This is a little off topic for me, but I got this e-mail, and wanted to share it. Just another reason the Republicans should not be in charge.

My 20 year old was diagnosed with Manic-Depression at the age of 8 years old. For the past 12 years he had been on 9 medications a day to maintain a reasonable level of stability. In June of 2005 his Doctor placed him on a new anti-convulsant/mood stabilizer along with an atypical antipsychotic that achieved a level of stability and functioning we had not seen in the last 12 years.

I went to refill his medication on July 19 , 2005 and much to my surprise, dismay and disbelief Medicaid refused to cover this Medically necessary drug , which by the way ran $130.00 for a 20 day supply. I spoke to our pharmacist, and my son's doctor, only to find out that even they had no for warning as to this Medication being on the list of No Longer Covered medications with Medicaid....

My son's doctor even applied for Medicaid authorization as Medically necessary for my son. He was promptly refused by Medicaid. It absolutely amazes me that a politician can make medical decisions of such proportions that can and will affect many people in a very negative way.

My son has gone from 9 medications a day down to 2 a day with the most impressive results and increase of functioning we have seen. I am totally in shock. This new medication has made it possible for my son to become a productive functioning member of society.

(continued below)

The Senate today issued a long overdue apology for refusing to heed the requests of seven Presidents to enact a law making lynching a crime.

The apology was enacted on a voice vote which was not recorded. This article says that while there were 80 co-sponsors of the bill, only six Senators showed up for the voice vote.

With many members straggling back to town from a weekend at home, and only six coming to the floor to vote, the Senate delivered a historic apology Monday night for failing to move against a wave of lynchings that claimed more than 4,700 Americans – most of them black – from the 1880s until the 1960s.

Who was against it? America Blog has the updated list.

If you've never seen a photo of a lynching, go here.

Crooks and Liars reports this was in an email sent by James Dobson's group to its "Citizen Link" subscribers.

Albertsons Agrees to Respect Pharmacists' Right of Conscience

Albertsons Corporation agreed to accommodate its pharmacists' right to refuse to fill prescriptions that violate their religious or moral beliefs. The accommodation came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by
attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and the Christian Legal Society (CLS) against Albertsons and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on behalf of pharmacist David Scimio.

The U.S. now has more people suffering from mental illness than any other country.

One-quarter of all Americans met the criteria for having a mental illness within the past year, and fully a quarter of those had a "serious" disorder that significantly disrupted their ability to function day to day, according to the largest and most detailed survey of the nation's mental health, published yesterday.

While mental illness rates have not increased in recent years, the numbers remain quite troubling: