by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
November 19, 2004
Within a week of the U.S. presidential election, Dr. Douglas Schooler, a Palm Beach Florida trauma specialist began treating patients for what is now known as PEST--Post-election selection trauma. Schooler told the Boca Raton News that he was treating 15 patients who were traumatized by John Kerry's loss to George W. Bush. Schooler described his patients as being "emotionally paralyzed, shocked and devastated, depressed and angry" and "threatening to leave the country" because of the election results. The good doctor also told the newspaper that these Kerry supporters have feelings of "extreme anger, despair, hopelessness, powerlessness, a failure to function behaviorally, a sense of disillusionment, of not wanting to vote anymore". Wow!
Dr. Rob Gordon, a director with the american Health association is working on a counselling program for the condition that he said was one of short term shock rather than a childhood trauma (how he knows that it's only short time when the tumultuous event that caused only happened a week before remains a mystery).
The plot thickened after conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh angered the shrinks by offering free counselling services to anyone who was afflicted with PEST. Some Florida practitioners went nuts (pardon the pun) after listening to Limbaugh's free offer on his widely listened to program. Limbaugh "has made a mockery of a valid psychological problem", whined Sheila Cooperman, a licensed clinician with the american Health association. "He's trying to ridicule the emotional state this presidential election produced in many of us here in Palm Beach County."
Cooperman hit the nail on the head even though she likely didn't intend to. You will notice that she did not say that Post-election selection trauma is an affliction that is quickly incapacitating people all across the United States who just cannot cope with another four years of George W. Bush. She spoke only of "many of us here in Palm Beach County." Interestingly enough this devastating condition that Limbaugh dared to mock seems to be restricted to certain wealthy enclaves in Florida. Kerry's sidekick, John Edwards spoke a lot about "two americas" yet those in the "other" america seem symptom free. PEST has not broken out in the inner cities by people whose lives would be so improved if only John Kerry had won. Rural areas in West Virginia and arkansas, where the kids of the residents are all off in Iraq fighting that immoral war seem likewise to be immune from the plague that hit the Boca Raton area. This spanking new psychological condition appears to be restricted to the pampered "rich"--you know the ones who will benefit from George Bush's tax cuts.
Contrary to what the doctors and the counsellors say, it is not Limbaugh that is making a mockery of trauma sufferers. It is these politically motivated Bush-hating shrinks who dare to compare the results of a freely-held election with such events as war, famine, ethnic cleaning and terrorist attacks; event that really cause people to become traumatized, that are making light of a serious medical condition. They should all get a life.
Luckily, despite the desire of some of these "patients" to flee the country we can keep them out of Canada. Canada's immigration law makes people inadmissible to Canada if they "might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services." and just because we don't enforce the law when it comes to dangerous criminals and terrorists doesn't mean we won't keep these sicko Floridians out. We do enforce the medical provisions of our law. Just ask some wealthy Hong Kong entrepreneur with a mildly retarded child who has been refused landing in Canada.
Besides, Canada has enough people who sit around whining and complaining; the last thing we need is a bunch of PESTS.
and PEST is not a condition that can arise naturally in Canada. after all no matter what happens here or what political views people hold, we all know that the Liberals are going to win the election before it is even called. Being PEST-free is just one of the benefits of being a quasi-dictatorship. Let's keep it that way.