The following is the text of a letter that I wrote to my then treating psychiatrist, Betsy Jane Cooper, M.D. at the D.C. Department of Mental Health in April 2004. I wrote the letter about a week after I was banned from the Cleveland Park Neighborhood library by (now retired) branch librarian Brian P. Brown. In the letter I advised Dr. Cooper that I had set up an email site on which I planned to place letters about my situation. Prior to my setting up a blog in the late summer of 2005, I used the email site as a vehicle for my need to communicate. The user name, an abbreviation of "Let the world see what I have seen!", is very telling.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Mr0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=let+the+world+see+what+I+have+seen+till&source=bl&ots=7c0CdMJmtq&sig=XGJGvA9DRQ5EOj_TdYXqtgf49Vw&hl=en&ei=JeTqS_fXFMP7lweUro2cBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=let%20the%20world%20see%20what%20I%20have%20seen%20till&f=false
On January 15, 2010 two officers of the U.S. Department of Justice wanted to know my motivation in writing a blog. Well, the plain fact is that I did not know about the existence of "blogs" until late summer 2005, and I immediately, thereupon, set up a blog. If I had known about blogs at an earlier time, I would have set one up sooner; obviously I would have set up a blog instead of an email account, which is not accessible to "the world" through the internet. I've had a need to communicate to the world at large for many years. If the Justice Department knew anything about "the black experience," it would have understood that need to communicate, without asking.
In 1964 a comedian offered the following joke about Barry Goldwater's run for the presidency: "I always knew the first Jewish president would be an Episcopalian." I would say, "I always knew the first African American president and U.S. attorney general would not have a background in slavery." I'm "black." I can say that.
April 26, 2004
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Apartment 136
Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: (202) 362-7064
Betsy Jane Cooper, M.D.
Staff Psychiatrist
District of Columbia Department of Mental Health
1125 Spring Road, NW
Washington, DC 20010-1421
Telephone: (202) 576-6510
Dear Dr. Cooper:
This will advise that I left a telephone message for Dr. Lisa Osborn at The American Psychological Association in connection with my desire to discuss with Dr. Osborn the resumption of my psychotherapy with her. She has not returned my call as of now, though someone at her office telephoned me to confirm that my message was received and that Dr. Osborn would be informed of my call. I left Dr. Osborn your telephone number also, Dr. Cooper, in the event she would prefer to speak with you directly.
Dr. Osborn's office number is (202) 336-5900. As I mentioned, Nancy Shaffer, Ph.D. knew and worked with Dr. Osborn (1998-1999) at the P Street Clinic.
This will also advise that I have been taking my Zyprexa since April 21, 2004 as prescribed (10 mg/day). To date, the medication has had no effect other than mild sedation.
As I mentioned in a telephone message to you, I have set up an e-mail account with the search engine Netscape.com that will serve as a (confidential) website for me. I plan to place documents on the site from time to time that are pertinent to my emotional or other concerns. I understand that (1) you have no ethical or legal duty to read the documents I place on this site, and (2) that you cannot be held accountable for your decision not to read any of the documents on the site or your decision not to act on any information you obtain via the site.
If you do choose to peruse the site you may do so by logging onto Netscape.com, click "Mail," then enter the screen name "LETTHEWORLDSEEWH," and the password "showtime." Upon entering the site you will click on "Get Mail." There may be additional letters in the "trash" or "draft" files of the e-mail site.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
I used the email account to house my "Letters to Brian Brown" -- now available on The Freedman Archives.
The Freedman Archives: Part !
http://garfreed.blogspot.com/
The Freedman Archives: Part II
http://freedman2.blogspot.com/
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