Scientology is deadly. If you doubt that statement, feel free to check out the facts about one of their young members, Lisa Mcpherson , who is dead. If this doesn't convince you, feel free to check out "Why Are They Dead?".

What's truly frightening about Scientology, is that like the Catholic Church, their believers and leaders are absolutely dedicated to their "Doctrine"; and that y'all need it too. I've a good friend who decided to become a Catholic nun, after years of hating "god".

She gets a heap o'shit from Wally, who says stuff like: "Nuns where the whores for priests". He also makes sure to inform her of the various horrors visited by the Catholic Church, back during the Spanish Inquisition. But she's gay, tatooed and cool as shit.

I've just removed the decorative rosary from my rear-view mirror. Why? Because my art car has quite a few Obama stickers on it. I was parked outside the church of Saint Peter at 5th. and Girard one day. The guy who's house I'm working on came in to tell me that some one had come up to him to inquire about my truck. Apparently you can't vote for Obama if you're Catholic, because he's pro-choice. I guess voting for a pro-war guy like McKain is O.K.

Oh, and I told the guy who I work for that if he sees the person who was upset about my cheap-arse plastic beads, to tell him that the church just lost another great Catholic.

I've wanted to write about this for some time, but some friends of mine needed help, so I have had to balance my time. It is about a post that was written by a hero of mine, Liz Spikol. I have her site in my "Brilliant Blogs", because I've read her writings ever since I can recall being here in Philly.

The reason why her blog is listed on mine is because she exposes mental health "issues" and is brave enough to write about her own struggles with a mental illness. Me? I'm mad and I'm proud. But there are many who are ashamed of who they are. And we need to help them.

In 2005, the World Health Organization wrote a health treaty for those suffering from mental illness. It stated in part: The explicit inclusion of the promotion of mental, as well as physical, health is a timely reminder of the importance of looking at health holistically. Poor mental health affects more than 130 million Europeans at a cost to every European household of more than €2,000 per annum. Despite the high personal, social and economic costs too often mental health has been marginalised within public health policy.

But it was only for Europe. Here, a Medical Power of Attorney only applies to one's physical health. So apparently, one's mind is a free, floating, and separate entity. This strange discrepancy reflects a society that does not seem to understand that mental illness is an actual, physical sickness. We who are hospitalized frequently do not enjoy the same treatment as those with other ailments.

For example, my parents waited until my third hospitalization before they made their one and only visit. Ever. If I'd been hit by a car, had cancer or some other life-threatening illness, I would bet my crappy car that they would have been right there; flowers, balloons, cards and concern. But the reality is, my Bipolar II Diagnosed mind can be a very real threat on my life. It far too often has me believing that the only way to stop the anguish that I'm in is to kill myself.

In the many psyche wards that I've stayed on, I am far from alone in having a family that stays away. In Chicago, there is a network of people at Mad Tea Party, who go to visit those who would otherwise have no one else. What does this say about our priorities? For a country that promotes "family values" an awful lot, it seems crazy that a group of strangers have to provide comfort and company to those that need it most.

Click to join madteapartyWhich brings me back to a deeply disturbing video that Liz Spikol posted on her blog. I would give you the link, but last I checked, the video was no longer playing on the news site that first aired it.

In it, a woman dies in the King's County Psychiactric Ward, N.Y. waiting-room, having been there for over twenty-four hours. Two guards and a doctor see her flat out on the floor, but they do nothing. It is not until a nurse kicks the woman's corpse so hard that it actually moves, that something is done. What? They remove her and then proceed to falsify records, stating that the victim was alive and checked throughout her whole ordeal.

The time-lapse security camera tells the truth, though. The doctor has been been fired, which doesn't mean he won't practice again. As for the others, they have been suspended while the investigation proceeds. Both the firing and the suspensions seem to me a tad on the mild side.Why haven't they been arrested? I may piss some people off here, but what the hell, I'm good at that.

My belief is that because the patient was African-American, mentally ill, female and possibly poor, she did not receive the response that, say, a critically ill White,"sane" and possibly rich man would get. Think this sounds far-fetched? I have friends who keep their Mental Diagnoses secret when they go to an E.R. Their past experiences have made this seem reasonable to them.

One woman was presumed to be homeless and looking for a bed to sleep in. A man told me that they believe he is making his symptoms up, when he says that he's mentally ill. This is terrible and also potentially dangerous. If you won't say that you're mentally ill, you also won't be 'fessing up to any psychotropics that you're taking. Which opens the door for lethal drug interactions.

It would be wonderful if the medical community would apply their oath to one and all: First do no harm. It would be a miracle if our society would abide by it too.