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MindFreedom International News - 27
January 2009
http://www.mindfreedom.org
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Another involuntary
outpatient "maintenance"
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electroshock for Ray
Sandford is scheduled
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for tomorrow, 28 January
2009.
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How you may easily and
peacefully protest
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from wherever you are.
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Unless there is a miracle, it
is confirmed that Ray Sandford is
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having another involuntary
electroshock tomorrow, Wednesday, 28
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January 2009, just north of
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, all funded
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by taxpayer dollars.
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After more than three dozen
forced electroshocks, Ray knows the drill.
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Tonight, staff will prepare
by removing all of Ray's food from his
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mini-fridge in his basement
room in a small assisted living home
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called "Victory House" in
Columbia Heights, Minnesota. This is
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because Ray is not supposed
to eat for a number of hours before
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anesthesia is administered.
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Early tomorrow morning Ray
will be woken up extra early, and an
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escort will bring Ray the 15
miles north on streets near the
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Mississippi River to Mercy
Hospital, in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
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Ray's mental health workers
always manages to find an escort for
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Ray's forced electroshocks or
psychiatrist visits.
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On the other hand, a few days
ago Ray said he had to miss a dental
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appointment that was supposed
to help with his severe teeth problems,
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because no attendant could be
found that day.
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Since Ray's campaign started,
an attendant is required to accompany
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Ray any time he leaves his
home. MindFreedom volunteers have been
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banned from visiting. One
such visitor, a disability advocate, even
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had her employment threatened
after Ray's "helpers" filed a complaint
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with her employer for
bringing Ray to a Minnesota center for
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independent living for people
with disabilities.
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Ray says the waiting room of
his electroshock doctor, Bernard M.
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Coelho, MD, at Mercy Hospital
is often full with about 10 patients
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who Ray believes are also
scheduled for electroshock. Giving multiple
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electroshocks on the same
morning is a common practice, sometimes
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called a "Shock Mill," and
can be very lucrative. Mercy Hospital is
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owned by Allina Hospital and
Clinics of Minnesota.
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Ray will lay in a bed and
feel an injection as anesthesia and a
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muscle paralyzer are
administered to suppress muscle writhing. Ray
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says Dr. Coelho will then run
electricity through Ray's brain,
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inducing a convulsion.
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Ray calls the MindFreedom
office almost every day, including just
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before and just after his
forced electroshocks. He says forced shock
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is always scary, that it's
harming his memory and ability to
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concentrate more and more.
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Ray is asking us all to
peacefully protest his forced electroshock.
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The nightmare of involuntary
electroshock over the expressed wishes
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of the subject has happened
regularly since the very first
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electroshock in Italy in
1937. But now the atrocity of forced
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electroshock has climbed over
the institutional walls, and is out in
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our towns and cities, in our
neighborhoods and homes.
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Do not let this become
"normal."
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Do not wait to see your
neighbor escorted out into some early winter
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morning for this.
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Do not wait for that to be
you.
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MindFreedom reminds everyone
that Ray's campaign is nonviolent. Ray
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values his religious
principles, and MindFreedom has strict
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nonviolence guidelines.
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If you communicate with any
potential opponent, please be strong but
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civil. Anything else can be
used against Ray.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Here are a few easy ways you
may protest Ray's electroshock from
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wherever you are:
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Please forward this alert far
and wide.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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*** ACTION *** ACTION ***
ACTION ***
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1) Protest to Richard
Pettingill, Chief executive officer (CEO) of
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Allina Hospital and Clinics:
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Ask that your civil verbal
protest be placed in Ray Sandford's
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medical record using their
online web form:
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http://www.allina.com/ahs/help.nsf/page/contact
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Sample message (your own
words are best):
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"Dear Mr. Richard Pettingill:
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"I request that my message be
placed in the permanent medical record
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of your patient Ray Sandford,
who states that he is receiving ongoing
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involuntary electroshock at
Mercy Hospital administered by Allina
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psychiatrist Bernard M
Coelho, MD.
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"While you cannot violate the
privacy of a patient, I ask that you
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respond in general about your
policy of allowing involuntary
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electroshock over the
expressed wishes of the subject.
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"Whether or not you feel this
is legal, it is unethical, immoral and
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traumatic to everyone in
mental health care.
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"The reason(s) I protest this
forced electroshock are:
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"My name and contact
information: _______"
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You may also try to phone Mr.
Richard Pettingill's office at
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612-262-0601 or 612-262-5000.
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You may try to leave a phone
message for Dr. Coelho at the above
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numbers, or at Mercy at
763-236-6000, but the phone number listed for
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him on the Allina web site is
now disconnected, even though he still
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works there. If you are
disconnected, call back.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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2) Bishop Mark Hanson of the
Lutheran Church
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While the Lutheran Church is
not directly in charge of Ray's
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electroshock, they are
supposed to help "guard" Ray, they are
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supposed to care deeply about
social justice, yet they are not
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supporting Ray's campaign to
end his forced electroshock.
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The six Minnesota Synods of
the "Evangelical Lutheran Church in
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America" [ELCA] -- which is
the largest Lutheran denomination in the
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USA -- own Lutheran Social
Service of Minnesota [LSSMN], which is
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Ray's court-appointed general
guardian.
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ELCA and LSSMN have refused
to speak out for Ray.
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MindFreedom has been in touch
with the office of Bishop Mark Hanson,
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who leads ELCA. Bishop Hanson
asked Ruth Reko, ELCA's Director of
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Social Ministry Department,
to respond to MFI. Today, Ms. Reko told
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MindFreedom, "Supervision is
not a concept we enter into with
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affiliates like LSSMN or our
299 other social service agency
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affiliates."
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Please ask Bishop Mark
Hanson, to encourage ELCA, its Synods and its
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agencies to engage in
productive dialogue on human rights and mental
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health, especially
involuntary electroshock.
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Please e-mail to Bishop Mark
Hanson here:
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bishop@elca.org
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Sample message (your own
words are best):
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"Dear Bishop Hanson:
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"Please engage in dialogue
about human rights and mental health. I am
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not saying ELCA is directly
in charge of anyone's forced
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electroshock, but ELCA could
take a stand against it. In the name of
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social justice, ELCA ought to
have more oversight over its affiliated
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social service agencies that
receive taxpayer funds to guard clients.
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"Your name and contact info:
___________"
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You may also try phoning
Bishop Hanson or Ms. Ruth Reko by calling
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(773) 380-2700, wait for an
attendant.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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3) Engage your local
religious organizations in dialogue on human
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rights and mental health
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Ray has given us all an
opportunity to encourage our local faith-
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based communities to address
the justice issues involved in mental
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health care today.
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Ask that your local church,
synagogue, mosque, etc. find a way to
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raise issues about human
rights and mental health.
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Those in the USA may also
seek to engage in dialogue with
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participants and leaders in
your local ELCA church, which you may
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easily locate here:
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http://www.elca.org/ELCA/Search/Find-a-Congregation.aspx
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Please act today!
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Ray's scheduled electroshocks
for this Winter and Spring are below.
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Unless there's a miracle.
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And maybe you -- and all of
us -- are Ray's miracle.
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* 18 February 2009
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* 4 March 2009
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* 25 March 2009
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* 8 April 2009
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* 29 April 2009
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* 13 May 2009
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* 3 June 2009
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* 17 June 2009
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Minnesota Nonviolent
Protests for Ray
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Several individuals and
groups in Minnesota have told MindFreedom
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they would like to help
support and attend peaceful protests on
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behalf of Ray in Minnesota.
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Several MindFreedom members
have even said they are willing to travel
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from out of state and from
out of the country to participate in
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protests.
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MindFreedom will broadcast
more information as it is received.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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How to do and learn more
on the Ray Campaign
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For links to latest news, Ray
Campaign blog, to hear the NPR radio
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story on Ray, and read
Frequently Asked Questions about the "No More
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Shock For Ray Campaign" go
here:
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http://www.mindfreedom.org/ray
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To further participate in the
MindFreedom campaign to support Ray,
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current MindFreedom members
are invited to get on the very busy
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MindFreedom "zapback" e-mail
list about electroshock, here:
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http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-zapback
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Support MindFreedom
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Join, donate or renew early
now!
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Independence, mutual support
and strength in numbers are why
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MindFreedom is one of the few
groups in the world to break the
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silence about existence of
involuntary electroshock for over two
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decades.
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This people power is why Ray
had somewhere to turn, when he asked his
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local library to find human
rights organizations!
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Celebrating its 23rd
anniversary in 2009, MindFreedom International
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is a 100 percent independent
nonprofit united to win activist
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campaigns for human rights
and alternatives in mental health.
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Open to the public, most
members identify themselves as individuals
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who have personally
experienced human rights violations in the mental
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health system.
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MindFreedom is for people who
want to unite "in a spirit of mutual
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cooperation" as the MFI
mission statement begins.
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Benefits include MindFreedom
Journal, special web and e-mail
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http://www.madmarket.org purchases,
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MindFreedom Shield, member
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Support voices for choices in
mental health.
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Join now or renew early here:
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http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate
DENDRITE is a public Internet alert system about human
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people, many of whom take ACTION NOW!
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