swordfish

[psy]

In the beginning when I first started researching PV in my own feelings of hurt and anger, all I cared about at the time was trying to form some sort of petty lawsuit. I was unaware at the time about how what happened to me, is happening to others all over the world. Thats when I decided to put my heartache and feelings of pain aside, and use them to try and help others out there. I could have just stayed in the state of being oblivious to how serious this issue is, but I am choosing to act on it. I am going to put my pains to good use. We can all do that, but you have to be dedicated.

Well.  That is pretty much exactly what happened to me, and the process I went through to get to this point.  The problem is, now, choosing a plan of attack.  We all agree on what needs to be done... however, different people have different ideas on which way to go about doing it.

Right now, i'm working on a few things that won't be public for a while, but I do agree that there are more things that can, and probably should, be done to fight this industry.  I could suggest a few things out of the blue, but it would be less useful than knowing what type of skills you have to offer.  Can you write?  artist?  actor?  How do you best express yourself?

In my opinion, the best way to fight this industry is to inform people that it exists.  Most people don't know.  Any way that can be done is a good thing.

Direct, more subversive action (surveilance, espionage) I won't discuss publicly, but I can give you some pointers on what can, and can't be done without going to jail.  That being said, if you can expose abuse to the public eye, it's worth going to jail for, in my opinion, regardless of whether the information is "legally" obtained.  An anonymous box of tapes dropped on the doorstep of a competent journalist (does that exist) could hypothetically work wonders.

Another idea?  Contacting people who were there with you, telling them about fornits, and that there are others...  "that part of my life is over.. it was hell, but it's over, and now I just want to move on" is what you are going to hear most of the time.  What you say at that point is up to you...  "well... there are others still there, you know, and if we don't speak out, who will?"...  I suppose you could call this a "sales pitch"...  don't expect it to be easy to get them to talk about it at all.  At the same time, don't make it sound easy (it isn't... I know).

It's somewhat of a simplistic view to say "they have suffered...  they have a right to stay silent if they want".  That is correct, they have a right to stay silent, but in doing so... in saying nothing, they are helping the industry to thrive and grow, becuase nobody but us realize how broken this industry really is.  In my view, survivors who stay silent are part of the problem. If you see suffering, and you don't stop it, you let it happen.  Regardless of why you don't act, it's still wrong.  I wouldn't say that (it would be a little too confrontational)... but make sure and mention the reason you decided to speak out (at first, revenge, and then to help others).  Ask if they would be willing to help out.

Most importantly: Don't ever give up.  It doesn't matter if you win or lose, but that you fight.  If you ever feel frustrated enough to walk away, remember that you being here, being willing to speak, gives others hope.  The more of us there are, the louder the noise we make.

What definately works?  Depends on what you are up against?  PV?  hm.. ZenAgent would be the one to talk to about the action there.

[Anonymous]

An anonymous box of tapes dropped on the doorstep of a competent journalist

A competent journalist? Singular?

Drop it on the doorsteps of five of them simultaneously, tell each of them about the others, and let them race to scoop each other.

[SettleForNothingLess]

yes ZenAgent and I talk often... Im sorry if before I was a little unrealistic, im just so frustrated in not knowing what the right approach is. I want to help make a difference. That is what I live for. I just want to help others. I may have come off before too strongly and maybe sort of out of mind somewhat, I just feel stronger about this than anything ever before.

Im a Taurus so Im stubborn lol

[Anonymous]

The senior staff list at PV isn't too hard to come by.

There's also something called a phone book. It has addresses, too. How about that?

Firearms are easy to purchase in the United States.

Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

MGDP was here.

[nimdA]

Orange cake anyone?

[SettleForNothingLess]

The senior staff list at PV isn't too hard to come by.

There's also something called a phone book. It has addresses, too. How about that?

Firearms are easy to purchase in the United States.

Enjoy.

uhh interesting take on my topic...haha..yet i think first we gotta try and do things a little safer....    for now at least

[SettleForNothingLess]

Orange cake anyone?

sure...ill take a large slice...and make sure its the one with a lot of frosting there TSW.


hhaha

[ZenAgent]

Hey, Jersey Gurl!  I'm glad you've started posting, I can't think of anyone who had a worse hell-ride at PV.  Sixty-plus restraints, the Thorazine and Klonopine cocktails, a litany of abuses that will cause me to lose the few hours of sleep I can still get.

I'm proud of you for going after the bastards. Going back through your time at PV is hard and I know when we started talking about it months ago it seemed like nothing could come from it - PV seems impervious.  Times have changed, people are listening, and you've got some powerful things to say.

Nobody here is surprised at your anger - you have every right to be pissed.  Keep that anger focused, it's potent, and if you channel it into activism you'll find it's good therapy.

Armed insurrection, though...don't plan it on the forum!  PM me, and we'll get the REAL mercenaries lined up.  Can you call up some Goodfellas in Jersey?

The partying went great, tell you later.

[nimdA]

Who needs mercs when you have an furious rage and an insane need for retribution?

[ZenAgent]

Who needs mercs when you have an furious rage and an insane need for retribution?

Or as James Brown put it, PAYBACK!  I GOT TO MINE!  I'M MAD!  HEEEEEYYYYYY!  LOVE MYSELF, KISS MYSELF - JUMP BACK!"

Or something like that...

[Anonymous]

Sounds interesting... good movie.

[SettleForNothingLess]

BUMPING THIS SHIT YO.

[Ursus]

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2620

this is what started my ranting about it... so im sorry if i am misunderstanding something..

Here's that article... Actually, I should really say that this is a re-post of that article. It was originally posted here by 001010 in November of 2005, and then again in December of the same year, although someone has yet to reply to either thread!

:beat:

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

The NewStandard

Behavior Modification Money Trail

by Michelle Chen
November 22, 2005

Government connections enable "teen help" industry to thwart regulation.[/list]

This sidebar is associated with a full-length feature article,

At Some Youth 'Treatment' Facilities, 'Tough Love' Takes Brutal Forms*.[/list][/size]
The controversial world of youth behavior-modification facilities intersects with a web of intricate political connections. And where the treatment industry sees cooperation with government entities, activists warn, these links could cloud the prospects for public oversight of the "teen-help" market.

The influence of the behavior-modification industry is felt on Capitol Hill. Four members of the House of Representatives and one senator serve as honorary board members of Kids Helping Kids, a company with corporate links to a now-defunct behavior-modification program for teen drug users known as Straight Incorporated. The various franchises of that program dissolved in the early 1990s following allegations of child abuse, as well as criticism for using cruel, prisoner-of-war-style brainwashing techniques on adolescents.

Watchdog groups report that Straight Inc. has since morphed into the Drug Free America Foundation, a conservative anti-drug advocacy group. The co-founder, Mel Sembler, is a longtime Republican Party donor and fundraiser who served as ambassador to Italy for the current administration and ambassador to Australia under George H.W. Bush.

The connections are even more direct on the state level. Earlier this year in Montana, a landmark bill to impose regulatory guidelines on adolescent residential treatment facilities was squelched by a powerful lobbying campaign from private service providers. Proposed partially in response to reports of abuse and deaths in some treatment programs, the bill would have authorized the state Department of Health and Human Services to monitor private behavior-modification programs. According to government estimates, Montana contains over two dozen of these institutions, ranging from "wilderness"-based programs to disciplinary boarding academies.

To eclipse the bill, private treatment companies pushed their own legislation, which would effectively place regulatory authority not with the health department but with a five-member board under the Department of Labor. Three of the board's members are representatives of the teen treatment industry, including state Representative Paul Clark, who directs a local therapeutic wilderness program. The bill, which was recently approved by the legislature, requests no public funding and specifically exempts church-affiliated and "faith-based" programs.

According to state records, Spring Creek Lodge, an affiliate of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), spent over $50,000 on lobbying activities to help push the bill through the legislature.

In Utah, the WWASPS name is prominently linked to the Republican Party. The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that between 2002 and 2004, WWASPS founder Robert Lichfield, his family, and business associates have contributed a total of more than $1 million to Republican candidates and party organizations – a financial push that coincided with the killing of a 2004 initiative in the state legislature to regulate teen residential treatment facilities.

Charles Huffine, an adolescent psychiatrist who has joined other mental health professionals in urging stronger oversight of residential treatment facilities, is wary of attempts by industry interests to co-opt the regulatory process. "It's the fox-guarding-the-chicken-coop kind of thing," he remarked.

But rather than a conflict of interest, some in the teen help industry see a healthy partnership with officials. In interviews with The NewStandard, WWASPS representatives described a good working relationship between their enterprises and the agencies charged with checking up on them, like state departments of education and, at Tranquility Bay in Jamaica, the United States Embassy.

"I'm all for law enforcement," said WWASPS President Ken Kay. "I think all of our schools work closely with law enforcement and would welcome their visit every day."

Michelle Chen is a staff journalist.

© 2005

The NewStandard. All rights reserved. The NewStandard is a non-profit publisher that encourages noncommercial reproduction of its content. Reprints must prominently attribute the author and The NewStandard, hyperlink to http://newstandardnews.net (online) or display newstandardnews.net (print), and carry this notice. For more information or commercial reprint rights, please see the TNS reprint policy.[/list][/size]

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