Niles,
I hear your frustration.... but,
The world is going to hell. There are so many important issues.
Radical Weather Change (Global Warming)-desertification broadening
Dying Oceans and lakes, rivers, streams too polluted to swim in
Tap water that's too polluted to drink, laced with all kinds of toxins and rx's
Extinction of many species
Food supply getting less safe
Air quality deminishing- pollution and deforestation
Weird fucking manmade viruses
Honey bees are dying. When they're gone, we're gone
People working their asses off to have basic necessities and no time for ANY activism
And dozens more that I'm not thinking of right now
All of these things stem from a greedy way of life that doesn't look past today, that poorly manages and squanders resources (more than the uneducated can imagine), that inflicts third world nations with violence to obtain control of their resources, that puts profit before people (life), etc. etc. Does anyone else every wonder what the f'in mad scientists at Monsanto etal are thinking??? They certainly can't be thinking about their grandkids, or their grankids, grandkids?
Very few are 'honoring thy mother'. The tits about to go dry.
I invest a lot of time on this issue, but there are many others that are important to me, some, more important. Programs will be irrelevant if/when our environment becomes so devastated that it won't support human/animal life. I disagree that we humans are more important or relevant than the animal kingdom, or the plant kingdom. You may not realise how important they are until they're gone. Without them, we 'sentient' beings won't be around. We are killing the very source of our sustenance. How 'sentient' are we? And if you think we are the only intellegent life or that animals don't have feelings, you haven't hung out with them enough. They are stripped of their inherent natures and live in 'programs' their entire, short lived lives. Sorry bout the rant on animals, but I'd actually like to see more done for their protection. Factory farming was never a good idea. Disrespect is disrespect, whether toward human or animal.
I understand why people support aid to other countries. There's a sense of guilt about what our leaders have done to create such dire situations in those countries.
In the big picture, middle-class folk sending their kids to bm warehouses for a couple of years is but a tiny speck on their radar, if at all. Some parents will continue to send their kids away, as long as there are places to send them. This ain't a new concept. And if/when any federal regulation comes about, programs will find loopholes or weasle their way into the creation of legislation. The best we can hope on that front is that factual data will become available which will undoubtedly show the inefficacy of programs.
The very best activism right now, imo, is to disect every program and expose it for what it is. Pick one, any program. Post what is advertised on their website and then show any proof of inaccuracies re: staff credentials, licensing, incongruencies in policies, links to survivors stories, etc. That is what parents need in order to make informed choices. Put it in a nice comprehensive packet with links. Do the research for them, make it easy to find the truth.
Get it to the media if possible.
The industry could die if/when enough parents see what's really going on inside, and it ain't gonna come from their kids during 10 minute phone calls once a week (if lucky) that are monitored.
I really do understand your frustration, and we all need a good vent every now and then.
