Pump Up The Valium

ROB SEIMETZ

It should come as no surprise that Las Vegas mass shooter, Stephen Paddock, will not be called a terrorist in the media despite fitting the definition of a terrorist per Nevada Law.  It comes as no surprise the media resists to use this word for Paddock because he’s white.  But it should also come as no surprise that Paddock was prescribed an anti-anxiety, psychoactive drug that leads to aggressive behavior and murderous thoughts, Valium (also known as Diazepam).

Here’s a list of some of the other mass shooters that have been prescribed mind altering prescription drugs prior to committing their terrorist act:  James Holmes (Aurora), Dylan Roof (Charleston), Cho Seung-Hui (Virginia Tech), Steven Kazmierczak (Northern Illinois), Elliot Rodger (Santa Barbara), Esteban Ruiz Santiago (Fort Lauderdale Airport) and Eric Holmes (Columbine).

Many people are aware that on average 20 veterans a day commit suicide and can link a lot of these suicides to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but are they aware a common drug used to treat PTSD is, you guessed it, Valium?

As Americans this is what we are taught to do, search for quick fix.  To suppress our feelings and move on.  Our suppression is leading to more depression.  We don’t use our fears, adversities, anxieties, or problems we have as a country and as an individual as a way to grow and improve.

The word overcome is defined as to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty.  To overcome something requires diligence and patience in trying to get to the depth of the problem in order to figure out how to succeed in moving forward.

If the solutions for solving our mass shooting crisis were located in a swimming pool, the equivalent of just attacking this crisis from a gun control perspective would be the same as dipping your toes in the pool to get a feel for the water temperature in hopes you would feel slightly refreshed.

We must dive headfirst into the pool to see the depth and scale of the crisis.  While gun control is an important step forward, it’s just scratching the surface.

The United States holds over 45 percent of the global pharmaceutical market.  In 2016, this share was valued at around 446 billion dollars.  Six out of the top ten companies were from the United States when based on pure pharmaceutical revenue.

From 2009 to 2014, the Pharmaceutical Industry has taken the song by M|A|R|R|S called Pump Up The Volune as a metaphor to literally pump up the Valium.

In 2009, Valium was the 116th most commonly prescribed drug in the United States, by 2014 it was the 86th.  In 2014, 9,134,522 prescriptions were written for Valium in the United States.  It’s prescription cost went from almost $30.00 out of pocket in 2008 to under $7.50 out of pocket in 2014.

Per CVS’ patient statistiscs, 35.29% of their Valium users are between ages 40-60, and 32.56% of their Valium users are over the age of 60 (Paddock was 64 years old at the time of his death).  So this means that 67.85% of their Valium customers are middle age and older.

Once we reach the bottom of the pool we notice this is where the White Supremacy problem of the mass shooter crisis is located.  The White Supremacy we aren’t talking about is the media refusing to call Paddock a terrorist or the media normalizing him by constantly telling you what his hobbies are.  We are talking about the instrument used in these mass shootings…the gun.

The first successful rapid fire gun was invented by the white man, Richard Gatling, in 1861.  It was invented during the Civil War to subdue and dominate the enemy like our European Ancestors have done from the second they colonized this country.  And what instrument was used to control, kill, and enslave Native Americans and African Americans?  The gun.

The gun is what butters the bread of White Supremacy.  It is an instrument that has been glorified by white men since this country’s inception.  It’s an instrument used to commit genocide and terror on nonwhites.  Just ask people from Vietnam, the Middle East, and Native Americans.

The gun is glorified in phrases like “taking matters into your own hands” and “going out in a blaze of glory”.  This is engrained into White Supremacist culture and now the chickens are coming home to roost as whites are making these phrases come to life against other whites.

I wonder how Native Americans feel when they hear the mainstream media spin its White Heterosexual Male narrative all day, everyday when they hear that Las Vegas was the worst mass shooting in American history?  They most quiver in disgust when they know that in 1491 75 million Native Americans lived in the United States only to have up to 90% of their population wiped out.

The sad thing is I do not think we will get to the root of our problems in this country and are in for a frightening future.  As our suppression continues so will our depression which will pump up the volume of mass shootings while we pump up the Valium prescriptions.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/10/06/pump-up-the-valium/