One of my readers took exception to me using this graphic on a recent post… believing that it referenced the 19th and early 20th century lynching that occurred in our country.
I used this graphic in regards to situation in Buffalo NY where
THOUSANDS of CPP TOSSED TO THE STREET
when a pain physician was shut down and untold thousands of pts were tossed into the street .. in a community that knowingly did not have the health care resources to absorb these pts..
Here is another similar incident in Fort Wayne , IN
Home of the free, home of the brave and innocent until proven guilty.
where abt 5000 chronic pain pts were thrown to the street and the local health care community knew that they didn’t have the resources to even begin to absorb and treat these pts.
These are the ones that have showed up on my “radar screen”… I am sure that there are numerous others with smaller numbers of pts involved. Who believes that all of these pts will regain a practitioner that will treat their pain… how many die from the consequences of being thrown into cold turkey withdrawal?… how many have committed suicide ?
How much difference is there between the mindset of those lynching blacks and whites in the 19th and 20th century and what is happening today? Back then we had a certain group of individuals.. that believed that they had the right to “sanitize” our population from what they had decided was “undesirables”. Unlike today, the victims of this genocide was much more visible … because many were found hanging from trees.
Today
, those who are trying to “sanitize” our population of – in their opinion – “undesirables”.. but today.. those people/groups are much more subtle in how they operate.. Instead of finding bodies hanging from trees. They are – for the most part – silently removed in body bags, and they become a statistic on some “bean-counter’s” spreadsheet.
Then they slice/dice the numbers and various parts of the Federal alphabet.. regurgitate the GROSS NUMBERS to condemn all of these deaths that the same or other parts of the Federal alphabet has caused or contributed to.
If the first graphic is OFFENSIVE… is the second graphic ACCEPTABLE ? Is “invisible genocide” on certain segments of our population acceptable ? Perhaps, offending some.. to get them to see the larger picture is just as necessary as trying to being politically correct and allowing those who are conducting this “invisible genocide” to continue.
Filed under: General Problems
I doubt anyone with chronic pain is rolling in money…but there are so many of us even a dollar or five dollars could grow to a healthy sum if everyone put in something. The issue seems to be getting these ideas picked up by the organizations already in place to advocate, or reinventing the wheel. Dr. Lawhern is working on some things to help and is easy to contact through the Pain Report comments. My issue again is that all our comments here and on the Pain Report, etc are being seen by us, and yet no group seems to pick up on how all this pain and frustration and unease could be put to better use by conveying it to the general public. We have, in my opinion, unknown allies there who don’t have a clue about what’s going on that may someday affect them too. Yet we spend a lot of energy saying the same things multiple times in sites like this, and for myself I must think of a different way to use my energy, Of course the information is good. But doing something about it is a bigger need right now for me. Please know this is, again, about my desire to have my efforts, few as they may be, have a chance of having an impact. I don’t believe our comments do, because I don’t believe they reach the right audience for that. Just my opinion, yet when I see so much frustration and anger here and at other sites, I think it’s important to hold up. Stirring the RIGHT pot is important…stirring our own can be exhausting and nonproductive!
Just a note…and for Steve also, I had questioned the flag that comes up about this being an insecure site and Steve explained it wasn’t and why. I don’t know if there is a connection, but I’m new to this site this last week, and today in my notifications on Facebook I received a notice from a clinic to treat drug addiction!! All about their program and how to get in touch. There wasn’t a way there to ask them where they had gotten my info, but I plan to! I’d be interested to know if others are getting these out of the clear blue.
Best of luck and blessings in whatever anyone here chooses to do or even can do about our current issues with pain care. I would offer that I learned an imaging technique that helps a lot with coping and I have worked with a grief and loss program through a hospice I was affiliated with when I was working. If anyone is interested in either, just try me on Facebook, message me, or email me. I’d be happy to pass along what helps me. Also, for anyone who does acupressure or trigger points and finds it hard to do without help…there is a product called Theracane that I swear by. It was developed by a man in Colorado after his good friend was injured and in pain. You can Google it and order on line or by phone, I’m sure…or some physical therapists will order one for people. Unfortunately it isn’t covered (or wasn’t!) by most insurance. If any. It costs around fifty dollars, but has helped me save a lot of copayments and office visits by reducing some of my pain with trigger point pressure. A good tool you can use yourself without straining. Like I said earlier, information does help. Thanks for hearing me.
Jmo,,as far as donations,,for me,,I am just too poor,,,living off of 31,000 for 2,,,,is just about poverty level,,forcing us to go to Doctor 4 times a year,,at 300.00 for visit,,3,000 for pee,,,we simply don’t have the money to donate,,sadly,,,mary
(Sorry I was trying to use my laptop and my hand kept hitting enter )
To chronic pain patients luckily my doctor had given me the name of a group that he had said were involved with trying to change what was happening to us . The group was Fight For Florida Pain Care Action Network and to my knowledge was one of the first groups in the country to advocate for chronic pain patients and talk about what’s now called the pharmacy crawl . There were people before like Siobhan Reynolds and dr.Tenant but they were the first group I was involved with and it was Donna Ratliff , Chrystal Weaver , Anne Fuqua and Pharmacy Steve and others that have helped me to understand what is happening to us and to try to find a solution . As much as anyone I want a solution to this , there are people dying everyday I’ve just mentioned a few of my champions in this there are a lot more like dr. Mark Ibsen and Bob Schubring .
Some time back Steve tried starting a fund to pay for a lawyer so we could find one chronic pain patient that was discriminated against and bring a lawsuit against the pharmacist so it could possibly start a chain of events that could bring about a pharmacist being liable for what they are doing to us . And that is when I found out how many people do want to talk about their problems but when it came to sending in any type of donations the funding was just not
there ? So believe me Jean I know how you feel and if you can find a quick way of us getting there let me know but until then I’ve just got to educate myself all I can from those around me and learn off of everyone . To think for me it was just six years ago that when I seen statistics and charts I actually believe them ! Along with alot of what I saw in the media ???
Jean Price what your asking for is great and some of those things already exists try Live Support Group but as in anything worthwhile there has to be a start. I first posted a petition on Change.Org in 2011 in this I stated that it was the greed of the big chain distributors and manufacture’s and not the DEA that was causing all the problems in Florida at that time , I was naïve and didn’t fully understand what the hell was happening to
I Agree w/some of what u said,we do need to band together under 1 banner,,,but many of us have had some effect,,on this opiatephobia,,,The United Nations were made aware of how bad it is here[usa] 1 year ago,,thru a formal complaint signed by 1000’s,,,,,,and they just stood infront of ,”our” country and told the cdc,hhs,,fda,,our government,,how WRONG,, they were to take our medicines away,,that petition2congress has sent 26,000 letters to our senators,the prez,,which is why,,our prez said,,no more restriction on our MEDICINES,, that if u take any away,,,u must give us something else that is effective,,,,Also because of that petition and others like it a law was past on April 19th,,2016,law PL ?????,, that any person in physical pain by law is allowed effective medicines,,can’t find thee exact statuete number,,cat jumped on printer,,,Ill look for it,,,but we are SLOWLY pushing forward,,,jmo,,get rid of the Klondike bar,,in the cdc,,,who is selling ,”addiction,”ie snake oil,,to fill his pocket books,,,a lot of this would stop,,,but ALLLL WARS ARE WON IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE,,,, and this is where we need to strike,,,I mean if people knew the consequence of their opiatephobia is they are making people suffer in physical pain,,,I think they’d think 2ce..i mean they do survey’s about ,”drug abuse,” why not put a survey out there for the consequences of no MEDICINES,, for the physically ill, Questions like,,”If u believe access to medicines should be restricted for risk of abuse,,,then do u believe ALLLL people in physical pain should be forced to suffer in physical pain w/no medicines??yes or no??
Jmo,,I just think we need to respond to the opiatephobs everywhere via comments on the web, show them the consequence of their opiatephobic rhetoric,,,Show the people the DAMAGE THAT these ,”addiction propagandist,” have done,,,and the world wide web is perfect for that,,jmo,,,we just gotta KEEP RESISTING,,KEEP TELLING THE TRUTH,,,KEEP IT UP!!!mary
I don’t think they care that much, Mary! We are just quite acceptible collateral damage to them, I believe. I hope I’m wrong and they do see this, I’m just not willing to take that gamble with my energy and time. I think there are some important things our groups could help us do, like
*finding a nationally known champion to further our cause
*fundraising to help those in financial need who can’t even afford copayments
*banding all these fractured advocacy groups together under a coalition to add power and numbers to our support since this is a big issue and so is research about pain and pain treatments
*sitting up a dedicated suicide hotline for people in pain staffed by people who know about pain and could be trained to help
*establishing a calling list of people with pain who could be called to provide brief (five to ten minutes) of support to help those with pain who just need to hear a kind voice for the moment
*AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL…to contact civil rights lawyers and pursue the legal aspects of our situation, helping with class action law suits of the CDC and all agencies state and federal and local who have discriminated against us and committed crimes against us and our doctors.
Not one response to any of this have I seen from our advocacy groups. So, what is our real problem now that the guidelines are being followed? The government or lack of action based advocacy? Letters and visits and phone calls don’t seem to be working where we need them to make a difference. Something different could be tried, or at least looked at. The more energy I spend on comments and the frustration of seeing all the pain and sadness and anger just diminishes what I might be able to do with others that had an impact. PLEASE NOTE…. I’m just trying to say this is how I feel….and to hold up this reality for others who might feel the same. If our groups hear suggestions often enough, maybe they’ll start doing something else to help. More of the same seems like the wrong road to me.
U don’t think our politicians see our I comments??I doooo,,I think their deviant enough to actually search the internet for comments from cpp”s,,,if for no other reason to see ,”who” is stirring the pot,,,and when people are being FORCED to choose death as their only means of stopping the physical pain,,,ur dam right were gonna comment and stir any pot to try and stop the forced suffering,ie torture and genocide onto the physically ill w/painful medical conditions..I trust NOTHING out of our government,,and I will bet u my pain medicine,,they r watching us,,and every comment we make,,,GOOD,, let them see the death they have willfully caused!!!!!!!MARYW
Yes knowledge is power, but I feel pot stirring is wasted energy when all that is stirred is anger and frustration over our stiuation! But I don’t see that as whining, for sure! In fact, don’t we have something to whine about….and yet instead we are trying to be healthy and assertive our outreaches? The issue for me is that it seems none of this gets to those it needs to, to help us educate people other than those who mostly know the problems we face, to help us change things. There is a lot of fragmentation among pain advocacy groups, and overlapping work and holes in what could be done. When we use our limited energy and stamina from life with pain, I just want it to do the most good. I’m having a hard time understanding how all our comments help. And this always feels like preaching to the choir!
To Jean Price , I personally think the pot needs to be stirred up , knowledge is power . I don’t think you’re seeing the difference between educating people and somebody just out to whine about our situation ?
As with other sites “supporting” those with pain…where else does this information and our comments go? My email is flooded with articles, yet I’m not the one who needs to hear some of this…I live it, I know it!! And since, like most in pain, my energy and stamina is limited I want to use it where it will make an impact! Not to just vent, or know I’m not alone! Venting easily turns to anger which doesn’t help, and I already know I’m not alone…sadly! So I challenge our pain sites to either be more active or don’t allow comments where we use our time and pain to no avail! You stir the pot and seriously we don’t need this. Just straight news and places to act on it! And your help at that!
I find the idiotic policy offensive.
The graphic are just that- graphic
Amen,tracey,,totally agree,mary
What should be offensive is the true story that this image is telling – the fact that humans who experience constant pain are now being forced to needlessly suffer so that some at the top can financially gain from this suffering. This picture says it all. No, it’s not a pretty image. It’s mean, ugly, and disgusting, but it tells the truth! HUMANS IN AMERICA ARE BEING FORCED TO SUFFER INTENSE CONSTANT PAIN!! How much clearer can that get? How is *that* not the offensive part? Again, this society would NOT dare to allow this to happen to animals (rightly so), so why are so many just turning a blind eye to this??!
We’ve tried pleading, writing, e-mailing, tweeting, etc about this current epidemic (yes, the fact that so many humans left to physically suffer to the point that they resort to ending their own lives IS the current epidemic!). We’ve tried “being nice!” This is not about who we may or may not offend. It’s about showing the truth of what is happening in our country! It’s about saving human lives. Humans who were already vulnerable (elderly, physically disabled, chronically ill, in constant pain, veterans, etc) are now even more vulnerable because so many of them don’t have access to the medications that allowed them to have the smallest amount of quality of life.
How can humans sit by and allow this to happen? How can we NOT fight back, not just for ourselves, but for others who are physically suffering? Even if I didn’t experience chronic pain, I would fight because a) I can’t stand to see anyone (or anything) forced to needlessly suffer and b) because I don’t want my son to inherit this current suffocating, corrupt, authoritarian, oppressive, tyrannical government that is currently ruling America. Currently, I am strong enough to fight back, but what about those who are now in such a weakened state (chronically ill and now forced to suffer ridiculous amounts of pain) that they’re unable to fight back? THAT offends me!
What about those who have already committed suicide because they could no longer stand the 24/7/365 physical pain?! THAT offends me! What about all of those who have suffered strokes, heart attacks, and even died because their doctors so callously cut their medication off with no warning, forcing them to suffer horrific withdrawal (or this ridiculous war on drugs/war on prescription opioids/war on pain patients in the form of the DEA “busted” yet another innocent doctor who was merely doing his job that includes alleviating physical pain as much as humanly possible, leaving his patients completely cut off from the medications they require to live, function and have some quality of life)??! THAT offends me!
Absolutely NOT TO STRONG,, of a image, no-way….perfect jmo,,it shows the cruel reality of what has happen’d to all cpp,,,I read every day,,someone was forced to choose death to stop their physical pain from medical illness’s..I myself have at least 2 people I know of,,that choosed death via a gun shot from their medicines being dropped and lessen’d,,,Soioooo no,,,not too strong of a image,,mary
There’s a direct link, Mark Ibsen, between opiophobia and racism. The Harrison Act was passed by Congress in 1914, because a Harvard-linked clergyman testified that “the Negro brain responds differently to drugs”. 102 years later, brain science is a hell of a lot more advanced, and no brain scientist today would make such an assertion. The genetic variability within the human race, is too broad, and the particular differences that were used to decide a person’s race or ethnicity, are too minor, compared to all the other things that happen in our genome which make us each vulnerable to particular diseases.
In 1914, the idea behind opioid prohibition, and the 1934 idea behind cannabis prohibition, was to keep African-Americans from accessing these drugs. In 1981, the idea behind Reagan’s escalation of the Drug War, was that the “Negro brain” abnormalities blamed in 1914 and 1934, happen in whites also, and that steps should be taken to prevent those “Negro brain” traits from spreading.
Absolutely it is not an accident, that most people imprisoned on drug charges in this country, are black. This racist effect, results from a racist cause. Reagan simply made racism respectable once again, by making it about drug use instead of skin color. Successful African-Americans are thought to have “white” brain traits.
I think if Mark Twain were alive today, he’d recognize a lynching for what it is, and he’d have harsh words for it. Even though it’s the new “color-blind” lynching, that criminalizes the substances in our blood, instead of the substances that color our skin…it’s every bit is mean, spiteful, absurd, and lacking of the slightest truth, as the old variety.
Bob, thank you for taking the time to explain how the prohibitionist policies enacted over 100 years ago directly relate to the War on Drugs still occurring today.
In my opinion I do not believe that the image used for this particular blog post too strong or too offensive. It is absolutely appropriate to depict what is occurring in the United States today, even though it is much more insidious. As you pointed out Steve, the only difference is body bags today rather than bodies hanging in trees for all to see in the past.