My View

A Drug Free World

2011-06-20T16:45:00.003-04:00

Okay, as promised I am back with good news about what is going on. Recently I have been hired by a company called Consumer Energy Solutions and I am very excited about this, what’s more exciting is what I was hired to do!

Basically the President Jim Mathers (Picture above) and the CEO Patrick Clouden have recently taken upon sponsoring the Foundation for a drug free world, they actively use and promote this program and since they are a local Florida company they are well aware of the proliferation of drugs within Florida in the past years (Especially the prescription opiates and benzodiazepines)

SO since I am so passionate about educating and making the truth known about drugs, especially when it comes to kids and teens they have now hired me to go out and represent the company when doing lectures and getting the word out to our local community and our own backyard. I think that this is amazing that a company has enough responsibility to actually forward a message as important as this one, and they are doing it all on their own. I am actually lucky to work for wonderful and caring humanitarians such as them.

You should check out the foundation for a drug free world if you haven’t already as I am telling you THIS is the way to educate the children of the future. The way that it breaks down is very simple and there is a very well made DVD that goes with it and I can attest that kids watch it and like it and will re-watch it, ALL ON THEIR OWN! There are very few programs and drug education type materials that will have this type of an effect.

so that they can make their own decisions as to whether or not they do drugs and I don’t know about you but I think that this is a very important factor to have in today’s society.

What do you think? I’m really excited!

Later - Monty

Well HELLO There!

2011-06-15T13:25:00.004-04:00

Guess who is back!?!?!

Thats right, I AM!! :)

I have Missed all of you, and I have stayed busy but I have come to the realization that enjoyed doing this blog before and that it was time for me to buckle down and get typing.

I have some cool ideas that I think I will publish shortly.

Later - Monty

Happy St Patricks day!!!

2010-03-16T21:51:00.003-04:00

St. Patrick's Day is with us,

The day when all that's seen

To right and left and everywhere

Is green, green, green!

And Irish tunes they whistle

And Irish songs they sing,

To-day each Irish lad walks out

As proud as any king.

I'll wear a four-leaf shamrock

In my coat, the glad day through,

For my father and mother are Irish

And I am Irish too!

The "Deadly" truth about opiates

2009-05-07T01:37:00.005-04:00

I know that I have been spending a lot of my time writing about drugs etc recently, but I feel that this is a responsibility that I must take on as I have been working at a medical detox facility in Florida called Novus and we get people off drugs. The most prevalent drugs that I see in people coming to get clean are the use of "legal" opiates and some illegal as well. Oxycodone (Percodan), Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Raw Opium, Opium, Codeine, Morphine, Heroin, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), Methadone (Dolophine) and the list goes on... Oh and if purdue pharma has there way then a new one called remoxy.

"Possible" Effects of Opiates:

I put the above in parenthesis as I see these things happening all the time when people are coming off drugs and it is NOT fun for the user at all and so to me it should be classed as more than just "possible" effects...

General effects of narcotic analgesics include: sedation, slowed reflexes, raspy speech, sluggish "rubber-like" movements, slowed breathing, cold skin, and possible vomiting. However, as a user continues to abuse narcotic analgesics he or she will build a tolerance to the drug, therefore causing the effects to diminish. Heroin, a very strong narcotic depressant, completely destroys the users ability to reason. Its synthetic form, known as "designer drug" has been proven to be even more deadly and addictive. If the abuser wishes to maintain the same effect, he or she will have to take steadily larger doses as the tolerance develops.

Heroin users generally experience certain psychological effects immediately after injection. These include a feeling of euphoria: relief from withdrawal symptoms: and, relief from pain. Physical effects, if they are evident at all, typically will become evident after 15-30 minutes. Physical effects may not be evident if the user is tolerant and has taken a normal dose. With new users, the physical effects include: nodding off, poor motor coordination, depressed reflexes, and slow breathing.

If a user is addicted to opiates he or she will suffer withdrawal symptoms if they don't receive another dose, or "fix", before the drug is completely out of their system. Withdrawal effects can be chills, aches of the muscles and joints, nausea and insomnia. These symptoms normally start 4-6 hours after the last dosage of the drug. The withdrawal signs and symptoms intensify from 14-24 hours following the injection, and may be accompanied by gooseflesh, slight tremors, loss of appetite and dilation of the pupils. Approximately 24-36 hours since the last "fix", the addict experiences insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, depression and hot/cold flashes. Withdrawal signs and symptoms generally reach their peak after 2-3 days. At this point, the addict usually experiences muscular and abdominal cramps, elevated temperature and severe tremors and twitching. This twitching, especially of the legs, is referred to in the expression "kickin' the habit". The addict is very nauseated at this time, may gag and vomit repeatedly, and may lose 10-15 pounds within 24 hours.

Signs of an overdose of narcotic analgesics are depress respiration, slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, possible coma and death.
-
So I know that that your friends might tell you how cool it is and if your doing it yes you might enjoy the "high" BUT when you decide to stop it is going to be an extremely wild and un-fun ride so why get into it into the first place...

So I hope that you can use this information in your life as I see a lot of people that I work with do not realize just how hard it is to get off these legal and illegal opiates.

Later - Monty

USA using patriot act against our own citizens

2009-05-06T00:38:00.000-04:00

Moose or Ostrich?

2009-05-05T23:34:00.005-04:00

I have a dog... Funny thing is that his name is Moose" but as you can see from the picture I am starting to think that the more apt name would be "Ostrich" as this is exactly what they do when there scared... dig a hole in the ground and stick there head in it.

Crazy to think that if I took him to some pet doctors they would tell me that he is confused as to who he is and should be put on Pet Prozac...

Anyhoo - This picture was taken this morning when the beloved dog was on a walk and there are lots of desert tortoises around where he walks and so he was trying to dig into their hole and get them.

Don't you worry his hard work did not pay off and he got no turtle.

Well, that's it for now. Feel free to let me know anything.

Later - Monty

"Ban Oxy-Contin" Petition

2009-05-01T23:22:00.003-04:00

Hello All!

I have a exciting petition that I need your help in not only signing it but getting it promoted, and this is on the banning of oxy-contin, this drug is evil and is killing thousands and thousands of innocent people a year. This has got to stop and that depends upon the work and actions of people like you and me.

Below is the context of the petition...

"OxyContin has been implicated in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of addictions since the FDA approved it in 1995.

OxyContin is molecularly almost identical and acts in the body in the same manner as heroin.

OxyContin has become the substitute for heroin on our streets in America.

Heroin was a legal drug in the United States until 1914 and our forefathers took action against its damaging effects.

OxyContin was unwittingly approved by the FDA as a way to help people suffering chronic pain that Purdue Pharma indicated was not as addictive as some alternatives.

Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, and three executives of the company pled guilty to lying about the addictive qualities of OxyContin and paid a fine of $680 million.

Even though the companys admitted lies have been a part of thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of addictions, no Purdue executive went to jail and the FDA has allowed OxyContin to remain on the market.

There are other products as effective as OxyContin at controlling pain But none with the overt history of abuse and misrepresentation as OxyContin.

OxyContin is the virus that started an epidemic of addiction and death that has infected every community in America.

The FDA must eliminate the virus that started the damage and destruction from a drug that is interchangeable with heroin.

It is time for the FDA to remove OxyContin from the marketplace.

By signing this petition, you are requesting the FDA to immediately ban the distribution of OxyContin to new patients. You are asking the FDA to create a compassionate program to be put in place for the relatively small numbers who are presently taking OxyContin that cannot be switched to another opioid. The compassion we feel for those in pain can be achieved without OxyContin."

Click here and it will route you to the petition...

Thanks and lets get everyone signing it, it takes about 20 seconds... seriously, who does not have 20 seconds spare for this good humanitarian deed... :)

Later - Monty

Drug overload!!!

2009-03-25T20:53:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone!

I admit that I am a young man but in the last 25 years of me being on this lovely planet earth I have seen a few things. One of them is that every time I walk into a CVS or drugstore I notice that the amount of prescriptions being filled are getting bigger and BIGGER...

I mean look at this picture that I took in a Pharmacy last week. I was there to get something and while waiting couldn't help to notice how stacked these pills were.

Now obviously in the last decade we have had some breakthroughs in science on certain levels in pharmacology and this I think is good. BUT.... I asked one of the fine young ladies at this pharmacy what it is that she See's going through her place the most. She looked at me rolled her eyes and shook her head a little and said, SSRI's NSRI's Anti Psychotics, Benzodiazapines, Opiates, Anxiolitics... And if you read my blog from time to time you will agree that this was no new news to me.

The point that I am getting at is the fact that with all the new drugs for cardio, BP, Cholesterol, Ad Infinitum - That it was these damn harmful Psychiatric drugs that were taking over the world.

I was discussing with someone about a week ago the medications she was taking and she said "I want off the opiates but not my anti-seizure meds" I looked at her and asked "why not"? "when did you start getting Seizures"? She stated "oh, I started getting them from Paxil. Now this is an unfortunate occurrence as now that this poor lady took Paxil she will be on this medication to prevent the seizures... She does not even take Paxil anymore!!! Has not for years!

Sorry but this is just not right in my book that people can be hurt so badly by these Big pharma companies and not enough people care about it...

Do you agree? I want your thoughts...

Later - Monty

Recipe for disaster...

2009-03-03T18:05:00.004-05:00

Well I was driving down the street today and I saw the above sign, now I know in most cases there is a joke after a statement like that but this is no joke to me. You see there are many a doctor today that make a profit off the demise of others, now I know that this is a harsh statement but the simple fact of the matter is its true. I am not even saying that this particular one is a that way but it was a red flag for me for sure...

"Weight loss" is on the sign and when its being prescribed by a doctor and is being advertised like this you can be sure that it will be an amphetamine of some sort "Dexedrine" "Phentremine" or something of that nature now what are these pills you ask? well they are defined as:
Amphetamine and related drugs such as methamphetamine are a group of drugs that act by increasing levels of nor epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine in the brain.[3] The group includes prescription CNS drugs commonly used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. It is also used to treat symptoms of traumatic brain injury and the daytime drowsiness symptoms of narcolepsy and chronic fatigue syndrome. Initially, amphetamine was more popularly used to diminish the appetite and to control weight.

You see I have asked a lot of people in my time that are using these drugs what they do and what they are and i find it unfortunate that not many of them actually know what it is that they are. These drugs are not only addictive but can cause many a problems with people taking them. I don't think its okay that doctors can use them for weight loss.

And the other writing on the sign was for suboxone, now i don't think that this is bad in itself as "Suboxone" is Buprenorphine (or colloquially, "Bupe") is a semi-synthetic opiate with partial agonist and antagonist actions. Buprenorphine hydrochloride was first marketed in the 1980s by Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser) as an analgesic, . In October 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America additionally approved Suboxone and Subutex, buprenorphine's high-dose sub lingual pill preparations for opioid addiction, and as such the drug is now also used for this purpose. In the European Union, Suboxone and Subutex, buprenorphine's high-dose sub lingual pill preparations were approved for opioid addiction treatment in September 2006. In the Netherlands, Buprenorphine is a List II drug of the Opium Law, though special rules and guidelines apply to its prescription and dispensation. In the USA, it has been a Schedule III drug under the United Nations.

Now that you know what the drug is I have seen a lot of success with this drug for opioid addiction but the one thing that I see all the time is that it is for way to long, I know of successful detoxes that use this an can ween people of all opioids or opiates in 7-15 days and I see doctors using it for people for months which I don't agree as it will, like any other drug or substance either become addictive or you become dependant to it.

I just had to get this out there as it is frustrating to see that when someone walks into a doctors office for help with either pain or weight loss etc that they can be taken advantage of by doctors whom they trust.

Agree? Disagree? I want to know.

Later - Monty

Novus Medical Detox makes the news

2009-02-18T06:03:00.001-05:00

Its over again - A poem by Monty

2009-02-05T01:45:00.002-05:00

It was nice while it lasted,
But now its come and gone,

Were all affected by it,
Even men that look real strong,

For women it seems a lifetime,
and for men a few short breaths,

For just 17 weeks a year,
you see laughing and song and cheer,

Oh and depending on where you frequent,
an awful lot of beer,

what is this virus, what is the reason?
C'mon boys!! Its freakin football season!

Monty

Rolling Stone article on Zyprexa

2009-02-03T21:28:00.005-05:00

WOW!!!

Did anybody get to read the new Rollin Stone article on Zyprexa???

Man, If you did not then I am ordering you to!! It is very comprehensive and well written and best of all its true!

This is a great blow and I will tell you why I say this, I participate on a weekly radio show in Tampa Fl on prescription drugs and we regularly speak in outrage about this and other Atypical drugs, and sometimes it gets sorta old as I think that its just Nicole and Larry and I speaking on and on and on about the disaster that these drugs have caused and the lies that were told to get them as popular as they are today, BUT – With this article it shows me that AMERICA cares and that we are making a difference if only small and that people are waking up to the fact that these drugs are killing the elderly and causing suicides and causing diabetes in normal healthy people.

And for what... $$$ that's what it all about.

Anyhoo – Not to bore you but let me just give you a few quotes from it... To whet your desire..

“Zyprexa was created to treat schizophrenia, but it wound up being used on depressed moms and misbehaving kids. How one of the nation's biggest pharmaceutical companies turned a flawed, dangerous pill into a multi-billion-dollar bonanza — and who paid the price.”

-
"It was a very clever sort of con," says Dr. Peter Tyrer, a leading psychiatric researcher at Imperial College in London who wrote in the latest issue of the respected medical journal The Lancet about a new study that debunks the effectiveness of the atypicals. "Almost the whole scientific community was conned into thinking — as a consequence of good marketing — that this was a different and better set of drugs. The evidence, as it's all added up, has shown this to be untrue."

Well??? Need I say more.. read the article!!!

I want people to call up our radio show and give me their comments this weekend on this article, go to http://www.prescriptionaddictionradio.com/

Later - Monty

Waiting... A poem by Montana

2009-01-28T23:48:00.004-05:00

Waiting

When oh when will you finally unfurl,

I wait and wait, Not even a referral,

I feel like I’m being painted, a part of some mural,

Like a woman at the salon waiting to have curls,

I realize you are different from the rest of the girls,

Its as if I’m the daylight and you are nocturnal

Or you a republican and I am a Liberal

I dress my self in black as if off to a funeral,

This day that’s just come has all been a swirl

But then in retrospect the week feels like eternal

and again I find myself waiting...

www.Shop to earn.net

2009-01-26T21:21:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody!

I got something new for my blog today...

Recently I signed up for a thing called Shop to earn and I like it. Its a cool program that alot of my friends have gotten into recently and are making good money from it.

the website is look at is http://www.24hourtour.net/

And to sign up is www.shoptoearn.net/shopmonty

I like it as you sign up and do your purchasing through your website and then get money from it! Its really that simple. There are hundreds of websites to choose from and I think that its a pretty cool thing!

Most people might be skeptical about it but you know what thats fine, i was too but the proof is in the pudding.

Anyhoo - Wanted to share it - thought it could be cool!

Later - Monty

Zyprexa = Fraud = Death

2009-01-16T18:46:00.003-05:00

Eli Lilly & Co. taught its sales force a catchy slogan to peddle the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa for treating the elderly.

Company salespeople told care providers that 5 milligrams of Zyprexa at 5 p.m. — or "5 at 5" — would help dementia patients sleep.

Only problem: Regulators never approved selling the drug for dementia, and federal prosecutors say marketing like that led to a record $1.42 billion settlement with Lilly announced Thursday.

The Indianapolis company agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commmerce and pay $615 million to resolve the criminal case.
It also agreed to pay roughly $800 million to resolve a civil case. The company said in a statement it admits no wrongdoing in that case.

Zyprexa is Lilly's top-selling product, a drug that rakes in more than $4 billion a year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved marketing it to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

But court documents show Lilly sales representatives also pushed it to treat generalized sleep disorder, aggression, Alzheimer's-related dementia and depression, among other unapproved uses, from 1999 through 2003. Doctors can prescribe drugs for unapproved uses, but companies aren't allowed to market drugs for those uses.

"The company made hundreds of millions of dollars by trying to convince health care providers that Zyprexa was safe for unapproved uses," said Laurie Magid, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

In 1999, Lilly started pushing the drug in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Sales reps said the weight gain caused by Zyprexa was actually a "therapeutic benefit," according to papers filed with the criminal case.

The drugmaker also marketed Zyprexa to primary-care doctors, even though the company knew there were "virtually" no approved uses for the drug in that market, the documents state. It trained salespeople to focus on symptoms rather than Zyprexa's approved uses.
At one point, Lilly had thousands of sales representatives involved in marketing the drug for unapproved uses, Magid said.

In 2006, the FDA approved a severe, "black box" warning tying Zyprexa to an increased risk of death in elderly patients, mainly from heart problems and infections.
Magid said Lilly was responsible for "putting thousands and thousands of patients at risk."
"Off-label marketing circumvents the very process put in place to protect the public," she said.
Lilly Chief Executive John Lechleiter said in a statement his company "deeply regrets the past actions covered by the misdemeanor plea."

On the civil side, Lilly will pay $438 million to settle allegations that it caused invalid claims to be submitted to government programs like Medicaid and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

The company will pay $361.8 million to state Medicaid programs, too.
Six former sales representatives helped trigger the government's investigation into Lilly. Those whistleblowers will share $78.8 million as part of the civil settlement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Lilly also signed onto a corporate integrity agreement as part of the civil settlement. That calls for reviews by outside companies and more training for all U.S. employees, among other things, spokeswoman Angela Sekston said.
She said Lilly has a strong compliance program and is "fully committed" to the agreement as well.

Aside from Thursday's settlement, Lilly also has spent roughly $1.2 billion to resolve 32,000 claims related to Zyprexa product liability. About 125 cases are still pending.
For instance, a group of insurance companies, unions and others are suing Lilly for billions, saying it broke marketing laws and overcharged for the drug.

Lilly said in October it would set aside the $1.42 billion it agreed to pay Thursday and take that amount as a charge in its third-quarter earnings report. That led to Lilly's first quarterly loss in three years.

I am glad that this is taking place but am outraged by another failure by the FDA and also the fact that Lilly can walk away unscathed like this when there actions could have resulted in the deaths of innocent people.

Find out more on http://www.prescriptionaddictionradio.com/ and listen in live this Sunday where we will discuss this further.

Later - Monty

What is Scientology?

2008-12-11T00:26:00.003-05:00

You know I figured that the best way to explain what Scientology was, would be by showing you what it is to me and what I have gotten from it after doing it these years.

I am a young man so my take on it might not matter to some but in my 25 years I have seen a lot.

I am from Los Angeles and now live in somewhat boring (or “calm” as me mum would put it) Clearwater, Florida.

I grew up skateboarding and still do actually – not as much as I would like to but hey that’s a different topic. ;)

My parents are Scientologists so I was born into it but was a rebel until the age of about 15 and did not consider myself much of anything.

My parents did not force it upon me and 100% let me come to my decision as to what it was and if I wanted to subscribe to that train of thought or not. When I was about 8 years of age I was bit quite badly by a dog of mine, who actually was basically a best friend of mine. Unfortunately after that happened I was VERY scared of dogs which really bothered me as I loved them but was scared of them.

I was offered to receive some Scientology counseling when I was about 9 in regards to what happened with the dog but did not want it, I then took up the offer a year after that and went to a Dianetics seminar at the Celebrity Center International in Los Angeles CA and it cost me about $20.00 if I remember (my mother paid obviously) and at first I did not really care but was just there for the hell of it, we were learning about the book Dianetics and how to do the therapy in that book on each other. I must admit that I was not really paying much attention to the person sitting across from me until he was asking for a fear that I had and I remember reluctantly talking about dogs.

I am soooooo glad that I did say that as we tackled first and foremost my fear of dogs and within 1 hour of doing that I was feeling great and later that day when I was leaving there was a man with a seeing eye dog and I remember hugging the dog with no reservation and was crying I was so happy as I wanted to for so long but had this irrational fear that stopped me.

That for me sold me on it and since then I love dogs and take care of them often. In fact I will be moving into a nice house soon with a dog and I am very excited.

I am not a professional at explaining things and so I am not even trying to do that – I just want to put my honest experience with Scientology out there for anyone to read.

The other basic principles about the church are great as nothing is ram-rodded down your throat as to what to believe and what not to – one of the things that we believe is “what’s true for you is true for you” in that regard if you believe something to be a certain way then fine that’s what you think and we do not make you feel little for thinking it.

The basics skills of communication and the way that people act and think to me are amazing and I use them in my daily life all the time. I use them all the time in my work, life, girlfriends etc. It really does help me out.

So that is why I like Scientology – It has helped me out for many years and I am sure it will continue to do so for many more to come.

Later - Monty

Obama is in!

2008-11-05T03:35:00.003-05:00

Hello!

Just wanted to pop in and say, while I do not like Obama and I did not vote for him I am willing to see what he is going to do for the country and since he is (or will be shortly) are new chief of staff I think that we should hold off on criticism and see what his actual actions are. As up until now its all blah blah blah and politics don't usually do what they say they will.. Statistically speaking. And to be honest seeing as I do not agree with a lot of his programs I guess that's a good thing,

Later - Monty

Heroin Pills - A poem

2008-11-03T22:21:00.002-05:00

If the devil were a person he would surely be Michael Friedman
If you were shot on the corner He’d walk by and let you bleed man,

For this man is the CEO of what’s known as Purdue Pharma
They manufacture drugs of which create only bad Karma,

Like Oxycodone, Oxycontin and their newest Remoxy,
Their sales girls in n out of doctor’s offices acting real foxy,

The design of these drugs were to treat people with painful diseases,
They’re now being used for people with coughs and some sneezes,

The problem with these pills is that there very addictive,
Many a people are dead now from them and their parents vindictive,

Many will say that “it’s just the addictive type that gets hooked on them”,
I say we give all of those people 100mgs a day and then take em off them

Because I will tell you now friend and I’ll tell you again
You would never again hear those uttered words from them,

So can you see what this means now as I think that it’s real sad,
The drug dealers today have a ton of PHD’s and a prescription pad,

And to top it all off they have us all saying the term “pain killer”
That’s like saying “little house on the prairie” is a psychological thriller,

So please take a closer look at this national epidemic,
If you don’t believe me ask a policeman or paramedic,

Cocaine and some of the other illicit type drugs
Are no longer being used by businessmen and thugs

It’s the drugs in your medicine cabinet that are responsible for the kills,
It’s not much of anything nowadays other than these damn heroin pills.

© Montana Spencer 2008

The way I see things

2008-10-31T01:02:00.001-04:00

The point of this poem is not meant to bring you down,
Nor is it sarcastic or witty, ill leave that for a clown,

Just give me a moment of your workaday life,
And Ill give you some data about peoples worry and strife,

I could go on a banter about McCain or Bush and even Obama,
But that’s for another time – this is for everyone else and their mama,

Let’s talk about situations that need solutions like a baby needs milk,
Like to get a full tank of gas, means you must have come from good ilk,

Or what about the fact that the worlds fastest growing island out in the Pacific,
Happens to be made with plastic bottles and other trash to be more specific,

That’s right - its floating out there near Hawaii and Papa New Guinea
It’s the size of Texas so all you green people should do more than buy that hybrid new Mini,

Or what about education and that we (USA) were named #18 by the UNICEF committee,
That’s quite a statement when we are supposedly the best country with all the best cities

And if you read that report I’ll bet you’ll find something in there,
That made me start thinking (which used to happen in this country a fair share)

So this is what it is that I found that made me realize and I was then off and running
The report finds that educational success or failure is not directly linked to funding

It has been estimated that 40% of Americans are on some kind of medication,
What happened to the good ole days when it was all about god and meditation?

Look, if all that would happen is you took the pill and it did what was stated,
Then I would bring up another topic and let “big pharma” go on unabated

But ladies and gentlemen I am sorry to tell you,
That some of the drugs were designed just to sell you,

I’m not talking about blood thinners and drugs of that kind,
I’m talking about Prozac and Rittilin that destroy your own mind,

So pay attention to me now as I have something rather unsoothing,
Those Psychiatric drugs were in the kids involved in school shootings

There is a silent epidemic that must be put to an end,
For it’s up to us now as god himself will not mend,

But just like the planet Saturn with its many turning rings,
These issues orbit me as well, It’s the way I see things

© Montana Spencer 2008

That spark

2008-10-30T01:23:00.006-04:00

Hello! I wrote a poem today and liked it so I figured I'd post it... It's about a very special girl whom I have known for a loooooong time... Why not put it up.

Have you ever looked at a crowd of people from a distance?
And seen that certain type of person slide among with no resistance?

It’s hard to explain what is really occurring,
Other then, when you’re with them its rather assuring,

They do what they want because they have that “pizzazz”,
Their like there own type of music, but not redundant like jazz,

There the kind of person that you can throw into a Unknown bar,
Walk-a-way and come back and “What” there now the local star?!?

What makes them tick I know Ill never know,
But I met someone like that – not too long ago

She is the kind of person that argues about characters from the big screen,
Like his name wasn’t “dark helmet” it was “Lord of darkness” and there is no in-between

She matches the description, right down to the last “T”
She is not your average person, not boring yet quite pretty,

She can make you smile without even opening her mouth
And with her it’s always up, things never seem to head south

So its pretty clear to me I was all alone in the dark,
Then out of nowhere she came and with her – That spark

Later - Monty

Obama or McCain... How about neither!

2008-10-22T23:07:00.003-04:00

After months of refusing to endorse any candidate in November's presidential election race, Congressman Ron Paul—who ran a hard race for the GOP nomination—announced Monday afternoon in a press statement that he was supporting Constitution Party nominee Rev. Chuck Baldwin.
Baldwin, a minister at Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., and a syndicated columnist, could not be reached for comment, but Frank Fluckiger, the Constitution Party's Western States Area Chairman, told NewsWithViews.com that he and other party officials had "no idea" that Paul had actually decided to endorse their candidate.
"Of course, we are thrilled. It will be a real boost to our party and membership," he said. "It was wonderful for Congressman Paul to do this."
The Baldwin campaign had approached Paul for his endorsement, as had the Libertarian Party and the GOP—with former senator Phil Gramm making the pitch for Paul to endorse Sen. John McCain. But Paul repeatedly refused.
The surprise announcement came less than two weeks after the Texas Republican had hosted a Third-Party Unity Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, under the auspices of Paul's new project, the Campaign for Liberty. At the event Paul called on voters to reject the two major political parties and vote for one of the third-party candidates with him that day.
Joining him at the podium were Chuck Baldwin, Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney, and Ralph Nader, Independent.
Paul's intention was to focus voters on the idea that there are other parties out there and other candidates than simply the "big two." That's why he hosted the press conference and invited all the third party candidates. All of them.
But one third-party candidate was a no-show: Bob Barr, a former congressman from Georgia, now the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate for the November election.
Not that Barr hadn't been invited. Not only had he been invited, he had accepted. Then moments before the conference was scheduled to begin he sent word that he would not be attending, saying it would be "a waste of time." Worse, Barr had scheduled a press conference of his own to begin a couple of hours following Ron Paul's event.
"I'm not interested in third parties getting the most possible votes," Barr said at his press conference. "I'm interested in Bob Barr as the nominee for the Libertarian Party getting the most possible votes. Adding insult to injury, he said he'd allow Paul to be his running mate on the LP ticket.
Barr also sent a letter to Paul, explaining why he should not stay neutral but join him in the Libertarian Party fold. The letter has been pulled from the Barr campaign website. Today, Paul replied, declaring at the end of a lengthy essay posted on the Campaign for Liberty site:

"The Libertarian Party Candidate admonished me for 'remaining neutral' in the presidential race and not stating whom I will vote for in November. It's true; I have done exactly that due to my respect and friendship and support from both the Constitution and Libertarian Party members. I remain a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and I'm a ten-term Republican Congressman. It is not against the law to participate in more then one political party. Chuck Baldwin has been a friend and was an active supporter in the presidential campaign.

"I continue to wish the Libertarian and Constitution Parties well. The more votes they get, the better. I have attended Libertarian Party conventions frequently over the years. I've thought about the unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate, and he has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate."

So it looks like if you were a supporter of Ron Paul (as I am) then i guess its clear who he wants you to vote for. I think that its interesting that he was asked to support McCain but he didnt.

What do you think?

Later - Monty

SIN STOCKS

2008-10-21T21:22:00.003-04:00

The below article was written by John Carey. John’s Peace and Freedom II blog always contains topical and insightful material. John has degrees in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science from Texas A&M University, and has worked for a major oil company for over 24 years. As a humanitarian endeavor, he has researched extensively on the psychiatric drugging of children.

SIN STOCKS by John Carey

“It is part of the American dream to put a dollar into a company stock today, and get lots of dollars back when you sell. The only modifier to this dream by some is an aversion towards "sin" stocks - avoiding companies that make alcohol, cigarettes, pornography, guns or provide gambling.But when I suggest that you pitch drug companies into this same sin-bucket you probably think I'm joking. But I'll let you in on my reasoning, which includes numerous lawsuits against the companies, lying by the company executives to market their drugs under false pretenses for profit's sake, and drugs pushed on the public which knowingly harm more people with the side effects than they ever help. Side EffectsAll drugs have side effects! Taken for a short time to cure something worse, it is a beneficial exchange. But drug companies can't make the huge profit for an antibiotic you take for two weeks as they can for a "mental-health" pill you take every day for the rest of your life!With the first group of antipsychotics marketed, drug companies freed many people from the state hospitals. But one debilitating side effect of these drugs (like Thorazine, Haldol and Prolixin) was that they caused involuntary, repetitive, and purposeless movements. In the 1990s, newer drugs called atypical drugs (like Clozaril, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Geodon and Risperdal) largely replaced the older meds and were marketed (at eight to twenty times the cost of the prior drugs) as causing fewer involuntary movements, but they have their own side effects such as weight gain, diabetes and early death.* Tens of thousands of people sued Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca, saying that their drugs, Zyprexa and Seroquel, gave them diabetes and elevated blood sugar levels. Eli Lilly reports having paid $1.2 billion to settle over 30,000 lawsuits.
* In 2008, Alaska sued Eli Lilly for the medical costs of Medicaid patients who developed diabetes while taking Zyprexa. One of Eli Lilly's top executives sent an email encouraging Lilly to promote Zyprexa for a use not approved by federal drug regulators (known as "off label") and while doctors can prescribe a drug "off label", it is against federal law for a drug company to encourage this practice. Alaska settled with Lilly for $15 million and now other states are going after this legalized drug pusher. (Global sales of Zyprexa approached $4.8 BILLION in 2007.) Lilly also faces 1,200 cases as well as a federal probe over its marketing tactics.
* Janssen's Risperdal got FDA approval to expand the use of the drug to address adolescent schizophrenia, the irritability of autism in kids and for bipolar disorder. In 2006, it was the most heavily prescribed psychiatric drug in New York's Medicaid kids program, given to 17,393 children. It is also blamed in lawsuits nationwide for side effects including diabetes caused by weight gain, Parkinson's-like movement disorders and gynecomastia, in which males grow breasts which have to be surgically removed.
* The pharmaceutical companies have made astronomical profits since promoting the atypicals to treat mental disorders. Since the drug companies couldn't claim that the atypicals were better than the old drugs, they paid doctors to say so. This brought about a widespread false belief that the newer medications were safer and worth the additional billions of dollars in taxpayer money to make these the states' preferred drugs of choice. Since then, the life expectancy of people treated in community mental health centers has plunged to a point twenty-five years LESS than the average due to a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease as a side effect of these drugs. (For comparison sake, being homeless cuts ten years off your life expectancy.) Chuck Areford said in a 2008 article titled "Antipsychotic Drugs are Doing Harm" that this "…must be ranked as one of the worst public health disasters in U.S. history."Drugs Marketed Under False PretensesIf you are the CEO of a company, a large part of your multi-million dollar compensation is tied to how well the stock does during your tenure. This has led the companies to promote their drugs much like the rest of Madison Avenue promotes cars or the latest perfume. However, while the brand of car you drive doesn't adversely affect your health, which psych drug you take to hide your problems does.* The entire basis for the use of psychotropic drugs is a THEORY, not a fact! The media presents it as a fact that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. However, even the psychiatric bible clearly states that the cause of depression and anxiety is unknown. Jeffrey Lacasse, a doctoral student co-authoring a study on this is quoted as saying, "… there are few scientists who will rise to its defense, and some prominent psychiatrists publicly acknowledge that the serotonin hypothesis is more metaphor than fact."
* In 2006 4-year-old Rebecca Riley died of an overdose of psychiatric drugs that had never been approved or tested for children. She had been taking drugs for ADD and bipolar since she was two years old and died with four prescription drugs in her system. Her heart and lungs were damaged due to prolonged abuse of the prescription drugs.
* Cheyenne Delp, a five year old, died in 2004 while on five prescription medications. One of the anti-depressants required that she undergo an EKG to determine if her heart was healthy enough for her to take it. The child psychiatrist, Dr. Saran Mudumbi, testified that Cheyenne was out of control and that she suffered from paranoia, depression and anxiety.
* One of the main psychiatrists pushing treatment of children with psychiatric drugs is Dr. Biederman who has financial ties with fifteen drug companies and serves as a paid speaker or adviser to half of them, including Eli Lilly & Co. (Zyprexa) and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Risperdal).
* A drug is approved by the FDA for narrow uses, but gets tried off-label on hard-to-treat conditions and the drug company's sales force stokes up this usage until the research catches up years later that shows the initial enthusiasm was unfounded. With the limited schizophrenic and bipolar market for the atypicals, the drug companies marketed them as safer than their predecessors. They came to be tried beyond the approved uses for nursing home residents, prisoners, and children younger than six years old. Total U.S. sales for this class of drugs reached $13 billion in 2007, doubling the sales just five years earlier.
* Research by three universities says long-term use of anti-psychotics offers "no long-term benefit for most patients." And while anti-psychotic medication is not licensed to treat dementia it is being given to 100,000 elderly patients in England to keep them manageable! Studies show that these drugs increase the risk of strokes and other harmful side effects. One study showed that after 3½ [years, 60% of the Alzheimer's patients given a placebo were still alive while only 28% of the group given the anti-psychotic medication were.
* While an estimated 30-60% of U.S. nursing home patients are placed on antipsychotics, at the Bronx's Providence Rest nursing home, the staff gives massages to the patients. Utilizing this therapy, the nursing home has cut its use of antipsychotics to 2-3%, the lowest rate of any nursing home in New York!
* The drug companies funded the committees which set up the state plans for defining which drugs to use for which treatments. Drug company profits then soared because the atypicals were listed as the first three choices over the older generic drugs. The states' medical costs for patient care also soared! Now that the links to the drug company funding and the terrible side effects have become known, nine states have sued Eli Lilly, four sued Janssen, and two sued AstraZeneca. Dozens more states have teamed in a joint investigation, seeking billions of dollars in restitution for money they say they overpaid for atypicals through Medicaid.
* In Minnesota alone, since 2002, drug companies have given $88 million in gifts, grants and fees to Minnesota doctors and caregivers. Several states, including Pennsylvania, are suing some drug makers for promoting their drugs beyond approved uses and commissioning "ghost-written" articles to increase sales.
* Drug companies fund and support front groups like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder )and programs such as TeenScreen, in order to create a demand for their products covertly. These groups may not promote drugs directly but rather they promote disorders, legitimizing mental illnesses that have never been validated as true medical diseases. Drug companies cannot make these claims directly but accomplish the same goal through these other groups and programs. TeenScreen, an invention of psychiatrist (with drug company connections) David Shaffer, is a screening program asking children as young as 9 years old questions like, "Have you often felt very nervous when you've had to do things in front of people?" and "Are you Hispanic or Latino?" Based on their answers, TeenScreen refers them to mental health "professionals", who inevitably decide that these children have symptoms defined as "mental disorders", writing prescriptions for antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs for children with no objective medical testing. TeenScreen's staff and advisory board are loaded with ties to Big Pharma. See: www.teenscreentruth.com/teenscreen_advisory_board.htm. TeenScreen's Director, Laurie Flynn, was formerly at the helm of NAMI, which received over $11 million in drug company funding from '96 to '99: Janssen ($2.08 million), Novartis ($1.87 million), Pfizer ($1.3 million), Abbott Laboratories ($1.24 million), Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals ($658,000), Bristol-Myers Squibb ($613,505) and Eli Lilly $2.87 million.
* In 2008 researchers using the Freedom of Information Act dug out information on Prozac that shows it is no more effective than a placebo! The study included clinical trials that Eli Lilly chose not to publish when they studied the drug. The data showed that patients had improved - but those on the placebo improved just as much! (The only exception was in the most severely depressed patients.) 40 million people take this drug, earning tens of billions of dollars for Eli Lilly.Is it the same sin to give capital to Playboy as it is to molest a woman? That is a question that only you can decide (with perhaps help from your pastor), but it doesn't take much of a leap to imagine someone viewing porn and then going out and committing rape. You aren't on the corner selling crack but you are just as guilty if you gave the crack dealer $10,000 to finance his supply.Who knows what potentials for bad hearts, mis-wired brains and early deaths these drug companies have caused our society in their profit search for a daily-pill-solution to what ails us? If putting money ahead of people's lives and preying on those needing real help doesn't make you a sin company, I don't know what does.So whether you now agree that pharmaceutical company stocks belong in the sin-stock category, or you simply believe that there are just too many liabilities for these companies to be good investments, either reason is enough to remove them from your portfolio forever.”CONCLUSION

While none of us may directly own any of these “Sin Stocks”, if we own shares in mutual funds or have an interest in a company retirement plan, it is highly likely that the managers of these funds have purchased these “Sin Stocks.” After all, these managers may not approve of the activities of these criminals and may even have seen the devastating effects of their drugs, but these stocks have shown profits and that is what they value most. If they don’t make profits for their funds, then they will be fired.

Do you want to send a message to the amoral drug companies? Then send the fund manager a copy of John’s excellent article and a demand that they either sell their “Sin Stocks” or you are going to withdraw your money. If it is a company retirement fund, then urge your fellow workers to read John’s article and also to write a letter to the company and to their fund manager demanding that they immediately liquidate these Sin Stocks.

Will these actions have the desired effect? I am not sure but the 18th century British philosopher, Edmund Burke, said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Each of us has the power to protest in our own way anyone who condones the acts of these criminals. Evil has not yet triumphed but it is time for good men to do something.

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So what did you think? Interesting or what?

Later - Monty

Oil is dropping...

2008-10-17T00:27:00.011-04:00

Hello All,

Please if you will, observe the price of unleaded gas during the election year of 2004. watch as the price plummets as the election approaches, then takes off like a rocket as soon as the election is done with and an oil man is safely in office once again.

I only write this as recently I have been hearing people around me "Thanking god" for the low gas prices and frankly I think that there deity might be off in this one - I trully believe that this is purely political - Now don't get me wrong - I fill up at the pump with a smile well worth a photo of but... I just know who to thank, thats all.

So? Do you agree or disagree with me on this?

Later - Monty

Thinking in billions...

2008-10-10T00:40:00.003-04:00

A Billion seconds ago it was 1972.

A Billion minutes ago it was 102 A.D.

A Billion hours ago it was the Old Stone Age.

A Billion Dollars ago in Washington is 4 hours ago.

Later - Monty

The "trash" island

2008-10-09T23:58:00.004-04:00

A heap of trash that's twice the size of Texas is floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, as it's called, is 80 percent plastic, and weighs in at 3.5 million tons.

Trapped in a circular course by winds and currents, it's been around since the 1950s, and has been growing tenfold every decade. It's not a dumping ground in the sense that people are flying or boating by and throwing their refuse into the heap. Instead, it's picking up trash that originates onshore, and has since made its way out into the Pacific.

Cleaning it up doesn't sound too likely, since the effort would cost billions, but it would be nice if we figured out a way to stop adding to it. Another possibility: turning it into a sort of anti-Disney World. Surely that would convert even the worst plastic-wasting offenders among us into ardent environmentalists.

This is its pattern - a little blurry but thought it was interesting.

Well - What are we going to DO about this!?!?!

Later - Monty