w00t w00t booyah

You'll hear me rant about overmedication a lot - well, it's a sore point. Giving pills is cheap - compared to long-term talk counseling with active therapy. Trouble is, the pills stop working. Oh, you can cycle through a ton of stuff - it's out there - but the expensive, labor-intensive-with-a-real-person is where long term results lie (unless you're one of the people who truly HAVE a chemical issue, and one of the hallmarks of THAT is the pills don't stop working and you don't have to cycle, yadda ya).

Then I hear about Cymbalta. Holy chrome. This stuff is being prescribed off-label right, left and center for things OTHER than depression...and damn if it isn't doing some incredible things, mostly related to pain relief (and we all know I think that's going to be HUGE when it happens).

But for depression? *wiggles hand* Not so much. Read about coming off it and UH.

...and so many, many reports are from people who came to this medication because - you guessed it - they needed to cycle from something else.

I have to wonder about what this all about - and if the cycling is a Good Thing, or a sign that this is not the right way to treat depression, period.

Yeah, maybe I do more than wonder. Like - NO.

Here's a thought for the day - isn't it still addiction when it's legal and you don't have to worry about getting it on a daily basis? You go without and you're not going to feel good, yanno. But get your drug and everything is fine.

What makes that okay?

As for me, I'll pass. And yes, I know that's a privilege.

One more time.

You get what you ask for in this life. You don't ask for what you want, you ain't going to get it. Nobody reads your mind. And if you don't object to behavior you find - well - WRONG - don't expect anyone to get it without your help.

It also helps if you show some character yourself, of course.

And, of course, most people associate character with profession of some faith - in my honest opinion, that's nice but the commonality of most belief systems is its emphasis on character. Want it distilled down into something anyone can swallow?

There's a group based in Los Angeles that I keep using as a touchstone - their site Character Counts has been around for just about ever - and while they smack of the single-mindedness of any organization solely interested in a belief system (we know about that, right?) - their mission is amazingly simple, and it boils down to six concepts:

Trustworthiness
Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

Respect
Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Responsibility
Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

Fairness
Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

Caring
Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship
Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

Sounds pretty conservative, right?

When was the last time anyone "conservative" actually tied to this kind of thing?

..

I'll get around to discussing AX with this mind - and yes, discussion of a that convention with this mind is critical. Because it appeared, start to finish - that nobody - NOBODY - had a clue about anything related to basic human character, or even appealing to anything but the most base instincts a group of young adults could come up with. And this kind of thing HAS to start at the top - they set the tone, the rules and the expectations.

More reasons to take another look at this? Look at the news -

LOS ANGELES - A jury awarded $6.2 million to a firefighter who said she was harassed by colleagues because she is black and a lesbian, harassment she says included someone mixing urine with her mouthwash.

..

Councilman Jack Weiss said the verdict was "very alarming to anyone who has a fiduciary responsibility over the city budget."

"The most important thing is to reform the Fire Department," he said. "There's new leadership. ... Hopefully that will prevent these sorts of lawsuits."

This should concern you - because the reaction from authority? It's expensive. Not wrong, oh no. EXPENSIVE. (Now, I'll take it - today - but WHAT.) All anyone has to do is decide that the lawsuits are just too expensive and enact legislation removing the option. It's already happened in Workman's Comp. You know other examples. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE FACT THIS SHIT IS JUST WRONG?

WICHITA, Kan. - As a stabbing victim lay dying on the floor of a Kansas convenience store, five shoppers, including one who stopped to take a picture of her with a cell phone, stepped over the woman, police said.

..

"The lack of concern for humanity over this young woman's life is deeply troubling," Bassham said.

Bassham said the district attorney's office would have to decide whether any of the shoppers could be charged.

It was uncertain what law, if any, would be applicable. A state statute for failure to render aid specifically refers only to victims of a car accident.

I wonder what the liability is for someone who actually takes action - everyone knows about that. You can get SUED!

Folks - you get what you ask for. You also get what you put up with.

And I can vouch for the reciprocation - it's definitely there. People respond to kindness and good treatment like flowers respond to sunlight and fresh water.

Always do your best.
Clean up your own messes.
Be aware of your impact on others.

I'm one of the people who always reports disabled vehicles on the freeway. Jim and I have rolled on more SUV rollovers than I want to name - we've been first on the scene more than a few times.

I'm always good for a burger - and I always have a sugar source in my purse (long training as the wife of a diabetic). Both of us track on crying children in crowds. Jim's particularly good at finding children separated from parents (but I attribute that to the altitude of his eyes - at 6'4", he can look over everyone's head most of the time).

We live in community with everyone else we see.

Forget that at your own risk.

One more time.

You get what you ask for in this life. You don't ask for what you want, you ain't going to get it. Nobody reads your mind. And if you don't object to behavior you find - well - WRONG - don't expect anyone to get it without your help.

It also helps if you show some character yourself, of course.

And, of course, most people associate character with profession of some faith - in my honest opinion, that's nice but the commonality of most belief systems is its emphasis on character. Want it distilled down into something anyone can swallow?

There's a group based in Los Angeles that I keep using as a touchstone - their site Character Counts has been around for just about ever - and while they smack of the single-mindedness of any organization solely interested in a belief system (we know about that, right?) - their mission is amazingly simple, and it boils down to six concepts:

Trustworthiness
Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

Respect
Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Responsibility
Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

Fairness
Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

Caring
Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship
Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

Sounds pretty conservative, right?

When was the last time anyone "conservative" actually tied to this kind of thing?

..

I'll get around to discussing AX with this mind - and yes, discussion of a that convention with this mind is critical. Because it appeared, start to finish - that nobody - NOBODY - had a clue about anything related to basic human character, or even appealing to anything but the most base instincts a group of young adults could come up with. And this kind of thing HAS to start at the top - they set the tone, the rules and the expectations.

More reasons to take another look at this? Look at the news -

LOS ANGELES - A jury awarded $6.2 million to a firefighter who said she was harassed by colleagues because she is black and a lesbian, harassment she says included someone mixing urine with her mouthwash.

..

Councilman Jack Weiss said the verdict was "very alarming to anyone who has a fiduciary responsibility over the city budget."

"The most important thing is to reform the Fire Department," he said. "There's new leadership. ... Hopefully that will prevent these sorts of lawsuits."

This should concern you - because the reaction from authority? It's expensive. Not wrong, oh no. EXPENSIVE. (Now, I'll take it - today - but WHAT.) All anyone has to do is decide that the lawsuits are just too expensive and enact legislation removing the option. It's already happened in Workman's Comp. You know other examples. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE FACT THIS SHIT IS JUST WRONG?

WICHITA, Kan. - As a stabbing victim lay dying on the floor of a Kansas convenience store, five shoppers, including one who stopped to take a picture of her with a cell phone, stepped over the woman, police said.

..

"The lack of concern for humanity over this young woman's life is deeply troubling," Bassham said.

Bassham said the district attorney's office would have to decide whether any of the shoppers could be charged.

It was uncertain what law, if any, would be applicable. A state statute for failure to render aid specifically refers only to victims of a car accident.

I wonder what the liability is for someone who actually takes action - everyone knows about that. You can get SUED!

Folks - you get what you ask for. You also get what you put up with.

And I can vouch for the reciprocation - it's definitely there. People respond to kindness and good treatment like flowers respond to sunlight and fresh water.

Always do your best.
Clean up your own messes.
Be aware of your impact on others.

I'm one of the people who always reports disabled vehicles on the freeway. Jim and I have rolled on more SUV rollovers than I want to name - we've been first on the scene more than a few times.

I'm always good for a burger - and I always have a sugar source in my purse (long training as the wife of a diabetic). Both of us track on crying children in crowds. Jim's particularly good at finding children separated from parents (but I attribute that to the altitude of his eyes - at 6'4", he can look over everyone's head most of the time).

We live in community with everyone else we see.

Forget that at your own risk.