Hardball about stigma and it's cause:
1. Society's problem with mental illness
2. The army's problem with mental illness
3. Police suffer with mental illness problems
4. Prosecutors with a mental illness problem
5. Judges suffering from mental illness problems
6. A civic group suffering from a mental illness problem
7. Government leaders and their mental illness problem
8. So, is my mental illness "problem" that bad in comparison?
 

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1. Society's problem with mental illness

Most of my suffering has not been from mental illness.  Society seems to have more of a problem dealing with mental illness than myself.  My real suffering has been with the bigotry and hate that people showed me.

So, to be "anti-stigma" and put the real stigma where it belongs, society needs to deal with it.  Below are "all the bricks in the wall" of stigma that was built around me starting in the army.  The groups, organizations, and professions deserve to understand what they had done to me.  If they wish to consider mental illness such a bad and dangerous thing, then perhaps they deserve to be connected with mental illness themselves.

 

2. The army's problem with mental illness
The United States Army had a definite problem dealing with mental illness.  Was I stupid to listen to doctors tell me that I could survive the army?  My chain of command was quick to punish me, but made no effort to mention my medical situation.  Why were they afraid to document my Bipolar Disorder as being the real issue?  Is the stigma of mental illness so bad in the US Army that it must be swept under the rug and denied?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) deals with the "fallout" from the army's mistakes.  Some soldiers might be dangerous, being trained to kill and dealing with mental illness.  Do your federal Senators and Representatives care? (see item 7 below)  It is claimed that funding to the VA has been reduced for treating mental illness.  With less money, more real dangerous veterans with mental illness may be on the streets.

How can doctors for the VA know who is dangerous and who is not, if they do not have the time and money?  The army's problem with mental illness carries over into being the VA's problem with mental illness.

See my army experience.

 

3. Police suffer with mental illness problems

When I was confronted by a police officer "worried" about my fears, they were the one with a gun and dangerous!  By not having a sane policy for dealing with the mentally ill, police are dangerous and likely to kill due to misunderstanding, bigotry, or hate.

It made me sick to hear the excuses for what happened when I was confronted.  Do the police represent a history of hate and bigotry, or is their real duty to protect the public?  The lack of seriousness for these issues is not something the Bowling Green, Ohio, should be proud of.

 

4. Prosecutors with a mental illness problem

Look at the threats from a prosecutors office.  Does it sound like the prosecutors have a clue about mental illness?  The threats seem intended to cause problems, not find a solution.  Worse, complaints of harassment or possible criminal activity were ignored.  It seems that prosecutors give "sane" people more help than those with mental illness.

Why does the State of Ohio not train prosecutors to show tolerance for mental illness?  Is it necessary to make actions seem criminal at any cost?

 

5. Judges suffering from mental illness problems

Despite having mental illness, I thought that judges would be honorable enough to show compassion for a mental illness.  However, I was wrong.  In both Bowling Green and Marion Ohio, judges ignored the Americans with Disabilities Act and allowed bigotry to be the rule of law.  They did not seem to care that mental illness was the real issue.  Instead, it seems that they needed to send me a message that mental illness is criminal.

Is it wrong to play hardball about the conduct of "honorable judges"?  When the legal system and government stand blindly by, while hate and bigotry determine the fate of people with mental illness, I believe it is totally fair.  I do not have the power to send bigot judges to jail.  They do the the power to send me to jail!

 

6. A civic group suffering from a mental illness problem

I can not give the name of the civic group, under the threat of being sent to jail if I do.  They were upset that I used their trademarked name after they had brainwashed it into me as a member.  I am certain that if I claimed that they had a mental illness problem, and not me, they would have been even more upset!  In fact, their problem was the worst bigotry and hate against mental illness that I had ever experienced.  What made their bigotry and hate so bad was that they claimed to be good people, wanting to help.

Am I being too strong about their actions?  As individuals, I can forgive them.  The real power of bigotry and hate comes from acting as a group.  It is the entire organization which deserves the stigma of being a hate group against the mentally ill.  If they do not understand understand the harm that they have caused, then how many more lives will they harm or destroy?

The problem is that any group could do what they did.  That is why I started this web page talking about society.

 

7. Government leaders and their mental illness problem
 

When I wrote the United States President, the Ohio Governor, my Senators and Representatives, and others who should care ... the response showed me how bad the government's mental illness problem was.  The few replies that I received showed little effort to understand the situation.

Hardball is a term connected with politics.  I hope the democrats, republicans, and others know that they have a problem with mental illness.  Hardball may be the only way these "experts" will learn something new.

 

8. So, is my mental illness "problem" that bad in comparison?

I learned to play hardball instead of killing them.  People had suggested that I would kill them.  Their bigoted and hateful claims were never based on any solid evidence that I was dangerous.  Compassion and ethical values were always the core of my life.  I wrote plenty of letters and cards claiming it.

By having compassion as the focus of my existence, I believe that I am less dangerous than everyone who ignored or hated me.  What is there to stop people without compassion from killing if they feel the need?  All the people who ignored or hated me are more dangerous and likely to kill.

I guess that I can understand what Jesus and others thought when they were afraid of dying for their belief in compassion.  You have to forgive mankind for not seeing how dangerous it is not to have compassion.  Yet, I can not forgive letting it continue.  Do I have a problem with with mental illness?
 
 

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