Snow Day

Hello I must be going:

I voiced my opinion in an article I sent to New York City Voices. We'll see if the editorial staff has the balls to publish it.

I slept for two hours in the afternoon. At about three o'clock I woke up and retreated to the computer to type up IMHO: Civil Liberties-shorthand for In My Humble Opinion. Should Voices not give the piece air time I will publish it at the Connection in the spring.

I take an unpopular stance yet it is the rational one: that forced treatment is sometimes necessary to prevent violent crime as well as disability. I prize above all else my rational mind. More so than I value my beauty. Once your beauty fades you have to rely on your wits. I would mourn the loss of my pretty face however I would survive because I'm sharp as a tack.

Unfortunately knee-jerk rhetoric holds sway and is given power in the media because of the death of Esmin Green. A tragedy that never should have happened.

We shall see if Voices publishes my article. This will be the test.

I will also send the article to NAMI-New York State to see if they could use it somehow to advocate for the continuation of Kendra's Law. What I wrote comes on like blazes.

The anti-psychiatry contingent will not be amused. So be it.

So be it.

The wind howls outside and it's too dark and the windows are snowy so I can't tell if it's still snowing. I could turn on the weather report to find out. Oddly my apartment has not been as cold as it sometimes is.

I've been so busy writing the articles today that I didn't stop to warm up the tomato soup for lunch. In about 20 minutes I will go cook a hearty dinner: chicken and spinach and bulgur. That's all I can do because most likely no restaurant would deliver food here even if it was open.

Feel closed in because of the snow.

The howling wind sounds like the end of the world.

Also feel like I should quit while I'm ahead. I will not garner fans when the article is published however that is not my concern. My intent is speaking the truth and presenting a rational counterpoint to the knee-jerk reactions against psychiatric treatment.

My friend tells me that in only one instance is an irrational mindset justified: love.

Love.

The last thing I will tell you is that I feel the best way I can help prevent psychiatric abuse is to tell my story as living proof that people diagnosed with schizophrenia are not second-class citizens to be kicked around like useless stones.

The staff at Kings County responsible for the murder of Esmin Green should be held accountable for their crime.

However that does not mean forced treatment should not ever be an option for someone diagnosed with schizophrenia or another mental illness. In some cases forced treatment is necessary. I will actively campaign to help make sure Kendra's Law doesn't sunset in 2010.

Finito.