Sunday, November 18, 2018

Suicide Awareness is not suicide prevention!

Workers of iniquity

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 18, 2018

People seem to be under a delusion that "suicide awareness" is important. None of them can explain what the purpose actual is. 

Do not be under the delusion that suicide "awareness" has anything to do with prevention. It does not! All it does is offer a veteran who is contemplating it, that many others gave up on themselves.

Talking about veterans killing themselves, is something they already know how to do. Still, those who defend the stunts, claim it is not a harmful, while being unable to explain how it is helpful to anyone.

Matthew 7:21-23 King James Version (KJV)
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
A simply analogy: you find the courage to open up to a friend about something that is seriously grieving you. 

They listen. 

Then they respond with, "That happened to someone I know and they killed themselves." 

That robs you of hope. 

Yet when they respond with, "Someone I know went through the same thing. They got help and they are happier now." That restores hope.

Do no dare think that thousands of groups all over the country, calling attention to veterans killing themselves, have invested anything into changing the outcome. It is so easy to repeat a number, without knowing where that number came from, or how many more have been uncounted.

What is hard, is gaining the knowledge, and doing the work to actually restore hope. Show them that support from others can lead to healing.

When they are shown they were not worth the simple gesture of reading the reports the awareness raisers failed to do, their thoughts of being worthless are reenforced.

When they are shown that they do matter to others, then there is healing.

In 2015, a report came out on the cost of suicides. What was stunning is that attempted suicides also came with a heavy price.

Suicide and Suicidal Attempts in the United States
Some of the workers of iniquity get caught.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A nonprofit led by former Orlando mayoral candidate Neil "Paul" Paulson Sr. misled people who donated more than $20 million to his charity thinking the funds would go toward helping provide services to veterans,  Attorney General Pam Bondi said.Paulson and his nonprofit Help the Vets Inc. recently settled with Florida, California, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio and Oregon, in a lawsuit that alleges that between 2014 and 2017, Paulson collected donations across the U.S. "based on misleading promises that the donations would assist veterans by providing funding for grants, medical care, a suicide prevention program, therapeutic family retreats and similar programs," according to a news release from Bondi's office.

Fake charity pledged to fight veteran suicide. Instead, it kept millions of dollars.

Ten veterans charities that allegedly misused millions of dollars in donations are facing sanctions from California amid a nationwide crackdown on organizations that appear to manipulate the public’s goodwill for military service members.The biggest alleged offender was Help the Vets, a charity that reportedly misused $20 million it raised over four years and did not make good on its promises to help veterans.Some of its fundraising appeals promoted a veteran suicide prevention program that did not exist, according to an injunction released by the Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission.The charity’s promotions used urgent language, such as, “22 VETERANS WILL DIE EACH DAY UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING.” The number refers to Department of Veterans Affairs studies that estimate 20 to 22 veterans take their own lives every day. 
Some lost support while others still gain attention for themselves. You know, the ones having events to have fun. 

If that does not nauseate you enough, go to one of the events and see what a good time they are having...because veterans are killing themselves.

Suicide Awareness is not suicide prevention!

What is wrong with the supports who find no fault in having a good time because veterans are killing themselves?

This is the chart from the latest VA Suicide Report
Notice how the numbers increased after Suicide Awareness started? Notice how the number of veterans decreased, which means that it all got worse for veterans needing to be aware of how to prevent taking their own lives?

Some fight the works of iniquity.
Former NIMH head Thomas Insel recently made a remarkable concession. He acknowledged that the biomedical framework he adopted while directing $20 billion dollars in NIMH research funds failed to "move the needle" in improving the lives of the millions of people with mental illnesses. Here is his full quote: “I spent 13 years at NIMH really pushing on the neuroscience and genetics of mental disorders, and when I look back on that I realize that while I think I succeeded at getting lots of really cool papers published by cool scientists at fairly large costs—I think $20 billion—I don’t think we moved the needle in reducing suicide, reducing hospitalizations, improving recovery for the tens of millions of people who have mental illness.”

It is time to kill the business they are in because it is one with a deadly outcome!

UPDATE
This is from one of those events that happened yesterday.


Nov. 17th, 2018
Challenge 22 - 2.2 Mile "Ruck" Walk and Block Party
Come out to join the Winter Garden American Legion Post 63, in partnership with the Crooked Can Brewery,  and our community for a walk , block party and a day of camaraderie to raise awareness for PTSD and Suicide in Veterans. 

Join us for a patriotic opening ceremony, the walk, raffles, food, drink, kids activities, live music and so much more!  You are encouraged to bring your Ruck (hiking pack) if you have one, but it is not required.  Walk the full 2.2 miles or stop after the first leg as we will pass back by the Post after the first 1/2 mile.  We are hoping to have some of our WWII, Korea and Vietnam vets participating along with the younger generations.  

Bring your family and friends to join the hike or just come out to enjoy the festivities, there will be something for everyone! Again, the goal is to have a great time, while raising awareness to a tragic epidemic of 22 suicides per day due to PTSD and lost HOPE.

Registration and sign in will begin at 10:30am. The opening ceremony, which will begin at 11:00am, will be followed by the 2.2 mile walk.  Immediately after the walk, we will have an afternoon of fun, with live music, food, Crooked Can beer, kids activities and so much more.  The live entertainment will end at 5pm, but the Plant Street Market businesses will remain open into the evening.


2.  What is a "Ruck"?  It is a pack that the military uses to carry their gear on hikes.  Typically they weight 50-100lbs.  

No requirement to carry anything, but you are welcome to bring your own pack (filled or empty...no one will know)


PTSD Patrol Switching Gears

Motion requires different gears


PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
November 18, 2018

The wheels turn, turn, turn and we move forward. Sometimes the road is smooth. Other times, it is a bumpy road we must travel on to get where we want to go.

There are times when we are alone on the road, but the passengers in our minds keep us company.



Sometimes the sun is shining and we can enjoy the drive. Sometimes it is snowing. The roads are dangerous to be on.

Sometimes we are the only ones on the road. Other times we are stuck in traffic.

What all of us must deal with, is, there are no guarantees any trip will be an easy one to take. 
To everything, there is a gear, that makes your wheels turn, turn, turn 
And a time to every purpose, under your hood 
A time to be move forward, a time to park 
A time to stay, a time to travel 
A time to reverse, a time for neutral 
A time to joy ride, a time to stop 
To everything, there is a gear. that makes your wheels turn, turn, turn.
There is a time to grieve, remember what is lost and then a time to remember with fondness. A time to cry and release the pain you feel. That makes room for a time to feel joy again.
read more here

WWI best sniper returned broken in spirit and morale

First Nations sniper never recovered from horrors of war


CALGARY HERALD
By Don Thomas
November 16, 2018
Labelle was not so fortunate. He returned broken in spirit and morale, recalls his daughter Yvonne Poucette, 79. Her shoulders shook with grief last Sunday near the stone marker at the Chiniki cemetery where Labelle was buried with full PPCLI honours when he died at age 91 in 1989.

The final resting place for First World War sniper Tom Labelle of the Stoney First Nation is a remote one, on the edge of a drumlin at the Chiniki band cemetery 30 kilometres from Morley.
The Stoney Nation honours the memory of First World War sniper Tom Labelle. Photo submitted by Don Thomas.

But it’s not a forgotten place, as seen last weekend when Stoney First Nations residents gathered to honour his memory on Remembrance Day.

Labelle volunteered for the Canadian army at age 17 by lying about his age. He was inducted into the 31st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry where his shooting skill and ability to take out German machine gunners endeared him to the officers.

Exactly how many Germans he shot is unknown. Certainly, it wasn’t as many as Corp. Francis (Peggy) Pegahmagabow, of the Shawanaga First Nation in northern Ontario — the war’s best sniper, German or British — who is credited with killing 304 Germans and capturing another 300.

But Labelle’s marksmanship may have saved the lives of hundreds of Canadian and British soldiers, since it led to German machine gunners being killed before they could slaughter Allied soldiers with their weapons.
read more here

Sheriff's Office mental health bureau with heart and soul

Collier Sheriff's Office lieutenant runs mental health bureau with heart and soul


Naples Daily News
Liz Freeman
Nov. 17, 2018
There are many people in crisis: in plain sight peddling bicycles on local roads, in and out of jail and the courts, and hidden behind closed doors in picturesque Collier County.
A former Collier County Sheriff's Office road patrol duty deputy, Lt. Leslie Weidenhammer, discusses how the mental health bureau helps people in crisis. Liz Freeman

Lt. Leslie Weidenhammer lifts up the mentally ill from their dark places.

Her memory runs deep. She knows the names of pets. Her internal radar as a law enforcement officer is ever-ready. Yet she also has a master’s degree in mental health counseling.

“It’s Leslie. I’m here to check on you,” she says gently, standing on a doorstep where she has stood countless times.

She gauges stress in the voice coming from the other side of the locked door, of a woman with schizophrenia.

Weidenhammer, 53, listens for the sound of furniture being pushed away from the door, whether paranoia has its grip today.

“Thankfully, she will call me when she is not doing well,” Weidenhammer said. “She has my cellphone.”
read more here

Judge grants hearing for Officer's PTSD benefits

Former Lake County Sheriff's Officer Guy Mikulich granted hearing for disability benefits for PTSD


NWI News
Anna Ortiz
November 16, 2018
He said he reported his issues with post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse, sleeplessness, paranoia and memory loss to the department's psychologist before the incident.

The Lake Superior Court has agreed former Lake County Sheriff's Officer Guy Mikulich can have an evidentiary hearing regarding disability benefits he has applied for.

Following a more than two-year legal battle between Mikulich and the Lake County Sheriff's Department, Mikulich alleges the board wrongfully denied him disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder he said he developed during his 16-year career in the department.

Mikulich filed three separate disability benefit applications with the Lake County Sheriff's Department, a court order document states, and each application was denied.

Following the board's denials, Mikulich filed a complaint for administrative review asserting that he is entitled to a judicial review. Mikulich alleges that his due process rights were violated by the Sheriff's Merit Board and its attorney by not allowing him a hearing to present evidence before the board, the court document states.
read more here