Fornits

Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

Hi there,
I am an RMA graduate (1994-1996) and journalist working on a book of stories about the RMA cluster of schools.  I'm looking for anyone who was present at the NWA riots in 1997 who might be interested in talking with me (via email or phone, I live in Moscow, Russia) so that I can get a more complete image of exactly what happened.  I've tried pretty deliberately to distance myself from the whole CEDU scene over the last ten years for my own sanity, so I don't have too many contacts in the community anymore.  As such, any help would be greatly appreciated.  Of course, everything would be strictly confidential and discrete.  
I think it's important that people know what we went through, and what kids all over the country continue to go through at programs like CEDU, so if you'd like to help by contributing to the work I'm doing I would be indebted.  Take care.

Well, I remember Seth Kleinberg very well.  He was a friend of mine, even though I didn't always have the balls to treat him that way when we were there.  Watching him, and the degree of integrity with which he is dealing with this, shows me once again how subjective the rules of both that hell-hole and our society as a whole really are.
I was a look-good, probably the biggest one at the school when we were there, for reasons that honestly don't need to be justified. I was 16 years old.  Regardless, I was able to slide right in because I might have been a less eccentric character than Seth.  He tried just as hard as me, but never got similar encouragment, and this after he gets sent to RMA for having an exceptional gift for computer science!  My only gift was being able to score street dope in spanish and english.
And now, here we are again, 10 years later, and even though Seth admittidly broke the law, he's being called on to fall upon his sword for the things that every person on this messageboard does on a regular basis: pirating software.  Just because he's better at it than us, and he doesn't just quite fit the mold for the proto-fucking-prole we're all supposed to slither our souls into every morning.  And, again I can't stand up for him.  10 years in prison! Seth Kleinberg, as anyone who's ever met him can attest, is the least dangerous person on the planet. I'm not implying that he's weak, rather that I can't imagine Seth wanting to hurt someone; that's just not in his makeup.  He's a goodguy.  And i'm the biggest fucking cynic you'll ever want to meet. Believe me.  I make little kids cry.  
Anyway, Seth, you know who this is.  I've told you how sorry I am about all of this insanity, but I just wanted to get up here where some people might be listening and say as loud as I can with my fingers that Seth Kleinberg is my friend, he's a great guy and always has been.  And I think that what's happening to him is complete bullshit.  And the U.S. Government can suck my dick.  
Love you Seth.  Take care.

I had only been there for like, 3 weeks when they came.  I was still all whacked out, and then all of a sudden I was sitting 4' away from Roseanne Barr (Barr? Arnold? It was a long time ago).  I thought I was having some kind of wierd pop-culture acid flashback, but none such luck.  Wierd shit.

Hi,
I am an RMA survivor from 1994 to 1996, and I just got a bizarre message from my mother, who has kept in touch with the educational consultant that told them to send me to RMA, and who told her earlier today that RMA will be closing on Tuesday, I believe.  Has anybody else heard anything about this?  I googled and found nothing.  Could this really be true?  If so, maybe some of us with recurring nightmares for ten or more years can finally get a decent nights sleep.  Maybe. :smile:

Hi,
I was at Aspen Acheivement Academy from January to March 1994.  I don't know anything about Aspen Ranch, but if there's any connection between that and the Aspen program that I attended in Loa, I would recommend not sending your child there.
The conditions were subhuman, there physical difficulty of the program caused multiple injuries to children in my group, and they even caused the death of a child later in 1994.  Your child will be deprived not only of physical neccesities, but also of their dignity and self respect, as they are broken down physically and mentally until they can be reshaped by the program, which in my case did nothing beyond giving me years of nightmares.  
I know that there really are children out there who need outside help, but sending your child to a program like this is outside of what can be considered good parenting.  Maybe look into some kind of problem-specific program, ie. a drug rehab program, or short-term inpatient psychiatric treatment, coupled with out-patient therapy.  But, please don't send your child to these people.  They have no accountability and they abuse children.  Thanks, and if you need to talk to someone about it, feel free to IM me.  :smile:

Hey, I must be really confused about what's going on here.  I'm not trying to be a bitch and I'm really bummed out that this has made the thread so unsafe.  I was only responding to what I thought was an attack on me for taunting John, who was a friend of mine and is dead, so it's kind of a sore subject for me.  If your intention was to really talk openly about John's death or anything else besides that, I apologize for getting ahead of myself and insulting you.  If not, well, that's too bad for everyone, and i'm sorry for my part.
Take care.

"and I had another friend who teased him unmercifully, and still feels responsible for his death to this day"

I didn't tease John.  Don't you know how to read?

What?  That John killed himself in his bunk?  He hung himself with his belt, and I had another friend who teased him unmercifully, and still feels responsible for his death to this day.  Was that what you were looking for?  Maybe you meant something else.