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My name is Jane Ann Leeves. I am a 60 yr old psychiatrist in Houston who has lived a life of contrasts. I grew up in rural northeast Texas in Naples. Our population of 2000 shrunk to 1400 after I-30 bypassed us in the 60s or 70s, the loss of steel industry jobs in 1980s and the death blow from Walmart, doing what they do best.

My father was a family practice doctor who grew up in a nice big home that was affordable b/c his father was a pharmacist. My mom's father was a carpenter. They lived in government housing and she became a hairdresser. I started 1st grade with 90% of my high school graduating class. We integrated in the 4th grade. My Paul H. Pewitt class of 57 people was 25% black and included 5 people with doctorate degrees (anesthesiologist, OB/gyn, psychiatrist, dentist and Phd chemist in academia in Chicago, engineers, entrepreneurs who have a class reunion there every year during the Naples Watermelon Festival. We share stories and we love to be together, but we are sad to see what has happened to our community and the despair that lives there. So many of our classmates have died due to drug and alcohol problems.

I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1983, did medical school and child, adolescent and adult psychiatry training at UT Medical School in Houston. I worked almost 10 years in children's community mental health clinics and now have a private practice seeing people who can't afford to pay me and people with 2nd homes. A friend says I run my practice like it's a charitable organization and I like that.

I hosted a phonebank for Bernie at my office almost every Sunday during the 2016 race, protested in Philly, and am active in Our Revolution Harris County. We progressives are trying to get the bills passed via persuasive arguments. But rational argument does not appeal to people's frozen minds and hearts. Powerful documentaries can. I watched Bowling for Columbine 7 times. I think about it all the time, but I still don't know why we are so violent, but I think it has to do with what Alcoholics Anonymous says, "Hurt people hurt people." We have so many, many levels of trauma.

Mike, I am convinced that watching the documentary Wisdom of Trauma about Dr. Gabor Mate's work will warm the hearts and minds of all our suffering masses and will get the damn bill passed! Please watch the trailer (wisdomoftrauma.com) which is available online. The directors have told me they will send screener to you as soon as I hear from you. I have enormous hope.

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All of us need to watch this. Thank You for sharing.

Pandemic stress has added to the mess where we're seeing an increase of crime and violence. These may be Apocalyptic times, as in the Bible. We have prophets like Michael.

Michael is good about reminding us of the pain and hurt and caring for it. We're less likely to take it out on others, society or ourselves. If Bush had cried and cared for his hurt as Michael advised, no one would've died. The Taliban had offered to turn Osama bin Laden over. There are tears that open our hearts and the Gates of Heaven.

Ten years before Columbine, I had a nightmare that seemed to warn of it. Just as history shows how the oppressed can become oppressive, we're seeing numerous cases where the bullied become bullies. The lack of interventions and stopping the bullying isn't happening.

Jung saw how we can be provoked where we open the door to the Devil instead of to God.

Few care to realize how we have a good side and dark side to reconcile.

All the more reason to restrict access to deadly weapons for those ill-disposed.

It's why I visit Columbine every April 20th to say my prayers.

I fear for my grandchildren. No place is safe anymore.

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That's true, but I would say that people that hurt people were often hurt themselves. Abuse begets abuse.

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They are downtrodden saints, to be sure. But I've never stepped over one. I check to see if they're breathing and showing any signs of distress. If they are conscious, I'll ask how they are doing and help when possible or call for someone to.

I've always appreciated St. Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity.

Denver created a special unit years ago to assist people on the street. It can happen to anyone, for any reason. It's not always possible to keep things together when we hit a limit with anything, especially any abuse. Many don't have any other place to go.

The great movie The Fisher King with Robin Williams brings this out.

Many have been put out or needed to leave because of abuse in their families, relationships or place of employment. It's devastating and gets worse from excess alcohol, drugs etc.

The need for interventions is evident with as much support as possible.

I sometimes ask their name and tell them to remember that most of us do care.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1044941.Sixty_Seven_Poems_For_Downtrodden_Saints

You are most definitely right that, "It's not always true that hurt people hurt people - this cliche often stigmatizes trauma survivors, especially male trauma survivors."

The studies show this. But they also show that most cases of child abuse and neglect involved parents who were abused as children, indicating there is an increased possibility of hurting others. Please click on the study below.

But as the psychiatrist also says, ". . .it's very hard to measure child abuse and neglect."

We can make inferences and prove those where there is a clear correlation, but the main thing is stopping the abuse. It begins somewhere that we all need to watch for, whether we were abused or not. It is learned behavior, especially from our sex and violence media.

It really is more accurate to say, "Hurt people can hurt people," indicating the need to understand why we would so we won't. Caring for our pain and hurt is crucial.

How else might the cycle of violence be stopped?

Doesn't everybody hurt sometime?

REM: Everybody Hurts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOiW_xY-kc

(5:54)

Coldplay: For You (everybody hurts, not you)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoqAi8OJ9T0

(5:44)

I wonder if REM and Coldplay read any scientific studies. Their lyrics are profound.

We all have stress, frustration, pain and hurt as the Dalai Lama is good to remind us.

We need to watch for this, especially any deviant behavior, and what it might be about.

Somehow, we have to back off to avoid violence or harming anyone in any way.

As a survivor, I wouldn't be here if not for my parents, pastors, teachers and therapists.

Many don't have that support system. And so I have worked as a volunteer with non-profit organizations who conduct outreach for those who want it, to pass on what I've learned that might help others find what helps them. The path of healing and understanding is different for most everyone, but the goal is the same.

I worked with parolees for about a year who had abused their children until I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't get anywhere with those who were in denial about what they'd done. There were very few who knew they needed to keep a focus on their anger and back off as needed. We all need to do this. Most of those I'd worked with had been abused as children.

My greatest challenge was assisting survivors of clergy sex abuse. The violation of trust and harm to their body are wounds that can never be healed, only cared for as best as possible. Support groups can help where one doesn't need to suffer in silence alone, as I could have.

There's no data on how many priests, nuns, ministers, rabbis or laity were abused as children because their religions are allowed by law to keep their records private. There are some Buddhist monks who have exploited and abused children as prostitutes. It really is a failure to know the evil in us as some prophets have warned.

My pain and hurt could've gotten lost in my anger, especially when it's human and animal nature to lash out or take things out on others when hurt, even be abusive as I was abused.

It's why I can appreciate Michael telling Bush the 2nd to care for his pain and hurt rather than seek revenge. It was made worse by the prospects of getting rich by waging war.

One doesn't need to be a primatologist to know we can go "ape shit" without warning, whether abused or not. The task is understanding why we would so we won't.

Was Bush abused? It's doubtful. He was far more privileged than Trump.

As Jung observed, the more we're aware of and can care for any issue or iniquity, it's less likely to get the better of us. Taking time with what we feel and experience is a key.

Anthropologists have noted in primitive societies they kept a place for people to go to. Native American sweat lodges are an example of trying to sweat out bad spirits, which is impossible. Most knew they needed to have it out from time to time. Prophets have hidden themselves for centuries, mostly in the wilderness. Jesus wasn't the first to face the Devil. He prayed for deliverance to His dying day, indicating we need to do the same.

Jung would say to know how much good and evil we're capable of.

Certain life events can adversely affect us until resolved.

Years ago, I took a picture of a billboard that said:

"What a child learns about violence, they learn for life."

It suggests what studies show, the need for interventions to stop the violence.

Collectively, Trump made it worse, inciting extremists to attack our nation's Capitol.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/releases/042115-podcast-child-abuse

(excerpt)

". . . the good news from the study is that the victims of physical abuse are not destined to grow up and become abusers themselves, as we’ve so often heard. . . .but it’s very hard to measure child abuse and neglect.

"Mr. Whitener: Can you explain why there were more cases of neglect and sexual abuse among the children of the abused adults?

"Dr. Widom: Well, we don’t know why. . . We expected that there would be a much higher incidence of physical abuse."

(end of excerpt)

Please note the correlation, but again, it doesn't mean one will be abusive if abused.

This is Beverly Engle from her Compassion Chronicles reprinted in Psychology Today:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/202006/breaking-the-cycle-abuse

(excerpt)

"Children who are neglected or abused in the home are far more likely to become either bullies in school or the victims of bullies. Many of the students who have taken up arms at school were found to have been the target of vicious bullying by their classmates. And we know that a majority of those in prison for violent crimes were either emotionally, physically, or sexually abused as children.

"Those who are mistreated perpetuate a culture of violence that affects us all. Therefore, the work we do on breaking the cycle of abuse in our own families will have even greater ramifications for society at large."

(end of excerpt)

It's easy to stigmatize or stereotype people rather than see what we're all up against.

Interventions:

Zen Yogi Bernie Glassman developed a program of prayer and meditation for mostly homeless people or anyone in need, as well as baking bread.

Can one imagine a cigar-smoking Jewish Zen Yogi baking bread?

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/18/nyregion/zen-bakery-begins-training-program.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Glassman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fisher_King

Robin Williams as The Janitor of God:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW4x-PAnrO8

(2:27)

Please Note:

The archetypal symbolism of a higher power, the Grail legend and fisher king who saves souls, indicates the religious function of our psyche that can give meaning to one's life, rather than project it onto an outer religion. Jung established this empirically.

One of his students advanced this further working with those overwhelmed with visions and voices. He had an 85% recovery rate by allowing people to talk about or act out their processes, which we all have to some degree, as seen in our dreams.

This is more evident in cases for those of us who have been traumatized, that can help keep us from sinking into what Jung called, "The disintegrating nightmare." He knew this for himself. It's how we was able to help people who came to see him from around the world.

Indeed, "Physician, heal thyself."

He had realized a higher power in himself.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1265931.Roots_of_Renewal_in_Myth_and_Madness

Here again, Robin William gives a good example of this when he portrays Patch Adams, acting like a shaman going into the drama of his patient with him, which can help drive mean spirits away such as squirrels. Why were they being so mean to his patient?

The Squirrels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGHIl4rHw4

(2:54)

Buddha saw this inner oppression some 2,500 years ago, sitting under the Bodhi Tree.

Jung was certain that this is why we can be oppressive: "Those who persecute others are persecuted from within."

Buddha smiled at his demons, putting his hand on the ground, asserting his right to be.

And ours. Shalom Salam Peace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree

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Thank you for making this point--you are so right. The majority of people who are abused by their parents do not go on to abuse their own children. The last thing I want to do is stigmatize trauma survivors.

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At what point do we show support for Dems/progressives that tried to get us the 3.5 trillion. At what point do we show our anger and frustration for anything less than 3.5 trillion. How do we MAKE the DEMs answer for anything less than 3.5 trillion, How do we hold the Sinema's responsible for LYING to their constituents?

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Please contact your Congressional representative and senator to help get this passed as it needs to be. Because of Sinema and Manchin there may be compromises. Not everyone will benefit as they should. We can then only hope things improve with 2022 and so they can revise it. All too often, things like this have to go gradually because of those like Sinema and Manchin. They don't want their wealthy donors paying their fair share. Their constituents will then decide their fate.

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It's why Michael is having us get after our reps. We Are The People.

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How much more horror show do we still need to make sure they never get elected again. Is 4 more years of Trump enough? And what to we do with the Candidates that win on a people's platform and then take the money and run while in office like Sinima?

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If Trump can threaten tepid supporters (Republicans) by "primarying" them, why can't the Democrats threaten to Primary Sinema and Manchin to get them on board to help us? They might as well be Republicans because they are essentially FILIBUSTERING our progress!

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Trump's way is not the right way. President Biden, like President Lincoln, is appealing to Sinema and Manchin and their better nature for the good of the nation. Lincoln didn't hesitate to call in favors and create personal incentive. At worst, representatives were possibly bribed with jobs in the private sector. This may be what Sinema's wealthy donors have done to keep from paying their fair share.

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Uh, "Trump's way" hasn't been effectively tried except for a couple examples like AOC which were successful. The Intercept has revealed the motivation behind Manchin's intransigence: money and his coal interests. He's already scuttled environmental ideas about electric generation and talks like a republican. If you are following the news, you'd know Sinema is somewhat of a turncoat to progressives in Arizona and has met with business lobbyists recently. Her tactics has provoked some resignations in her veterans advisory support staff. She was absent for the vote to investigate the insurrection. What good are "democrats that vote to obstruct our agenda? Democrats that vote against our agenda basically are republicans and should be threatened with being primaried. See if they respond positively being delivered that news....

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I despise Sinema and of course she must be primaried, but she may not care. If she remains in politics, she could run as an Independent. Or she could arrange a cushy lobbyist gig for herself. Why haven’t the Democrats run oppo research on her? With someone as totally unprincipled as Sinema, there must be all sorts of irregularities and terrible stuff. The Democrats do not know how to play hardball.

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Yes!!!

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I still think voting rights is the most important issue today.

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I don't know if its most important, but it is huge, I mean if you can't vote then the policy is moot.

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But if you can vote and there is no policy then why vote.

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To be able to vote the outlaws out of power so we can HAVE policy?

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if you can only vote for a candidate that has no policy then the vote does not matter. AKA, Republicans and moderate democrats.

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it will be interesting how Andrew Yangs third party pans out.

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This is one of President Barack Obama's most fiery speeches that he gave today in Virginia on what we're up against with GOP voter restrictions and redistricting gerrymandering. We can lose our democracy if people are denied the right to vote.

It's pretty powerful how Obama can fire us up and make us laugh and cry. But the things he says are what Michael has been saying long before him. It will take a stronger Democratic majority in 2022 to achieve all that President Biden is calling for to Build Back Better for everyone.

GOP Republicans have no ideas of their own that will help us have the America we've never had as Michael has said. Obama emphasizes this with their efforts to rig our elections. It's no cliche' that our children grow fast as we did. We deserve better than what we're seeing if there's any hope for a better future other than GOP extremists policies that led to the attack on our nation's Capitol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flsBVQx05WY

(23:49)

This is a petition to the US Senate and House for monthly covid stimulus checks that nearly 3 million people have signed, more than any petition on change.org:

https://www.change.org/p/give-2000-month-to-every-american-moneyforthepeople-covid19

Here's Greta Thunberg rickrolling Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up at the climate concert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI81yqgRWGc

(2:05)

It's fun watching the young people having fun, even tho our generation failed to do more to prevent the climate crisis we're in.

Climate Covid Coup

God Bless Michael

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Once again, thank you for a broadcast that helps me like a group bear hug of essential therapy to cope and contend with reality, spin, denial, magical thinking, and, of course, despair. THE BILL MUST BE PASSED, and what is the point of anything else if our planet is destroyed? How can two low level human beings posing as Democrats retard and stop the entire future for all Americans? Thank you for hosting the bright light Ro Khanna of Cupertino, California, who reminded us how important we and our phone calls truly are.

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Elder care support is important to me and many others who have lived long enough. While I support the credits for children, not all of us have children, but all of us will need elder care in our old age. My brother and I paid $8,000 per month for 5 years for our dad. I guess that says it all.

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3:08, 10/22/21: i’ve tried sending a pleading email to my Representatives (as this Moore email recommends), using the democracy.io system but the email won’t go through. Its been 10 minutes. However, this is happening in Alabama so go figure.

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Please call and stop in their nearest office if possible. Staff usually keep a record of how many for/against etc. That's why it's important.

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Why all the hallabaloo over these bills? There are 3 issues: the do nothing republicans; the ignorance of ego centric sinema; and fossil fuel joe m!!! No need to keep asking democrats and commentators what’s going on!!

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The future of our planet and nation is at stake. FDR shored up the middle and working classes with the New Deal. This will do the same. We are the legs our nation stands on. History shows what happens when under too much strain from the cost of living.

Michael said it best: "Climate Covid Coup"

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Remember 1994 when Democratic Senators and Congressman defected to the GOP after the election? Same will happen again.

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"The bill has so much support for families who have gone through such a terrible time, and deserve to have support. And things that are way overdue, like paid family leave and support for quality child care-- things that other countries that like us have been doing for years and we are way behind in catching up," Hillary Clinton said. #InfrastructureFuture!

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Indeed, It Takes A Village.

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The Rethuglicans have passed state bills that force women seeking abortion to watch ultrasounds of the fetus inside of them, seeking to humiliate us.

I wish we progressives could mandate the watching of Wisdom of Trauma by every person who wants to deprive any of our citizens of the right to have everything in the 3.5 T bill. They effectively murder anyone they call “them.” The majority of front page stories in newspapers & stories that lead tv broadcast news come down to greed and some kind of maltreatment of human beings or animals.

My mom once told me when I was a kid that the best thing JFK ever did was to get assassinated. I was brainwashed. I became free of it one night in my 20s working in an ER seeing a woman who was poor and I realized she was just like me except she didn’t have any money. How can our rulers who were actually elected to be our representatives be so cruel? Because they learned it in their childhood homes & they grow up and become bullies, oppressors. Eventually, invariably the oppressed rise up.

Bernie told us in 2016 that a nation will not survive morally or economically when so many have so little & so few have so much. The damn bill aims to do what the Americans with Disabilities Act did—level the playing field. It’s time for the rich to take care of us after all we’ve done for them.

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Well I think in Texas you won't see much on an ultrasound by 6 weeks, so there is that.

At 6 weeks that fetal heartbeat your supposed to be hearing is pretty weak too. Still, forced ultrasound watching sucks

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To set the record straight, to curtail out of control offensive ranting, and to present facts, Alameda County is in the 'East Bay', across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco. The East Bay contains Oakland, California, which you may recall Gertrude Stein made reference of. Jack London lived in Oakland and honed his writing skills there. It was once the home of The Oakland Raiders, and you can find The Oakland A's and The Golden State Warriors flourishing there right now. It is a great area, and the breezes from the San Francisco Bay blow in, flapping the prayer flags in People's Park. Ask Vice President Harris. She grew up there.

A little bit about Barbara Lee: Barbara Jean Lee is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 13th congressional district. Now in her 12th term, Lee has served since 1998, and is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 9th district from 1998 to 2013, is based in Oakland and covers most of the northern part of Alameda County.

The 'South Bay', south of San Francisco, is sometimes referred to as 'The Peninsula'. 'Silicon Valley' is a loose term used to signify the industries, not towns, beginning with Hewlett Packard, whose founders sprang from Stanford University, located in Palo Alto. Silicon Valley is not a place. Napa Valley, sixty miles north of San Francisco in Napa County, is an actual place, Mill Valley, located within Marin County, on the other side of The Golden Gate Bridge, is a real place, but Silicon Valley is a television show that ran for six seasons.

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But her emails …

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great listening, but I find it continuingly frustrating to try to get through to these folks: first I got a guy who sounded half asleep, then a woman who sent me off to Jerry McEnerny (love the guy but he's not in my zip code) and finally compose an email and have it disappear. will try again tomorra.

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Please keep trying. I once had a rep's aide go off on me for voicing my concern.

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Fearless Leader Koch bought off Boris Manchin and Natasha Sinema and now Boris Manchin even is on record saying he wants no bill (Thanks to Jon Tester for disclosing this)!

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I'm tired of kissing the GOP Crooks a$$! Get it done or get voted out ! My stance !! Fuckin Truth is not allowed ! 🥳🥳🥳

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