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EdAction
Maple River Education Coalition PAC
105 Peavey Rd, St 116
Chaska, MN
55318
952-361-4931
http://www.EdAction.org
E-mail
February 2, 2005
Time Sensitive: Action
Alert on Mental Health Screening
Please use the following
information to contact your two U.S. Senators and your member of Congress
today. It is very important that you urge them to attend the Capitol
Briefing next Tuesday, February 8th at noon. RSVP's are needed by the
end of the day tomorrow [Feb.3, 2005].
To find your U.S. Senators and contact information, click
here.
To find your U.S. House member and contact information, click
here.
Our update of December 13,
2004, stated:
"Despite media coverage by Dr. Laura, G. Gordon Liddy, World Net Daily, News Max, many talk radio interviews across the country, and thousands of calls and emails to Congress, grants to fund the New Freedom Commission (NFC) recommendations, which include universal mental health screening and treatment with ineffective and dangerous medications, were not stopped. $20 million was appropriated for state grants to implement the NFC recommendations. Physician and Congressman Paul’s excellent language that required parental consent for screening before these programs were funded was not included. Dr. Paul wrote a letter signed by more than twenty Members urging the parental consent language. House leadership, including Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader DeLay, and Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Regula accepted the Paul language. All of these House Members and those that voted for the original amendment in September deserve our thanks. (See our update.) Sadly, that language protecting the basic right of parental consent was dropped in the Senate."
The scheduled congressional staff briefing listed below will provide a
high priority opportunity to communicate directly with members of
Congress and their staff regarding these urgent issues and current
legislation. Dr. Effrem will spend three days in Washington, DC next week
on our behalf, meeting with many individuals and groups. She will alert
them to the dangers of universal mental health screening in our schools
and drug treatments recently admitted by the FDA to be dangerous and
ineffective in children.
Don't miss this opportunity for your elected members of Congress to be
briefed on this issue! If they cannot come, urge their staff to
attend. Let them know how important it is to you that they understand this
issue!
The following press release was distributed to the media today.
------------------------------------------------
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
A congressional briefing sponsored by the Liberty Committee to raise
awareness of the mental health screening issue will be held next week at
the U.S. Capitol. Karen Effrem, M.D., a pediatrician and leading national
critic of mental health screening programs, will show Members of Congress
and their staff the dangers of recommendations by the New Freedom
Commission for universal mental health screening and for treatment with
drugs recently admitted by the FDA to be dangerous and ineffective in
children. Dr. Effrem will also present information in support of HR 181,
“The Parental Consent Act of 2005,” sponsored by Congressman Ron Paul,
that protects the fundamental parental right of consent and stops the
current funding for the New Freedom Commission recommendations. Other
speakers include psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Tarantolo of the International
Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology and Sue Blevins, a nurse
and executive director of the Institute for Health Freedom.
Details for the briefing are as follows:
Tuesday February 8th
12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Cannon House Office Building, Room 311
Washington, DC
Lunch will be provided.
RSVP to Kent Snyder of the Liberty Committee at 703-276-2096 by Thursday
February 3rd at 5 PM.
Members of the US House and Senate are invited to attend. The briefing is
also open to the public and to the media.
Dr. Karen Effrem is a pediatrician who serves on the boards of four
national organizations: EdWatch, the Alliance for Human Research
Protection, the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and
Psychology, and the National Physicians Center. Dr. Effrem's undergraduate
degree is from Purdue University in pharmacy, her medical degree is from
Johns Hopkins University, and her pediatric training is from the
University of Minnesota. She has provided testimony for Congress, as well
as in-depth analysis of numerous pieces of major federal education,
health, and early childhood legislation for congressional staff and many
organizations.
For more information, contact: Michael Ostrolenk at 301 717 0599 or Email
at mostrolenk@comcast.net.
------------------------------------------------
Minnesota Senators:
Senator Norm Coleman - R
Phone: (202) 224-5641
Email:
http://www.senate.gov/~coleman/contact/index.cfm
Senator Mark Dayton
- DFL
Phone: 612-727-5220
Phone: 202-224-3244
Toll free: 888-224-9043
Fax: 612-727-5223
Fax: 202-228-2186
Email:
dayton.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Minnesota members of Congress:
Gil Gutknecht
Minnesota-1st,
Republican
Phone: (202) 225-2472
Phone: (507) 252-9841
Phone: (800) 862-8632
E-mail:
http://www.gil.house.gov/Contact/formemail.htm
John Kline
Minnesota-2nd, Republican
Phone: (202) 225-2271
Phone: 952-808-1213
Fax: 952-808-1261
http://www.house.gov/kline/contact.shtml
Jim Ramstad
Minnesota-3rd, Republican
Phone: (202) 225-2871
Phone: (952) 738-8200
Fax: (952) 738-9362
E-mail: mn03@mail.house.gov
Betty McCollum
Minnesota-4th, Democrat
Phone: (202) 225-6631
Phone: (651) 224-9191
Phone: (651) 224-3056 fax
E-mail:
http://www.house.gov/mccollum/contact.html
Martin Olav Sabo
Minnesota-5th, Democrat
Phone: (202) 225-4755
Phone: (612) 664-8000
E-mail:
http://www.house.gov/sabo/outside_mail_ok.htm
Mark R. Kennedy
Minnesota-6th, Republican
Phone: (202) 225-2331
Phone: (763) 684-1600
Fax: (763) 684-1730
E-mail:
mark.kennedy@mail.house.gov
Collin C. Peterson
Minnesota-7th, Democrat
Phone: (202) 225-2165
Phone: (218) 847-5056
Phone: (320) 235-1061
E-mail:
http://collinpeterson.house.gov//email.htm
James L. Oberstar
Minnesota-8th, Democrat
Phone: (202) 225-6211
E-mail:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
EdAction - 105 Peavey Rd, Ste 116, Chaska, MN
55318
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