Shamefully, The NRA Tries To Link Las Vegas Mass Murders To Mental Illness When Its Solely About Guns

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(10-09-17) Even though there is no evidence that Las Vegas mass murderer Stephen Paddock was mentally ill, NRA national spokesperson Dana Loesch was quick to link mental illness with mass murders when she appeared on Fox and Friends shortly after the shooting.

At the 2:46 minute mark of the embedded video above, you can hear Loesch citing the shootings at Virginia Tech University and in Aurora as evidence that “Monsters exist. It’s a scary thing to realize evil is among us. … Our members and millions of innocent Americans just want to know what they can do to protect themselves from those monsters.”

She was joined Sunday by her boss, the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre who stated on Face the Nation that a failed mental health system is a major contributor to mass shootings.

I mean, the outrage they’re trying to stir against the N.R.A. they ought to be stirring against the mental health system, which has completely collapsed.

Those two NRA figures were not the only high profile spokesmen tying guns to mental illness.

“Mental-health reform is the critical ingredient to making sure that we can try and prevent some of these things that have happened in the past,” House Speaker Paul Ryan chimed in on Tuesday in response to reporter questions about mass shooters.

And during the last twenty-four hours, stories have been making the rounds that authorities believe Paddock may have had a mental illness – it just wasn’t diagnosed. This appears to be based on a common assumption that no one would commit a mass murder unless they were clearly mentally unstable.

So here we go again. Americans with mental illnesses are being demonized and portrayed as those most responsible for mass murders when that simply is not true.

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Rep. Murphy Quits Congress, More Staffers Complain Sending Him Packing

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U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy in August 2017. (Nate Guidry/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

(10-5-17) I had just finished giving a speech in Colorado and was driving through the Rockies when this story broke. I don’t like re-posting news stories but given Rep. Murphy’s high profile in the mental health community, here’s the latest from Politico. 

Tim Murphy resigns from Congress

The anti-abortion Republican was embroiled in scandal after reportedly encouraging a woman he was romantically involved with to terminate a pregnancy.

Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), the embattled anti-abortion lawmaker who allegedly encouraged his lover to terminate a pregnancy, on Thursday announced his plan to resign from office later this month — just a day after announcing his plan to retire following the 2018 election.

The Pennsylvania Republican’s about-face came after House GOP leaders and senior Republicans upped the pressure on Murphy to step down. Republican sources familiar with Murphy’s thinking said the married father of one child initially believed he could weather a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story revealing he had sent a series of text messages to his girlfriend — a psychologist half his age — encouraging her to have an abortion. Murphy had been a strongly anti-abortion lawmaker during his 15 years in Congress.

“This afternoon I received a letter of resignation from Congressman Tim Murphy, effective October 21,” Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. “It was Dr. Murphy’s decision to move on to the next chapter of his life, and I support it.”

But many senior Republicans did not believe Murphy could — or should — survive until the end of his term. Several top Republicans said Ryan, who met with Murphy Wednesday evening to discuss his future, also wanted him to step down.

GOP insiders were also worried additional damaging stories could surface on Murphy and his office. The Post-Gazette revealed that his staff was in turmoil for years, with the congressman yelling at aides and throwing folders.

“As I said last night, the circumstances surrounding this situation are extremely disappointing to me,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers (Ohio) said in a statement.

But Stivers predicted that Republicans would easily hold Murphy’s district, despite the scandal that destroyed the GOP lawmaker’s career.

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Mental Health Advocate Rep. Tim Murphy Will Not Seek Re-Election Amid Scandal

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(10-4-17) The Pennsylvania Republican released the following statement today following a series of embarrassing revelations published in the Pittsburgh Gazette about his personal life.

Representative Tim Murphy

Statement From Congressman Tim Murphy

For Immediate Release: October 4, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC – Today Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) released the following statement:

“After discussions with my family and staff, I have come to the decision that I will not seek reelection to Congress at the end of my current term.

“I plan to spend my remaining months in office continuing my work as the national leader on mental health care reform, as well as issues affecting working families in southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We have accomplished much in the past year through the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act and there is much work yet to be done.

“In the coming weeks I will take personal time to seek help as my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties and seek healing. I ask you to respect our privacy during this time.”

Embarrassing Stories Emerging About Mental Health Advocate Rep. Tim Murphy’s Conduct

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(10-3-17) I didn’t post anything when news broke recently about Rep. Tim Murphy’s admission of having an extra-marital affair  because I didn’t think it was anyone’s business. But the Pittsburgh Gazette has posted another scandalous story today that will certainly harm the Pennsylvania Republican’s re-election chances. Only days ago his name was being floated around as the next possible Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services because he has been a determined and dogged advocate for individuals with mental illnesses and addictions. His Helping Families In Mental Health Crisis Act was landmark legislation.

Now, it appears he will be fighting to remain in office. 

Rep. Tim Murphy, popular with pro-life movement, urged abortion in affair, texts suggest

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette logo
PAULA REED WARD
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
pward@post-gazette.com

A text message sent in January to U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy by a woman with whom he had an extra-marital relationship took him to task for an anti-abortion statement posted on Facebook from his office’s public account.

“And you have zero issue posting your pro-life stance all over the place when you had no issue asking me to abort our unborn child just last week when we thought that was one of the options,” Shannon Edwards, a forensic psychologist in Pittsburgh with whom the congressman admitted last month to having a relationship, wrote to Mr. Murphy on Jan. 25, in the midst of an unfounded pregnancy scare.

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Sen. Cassidy, Rep. Murphy Possible Tom Price Replacements at HHS?

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UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 05: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., right, and Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., attend a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center to call on the Senate to pass mental health reform legislation, December 05, 2016. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

(10-2-17) Senator Bill Cassidy (La.) and Representative Tim Murphy (Pa.) are among the names of candidates being floated around for replacing Health and Human Secretary Thomas Price, who resigned Friday amid criticism that he used private jets at taxpayers’ expense when less expensive public transportation was available.

Both Republicans played key roles in getting the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act signed into law last year during the waning days of the Obama administration.

Dr. Cassidy, a LSU medical school graduate who specialized in liver diseases, partnered with Senator Lindsey Graham (S.C.) in an unsuccessfully attempt to push through the Republicans most recent effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He gained national recognition after he told late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel that any replacement to Obamacare would have to pass the “Kimmel test.” The talk show host later criticized Cassidy for supporting the Graham-Cassidy health care bill that was strongly opposed by the medical community, especially mental health groups, but was backed by President Donald Trump and the White House, admittedly tepidly.

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Impassioned NAMI CEO Urges Members To Tell Senators “NO” To Graham-Cassidy Health Bill: Warns “It Will Make Mental Health Care Worse!”

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(9-26-17) Saying “there’s never been a more dangerous time for people with mental illness,” the National Alliance on Mental Illness urged its members to tell their U.S. Senators to vote against the Graham-Cassidy health reform bill.

If it passes, NAMI CEO Mary Giliberti warned, the legislation “could take away your mental health care.”

NAMI joined dozens of other organizations urging members to contact their senators and vote against the Republican legislation hurried together by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), Dean Heller (R-NV) and Ron Johnson (R-WI),  in an effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

The National Council on Behavioral Health stated the bill would “mean restricted access to Medicaid, restricted access to affordable coverage and restricted access to lifesaving mental health and addictions treatment” for millions of Americans.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing asked its supporters to “deliver a strong message to Members of Congress that they should oppose any and all efforts that could harm Medicaid beneficiaries residing in supportive housing and also block attempts to roll back expanded coverage.” How to contact your Senators. It added: “When repeal and replace deliberations began over 120 organizations joined CSH’s sign-on letter urging Congress to recognize the proven role supportive housing plays in reducing health care/ Medicaid costs.”

Ironically, it was Sen. Cassidy who championed major mental health legislation last year. Teaming with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Dr. Cassidy helped shepherd the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act through the Senate. It was signed into law during the final days of the Obama administration.

In a blast email with the title : THIS IS NOT A FIRE DRILL, Giliberti wrote: “Health reform impacts the lives of every American, so it needs to be done right. But the Graham-Cassidy bill gets it wrong for people with mental illness and the vote is going to be close.

She warned:

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