly depressed. He/she feels ``bad'', lacks energy and motivation, feels slowed down, lacks optimism, gets little pleasure, and has decreased sex drive.
At 30 the victim is moderately depressed. Has severe loss of energy, takes little or no interest in events or other people. Has difficulty leaving bed, but can function with considerable effort. Typically doesn't want to go to work, but can force him/herself to do so. Feels life is not worthwhile. Little sexual interest.
At 20 the victim has severe depression. Can take care of daily routine, but only with constant prodding and reminding. Very withdrawn. Shows significant gain or loss of weight. Has a serious sleep disorder. Volunteers suicidal feelings. May be unreasonably suspicious.
At 10 the victim has extreme depression. Actively suicidal. Typically totally withdrawn, but may also be extremely agitated. Has difficulty rating self on the mood scale.
Level 0 is a medical emergency. Victim is suicidal. Stuporous, stares into space, gives little or no response to questioning, delusional. Unable to take medication or eat; may require tube feeding. Requires immediate hospitalization.
The descriptions given are comprehensive in the sense that one or more of the symptoms will be experienced by most depressed people, but typically not all of them will be experienced by any one person. From 30 on downward the victim absolutely needs treatment by a psychiatrist or a physician familiar with mental illness. Before 1985, my worst depressions were about 35 on this scale. At the bottom of my 1985/86 crash I got down to about 10 or 15. There is a huge difference in how one feels at 35 and at 10 or 15. Depressed people are often extremely dependent. In some cases, they become quite narcissistic; that is, they focus only on their own needs, and can be quite demanding that they get met. If one has been in a depressive state for a long time, then moving beyond this tendency towards narcissism becomes a major goal in the healing process after the basic chemical imbalance in the brain is corrected.

Now consider mania. Mania often goes unrecognized by its victims, who generally ''feel good'', indeed often very good, and therefore may not accept that they have an illness. They will often attribute its symptoms to other causes, and deny that they have a problem.

At 60 the victim experiences a mildly elevated mood, feels wonderful, has an increased sexual drive, wants to spend money and travel. Is hyperperceptive, mentally agile, verbally fluent. Has a flood of creative ideas for new projects. May be mildly obtrusive. At this level, treatment may not be necessary or desirable unless the negative aspects are troublesome to the victim or his/her companions.

At 70, one feels moderate mania. Excessive talkativeness and noticeable overactivity and restlessness. Victim is socially inappropriate, and typically wants to control people and events around him/her. Often irritable and annoyed. Needs only 4 - 6 hours of sleep, sometimes skips a night's sleep altogether. Treatment is needed.

At 80, severe mania. Victim is sleeping very little, acts out of control, can be hostile when crossed. Treatment is needed, but will be resisted. Should be hospitalized, but when in hospital wants to sign out of the ward.

At 90, extreme mania. Victim is out of control, can't rate self on mood disorder scale, totally uncooperative. Urgently needs medication and controlled environment.

At 100, medical emergency. Victim is wildly overactive, may be psychotic (``crazy''). Can't stop talking, incoherent belligerent. Not sleeping at all. May be hallucinating and delusional. May be paranoid (inappropriately suspicious) or violent. Hospitalization is mandatory.

One aspect of mania is that the victim can be extremely egocentric, again to the point of narcissism, but unlike a depressed person, may actively, indeed even violently, seek control. It is then that they are likely to create severe problems for those around them, and even become dangerous. Giving up this need for control is one of the major problems faced, by people who have been manic, in their process of psychic healing, after their medical condition has successfully been dealt with.



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From: George M Sent: 6/20/2003 4:11 PM
It is an astonishing fact that the totally opposite feelings of mania and depression result from the same underlying biochemical disorder in the brain.

Yet the clinical evidence is compelling, because it is found that the same medication, lithium, that controls mania will sometimes control depression in people suffering from bipolar affective disorder. It is also interesting that mania, at least hypomania or very moderate mania, is likely to be untreated because the victim seemingly feels good. Indeed, most mildly manic people will strongly resist treatment; the problems they encounter from bad judgment or financial indiscretions (expenditures far beyond the victim's total assets) seem to be outweighed by the pleasant experience of elevated energy, feelings of well being, enhanced mental capacity, and feelings of omnipotence or of being God.

Whereas a severely depressed person is typically passive, quiet, and relatively undemanding, a manic person can be a constant source of disturbance, and a severely manic person can even be physically dangerous. Before 1996, I never got above 70 on the above scale. But in 1996-1997 I was up to 90; I urgently belonged in a hospital!

Whereas almost everyone has at least a notion of what depression is, fewer people are familiar with mania. Whether by design or by coincidence, a very good description of what bipolar disorder feels like from the inside is given in the remarkable book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. This

bestseller accurately describes both extreme depression, and moderate mania.

Anyone who has experienced mania will recognize the obsessive thought patterns of the character Phaedrus (``the wolf''), and in the fluent mental discourses of the narrator in his ``Chautauquas''.

Someone suffering from bipolar affective disorder swings back and forth between mania and depression, sometimes with intervening periods of normality, sometimes not. In some cases people experience fairly regular swings up and down; in others they seem to be random. Likewise the intervals between swings, and the amplitudes of the swings may be very irregular, may or show a recognizable pattern. There are no general rules of thumb that one can rely upon. However, in

the case of unipolar depression it seems that as the victim's age increases, the time interval between successive episodes of depression tends to decrease, each episode tends to lengthen, and the depth of the depression increases. This is not a pretty picture for it implies that without treatment there is a chance of slipping into a more or less permanent state of depression later in life.

Indeed, this is what happened to my father. We had no knowledge about clinical depression and its treatment at the time, but in retrospect it is clear that he became chronically depressed at about age 50, and for the remaining 20 years of his life slowly sunk deeper and deeper into the morass of serious depression. At the time, relatively little was known about treating depression, so it is uncertain how much he might have improved with the treatment available then. As it was, during the last 20 years of his life he was miserable. I strongly suspect that if he could have had access to present-day treatment his misery could have been avoided. The ultimate danger to severely depressed people is

that there comes a day when they can't bear the ``pain'' any more, and they commit suicide. We will discuss suicide more fully later on.

C. Treatment

As has been mentioned several times above, the most effective tools available for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder are medications (i.e. drugs). Nevertheless, many victims of these illnesses are often concerned and confused about taking medication, and therefore resist treatment. From my experience with hundreds of people who have CMI, I have concluded this resistance originates from two erroneous ideas. First, there is a confusion of therapeutic psychiatric medication with illegal psychoactive ``street drugs''.

Anyone beginning treatment with psychiatric medication needs to understand clearly that there is no more connection between the former and the latter than there is between a Greyhound bus and a miller moth. The street drugs are chosen because they interfere with normal operation of the brain and produce abnormal and often bizarre mental responses. They actually destroy normal brain function, and if abused in sufficient quantity for sufficient time, can lead to injury or even death. In contrast, psychiatric medication has been very carefully chosen, perhaps even ``designed'', to restore normal brain function to the greatest

extent possible. They are very carefully tested for efficacy and safety. Only after passing a rigorous review procedure are they released for public use.

Subsequent to release, their performance is continuously monitored as they are used in thousands to millions of doses each year. In short, one need not have any fear whatsoever that psychiatric medication will have the same harmful effects as illegal street drugs.

Second, many potential users are fearful that psychiatric medication will degrade or interfere with their mental abilities. These fears are rarely a problem for people with deep depression (who basically will do anything reasonable to gain release from the depression), but often are quite strong for people who are mildly to moderately manic because those people feel ``good'', and believe that they have superior mental (and sometimes physical) abilities and performance. These people don't want anyone tinkering with their ``mind''.


They need to be convinced and reassured that controlling their mania will not degrade their intelligence, insight, cognitive and learning abilities; I can vouch first-hand for this statement. What they will lose is speed: the same tasks take a little longer. But those tasks will typically be done more carefully. It's a tradeoff: one loses the manic sense of speed and power, but one also is no longer driven obsessively, scattered by dozens of intrusive ideas

and thoughts. And one loses the sense of isolation that characterizes mania because one is unable to make meaningful person-to-person contact with those around oneself. For me, the manic state always produced the sensation of my seeming to be living in someone else's mind, or someone else living in mine.


That is an unpleasant experience. I am more than happy to sacrifice manic ``facility'' in order to get rid of the other unpleasant, threatening, and

destructive aspects of mania.

A final remark about meds: I cannot stress too strongly that the success rate for controlling depression and bipolar disorder with medication is quite high.

We don't have perfect ``cures'' yet, but we are clearly well along the right track.

Thus far I have mentioned only medication. There is an alternative treatment for extreme depression, used when other methods have failed or when there is an urgent need to achieve results quickly (e.g. the victim has tried to commit suicide). This is known as electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT for short. ECT generally has a bad image with most people, probably because of grim portrayals of ``shock therapy'' they have seen in old movies. As it is employed today, ECT is a simple, painless, safe technique which is astonishingly effective in

breaking severe depression. To prepare for a treatment the patient is given a muscle relaxant (to avoid damage when muscular contraction occurs in response to the mild electric current applied), and is partially sedated to relieve anxiety.

Then a low-power electric current is directed into the brain for a carefully controlled period of time (seconds). When the patient recovers from sedation, he/she feels no pain, and typically has no memory of the procedure. Usually several treatments are given over a short period of days. No one knows in detail why this method works at all, let alone so well. One can speculate that perhaps the applied current disrupts totally the existing pattern of electrical activity

within the brain, and forces it to start all over from the beginning in the correct pattern, much like pressing the ``reset'' button on a PC. The worst side effect of the method is a temporary loss of memory. Usually short-term memory is affected more than long-term memory. Most people recover most or all of the lost memory over a period of time, but some suffer some permanent memory loss.


I would like to close the discussion of treatment with a few words about fighting back. If you have the misfortune to experience a deep depression, at first you will feel as if a large truck has run over you. You may be extremely unhappy, confused, apathetic, exhausted, and feel helpless. As your therapy makes progress, you should begin to feel better. But it is not enough to leave it up to the pills and your physician. People get better faster when they are not just passive, but instead actively resist. The point is that, if you let it,

the illness will destroy any enjoyment you might get in your life. Just as surely as you would resist someone trying to injure or kill you physically, it is essential that you resist the ravages of depression. A very typical pattern of recovery is that the victim begins to experience a gentle lifting of his/her mood, day by day, week by week. Unfortunately it often happens that along this long-term rise one will experience a number of temporary ``dips'' back downward to a lower mood level. When this happens, the victim often feels as if he/she

has just plummeted all the way back down to the bottom, and begins to doubt the efficacy of the therapy, and may begin to despair (``Will this never end?!'').


Eventually one learns to trust what is going on, and to understand that the setback is only temporary -- a day or two. But this kind of backslide can be very demoralizing, and it is important to have methods you can use to fight actively the discouragement and mental paralysis that might ensue. Thus it is very important for you and your physician to consult, as early into treatment as possible, about what you can do to make yourself feel better. For example:

exercise programs; meditation; keeping a journal; community service;

participation in activist groups; socializing with family and friends;

participation in church activities. I have used all these methods to very good effect. Daily jogging keeps the body fit, and better able to fight on your side than if it is out of shape.

A final word: one should never forget that after a severe incident of depression or bipolar disorder, one is, at best, only in remission; it is not a cure. It is therefore essential to stay in contact with one's psychiatrist, so that he/she can monitor one's behavior through regular observation. You need to work out a definite timetable for regular visits; I personally recommend that they should be no less frequent than once a month, but this a question to be worked out with

your doctor.



Reply
Recommend Delete Message 3 of 5 in Discussion

From: George M Sent: 6/20/2003 4:12 PM
D. Suicide

No discussion of severe depression is complete without a mention of suicide. Let us first ask ``Why do people suicide? Why do they want to die?''. Many studies of this question have been made through interviews of people who have attempted suicide, but failed (or were ``rescued''), and people who intended to commit suicide, but found a compelling reason not to. The very clear answer that emerges is that people who attempt suicide do not actually want to die, but rather have reached a point where their present life is unendurable any longer, and they see

no way to change it.

Under these circumstances suicide is viewed as the lesser of two evils: a quick, clean, relatively painless death in the face of death by a slow, grim, grinding misery. Let me emphasize again that suicide cannot be viewed as a ``positive'' act fulfilling a ``death wish'', but rather as a final, abject, act of despair and defeat. There are hundreds of known cases where asuicide failed either because what the victim did didn't work (it is actually not very easy to kill oneself painlessly!) or because someone else intervened in

time; almost always the person who made the attempt will say ``Thank God. I'm glad it didn't work; maybe I still have a chance.'' I remember lying on the Kona beach of Hawaii in the first week of January 1988, thinking ``Hey! This is pretty nice! I'm really glad my plan to shoot myself two years ago didn't work out! I would have missed this!'' And now I quietly, but happily, observe the anniversary of that event every year.

Of course, severe depression fits the description given above perfectly. If depression becomes severe enough, for long enough, there comes the day when anyone will think ``I can't stand this any longer. And I'm not going to get over it ever. I'm a failure at everything, and I'm a drag on my family and friends. There is really only one sensible way out.'' If this line of thinking is followed to its logical conclusion it represents certain death. It also represents a terrible defeat both for the victim, and for society, because in the case of depression, in particular, there is a good chance that his/her life

can be improved, with treatment, at least to the point where it is no longer unendurable. For this reason, when a depressed person starts talking about suicide, he/she should be considered to be in a medical emergency, and medical intervention is urgent! If you ever find yourself considering suicide, and you don't have a regular doctor, and you don't know how to get help, call the crisis line in your community; almost all communities have one; if one doesn't exist,

then when all else fails call 911.

But get help. Fast!

The same applies if you are in the person's family or are a friend.

One of the first lines of defense against suicide is the crisis line. The dedicated people who man those lines lead a difficult life. They know that they are fighting to save someone's life, often when that person is unable or unwilling to provide straight answers to questions and may even be fighting against the process of rescue. This is a difficult job and a terrible responsibility. We should all remember crisis line workers as people who routinely perform ``above and beyond the call of duty''. There is no question that these services save many lives every year. The service provided by a crisis line isn't just superficial talking with the caller, trying to reassure him/her.

If the caller is talking suicide, the person taking the call will try to make an assessment of how acute the emergency is: is the caller just feeling very bad, and needs to talk about it, or is he/she ready to do the act now? The methods vary from place to place, but in our community the caller will be asked a series of questions, each probing the next higher level of emergency. It goes something like this:

Do you have a plan for how you will kill yourself? If the caller doesn't even have a plan, then it is unlikely that the emergency is extreme. Clearly he/she still needs help, but maybe not this very minute.
Do you have the means to carry out your plan? That is, do you have the gun, the pills, the garage you can close and run your car in, the bridge to jump off, ....whatever. If the means exist, then the plan can be executed. The next thing to establish is whether it will be executed.
Do you know how to use the means you have selected? That is, do you know how to load the gun and pull the trigger, do you know how many pills are lethal, and so on. If you don't, then the plan is less likely to work; but if you do, we have a crisis.
Do you have the will to do it? Some people can get everything ready, but at the last moment can't bear to think of themselves covered with blood, crumpled and broken, or whatever.
Is there anything that can change your mind? Sometimes people attach ``contingencies'' to the plan of death: e.g. if some loss can be recovered (girlfriend, husband, job, etc.) Or sometimes they won't carry out their plan until some other event occurs (e.g. ailing parent dies). The existence of such a condition buys time: time to get help to the caller.
Are you ready to do it now? This is the bottom line. If the conversation has gotten this far, the crisis is extreme, and help should be on the way. This will often be a police car and an ambulance. The person answering the call now has two tasks: (a) keeping the caller talking, no matter what, and (b) telling him/her that help is on the way, describing what will happen when it gets there so that the caller won't panic and pull the trigger when someone knocks on the door.
There is more to it than this, but this gives the flavor. As you can see, crisis line operators lead a stressful life, and they feel the loss keenly when the procedure ``fails'' (or was it the caller?), and help doesn't get there in time.

The gift they give to humanity through their compassion is incalculable.

There are other complicating factors.


(a) Physical illness: Sometimes suicide is the response to a terminal illness or a chronic condition that is very painful. I have lost a couple of good friends this way. From those limited data I can't help but believe that depression is implicated too, and that if the depression these individuals experienced because of their illness had been treated, they would have been able to go on, at least

for a while longer. A particularly tragic case touched our self-help group in 1992. One of our members was afflicted with both epilepsy and severe depression. The medication for his depression made the epilepsy worse; the medication for the epilepsy made his depression worse. He was caught, and the doctors weren't helping; worse, he couldn't afford to see a doctor anyway. He lived alone on Social Security, and had no family or friends. One evening he described his situation and, in essence, gave positive answers to the questions listed above.

If we had known then the significance of what he was telling us, we would have gotten him to a hospital. But we didn't. He killed himself the following week.

We all felt bad, guilty, and responsible for a while. Then we resolved that we would inform ourselves so that the same tragedy would not occur again. We are ready.

(b) Old age: Age is a definite factor in suicide resulting from depression. A young or middle-aged person may be willing to tough it out even untreated because they figure the odds of recovery are on their side, and that they will have plenty of life after recovery (they always assume that the depression will go away completely). But an older person, again untreated, may feel that it's all over, that there's nothing worth living for at that point. Or he/she may

have been through the depression mill one or more times earlier in their life, and can't face the prospect of going through it again (this was the case with the brilliant author Virginia Woolf).

(c) Young people: The suicide rate is also high during the late teens and early twenties. Many studies have been made to determine why the rate is so high in this group, and many books have been written on this subject. One fact that emerges is that the victims very frequently are caught up in crises resulting from adjustment problems related to romance, sex, pregnancy, conflicts with parents, and so on. However, there may well be a serious underlying biological depression as well, which, while not as obvious as the emotional conflicts, is nevertheless quite capable of being deadly. Thus for young people, both biological and psychological causative agents may be present, and both require

expert care. In many cases this treatment can be very effective.

People considering suicide often examine their life in agonizingly minute detail. In doing so, they will recall many sides of their life long forgotten.

Unfortunately, because they are in a very negative frame of mind because of acute depression, they will almost invariably discount what is ``good'', and attach special importance to what is ``bad''. Skilled psychiatric intervention can often play a beneficial role in by helping the victim to gain a more balanced, favorable, picture, and reminding him/her constantly of the bias induced by the biochemical imbalance in his/her brain. But sometimes none of this works, and the victim moves on a smaller and smaller orbit around the black hole called suicide. At some point he/she may become defensive about the desire to die, well before it reaches an actual decision to die. There may result a

``Mexican standoff'' with the victim resisting efforts to help him/her.



Reply
Recommend Delete Message 4 of 5 in Discussion

From: George M Sent: 6/20/2003 4:12 PM
I. Hope

In this short discussion it has been impossible to touch on many facets of mental illness. But I think I have told you enough for you to have at least some kind of picture of what is involved in terms of disruption, pain, and loss in human lives from these terrible diseases. I would like to close this essay on a note of hope. While some people with mood disorders are refractory (i.e. don't respond well to treatment), an ever-increasing fraction do respond as the spectrum of available medications widens. Furthermore a great deal of progress

on finding the root mechanisms of depression and bipolar disorder is being made through medical research. Every year important new insights are gained, and occasionally we make a breakthrough. There is every reason to believe that these programs, adequately supported, will continue to make significant progress, and eventually lead to very effective therapies, possibly even real cures. The remark about ``adequately supported'' is key. Here NAMI has provided a very

effective focus for both private funding through its research ``sibling'' NARSAD (National Association for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders), and by lobbying continuously for increased federal support of NIMH (National Institutes for Mental Health) and NIH (National Institutes for Health). One other area should be mentioned: legislation affecting those who have CMI.


For too long the problems of chronic mental illness have been kept in a locked closet. But that is changing as both victims and their families and friends see that effective treatment is now possible, while all too often finding, at the same time, that their access to those treatments is thwarted by arbitrary administrative rules, or simple lack of publicly supported facilities. In today's world this state of affairs is no longer acceptable. Coherent, effective efforts are needed to change laws that discriminate unjustly against the chronically mentally ill, and to develop new legislation that will (finally!) provide the services actually required to meet their needs. Again, NAMI and

NDMDA (the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association) and their state and local affiliates are leading the way.

J. Organizations

I urge everyone who is interested in eliminating the mood disorders and other mental illnesses to join NAMI and NDMDA. Information about state and local chapters of NAMI and NDMDA can be obtained from theirnational headquarters.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)

Colonial Place Three

2107 Wilson Boulevard

Suite 300

Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: (703) 524-7600

HelpLine: (800) 950-6264

National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association (NDMDA)

730 N. Franklin Street

Suite 501

Chicago, IL 60610-7204

Phone: (800) 826-3632 and (312) 642-0049


III. BIBLIOGRAPHY


The Good News About Depression. By M.S. Gold. Villard Books, New York. 1987.
This is an excellent nontechnical discussion of depression as a biochemical illness, and the modern approach to its treatment. It covers most of the main topics in a very readable style. In addition to a useful list of references to the literature, it contains an extremely valuable list of biopsychiatrists (i.e. psychiatrists who work with the medical/biological model of depression)in the U.S.
From Sad To Glad. By N.S. Kline. Ballantine Books, New York. 1974. Another fine book in the same genre as ``Moodswing''. Kline's point of view is different enough from Fieve's to make the book worth reading. Unfortunately the book is getting old, and doesn't reflect the recent explosion in knowledge about effective drugs for depression and bipolar disorder. Even so it is definitely worth reading.
The Broken Brain. By N.C. Andreasen. Harper & Row, Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. 1984. A remarkable guide to most of the major mental illnesses from the point of view of brain function, brain chemistry, and the biophysics of neurotransmission, all rendered in clear nontechnical language (the author was a professor of English before she became a research psychiatrist!). This hopeful account of modern research on mental illnesses and their cure is required reading for any who are touched in some way by mental illness.
Manic-Depressive Illness. By F.K. Goodwin and K.R. Jamison. Oxford University Press. 200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. 1990. This massive tome (900 pages!) is destined to become the ``Bible'' on depression and bipolar disorder. It is authoritative and comprehensive, covering almost every imaginable topic relating to these illnesses. It contains over 100 pages of references to both the nontechnical and research literature on the subject.
Lithium Encyclopedia For Clinical Practice 2nd ed. By J.W. Jefferson, J.H. Greist, D.L. Ackerman, and J.A. Carroll. American Psychiatric Press, Inc. 1400 K Street N.W., Washington, DC 20005. 1987. This is the definitive book on the use of lithium in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. The book covers animmense range of topics: the action of lithium, its interaction with other drugs, its effects on other conditions, side effects, and practical advice for its use. Everyone coping with bipolar disorder will find this book a very good addition to their home library.
The Essential Guide To Psychiatric Drugs. By J.M. Gorman. St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. 1990. An excellent up-to-date discussion of the common psychiatric drugs (for all illnesses, not just depression and bipolar disorder). It gives an thorough account of what each specific medication does, how treatment should be tailored to special cases (e.g. to the elderly), information about side effects, and tips on treatment management. It also provides you the information and vocabulary you need in order to discuss medication effectively with your doctor. Everyone should own this book.
Celebrate Your Self. By D.C. Briggs. Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York. 1977. This book is unlike any other on the list; it is a handbook for the enhancement of the reader's self-esteem. My own opinion is that the book would not likely be of much help to someone with a severe chronic biogenic depression requiring medical intervention (i.e. medication). But once suitable medication is found to bring the medical problem under control, and the victim back into the more-or-less normal range, this is an excellent book for one seeking to rebuild (or even find for the first time!) his/her self-esteem. It is a book worth reading and rereading many times.
Depression and Spiritual Growth. By D. Mihalas. 2002. This essay, by me, expresses the view, based on my own experience, that despite the pure misery of a period of deep depression, it can be a time when one can gain deep personal insights, and can experience profound spiritual growth. As a result, one may emerge from this terrible time as a new person, stronger, and better able to deal with the world.
Quick Reference To The Diagnostic Criteria From The DSM-III-R. American Psychiatric Association, 1400 K Street N.W., Washington, DC 20005. 1987.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dimitri Mihalas was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1939. He majored in astronomy, mathematics, and physics at UCLA, receiving his B. A. with highest honors in 1959. He received his Ph.D. in astronomy and physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1963.

He first attended Quaker Meeting in Boulder, Colorado in 1974. By 1976 he became a convinced Friend, and joined the Boulder Monthly Meeting, which is still his home meeting despite the fact that he now lives in northern New Mexico.

He has taught and done research at Princeton University, the University of Chicago, the University of Colorado, and the University of Illinois, where he was the George C. McVittie Professor of Astronomy for 13 years. He worked for many years as a Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and was an Astronomer at the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. Currently he is a physicist with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

He is the author or coauthor of over 150 technical papers, 7 books on physics and astrophysics, coeditor of 4 volumes on astrophysics, and 7 chapbooks of poetry. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society (a recipient of the Helen B. Warner Prize, and currently serving on the Council) and the International Astronomical Union (formerly President of Commission 36, ``Theory of Stellar Atmospheres"). He was elected to the U. S. National Academy of

Sciences in 1981, and belongs to the sections on Astronomy and Physics.



Reply
Recommend Delete Message 5 of 5 in Discussion

From: George M Sent: 6/20/2003 4:12 PM
I have long suspected that manic depressive and bi-polar disorders play a vital role in "Terrorism". The poverty stricken masses of Al-Alam and Dar-al-Salaam are:

An ideal environment for the occurrence of these mental conditions
A region where these conditions have gone undiagnosed and un-treated for decades and longer
A sub-strata of the human race where these mental disorders have been genetically passed on over thousands of years resulting in some very sick folks
An area in which these conditions are NOT EVEN KNOWN ABOUT by ‘medical personnel’, or IF THEY ARE KNOWN are ignored entirely (due to simple medical ignorance, malfeasance or an inability to realize treatment)
A part of the world where CHRONIC DRUG ABUSE, RAMPANT (though normally well-hidden) HOMOSEXUALITY and BESTIALITY exacerbates the feeling of guilt, shame and worthlessness
A geographical area in which a ubiquitous societal sense of "Shame" only encourages the further downward spiral of depression leading to eventual self-destruction
A part of the world where the LEADERSHIP ITSELF IS IN DENIAL OF THESE SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES (or simply unaware of them)
I am an alcoholic – and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 19 years now – sober for the same amount. Over that time, I have had the good fortune of helping hundreds of other alcoholics and drug users – many who suffer from these depressive disorders. My last drink was in 1984.

I can also tall you a lot about severe depression and suicide:

I still beat the scars of a suicide attempt at 17 on my wrists: but I did NOT WISH TO DIE – it was a cry for help. It took me almost another 20 years to get that HELP and GET SOBER but, thanks to my Higher Power and the God-given Program of AA I have been sober for many years.

I have seen three friends in AA (more like around AA) commit suicide – one of them a 17 year old girls just two years ago.

I have seen about 12 friends in AA Die SOBER – one a dear lady friend, my Connie F (I love ya Connie!) who tried for 35 years to "Get it" – and thank God she finally DID – three weeks before she died.

The "Ghettos" of Palestine are INCUBATORS FOR THESE MENTAL DISORDERS
The DEPLORABLE RATES OF ILLITERACY in the Arab World add fuel to the fire
The cumulative effects of these diseases over many generations often leads to SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE which is often genetically linked (inherited) and cumulative
The CRAVEN IRRESPONSIBILITY OF ARAB LEADERS IN NOT FACING THESE VERY INDISPUTABLE ISSUES IS SIMPLY DEPLORABLE
There are TENS OF MILLIONS (if not hundreds) in the Arab lands that suffer from these mental disorders

Most of the "Terrorists" are JUST VERY SICK PUPPIES – these guys ARE NO MARTYRS – they don’t have the MENTAL CAPACITY TO MAKE ANY RESPONSIBLE DECSIONS!

The "Leaders" of groups like Al-Qaeda, Hamas, the Murder Brigade, Islamic Jihad, Hizbullah and the rest of the "Terrorist" Groups (you can find a full listing at http://fbi.gov/terrorism) KNOW FULL WELL how sick these people are and HOW EASILY they can be SENT TO AN EARLY DEATH in order to SERVE THEIR OWN "Political" Goals (which if carefully examined are merely ‘economic’ – witness the "Corruption" of Arafart’s PLO and motivated by GREED ALONE!) with callous disregard for the lives lost.

These "Jihadists" HAVE GRADUATED TO FULL BLOWN CRIMINAL INSANITY!

The "Leaders" ("Political" AND "Religious") of these "countries" are GUILTY OF THE MOST AGRIEGIOUS SIN OF MORAL BANKRUPTCY by IGNORING THESE PROBLEMS FOR CENTURIES



Face up to it boys and girls:

WE ARE DEALING WITH MANY MILLIONS OF VERY SICK FOLKS HERE!


So what can be done? The answers are contained in this article and I’ll be presenting many, many more in the coming months. Remember though – before YOU CAN GET THE HELP YOU NEED::

YOU MUST ADMIT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!

Now if this has made sense to you, and you think you have a problem – contact us at:

http://www.aa.org

(For information on AA, NA, CA and substance abuse/addiction)

http://www.nami.org

(many good resources on mental illness)

http://mayoclinic.com

(a fantastic section for help with depressive disorders)

You can also contact the Illinois Department of Mental Health for additional information and referrals.

BUT GET HELP FOLKS!



God Bless America, Mr. George

Georgemvw69@hotmail.com

http://groups.msn.com/NeoConservativeRepublicatns/home.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neocons/

http://www.blogger.com/blog.pyra?blogid=5364250

HOMOSEXUALS PLOTTING WORLD DOMINANCE!
By Mr. George
Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Consider:

Heterosexual Society is Under Siege
By Henry Makow Ph.D.
June 15, 2003
(This updates "The Other Attack on Our Manhood"
Sept. 19,2001).
Heterosexuals came under attack again last week in
many places.
In Ontario, courts created a deep and contentious
national rift by granting gays permission to
legally marry. In Vancouver, parents narrowly
blocked homosexual activists from placing their
books in kindergarten classes.
In the U.S., the American Psychiatric Association
came under heavy pressure to remove pedophilia
from its list of mental disorders. Newsweek
featured same-sex couples attending their high
school proms. "Instead of sparking controversy,
schools are saying, what s the big deal?"
The campaign to change the heterosexual norm is
intensifying. Straights need to realize that they
are under siege from big government and big
business.
The majority of homosexuals are good people who
want to be left alone. Homosexual organizations,
however, are funded by elite foundations and
corporations to destabilize society by shredding
its heterosexual fabric. I will expand on the
reasons why next week.
Gay activists pretend they are seeking "tolerance"
and "equality." But privately they admit that
their hidden agenda is to reshape society in their
own image. They don't care how much harm they do.
"The end goal of the feminist revolution is the
elimination of the sex distinction itself," says
Shulamith Firestone (The Dialectic of Sex, 1972,
p.11)
"Heterosexual hegemony is being eroded," writes
Gary Kinsman. "The forms of sexuality considered
natural have been socially created and can be
socially transformed." (The Regulation of Desire:
Sexuality in Canada, 1987, p.219)
"In a free society, everyone will be gay," says
Allen Young, a pioneer of the Gay Liberation
Movement. (John D'Emilio, Intimate Matters: A
History of Sexuality in America, p.322)
"In one sense the right is right." says gay
historian Jonathan Katz: if gay and lesbian
liberationists ever achieve full equality, they
will do away with the social need for the
hetero/homo division. The secret of the most
moderate, mainstream gay and lesbian civil rights
movement is its radically transformative promise
(or threat, depending on your values). (The
Invention of Heterosexuality, 1995, p.188.)
Emphasis mine.
GAY-FEMINIST ONSLAUGHT
Gay and feminist activists find common ground
because they insist male-female distinctions are
artificial, ignoring all scientific evidence.
While many heterosexuals might consider themselves
"feminists", feminism is a homosexual movement. It
believes that men and women are not only equal but
also the same. Only social conditioning makes us
different. Homosexuality is love of the same. See
also "Playboy and the (Homo) Sexual Revolution."
Today, gay and feminist activists want "people" to
make love to "people" regardless of their sex.
They depict normal heterosexual behaviour as
pathological. Men are abusers and the heterosexual
family is oppressive. The way to social justice is
to abolish heterosexuality altogether. (Isn't this
"hate"?)
Illuminati-Marxism spawned both the Gay and
Woman's liberation movements by transferring
Marxist class conflict to gender. The "patriarchy"
(male-dominated heterosexual family) is the root
of all evil and must be destroyed ("transformed").
Women (the proletariat) and anyone else deemed
"oppressed" (gays, certain favoured minorities)
must be handed position and power on a silver
platter.
The Illuminati's "revolutionary" goal is the "new
world order" or authoritarian socialism run by
monopoly capital. It is big government in the
service of big business, left in the service of
right.
It always was. In the words of US Communist leader
Bella Dodd the rich sponsored the Communist Party.
They sponsor homosexuality and feminism to
"destroy the bourgeois family" and create "new
types of human beings who would conform."
Why have straights endured this attack passively?
1) The gay-feminists have waged their war with
impunity by claiming a bogus victim status.
Straights can't even defend their own sexuality
for fear of accusations of "homophobia" and
"sexism." These days anyone who does not want to
be gay is homophobic.
2) Typical Marxists, they practice deceit
successfully. They attracted widespread support by
pretending to champion women when in fact they
always had a revolutionary homosexual agenda. Now
politicians and media are in massive denial
because they have empowered these radicals and put
them in charge of education. The situation is
comparable to the liberal refusal in the late
1940's to admit the government was riddled with
Soviet spies. This was part of the same phenomenon
of Rockefeller Communism.
TEACHING CHILDREN TO BE GAY
Many public schools virtually "break the ice" for
gays. For example, the Grade Seven curriculum in
Ontario introduces 12-year-old children to oral
and anal sex.
Phyllis Benedict, president of the Ontario
Elementary Teacher's Federation said the union is
"trying to promote a more positive [homosexual]
environment in schools." (National Post, Aug.16,
2001)
This extends to undermining the heterosexual
family by reading books like "Aasha's Moms" and
"Two Dads, Brown Dads, Blue Dads."
On the other hand, heterosexuality is virtually a
taboo. Our children's textbooks have been
rewritten to eliminate any hint that men and women
might be different, live in traditional families,
or behave in "stereotypical" ways.
As a university lecturer, I tried to teach
novelists like D.H. Lawrence who portrayed
male-female love in positive terms. I was accused
of "sexual harassment" by feminist activists and
lost my job. (Sexual harassment is now defined as
anything that makes a radical feminist
uncomfortable.)
As heterosexuals, we cannot explore our sexuality
because homosexuals may be "uncomfortable." This
has led to the demoralization of society. We
cannot celebrate men as masculine and women as
feminine. We do not celebrate heterosexual love,
the greatest gift that life offers us.
This daily denial of our sexual identity amounts
to persecution. It used to be 'live and let live.'
Now illuminati-sponsored gay and feminist
activists will not let us live.
In an episode of the TV show Friends, Rachel
avoids paying a speeding fine by flirting with the
handsome traffic cop. Ross takes the steering
wheel and is stopped for driving too slowly. Ross
tries to flirt with the male cop. The message is
that we can all go both ways, even the cop. This
is the reality behind the gay activist demand for
"equality". It is no longer enough to tolerate
them; we must become them. It doesn't matter if we
are comfortable as long as they are. (See also Pat
Buchanan's "Mainstreaming Deviancy." June 9,2003
SOVIET-STYLE INDOCTRINATION
In Rochester, N.Y., Rolf Szabo a 23-year employee
of Eastman Kodak Co. was fired solely because he
objected to a pro-homosexual office memo. He did
not adhere to the company's so-called "Winning &
Inclusive Culture" designed to promote
"diversity." This example of Soviet-style thought
crime is not isolated.
Homosexual behaviour makes straights
uncomfortable. Most men find the sight of two men
kissing viscerally repulsive.

Gay families are not the same as ours. The
adoption of straight children by gays denies the
children's natural instincts and will probably
affect their psychological development. In 20
years these children will be suing the government
for millions of dollars.
Gay marriages are different from hetero marriages,
and should have a different name and status. They
deliberately distort our perception of marriage.
As Katz says, the "secret" purpose is to "do away
with the social need for the hetero/homo
division."

In conclusion, it's time to recognize that homo
and heterosexuality are in fierce competition. The
gay model does not fit heterosexuals and
vice-versa. There can only be one model. The issue
is: will ours be a heterosexual society that
tolerates a 4% gay minority?
Or, will it be a homosexual society that
persecutes a 96% straight majority? History has
many examples of minorities that have persecuted
majorities. Take Communism for example.
If straights don't establish the norms, gay
activists will. When gay/feminist activists demand
"equality," they are demanding that one model fit
all. They are saying that we are the same. We are
not.
Rejecting the homosexual model is not "intolerance" or "hatred." It is defending our natural birthright, and our families.
Heterosexual society is the victim of a most insidious form of persecution, psychological
warfare. The real "haters" are gay-feminist activists, and the politicians, media, corporations and foundations that sustain it.

So HERE you have it:

THE GAYS WANT TO TURN EVERYONE INTO A HOMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY WISH TO RULE THE WORLD!

TIME TO NUKE ‘EM ALL!!


God Bless America, Mr. George
Georgemvw69@hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/NeoConservativeRepublicatns/home.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neocons/
http://www.blogger.com/blog.pyra?blogid=5364250

HOMOSEXUALS SEEK WORLD DOMINANCE!
By Mr. George
Tuesday, June 17, 2003

This is an initial essay meant to point out the critical dangers to DECENT and HONEST folks that are presented by the ¡¨Gay¡¨ communities and their thinly disguised political agenda for WORLD DOMINANCE as well as their active cooperation with International Terrorism. Be patient boys and girls ¡V it¡¦s a bit complex but you will see the light near the end ¡V so read on:

We have heard a lot in the last few years about ¡§Gay Rights¡¨ ¡V hmm¡K..

What is gay? My handy ¡§Captain Billy¡¦s Whizbag¡¨ Dictionary defines ¡§Gay¡¨ as:

„h Cheerful
„h Happy
„h Convivial
„h Frolicsome
„h Joyful
„h Joyous
„h Jovial
„h Jolly
„h Merry
„h Lively
„h Blithe

(and there are more) for the definition of ¡§Gay¡¨ that has been common for over 1,000 years in Western societies. IT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT SEXUAL PRACTICES OR PREFERENCES.

Linguistically speaking homosexuals have traditionally been defined as ¡§ queer¡¨ which is defined as:

„h Odd
„h Quaint
„h Curious
„h Eccentric
„h Freakish
„h Peculiar
„h Singular

What makes a person ¡§Gay¡¨?

The preference for HOMOSEXUAL SEX (sex with a member of your own gender) is considered the most common definition: HOMOSEXUAL Is defined as:

„h Lesbian
„h Man-Sex (the literal definition)


What do ¡§Gay¡¨ people do then?

„Y For men ¡V they TAKE ANOTHER MAN¡¦S PENIS INTO THEIR MOUTHS UNTIL ORGASM IS ACHIEVED OR ALLOW ANOTHER MAN TO PUT HIS PENIS INTO THEIR ANUS (to simulate a woman) And allow their ¡§Lover¡¨ to do the same to them.

„Y For women ¡V They PERFORM MUTUAL ORAL SEX ON EACH OTHER OR STRAP ON MECHANICAL PENISES TO SIMULATE HETEREOSEXUAL SEX


(I am sorry if some find this ¡§Offensive¡¨ ¡V I have used only common medical terms and do not intend to ¡¥offend¡¨ ¡V it is the actions that are offensive but they are reality)

Research will also reveal that ¡§Gay¡¨ people are TEN TIMES MORE LIKELY to find other ¡§Gay¡¨ sex partners when seeking ¡¥casual sex¡¦ so our ¡§Gay¡¨ people can also be assumed to have ravenous sexual appetites as well. Correspondingly we may further assume that the ¡§Gay¡¨ Person is:

„h Promiscuous
„h Mixed
„h Confused
„h Garbled
„h Intermingled
„h Intermixed
„h Jumbled

(at least according to Captain Billy)

So how would YOU like to be described if you were a HOMOSEXUAL PERSON?

Obviously if you are engaging in such SEXUAL PRACTICES you want people to think of you as:

„h Cheerful
„h Happy
„h Convivial
„h Frolicsome
„h Joyful
„h Joyous
„h Jovial
„h Jolly
„h Merry
„h Lively
„h Blithe

But not:

„h Promiscuous
„h Mixed
„h Confused
„h Garbled
„h Intermingled
„h Intermixed
„h Jumbled

If you do keep INSISTING AND HOLLERING ABOUT IT LONG ENOUGH FOLKS WILL FORGET YOU ARE:


„h Odd
„h Quaint
„h Curious
„h Eccentric
„h Freakish
„h Peculiar
„h Singular
„h Queer

And come to think of them only as:


„h Cheerful
„h Happy
„h Convivial
„h Frolicsome
„h Joyful
„h Joyous
„h Jovial
„h Jolly
„h Merry
„h Lively
„h Blithe
„h Gay

When in reality they are merely:

„h Lesbian
„h Man-Sex (the literal definition)

Fascinating way to mask your deviation no? Yes it is.

But today we also have ¡§HomoPhobia¡¨ (which is supposed to be ¡§fear of¡¨ or ¡§hostility towards¡¨ Gay people - I guess)

Hmm..let¡¦s see:

Homo (Erectus ¡V ¡§man who walks erect¡¨ ¡V NOT A MAN WITH AN ERECTION!) is defined as:

„h Primate
„h Ape
„h Ape-like
„h Anthropoid
„h Monkeylike
„h Simian
„h Humanoid

Now these descriptive words are also not too flattering but this is what the Dictionary tell us, boys and girls.

¡§Phobic¡¨ hmm..let¡¦s see ¡V back to Captain Billy¡¦s:

Phobia is defined as:

„h Fear
„h Apprehension
„h Dread
„h Dismay
„h Fright
„h Horror
„h Panic

Thus we may surmise that ¡§HomoPhobia¡¨ is FEAR OF HUMANOIDS!

This would be a ¡¥fear¡¦ well founded if such were the case but we can discern that the ¡§Gay¡¨ Community is admitting by their own rhetoric that their HOMOSEXUAL ACTS are NOT CONSIDERED HUMAN ¡V at least not in normal societies( of humans that is). If, however we define ¡§Homophobia¡¨ as FEAR OF APE-LIKE CREATURES things seem a bit more reasonable.

The ¡§Gay¡¨ Community will hypothesize, however that HOMOSEXUALITY IS A NATURALLY OCURRING OCCURRENCE: this is true ¡V AMONGST DOGS AND APES!

If you CONSIDER YOURSELF IN THAT CLASS OF BEING THAT IS YOUR DECISION AND YOUR RIGHT!

But is this not ¡§Intolerant¡¨? Yes is is ¡V IFF (If and only if) the ¡§Gay¡¨ Community KEEPS THEIR SEXUAL PRACTICES PRIVATE AND IN THEIR OWN BEDROOMS! But this is not the approach taken by many.

Let¡¦s be honest boys and girls:

1) MOST FOLKS COULD CARE LESS ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE! (save for those who are simply voyeuristic or just plain weird)

2) What folks DO CARE ABOUT (in the USA in particular) is HAVING MORALITY DEFINED(though in this instance it is ¡¥Re-defined¡¦) FOR THEM!

Now in the 1960¡¦s we underwent a SOCIAL REVOLUTION on this very issue ¡V and we won. The end result was that THE INDIVIDUAL won the right to DECIDE WHAT IS AND IS NOT ¡§NORMAL¡¨ or ¡§Socially Acceptable¡¨ (Within the law and reasonable bounds of course) and, to a lesser extent what is ¡§RIGHT¡¨. But then, what is ¡§Right¡¨ for you may not be(and probably is not) ¡§Right¡¨ for me and vice versa ad nauseum.

Unfortunately, this had the unanticipated effect of ¡§moral relativism¡¨ ¡V i.e. since ABSOLUTE VALUES were not to be defined Individually ALL VALUES ARE THEREFORE EQUAL. Coupled with a trend which gained great momentum in Educational Theories of the time known as ¡§PostModernism¡¨ (whose outstanding characteristic is iconoclastic thinking although I still have been unable to discern it¡¦s more profound ontological mysteries) this led us into the ¡§ANYTHING GOES¡¨ school of moral philosophy.

BUT NOT ALL AMERICANS AGREE! AND THIS IS ALSO THEIR RIGHT!

So if you TRULY FEEL that the ¡§Gay¡¨ life and it¡¦s weird sex is for you ¡V GO FOR IT DUDE!

JUST STOP TELLING ME HOW ¡§NORMAL¡¨ YOU ARE OK?



But the ¡§militant¡¨ or ¡§Extreme¡¨ faction of the ¡§Gay Rights¡¨ movement goes far beyond this: they WANT TO LEGISLATE THEIR ¡§Normalcy¡¨ status INTO OUR LAWS! Well, all we can say is,

SORRY CHARLIE!

But today we find that the INTERNATIONAL HOMOSEXUAL CONSPIRACY has aligned with the HOMOSEXUAL TERRORISTS as well as HOMOSEXUALS WORLDWIDE in an insidious and far reaching GLOBAL GAY CONSPIRACY!

The Wahhabi (Salafi) Muslims of Saudi Arabia do not only wish to SPREAD THEIR NARROW AND TWISTED VERSION OF ¡§ISLAM¡¨ alone ¡VTHEY ALSO WANT TO SEE THE HOMOSEXUALITY THAT IS COMMON AMONGST SAUDI MEN WORLD WIDE AS WELL!!

The Shi¡¦a ¡§Ayatollahs¡¨ of Iran ALSO WISH TO PROPORGATE THEIR SEXUAL PERVERSION AND INCLUDE SEX WITH BEASTS TO BOOT!

The ¡§Donnabi¡¨ version of ¡§Islam¡¨ that is ¡¥taught¡¦ in the ¡§Islamic Colleges¡¨ of Pakistan approves of and PRACTICES HOMOSEXUAL PEDOPHELIA! (this is also common in the ¡§Trashcanistan¡¨ states to the North ¡V the ¡§Warlords¡¨ we have come to know as the ¡§Northern Alliance¡¨ have made adolescent boys their HOMOSEXUAL CONCUBINES for centuries as well ¡V it is an ¡¥open secret¡¦ in this part of the world)

You are invited to RESEARCH AND VERIFY THE ABOVE FACTS CONCERNING THESE GROUPS = PLEASE DO SO! (yes I understand this is not ¡§politically correct¡¨ but the erudite scholar will soon find the truth)

So the ¡§Terrorists¡¨ are ALSO HOMOSEXUALS with a radical philosophical agenda ¡V TO UNDERMINE THE VERY MORAL FOUNDATION OF THE USA ¡V and they have been JOINED BY THE ¡§Gay Rights¡¨ advocates.

„h As is write this a ¡§Same Sex¡¨ Marriage law is under consideration in Canada.
„h If you investigate you will find a sizable ¡§Gay¡¨ Community in the UK (which also has a large Arab population coincidentally).
„h Canada has a sizable ¡§Gay¡¨ Community as evidenced by this.
„h Germany also has a sizable ¡§Gay¡¨ Community
„h I don¡¦t have to tell you about the French do I?
„h Literally ALL OF THE ¡§GAY¡¨ people I know personally were OPPOSED TO WAR WITH IRAQ
„h All of the above ¡¥nations¡¦ were VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO WAR IN IRAQ.

Is a pattern starting to emerge here?

Yes we have:

„h Gay Arabs
„h Gay Europeans
„h Gay Canadians
„h Gay Americans

ALL PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL HOMOSEXUAL CONSPIRACY:

TO MAKE THE ENTIRE WHOLE WORLD GAY!


God Bless America, Mr. George
Georgemvw69@hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/NeoConservativeRepublicatns/home.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neocons/
http://www.blogger.com/blog.pyra?blogid=5364250

About those ¡§Palestinians¡¨

The "Palestinians".

That is the fundamental myth. The reality is that the
concept of "Palestinians" is one that did not exist until about 1948, when the
Arab inhabitants, of what until then was Palestine, wished to differentiate
themselves from the Jews. Until then, the Jews were the Palestinians. There was
the Palestinian Brigade of Jewish volunteers in the British World War II Army
(at a time when the Palestinian Arabs were in Berlin hatching plans with Adolf
Hitler for world conquest and how to kill all the Jews); there was the
Palestinian Symphony Orchestra (all Jews, of course); there was The Palestine
Post (now The Jerusalem Post); and so much more.
The Arabs who now call themselves "Palestinians" do so in order to persuade a
misinformed world that they are a distinct nationality and that "Palestine" is
their ancestral homeland. But, of course, they are no distinct nationality at
all. They are entirely the same - in language, custom, and tribal and family
ties - as the Arabs of Syria, Jordan, and beyond. There is no more difference
between the "Palestinians" and the other Arabs of those countries than there is
between, say, the citizens of Minnesota and of Wisconsin.

What's more, many of the "Palestinians", or their immediate ancestors, came to
the area attracted by the prosperity created by the Jews, in what previously had
been pretty much of a wasteland.

The nationhood of the "Palestinians" is a myth.

The "West Bank". Again, this is a concept that did not exist until 1948, when
the army of the Kingdom of Transjordan, together with five other Arab armies,
invaded the Jewish state of Israel, on the very day of its creation.

In what can almost be described as a Biblical miracle, the ragtag Jewish forces
defeated the combined Arab might. But Transjordan stayed in possession of the
territories of Judea and Samaria and the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem.
The Jordanians promptly expelled all the Jews from the area that they occupied,
destroyed all Jewish institutions and houses of worship, used Jewish cemetery
headstones to build military latrines, and renamed as "West Bank" the
territories that had been Judea and Samaria since time immemorial.

The attempt, quite successful, was to persuade an uninformed world that these
territories were ancestral parts of the Jordanian Arab Kingdom (itself a very
recent creation of British power diplomacy). Even after the total rout of the
Arabs in the 1967 Six-Day War, in which the Jordanians were driven out of
Judea/Samaria and of Jerusalem, they and the world continued to call this
territory the "West Bank", a geographical and political concept that cannot be
found on any except the most recent maps.

The concept of the "West Bank" is a myth.

The "Occupied Territories". After the victorious Six-Day War, during which the
Israeli army defeated the same cabal of Arabs that had invaded the country in
1948, Israel remained in possession of Judea/Samaria (now renamed "West Bank"),
which the Jordanians had illegally occupied for 19 years; of the Gaza strip,
which had been occupied by the Egyptians but which (hundreds of miles from Egypt
proper) had never been part of their country; and of the Golan Heights, a
plateau the size of Queens, which, though originally part of Palestine, had been
assigned to Syria by British-French agreement.

The last sovereign in Judea/Samaria and in Gaza was the British mandatory power
- and before it was the Ottoman Empire. All of Palestine, including what are now
the Kingdom of Jordan and Gaza, was, by the Balfour Declaration, destined to be
the Jewish National Home. How then could the Israelis possibly be "occupiers" in
their own territory? Who would be the sovereign and who the rightful
inhabitants?

The concept of "occupied territories" in reference to Judea/Samaria and Gaza is
a myth created by Arab propaganda.

Unable so far to destroy Israel on the battlefield - though they are feverishly
preparing for their next assault - the Arabs are now trying to overcome and
destroy Israel by their acknowledged "policy of stages". That policy is to get
as much land as possible carved out of Israel "by peaceful and diplomatic"
means, so as to make Israel indefensible and softened up for the final assault.
The web of lies and myths that the Arab propaganda machine has created plays an
important role in the unrelenting quest to destroy the State of Israel.
--------
History Lesson II

Jerusalem ("Arab East Jerusalem"). The Arabs have assiduously propagated the
myths that Jerusalem is an Arab capital, that (after Mecca and Medina) Jerusalem
is their third holy city, and that it is intolerable to them that infidels
(Jews) are in possession of it.

The reality of course is that Jerusalem was never an Arab capital and that it
was, until the Jews revitalized it, a dusty provincial city that hardly played
any economic, social, or political role. Jerusalem is mentioned hundreds of
times in the Jewish Bible and has been the center of the Jewish faith and the
focus of Jewish longing ever since the Romans destroyed the Temple in the early
years of the first millenium. Not once is Jerusalem mentioned in the Koran.

As to "East Jerusalem": There is East Saint Louis, there is East Hampton, and
there used to be East Berlin, but, until the Arab propaganda machine created the
concept, there was never in history an "East Jerusalem," let alone an "Arab East
Jerusalem."

The eastern part of Jerusalem is now predominantly inhabited by Arabs, though
their proportion is decreasing. But what is the reason for this? It is because
the Jordanians destroyed all traces of Jewish presence from the eastern part of
the city and drove all the Jews out during the 19 years (between 1948 and 1967)
in which they were in occupation of the eastern part of the city. The world,
informed by Arab propaganda, considers those Jews who wish to return to the
eastern part of the city to be troublemakers or worse.

The concept of Jerusalem being a holy Arab city and the capital of whatever
political entity the "Palestinians" may eventually form is a myth and so of
course is the concept of "Arab East Jerusalem."

"Settlements ." When Jordan came into possession of Judea/Samaria and the
eastern part of Jerusalem, following the invasion of the newly-formed Jewish
state, and stayed in occupation for 19 years, it systematically obliterated all
Jewish villages in the area under their occupation, drove out the Jewish
inhabitants, and left the area "judenrein" (free of Jews)¡Vthe first time that
concept had been applied since the Nazis created it during their short and
bloody reign in Germany. When the Israelis recovered these territories, they
rebuilt these villages, created new ones, and built new towns and suburbs to
existing cities, especially Jerusalem.

The Arabs decided to call these towns and villages "settlements," with their
connotation of illegitimacy and impermanence. The world, including the United
States, is much agitated over these population centers and, goaded by the Arabs,
declares them to be impediments to peace. What nonsense! Nobody considers the
tens of thousands of Arabs who continue to stream to these territories as
impediments to peace.

The term "settlements," too, is a propaganda myth created by the Arabs.

"Refugees ." In 1948, when six Arab armies invaded the Jewish state in order to
destroy it on the very day of its birth, broadcasts by the advancing Arab armies
appealed to the resident Arabs to leave their homes so as not to be in the way
of the invaders. As soon as the "quick victory" was won, they could return to
their homes and would also enjoy the loot from the Jews, who would have been
driven into the sea. It didn't turn out quite that way. Those Arabs who, despite
the urgings of the Jews to stay and to remain calm, foolishly left, became
refugees. Those who decided not to yield to those blandishments are now, and
have been for over 50 years, citizens of Israel, with all the same rights and
privileges as their Jewish fellows.

But what happened to those refugees ¡V by best estimates about 600,000 of them?
Did their "Arab brethren" allow them to settle in their countries, to work, and
to become productive citizens and useful members of their societies? No! They
kept and still keep them, their children, their grandchildren, and in some cases
even their great-grandchildren, in miserable "refugee camps," so that they can
be used as political and military pawns in order to keep the burning hatred
against Israel alive and in order to supply the manpower for the unremitting
fight against Israel.

During those more than fifty years, Israel has taken in more than three million
Jewish immigrants from all parts of the world and has integrated them
productively into its society. According to the "Palestinians," the Arab
"refugees" have now marvelously increased to five million(!). It is the intent
and fervent desire of the Arabs that all of them should return to Israel so as
to destroy the country without the necessity of war.

The "refugees" are a red herring and another myth created by the Arab propaganda
machine.

The Arab propaganda machine, aided by the most high-powered public relations
firms in the United States and all over, has created myths that, by dint of
constant repetition, have been accepted as truth by much of the world. No
sensible discussion, no peace in the Middle East, is possible until those Arab
myths have been exposed for what they are.
http://www.falangist.com/arabmyth.htm
Now WHO WOULD BE DUMB ENOUGH TO FALL FOR THESE MYTHS?

Let¡¦s see ¡V do you think THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT?

Literacy in:

„h Algeria in 1998 was estimated at 61.6% (73.9% among males and 49% among females);
„h Bahrain's literacy rate was estimated in 1995 at 85.2% (89.1% of males and 79.4% of females);
„h Comoros total literacy in 1998 was estimated at 57.3% (64.2% of males and 50.4% of females); while according to 1995 estimates, literacy in
„h Djibouti stood at 46.2% (60.3% of men and 32.7% of women).

According to a 1995 estimate, Literacy in:

„h Egypt stood at 51.4% (63.6% of men and 38.8% of women-a notable accomplishment indeed after only 4500 YEARS of trying!));
„h Iraqi literacy was estimated in 1995 at 58% (70.7% of men and 45% of women);
„h Jordan literacy rate was estimated in 1995 at 86.6% (93.4% among males and 79.4% among females);
„h Kuwaiti literacy was estimated in 1995 at 78.6% (82.2% of men and 74.9% of women).
„h Lebanon, literacy was estimated in 1997 at 86.4% (90.8% of men and 82.2% of women );
„h Libyan literacy was estimated in 1995 as 76.2% (87.9% among males and 63% among females);
„h Mauritania, literacy was estimated in 1995 as 37.7% (49.6% of males and 26.3% of females).
„h Morocco was estimated in 1995 as 43.7% (56.6% of males and 31% of females)
„h Qatar, literacy was estimated in 1995 as 79.4% (79.2% of males and 79.9% of females);
„h Saudi Arabia a 1995 estimate put the literacy rate at 62.8% (71.5% among men and 50.2% among women); (they can¡¦t read, but they DO KNOW HOW TO COUNT MONEY!)
„h Somalia, a 1990 estimate put total literacy at 24% (36% of males and 14% of females).

„h According to a 1995 estimate, literacy in

„h Sudan stood at 46.1% (57.7% of males and 34.6% of females);
„h Syria, a 1997 estimate put the literacy rate at 70.8% (85.7% of men and 55.8% of women);
„h Tunisia a 1995 estimate said the literacy rate was 66.7% (78.6% of men and 54.6% of women).
„h United Arab Emirates was estimated in 1995 as 79.2% (78.9% among males and 79.8% among females);
„h Yemen, a 1990 estimate put the literacy rate at 38% (53% of men and 26% of women).¡¨

Figures for the Palesinian territories and Oman were not available. (as of Dec 2002, Adult Male Literacy in Palestine was 39.4%) - yes, and with those kids you see on TV throwing stones and molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers the ¡§Drop out rate¡¨ and illiteracy are as high as 85%)

Literacy Statistics? The above looks more like something out of a ¡§History of Europe in the Middle Ages¡¨!

Now the poor and destitute nations that we all know about such as Somalia and Yemen are no great surprise but it appears that SOMETHING SMELLS HERE no?

Note very carefully the wide discrepancies in the above data:with a ¡§high¡¨ of ¡V

„h Jordan, literacy rate was estimated in 1995 at 86.6% (93.4% among males and 79.4% among females);

Down to:

„h Somalia, a 1990 estimate put total literacy at 24% (36% of males and 14% of females).

Think very carefully ¡V these questions carry 25 points on your mid term boys and girls!

WHO WOULD BELIEVE THESE THINGS?

„h If you selected a.) ¡§the illiterate poor of the Arab World¡¨ you are correct.
„h If you selected b.) the ¡§Gay Liberals in America¡¨ you are also correct
„h If you selected c.) ¡§the Eskimos¡¨ you will be expelled for dumbness later today
„h If you selected d.) ¡§None of the above¡¨ you are simply wrong
„h If you selected e.) ¡§All of the above¡¨ you get to repeat fourth grade next year

But why would anyone believe such obvious falsehoods?

„h If you selected a.) ¡§Over 75% cannot read and write and are easily fooled¡¨ you are correct
„h If you selected b.) ¡§They have been lied to¡¨ you are also correct and will get extra credit
„h If you selected c.) ¡§They are just dumb¡¨ you will get partial credit, but I will deduct points for meanness
„h If you selected d.) ¡§All of the above¡¨ you get an ¡§E¡¨ for effort but still flunk the test

Ok boys and girls ¡V that¡¦s it for today: Remember, we have a quiz Monday at 9:00 AM on HIV in Afghanistan so STUDY HARD!


God Bless America, Mr. George
Georgemvw69@hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/NeoConservativeRepublicatns/home.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neocons/
http://www.blogger.com/blog.pyra?blogid=5364250