where Thelma is coming from. And I understand her sense of discouragement watching our government put all things medical at the bottom of a list so ineffectual that it's a waste of time. And there is nothing like the structure in the US or the media that put that contest together...

Although Todd is a Canadian resident, the contest was American, the Unity walk is American and the attention he got was American! I think Thelma is asking WHY???? This sort of thing should be happening in Canada too, but it isn't! and it likely never will.

The Political/Medical structure is very different up here than it is in the U.S. There are more of you in the States, making a lot more noise, - what isn't obvious to the outside observer is you have organizations up to your ying-yangs but the downside is, they are tripping all over each other and not well co-ordinated interactivley. At least that was my impression from what I saw in Washington last year. And the Amy Comstocks (PAN) and her counter parts of the other half dozen National organizations like the APDF and the NPDA (the initials might not be right because the names are all so Generic) appear to be covering the same territory which creates redundancy...So Thelma -it's not as co-ordinated or effective as you might think. However the Americans are much more pro-active as individuals and take the initiative to create websites and are much more vocal. Canada has a tidy little system which is akin to having a cute little house with a perfectly groomed garden and white washed fence where alll the folks are friendly, but you have the feeling your in a scene from the Stepford wives, -a bird of another ineffective color. Even MJF who is our hometown boy has gone to the States to set up shop, because thats were you can do some pushing and shoving and make some noise. The paradox is: he creates yet another fragment in an already fragmented system. He even gave up his Canadian citizenship,not because he wanted to, but because he had to be American to hunt with a big gun! Us Canadians are still using pop guns up here. We don't have the population or the motivation to become real advocates of civil disobedience or unrest. The truth is neither system as it currently exists is as powerful or has as much clout as it could/should have if they could just put all those damaged brains in one huge coordinated power pile and become a driving force in the political arena. That's when someone will pay attention and things will change. I'm glad to hear that a Canadian won the contest. How many Canadians even bothered to enter I wonder? Good for you Todd!
(disclaimer: ignore me if I missed the point completely)