« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2001, 06:05:13 PM »
Re: Graduates
Well, the Semblers brag about 12,000 graduates of Straight, Inc. In my experience, I'd guestimage that maybe 1 in 10 intakes actually graduate, so there's 120,000 just under that trademark. Add to that all of the religious boarding schools, state and county run boot-camps and TC based treatment in the juvenile and adult prisons and all of the upper-crust boarding schools along the lines of Elan. I think it's quite possible that nearly or over a million people have some firsthand experience with behavior-mod.
Not all of us are willing or able to 'do something' about it. For the past 6 or 8 years, I never even thought much about the Program still being in operation in any form. I knew The Seed was still in operation, but they're not doing the business they were when the group size was near 1000 and every high school had some Seedling students. Tragic for those caught up in it, but not a major threat to society or my kids.
I did take up drug policy reform because what they're saying makes a whole lot more sense to me than the Program-like propaganda coming out of the ONDCP, NIDA, DARE and all the rest. Jetandra, it seems, has taken a similar path. I know of a few other Program vets, who shall remain nameless unless and until they deem otherwise, who have become very active in drug policy reform over the years.
Other folks pass on the radical legalization ideas and just do what they can in response to the overt abuse in these programs. Still others will just quietly go about living their lives, raising their kids (or not) and withhold support for Program ideals and attitudes in public policy and in their private dealings. That's fine, we all have the right and obligation to do what we think is best, all things considered.
For those of us with a desire to do something right now, I think the most effective thing we can all do is to get involved in public dialog. The most effective avenue available to us is the opinion page of our local and non-local newspapers, call in radio/tee vee shows, etc. The second most effective and even more easily available avenue to us is forums like this one. Here we can hash things out, debate issues, compare notes and share research on any related topic. Then those of us who like to write letters and articles can go at it with the benefit of what we've learned from eachother in these forums.
And then there's the influence we have on the lurkers. You never know what that influence might be; by definition, they won't tell us. But ya' gotta love `em, those studious folk with the restraint and wisdom to just listen and learn and go quietly about their lives with all of it under consideration. (`course, it's a big rush when you can inspire one of them to actually post! Even if it's just an anger response ;-)
-If there's a worse idea going than locking kids up for victimless crimes, it's probably locking them in close proximity to some tyrannical altruist bent on helping them even if it kills them.
http://trebach.org/conference.html'>Saving our Children from Drug Treatment Abuse
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"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
~ Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes
