Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Straight, Inc. and Derivatives => Topic started by: N.I. on January 02, 2005, 10:47:00 PM
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http://http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=91568
Floor Statement of Sen. Richard Durbin On the Durbin Torture Amendment June 16, 2004
[this is just an excerpt, the whole (proposed) amendment at the link above is worth reading, as it goes into sleep deprivation and position abuse, and also mentions public humiliation]
"Army regulations that implement these treaty obligations state:
Inhumane treatment is a serious and punishable violation under international law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. All prisoners will receive humane treatment without regard to race, nationality, religion, political opinion, sex, or other criteria. The following acts are prohibited: murder, torture, corporal punishment, mutilation, the taking of hostages, sensory deprivation, collective punishments, execution without trial by proper authority, and all cruel and degrading treatment. All persons will be respected as human beings. They will be protected against all acts of violence to include rape, forced prostitution, assault and theft, insults, public curiosity, bodily injury, and reprisals of any kind This list is not exclusive."
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from the Amendment mentioned above, regarding position abuse:
"Another example is "position abuse.'' In 2002, in a case called Hope v. Pelzer, the Supreme Court addressed this issue. Hope, a prisoner, was handcuffed to a "hitching post'' for seven hours in the sun and not allowed to use the bathroom. The Court held that this violated the 8th Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The Court said:
The obvious cruelty inherent in this practice should have provided [the prison guards] with some notice that their alleged conduct violated Hope's constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Hope was treated in a way antithetical to human dignity--he was hitched to a post for an extended period of time in a position that was painful, and under circumstances that were both degrading and dangerous."
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If anyone would like to specifically comment on any of the abuses mentioned in the article, please do, especially "position abuse", which I don't think has been discussed much in regards to Straight. Was anyone marathoned by being forced to stand?
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Yes. I witnessed this sort of thing in VA straight in 1983. They made one guy climb up and down a ladder all day. Another guy they made stand on a skateboard all day, maybe because they thought that he was 'sliding by..'
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Leigh Bright was forced to stand for 12 hour periods while her guards screamed at her that she was a whore.
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/leigh_bright.htm (http://thestraights.com/case-histories/leigh_bright.htm)
Marcie Sizemore was forced to stand for 9 1/2 hours while she was abused:
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/ ... zemore.htm (http://thestraights.com/case-histories/marcie-sizemore.htm)
Bobby was forced to stand for several hours during his ordeal at Straight - Sarasota:
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/bobby.htm (http://thestraights.com/case-histories/bobby.htm)
You're doing a great job N.I.
Wes Fager
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Thanks Wes and froderik13!
this is the text of the amendment:
[The link that was here does not work, I am looking for a good one.]
I had said above that it was a proposed amendment, however, it passed in both the House and the Senate, and I also found a report that President Bush signed it into law in October. The amendment goes with the Defense Authorization bill, s.2400. I am trying to find a good source to verify that the pres. signed it.[ This Message was edited by: N.I. on 2005-01-05 19:10 ]
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Jan 5: It looks like the version the president signed into law had deleted Durbin's amendment regarding torture and the humane treatment of detainees. I will try to verify this with the Senator's office. However, at least part of the intent of Durbin's amendment was to reaffirm laws that already exist regarding torture. For example, paragraphs 6 and 7 refer to Army Regulations, international law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Surely laws that protect enemy combatants are good enough for children who are citizens of the United States.
Recent posts to this forum, for example in the Marathoning thread, mention specific incidences of torture.
The link in the post above doesn't work anymore. Try this one for some connections to other documents on torture:
http://http://durbin.senate.gov/sitepages/Issues/OIF-prisonerabuse.htm. When I find a good link for Durbin's amendment I'll put it here.[ This Message was edited by: N.I. on 2005-01-05 16:53 ]
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(6) Army Regulation 190-8 entitled `Enemy Prisoners of War, Retained Personnel, Civilian Internees and Other Detainees' provides that `Inhumane treatment is a serious and punishable violation under international law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).... All prisoners will receive humane treatment without regard to race, nationality, religion, political opinion, sex, or other criteria. The following acts are prohibited: murder, torture, corporal punishment, mutilation, the taking of hostages, sensory deprivation, collective punishments, execution without trial by proper authority, and all cruel and degrading treatment.... All persons will be respected as human beings. They will be protected against all acts of violence to include rape, forced prostitution, assault and theft, insults, public curiosity, bodily injury, and reprisals of any kind.... This list is not exclusive.'.
(7) The Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation of the Department of the Army states that `acts of violence or intimidation, including physical or mental torture, threats, insults, or exposure to inhumane treatment as a means of or an aid to interrogation' are `illegal'. Such Manual defines `infliction of pain through... bondage (other than legitimate use of restraints to prevent escape)', `forcing an individual to stand, sit, or kneel in abnormal positions for prolonged periods of time', `food deprivation', and `any form of beating' as `physical torture', defines `abnormal sleep deprivation' as `mental torture', and prohibits the use of such tactics under any circumstances.
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I wittnessed part of what was done to Bobby. He was forced to stand for more than a few hours. I'm pretty sure there was at least one night that he was made to stand all night. There was also a whole lot of banging and screaming and crying coming out of that room. He was also "sat on" for hours at the side of group. That means that he was placed on his back and pinned to the floor by his arms, legs and torso. Sometimes they'd cover your mouth and nose as well.
I was sat on for a couple of hours. I was marathoned for a couple of hours (though, in light of how long most people spent in timeout, I don't even want to call it a marathon)
So were many others. I wish I had been paying more attention and could recount specific names. But, basically, anybody who refused to sit up straight, tried to walk or run away, yelled back when being yelled at and provoked or otherwise displayed any level of defiance was sat on and/or marathoned.
If you nodded off in group you were made to stand at the side of group. In St. Pete, Group was huge; several hundred people. And some of the other newcomers mistook me for a Vth Phaser when I had to stand. Too funny!
Sleep deprivation was part of the routine. Between time spent in the building and time spent coming and going and the mandatory MIs, neither clients nor parents ever got much more than about 4 hours a night. On Open Meeting nights, that could be as little as 1 - 2 hours. I remember going in to the building w/ wet hair from our showers the "night" before. There were rules against sleeping in the car on the way to and from the building or in the intake rooms before group. Some of us had to spend a couple of hours in those intake rooms in order for the oldcomers who dropped us off to make it to school on time and their parents make it to work on time.
And it was not unheard of for staff to instruct oldcomers to take shifts to keep a rebellious newcomer awake overnight for one or more nights.
Public humiliation was part of the day-to-day routine. I remember a girl being stood up to explain and apologize for 'doing the necessary things' to make staff and her parents force her to have an abortion. That sort of thing was fairly typical. Everybody was pressured to divulge every last personal detail and private thought. That was part of the definition of "honesty" (the first and most impotent rule).
We were required to sing nursery rymes w/ hand motions and all. On several occasions, all newcomers were required to get bad haircuts. Girls had to wear their hair tied back in too many barrettes. I know these things sound petty, but taken together in the full context, they were not petty at all. Some people were denied permission to use the bathroom until after they wet themselves or (girls) bled through their clothing and then chastised in front of group for it.
I could go on and on.
The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles.
--John Adams, U.S. President
_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
Seed sibling `71 - `80
Straight South (Sarasota, FL)
10/80 - 10/82
Anonymity Anonymous
Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.
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ok so where does this lead? somewhere? nowhere? 20 years ago they made me stand up? does it still happen to you or someone that can speak out from their place of harmful treatment? can you prove this happened? someone has to officially complain about it first don't they? it's all hearsay to the courts unless it can be proved. do you have video or tapes of these alleged allegations? how do you plan to prove this happened(ing) :???:
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20 years ago they did it to you and me. More than that. They were able to influence us to such an extent that many of us participated in doing the same to others and didn't see anything too wrong with it.
Today, they may be doing it to a kid in Lake Worth and another in Alberta. And others in the industry are doing it to American kids in Jamaica, Utah, Missouri and other places. Those kids and the adults who love them might testify to these abuses and would sure help their case if their lawyers could count on us to corroborate that, unbelievable as it is, this has been going on for decades.
When an innocent Californian millionaire gets killed by a drug squad
trying to seize his house with a bogus search warrant, people better ask themselves if they really want to turn their cops into money-makers.
--Vancouver Police Const. Gil Puder
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To anonymous poster: Those are all good questions, worth further research. If you were to call a law enforcement agent and tell them (for example) that you were forced to stand up for a long time twenty years ago, what are they going to do for you? However, I believe that all of the stories put together are immensely significant.
I would suggest keeping a written record of your memories of Straight, as well as getting copies of any medical, psych and school records that could help verify information.
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At the very least, ppl who come across this site after so many years cause they just woke up from one of those fucked up dreams can find out the truth. The truth is that decent people just don't treat human beings like that. Even in times of war, even if we're scared shitless of them, even when our commander in chief tries to convince us that they're damned evil. We just don't do these things to human beings. And I think everyone who's been through a program like Straight ought to understand that.
To say the drug war is a failure is like saying the Hindenburg was short a few fire extinguishers.
Carl Hiassen
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I agree. It has been vindication to me to find that the Army, no less, considers the things that were done to us to be crimes.
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Wow, I feel so sorry for what you all went through. It makes me angry to read about your experiences. There is just no excuse for that. Absolutely no respect for human life at all.
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Until about a year ago I thought that the therapeutic tactics employed by Straight were acceptable and a standard part of "tough love". It wasn't until I entered therapy that I began to understand the impact my treatment had on my life.
Inhumane, crazy-making therapies that I took as standard:
Straight withheld bathroom privileges-staff would not allow us to go to the bathroom. We'd been sitting on the cold concrete floor for better than 6 hours. I went through the chain of command. I asked repeatedly. I all out begged. i cried. It was obvious. My stomach was distended, I was sweating. Two other girls were crying to go. Wanda Minton, Senior staff at the time told the group"If you girls have to go to the goddamned bathroom so bad you can go on the fucking floor cause you're not going!" All three of us did.
That was not enough. I was forced to sit in it and then stand in it while Wanda and Kathleen called on people to tell me how disgusting I was, pathetic, a druggie whore with no self respect. They had me sit in it for the remainder of the rap. This took place in front of the girls group-about a 100 girls.
After the rap they had me clean up all the urine on the floor while the entire group watched. Probably 300 kids or so. I wrung he mop out with my bare hands in the girls bathroom.
I was put on the peanut butter and jelly diet as punishment for going to the bathroom on the floor. The pb & j diet consisted of: two pieces of toast for breakfast, dry and a 2 oz cup of orange juice. A frozen bun with a square of peanut butter in the middle and 8 oz of water for lunch and the same for dinner. On occassion an apple would be included but this was not a regular part of the pb&j in 1980.
I'm sure someone thought we needed exercise since we did nothing but sit or stand in one place all day.But exercise in the hands of staff who were little more than abused kids themselves becam another means of torture. Exercise inside a windowless warehouse in central Florida with the air conditioning shut off. The walls would drip with sweat. Water was limited to 5 seconds at the fountain. To this day I take water to my therapy sessions.
The group was massive then and open meetings went on until the wee hours in the morning. A 2:00am march to the parking lot was common. Unfortunately many people lived 45 minutes to an hour away and once we got there it might be another hour before all the MI's were written & reviewed and everyone showered or just washed up. We'd then have to be back at the building in time for the parent to drive the oldcomer o school and then get to work themselves. I also remember coming in with wet hair from the previous night's shower. Two hours of sleep was common. Four was average and six was an all ot vacation.
I missed one year of school. After I returned I frequently fell asleep during class. People fell asleep throughout the group. People who fell asleep were "avoiding themselves" and were poked prodded and very often confronted.
People were restrained at the back of the group all day long. I remember Ta*&% B0*&^ was restrained regularly. She mostly sat in the back of the group and hummed or sang quietly and played with her very greasy hair. Sometimes staff ignored her other times 5th phasers would poke and prod her, wiggle her arms in the air and when she refused to participate she would end up restrained. One day she just flipped out and threw a chair across the group and violently fought being restrained. They removed her and later came in and announced that she had been taken to Horizon Hospital and would not be coming back. Anyone else who wouldn't sork the program could join her. Nice of the staff to share that with the group. I'm sure Ta789 benefitted from it greatly.
5th phasers stood around the perimeter of the group all day long. On an open meeting night that might mean standing in the same position for 18 hours. I remember my feet literally throbbing by the time I finally sat down. I learned that it was better not to sit down at all because it was just that much harder to stand up again.
I am ashamed to say I once participated in a marathon. We were instucted by the staff to take a girl to an intake room and break her. There were 8 or 9 of us. We formed a circle around her and pushed her back & forth while we screamed at her. One girl rammed her head into her stomach she cried and cried but we did not stop. We screamed at her for several hours until a staff member came in and told us it was enough.
My therapist has commented that Straight's tactics were reminiscent of POW camps. I didn't know he meant OURS. I was surprised to find out that the US government considered these things torture. You'd never know it considering their endorsement and protection of Straight. There is so much in the bible against which every insinct of my being rebels, so much so that I regret the necessity which has compelled me to read it through from beginning to end. I do not think that the knowledge I have gained of its history and sources compensates me for the unpleasant details it has forced upon my attention.
--Helen Keller, American lecturer
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February 18, 2005
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Dear ___________,
Thank you for contacting me about the Durbin Torture Amendment (S.AMDT. 3386) in the Defense Authorization Bill. I appreciate hearing from you...
I, along with several of my colleagues, co-sponsored the Durbin Torture Amendment, which was passed by the Senate on June 16, 2004. This amendment affirmed that the United States may not engage in torture, cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment. I introduced a similar amendment (S.AMDT. 3387), which was also passed in the Senate. Since the bills were so similar, they were merged and amended during conferencing on October 8, 2004 to form one bill. Although there were minor changes to both bills, the spirit of the original amendment lived and was included in the Fiscal Year 2005 Department of Defense Authorization Bill (S. 2400, H.R. 4200) that was signed into law (Public Law 108-375 sections 1091-1093) on October 28, 2004.
I hope this information is helpful to you... Thank you again for contacting me...
Sincerely,
PATRICK LEAHY
United States Senator
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Damn!!! Reading that and Rabbit's post just about gave me flashbacks. :scared: I'm pretty sure somewhere in the numerous depos and testimonies of the Newton's that they admitted to some of this shit. They didn't see it as abuse or torture though. The sleep deprivation, isolation etc. Scary that they can admit to shit like that and still walk the streets attempting to "treat" others. :eek:
The last struggles of a great superstition are very frequently the worst.
--Andrew Dickson
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On 2005-01-05 17:47:00, Anonymous wrote:
"ok so where does this lead? somewhere? nowhere? 20 years ago they made me stand up? does it still happen to you or someone that can speak out from their place of harmful treatment? can you prove this happened? someone has to officially complain about it first don't they? it's all hearsay to the courts unless it can be proved. do you have video or tapes of these alleged allegations? how do you plan to prove this happened(ing) :???: "
Lets say for example...if one man, say...OJ Simpson...can murder two people, have loads of evidence presented to prove that he murdered two people....and STILL get away with murdering two people, just by saying "I didnt murder two people"....
Then I have great faith that 10,000 victims of treatment abuse can have someone held accountable, just by saying that it DID happen, sans hard evidence.
Stranger things, my friend. Truth is, in this day and age....anything is possible in a court of law. Why be a pessimist?
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word, carmel :tup:
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:grin:
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::bump:: :wave: :wave:
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Hello, I'am from Paris, god we do not have such program here in France, hell no !
my god, poor macie sizemore, they are really
mother fuckers !!
what happend to her after she left the program, was she free from drugs ?
I imagine so, she had new health problems.
this kind of program getsyou mad for life, just like you would be getting out of prison.
peace :smile:
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On 2005-01-03 05:13:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Leigh Bright was forced to stand for 12 hour periods while her guards screamed at her that she was a whore.
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/leigh_bright.htm (http://thestraights.com/case-histories/leigh_bright.htm)
Marcie Sizemore was forced to stand for 9 1/2 hours while she was abused:
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/ ... zemore.htm (http://thestraights.com/case-histories/marcie-sizemore.htm)
Bobby was forced to stand for several hours during his ordeal at Straight - Sarasota:
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/bobby.htm (http://thestraights.com/case-histories/bobby.htm)
You're doing a great job N.I.
Wes Fager"
nobody ever escaped ?
I'would have seek for revenge, people who work in such that kinf of institution are pigs and perverts, no less !
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On 2005-09-27 16:59:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Hello, I'am from Paris, god we do not have such program here in France, hell no !
my god, poor macie sizemore, they are really
mother fuckers !!
what happend to her after she left the program, was she free from drugs ?
I imagine so, she had new health problems.
this kind of program getsyou mad for life, just like you would be getting out of prison.
peace :smile: "
Hi person from Paris! Thank you for writing your thoughts here. I was not a criminal but I was locked in Straight, which to me is worse than a prison because they use psychological techniques to bend your mind without your consent. It is scary how powerful that was on me when I was 17, and how long the effects lasted. It is something that people all over the world should know about. There are still many institutions in this country that are practicing such terrible and damaging psychological techniques on children. I hope there are none in France.
Here are some terms to get to know:
brainwashing, cults, coercive persuasion, thought reform, behavior modification.
Margaret Singer, who was a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, did a lot of work to show people what "cults" were doing to people's minds. You may find her work on the internet or at the library.
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bumped to the top
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bump bump a re-bump a bump bam boo.