So where were Naveed Haq’s parents during this time of his life that he was going though all of this. It doesn’t seem that he was that mentally ill that he could go into the Jewish Federation Headquarters offices and shoot all those people. What kind of mental health problems will those victims have? I am sure that the jurors had a very hard time trying to come up with a verdict for Naceed Haq.

I cannot understand how, as shown in court, a person can research and target a particular segment of our society, state that he is angry with Israel over the Lebannon situation (isn’t there plenty of room for shared responsibiity there?) plan and carry out this act and yet be said to not be anti-semite!!! What is the definition of “anti-semite” if he doesn’t embody it??? What is happening to our society? As of 9/11, how can he not be looked upon as a terrorist? His mental problems are his own, his meds are his responsibility. He must be held responsible for his choice to discontinue them and suffer the consequences or else change the law and empower others to ensure that he and others with like problems take them so that they are not a threat to society.

Mental illness is a reason but not an excuse. He should have been incarcerated for life.

Hopefully he will not be able to lie on a gun application, to get more guns. Hopefully he will be kept away from the public. Hopefully he won’t be able to drive anywhere to get alcohol to drink while taking antidepressent meds….Hopefully he’s getting the sympathy that he desperately craves…with no personal responsibility for his actions. Hopefully no other innocent people have to pay for his mental disease. So much for medical breakthroughs and no doctor responsibility. The truth is now out that he lied to his doctors who were trying to help him.. They can’t help him if he lied to them. I guess they should have locked him away instead of trusting him to be safe….It is so sad that the innocent victims get no sympathy from you a defense attorney , as in your above comments.. Have such a happy day….

Yes, our system always fails the mentally ill!

Ronald Reagan, from what I understand, is responsible for the shutdown of major state hospitals. The idea was that new drugs (which these people couldn’t afford) would take care of any problems they had. They didn’t need to be confined.

What little money the states then received went to local clinics where counselors were trained in things like marriage counseling, etc., and hardly understood the needs, much less the illnesses, of these people.

Then, of course, we had the homeless crisis. I’ve heard different percentages but I think the last one was that at least 30% of the homeless have psychiatric problems.

Our prisons have now become the new “state hospitals.” It may have made a president look good for awhile and enable him to lower taxes, but his efforts didn’t really affect the bottom line in the long run. Passing the buck to some other department, some other division, another generation, or denying a problem doesn’t make it go away.

My sister once saw a man sitting on a bench in front of a Walmart. He was a military man. She said he seemed confused and lost. He was mumbling to himself, this young man. She stopped, wanted to do something, but didn’t know what to do. She left bothered enough to tell me about it. We both felt anguish over this troubled young man.

Then, of course, certain people with certain problems can be violent and dangerous. That too, should have been something that president might have thought about. But Reagan was known for his “good jokes” and handsome face.

America — What Are You Thinking?