A court of law apparently thought so. There are threats, and then there are really scary threats that you _have_ to take seriously.
His seem to have fallen in the latter category. And unless you have ever been credibly threatened and truly feared for your life, you can never understand the associated trauma. (As I type this, my hands are shaking and I am having trouble breathing - and its been 12 years!) Jerry Johnson >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/06/03 04:36PM >>> uttering death threats == physical violence? will ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jerry Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 1:22 PM Subject: Re: MENTALLY ILL MAN MAY REFUSE TREATMENT, COURT RULES > You must have missed this paragraph: > > Five years ago, he was admitted to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto after a court found him not criminally responsible on two charges of uttering death threats. > > Jerry Johnson > > >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/06/03 03:43PM >>> > The big if, is whether or not he is a danger, and the article never > states that he has been violent in the past. > > That a man who has demonstrated the fact that he can and is a benefit > to society, and hasn't demonstrated the opposite is viewed as insane > and must be locked away from the rest of society is incredibly hard to > comprehend to me. > The only proof we have of any wrongdoing on his part is the word of > his mother who is willing to tell random media that her sons life is > over because they can't sedate him. She sounds like the nutty one to > me. > > -- > jon > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Friday, June 6, 2003, 3:09:58 PM, you wrote: > JJ> But he has a history of dangerous threats (at the very least). > > JJ> As long as they keep him locked up if he doesn't take his meds, then I think it is fine. > > JJ> If the hospital needs to physically restrain him because he gets violent, again fine. Its on him. > > JJ> But he can't be let out into society without meds when he has been found not responsible for violent acts due to a mental illness or defect. > > JJ> If he refuses to take the medications that will render him less dangerous to the society at large, then he stays in a cage. > > JJ> Thats my feelings on this one. > > JJ> Jerry Johnson > > > > > > >>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/06/03 02:48PM >>> > JJ> well the troubling thing is that if they HAD ruled that he was better off > JJ> then where would you draw the line? Most people would be happier if you > JJ> made them take Valium. There would certainly be less political > JJ> dissension... you see where I am going with this. Speaking of which, i just > JJ> noticed the other day that there now really is a drug called soma. > > JJ> Larry C. Lyons writes: > > >> At 06:07 PM 6/6/2003 +0000, Dana Tierney wrote: > >> >http://cbc.ca/stories/2003/06/06/starson030606 > >> > >> I got the article again. Here the text of it: > >> > >> Mentally ill man may refuse treatment, court rules > >> Last Updated Fri, 06 Jun 2003 13:21:08 > >> OTTAWA - In a case reminiscent of the Hollywood movie A Beautiful Mind, the > >> Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a mentally ill physics genius has > >> the right to refuse treatment for his condition. > >> > >> In its ruling Friday, the court said that 47-year-old Scott Starson does > >> not have to take the medication that doctors want to give him. > >> > >> But the decision does not necessarily affect treatment of other mentally > >> ill people. > >> > >> With no formal training, Starson has written for academic journals on > >> topics such as anti-gravity, the theory of relativity and time measurement. > >> > >> But he suffers from a condition combining the symptoms of schizophrenia and > >> manic depression, which causes erratic and sometimes threatening behaviour. > >> > >> Five years ago, he was admitted to the Centre for Addiction and Mental > >> Health in Toronto after a court found him not criminally responsible on two > >> charges of uttering death threats. > >> > >> Refused treatment > >> > >> His psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Posner, proposed treating Starson with > >> anti-psychotic drugs and physical restraints, but Starson has refused > >> medication, saying it slowed down his thought processes. > >> > >> A medical review board ruled that Starson was not capable of making a > >> decision about his medication, but that decision was overturned by the > >> Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 1999. > >> > >> The case then went to the Supreme Court of Canada. > >> > >> In its ruling Friday, the court said there were errors in the way the case > >> was handled. > >> > >> Starson is currently in a psychiatric hospital in Ottawa with no prospect > >> of being released. > >> > >> His mother, Jeanne Stevens, told CBC NewsWorld on Friday that the decision > >> effectively ruins her son's life. > >> > >> She says medication would have taken away his erratic behaviour and allowed > >> him to work again and live in the community. > >> > >> "I'm devastated and I truthfully believe that the Supreme Court did not > >> have sufficient information," she said. "It's the end of his life." > >> > >> The case has parallels with A Beautiful Mind, in which Russell Crowe plays > >> John Forbes Nash, a mathematics genius who suffers from schizophrenia. > >> > >> In 1994, Nash won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science for his earlier work > >> on game theory. > >> > >> > >> > > JJ> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Your ad could be here. Monies from ads go to support these lists and provide more resources for the community. http://www.fusionauthority.com/ads.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
