How Many of Us?

[`]

The last I heard, the numbers of children ever put in Straight is only a guess. The clown Connie Mack says "Some 9,000 graduate students*, individuals, have completed that program, not just
in the state of Florida, but throughout our country." "Graduate students"? "individuals"? Got any help with that pesky Orwellian speech impediment of yours yet, Connie Mack?

(I guess not... http://www.conniemack.com/home.html)

JUNE 12, 1989, MONDAY
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING
LENGTH: 17401 words
HEADLINE: CB
HEARING OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: STATE DEPARTMENT AND AMBASSADORIAL NOMINATIONS
CHAIRED BY: SENATOR ALAN CRANSTON, (D-CA)
NOMINEES:
RICHARD SOLOMON FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS;
MELVIN SEMBLER OF FLORIDA FOR AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRALIA
AND CONCURRENTLY AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF NAURU;


...[just an excerpt, pm me if you want the whole thing]
SEN. MACK: Which gave him the opportunity to travel around the world, I guess
some 150,000 miles, speaking to some 45 different groups around the world, again
another indication of his ability to deliver the message of importance to this
country.
 And thirdly, an area that I would put a great deal of impact on is the
involvement in the community.  I mean, it's natural to be interested in your
family; it is natural to be interested your business and in some respects
natural to be interested in what happens in your community, but Mel takes it one
step further.  When -- and when I say "Mel," I also should say Mel and Betty.  I
'm sure his wife -- in fact I know his wife Betty, seated back there in the
audience -- Mel and Betty both saw a problem in their community, a problem
dealing with drugs, and unlike so many others said that this is a problem that
they are going to become personally involved in trying to solve the problems in
their community, established an organization called "Straight, Incorporated."
Some 9,000 graduate students*, individuals, have completed that program, not just
in the state of Florida, but throughout our country.  And so it is with a great
deal of honor, pleasure, distinction that I feel so happy to have the
opportunity to introduce to the committee a good friend of mine and I hope the
next Ambassador to Australia, Mr. Mel Sembler.
 MR. SEMBLER: Thank you.
 CHAIRMAN CRANSTON: Thank you very much.
 MR. SEMBLER: Thank you, Senator.

*[emphasized in bold by me][ This Message was edited by: formerly known as on 2005-03-08 10:44 ]

[RTP2003]

I've heard it was close to 50,000, nationwide.  Don't know where I got that stat, I think maybe Wes' site.   Hmmmmmmmm.

[Antigen]

Nope, there's nothing but guesses and estimates. DFAF and friends claim 12,000 graduates. I estimate that maybe 1 in 10 inductees ever graduated, so 120,000 in all. But that's only under the Straight, Inc. logo. So, near or not, it's a meaningless number.

That it is wrong for a man to say he is certain of the objective truth of a proposition unless he can provide evidence which logically justifies that certainty. This is what agnosticism asserts and in my opinion, is all that is essential to agnosticism.
--Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist

[85 Day Jerk]

In the summer months of 1978 Milton Roy took in around 3 newcomers a day, five days a week.

Thats 60 to 50 teens a month at the peak of the year.  Once the new "straightlings" got back to school in the fall, there would be a rash of intakes that usually lasted 'til halloween.  Things would slow down, and the group would only take in around 15 to 20 a month.

So far we have an average of 250 teens from June to November.  These are just newcomers mind you, there had to have been at least another 175 teens farther along in the program to manage the foster homes and keep the program humming.  That makes 425 teens in just 6 months, 850 in a year, 1700 in two years.  Now take into consideration that only about one in 8 made it to graduation, that still leaves 106 graduates a year on average based on My personal time spent observing.

One Hundred and Six reformed teenagers a damn year.  That is pretty damn impressive when seen by the eyes of pencil pushers in our gov't.  That is more impressive than any DUI roadblock ever concieved.  It did not matter to these people the hell we all went through to get to this sucess rate, all that mattered were the results.  We were abused, yes, but sadly not enough.  Maybe if some of us would have gone back to school with broken arms, or burned down a foster home, or got hit by a car while attempting to split, we would have gotten the attention we so sorely deserved.  The thing is, that we did'nt

[`]

Copyright 1987 Business Wire, Inc  
Business Wire

June 5, 1987, Friday

DISTRIBUTION: Lifestyle & Travel Editors

LENGTH: 522 words

HEADLINE: MAYFLOWER; FEATURE/The Mayflower II celebrates 30th anniversary of crossing Atlantic

DATELINE: PLYMOUTH, Mich.

BODY:
Two Mayflowers and two Plymouths will be converging within two weeks.

The Mayflower Hotel Hot Air Balloon from Plymouth will be arriving in Plymouth, Mass, the week of June 8 for a special photographic session at the site of the Mayflower II -- the replica of the ship which carried the Pilgrims to this country in 1620 from Plymouth, England.

The purpose of this gathering of historic symbolism is to raise funds to rehabilitate young drug offenders and to announce a gas balloon race from Plymouth, Mich., to Plymouth, Mass., in September.

...More than $25,000 is expected to be raised for Straight Inc., a non-profit adolescent drug treatment program with eight centers throughout the U.S. Straight, the largest youth drug rehabilitation program in the country, operates a long-term treatment which involves the entire family. As of early summer, there were more than 900 persons in treatment in Straight programs in the U.S....

[PerfectStraightling]

If there were 8 treatment centers, there must have been a lot more than 900 kids in those 8 facilities. But just think of all the lives and families that were saved!

[Antigen]

No, I've seen Group in Sarasota as small as around 30 or 40 kids.

The graduate with a Science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an Accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with a Liberal Arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"
--Anonymous

[`]

"...2,600 participants have enrolled in the four Straight chapters since the first was founded in St. Petersburg.."

"The number who actually graduate is much lower than that," said Newton. He said about 56 percent of the youths dropped out of the program in its early years. The dropout rate declined to about 18 percent last year, he said."

source:
The Washington Post
 July 14, 1982, Wednesday, Final Edition
 SECTION: Maryland Weekly; Md. 1
 LENGTH: 1408 words
 HEADLINE: 'Straight' Drug Cure Program Headed Here
 BYLINE: By MOLLY MOORE, Washington Post Staff Writer
 
lemme know if you want the whole article

[Antigen]

Sure! I'm not into reading them all now. But it's always nice to have stuff like this for reference. And google hits us at least once per day.

Come in the evening, or come in the morning; Come when you 're looked for, or come without warning.
-- Thomas O. Davis (1814-1845): The Welcome.

[Anonymous]

"We've treated more than 5,000 in the past six years," said Straight's national director, Mel Riddile [in 1986].

[from the following source:
The Washington Post
October 15, 1986, Wednesday, Final Edition
SECTION: STYLE; PAGE D1
LENGTH: 3182 words
HEADLINE: Getting Straight: One Family's Sage;
Leslie Fedor & the Controversial Antidrug Program
SERIES: Part 1 of 2
BYLINE: Myra MacPherson, Washington Post Staff Writer]

[Anonymous]

"Straight opened its Springfield facility in October 1982 amid controversy over the program's methods, which were termed harsh by some critics. There were then about 115 clients enrolled in its drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, Riddile said. There are now about 250 clients, and nearly 200 people have completed the program."


[Source:

The Washington Post
November 12, 1984, Monday, Final Edition
SECTION: Metro; Update on the News; B5

LENGTH: 322 words

HEADLINE: Drug Clinic Changes Detention Procedures In Wake of Jury Award]

[Anonymous]

How many of us are still brainwashed?