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EJ711: Backwoods newspapers are not safe sources. Most of them are online also. People need to take responsibility for their actions.

A valid point, EJ. At the same time, where do we draw the line? Individuals undergoing the process of psychosis can sometimes do, say and think things that strike those around them as irrational. Yet, to the individual going through the experience, they are entirely real.

Individuals going through the process of psychosis also tend to express their experience in symbolic, metaphorical language. This too can be misunderstood by those around them. When we re-interpret the language of the ad into metaphor what we can hear is that this person is frightened, they don't feel safe wherever they go. That's a difficult place for a human being to be.

Assuming that the individual who posted the ad wasn't working for the CIA or some other such international organization wherein, one might actually be being watched all the time, I have no problem with the suggestion that it exemplifies a paranoid process. The problem comes with sharing the name of a living person in association with that ad.

As for who should be responsible, that's a good question? Not long ago I spent a bit of time with an individual who was clearly in a different state of consciousness than I was. He could see things I couldn't see, hear things I couldn't hear. He seemed to be in a different plane of reality all together. It was fairly obvious to me that he needed someone who was grounded in this level of reality to stay with him as a means of keeping him safe during that time.

In his case, the "altered state" was likely induced by drug use and once those passed out of his system he was fine. But while he was in that state I had no doubt that I had to be responsible for his care and well-being; he wasn't capable of it at that time.

So too, we have to ask ourselves in this instance -- who is responsible? I can take some responsibility. I can recognize that this man is a human being entitled to a bit of sensitivity, privacy and compassion. And I can hope that others who are capable of it can also take responsibility for their actions.

Of course, there's always the possibility that I'll be disappointed.