hi scarlett,

a wise man once said, "never be so open-minded that your brain falls out of your head." or maybe a wiseguy said it....

in either case, upon further circumspection, ikestormu11, i feel i have to agree with scarlett to disagree with you. i always like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but in this world we have become a generation of "victims". even murderers get away with killing because they were "victims of their society" like somehow "society" made them that way. i have lived through some horrible abuse in my lifetime, but does that give me the right to hurt others? the way the courts are, i KNOW i could get away with it, all they have to do is look at my records. because of my ptsd, do i have the right to steal someone elses rx because the drugs made me feel better? am i entitled to them because i think i need them more than the person to whom the drugs were rx-ed to? should everything and everyone else be guilty by proxy because my psychological problems, real or imagined, cause me to act against my own will? devil made me do it? not in my opinion. we should all be old enough by now to know the difference between right and wrong.

like scarlett said, ike, i am not saying that you're wrong either. to your credit, you did bring up some valid points. as a sufferer of debilitating adhd, i can understand how a psychological disorder can can affect someones emotions and actions. when i am off my dexedrine i can literally throw a temper tantrum for no good reason. can i help it? perhaps not.... not without my medication anyway. if i'm off my dexedrine can i go into a violent rampage and beat someone up with a baseball bat? well, yes, i suppose i could.... and YES, believe it or not, i have entertained that thought before! after all, i do have some pretty serious adhd. if i did beat somebody up, could i blame it all on my adhd? hmmmm, yes, i guess i could do that too (doesn't mean i'd be correct).... does that mean that if i did beat someone up, that it's not my fault? WRONG!!!!

psychological disorders can and do mess people up emotionally, but it takes real cognitive thought to pick up that baseball bat or to walk to the pharmacy and steal someone else's refills. exception to the rule---of course, there are many cases where people have such a severe physological psychosis as schizophrenia that they actually DO things against their own will. usually these poor souls have to be institutionalized or otherwise taken care of. but i don't think that zolstone64 fits in this category.

again, ike, i'm not saying you're wrong. there are always two sides (at least!) to every issue and it is good to examine them all. the only way to gain a fuller understanding of any situation is to take all reasonable points and opinions into consideration.

thank you ikestormu11 and scarlett for your thoughtful introspection and civility making this a very mature and interesting discussion, for me anyway.

cheers all, angel

EDIT!~~~~~~> to zolstone64, don't take this the wrong way... i'm still pulling for you, man! please get help and get this taken care of asap. i'm behind you all the way!

EDIT #2~~~~~~> scarlett, please accept my condolences for the sad and tragic losses of your loved ones. i pray you do not have to endure any more terrible bereavement like this in your life.