Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora An open discussion about the troubled parent industry
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Dear Kat,As you are sharing your response with HEAL with everyone involved with CAFETY and/or on the cafety-listserv, HEAL has also bcc'd our reply to our members. We believe this is only fair and are acting to protect the interests of those who place their trust in us and our organization.Any misunderstanding was facilitated by CAFETY. Your communications with me stated that it was a GAO Hearing, not a Congressional Hearing. Perhaps that was a typo in your initial communication on this issue. Secondly, on the CAFETY website, upon my initial visit after receiving your first e-mail on this alleged hearing, stated that you were gathering information on survivors and if anyone wanted to participate in the hearings they needed to submit their information to you (including: name, when/where institutionalized, etc.). Nowhere on the CAFETY site or the page regarding this alleged hearing was there any information on how individuals could participate in this hearing without going through you. So, in the least, it was not created in the spirit of full disclosure nor did it aid those who would participate in acting independently of CAFETY, something I find to be unethical and suspect.I have reviewed the Congressional Hearings schedule and cannot find any hearing tentatively (or otherwise) scheduled for this topic. And, according to Ms. Brown, there is no hearing scheduled at this time and that it likely wouldn't be scheduled until early 2008. You stated there was a hearing tentatively scheduled for September of 2007. This is either wholly erroneous information you shared, or, you have inside information that is not being publicly disclosed at this time.Neither the CAFETY website, nor your personal e-mail to me, stated where you received this information or how one might go about confirming the information through official channels. I have been in touch with both the GAO and Rep. George Miller's office and neither confirm your statements regarding a scheduled hearing. In fact, we've received flat out denials that any such hearing is even tentatively scheduled at this time.We applaud all efforts to expose and close abusive programs and hope that is your sole intention regarding the GAO investigation and alleged hearing. It is a concern that claiming to have specific information not readily available to the public that you are sitting on it and advocating that survivors "sign up" with you if they'd like to speak to the GAO or at the hearings. As stated before, the officials involved are presently not confirming or flat-out denying that any such hearing has been scheduled.We encourage you to encourage others to participate in the democratic process by providing specific and detailed information regarding any pertinent hearing or investigation so that everyone can participate and that no one is left out because they were hesitant or unwilling to give all of their private information to you, CAFETY, HEAL, or any third party.Sincerely,Angela SmithHEAL Coordinator-----Original Message-----From: kat [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 6:00 PMTo: [email protected]Cc: cafety-listservSubject: GAO Investigation and Congressional HearingsHi Angela,Unfortunately it seems that there is a lack of understanding pertaining to the role of the GAO and the separate congressional hearings being held. Our effort around both the hearings and the GAO investigations pertains to 1. organizing rallies around the hearings and funding to alumni who wish to attend and 2. collecting a database of alumni who may be willing to be contacted by the GAO for their investigation.At no point has this effort been suggested to be the only avenue of access to the GAO, as your dialogue with this investigative arm of Congress clearly illustrates. As a democracy, there are plenty of avenues for communication and any effort to facilitate this does not contradict this reality.It seems you have a misconception of our efforts and I hope that this email clarifies it for you.Hope you well!Best, kat
