Human

Earth

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Liberation

 

126 SW 148th St

Ste C100-422

Seattle, WA

98166-1984

 

(206)244-1894

 

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HEAL

HEAL’S MISSION STATEMENT

HEAL is an egalitarian network of activists self-empowered to plan events, create change, and make the world a better place for all life.  Our goals include the liberation of humans, nonhuman animals, and the earth!  We work in cooperation with like-minded organizations that put compassion in action!

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TEENS LEARN YOUR RIGHTS & PROTECT YOURSELVES!

SEARCH THE HEAL WEBSITE

 

 

 

 

HEAL’S teen liberty agenda

 

(Watch the Congressional Hearing)

 

(See our position statement regarding HR 911, "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs Act of 2009" at http://www.heal-online.org/HR911problems.pdf.)

 

HEAL is working to expose the rampant abuse in the "troubled teen/teen help" industry.  The SHOCKING reality is that over 50,000 teenagers a year are subjected to private, institutionalized torture camps at their parents and their parents’ insurances’ expense.  Over 300 American children have been killed in behavior modification programs in the last ten years.  Others have been severely brutalized, raped, beaten, drugged, brainwashed, and extensively tortured.  These realities are difficult to swallow and therefore most people turn a deaf ear and blind eye to the experiences of survivors and the cries of the abused.  We are asking that you choose to take a look at the reality that is “behavior modification” in the United States today.    

 

Institutionalized torture masked as “treatment” is the second fastest growing industry in the United States today.  Many abusive programs are  advertised through www.teenprogram.info and www.mytroubledteen.com, a Utah-based organization.  The World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) has been under heavy suspicion for a long time from progressives for their abuse of teens.  CA Representative George Miller demanded that the Department of Justice investigate these programs because he had received hundreds of reports of child torture and neglect, from his constituents.  The Department of Justice refused to investigate.  (For details, visit http://www.nospank.net/ashcroft.htm 

 

David Gilcrease, member of the Gilcrease family that founded Phillips Petroleum based his “behavior modification” techniques on the research of B.F. Skinner and Fritz Perls who were experimenting with mind control/brainwashing in the 20th century.  He is founder of Resource Realizations,  which has been sued along with the Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) for mentally and physically torturing  and brainwashing America's children.

 

On the board of Phillips Petroleum, Halliburton, and advisor to the Supreme Court is long time George Bush associate Lawrence Eagleburger.   On the board of SkyWest Airlines, servicing and in seeming partnership with George Bush airport in Texas is none other than J. Ralph Atkin, part owner of Teen Help/WWASPS.  President Bush is trying to move legislation that will institute the drugging and behavior modification of children in public schools with the “New Freedom Initiative”.  (Also educate your self about Teen Screen.)  In addition, George W. Bush appointed Mel Sembler (founder of torturous program Straight, Inc. and founder of the Drug Free America Foundation and associated with the new Teen Challenge programs) as US Ambassador to Italy.  Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush visited Straight Inc. regularly and used tax money to subsidize this torturous program.  And, in 2005, Congress passed legislation to grant the Semblers and Teen Challenge 1.75 million dollars.  This is not the only hefty tax-dollar donation these abusive programs have received.  It is just one example.  The largest Utah-based corporate contributor to the Republican Party is World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.   The connections and corruption are deep and these re-education centers need to be exposed and closed immediately!

 

As of January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller demanded an investigation into the WWASPS and the allegations of mind control and physical and mental torture of America's youth in the United States.  John Ashcroft refused to investigate claiming that the Federal Government had no jurisdiction in this matter.  This is absolutely false!  The Federal Government absolutely has jurisdiction to investigate fraud as well as civil and criminal allegations of the most heinous nature, that of the torture (and killing) of children. According to Representative Miller of California, “There is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.”  To read the correspondence between Rep. Miller and former Attorney General Ashcroft, click here.   Angela Smith, national coordinator for HEAL, was severely abused at Provo Canyon School in Provo, UT.  She wrote an article about it in the October ’03 issue of Ruckus.  You can find that issue and scroll to the story by visiting here. .  Jello Biafra speaks directly about the abuses at Provo Canyon School in his spoken word album “No More Cocoons”.  You can see online testimony from survivors of Provo Canyon School by visiting: PCS & More Online Message Board,  http://www.beyondbusiness.net/index66.html, and www.beyondbusiness.net/index2.htm. 

 

 If you are as disgusted with this as we are, join us and take action now!  Sign the online petition!   Also, please contact the Utah Child Protective Services at 1-800-374-7005 and tell them you demand an investigation into all reportedly abusive behavior modification programs in Utah including the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools and Provo Canyon School.  E-mail the Joint Commission on Accredit ation of Healthcare Organizations and demand that they remove their certification of Provo Canyon School.  E-mail the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools and demand they remove their certification of Provo Canyon  School. E-mail the Utah Department of Human Services and demand they revoke the license for Provo Canyon School.  Public outcry is worth something and if enough people whisper a giant thunder will be heard!  Also, if you are a survivor of a WWASPS or WWASPS-like program, please notify Congress  about the numerous violations of the International Treaty on Human Rights and Constitutional Rights  that you experienced in a WWASPS or WWASPS-like program or any torturous “behavior modification” program by visiting: http://www.house.gov/writerep/.   Unfortunately, the UN Council on Human Rights has been disbanded.  So, you will need to work on this issue solely with US authorities. 

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TEEN LIBERTY PROJECTS

 

 

HEAL's Teen Liberty Campaign is our primary campaign.  We are working on a number of projects.  We provide information so parents can be informed and protect their children from the unregulated, corrupt, abusive, and fraudulent "troubled teen" industry.  We work with survivors to share their stories and help heal from the trauma of illegal institutionalization.  We help survivors and families find legal help and understand their rights.  We are also working on an ad campaign to help educate the public at large on this issue to create a public outcry to regulate this industry and/or shut it down!  You can help us reach more people on this issue by volunteering or donating today.

 

 

HEAL'S Teen Liberty Book Project: We are also creating a book of letters/testimonials written by survivors of abusive behavior modification programs like Provo Canyon School (and others that are listed at http://www.heal-online.org/childtortureusa.htm).  If you would like to submit your experience for this publication, that would be great!  The format in which the testimonials will be written will be a letter format.  Each letter will be addressed: Dear America.  Each letter will be signed by the individual author.  In the event you wish to withhold your name from the publication, we can omit it and sign it Anonymous Survivor.  If you wish to only include your first name, first name with last initial, or only your initials that will be fine too. 

 

Also, if you know other survivors of these types of programs (residential treatment centers, behavior modification programs, boot camps, etc.)  please forward this opportunity to them.  They can e-mail submissions to: heal@heal-online.org. 

 

If you choose to submit for the project, please include in the message that you give us permission to use the submission for this project, your full name (first and last), and certify that everything you state is true to the best of your knowledge. 

 

We believe such a book will go far to educate the public on this issue.  Many people think it isn't happening or that it only happens to a handful of people.  We have met so many people that think what we have experienced is not a systemic problem.  But, it is.  We will continue to do all in our power to make change and liberate the children and teens who still suffer across the nation (and the world).  We hope you will continue to support these actions and join in this project.

 

You may submit your entry via e-mail at heal@heal-online.org, at one of our meetings (schedule online at http://www.heal-online.org/events.htm),  or via snail mail at HEAL, 126 SW 148th St, Ste C100-422, Seattle, WA 98166-1984.  Remember to include a message that you give us permission to use the submission for this project, your first and last name, and certify that everything you state is true to the best of your knowledge.  Let’s educate the public together!

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Cult Techniques Employed By Teen Programs

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Teen Liberty Links

Parent Support Network

Government Attempting Something on Programs

Government Warning and Advice to Parents

Secret Prison Camps for Teens

Int'l Survivors  Action Committee

Teen  Liberty

 

 

Unofficial  Provo Canyon School Site

 

Hell Camps for Jesus

The Roots and The Fruits

 http://www.libertarianrock.com/topics

/teencamps/teencampsindex.htm

Video: PBS--"Who's Watching the Kids?"

 

Domestic Predators aka The Teen "Help" Industry

 

Stanford Prison Experiment

 

 

Milgram Experiment: Obedience to Authority

 

 

Teen Advocates USA

 

 

National List of Abusive Programs

 

 

Surgeon General's Warning Against Residential/Wilderness Treatment

 

 

October 10th, 2007 Congressional Hearing Exposing System-wide Abuses in Teen "Hurt" Industry

 

 

April 24th, 2008 Congressional Hearing Exposing System-Wide Abuse and Murder in Teen "Hurt" Industry

 

 

Psychiatric Drugs May BE THE PROBLEM!

 

Want Your Child To Disappear?

HEAL Relays Important News…

Matthew Magagna vs. Salisbury Township School

 

Teen Screen Truth!

 

Pathway Family Center Truth

What's Wrong with SSRIs?

 

 

Ask Questions, Get Answers!

 

 

The Agitator: Comments on Abuse

 

 

"Casa by the Sea: A memory that will haunt me forever," By Jennifer Ilona

Chambard

 

"BREAKING THE VOW OF SECRECY: A true story about Teen Help / WWASP," By

Karen Lile

 

 

www.childrenshealthcare.org

 

 

The Defense Foundation for Children

 

 

Loving Them to Death: The Story of One Teenager's 'Wilderness Experience'

 

Children’s Gulags--US

 

Ethical Treatment for All Youth

Behavior Modification in Public Schools!

Robert S. vs. Stetson School Inc.

Congressional Hearing (May, 2009) on Abuse of Restraint in Public and Private Schools & Treatment Centers

More Videos (Links and Comments provided by Fornits):

 

Wes Fager's collection
Includes GHW and GW Büsh and Nancy Reagan, investigative journalism into various locations, history, protest footage and more.

 

Two short clips from Aspen Achievement Academy:
Takedown
Pain Compliance
And this is one w/ a reputation for being less brutal than most.

 

Straight, too tough?
Local Boston TV station's investigating report on Straight, Soughton.

 

A&E investigative report on Wilderness Therapy
This segment includes some interesting details. I'd love to hear perspectives from people who've been to Redcliff or who know people who have.

 

CNN on BootCamp
By the end of this clip, a child psychologist and one of the animals who runs these camps are arguing over the solution to the problem. They frame the debate as pro vs con regulation. Both of them, the anchor and (presumably) most of the audience seem to have glossed right over the beginnig of the segment, they define the problem as being the very real threat of incarceration. Seems to me the solutions they're offering are all about how better to prepare our children to survive in a police state. Why not change diretion and avoid becoming a police state to begin with??

 

28 DAZE
This news segment by Alan Cohn of The Times (WAMI Miami) on SAFE, Orlando (a Straight spin off) aired just after the 2000 election, in spite of competing headlines. We're ever grateful to Mr. Cohn and WAMI for doing such a good job of exposing this outfit and for allowing us to distribute recordings. (better copies are available in AVI file format or on Video)
 
suburban
This is the abreviated version of the above video starting with the beginning of the interviews with the kids in treatment.

 

The New and Improved DARE
This short clip talks about the new and improved DARE program. For the uninitiated, they just made it even more like a confrontational group therapy session, though I'm guessing the LE officers delivering the course will still do so fully armed, in uniform and without the benefit of so much as a bachelors in psychology. Interesting to note that this clip was directly followed by an incident report of a student who'd planted a bomb on school campus. You wonder why these kids are going postal?

 

 

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tEEN LIBERTY ACTION ALERTS

Action Alerts are in order of Priority with Newest/Priority Alerts First!

Take Action Against The Academy in Oregon (& Fiji)!--One of our supporters recently did some investigating into The Academy.  Here is her statement, "I see you are investigating The Academy. I contacted the people from this school & said I was British (I am Australian) & was told that the Oregon program is not taking any more students & only the Fiji campus was available.  This seemed dubious to me. I suspect that any foreign kids that they may get would go to Fiji direct but the Oregon campus is some sort of Brightway hospital (WWASPS "hospital" used as holding pen while children awaited transport to foreign shores for torture and brainwashing) style holding pen while American kids get their passports etc processed. Incidentally, I was also advised that the Fiji campus gets regular checks from the Australian High Commission as well as the American Embassy. The Australian high commission in Fiji had of course never heard of the place,& the Americans kind of stonewalled me I assumed because I am not a tax payer or a voter in your country. I had an American send an email to the US embassy in Suva (capital of Fiji) but they have not heard back yet."

Please e-mail the US Embassy in Suva at consularsuva@state.gov.  Below is a suggested letter format:

Dear US Embassy Personnel,

 
I am writing to you, as a concerned citizen, to ask what the US embassy knows of a boarding school primarily for American teenagers called the Coral Island Academy, or simply The Academy located on the island of Viti levu. I have been advised by the staff of the school that there have been frequent visits and welfare checks from both the Australian High Commission in Fiji and the American Embassy.

Australian contacts have advised me that the Australian High Commission has never visited the school and seemed unfamiliar with it.
Has the US embassy visited this school to perform welfare checks on the students? To what extent are you familiar with this institution?

 
Sincerely,

(your name here)
 

Sign Petition Demanding Acknowledgment & Action Regarding Abuse at AARC in Canada!--AARC is a Straight, Inc. spin-off program that is currently torturing children in Canada.  Please sign petition requesting validation of harm to victims and request to investigate, regulate, and/or close AARC!  Sign petition now at: http://www.petitiononline.com/AARCSurv/petition.html

 

Attn: Heartland Christian Academy (in Missouri) Survivors & Victims!--Please contact Frederic Nessler.  Mr. Nessler is an attorney who has handled cases against institutionalized child abuse in the Catholic Church and is now helping victims of Heartland seek aid and justice.  If you were a victim of abuse or witness to abuse at Heartland Christian Academy, please contact Mr. Nessler at:

Nessler & Associates, Ltd.

536 North Bruns Lane
Springfield, IL 62702
Tel: (217) 698-0202
Free: (800) 727-8010
Fax: (217) 698-0203

lawoffice@nesslerlaw.com

 

Attn: Mount Bachelor Academy (in Prineville, OR) Survivors & Victims!--Please contact Jim Wrigley.  He is an attorney working on gathering information to expose the abuse at Mount Bachelor Academy.  Here is the briefing from fornits.com:

I am asking for help with circulating this message to any former MBA Students - it doesn't matter how long ago they were incarcerated there. I am trying to reach as many students as possible in a very short amount of time. What I am looking for specifically is anyone who would be willing to share their recollection in two areas "MBA's Schooling (or lack thereof) and the LifeSteps program."

I have been asked by the "Disability Rights of Oregon" to get as many students as possible to either e-mail or call them and share any information on these two areas. This is very time sensitive and the sooner contact is made, the better.

We heard through the grapevine that MBA decided to stop "LifeSteps" (per DHS request). Then, we were told "LifeSteps" are still going on. If you know a former student and they would be willing to talk to someone about these two areas - doesn't matter how little they think they know, please pass this message on to them. Time is definitely running on this one.

The person to contact at Disability Rights of Oregon is:

Jim Wrigley, Attorney
Disability Rights of Oregon
Phone: 503-445-7710 or
e-mail:
jwrigley@disabilityrightsoregon.org

The person can either call or e-mail Jim Wrigley. Also, if a person wants to remain confidential - just tell Jim. Jim is a very nice man and definitely on our side. He wants to do what he can for MBA Students - he totally gets it. He understands what MBA has done and wants them to stop completely. He just needs a little more information. If you would be willing to help, that would be great. Or, share this with anyone you can think of. To make MBA stop, it is going to take people like us to make the difference.

 

Tell the Eloy City Council to Cancel Plans to Allow Three Springs to Expand Teen Torture Enterprise in Eloy!--Last week, City Council members unanimously approved a conditional use permit for Three Springs to build its 17,900 square foot, secured facility on a 2.27-acre site, northeast corner of Hunt Avenue and Court Drive.   Three Springs is notoriously abusive.  For information on abuse at Three Springs programs, click here.  Contact the Mayor of Eloy, Byron Jackson and tell Mr. Jackson that Three Springs is an abusive, cult-like facility.  Here is a suggested letter format:

Dear Mr. Jackson,

It has come to my attention that the City of Eloy is permitting Three Springs to build a troubled teen facility in your city.  Three Springs is one of many abusive behavior modification programs under investigation and cited by watchdog organizations that work to expose institutionalized child abuse.  Please see the statements from victims and former employees highlighting the abusive methods at Three Springs by visiting www.heal-online.org/threespgs.htm

Also, I recommend you review the recent congressional hearings at www.beyondbusiness.net/congress.htm and legislation (HR 911, Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs Act of 2009-- see http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-911). 

I highly recommend for the safety of your community and the families of Eloy that you stop Three Springs from entering your city, corrupting your people, and harming your children and families.  Stop the construction, void the permits, and don't allow Three Springs to hurt Arizona families with their deceptive marketing, fraud, and child abuse. 

Sincerely,

(your name here)

 

Take Action to Protect School Children from Civil Rights Violations!--When Savana Redding was just 13 years old, she was strip-searched by school officials for allegedly possessing prescription-strength ibuprofen. This traumatizing search was based solely on the false and uncorroborated accusation of a classmate who was caught with similar pills.  Overzealous school officials violated Savana's rights and called into question basic constitutional protections for all students in schools across America.  This morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments from ACLU attorney Adam Wolf in this powerful case.  Savana and her mother, April, recorded a short video with Graham Boyd, an attorney here at the ACLU who is working with them. I think you’ll find it moving to meet a real hero who’s taken her case to the Supreme Court.  Please watch this powerful video, and send a message of support to Savana and her mother.

 

Take Action to Stop Institutionalized Abuse in Mississippi's Private Prison for Children/Teens-- Today we filed suit to stop the horrible abuse of children at a Mississippi detention center, where they are confined in filthy, bug-infested cells for 23 hours a day with no adequate mental health or education services. Our client, D.W., is a 17-year-old African-American youth who endured a brutal physical assault by guards who slammed his face into a concrete floor. After a week at the facility, he tried to hang himself with a bed sheet. But rather than provide him counseling, guards harassed and taunted him — telling him his mother no longer cared and would not visit him again.  The children held at the Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center in Biloxi are not hardened criminals. Most are accused of minor, nonviolent offenses and are simply awaiting court hearings.  This detention center is operated for profit by a company that has blocked civil rights investigators from inspecting the facility, even though they have a right under federal law to monitor the conditions there.   Dozens of other children describe their own nightmarish experiences. Because their cells were overcrowded, many slept on the floor next to dirty toilets. Infections were rampant. Guards were quick to use violence. One teen described conditions as "unbearable" and said children were treated like "dogs." It's appalling that a private company is being allowed to profit from the misery and suffering of these children.  This lawsuit is just one of the strategies we're using to protect children from a broken system that would rather spend money on prisons than mental health services and education. Across the country, thousands of children — disproportionately black and many suffering from mental disabilities — are being needlessly incarcerated for petty offenses.  We're doing everything we can to stop this unconscionable abuse. You can help by adding your voice to this fight. Click here to tell Harrison County officials to stop abusing children. We'll make sure they get your message.

 

Tell Steve Wilkos "Shame on You for Supporting Institutionalized Child Abuse!"--Last week Steve Wilkos assisted in the "enrollment" (kidnap and unlawful imprisonment) of a teen on his show into confirmedly abusive Abundant Life Academy.  Please contact Steve Wilkos and tell him that he made an error in placing a child at Abundant Life Academy and that if he has any ethics he'll advocate for the teen's immediate rescue and return home.  Contact Steve now.  (Visit http://www.heal-online.org/childtortureusa.htm#abundant for talking points and additional information on Abundant Life Academy.)  Sample Letter:

Dear Mr. Wilkos,
 
I am writing to ask that you investigate services to which you refer your viewers for assistance.  You recently aired an episode in which you helped enroll a teen in Abundant Life Academy in Utah.  Abundant Life Academy was closed down in Mexico due to human rights violations and abuse and moved to Utah since it is a safehaven for abusive programs.  You can learn more about Abundant Life Academy and its sordid history, by visiting: http://www.heal-online.org/childtortureusa.htm#abundant
 
The House of Representatives recently passed HR 911, the "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs Act of 2009".  That legislation is now in the Senate HELP Committee.  At this time, there is no regulation or oversight at programs like Abundant Life Academy and even programs with no public history of abuse are being exposed as frauds, child-torturers, pedophiles, and murderers.  Please watch the hearings exposing this industry at http://www.beyondbusiness.net/congress.htm
 
If you have any sense of social responsibility, you will cease and desist sponsoring or endorsing unregulated and/or confirmedly abusive programs such as Abundant Life Academy. 
 
Thank you for your time.
 
Sincerely,

(your name here)

 

Please Take Action to Help "Free Nathan" from Heartlight Ministries Program/Cult:  Visit www.freenathan.com to learn more and get involved!

 

Tell Country Music Television that Exploiting Troubled Families is Irresponsible!--CMT is starting a new series in April called "World's Strictest Parents" where teenagers are forced to live with "host" families who have "strict values and rules" (apparently not strict enough to avoid televising and exploiting children for personal gain).  Please write CMT and let them know why "World's Strictest Parents" is exploitative and not representative of ethical family values.  Here is the contact info:

Address: Country Music Television

330 Commerce St.
Nashville, TN 37201

Phone: 615-335-8400
Fax: 615-335-8614
Online Forums http://community.cmt.com/

 

The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009  

Write the Senate HELP Committee and Ask that they Revise HR 911 to Include Real Regulation!--For talking points, click here Click here to write the Senate HELP Committee.

 

Sign Petition to Revise HR 911, the "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs Act of 2009":  HR 911 has many problems and does not do enough to protect children and families from fraud and abuse.  Please sign the petition now at: http://www.petitiononline.com/hr911/petition.html

 

Attn: Logan River Academy Survivors and Familes--WE NEED YOUR IMMEDIATE HELP!--HEAL is working to help a parent rescue his/her child from Logan River Academy.  We need your statements to help show the court why Logan River is not appropriate.  Please contact us immediately if you can help.

 

Tell MTV and Rapper TIP That Violating Civil Rights and Exploiting Minors is Unethical and Cruel!--The rapper TIP is running his own "troubled teen" program for a new reality series on MTV.  Here is what the rapper had to say, "Throughout "Road to Redemption," Tip is challenged with changing the lives of seven kids. They range from a number of cases, including a high school dropout-turned-drug dealer. "We're gonna help him whether he wants it or not," the rapper said in the segment before being introduced to the teen and opening up about his own tribulations."  Dr. Peter Breggin has called forced treatment wrong-headed, unethical, and it only serves to further aggravate the problems families are facing.  Please contact MTV and let them know that "Road to Redemption" is unethical, exploitative, and that it needs to be canceled.  Please comment at their forum at: http://labsblog.mtv.com/2007/04/23/the-new-html-mtvcom/   (If you can find a phone number, e-mail, or physical address for MTV, please contact us with the info.)

 

Contact Zoning Board for Ft. Dodge, Iowa and Tell Them to Deny Any Requests from Child-Torturer, Michael Palmer!--Tell Webster County Zoning Board to deny any requests by Michael Palmer to set up shop and torture Iowa's children and defraud Iowa's families.  Contact the county zoning board at wcgis@webstercountyia.org and tell them to stop Michael Palmer from hurting their town!  For talking points, visit: http://www.isaccorp.org/victorychristianacademy.asp and www.heal-online.org/victory.htm

 

Contact Minnesota Congress and Tell Them to Oppose and Remove Any and All State Funding of Teen Challenge!--Contact Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and ask her to withdraw her earmark for MN Teen Challenge: http://klobuchar.senate.gov  Please also contact Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison and ask him to oppose the MNTC earmark: http://ellison.house.govFor talking points against Teen Challenge, click here.

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Reject Jim Ramstad!--Jim Ramstad, the Minnesota Republican who is being considered for two positions in the Obama administration, either head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) or head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is an avid supporter of abusive programs and has lobbied for Teen Challenge, earmarking hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for this abusive brainwashing cult.  Please write Pres. Obama and his transition team at: http://change.gov/page/content/contact/  and tell them not to appoint Jim Ramstad to either of these posts. 

 

Sign Petition to Strengthen Indiana's Child Protection Laws!--This petition is aimed at regulating and/or closing abusive programs such as Hephzibah House.  Read and sign the petition at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/indiana-law/sign.html
 

Tell Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance to Stop Covering Abusive Treatment Programs!--Write your local Blue Cross/Blue Shield and alert them that they have likely been repeatedly defrauded by a scam-artists masquerading as residential treatment, wilderness, and behavior modification programs.  Here is a suggested letter format:

Dear Blue Cross/Blue Shield Representative:

I am writing you today to alert you to the likelihood that you have been repeatedly defrauded by a number of "treatment" programs advertising and reporting services to you not rendered to your clients.

Congress and the Government Accountability Office have been investigating the rampant abuses including fraud, torture, deceptive marketing and murder/wrongful deaths of children in these programs.  The Surgeon General and National Institute of Health have determined that these programs are at best proven ineffective and harmful to children and their families.

To learn more about this issue, please visit: http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc-2008-04-24.shtml, http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc101007.shtml, http://www.nospank.net/ashcroft.htm http://www.enterthefreudianslip.com/surgeon_general_mental_health_ch3_treatment_interventions_residential.htm, www.heal-online.org/teen.htm, and www.isaccorp.org.

If you review the above information and materials, I believe you will understand that the detriment of covering these fraudulent practices far outweigh the benefit of covering them.  It is unsound to cover experimental treatments that are known to be ineffective and harmful.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

(your name here)

 

Sign Petition to Close Pathway Family Centers in MI, IN, and OH!--Pathway Family Center is a direct descendant of Straight, Inc.  Children are being tortured and families defrauded throughout the midwest!  Please sign petition to close PFC today!  (Update: Pathway has closed in Michigan and Ohio.  Now, we need Indiana to follow suit.)

 

Sign Petition to End Juvenile Death Penalty!--Join a global initiative to end-once and for all-the practice of
executing people for crimes committed as children.  www.crin.org/petitions/petition.asp?petID=1012

 

Ask Michael Moore to Make his Next Project an Expose' on Teen Torture Industry!--Michael Moore is a well publicized advocate for progressive causes ranging from gross civil rights abuses to medical and pharmaceutical corruption.  It is time he addressed the one issue that is at the heart of the destruction of our country, the teen torture industry.  You can write Michael Moore at MMFlint@aol.com.  Here is a sample letter:

Dear Mr. Moore,

I am writing you today to ask that you investigate and expose the rampant fraud, torture, and murder in residential and wilderness programs for teens.  Congress and the Government Accountability Office have been reviewing this problem since October of 2007.  See the hearings at http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc-2008-04-24.shtml and http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc101007.shtmlThe teeth of the bill (HR 6358), passed by the house, were removed and will do nothing substantive to regulate this industry that has been torturing and killing children and destroying families for decades.  You can learn more about this issue by visiting: www.heal-online.org, www.isaccorp.org, www.teenliberty.org, and www.teenadvocatesusa.org.  Please consider making your next documentary an expose' on this corrupt, unethical, and lethal industry.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

 

Tell "cmarket.com" to Stop Supporting Child Torture!--CMarket is an online auction site.  They are allowing Pathway Family Centers (Straight Inc. spin-off, see: www.heal-online.org/kids.htm for more info on the link between programs, abuses, and talking points) to use their site for a fundraiser so they can continue to torture children.  Please write CMarket and tell them to stop supporting Pathway Family Centers.  Sample Letter:

Dear CMarket,

I am very disappointed that you have chosen to allow child-torturers to hold an auction through your website.  I ask that you review the information at www.heal-online.org/kids.htm and http://www.isaccorp.org/pathwayfamilycenter.asp for the details on exactly what kind of sick, child-torture cult you are supporting.  Please do the right thing and discontinue your support of Pathway Family Centers.  A good start would be disaffirming the upcoming auction (August 11th-25th, 2008). 

Sincerely,

(your name here)

 

Stop the "Kyle" Amendment!--ACTION ITEM:  We urge you to make calls and send faxes TODAY to your Senators on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.  Tell them you oppose the Kyle amendment, and ask your Senator to urge Senator Kyle to withdraw his amendment before the mark-up tomorrow.  Below please find a template letter opposing the Senator Kyl amendment and the contact information of the Senate Judiciary Committee Members.
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Template Letter

July 30, 2008
 
 
The Honorable [Put Senator's Name Here]
United States
Senate
[Insert office building and number (e.g. Senate Russell Office Building
433)]
Washington
, DC  20510

 
Dear Senator [Insert last name]:
 
I strongly oppose the Kyl amendment to S. 3155, the Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008, as it directly
contradicts the goals and purposes of the Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention Act.  I urge you to vote against the amendment
during Committee consideration of S. 3155 this Thursday, July 31st.  
 
The Kyl amendment would modify current federal transfer law by taking
the decision of whether a youth should be prosecuted as an adult for an
enumerated list of crimes away from neutral federal judges and instead
place the decision with prosecutors.  The Kyl amendment would also cast
a wide net by allowing this increased discretion to be applied to youth
who are charged with attempt or conspiracy to commit these crimes or for
joined or lesser included offenses.
 
I strongly oppose the Kyl amendment because it would:
[insert any personal comments under these bullets]
 
· Harm public safety.  Research shows that youth transferred to the
adult criminal justice system are more likely to commit crimes in the
future. A 2007 report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention found that youth who have been previously tried as adults
are, on average, 34% more likely to commit crimes than youth retained in
the juvenile justice system.  
 
· Contradict public opinion.  A Zogby poll conducted last year found
that 92% of Americans believe that the decision to try a youth in adult
court is best made on a case-by-case basis by a neutral decision-maker,
such as a juvenile court judge.  In addition, national polling shows
that a vast majority of Americans support rehabilitating, rather than
punishing, even serious juvenile offenders.  
 
 Be inconsistent with the latest scientific evidence on the adolescent
brain. Adolescent brain research shows that children's brains are still
developing well into their early 20's and that youth do not have all the
capacities as adults.  Indeed, the final area of the human brain to
mature is the prefrontal cortex, which governs the 'executive functions'
of reasoning, advanced thought and impulse control.  
 
· Result in long-lasting harm to youth.  The Kyl amendment would result
in additional youth being placed pre-trial in adult jails, therefore
resulting in more harm to these youth.  Youth placed in adult jails are
at high risk of physical and sexual assault and have a much higher rate
of suicide when compared to youth in juvenile facilities.
 
For the reasons above, I urge you to vote against the Kyl amendment
during the Committee's consideration of S. 3155.  Thank you for your
consideration.
 
Sincerely,
 
 Name
Address
Phone
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Senate Judiciary Committee Member Contact Information:

Patrick J. Leahy, Chairman (D-VT)
433 Russell Senate Office Building
senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
<mailto:senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov>
(use email, not fax)
P: (202) 224-4242
 
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)
317 Russell Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-2417
P: (202) 224-4543
 
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)
201 Russell Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-0139
P: (202) 224-5042
 
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
330 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-9787
P: (202) 224-5653
 
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
331 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-3954
P: (202) 224-3841
 
Russell D. Feingold (D-WI)
506 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-2725
P: (202) 224-5323
 
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
313 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-3027
P: (202) 224-6542
 
Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
309 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-0400
P: (202) 224-2152
 
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
509 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-1651
P: (202) 224-4524
 
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
502 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-6362
P: (202) 224-2921
 
Arlen Specter, Ranking (R-PA)
711 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-1229
P: (202) 224-4254
 
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)
104 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-6331
P: (202)224-5251
 
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA)
135 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-6020
P: (202) 224-3744
 
Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
730 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-2207
P: (202) 224-4521
 
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
335 Russell Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-3149
P: (202) 224-4124
 
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
290 Russell Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-3808
P: (202) 224-5972
 
John Cornyn (R-TX)
517 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-2856
P: (202) 224-2934
 
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
303 Hart Senate Office Building
F: (202) 228-1265
P: (202) 224-6521
 
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
172 Russell Senate Office Building
F: (202) 224-6008
P: (202) 224-5754

 

Tell "realitywanted.com" Exploiting Children/Teens is Wrong!--Realitywanted.com is a website that lists casting opportunities for new "reality" shows.  See the latest: http://www.realitywanted.com/call/2796-are-you-paying-the-price-for-you-teens-mistakes-now-casting  Here's part of the ad:

"Do you have a teen who is constantly causing problems? Did they steal your car and go on a joy ride? Did they rack up your phone bill calling long distance? Do you constantly have to take off work to go pick up your teen? Is you wallet going dry because of your troubled teen?  Let us help you and earn compensation. Tell us your story now!"

Please write realitywanted.com and shame them for exploiting children and teens and contributing to the anti-youth propaganda putting thousands of American children in harm's way.  This has to stop!

 

Tell the Grants City Council to "Just Say No" to Boys Town!--The Grants City Council will hear a detailed proposal on Tuesday night from Frank Sipan on the possibility of opening a Boys Town in Grants.  Boys Town, which also accepts girls, is a national organization that historically and likely presently harms troubled teens. This is a self-contained community, and members have their own mayor, post office and other amenities.  The next regular City Council meeting will be on June 24 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. For more information call the city clerk at 505-287-7927.   Please send the Grants City Council a message asking them to deny Boys Town's proposal.  For talking points and more info on abuses by Boys Town, see: Franklin Cover Up, http://franklincase.org/timeline.htm, Reports of physical and sexual abuse at Boys Town,  and http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/november/41.56.html  Please speak out today on this issue. 

 

 

Tell American Express to Stop Supporting Child Torture!--American Express is giving thousands of dollars to Pathway Family Centers (see: http://www.accessphilanthropy.com/funderinnews.php?funderID=38).  For talking points on the abuses at Pathway Family Centers, see: www.heal-online.org/kids.htm and http://www.isaccorp.org/pathwayfamilycenter.asp.  You can contact American Express and express your outrage at:

http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0,1641,24679,00.asp?us_nu=helpnav 

 

 

Attn: Straight, Inc. Survivors--Tell Straight, Inc.  to At Least Apologize for Their Acts!-- Learn more and sign petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/295561me/petition.html

 

 

 

Tell Oprah Winfrey to Investigate and Expose Dr. Phil McGraw's Child Abuse & Exploitation!--E-mail Oprah

 

 

 

Tell Montel Williams, "Shame On You" for Sending a Child to Eagle Ranch Academy:  On Thursday, April 24th, 2008, the Montel Show offered to enroll a 15-year old girl at Eagle Ranch Academy.  Eagle Ranch Academy in St. George, UT is an abusive behavior modification program.  Here's what HEAL has to say about Eagle Ranch Academy: Eagle Ranch Academy, Inc.--Located in St. George, UT.  The belly of the beast that is abusive behavior modification.  HEAL recommends no parent subject any child to any program in Utah as Utah is corrupt and refuses to regulate or take action against confirmedly abusive programs such as WWASPS, Provo Canyon School, Sorenson's Ranch, etc...  Don't send your kid to UT! Please contact Montel Williams at:

 

Attn: Montel Williams

Viewer Services
The Montel Williams Show
433 West 53rd St.
New York, NY 10019

 

Express your outrage at this blatant assault on youth and support of a corrupt and unregulated industry!  

 

 

 

 

Attention Behavior Modification/Residential Treatment Survivors Abused in Texas!  Please Contact Journalist Andrea Ball!--Journalist Andrea Ball is currently working on a story about abuses in Texas.  Here is what Ms. Ball had to say, "Essentially, I'm writing about psychiatric RTCs in Texas. I'm not -- at this juncture -- looking at drug or alcohol rehab places. I'd love particularly to hear from anyone in the Austin, Round rock, San Marcos area, but all of Texas would be great."  Please contact Andrea Ball if you are willing and able to contribute in her efforts.  Thanks! 

 

 

Were You or Someone You Love Defrauded and Abused by Teen Challenge?  Join the Lawsuit!--  Click here to request more information!

 

 

Attn: Survivors of Trinity Teen Youth Solutions and Mount Carmel Youth Ranch--Lawsuit!--If you are a survivor or immediate family of a victim of Trinity Teen Youth Solutions or Mount Carmel Youth Ranch please contact us at heal@heal-online.org and we will put you in touch with an attorney working on a lawsuit against them.  Attorney is looking specifically for victims of physical abuse, injury, or death.  Please contact us if you want to get involved or help!  Thanks!

 

 

Attention Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Vancouver BC Residents!--Volunteer Now to collect signatures for WA Initiative 999 to protect kids from illegal and extra-legal involuntary institutionalization without due process!  Contact us for details and to volunteer!

 

 

Should Children be Sentenced to Life without the Possibility of Parole?-- VOTE NO HERE!

 

 

Boycott McDonald's and Ronald McDonald House Charities!--McDonald's, the fast-food giant, has donated over $30,000 to St. Christopher Inc., a "faith-based" residential treatment center (behavior modification program) to help "turn around "troubled teens"".  Please boycott McDonald's for putting money into abuse instead of family and community!  Tell McDonald's you are boycotting them and why!

 

 

Take Action Against Media Demonization of Teens!--From anyone inclined to visit www.mapinc.org  to write letters to editors on the spun "Youth Drug Use" data, these are good themes. Find recent items to write about at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/index.htm  Prevalence(aka "Current Use") is ANY use in past 30 days. Does not indicate "daily use" which is more likely to indicate a problem, but is rarely(never?) mentioned in press releases. It can be dug out as table 4 at http://monitoringthefuture.org/data/07data/pr07t4.pdf  Many would argue that even daily use is not a problem, but Data as voluminous at these surveys can be parsed to support any conclusion desired.  When kids' "current use" rises (or falls), it means experimental use is up (or down). Problem use, almost by definition, stays pretty much the same. But we don't target that; we try to stamp out ALL use.  And..... obviously.... we can't take self-incriminating survey data at face value.

 

 

Support Teen's Rights of Free Speech on Campus!--"BERWYN, Illinois - November 6 - Parents of Morton West High School students will gather for a press conference at 9:30 AM Tuesday, November 6 in front of the school, to urge school administrators to reverse their decision to expel dozens of children who marked All Saints Day last week by staging a peaceful, non-violent sit-in at the school cafeteria to voice opposition to the Iraq War.  "The November 1 school cafeteria event served in part as a counterpoint in the school setting to military recruiters on campus, who routinely visit the high school cafeteria seeking to enlist young people into military service. Dozens of students participated in the anti-war protest through the course of the day. All Saints Day -- November 1 – is a revered holiday in the Latino community, when families and friends traditionally gather to honor dead loved ones.  "Students complied with an administrator's request to move the action outside the cafeteria after initially being assured that the only disciplinary action they would face was citation for cutting classes. But administrators have since issued formal expulsion notices to dozens of students, suspended many more, and threatened to bring criminal charges against students age 17 and older who participated in the anti-war action.  "School administrators also put the school on lockdown briefly during the All Saints Day protest. That action stands in stark contrast to administrators' response to a report of a student with a gun on campus last month. In that incident, administrators chose not to lock down the school.  WHOLE STORY:  http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1106-01.htm  SIGN A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF THE STUDENTS HERE:  http://www.petitiononline.com/mortonw/petition.html

 

 

Tell Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences, "Stop Experimenting on Children and Teens"--An advertisement soliciting parents to enroll their child to be experimented on appeared in last week's newspaper.  The add reads: "Lack of interest, troubled, strange thoughts & words, withdrawn,  DO THESE WORDS DESCRIBE YOUR TEEN?  There may be something more you can do!  A clinical research study in your area is currently enrolling teens between the ages of 13-17 years.  Study participants receive...compensation (financial) for time and travel."  Yes, let these people pay you to exploit and experiment on your child!  No way!  Contact Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences today and tell them that you are appalled by their unethical and unscrupulous business practices.  Leave our children alone!

 

 

Tell Andy Borowitz, "Torturing Children Is No Laughing Matter!"--On Friday, October 5th, 2007, an article on page B7 of The Seattle Times under local news and penned by Andy Borowitz (with no mention of it being satirical or for humorous purposes) stated that CBS was creating a new series called "Kid Detention" where 40 kids would be randomly selected and sent for 40 days of detainment at Guantanamo Bay with no legal assistance or representation.  This article was in multiple publications under a variety of titles including, "New CBS Reality Show, "Kid Detention," Sends Kids to Guantanamo" through Yahoo News (Yahoo made it quite clear that it was satire or in jest--The Seattle Times did not).  Please contact Andy Borowitz at: andy@borowitzreport.com.  Tell him that there are thousands of "Guantanamo Bay Detainment Camps" for children and teens around the US and abroad.  Tell him that there is current legislation in the House of Representatives, "HR 1738--The End Institutionalized Abuse of Children Act" to stop the rape, torture, and murder of thousands of American children each year.   Tell Andy, According to Representative George Miller of California, “There is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.”  To read the correspondence between Rep. Miller and former Attorney General Ashcroft, click here.  Tell him that "Brat Camp" made light of the unlawful imprisonment and abuse of American children when ABC unsuccessfully launched that program a couple of years ago.  And, that the notion that CBS would send kids to Guantanamo Bay, given their obvious lack of ethics or concern for children with their latest series "Kid Nation" (see below), is not humorous at all and seems to be the horrifying trend in child exploitation television.  Torturing and exploiting children is not satire and is no joke in the US.  It is real, it's happening, and it needs to be stopped.   Educate Andy Borowitz Today!

 

 

Tell CBS, "Shame On You for Torturing and Enslaving American Children"--(From article by Edward Wyatt--New York Times--8/24/07)"Children who participated in “Kid Nation,” a CBS reality show that has come under fire over questions of whether it violated child safety and labor laws, were required to do whatever they were told by the show’s producers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or risk expulsion from the show, according to a copy of the contract signed by the children and their parents.  The contract also specifies that while the children could be paid for their participation, those payments or the agreement to be fully under the producers’ direction did not constitute employment under the producers’ interpretation and therefore was not subject to any state or federal labor laws.  The agreement, which was provided to The New York Times by the New Mexico attorney general’s office under an open records act request, appears to anticipate the arguments that were later made by New Mexico state authorities that the show’s producers might have violated state labor laws and licensing requirements for child housing.  “Kid Nation,” which is scheduled to have its premiere on CBS on Sept. 19, took 40 children, ages 8 to 15, and placed them in a New Mexico desert “ghost town” near Santa Fe for 40 days, during which they had little to no contact with their parents. The program has been criticized by New Mexico state authorities who have said that they were not notified in advance of the conditions, which they said appeared to violate state laws.  The parent of at least one participant has complained to New Mexico authorities that the conditions were abusive and that several children were harmed during the production.  The 22-page agreement leaves little room for parents to argue that they did not know what their children might encounter. As is standard in such agreements, the parents and the children agreed not to hold the producers and CBS responsible if their children died or were injured, if they received inadequate medical care, or if their housing was unsafe and caused injury.  But while such agreements might be standard for adult participants in a reality show, it also takes on a different tone when the minor and the parent are being held solely responsible for any “emotional distress, illness, sexually transmitted diseases, H.I.V. and pregnancy” that might occur if the child “chooses to enter into an intimate relationship of any nature with another participant or any other person.”  The agreement also imposes extensive confidentiality requirements on the parents and the children, including that any interviews they grant must be approved by CBS. Those confidentiality conditions extend for three years beyond the end of the show, not the individual 13-episode cycle in which a child participates but the entire series, however many cycles it includes. The producers of “Kid Nation” have already begun interviewing children to take part in the second installment.  Violating the confidentiality agreement carries a $5 million penalty. CBS and the production companies, Good TV Inc. and Magic Molehill Productions, retained the rights to the children’s life stories “in perpetuity and throughout the universe.” And that right includes the right to portray the children either accurately or with fictionalization “to achieve a humorous or satirical effect.”  To ensure that parents and the children abide by the agreement, the payment of the $5,000 stipend promised to the children who complete the series and the $20,000 that some of them received for being voted the best participant in each of the 13 episodes can be withheld, according to the contract, until after the broadcast of the entire series.  The contract also specifies that the children are able to leave the production at any time, but that in doing so they will lose their right to receive payment and will still be bound by confidentiality provisions."

 

What You Can Do:

 

1.  Boycott CBS and any/all sponsors of "Kid Nation" until it is cancelled and restitution is made to the victims.

2.  Write CBS and shame them for torturing and enslaving children.  Visit www.cbs.com and click on Feedback at bottom of the homepage, and/or contact:

CBS Television
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
To contact us, click here

CBS Paramount Television
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
To contact us, click here

 

3.  Write/Call/Protest your local CBS Affiliate.  Find yours at: http://www.cbs.com/info/hdtv/hdtv_stations.shtml 

 

 

Make Children's Medicine Safe & Effective!--Right now, millions of children could be using unsafe medicines and medical technologies. You can help protect them.  Tell Congress to make medicines and medical devices for children safer and more effective» With no seat at the political table and no voice in the current health care system, children are at risk of being left behind as science and medicine move forward. Nearly three-quarters of medicines children use are not proven safe or effective for pediatric use.

 

 

Journalist Seeks Stories from Survivors Who Escaped a Behavior Modification Program:  Journalist Amanda Miller of Topic Magazine in New York is writing an article on the abusive teen help industry and is looking to interview survivors who escaped/ran away from the program.  If you were in a residential treatment program (i.e. Provo Canyon School), wilderness camp (Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, etc.), or a boot camp (Bethel Boys Academy, etc.) and attempted to or successfully escaped from an abusive program, please contact Amanda Miller with your story.  The deadline for this story is late Summer of 2007 so please respond asap!  Thanks!

 

 

Tell Montel Williams, "Shame On You" for Sending a Child to Red Rock Canyon School:  On Thursday, July 19th, 2007, the Montel Show enrolled a child (escorts and all) in Red Rock Canyon School.  The episode was sensationally called "Ticking Time Bombs: People On The Edge".  Red Rock Canyon School in St. George, UT is an abusive behavior modification program.  “A $6 million wrongful-death lawsuit, (was) filed in U.S. District Court by parents of the teenage girl, Katherine Lank, who fell into a deep crevice while hiking. It was filed against the Red Rock Canyon School, St. George, Utah, on May 28, 2002. The suit, accuses the school of negligence and breach of contract, asks for $5 million in compensatory damages, and $1 million in punitive damages and attorney fees. The Lanks have also demanded a jury trial.”  Further information about this is in the article by Michael Vigh of the Salt Lake Tribune.  Please contact Montel Williams at:

 

Attn: Montel Williams

Viewer Services
The Montel Williams Show
433 West 53rd St.
New York, NY 10019

 

Express your outrage at this blatant assault on youth and support of a corrupt and unregulated industry!  

 

 

Tell the Committee on Education and Labor Your Behavior Modification Program Survivor Story: I spoke with the person heading up the Committee on Education and Labor investigation into the teen "help" industry, by telephone on Tuesday (yesterday).  He/she asked that we keep his/her personal contact information off of the website or any internet website.  If you would like his/her specific contact information, please contact: heal@heal-online.org subject: Letter to Congress on Teen Programs.  He/she stated that there is no hearing scheduled on this issue at this time. I asked him/her if there was a hearing "tentatively" scheduled for late September (as reported by CAFETY), she/he said there is no hearing scheduled, even tentatively, for September.  

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

 

Submit Your Personal Story or Family Story of Victimization to:

US House of Representatives

Committee on Education and Labor

Majority Office

2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg

Washington, D.C. 20515

 

phone: (202)225-3725

 

In the Event of a Hearing (again, no hearing is scheduled at this time): Submit a "Statement of Purpose" to the above address.  Explain that you would like to testify at any hearing regarding the teen "help"/residential treatment industry. Include information on who you are, what program you or a family member was in, and what you'd like to say at any hearing. Please note that members of the public are given 1-3 minutes (in general) to testify at any legislative hearing. And, note that submitting your personal or family story per the information above will be filed as part of the hearing and included in the public record. It may be more effective to submit your statement in writing than to plan to testify.  There will be limited time and a limit to how many people can testify in person. Also, there may be no hearing on this issue at any time. It is a vague possibility at this point. There is nothing scheduled at this time.  So, it is likely best if you submit your story in writing  to be included in the public record as opposed to requesting to speak at a non-existent hearing at this time.

 

 

TELL THE UNITED WAY "STOP SUPPORTING PROVO CANYON SCHOOL NOW!":  The United Way of Utah County currently refers families to Provo Canyon School, a notoriously abusive behavior modification program that has been destroying lives for over 30 years.  To learn more about the abuses at Provo Canyon School, visit: www.heal-online.org/sign.htm, www.heal-online.org/provocases.htm, www.beyondbusiness.net/index2.htm, and/or www.heal-online.org/ashley.htm.  Please contact the United Way of Utah County and tell them to stop supporting child abuse!  And, please contact the National United Way leadership to report this abuse of public trust at the United Way of Utah County, by referring families to Provo Canyon School!   

 

 

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND TELL THEM TO SUPPORT THE "Bitter Pill Act" (A4245):  Here are some excerpts from the bill: Prior to prescribing for an individual under 18 years of age any psychotropic medication, including but not limited to medication for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, required by the federal Food and Drug Administration to have a "black box warning" on its labeling, a physician or other authorized prescriber shall inform the individual's parent or legal guardian about the possible side effects of the medication and shall obtain informed consent from the individual's parent or legal guardian for the notification.  A physician or other authorized prescriber who prescribes a medication in violation of this act shall be subject to disciplinary action by the State Board of Medical Examiners. Prior to prescribing for an individual under 18 years of age any psychotropic medication, including but not limited to medication for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, required by the federal Food and Drug  Administration to have a "black box warning" on its labeling, an advanced practice nurse shall inform the individual's parent or legal guardian  about the possible side effects of the medication and shall obtain informed consent from the individual's parent or legal guardian for the notification.  An advanced practice nurse who prescribes a medication in violation of this  act shall be subject to disciplinary action by the New Jersey Board of  Nursing.  You can do something as well:

Please urge General Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts asmroberts@njleg.org to put Bill A4245 on the agenda for a full Assembly floor vote.

 

Take Action for California Youth:  California's youth prison system is broken. It has systematically failed to rehabilitate or educate the 2,600 youth in its charge. In February, California's Inspector General reported that shocking conditions and neglect of youth persist despite court-ordered improvements and years-old recommendations.  Please read and sign the petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/289606970#body 

 

No Alamar Ranch in Idaho:  Citizens in Boise, Idaho are working to stop the establishment of a new residential treatment program called Alamar Ranch in Idaho.  Oaas Laney has no experience or training in helping teens appropriately.  This is solely a money-making venture.  Please learn more and take action at: www.noalamarranch.com.  Thanks!  Also, if you are an attorney in Idaho interested in helping stop the teen torture industry, help families and survivors, or stand up for injured victims, please contact  us.

 

SIGN PETITION DEMANDING THE CLOSURE OF WWASPS PROGRAMS NOW!:  According to Representative Miller of California, “There is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not rendered."  Sign petition now at: http://www.petitiononline.com/peth1/petition.html 

 

 

SIGN CLOSE PROVO CANYON SCHOOL PETITION NOW!—Please take a moment to sign the Close Provo Canyon School Now petition located at http://www.beyondbusiness.net/closepcs.htm.  Provo Canyon School is one of many snake pit schools that HEAL is targeting in the teen liberation campaign.  

 

 

TAKE ACTION NOW!--GET TEEN TORTURE NEWS IN A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER!--This article,  ran over the weekend in the North West Indiana Times.  The reporter did an excellent job of laying out the history of Pathway Family Center and how it is modeled after Straight, Inc.  In true cult-fashion, Pathway's director slandered us and the reporter and editor have been deluged by hate mail from program supporters.  According to the editor, if he receives enough letters in SUPPORT of the article and the newspapers efforts to reveal the truth, he will see that the article is published in a national paper.  Please click the link above and read the article. If you believe that more of these types of FACTUAL stories about treatment fraud and abuse need to be published, please send an email to the editor at letters@nwitimes.com  or the reporter, ROBYN MONAGHAN at rmonaghan@nwitimes.com

 

 

SIGN PETITION FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN OREGON: Children in the city of Portland, OR have written a Bill of Rights for Children stating they "have the right to loving care and a healthy environment at home" and the "right to be safe in our homes... and to be protected from all types of abuse and exploitation, whether physical, verbal, emotional or sexual, and to be supported in reporting and combating abuse." Please click here  to read and sign their petition.

 

 

Tell Your Representative: Don't Cover Up for a Child Sex PredatorAmericans were shocked to learn this past weekend that a United States Representative, Mark Foley (R-FL), had been sending sexually-explicit e-mails and instant messages to 15- and 16-year-old boys interning  in the House of Representatives. But the members of the House leadership -- foremost among them Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert -- were not shocked, because they already knew.  It's become quite clear in recent days that several other high-ranking members of the House of Representatives knew about Mr. Foley's despicable (and possibly illegal) behavior for months -- and took no steps to stop it.  Could it be that  the House leadership cared more about protecting one of their own than protecting the safety of their teenage pages?  Tell your Representative that they should convene a special session of the House immediately to get to the bottom of who knew what, and when.

 

 

Stop TeenScreen’s Unscientific and Experimental “Mental Health Screening” of American School Children:  TeenScreen is just one of  many moves to bring abusive, invasive, and corrupt mind-altering programs to public schools.  Take action now at: http://www.petition online.com/ TScreen/petition .html

 

 

TAKE ACTION NOW TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR WHITMORE ACADEMY SURVIVORS:  SAC has learned that Cheryl Sudweeks, owner of Whitmore Academy in Utah, has been offered a plea deal by Juab County Attorney, Jared Eldridge.  Sudweeks is scheduled to stand trial next  month on 7 counts of child abuse and hazing. Child welfare investigators said they substantiated eight instances of physical abuse, educational neglect, medical neglect and environmental neglect.  According to the plea deal, Cheryl Sudweeks will only have to:

 

 

1) Obey all laws.

 

2)  Write a letter to Eldridge stating she attempted to haze 4 students and will not open another program in Juab County.

 

3)  Pay any damages awarded in the current civil case against Sudweeks and Whitmore Academy.

 

4)  Stay away from any program or school dealing with teenagers.

 

After one year her record will be expunged.

 

It is exactly THIS kind of lax "prosecution" that allows abusive program owners to simply relocate and carry on with business as usual. 

 

ISAC encourages everyone to contact Jared Eldridge and Judge Lynn Davis and voice your outrage to this ridiculous bargain that would allow a confessed child abuser to have no criminal record at all.

 

Jared Eldridge

Juab County Attorney
160 North Main Street
Nephi, Utah 84648
(435) 623-3460
Fax: (435) 623-8919

 

Judge Lynn W. Davis

Fourth District Court, Provo

125 North 100 West

Provo, Utah 84601

(801)-429-1063

Fax: (801) 429-1137

 

Background Information:

 

Cheryl and her husband Mark have a long history of ignoring laws in 3 countries.

  

In 2002, 29 starving horses belonging to Mark Sudweeks were discovered on property he owned in Canada.

  

In a landmark case by the SPCA, Sudweeks became the first person to be banned from ever owning animals in British Columbia.

 

In 2001, the Sudweeks were ordered to leave Mexico after authorities determined they were illegally operating a treatment facility for troubled 

teens.

 

For complete information about the Sudweeks and Whitmore Academy, please visit: www.isaccorp.org/documentsnz.asp#whitmore

 

 

Department of Social Services wants hitting children kept legal:  The Department of Social Services in Massachusetts (DSS) oversees all  child abuse cases and foster care in that state. Despite support from dozens of other Massachusetts organizations, as well as legislators, activists and voters, DSS has rejected all proposed laws to curb corporal punishment of children, even hitting and hot-saucing infants! They -- who should be in the forefront of reform -- are standing in the way of legal reform to protect children!  You can ask DSS to change their position by emailing the Commissioner of DSS, Harry Spence, at harry.spence@state.ma.us . And CC the Boston Globe at letter@globe.com.  You can also call DSS at: (617) 748-2000 or (617) 748-2329. You might remind them that their first priority is protecting children and stopping child abuse! Studies show that about half of all child abuse cases in Massachusetts are the result of legal corporal punishment. About 2,000 children die and nearly 150,000 children are injured in the US each year from corporal punishment. The time is past due for those who are mandated to protect children to become proactive in curbing abuse, and not wait until after a child is injured or dead.   Silence=complicity. PTAVE implores every reader of this message  to act now. Telephone, e-mail or both.

 

 

SUPPORT THE CHRISTOPHER BILL - THE JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM ACT: In SC and other US states, children as young as 10 are being arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced as adults under mandatory sentencing mandates. Children are being sentenced to mandatory terms created to net young people involved in gang violence and the drug trades. Children are being sentenced to life without parole. Often under the influence of prescription drugs, otherwise average and above average children commit unthinkable crimes. These children are then thrown into a court and sentencing system designed for hardcore adult criminals. Mandatory sentencing does not take into consideration the past non-violent social history or the effects strong prescription drugs have on young minds. The results are ruined young lives. We need your support. Please sign this petition and lend your name to the pursuit of Juvenile Justice.   Your signature will affirm the belief that we need this slightly major problem  corrected. Immediately.    Please give a moment of your life so that children will retain many moments for their own lives.  You do make a difference.  Sign petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/429258617?ltl=1114901126#

 

 

PLEASE ASK THE MCILHENNEY COMPANY TO HELP PROTECT CHILDREN FROM ABUSE:  Many parents are using Tabasco sauce as a punishment for their children.  This is an abusive measure and can only be administered under duress.  Please ask The McIlhenney Company to put a warning label on their product stating that product is not intended for and should not be used to punish children.  You may e-mail them at: countrystore@tabasco.com

 

 

LARRY ELDERS OF “THE LARRY ELDERS SHOW” HAS PAID TO SEND A CHILD TO A WWASPS PROGRAM, TELL HIM TO RESCUE THIS CHILD IMMEDIATELY AND PUBLICLY ADMIT TO HIS ERROR IN JUDGMENT!—Larry Elders recently paid to send a child to Spring Creek Lodge, a WWASPS program.  Please contact him immediately and urge him to rescue this child and publicly admit his error.  Survivors of WWASPS programs are urged to take this action.  Even if you are not a survivor, we encourage you to write Mr. Elders and let him know what 

Rep. George Miller has stated about WWASPS: “There is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of food, deprivation  of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.”  You can e-mail Mr. Elders at: http://larryelder.warnerbros.com/letters_to_larry_contact.html

 

 

TELL DR. PHIL THAT PROVO CANYON SCHOOL and SUWS ARE NO PLACES FOR CHILDREN!!!-- On Wednesday, Nov. 23.  Dr. Phil was profiling a family with a 12 year old girl with Reactive Attachment Disorder. At the end of the segment, Dr. Phil announced that he was sending the girl to Provo Canyon. In his words Provo Canyon "has a proven track record of helping young people." The parents, of course, were clueless, and agreed to this immediately. We need to flood the Dr. Phil show with letters, faxes and emails. Send an e-mail by visiting: http://www.drphil.com/email/email_phil_show.jhtml or snail-mail him at: Dr. Phil Show, 5482 Wilshire Boulevard #1902, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

 

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