WHY IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE 1-800-SUICIDE HOTLINE?

I thought conservatives extol community-based initiatives and abhor Big Government. Yet, despite a government funded evaluation stating the benefits of 1-800-SUICIDE hotline and the fact that almost 2 million callers have reached help and hope over the last 8 years, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), a division of Health & Human Services, has decided to create their own government controlled system where they would have direct access to confidential data on individuals in crisis.

The Suicide Hotline was created 8 years ago-- and is still run by-- The Kristin Hope Center. But because Bush Regime refuses to reimburse them for over a quarter million dollars in approved services, they are in jeopardy of being shut down. The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) is a division of Health & Human Services and they seem hell-bent on destroying this worthy organization's crucial work.

Many people know about 1-800-SUICIDE and the importance of a national suicide prevention hotline because of the annual punk and emo-oriented Take Action Tour which promotes suicide prevention. Literally hundreds of musicians have done songs about suicide, from huge international smash hits like Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train" and David Bowie's "Rock and Roll Suicide" to song after song after song that addresses this from every conceivable point of view, like "Yer Blues" by The Beatles, "Saturn Return," "Everybody Hurts" and "Try Not to Breathe" by R.E.M., "Suicide Chump" by Zappa, "Hold On" by Good Charlotte, "Passover" and "Twenty Four Hours" by Joy Division, "War on Drugs" by Barenaked Ladies, "The Bed" by Lou Reed, "Reptilia" by The Strokes, "Redondo Beach" by Patti Smith, "Worm" by Ministry, "One Hundred Years" by The Cure, "Asleep" by The Smiths, "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together" by Morrissey, "Prove Yourself" by Radiohead, "Steps Ascending" and "Porcelain" by Thursday, "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, "Uptight" by Green Day, "Swan Dive" and "Two Little Girls" by Ani DiFranco, "Don't Try Suicide" and "Keep Passing The Open Windows" by Queen, "Stranger in the House" by Elvis Costello, "Waste" by Staind, "Hey Stoopid" by Alice Cooper, "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me" by Tom Waits, "Just Wait" by Blues Traveler, You're Only Human" by Billie Joel, "Trouble in Mind" by Lightnin' Hopkins, "Who Knew" by Pink (a song written by a friend of hers who committed suicide), "Swingin' Party" and "Can't Hardly Wait" by The Replacements, "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" by Mission of Burma (and covered by Moby), "Downward Spiral" and "The Great Below" by NiN, "'Til I Die" by the Beach Boys, "Suicide Solution" by Ozzy, "So Long Suicide" by Duran Duran, "Save the Life of My Child" and "Richard Cory" by Simon and Garfunkel, Blasphemous Rumours by Depeche Mode, "Chop Suey" by System of a Down, "RV" and "Cowboy Song by Faith No More, "A Day Without Me" by U2, "Endless Vacation" by The Ramones, "The Kick Inside" by Kate Bush, "Fade to Black" by Metallica...

Reese Butler, the founder of the 800-suicide Hopeline, and Scott Goodstein, a friend and fellow blogger just started an online campaign to apply more pressure to SAMHSA and HHS, as well as a bigger awareness effort of how close these lines are to being shut off! Everything you need to know about their campaign is at the link-- and in your own heart.

Here's David Bowie doing a classic live at the Tokyo Dome: