Fighting for Answers | Author Archives | Page 21David's Father, Author at Fighting for Answers

Visiting David

Last week we didn’t get to see David because two of us were sick. This week, I am still not feeling well, but we went anyway. He was in a mood. Not sure why. He wanted to play basketball, and I couldn’t. He wanted to play badmiton, and I couldn’t. Part of it was because the other residents were in the gym. To me there is an expectation of privacy. I shouldn’t be part of their world directly because I am not staff. Just like they shouldn’t be part of mine. Regardless, unless staff tells me it is okay, I am not actively participating in activities with kids I don’t know. And even if I had the okay, not sure how comfortable I would be. So David was in a mood. Refused to eat. Didn’t want to cooperate. Asked every five minutes what time it was. He also talked about

monsters.

I can’t fathom what people who are involved in these mass shootings are dealing with. In truth, I pray that I never know that feeling. That I never join the gun violence club. What makes these people so angry that they would walk into an area and start shooting people? I don’t know what the solution is, but if history shows us anything, simply outlawing firearms isn’t the answer. Look at what happened during Prohibition. If people want the guns, they will get them. During Prohibition, people wanted alcohol. And for the most part the average law abiding citizen followed the law. But those who wanted the alcohol found a loophole or two to get what they wanted, didn’t they? I am not saying that alcohol and firearms are the same thing. News reports state that most of the weapons used in the attack in California were purchased legally. Doesn’t

Now is the time – For a National Conversation about Mental Health

Now is the time for a National Conversation regarding mental health. With our congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., we may have difficulty getting on the dais. Why? Because an individual presenting testimony to any committee regarding Mental Health, may not always speak to the same platform as varying members of Congress. What does that mean? Most of the members of Congress appear to follow the party line. In order to effectively foster legislation to enhance the care that the mentally ill receive, we need to be able to reach across all party lines. It isn’t a Red or Blue issue. It is a human issue. Those who live with mental illness need regular, consistent and substantive help, not just when they are in crisis. We shouldn’t use the mentally ill to gain votes. In reading the proposed Murphy Bill H.R. 2646, there are many things I find disturbing. One of