Connie, this may or may not help. My SiL is a paranoid schizophrenic. She's been ill since her early 20's and she's now 50. In her own mind she doesn't need the drugs BUT without them the "voices" tell her to hurt not only herself but others and even if you could get through to her in this state (doubtful), she'd still think her actions were reasonable, when clearly they aren't. Medicated, she has about 50% reality and you can get through to her and she'll clearly understand all the ramifications of her actions and stop most harmful behavior before it goes badly.

in legal terms, you're insane only if you did not know right from wrong at the time of the crime. If you say "I know it was wrong, but the big white bunny told me to", you're not legally insane.

Right, at the trial. But if you're not competent to stand trial, then any insanity defense standard is moot. If you're not competent to stand trial, they don't just let you go; they keep you locked up until such time as you are competent. Which, with medication, is sooner rather than later.

Basically, you can be as crazy as you want, as long as it doesn't break the law. As soon as it does, then your crazy becomes a public concern, and the public has a right to demand you be medicated until that concern is completed. (Laughable, in some ways, because the legal system puts truly crazy, even legally insane, people back on the streets all the time, but that's not by design.)

Great. Now I'm earwormed with "I'm a danger to myself and others..." and I don't know any more of the song.

Must get a passport.

TAR: This is true of them:

Brian: We didn't focus on Rob and Amber. They were just another team. They didn't talk to us. We didn't talk to them. We didn't sweat Rob and Amber. We didn't think anything of them.

I just wish others would follow their example. Well, in the not sweating them -- you know -- they should just be running their race. Does look like the boys really did screw up -- 1.5 hours behind !!!

I'll be shelling out a couple of hundred bucks (because the kidlet will need one, too) that I really can't afford

But you have a couple years.

I've never understood being able to enter the country without proof of citizenship. If I had balls of steel, I could have been travelling on my driver's license this whole time. Legally I don't think there's any country (including my own) that I can enter without a passport. I'd always assumed that was just how it was everywhere.

This is fun. [link]

I've never understood being able to enter the country without proof of citizenship. If I had balls of steel, I could have been travelling on my driver's license this whole time. Legally I don't think there's any country (including my own) that I can enter without a passport. I'd always assumed that was just how it was everywhere.

You're legally supposed to have proof of citizenship and ID to cross the border. I've never crossed without it.

But you have a couple years.

Given that they've almost doubled in cost since my parents got theirs in 2001, I'm going to go with the getting it sooner, rather than later option.

If I had balls of steel, I could have been travelling on my driver's license this whole time.

My friend who is a naturalized citizen of the US travels abroad with her passport and naturalization papers anyway. Because, who knows what Canadian agent might get a bug up his butt and try to deport her to her country of birth -- Colombia. Legally, she should have been safe with the driver's license, but practically, she was not.

For this reason, I have never seen Niagara Falls from the Canadian side -- she had left her passport in Florida.

It also said Canada may retailiate by requiring Americans to show passports. But FWIW, I wouldn't travel to the US without my passport now, anyway. Especially by air.

I travel back and forth to the US without a valid passport all the time, and have for years. I use my driver's license, and I have an expired passport as backup. However, as readers of my LJ are painfully aware, I have now have proof of Canadian citizenship again, and will be getting a new Cdn passport in the near future.

You're legally supposed to have proof of citizenship and ID to cross the border

That's what I'd thought -- but I know people who travel on nothing (Detroit/Windsor tunnel), and I may have just looked at the floor on an impromptu expedition or two. And the article states just a license will do. Don't know if that's de jure.

Not bright behaviour.