The O'Reilly File: The lunatic is in his head

What makes Britney Spears intriguing is that she's a walking car wreck. To the American public, she's more interesting now than she ever was.

So that's why we continue to pay attention, even as we grow more disgusted.

But what makes us continue to watch Bill O'Reilly, even as he continues to embarrass himself with racist innuendo and bigoted labeling?

Because watching Bill O'Reilly is like watching somebody laugh at a car wreck.

He was accused of sexual harassment, but he went on the offensive, discrediting his accusers and solidifying his support. He quickly snuffed out the flames before they grew by defining his accuser, and repeatedly painting her as emotionally disturbed.

He's duplicitous, saying he represents mainstream America when his point-of-view is consistently conservative. He repeats this lie so much, in fact, that people believe it to be true.

In politics, that's called campaigning. In the real world, it's called manipulation.

He also constantly reinforces stereotypes - particularly ones that negatively label people with mental illness - by using words like "loon" to describe people who disagree with him. Yet, unlike Don Imus, he gets away with it. Here's an example:



The bottom line is that he taps into an audience that appears to be hungering for this kind of Morton Downey Jr.-type of bullying commentary that relies heavily on the politics of destruction and prejudice.

His ratings, as a result, are higher than Mars. And he attracts viewers of every political stripe - including myself, sometimes (I pay attention because I consider it "oppositional research") because he uses his loudness and abusive behavior as a tool to get people to stop channel surfing.

He has provided much worse examples of mental health stereotyping than what was displayed in the above video. Indeed, O'Reilly's attacks have become so strong lately that he's used the word "loon" to describe virtually anybody who disagrees with him.

His favorite targets are the "left-wing loons" who protest the war in Iraq. He's applied it to movie stars who have opposed President Bush. In his interview with Bill Maher, he actually spared the comedian by calling him "thoughtful," but he didn't spare the "left-wing loons" who appear on Maher's HBO show.

Perhaps Keith Olbermann, the MSNBC commentator who is Bill's arch nemesis, said it best when he talked about how O'Reilly's recent behavior has been way over the top - even for Bill.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Olbermann is becoming much more competitive with Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor" in the 8 p.m. time slot. Maybe it's because O'Reilly has put his foot in his mouth once too often.

Or maybe it's because O'Reilly, to use Olbermann's more politically-correct term than the word "loon," has become "unhinged."



"Brain Damage" by Pink Floyd

The lunatic is on the grass
The lunatic is on the grass
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path

The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more

And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too
Ill see you on the dark side of the moon

The lunatic is in my head
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me till Im sane
You lock the door
And throw away the key
Theres someone in my head but its not me.

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band youre in starts playing different tunes
Ill see you on the dark side of the moon.

Blogs beat the drum for postpartum depression awareness

Never underestimate the power of the blog.

"Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act" was such a success yesterday, organizers say, that telephone lines to U.S. senators have been jammed.

This Coping with Life blog, in fact, doubled it's number of hits from the previous day - reaching a record amount of 900-plus.

Now the blogging will continue through Friday because many people weren't able to get through to the senators to speak up for the act, said Susan Stone, president of Postpartum Support International.

"Truly incredible!" she said. "So if you didn't get to call today, please call tomorrow. Each comment/call is registered."

Here's a reminder: The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act will ensure that new moms and their families are educated about postpartum issues, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services.

It will also increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression. The legislation is sponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

Here's a list of senators who could be pivotal in the legislation's success - click on their names to get their website:

Democrats: Edward Kennedy, Christopher Dodd, Tom Harkin, Barbara A. Mikulski, Patty Murray, Jack Reed, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Bernard Sanders and Sherrod Brown.

Republicans: Michael B. Enzi, Judd Gregg, Lamar Alexander, Richard Burr, Johnny Isakson, Lisa Murkowski, Orrin G. Hatch, Pat Roberts, Wayne Allard and Tom Coburn.

A call to bloggers to help bring change in the treatment in the postpartum depression

A note from Postpartum Support International, in partnership with BlogHer and Postpartum Progress:

Bloggers across the country are encouraged to write and call their U.S. senator on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 to push for support of The MOTHERS Act.

The advocacy groups are trying galvanize support for the Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act, which will ensure that new moms and their families are educated about postpartum issues, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services. It will also increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression.

Specifically, the MOTHERS Act will help new moms by:

• Providing important education and screening on postpartum depression that can lead to early identification and treatment. The legislation includes two grants to help health care providers educate, identify and treat PPD.

• Expanding important research to improve and discover new treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for providers. Since the exact cause of PPD isn’t known, research continues to be the key to unlocking the mystery of this condition.

Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects up to 20 percent of new mothers - 800,000 American women each year. Yet only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment .Untreated, consequences of maternal mood disorders range from chronic, disabling depression to death. Consequences of untreated maternal depression on infants/children range from behavioral and learning disabilities to depression and death.

The legislation is sponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Richard Durbin D-Ill.

“The good news is that perinatal mood disorders are preventable and easily treated once detected. The MOTHERS Act legislation is key because its initiatives are preventive, educational and treatment oriented," said Susan Stone, president of Postpartum Support International. "PSI urges you to participate in this important campaign."

Lisa Stone, BlogHer Co-founder and CEO, added: “The BlogHer community has chosen Global Health as the focus for our year-long blogging activism initiative, BlogHers Act. Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act is exactly the kind of project where BlogHer’s community can make a difference on legislation that will save women’s lives.

And, Katherine Stone, author of the Posptartum Progress blog, noted: “"Postpartum mood disorders are a disease of motherhood -- they can affect any woman who becomes a mother, regardless of who she is. If we don't do something to better educate and treat the mothers who may suffer, we are doing a disservice to all mothers, children and families everywhere. All it takes is a phone call to let the Senate know that the women of America want the MOTHERS Act to pass."

For additional inquiries, please call (201) 567-5596 or email susanstonelcsw@aol.com.

No longer your father's network; CBS is a den of hypocrites

WFAN in New York City has long been my favorite radio station.

Now it's become my favorite radio station run by hypocrites.

I'm speaking about the hiring of Craig Carton, who replaced Don Imus in the morning talk-radio slot after the veteran broadcaster made a racist remark about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. CBS radio later fired him.

Carton, who was a host of the "The Jersey Guys" broadcast on New Jersey 101. 5 during the afternoon drive, has a track record that makes Imus look like Father Murphy - especially when it involved his ignorant remarks about people who suffer from mental illness.

To quote the website, "Diversity Inc.com:" Carton's track record demonstrates his "misogyny" and prejudice: He "outed" politicians thought to be gay and started a game called Operation Rat a Rat/La Cucha Gotcha to turn in undocumented immigrants. He also mocked a Korean-American running for mayor of Edison, N.J., by using a fake Korean accent and said he is irritated that Asian Americans "crowd the blackjack tables in Atlantic City."

He drew most of his negative publicity, however, when he offended women who had postpartum depression in 2006 when Gov. Richard Codey's wife revealed she suffered from the disorder. Codey's wife said that during her darkest times, she had considered placing her baby in a microwave, according to LibertyLounge.net.

"What Gov. Codey ought to do is approve the use of medical marijuana so women can have a joint and relax instead of putting their babies in a microwave," said Carton, according to LibertyLounge.net. "Then all they want to do is cook Doritos. Women who claim they suffer from this postpartum depression ... they must be crazy in the first place."

Now he's paired with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason on WFAN in the morning, where they discuss mostly sports. So far, it doesn't appear he's made any statements that have offended people with mental illness, or other ethnic or racial groups. He even criticized The New York Post for its recent "Boss Fog" headline that appeared to mock New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner for his declining state of health.


Right: Don Imus

But consider all the charities that Imus promoted - particularly those that supported war veterans and kids with cancer. Consider that he was also the one nationally syndicated radio voice that took a stance against the Bush administration for its abuses of power. His remark was racist and wrong; but his overall impact during his 40-year radio career was powerful and good.

Then ask yourself, how is this an upgrade? What is Carton's impact? Beyond almost getting into a fight with Codey when the former governor was aggravated by his remarks, I'd say, "Not much."

Talkin' about a revolution...in mental health parity...well, sort of

In New Jersey, a revolution in mental health parity is taking place. But it's almost a revolution by default.

The General Assembly in Trenton is supposed to post a mental health parity bill in the lame duck session this year that could finally bring about long-needed equalization of insurance benefits.

But the road to get here has been long and rocky. And unnecessary, really.

And mental health advocates don't understand why Trenton politicians fail to sense the growing public desire to do something to help people who suffer from postpartum depression, schizophrenia and other disorders.

People see the impact of these disorders on city streets. Many people who can't afford to get treatment self-medicate by using illegal drugs and alcohol. Their addictions cost them their lives, their families and their homes. Many end up homeless, or in jail.

"Equalization of insurance health benefits to properly cover mental disorders including substance use disorders is right and just," said Joseph Napoli, immediate past president of the New Jersey Psychiatric Association. "It is also cost-effective. The present inadequate coverage for these disorders is penny-wise and dollar-foolish."

Napoli is cautiously optimistic that the legislature will finally act. But mental health parity is not a new idea in New Jersey. And every time it's been given a chance to work, something gets in the way that defeats it - or weakens it.

In 1999, for example, New Jersey passed a parity law, but in a final compromise, the required health benefit coverage was limited to "biologically-based" mental disorders and excluded substance use disorders.

This has created a loop hole that insurance companies have used to deny coverage, says Napoli.

He noted that Aetna and Horizon inadequately cover care for New Jersey residents who suffer from anorexia nervosa because these insurance companies have decreed - contrary to scientific evidence - that anorexia nervosa is not "biologically-based."

Although the present law lists eight "biologically-based" mental disorders, anorexia nervosa is not among them.

"We can easily count the numerous ways that we all pay dearly because insurance companies refuse to cover these disorders at the same amounts and limits that apply to other disorders," Napoli said. "Insurance companies' costs are greater for general medical conditions complicated by mental disorders."

Hope re-emerged in 2002, when N.J. Sens. John Matheussen and Joseph Vitale sponsored a parity bill that would eliminate the loop hole. Assemblywomen Loretta Weinberg and Mary Previte sponsored a companion bill. Unfortunately, Napoli noted, the state budget crisis torpedoed these bills.

In 2006 Sens. Vitale and Barbara Buono and Assemblyman Robert Gordon, among others, re-introduced the parity bills. In December, the New Jersey Senate passed S807 with a vote of 29 to 9 - despite Governor Corzine's opposition.

In May, the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted the bill out of committee. Five months later, the bill is pending in the General Assembly

Napoli is hopeful that some action can finally be taken. So-called shrewd lawmakers, however, pushed any consideration of it until after the fall elections. Apparently, legislators must believe that support of this legislation could be used against them in an election campaign.

And support is not a guarantee, given Corzine's prior opposition to parity legislation.

Right: Dick Codey

But New Jersey is home to Senate President Dick Codey, the former acting governor who became a national symbol for championing mental health causes on a political level and bringing more money and attention to mental health programs.

Oh, and by the way, he also happens to have the highest approval ratings of any public official in this state.

To Napoli, the whole thing is dumbfounding.

"How can we allow this discrimination against individuals suffering with mental disorders, including substance use disorders?" Napoli said. "We need parity now."

A vote for not only those who are suffering, but for all women

This was a vote for Brooke Shields, for Mary Jo Codey, and even Andrea Yates.

This was a vote for people who have suffered with postpartum depression, but felt isolated and alone in their struggle.

In particular, it was a vote for Melanie Blocker-Stokes, a Chicago native and pharmaceutical sales manager who, after the birth of her daughter, developed a psychosis that ultimately caused her to jump from a 12-story window ledge to her death on June 11, 2001, according to the Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis.

Along the way, people like Blocker-Stokes were treated with skepticism when their stories were told. They were mocked and treated as though their illness was nothing more than "the baby blues." All they've been told over the years is to "get over it."

On Monday, at 4:15 PM, what was described by supporters as "perinatal mental health history" took place when the House of Representatives, by a 382-3 vote, passed the "Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act."

The bill, if enacted, would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify research activities regarding postpartum depression and psychosis. The bill would also require additional support for basic and clinical research, epidemiological studies, diagnostic techniques and educational programs, according to the OLPA.

Susan Stone (above photo, with Sen. Robert Menendez), president of Postpartum Support International, said the bill's vote came as the result of "seven years of steadfast advocacy."

"It was a thrill to watch from the Congressional Gallery as Congressman Bobby Rush made his final, victorious push for American women, children and families," she said.

Now the bill will proceed to the Senate where Stone hopes that success will follow, and then to President Bush's desk.

Let's hope that the president remembers the people who are suffering.

The Boss is thrown for a loss

It pains me to defend George Steinbrenner, the New York Yankees' abrasive owner.

Especially as a Mets fan.

But the avalanche of negative press regarding his treatment of his manager, Joe Torre, has done what I once thought was impossible: Turned the big blowhard whom Larry David famously ridiculed in "Seinfeld" episodes into a sympathetic figure.

And the media hit a new low this past week when - sheez, how shocking - The New York Post printed a cover photograph that made Steinbrenner look like Charles Foster Kane muttering "Rosebud" under his breath.

This is a man who, if we are to believe other press reports, is suffering from some form of diminished mental capacity. The "Boss Fog" headline is a typical tabloid media labeling of mental disorders that trivializes - and even ridicules - their meaning.

But the lack of sympathy isn't the only reason why the press is failing, once again, to present a fair representation of potential mental disorders. Even if Steinbrenner is suffering from dementia, it doesn't mean he's incapable of making decisions that make sense.

If we are to assume that firing Joe Torre is nothing more than the product of a demented decision-making process, then we probably can assume that anyone suffering from some form of mental disorder is potentially incapable of making good decisions.

The interesting thing about this situation is that firing Joe Torre probably does make sense. We're talking about a team with a payroll that exceeds $200 million, by far the biggest in baseball. But the Yankees haven't won a World Series in seven years, and haven't advance past the first round in three years - despite having the most talented team in the major leagues.

I love Joe Torre - in fact, I wish he was still managing the Mets. I've always told people that he was one of the best managers the Mets ever had. He managed from 1977 to 1981, and despite presiding over one of the worst teams in baseball history - particularly in 1979 - he never lost 100 games.

But managers have a shelf-life. Eventually, their style and their strategies get old. It happened to Casey Stengel, who was fired after the 1960 season. In 1961, the Yankees won 109 games and won the World Series.

The "fog" that hangs over the Yankees has been lifted. It's time for Torre to go. The boss is right, for once.