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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Vetoes Mental Health Bill At Request Of Scientology

secretiveoldfag

Silver Meritorious Patron
This story is disturbing. Scientology is gradually getting overt influence politically. It has long had covert influence through secret deals , bribes , blackmail and espionage but now in politics Scientology is openly interacting with higher and higher politicians. Very troubling . DM may like a two pronged strategy of having Scientology look like a goofy new religion that is persecuted for being new and an internal view that is quite different . If they can get on the sane page as any elected officials that can give an appearance of being socially acceptable and accepted for DM to parade out as proof for whales . And as PR for outsiders to confuse them when they hear of the horrific crimes and abuses Scientology commits.

A very , very old PR theory is that if you can bury a topic with contradictory statements from equally trusted sources MOST people get confused , do not like the feeling of cognitive dissonance and AVOID the topic as much as possible . Completely if the topic is not a needed part of their life ..

This benefits sociopaths tremendously. Think about it , most sociopaths know most people are not like them and would object to their conduct IF they understood the intent behind them . So by getting people to avoid them it gives sociopaths a free pass to keep abusing people.

Hubbard and Miscavige both employ this method . Getting even marginal social acceptance gets played up by the cult so it is their way to confuse the uninformed. The best thing about Scientology is that it has drawn in very few people. It probably never has had more than one hundred thousand members at any time . That is tiny in a world of perhaps six billion people . But the bad news that goes with that is that perhaps a few hundred thousand people worldwide bother to learn the truth about Scientology .

As Scientologists we were in a small club . As people who put in a serious , and hopefully effective , effort to understand Scientology we are also in a small club.

DM has other plans for us but he wants to neutralize the majority of people and control a needed minority. For him a governor is a prize to be sought , much like a movie star . The main thing TC and JT do is not recruitment , that is almost impossible now . The main thing they do is make the cult seem possibly acceptable. Even if just enough to confuse most people.

FIFY

Yes, but DM wants social acceptance, not negative publicity. And he cannot avoid well-informed negative publicity.

Google already picked this up yesterday and sent it out to a waiting public ('Today's best CoS foot-bullet') and as I went to bed there were already pages of comments on local sites including of course prepared statements by the OSABOTS all about public rights (exactly as Birdie predicted) but also informed statements by critics and exes, and this morning the expected thread on ESMB and more informed comments.... It's beautiful, really

So we may be a small club but I think we are a more effective small club than Scientology.
 

secretiveoldfag

Silver Meritorious Patron
This is interesting. The post is below is by the Ring of Fire website. One of the hosts of the Ring of Fire show is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. You will recall that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently supported the efforts by the Church of Scientology and the Nation of Islam to defeat the mandatory vaccine law in California.

Ring of Fire: Scientologists Feared Texas Law Would Result in Them Being Institutionalized, Forced Governor to Veto It

https://www.ringoffireradio.com/201...institutionalized-forced-governor-to-veto-it/

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A Scientology-backed anti-psychiatry group influenced Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) decision to veto a heavily-favored mental health bill, reported RawStory. The reason the group was so concerned about the passage of the bill is that it would have permitted mental health professionals greater ability to temporarily hold individuals for psychiatric evaluation if the individuals are a potential danger to themselves or others. Members of Scientology obviously feared this would include every one of its members.

Senate Bill 359 was heavily-favored on both sides of the aisle in the Texas state legislature and passed through both chambers with ease and little debate. Several mental health experts and law enforcement officials testified in support of SB 359. However, Gov. Abbott shocked lawmakers with his surprise veto of the bill.

Despite being supported by lawmakers, one group in particular expressed staunch opposition to the bill, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group founded by the Church of Scientology and led by its lobbyist Lee Spiller. After Governor Abbott vetoed the bill, he was invited by Spiller to a social engagement. “Please pass on my warmest regards and sincere thanks for upholding individual liberties and restoring my faith in our constitutional form of government,” said Spiller’s message. “Please consider yourself invited to our office, and any event we hold, any time.”

Scientology groups are beginning exert influence in government branches, and that’s scary. Considering the church’s reputation for harassment, bullying, and manipulation, government is the last place for them to have influence.

About the Author
Joshua De Leon
Josh de Leon is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire.

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I am confused. If Ring of Fire is a mouth-piece for Robert F. Kennedy who has supported right-wing legislation together with NOI and CoS, why is its reporter now turned around and not just attacking CoS but ridiculing its entire membership and drawing attention to the dangers of its political ambitions?

I'm not objecting. I like it. But is there something I have missed here?
 

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
I am confused. If Ring of Fire is a mouth-piece for Robert F. Kennedy who has supported right-wing legislation together with NOI and CoS, why is its reporter now turned around and not just attacking CoS but ridiculing its entire membership and drawing attention to the dangers of its political ambitions?

I'm not objecting. I like it. But is there something I have missed here?
I suspect this particular reporter was not aware of RFK, Jr.'s recent relationship with the Church of Scientology. Simple miscommunication.
 

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Wonkette: L. Ron Hubbard Controlling Texas Now From Beyond Earthly Grave

http://wonkette.com/591218/l-ron-hubbard-controlling-texas-now-from-beyond-earthly-grave

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It’s no surprise that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is a big fan of religious freedom, especially the freedom to keep gays from getting married and the freedom to keep sluts from getting abortions. But it turns out that fundagelical Christans aren’t the only people he has faith-time with — Abbott was also happy to veto a mental health bill last month, largely at the urging of the Church of Scientology, which isn’t even the least bit Jesus-y. Maybe they promised to keep Texas clear of Thetans during Jade Helm 15.

The Texas Tribune reports that Senate Bill 359, which would have allowed doctors to order a four-hour emergency hold for patients they believed would be a danger to themselves or others, was that rare thing in Texas: a law that had broad bipartisan support in the Lege, with support from law enforcement, mental health advocates, and doctors. That almost never happens in Texas; if anything, Abbott probably should have signed it to protect an endangered species.

Intended to provide a window of protection for doctors who sometimes find themselves choosing between illegally holding mentally ill patients and letting them leave with the real possibility they might be a danger to themselves or the community, the legislation would have allowed hospitals to retain patients for up to four hours, allowing law enforcement to arrive and evaluate the situation.

The law would have applied to a very small group of patients: people who “voluntarily seek services at a hospital or emergency department, decide to leave the facility, but the physician has determined he or she poses a potential imminent danger to self or others,” according to a letter from the presidents of the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians. But it almost certainly would have saved lives of people who might otherwise commit suicide.

Abbott vetoed the bill after receiving a scary letter signed by a “coalition” of groups led by Scientology’s anti-psychiatry front group, the “Citizens Commission on Human Rights,” which is dedicated to explaining that there is no such thing as mental illness, except for the ones caused by psychiatrists and all their crazy-making drugs. These are the nice people behind the exceedingly weird “museum” in Los Angeles called “Psychiatry: An Industry of Death.” Among other charming pronouncements, the CCHR likes to inform people that there’s “zero amount of proof that schizophrenia exists as a singular mental illness” and that psychiatrists are the equivalent of terrorists who just want to take all your money and make you sicker, when what you really need is to give all your money to Scientology, which will make you all better.

Guess that was one very persuasive letter! Signed by the “SB 359 Veto Coalition,” the letter claimed that the bill:

threatened the “delicate balance” between providing “access to humane care and treatment for persons suffering from mental illness and safeguarding the person’s legal right.” It characterized the bill as granting “sweeping powers” to hospitals that could lead to fraudulent mental health detentions and threaten a patient’s right to refuse medical care.

Wouldn’t want to infringe on freedom, so Abbott vetoed the bill.

The really weird part? The CCHR actually managed to get other groups to sign onto its “coalition,” not that they told any of them they were backing Scientology. Not surprisingly, there were some groups you’d expect to support pseudoscientific woo: the Texas Home School Coalition; an anti-vaxxer group called Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education; and a libertarian group that opposes water fluoridation, Texans for Accountable Government. But somehow, the coalition also included the League of United Latin American Citizens, whose deputy state director, Marcelo Tafoya, worried that the bill would allow cops to detain Latinos out of pure racism:

People in emergency rooms are “yelling and screaming and carrying on because nobody is taking care of them,” Tafoya said. He said that he was worried that under the bill, “anybody there could claim that these people are hallucinogenic or have problems and turn them in, which to us is completely wrong.”

Honestly, that might be a valid worry in some cases, maybe? But the upshot is that people who really are suicidal are more likely to not get care that could save their lives, and it sounds to us like Tafoya got played by the Scientologists.

After Abbott’s veto, Texas Medical Association President Tom Garcia issued a statement:

The governor should have reached out to physicians and other medical personnel who provide care in the real world of our emergency rooms before vetoing this legislation. They would have told him about the patients they encounter who pose a real danger to themselves or to those around them.

Garcia added that for all the fear-mongering about vulnerable people being grabbed up by cops, the bill actually “would have saved lives, provided short-term help for people with mental illness and actually would have kept some of them out of forced imprisonment.”

So hooray, Scientology has made it easier for dangerously mentally ill people — and this is where we repeat that most people with mental illness aren’t dangerous, but a very few are — can just walk out of an ER or clinic, even if a doctor believes they may be likely to kill themselves or others. But that’s probably no big deal. It’s Texas, after all, and if people want protection, they can always get a gun.

[Texas Tribune via Addicting Info / Salon / Vice]


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CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Addicting Info: Texas Governor Vetoes Mental Health Bill At Urging Of Scientologists Who Don’t Believe Mental Illness Exists

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/0...gists-who-dont-believe-mental-illness-exists/

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We all owe Rick Perry an apology. Compared to his successor, his time as Texas governor looks downright reasonable. Greg Abbott has hardly begun his governorship and has already revealed himself to be a Pandora’s box of crazy. When he’s not organizing state troops to prevent President Obama from “invading” Texas or appointing a Christian homeschooler to oversee the state’s massive public school system, he’s apparently getting his medical policy advice from long-discredited Scientologists.

In a move that even his own party found baffling, Gov. Abbott (R) recently vetoed a popular, bipartisan bill that proponents had hoped would give doctors and medical facilities more resources to help patients with mental health issues. In a political climate where politicians oftentimes can’t even agree on what day of the week it is, the bill was broadly accepted, especially as the risks associated with mental illness, including self-harm, continue to stack up in scientific studies.


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CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Nothing new, but a nice step by step breakdown.

Burnt Orange Report: Greg Abbott Vetoes Bipartisan Mental Health Bill At Behest of Extortionist Cult

http://www.burntorangereport.com/di...al-health-bill-at-behest-of-extortionist-cult

Conclusion:

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Now, we are left with many questions.

Is Greg Abbott secretly a Scientologist? (Probably not. I’ve always found him more of a Suppressive Person myself.)

But seriously — how is it that a confab primarily composed of fringe organizations that actively oppose scientific knowledge can persuade the Governor of Texas to veto a very narrow mental health bill that has the backing of the major medical and psychiatric organizations in the state?

Scientologists, anti-vaxxers, and flouride fear-mongerers should not be setting mental health policy in Texas.

This veto is an embarrassment for Greg Abbott, and a warning to health care professionals: this guy is not to be trusted.

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There might be a lesson here. When Scientology allies with other fringe groups, the combination might not appear to be so "fringe" to a politician..
 

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Texas Governor Champions the Rights of the Lunatic Fringe ll Scientology

Texas Governor Champions the Rights of the Lunatic Fringe ll Scientology

Care2: Texas Governor Champions the Rights of the Lunatic Fringe

http://www.care2.com/causes/texas-governor-champions-the-rights-of-the-lunatic-fringe.html

by Crystal Shepeard July 18, 2015 11:30 am

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In his first term, Abbott has continued the tradition of recent Texas governors representing the fringe of their state. When talk of secession happened in 2009, then Governor Rick Perry said that it was a real possibility. However, Abbott has gone further and put actual thought into action – and not just with protecting Texas from possible invasion by Obama.

In May, a very popular mental health bill was passed with bipartisan support by the Texas legislature. The bill gave authority to law enforcement to apprehend a person for emergency detention and the authority of certain facilities and physicians to temporarily detain a person with mental illness that was deemed a threat or danger to others. When the bill reached the governor’s office in early June, it was expected to be signed without issue. However, that’s not exactly what happened.

A coalition of anti-psychiatry and anti-vaccine groups lobbied the governor, claiming the bill was a violation of basic rights and civil liberties. When his staffers warned him a veto coalition was “led by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a front group for the Church of Scientology” and that “their positions are well outside the mainstream,” Abbott apparently interpreted it as a reminder that these were the people he represented. He ignored the advice of medical and mental health professionals, as well as his legislature, and vetoed the bill, saying “medical staff should not be asked to engage in law enforcement, especially when that means depriving a person of the liberty protected by the Constitution.”

After all, what if a person was stockpiling guns and ammunition and they were detained for being mentally ill, when all they were doing was protecting themselves from an invasion of their state by Obama? That would be ridiculous.

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secretiveoldfag

Silver Meritorious Patron
One point I don't see mentioned. Lisa McPherson was just like the people described, who book themselves in to a hospital after a psychotic break and are then persuaded to leave again, against the opinion of doctors.

CoS has its own reasons for vetoing sensible care for mentally-unstable people.
 

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Burnt to Orange Report: What does Donald Trump, Scientology and Jade Helm all have in common? We discuss them in this week’s Left in Texas podcast!

http://www.burntorangereport.com/di...nvestigations-in-texas-plus-the-trumpocalypse

Audio at link.

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I’ll start posting the show notes for reference. Be sure to subscribe to Left in Texas on itunes, and as always we love your feedback — thanks for listening!

[SNIP]

7. Abbott vetoes mental health care bill because….scientologists?
    1. http://www.burntorangereport.com/di...al-health-bill-at-behest-of-extortionist-cult
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CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Dallas Morning News - Editorial: Abbott sided with conspiracy theorists to kill mental health bill

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/e...racy-theorists-to-kill-mental-health-bill.ece

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The key member of the coalition was a group called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights — an operation founded by the Church of Scientology that is dedicated to exposing “psychiatric human rights violations.”

The “commission,” in fact, peddles conspiracies about psychological medicine’s links to big pharmaceutical companies. Others in the coalition include an anti-vaccine group, an anti-fluoridation group and, to its discredit, the League of United Latin American Citizens.

LULAC’s deputy state director, Marcelo Tafoya, embarrassed himself with his explanation to the Tribune about why his organization joined with conspiracists in opposing this legislation.

Because people in emergency rooms are “yelling and screaming and carrying on because nobody is taking care of them,” hospital staff could claim “that these people are hallucinogenic or have problems and turn them in,” Tafoya said.

Huh?

The more likely scenario, according to actual doctors, is that people with serious mental health conditions who present an immediate danger to themselves or others are put on the street because the hospital has no authority to hold them.

They can quickly find themselves behind bars — or worse — rather than in a place where they can get help.

In his veto proclamation, Abbott wrote that only law enforcement officers, and not “private parties,” should have the right to detain someone.

In this case, the private parties are doctors with the training and experience to know when someone could be a danger to himself or the community.

Holding sick and dangerous people for a few hours hardly amounts to a constitutional crisis.

It’s unclear exactly what influence the odd coalition of opponents had on Abbott’s veto. The lead lobbyist for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights has invited first lady Cecilia Abbott to coffee with “a few close friends,” according to records obtained by the Tribune.

What matters most is that Abbott sided with fearmongering over medical expertise and killed a bill that would have helped doctors, law enforcement and the mentally ill.


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CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Houston Chronicle: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes flack for pandering to fringe

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...kes-flack-for-pandering-to-fringe-6403558.php

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Specifically, Abbott vetoed a medical bill, which had faced little resistance in the legislature, after lobbying efforts led by a "mental health watchdog" founded by the Church of Scientology in 1969, called the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights.

"The 'commission,' in fact, peddles conspiracies about psychological medicine's links to big pharmaceutical companies," wrote the Morning News editorial board.

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Kauboi Junkie

Patron with Honors
As a Texan who has his ear to the ground for it's politics I believe that the main reason Abbott started listening to CCHR-TX is because they have closely allied themselves with the Texans for Accountable Government, a conservative/libertarian political action group. Abbott is very keen on TAG and I think CCHR's alliance with them got them his seal of approval for organizations in which to pay attention.

Then of course he also paid attention to the fact that LULAC lobbied against the bill. He is very concerned about winning as many Latino votes as he can when he's up for re-election in three years. Of course LULAC is actually a very left leaning group. Politics can make for strange bedfellows.

Despite all the editorializing against Abbott on this veto he will not suffer politically at all for this. Most voters aren't paying attention to this, and by the time the election comes around in 2 to 3 years it will be long forgotten. Plus, unfortunately, mental health care just isn't a big concern for most Texans in general. It's not on their radar screen.
 

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Salon - Meet Scientology’s favorite GOP governor: Why Greg Abbott is more dangerous than George W. Bush & Rick Perry

http://www.salon.com/2015/07/27/mee...more_dangerous_than_george_w_bush_rick_perry/

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In the most recent example of both, Abbott last week vetoed a mental health bill passed by his fellow conservatives in the state legislature, and he did so apparently at the request of the nation’s most infamous cult.

Senate Bill 359 would have allowed hospitals to detain for evaluation potentially dangerous patients for several hours. In this relatively short window, doctors would’ve had the latitude to bring in law enforcement officials to decide whether the patient in question were potentially dangerous, either to himself or others. The Dallas Morning News called it a “common-sense measure,” one supported by two of the most prominent Texas medical associations, including the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians. But Abbott insisted the law was unconstitutional, since it gave doctors similar authority as law enforcement in these cases — even if four hours in a hospital to make sure a mentally disturbed patient isn’t going to do something drastic is a far cry from an extraordinary rendition to Guantanamo.

The truth, according to the Texas Tribune, is that Abbott likely vetoed the bill after being lobbied by a group called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. In addition to its opposition to fluoridation of drinking water, the CCHR also believes that Big Pharma controls everything and everyone. (Red flags, anyone?) Back in 2005, the CCHR opened a museum called “Psychiatry: An Industry of Death,” which links modern psychiatry to Hilter and other villains. The group also alleged that the 9/11 attacks were spearheaded not by Osama Bin Laden, but by his psychiatrist. It all smacks of the Alex Jones worldview, in which chemtrails, weather weapons and shapeshifting lizard people from outer space are plotting to get us.

Oh, and one more thing. The CCHR is a tax exempt organization sponsored by the Church of Scientology. (In other words, Greg Abbott killed SB359 at the request of intergalactic warlord Xenu.) Especially following the groundbreaking HBO documentary “Going Clear,” Scientology has deservedly been scrutinized as a creepy, powerful, deeply exploitative cult led by megalomaniac David Miscavige. Abbott apparently didn’t see the film, or if he did, he clearly wasn’t disturbed, like most of us were, by bizarre and coercive tactics of this tax dodge thinly disguised as a “religion.”

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CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Salon - Meet Scientology’s favorite GOP governor: Why Greg Abbott is more dangerous than George W. Bush & Rick Perry

http://www.salon.com/2015/07/27/mee...more_dangerous_than_george_w_bush_rick_perry/

* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * *

In the most recent example of both, Abbott last week vetoed a mental health bill passed by his fellow conservatives in the state legislature, and he did so apparently at the request of the nation’s most infamous cult.

Senate Bill 359 would have allowed hospitals to detain for evaluation potentially dangerous patients for several hours. In this relatively short window, doctors would’ve had the latitude to bring in law enforcement officials to decide whether the patient in question were potentially dangerous, either to himself or others. The Dallas Morning News called it a “common-sense measure,” one supported by two of the most prominent Texas medical associations, including the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians. But Abbott insisted the law was unconstitutional, since it gave doctors similar authority as law enforcement in these cases — even if four hours in a hospital to make sure a mentally disturbed patient isn’t going to do something drastic is a far cry from an extraordinary rendition to Guantanamo.

The truth, according to the Texas Tribune, is that Abbott likely vetoed the bill after being lobbied by a group called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. In addition to its opposition to fluoridation of drinking water, the CCHR also believes that Big Pharma controls everything and everyone. (Red flags, anyone?) Back in 2005, the CCHR opened a museum called “Psychiatry: An Industry of Death,” which links modern psychiatry to Hilter and other villains. The group also alleged that the 9/11 attacks were spearheaded not by Osama Bin Laden, but by his psychiatrist. It all smacks of the Alex Jones worldview, in which chemtrails, weather weapons and shapeshifting lizard people from outer space are plotting to get us.

Oh, and one more thing. The CCHR is a tax exempt organization sponsored by the Church of Scientology. (In other words, Greg Abbott killed SB359 at the request of intergalactic warlord Xenu.) Especially following the groundbreaking HBO documentary “Going Clear,” Scientology has deservedly been scrutinized as a creepy, powerful, deeply exploitative cult led by megalomaniac David Miscavige. Abbott apparently didn’t see the film, or if he did, he clearly wasn’t disturbed, like most of us were, by bizarre and coercive tactics of this tax dodge thinly disguised as a “religion.”

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Article on Alternet. Interesting, the vast majority of tweets I've see have been of the Alternet url, and not Salon.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/meet...greg-abbott-more-dangerous-george-w-bush-rick
 

Anonycat

Crusader
Texas Governor Vetoes Mental Health Bill (CCHR)

Texas Governor Vetoes Mental Health Bill Because He Doesn’t Believe Mental Illness Is Real

Governor Abbott has recently vetoed a bipartisan bill which would give more resources to medical professionals that help residents dealing with mental health problems. The bill in question was widely popular, supported by many large medical associations in the state and both political parties.

Instead, Abbott killed the bill after receiving information from a Scientology group which believes that mental illnesses are a myth and that treating them causes more harm than good for the patients. Scientology, based on the writings of its founder L. Ron Hubbard, is strongly opposed to psychiatry in all its form and even compares mental health professionals to “terrorists” in some of its publications.

One of the reasons why the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, the group run by Scientologists, opposed the bill is because it contained a provision that would have prevented patients from refusing mental health care if they were determined by physicians to be a danger to themselves or to others.

http://www.greenvillegazette.com/te...use-he-doesnt-believe-mental-illness-is-real/
 

Kauboi Junkie

Patron with Honors
Re: Texas Governor Vetoes Mental Health Bill (CCHR)

Texas Governor Vetoes Mental Health Bill Because He Doesn’t Believe Mental Illness Is Real

Governor Abbott has recently vetoed a bipartisan bill which would give more resources to medical professionals that help residents dealing with mental health problems. The bill in question was widely popular, supported by many large medical associations in the state and both political parties.

Instead, Abbott killed the bill after receiving information from a Scientology group which believes that mental illnesses are a myth and that treating them causes more harm than good for the patients. Scientology, based on the writings of its founder L. Ron Hubbard, is strongly opposed to psychiatry in all its form and even compares mental health professionals to “terrorists” in some of its publications.

One of the reasons why the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, the group run by Scientologists, opposed the bill is because it contained a provision that would have prevented patients from refusing mental health care if they were determined by physicians to be a danger to themselves or to others.

http://www.greenvillegazette.com/te...use-he-doesnt-believe-mental-illness-is-real/


There is already a thread devoted to the Abbott veto. Started a few weeks ago.

But, since I'm here I'll just say that this article is an example of the modern era's lazy ass journalism that I have sadly come to expect.

There is NO evidence that Abbott does not believe that there is mental illness. In his signing statement he indicated that the bill's empowering of doctors to essentially having "police power" is unconstitutional. I don't agree with him that the bill would have done such a thing, but that is the real reason for his veto.

And CCHR was merely a bit player in all of this. This article makes it sound like Scientology through CCHR alone made Abbott veto this bill. Total bullshit. A much bigger influence on Abbott was the Texans for Accountable Government lobbying group of which Abbott is a big fan. It's a conservative/libertarian organization. CCHR befriended them years ago and that is what gave them the open door to be a part of the influence on Abbott. I guarantee you that Abbott never heard the word "Hubbard" or "Scientology" when lobbied. He probably only now knows that CCHR is a part of the cult.

Plus, LULAC lobbied against this bill and Abbott is very concerned about winning more Latino votes. I think if CCHR didn't exist he still would have vetoed this bill. Also the largest Texas lobbying group for Homeschools came out against this bill, of which is also a big supporter.

EDIT: In actuality the influence of CCHR with the Texas Legislature has waned over the past few sessions. A decent case can be made that during the previous decade CCHR had a string of successful lobbying efforts to kill bills that they didn't like. In 2013 they were on the losing side of every effort they made, if memory serves correctly. And even during this past session pretty much all legislators ignored them and voted in favor of this bill. Abbott saved the day for them, but again I don't believe that it was mostly due to CCHR. The other groups opposed to this bill were far more influential on Abbott.

My point is that CCHR of Texas is a mere shadow of its former self under the leadership of Lee Spillar. Jerry Boswell was a far more effective leader and had more influence on Legislators, but he's back in Dallas now and no longer involved in the running of CCHR-TX. Last I heard he has some serious health problems.
 
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CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Newsweek: Critics Link Texas Governor to Church of Scientology

http://www.newsweek.com/critics-link-texas-governor-church-scientology-358449

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Updated | Texas Governor Greg Abbott had no sooner emerged from a controversy—the “Jade Helm” brouhaha, when he was accused of pandering to the right-wing fringe after his decision to ask the Texas National Guard to monitor a routine military exercise—than he chanced into another, this one involving the Church of Scientology.

The 57-year-old Republican exercised his veto power for the first time earlier this week, striking down a bipartisan measure designed to improve mental health care in the state. Authored by Royce West, a Dallas Democrat, the legislation would have given hospitals the ability to detain a mental health patient (who voluntarily sought help) for up to four hours if doctors thought the patient posed a threat to himself or herself, giving law enforcement officers time to arrive to assess the situation. The bill had the support of the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians. It was approved by votes of 31-0 in the state Senate and 140-0 in the House.

Abbott said in a statement the reason for his veto was that only police, not hospitals, should have the authority to detain citizens: "Medical staff should work closely with law enforcement to help protect mentally ill patients and the public. But just as law enforcement should not be asked to practice medicine, medical staff should not be asked to engage in law enforcement, especially when that means depriving a person of the liberty protected by the Constitution."

However, an early report from the Texas Tribune suggested Abbott's veto had less to do with constitutional concerns than with vigorous lobbying against the resolution by a group affiliated with the Church of Scientology, which opposes psychiatric health care. "After a Church of Scientology-backed group helped organize a campaign against it, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation that would have given Texas doctors more power to detain mentally ill and potentially dangerous patients," the Tribune wrote.

In an op-ed titled "Abbott sided with conspiracy theorists to kill mental health bill," the editorial board of the Dallas Morning News, the city's largest newspaper, accused the governor of pandering to a group called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a nonprofit founded and funded by the Church of Scientology that lobbied against the legislation, Senate Bill 359. The group, wrote the Morning News, "peddles conspiracies about psychological medicine’s links to big pharmaceutical companies."

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