@Chris I think what Pherodemon was trying to imply is both Washington state as well as DC are both "states". DC is not considered an actual city from the federal government's standpoint, but is its own separate state. So since it resides in the state of Virginia it is, in essence, a state withIN a state. So that is what Pherodemon was remarking about DC being our (I live in Washington too) twin.

Lol @ these americans getting confused about their own country hahahahahahaa.

Thanks Stitch for the verification lol.

Thanks for clearing that up. Never been to DC, nor most midwestern states. A lot of people referr to it as a state, simply because they say "Washington" rather than DC. Just a term most take for granted. FYI Chris, this area of mine also has a capitol Hill and is very liberal... "as if in defiance." There are a lot of activists in this state and this area. Its a lot like the opposite of DC's vibe.

Hang the politicians and wall street? Will that really solve the worlds problems? Lol. Their nothing more than scape goats who sacrificed for temporal power. Shit always happens; evil will simply change its mask just as it has done with religion for ages.

(10-16-2011 7:02 PM)Alpha Dream Wrote:  "Money in politics is the root of all political evil. There is no greater corruption" - No truer statement has ever been made. But with the supreme court ruling in 2010 that billionaires can donate unlimited dollars to campaign causes, the problem is bound only to get worse.

Ultimately, things in the united states are eventually going to get critical, reach a critical mass, with mass protests and revolutions spreading across America. And when the generals give American soldiers the order to fire upon American citizens who are protesting against the broken political and banking system, this will be the critical point for America.

Will we follow in the footsteps of Syria, and will American soldiers fire into the crowds of their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers? If so, we will undergo a civil war of unequivocal devastation.

If not (and I like to think they will not), the politicians and bankers will face their day of reckoning, and maybe the tree of liberty will be refreshed by the will (rather than the blood) of the patriots.

As American citizens, we have been medicated to the point of delusion with the latest and greatest innovations of our pharmaceutical industries (god bless their corporate souls). More antipsychotic medications are dispensed throughout the united states than in all other countries combined. Are we a nation of psychotics - or are we just unwilling to face the truth and so we medicate ourselves, as a nation, to the point of not caring anymore?

My generation (now in mid-twenties) grew up as a generation of weaklings: too fat to fight, with peak-oil fast approaching, expecting a greater quality of life, with minimal work input, with our education system the laughing stock of the developed world, all the while free trade agreements (and banks) have bled untold tens-of-trillions of dollars away from the United States, and with foreign competition increasing exponentially in a world of increasing complexity and an out-of-control population growth.

The end result, I fear, is a very long economic depression and great deal of suffering before Americans (especially of my generation) finally gather the balls and the will to fight against the infected political machinery of the United States of America, and of course, hang the wall street banksters and hedge-fund managers by their balls from the roof of the New York Stock Exchange.

I agree with you on all but one small point. Anti-psychotics are not just prescribed to people with psychosis. There are many off label uses for these drugs as there are with most others. And while I will agree that our country is very likely over-medicated I will also argue that we have a higher emphasis on diagnosing mental illness than most other countries (except Europe), so those higher numbers will always go hand in hand. Just my perspective as someone that's possibly over medicated but much happier for it ;)

You know 25 years ago I was told that I had manic depressive disorder. These days its called Bi-Polar disroder and the treatment is a lifetime sentence to mind altering drugs. Back then they had not discovered Prozac yet, or any of the other mind bending medications that are handed out like candy these days. Back then there was no such thing as ADD, ADHD or any of the other the attention disorders that they love to label kids with today.

But, surely they must have existed right? I mean if not where the hell did they come from?

They came from stripping away parental authority and coddling our children!

Most parents today, or at least as of just a couple of years ago, would rather their child be labeled with an attentive disorder and medicated, rather than accepting that maybe they had not done a good job raising the child and instilling respect, or that society was failing them. I believe the tide is starting to turn now, and parents are starting to realize that mecicating their children just might not be the solution.

Today, you would never know that I was once depressed. Why, did the doctors somehow fix me? Nope! Did they give me some sort of medication to make me feel better? Nope! Did they do anything whatsoever? Nope!

So how is it that today I'm one of the happiest people I know? And no, it's not because I only associate with people who aren't happy.

I fixed myself by changing my mindset and behavior patterns!

In todays society of laziness and the desire for immediate gratification that may be a hard concept to grasp, and seem like to much work. Back then, there was no other alternative, if you wanted to feel better you either had to figure out what you needed to do to make yourself feel better, or wallow in pain and misery.

I'm not saying that there is no such thing as mental disorders. I just feel that all to often they become sapegoat diseases for psych doctors who can't be bothered with actually trying to find underlying causes and treat their patients, and patients who can't be bothered with putting forth any effort of their own.

Then again, the medical profession is really no longer about healing anyway, and has pretty well taken the path of just supressing symptoms.

Images of Occupy Wall Street Everywhere "“ A Stunning Photo Diary of the World's 99% Rising Up:
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/1...-Rising-Up

(10-17-2011 12:01 PM)mark-in-dallas Wrote:  You know 25 years ago I was told that I had manic depressive disorder. These days its called Bi-Polar disroder and the treatment is a lifetime sentence to mind altering drugs. Back then they had not discovered Prozac yet, or any of the other mind bending medications that are handed out like candy these days. Back then there was no such thing as ADD, ADHD or any of the other the attention disorders that they love to label kids with today.

But, surely they must have existed right? I mean if not where the hell did they come from?

They came from stripping away parental authority and coddling our children!

Most parents today, or at least as of just a couple of years ago, would rather their child be labeled with an attentive disorder and medicated, rather than accepting that maybe they had not done a good job raising the child and instilling respect, or that society was failing them. I believe the tide is starting to turn now, and parents are starting to realize that mecicating their children just might not be the solution.

Today, you would never know that I was once depressed. Why, did the doctors somehow fix me? Nope! Did they give me some sort of medication to make me feel better? Nope! Did they do anything whatsoever? Nope!

So how is it that today I'm one of the happiest people I know? And no, it's not because I only associate with people who aren't happy.

I fixed myself by changing my mindset and behavior patterns!

In todays society of laziness and the desire for immediate gratification that may be a hard concept to grasp, and seem like to much work. Back then, there was no other alternative, if you wanted to feel better you either had to figure out what you needed to do to make yourself feel better, or wallow in pain and misery.

I'm not saying that there is no such thing as mental disorders. I just feel that all to often they become sapegoat diseases for psych doctors who can't be bothered with actually trying to find underlying causes and treat their patients, and patients who can't be bothered with putting forth any effort of their own.

Then again, the medical profession is really no longer about healing anyway, and has pretty well taken the path of just supressing symptoms.

I totally understand and agree that over diagnosis is a real problem but as someone with 2 neurological disorders i know that today, being treated with drugs and with other therapies, I am a different, better, happier, higher functioning person. Drugs literally saved my life. They are not for everyone and I would have serious problems putting my own kids on psychotropic drugs but if I could have gotten help for my ADHD when I was a kid I would have done a lot differently. I don't regret my own path, not in the slightest, so don't think that. But drugs for ADHD have given me my life back and allowed me to do things that I have never been able to do despite my best efforts and you'll have to take my word for it, I'm very determined. I'm just saying that what works for you doesn't always work for everybody and I am thankful that this is an age of broader diagnosis. Should there be a backlash against OVER diagnosis? Absolutely. It always has to get out of hand for the public to start rebelling against it. My only point is don't throw out the baby with the bathwater cause some of those babies really do need the help.

Let me just add that I am not trying to be confrontational. I'm not that girl. Just that you mentioned BP and ADHD and I happen to have both so your posts speak to me on a personal level. Nothing against either of the posters either. Just small generalizations that I know don't apply to me personally, you know? There always has to be some basis, some need to be diagnosed before it gets to the point that it's OVER diagnosed. Like there is a reason for taxes before it gets to the point of being over taxed. Although personally, I hate taxes regardless.:laugh4:

Halo makes a good point. There will always be angry people that hate society for one reason or another. I think I see her point in that there are certain necessary things that make this world go around. One man's treasure is another mans trash and vice versa.