U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Letters
WhyHope.com - main page


My latest letters - My Nov.'05 letter - My 2004 letter and Congresswoman Kaptur's reply.

See photos of me protesting near Marcy Kaptur's Toledo, Ohio, office.
 
Note:  I am currently working with her office on my VA issues.  I will keep you posted.  Mental illness discrimination at the federal and state government still needs to be addressed, so I continue protesting in downtown Toledo, Ohio and other locations.  Near her Toledo office turns out to be one of the better locations, with less other distractions.

Also, the need for advocates to help people with mental illness write letters and obtain help is still important.

.

April 2007 letter to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur:
 
 
April 25th, 2007
Toledo,OH   43609

Office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
One Maritime Plaza, Sixth Floor
Toledo, OH 43604-1853
 

Dear Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur,

It was harder to write this request for help after seeing Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech killings, and related news.  This had a deep impact on me.  I could see the real truths through all the speculation.

The following is why I need your help to obtain proper veterans support.  These are also issues for veterans and others like myself.  That is why I started picketing, becoming an advocate for those like me with mental illness that no one seems concerned about:
 

Am I an unwanted veteran?

I was a soldier giving my life to fight terrorism.  Then my life was threatened by fellow soldiers.  They were drunk.  I had been diagnosed with mental illness months earlier.  I ran to my company headquarters to escape them.  I told the truth.  They claimed I went crazy and acted dangerous.  With 3 against 1, guess who was believed.

As a veteran this experience and others haunts me.  The VA gave me drugs for my emotions but ignored my pain and suffering from the army.  I needed help to deal with practical issues like work and social support.  Instead fears and isolation consumed me.

I thought that my life was heading down a path like Cho Seung-Hui of the Virginia Tech rampage.  People who I thought that I could trust joked about my issues, suggesting violence.  When I was at the University of Toledo my fears pushed me into the state of mind that Cho Seung-Hui must have experienced.  The VA only gave me different drugs and decided I am 50% disabled.  Dealing with practical issues became impossible.
 

Am I expected to be like Rambo?

The Virginia Tech killing by Cho Seung-Hui had a deep impact on me.  Because I have tried to solve my pain and suffering on my own, trying to share it, a group of people decided that I was a dangerous person.  They had the legal system harass me.  I fought the lies.  A prosecutor told me that no one would believe me over a group of VIP’s.

It seemed ironic that as I continued to fight for the truth, they claimed that I would kill them like Cho Seung-Hui.  Did they want me to kill them?  Confronting me in this way only made my problems worse.  The VA refused to be any help for these issues.

I thought that I could fix myself with my own efforts to understand my experience, thoughts, and emotions.  Patterns became clear.  The pain and fear of past experiences would make me weak.  It did not help that people would use this weakness against me.  Fighting back was used against me.  Giving up was also not an option.

Trapped by these truths I could do what Cho Seung-Hui did or risk more pain and suffering by fighting for compassion and justice.  Writing letters, picketing, and the whyhope.com website resulted in a visit by the FBI a week before the VA Tech assault.  The agent said authorities worried I am a terrorist and why not give up.  My reasons to fight for these issues was proven on April 17 by the 33 preventable deaths.

The news reports showed me why I am afraid to be an American.  My experience gives me the compassion to see a victim turned killer, and why.  Anger and evil were his outlet for a trap that I know very well.  If he was truly ready to graduate that could explain his choice of place and time.  Uncertainty about the future can be one fear too many.
 

Who is the advocate for people like me or Cho when we need help?

It is obvious that I have problems writing or even asking for help.  I have not found any serious advocate for helping me be part of society since I left the army.  The ADA and other laws to protect my rights seem to be taken as a joke by authorities and society.

The Department of Veteran Affairs claims that their compensation people and doctors are only following the rules.  This is the excuse for ignoring my need for assistance in obtaining better help.  The American Legion, PVA, and other groups do not seem very understanding of issues involving mental health.  Like I keep saying, no advocates…

NAMI claims to be an advocate, but I have a written response from them saying that they do not advocate for individuals with mental illness.  Because it is individuals who actually have mental illness, what good is NAMI?

If I end up in jail by fighting for these truths as the FBI claimed, then that will prove the nature of my nation.  It is easy to identify with suffering like the movie character Rambo after experiencing similar harassment.  When I have tried to file a criminal complaint in the past the police and prosecutors would not work with me to understand my complaint.  Like Rambo I am expected to give up on my rights or be called a dangerous.

My only hope has been my inventions like Parabolic Discone and High q Telescopic Coil.

Sincerely,
 

Michael Lake

Letter of authorization is attached.


 

2006 letter to the VA and Congresswoman Kaptur:
Sent 1-6-06

I must mention that I need to write in order to organize my thoughts because it is even harder talking to people. The following is what I have sent to the VA, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's Office in Toledo Ohio, and other advocates that "might" help.

2-20-06 update: My problems are actually Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?

5-15-06 update: Due to the letter below the VA did get me counseling. Unfortunately they believe that "anger" is my problem.

I was taught to live in FEAR of my service connected mental illness, as army documents show. I asked the VA for counseling but only received drugs for the last 15 years. The FEAR was the "trap door" that ruined my EE college degree putting me in the VA hospital in 95, made it hard to work, cost me jobs, caused police to harass me, and is documented in law records as fears and other letters.
 
"Your offices need representatives trained in dealing with the mentally ill!”

January 6th, 2006
Toledo, Ohio

Office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
One Maritime Plaza, Sixth Floor
Toledo, OH 43604-1853 

  and

Department of Veterans Affairs
Regional Office
Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Bldg.
1240 East Ninth Street
Cleveland, OH   44199-2001

Dear Office of Marcy Kaptur and the VA,

I have had no response to the concerns in my certified letters, this forces me to demand:

1. Both Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and the VA need representatives who know how to properly respond to the mentally ill. This relates to the following points!

2. I have the past letters and documents to show how I have been ignored when seeking help for serious problems with the VA. An advocate claims that I was ignored because I blamed Stigma!

3. Because neither my congresswoman's office or the VA will take me seriously, I am writing and e-mailing this letter to everyone who I pray will be interested and supportive. I will continue to contact people until you both prove that the mentally ill will not be ignored like I have been.

4. I still have serious mental health issues that are being ignored by the VA, like Stigma!
If VA doctors had listened and provided counseling 15 years ago then I might not be haunted by the harassment, attacks, and punishment given to me in the army because they blamed me for the side effects of medicine and having mental illness. My WhyHope.com documents the attacks!

5. Days ago I tried to explain my history to a “veterans advocate” who my VA psychiatrist claims contacted the police. If my VA psychiatrist actually knew me then he would not have attacked me over this issue. I was seeking support from the advocate, telling him what was wrong, and he proved that people will attack mental illness instead of trying to help! WhyHope.com explains it!

6. I demanded a new doctor at the VA in Ann Arbor, but must wait two months. So I have scheduled to see a local doctor, hoping that they can actually help me finally.  I want to stop living the attacks from the army! Why am I being ignored by the VA?!!!

7. I believe that my spinal cord tumor would have been discovered sooner, preventing me from becoming paralyzed, if VA mental health doctors had not suggested the symptoms were in my head or a side effect of medication! The stigma of mental illness has hurt my physical health!

Sincerely,

Michael John Lake
 


.
Note on the letter to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's Office:

First, here is a link to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's web site.  She represents Toledo, Ohio, where I live.

Second, my experiences are one big "melting pot" of conflicting, and destructive, ideas.  What is the real cause and effect?  FEAR, pure mental illness symptoms, other people, bigotry, hate, stigma, social attitude, my experience with the VA, or etc.?  How the hell can I figure it all out? (look at the fears letter )  Yet I must do it myself because no one will help me!

Many people are no more humane than machines.
 


To VA and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur on 11-15-05:

(note- the "compensation rating decision from June 20, 2003" is va-award-mental-illness.pdf )
November 15, 2005 

Department of Veterans Affairs
Regional Office
Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Bldg.
1240 East Ninth Street
Cleveland, OH   44199-2001

Dear Sirs,

Why do I need a doctor to prove service connection between:

1) being paralyzed, 
2) effects of my “service connected” mental illness and stigma,
3) the destruct influence of harassment from the army and stigma,
4) and your own refusal to research the truth that stigma harmed my physical health?
I have already sent the following evidence:
  1. Evidence of the harassment, attacks, and punishment directed at me in the army because I was diagnosed with mental illness, bipolar disorder.  Instead of support for this army diagnosed illness, stigma and messages that I was worthless was the army’s response in counseling statements and other documents that I sent you. .
  2. The stigma from the army caused me problems with a socially and at work, resulting in the loss of several jobs.  In addition, how many jobs did I fail to obtain because of the stigma?
  3. During the last 15 years the VA has not given me counseling to help me with the stigma, or it’s destructive effects.  Physical problems were ignored like it was all in my head.


Your compensation rating decision from June 20, 2003, recorded some of these issues by your own compensation doctor, but was not acted upon.  Instead you approved a lower amount based on my normal doctors limited understanding of my situation.  He could not investigate details, you do not give him the time.  Drugs do not eliminate stigma or help me deal with society!

I did not appeal the June 30, 2003, rating because my problems were bad enough that I was not able to appeal.  Your system discriminates against people who are not able to act as their own advocate due to problems with mental illness!  It has taken me years to improve my ability to write and fight back, with no help from the VA!

Now heath problems are bad enough that I do not have the time or energy to be fighting you, but I do not have a choice, do I?  It seems I must sacrifice taking care of myself in order to get help!

Sincerely,
 
 

Michael John Lake   - see WhyHope.com for more
 


My request for help in 2004 and her reply

Compared to the negative response from Senator Mike Dewine,  the reply from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur attempts to be positive.  It still showed me that the issues with mental health are not understood like they should be.

Here is my request for help:  accommodation-request.pdf  and her reply:  kaptur-reply.pdf
 
 

Stigma is a social issue that I can not solve by myself!
 

Also see Senator Mike DeWine's mental illness problem.

return to the main page - WhyHope.com


The war
for
mental
illness
truth!
. Introduction:  Mentally ill treated like criminals or non-humans, it is unacceptable.
. Lack of individual social, political and legal support for mentally ill - by NAMI and others.
. Help me start an organization to advocate for and support individuals. - help protest.
. Served country now forgotten mentally ill veterans: VA drugs are not enough! Mike's story.
. Ohio Courts support stigma, violate civil rights and ADA handicap law, deny due process.
! Response from Senator Mike DeWine and ! Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
. Protest photos & Help me pick signs. - also See where I am protesting, live, by GPS.
. Links - Guestbook - Who I am - Mike's photos - Contact - Self Help - Old subjects
.
Mike's evidence & experience: 1. Army 2. Civic Group 3. State breaking law 4. Failed help '04 5. You can help
.
WhyHope.com © Copyright 2006 - by Michael John Lake +