Roomin' House Blues

My sister Ellie Savidge started it rolling.  (The last name is different because in my family the names have been changed to project the innocent. But as Ellie says, I am her bio-brother.   My name was not one of the ones changed because  I am not one of the innocent.)  Ellie posted this picture on Facebook of her with our bio-mother, Kathleen Drake. Our mother spent years in the psychiatric wards of Western State hospital and then  various locations for long term care.  Ellie didn't start with the background story, but rather wanted to provoke response.  She posted: "You and I wake up in a psychiatric ward together. Using 4 words, what would you say to me? Note: If you comment, you must copy and paste this to your status, so I may comment on yours as well.. Be a good sport and play along... 4 words is harder than you think......!!" I have organized some of the responses here, not necessarily in order, nor all of them, and here response a...

I have a good friend who has pleaded with me to consider retracting my article yesterday about the Giffords shooting based on stories on Fox news and an interview by and an interview by Rush Limbaugh of a high school buddy of  Jared Loughner suggesting that Loughner was a political. I respect my friends opinions and concerns.  But the Limbaugh interview seems almost to contradict itself and the person was a friend a few years ago.  Here is some of what I said in response:  Regarding the young man having no politics. People who read & studied  his blog suggested otherwise--the talk about monetary systems and the grammar talk that has been traced back to a extreme right wing blogger as the inspiration source. (This included the Sheriff who studied what happened before he made his statement)  And the flag burning indicates someone either on the far right or far left making a statement.   That is not an apolit...

My life has been touched by the suffering of the mentally ill.  My mother suffered severe mental illness and was committed to Western State Hospital in Washington State.  A coma induced by insulin shock treatment caused some permanent brain damage, yet the depression lessened over the years.  She is still alive in a nursing home. My paternal Grandmother suffered from bipolar disorder (before it was given that name) and kept going off her medications. Sadly, she committed suicide rather than continue in a depressed state. I had read some of the works of R.D Laing, especially "Insanity, Madness, and the Family" who was an advocate of using the small group home, the trusting carrying community, as a form of treatment for mental illness.  I had often dreamed of someday being a part of a community dedicated to this. When  I returned to the Seattle area after many years in California, seeking a return to the church I had left when I was...