In his commentary, "Loughner and How America Treats Its Mentally Ill," Benjamin Kerstein of Pajamas Media squarely confronts the fact that the most shameful thing about mental illness is how our society has been dealing with the problem. The Loughner case has, at least for this news cycle, brought this issue to the forefront. I wrote the following comment:
"Benjamin Kerstein should be commended for having the courage to discuss a sensitive subject that all too many Americans are ashamed or afraid to talk about. Being conservative does not automatically make one callous to the plight of the mentally ill – I have had a keen interest in mental health for over 40 years. Our fury should be reserved to our education system and the mass media, which have done a poor job of educating the public, and so many live in fear and ignorance. The Lord has commanded us to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves, or face the judgments of God! I believe in lending a hand up, not a handout, so I constantly preach independence and interdependence, working to the best of one’s capacity, self-empowerment, and continuous education as parts of the solution."
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