Bob,
Without getting into the religious aspects of your post, which would be better discussed on another thread, I'll make some comments and expand on some of your statements:
First, I think you are mixing up Psychology and Psychiatry. Psychology is the study of mind and behavior, and theoretically is a "purer" science. Psychiatry, on the other hand, is a branch of Medicine which diagnoses and treats mental and behavioral disorders. A Psychiatrist is an M.D, whereas a Psychologist may have a degree in Psychology, or a Master's or a PhD, and therefore use the title "Doctor" but is not a physician, as is the psychiatrist. Some psychologists do indeed do psychotherapy, but cannot prescribe drugs. I think the Psychiatrists are tending to use more drug therapy because "it works", and the current thinking is that many disorders are "chemical imbalances" in neurotransmitters in the brain. They don't spend a lot of time in "analysis" or figuring out what childhood experiences might have molded you the way you are. It's analogous to a surgeon's taking out your gallbladder for stones, and not caring a lot why those stones got there.
Sigmund Freud was a psychiatrist and experimented with cocaine. He found, not surprisingly, that it was great for depression, a very real and dangerous disorder. He didn't realize at first that the cure was worse than the disease. The father of modern surgery, William Halstead, of Johns Hopkins, also got hooked on cocaine, apparently innocently while experimenting with it. (It was the first local anesthetic and commonly used for this purpose even into the 60s.) Halstead was able to get off cocaine, but I believe he continued to use morphine for the rest of his days.
With regard to Monica's Mom's being put through the wringer, that's our system. Another poster's mention of the infamous IRS audit was right on course as well. If you have ever been the defendant in a lawsuit (as I have), you will appreciate Kafka's novel The Trial and know what that adjective Kafkaesque really means.
With regard to coerced testimony, no one is forced to testify against himself (fifth amendment). You are required to testify honestly about your knowledge of others' crimes. Also, if you are given immunity and cannot be prosecuted, you are required to testify. This is why Susan McDougal is in jail. All she had to do to avoid jail was testify under oath. It is a canard to say that she is in jail because she won't give the answer Starr wants; all she has to do is testify under oath, and she won't. When you refuse to testify when it cannot possibly cause you any harm (at least no harm from the law), you are in contempt of court. So Ms. McDougal is either "falling on the sword" for Mr. Clinton, or she is afraid than harm will come to her or her loved ones from sources other than the legal system. There are no other possibilities I can conceive of.
George Stephanopolous said the the White House wouldn't go down alone, meaning that all the dirt on congressmen and senators will be let out into the light if Mr. Clinton's misbehavior is pursued. Indeed, it was a brilliant stroke of Machiavellian genius to get those 900 FBI files almost as soon as he got into the White House. What an insurance policy! This is the real reason he will not be impeached.
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." (Thomas Jefferson).
Jack |
