Fornits

Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Straight, Inc. and Derivatives => Topic started by: Bandit73 on January 19, 2011, 01:18:20 AM

Title: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Bandit73 on January 19, 2011, 01:18:20 AM
Does anybody know whether Operation UNITE (a congressionally backed militant "anti-drug" group in southeastern Kentucky) has anything to do with Straight-related programs?

They're conducting a screwball rally in Frankfort soon, and I want to know whether they have Straight links.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: seamus on January 19, 2011, 01:21:46 PM
Ill be looking into it. Right now my 1st thought is more like wonder if Dr George Ross has ties. Logic goes hmmmm kentucky, hmmmm straight like, hmmmm kinda rabid and fundy-ish.......Isnt ol george an ordained minister too? :nods:
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Bandit73 on January 19, 2011, 01:26:33 PM
Operation UNITE's big causes lately are trying to outlaw Sudafed and trying to pass a law to require Social Security recipients to take a drug test.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: dragonfly on January 19, 2011, 01:55:55 PM
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: seamus on January 19, 2011, 02:24:59 PM
Im not able at this time to find a relationship, between either straight inc ,george ross and operation unite.

               What I did find amusing was how Ross' website never mentions Straight Inc. only 3 Other programs he was involved with.    http// georgerross.com see for yourself. Hmmm would this be a lie of omission? So much for that 1st and most important rule...eh :nods:
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: dragonfly on January 19, 2011, 04:12:57 PM
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: seamus on January 19, 2011, 05:18:48 PM
I have allways found drug testing to be intersesting on a couple of different levels. Now a bit more makes it add up.
  To my way thinking, somebody seems to have found a way into the supreme court, to get past the idea of drug testing being in violation of my constitutional rights against search and seisure, I never could get around the Idea the a private party,as in an employer, can require a sample of me without the due process that I am gauranteed by law, no probable cause, no arrest no trial, not even a formal accusation. Just think of the serious money it must generate too, and who decided this for us? Hmm Lemme geuss.....somebody who says "its for the good of the nation" . :nods: So how does that work....did anybody ever...say go to the courts with this?     I dont get it....a cop cant just go up to you on the street and say here piss in this...but an employer can?   Somebody must be gettin paid somewhere .
Title: Operation UNITE - Overview
Post by: Ursus on January 19, 2011, 05:41:14 PM
Here's their Overview page; emphasis as per the original. Anyone recognize any names? It's a pity they don't list who's on their Medical Advisory Board...

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Overview (http://http://operationunite.org/about/overview/)

"UNITE" is an acronym meaning Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education. It reflects the three-pronged, comprehensive approach deemed necessary to combating substance abuse in Kentucky.

Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, Inc. (Operation UNITE) is a 501(c)(3) non-stock, non-profit corporation organized and operated exclusively for educational, civic, patriotic and enhancement of society purposes under the Internal Revenue Code.

Operation UNITE was launched in April 2003 by U.S. Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers in response to a special report, "Prescription for Pain," published by the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper during January and February 2003. This series of articles exposed the addiction and corruption associated with drug abuse in southern and eastern Kentucky, which largely included Rogers' Fifth Congressional District. Click to download Part 1 (http://http://operationunite.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Prescription-For-Pain-Part1-copy.pdf) and Part 2 (http://http://operationunite.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Prescription-For-Pain-Part2-copy.pdf).

Mission Statement

Operation UNITE works to rid communities of illegal drug use through undercover narcotics investigations, coordinating treatment for substance abusers, providing support to families and friends of substance abusers, and educating the public about the dangers of using drugs. UNITE's goal is to educate and activate individuals by developing and empowering community coalitions to no longer accept or tolerate the drug culture.

Service Area

Operation UNITE serves the 29 counties of Kentucky's Fifth District: Bath, Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Wayne, Whitley and Wolfe.

Board of Directors

UNITE is governed by a Board of Directors that generally meets at 10:30 a.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, 362 Old Whitley Road, London. Board members are: Lonnie Anderson (chair), Dr. Brian S. Banks (treasurer), Tom Handy (vice-chair), Bob Mitchell, Eddy Montgomery (secretary), Connie Payne, Stacey Sheppard, Darrell Wages and Col. Joe Williams.

Medical Advisory Council

Recognizing the importance of engaging the medical community in order to develop solutions to the problem of prescription drug abuse and diversion, UNITE formed a volunteer group of medical professionals to gather ideas and make recommendations to its Board of Directors. The Council's mission is: "To aid UNITE in the fight against drug abuse in our communities through a process of education, accountability, monitoring and continual re-evaluation of what we do together as medical professionals." The council meets monthly.

Funding

Primary funding for Operation UNITE's counter-drug initiative has come through federal grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ-BJA) and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been earmarked for the counter-drug initiative. Funding has also been received from federal Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), Kentucky General Assembly (coal severance funds), Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service (KCCVS), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) through contracts with Eastern Kentucky University’s Justice and Safety Center, and The Center For Rural Development. Additional funding is provided through individual and corporate donations to the UNITE Foundation.

Participation in Operation UNITE will:


This project is supported by Grant No. 2009-D1-BX-0239 and 2010-DD-BX-0221 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or options in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United State Department of Justice.


©2010 Operation UNITE.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: dragonfly on January 19, 2011, 05:54:10 PM
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Bandit73 on January 19, 2011, 05:57:59 PM
Quote from: "dragonfly"
Somebody needs to remind these desperate folks they are in america and have to figure out a way to deal with crank and pills and all the Kentucky Meds they are looking at...with out becoming fascists....

Problem is, they've already become fascists, and they control the legislature.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Froderik on January 19, 2011, 08:43:43 PM
Quote from: "Bandit73"
Quote from: "dragonfly"
Somebody needs to remind these desperate folks they are in america and have to figure out a way to deal with crank and pills and all the Kentucky Meds they are looking at...with out becoming fascists....

Problem is, they've already become fascists, and they control the legislature.

 ::puke::  :suicide:   :bs:
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: seamus on January 19, 2011, 10:28:54 PM
Whadda ya mean, BECOME? :roflmao:
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Froderik on January 19, 2011, 11:33:04 PM
Quote from: "seamus"
Whadda ya mean, BECOME? :roflmao:

Yeah, they always were, eh?
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Ursus on January 20, 2011, 12:51:38 AM
Quote from: "Bandit73"
Quote from: "dragonfly"
Somebody needs to remind these desperate folks they are in america and have to figure out a way to deal with crank and pills and all the Kentucky Meds they are looking at...with out becoming fascists....
Problem is, they've already become fascists, and they control the legislature.
Ya mean... like their attempts to characterize parents as "Accidental Dealers (http://http://operationunite.org/investigations/accidental-dealers/)?"

The majority of youth who experiment with prescription drugs for the first time obtain these drugs from family members or a friend's family member without consent – making that person an "Accidental Dealer." This is particularly worrisome, especially since the average age of first-time drug use in southern and eastern Kentucky is age 11. This initiative targets parents, grandparents and caregivers.[/list][/size]
Or their cutesy portrayal of the "Pill Dragon (http://http://operationunite.org/investigations/pill-dragon/)" - a mobile incinerator to burn your old or leftover meds?

The Pill Dragon, one of two units on permanent loan from the National Guard, made its debut on August 6, 2010. The incinerators will help families, rural law enforcement agencies, pharmacies, hospitals, veterinary clinics, nursing homes, Hospice centers and others dispose of medications in an environmentally friendly fashion.

Through January 1, 2011 UNITE's Pill Dragon has destroyed 255,762 pills.


(http://http://operationunite.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Dragon-sign2-copy-300x113.jpg)[/list][/size]
What's next? Scheduled book burnings?
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: seamus on January 20, 2011, 05:21:22 AM
I have a feeling that there arent many books in them there parts.Reckun they'll just have to start burnin witches, or them pesky drug dealers........ :roflmao:
Title: Medical Advisory Council seeks members
Post by: Ursus on January 21, 2011, 05:16:58 PM
Quote from: "Ursus"
It's a pity they don't list who's on their Medical Advisory Board...
Well, here's a partial answer as to why no names are cited. Operation UNITE is still trying to assemble their Medical Advisory Council. From OU's website:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Medical Advisory Council seeks members (http://http://operationunite.org/2010/11/medical-advisory-council-seeks-members/)
Posted on Nov 22, 2010

Medical professionals from across southern and eastern Kentucky are being asked to lend their expertise to UNITE's new Medical Advisory Council.

The Council, which will advise UNITE's Board of Directors, has conducted two organizational sessions in an attempt to bring a united front to fighting substance abuse-related concerns.

"We have made great progress," noted Karen Kelly, UNITE director. "To fully craft a course of action to address drug addiction, workplace safety, diversion and other issues we need input from all sectors of the health care profession."

Two meetings of the UNITE Medical Advisory Council are scheduled — Monday, December 13, and Thursday, January 20. These meetings will held be in the conference training room of the Big Sandy Area Development District, 100 Resource Drive, Prestonsburg. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. with the business meeting beginning at 6 p.m.

Van Ingram from the Kentucky Office on Drug Control Policy and Dave Hopkins from the KASPER (Kentucky All-Schedule Electronic Reporting) system will be special guests at the January meeting.

All medical professionals who are concerned about the drug problem are invited to attend these meetings. There is no charge for dinner, but an RSVP is requested to Sarah Flynn, UNITE director for Research and Community Outreach, at 1-866-678-6483 or [email protected].

"We need the help and partnership of our medical community," Kelly emphasized. "We need a diverse membership representing every medical field and from every geographic region."

Better utilization of the state's prescription drug monitoring program, increasing education about the disease of addiction, and providing greater collaboration and communication on available resources were all short-term priorities identified during a medical symposium held in March.

That meeting brought together more than 300 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, substance abuse counselors, adult care providers, coalition representatives and other professionals to address prescription drug abuse and workplace safety.

As a result of the first two council workshop sessions, conducted with guidance from Eastern Kentucky University's Facilitation Center, members have developed the following purpose: "To aid UNITE in the fight against drug abuse in our communities through a process of education, accountability, monitoring, and continual re-evaluation of what we do together as medical professionals."

Those who have participated in at least one of the workshops are: Aida O. Agtarap, Mercy Clinic, Manchester and Jackson; Dr. Brian Banks, family practitioner, Owsley County; Registered Nurse Libby Carter, Department for Medicaid, Pikeville; Social Worker/CADC Rhonda Clark, Van Ark Behavioral Management and Hope In The Mountains, Prestonsburg; Dr. Anita Cornett, Frontier Nursing Service, Manchester; Dr. Jeff Fredrich, Pineville Community Hospital; Registered Pharmacist Earl Gill, London; Respiratory Therapist Anna Jones, Southern Kentucky AHEC, London; Respiratory Therapist James L. Jones, Baptist Regional Medical Center, Corbin; Dr. Bradley Moore, McDowell ARH Hospital, Floyd County; Registered Nurse Monica A. Oakley, Dark Horse Wisdom Center, Hazard; Registered Nurse Annice Welch, Floyd County Health Department; and Dr. Mitch Wicker, Hazard.


©2010 Operation UNITE.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: seamus on January 21, 2011, 06:01:10 PM
Jeez, Prestonburg,Hazard, Pikeville.......sure takes me back :nods:
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Ursus on January 21, 2011, 06:13:51 PM
What exactly is the connection between these folks and Youth-To-Youth?
Title: Operation UNITE - Facilities
Post by: Ursus on January 24, 2011, 12:42:07 PM
They have two residential facilities that they utilize for placement or referral to: a Kentucky Teen Challenge, and a Kentucky WestCare. The below descriptions for both of these programs describe clients/patients as being "adult males," but I have to wonder what that really means. Both Teen Challenge and WestCare are better known for "treating" adolescents.

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Facilities (http://http://operationunite.org/treatment/Facilities/)

Operation UNITE works closely to support existing treatment programs throughout southern and eastern Kentucky, but realizes more must be done. Thanks to Fifth District Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers, two new residential treatment centers – one in Clay County and the other in Pike County – now serve the region.

--- -------- ---

Chad's Hope Teen Challenge Center
Chad's Hope 1-22-08300 Chad McWhorter Lane, Manchester, KY 40962
606-599-9716

(http://http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/4727914141_32580b3e2e_m.jpg)

Chad's Hope Center is owned by Visions of Eastern Kentucky, Inc., a non-profit, faith-based organization. On September 2, 2008, the board voted to turn daily operation of the center over to Kentucky Teen Challenge.

Teen Challenge exists to provide youth, adults and families with an effective and comprehensive Christian faith-based solution to life-controlling drug and alcohol problems in order to become productive members of society. Teen Challenge endeavors to help people become mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, physically well and spiritually alive.

Located in the Burning Springs community of Clay County just west of Manchester, the facility offers long-term residential treatment programs for up to 52 adult males, with plans to expand to 75 beds in the future. The facility, named for Chad McWhorter who died of a drug overdose in 2004, admitted its first client on March 6, 2008.

To learn more about Chad's Hope click here (http://http://www.chadshopeky.com/).

--- -------- ---

WestCare Hal Rogers Appalachian Recovery Center
10057 Elkhorn Creek, Ashcamp, KY 41522
606-754-7077

(http://http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1419/4728560916_040c716172_m.jpg)

WestCare Kentucky, Inc., a non-profit charitable organization, opened a 34,000-square-foot substance abuse treatment facility in the rural Pike County community of Ashcamp on August 8, 2005, and accepted its first client 14 days later. Currently the facility has 88 beds providing long-term residential substance abuse treatment for adult males who are dependent on alcohol, narcotics, methamphetamine and other drugs. WestCare Kentucky is licensed for 72 beds.

The five-acre campus is located on the former site of the Kentucky Youth Academy, which was donated to WestCare in 2004 by Pikeville lawyers Gary C. Johnson and his wife, Anita Johnson.

While a resident at the center, individuals receive counseling using the 12-step process, relapse prevention education, anger management, parenting and cognitive behavioral therapy classes. The average stay is three months; however, patients may be treated longer.

Based in Las Vegas, WestCare has more than 30 years experience providing a continuum of health and human services in community-based environments. In addition to Kentucky, WestCare currently provides services in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Tennessee, Wyoming, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, and specializes in serving individuals and families historically considered difficult to treat, such as those who are indigent, have multiple disorders or are involved with the criminal justice system.

WestCare Kentucky also operates a Homeless Shelter, Community Involvement Center and a Jail Recovery Program in Pikeville, and a Jail Recovery Program in Floyd County.

To learn more about WestCare click here (http://http://www.westcare.com/slkentucky.jsp).


©2010 Operation UNITE.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE - Facilities
Post by: Bandit73 on January 24, 2011, 12:45:55 PM
Isn't Teen Challenge pretty much known to be a cult?
Title: Re: Operation UNITE - Facilities - Teen Challenge
Post by: Ursus on January 25, 2011, 02:38:42 PM
Quote from: "Bandit73"
Isn't Teen Challenge pretty much known to be a cult?
I imagine some folks on the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse would agree with that assessment! Certainly TC's reliance on "faith" appears to be insufficient for running a rehabilitation program. The Commission's licensure-inspection report on Teen Challenge's San Antonio campus, prepared in 1995, spanned 49 pages and documented their extraordinary lack of compliance in 93 categories.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE - Facilities - WestCare
Post by: Ursus on January 30, 2011, 02:05:49 PM
WestCare, to focus for a moment on the other rehab that Operation Unite is associated with, was originally started as an addiction treatment TC in (Las Vegas?) Nevada in 1973. From WestCare's main website (http://http://www.westcare.com/):

1973
• WestCare was created to provide community-based substance abuse treatment for people who are indigent or from low-income households and who would not otherwise have had access to treatment services. Founded as a residential treatment program called Fitzsimmons House, or "Fitz House," adopted the therapeutic community treatment modality and focused on long-term care for hard-core adult male heroin addicts. Within a few years, WestCare responded to the community's need for expanded substance abuse treatment and made available to women and to individuals abusing drugs other than heroin.[/list]

Just curious... wasn't this shortly after Synanon started doing work in the Nevada prison system? Or do I have my dates wrong?
Title: Re: Operation UNITE - Facilities - WestCare
Post by: Ursus on February 08, 2011, 12:06:09 AM
Some miscellaneous thoughts 'bout WestCare while I still have them in semi articulate form...

WestCare had at least some of its nascent roots cultured by a start-up grant from the Teamsters Union. Frank Fitzsimmons, after whom "Fitz House" was named, was head of the Teamsters during the time that Jimmy Hoffa was in jail. From my research, I get the impression that Hoffa deemed Fitzsimmons his so called heir in part due to his belief in Fitzsimmons' loyalty as well as, quite possibility, his expected deference when it came time for Hoffa to resume leadership.

Things didn't quite turn out that way. Hoffa ... "went missing." From the Wikipedia article on Fitzsimmons (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Fitzsimmons):

[/size]
Also, starting in late 1972 or 73, there were a number of nasty nasty labor union disputes between the Teamsters and the United Farm Workers. Was Fitz House a face saving PR move for the Teamsters in light of some of their more violent sucker punch shenanigans?

Incidentally, for perspective, Charles Dederich was courting favor with Cesar Chavez and the UFW roughly around that same time for assistance or support in Dederich's battles with the slowly growing population of Synanon's detractors.

More recently, WestCare has been linked to Operation PAR via Arnold Andrews (http://http://www.westcare.com/arnold.jsp), senior vice president and chief operating officer for the WestCare Foundation's Eastern/Offshore Division (St. Petersburg, FL), who happened to be one of the victims of the 2006 crash of Comair flight 5191 in Lexington, Kentucky. Interestingly enough, Andrews also appears to have had ties to Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=29155).

See also:

Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: gulgamkeelt on February 08, 2011, 02:31:51 AM
You probably very clever? or cunning?
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Ursus on February 08, 2011, 10:24:30 AM
Quote from: "gulgamkeelt"
You probably very clever? or cunning?
Riiiiight. Do you have vested interests in Operation UNITE or WestCare?
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: wdtony on February 19, 2011, 01:07:24 AM
I have heard of UNITE. I have seen evidence of a huge influx of prescription drug dealing and abuse in the poverty stricken southeastern KY region. Drug runners are now driving to Florida and several other states seeking doctors who will prescribe all sorts of pills, including opiates such as oxycontin. It is a very poor area, even for KY and the drug influx is rampant.

UNITE is supposedly working to aid in this problem but UNITE is only as good as the solutions they claim to be beneficient.

I am usually against the machine against "we the people" but after seeing the drug issues firsthand down in the southeast, I am of the opinion that something of some magnitude should be done to curb this problem. I would say that the drug issues including needle use, overdose and murder are extensive in district 5 and I am concerned for the children growing up in this terrible environment. Keep in mind that this is coal mining country, where to earn a decent living, one must go into the mines or drive a coal truck ( remember black lung? ). So there is very little opportunity and getting a disability check or government assistance is a full time job for most.

UNITE may be trying to help but I doubt they have the resources or help (especially from the state of Florida) to make any impact on th problem. That won't stop them from funneling people into prison or treatment that will not work.

I have personally called UNITE on one occasion when I found that children were living in a dangerous (drug ring) situation. I have no idea of the outcome. When kids are around heavy drug users, guns and dangerous chemicals (not to mention being abused in other ways) I have no choice but to notify social workers, the police and in this case, UNITE.

Unite and the serious drug issue in southeastern KY are both evils...I am not sure which is the lesser.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Bandit73 on February 19, 2011, 01:14:06 AM
I read a comment on another website several weeks ago that UNITE was harassing people who had absolutely nothing to do with drugs. I don't know how accurate that information was though.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: wdtony on February 19, 2011, 01:27:39 AM
Quote from: "Bandit73"
I read a comment on another website several weeks ago that UNITE was harassing people who had absolutely nothing to do with drugs. I don't know how accurate that information was though.

I have heard they have almost absolute power in that part of the state..... like the mob. So it wouldn't surprise me. I do know that they stake people out and will surround a property like a swat team before they strike.... then the house is raided. I know some people who have been raided by them and taken right to jail where they "talk" and "name names". They are allowed to do almost anything from what I understand.
Title: Re: Operation UNITE??? (Kentucky)
Post by: Bandit73 on February 19, 2011, 02:56:56 AM
Apparently, Operation UNITE conspired with a major drug dealer at the University of the Cumberlands sometime last year to frame 10 other students for selling dope.