This entry was made by one of our volunteers on the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora. We share his worries
Many families suffer due to family members hit by the illness called substance abuse. If there were some kind magic trick to cure it, the world would be a better place.
We have to look at the history to learn where the drug abuse come from. 8 nations - the most powerful nations in the world at that time saw to that millions of people could continue to remain hooked on Opium. We are talking countries like United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Russia, Japan, France, Italy, The Netherlands and the later defunct Austria-Hungary. You can google the Boxer Rebellion and read more.
100 years later when the drug use had spread to the country-men in tMaybe the troubled teen industry can rise again now where Donald Trump will introduce the possibility of death penalty for drug dealers.
Drug dealers could get death penalty under new Trump plan (New York Post)
The Danish Lesson from WWII
In Denmark we know that this approach will fail and prevent getting the big fish among the drug dealers.
When WWII was over, Denmark re-introduced death penalty so those who worked for Nazi Germany could be shot.
All the small simple cases went well and about 50 persons were shot. Once the state got to the more complex cases, the lawyers were better and some of vitnesses had been found guilty and had been shot so in the end the big fish got off with fines and some years in prison. 10 years after the war all war criminals had been released.
This will also happen in the war on drugs. Look at China and the Philippines. Ordinary small dealers are killed, the big masterminds stay their distance and cash in.
What about the deals who lure people for illegal drugs?
In many cases drug use starts up because professionals introduce patients to legal drugs. It can be medication against ADHD given to young people where the doctors have misdiagnosed the patients. It ends up being used as legal doping. In some cases the sideeffects are so big that the patient still believing that there is an illness look for other drugs as replacement for the legal drugs.
The medication industry overmedicate the population. Some things in life will hurt. Being run over. Getting dental work. Losing your parents. Breaking a bone. Pain relief in the start might be OK, but some types of pain, you will actually cope better with if you started to do certain exercises or basically just tried to go for long walks so your brain can be given something simple to think about.
In Europe many people who face certain forms of crisis in their life actually walk The Way of Saint James instead of sitting around back home trying to medicating themselves out of pain or sorrow ending up living a better life.
None go through life unscratched and we see an medication industry trying to get us to think that there is a pill against everything.
The present substance abuse epidemic has a lot to do with legal perscription medication. This is not addressed.
Nothing learned from the past
What did happen in 1980's during the first war on drugs was a boost in alternative residential so-called drug treatment programs run by people who had absolute no knowledge into the complex illness which drug addiction is. Drug addiction is a legal medical illness and when treated it should be done by professionals only.
In the 1980's and 1990's children got hurt by treatment conducted by amaturs. For many there were no addiction to start with. It was suspicions alone which landed them in a treatment program. There were no real tests and in many cases the entire operation was not drug treatment but rather getting money from the state or parents which were the motivation for the entire operation.
We at Spft recognize that people die from drugs, just as they die in traffic or die from consuming legal things like beers, wine and other forms of alcohol and even in some case just too much food in general.
Of course the hospitals should be equipped dealing with cases of substance abuse just as they are with treatment of anything else which can kill people.
But the War on drugs should start in a different place. Focusing on punishment for those who provide the drugs on street level is not the solution. Look where the drugs come from. Should the entire world not focusing on make these countries and these people far away earn their money in some other way? Let us not forget that about a little over 100 years ago all major countries (including the United States) invaded China so they were forced to allow Opium. Opium were produced in India and repeating the mistake of fixing the issue where the drugs are used instead of fixing the issue where the drugs are grown and produced will be a lesson not learned.
Is that how far we are in the year of 2018? Did we not learn anything?hese countries, drug use is suddenly a bad thing.
Source:
The original testimony
Monday, March 19, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Seed boarding school suicide - ambitions too costly?
Is is sad to learn that a suicide took place at Seed Boarding School in Washington DC. Even here in Denmark we have worked for more than 4 decade trying to figure out how to prevent certain areas to produce a larger part of the prison population and groups of people with low-income groups from concentrating themselves in urban blocks hard to control by the authorities. In Denmark there are now illegal alternative justice systems and gangs controlling parts of the large cities like they were the police.
In fact the gang war which took a violent turn forcing the United States embassy to warn tourists was only settled by a ceasefire negotiated without the participation of the authorities. Solutions are needed and they are needed right now.
In Denmark they now discuss simply to tear parts of the cities down forcing the poor part of Danish population to parts of Denmark called “The Rotten Banana”. It is parts of Denmark where they now only can afford the maintenance of dirt roads. Parts of Denmark where there are so many ruins that the villages got money from the state to tear buildings down as none are expected to live there anymore.
Some have suggested youth curfews as they have them in other countries. Some state that it was how Iceland fixed it. The problem with curfews in Denmark are that they will not work because the government will not invest the amount of money needed and you cannot mobilize the entire population as they did in Iceland because Denmark is a country where the population travelling in two pace. The difference between rich and poor in Denmark has increased over the last 3 decades. Basically the distance between the politicians and 60 percent of the population is so big that it is almost as they were living on two different planets. Parents only have surplus for their own kids. The time used for work and commuting allows no room for parents to use 2-3 hours every evening patrolling the streets as they do in Iceland.
A youth curfew without massive investment in sports combined with rolling the failed school reform back seems impossible and without those two factors youth curfews are impossible to impose. Iceland is the only country where youth curfews have worked and it was because parents were mobilized on national basis and the government invested massive in sports. Otherwise it would just be felt like Denmark once again was occupied by a foreign power like Denmark was during the second World War.
Then there is the possibility to create boarding schools like Seed. Danish research shows that children who have parents with an academically background are more likely to do something with their high school degree. That is the reason that Denmark now tries to prevent children with poor parents from choosing high school. Instead the government hope that they will be trained to do manual labor or work in shops. According to the government there is no reason to waste 3 years at high school if you do not want to study at universities.
Could you ask parents to let their children live at a boarding school close your home where they will be fed, have fixed bed times and study hard with guidance from well-educated people? That is what they do at the Seed boarding schools. It seems to work.
But there is a limit and I fear that they have bypassed it. What if the child has no motivation and comes from a background where the parents are on welfare or only have part time jobs. Should you then force the child? Should you put the expectation on the child when you know the destiny they were born to live, will not be on the first class?
I say no and I say it based on the research learned over 4 decades. In Denmark we offer student grants and it should make it possible to battle social heritage. Fact is: It doesn’t. Children still grow up for the most part following the social heritage their parents have ending up in the same situation as an adult.
I believe that the option of a boarding school system like Seed should be established in Denmark but NEVER it should be something you force children to attend. It is a question about expecting something from life. If you do not expect something, then you do not get disappointed. If you learn to settle you become happy.
I am sad that the girl saw no other option than death. I do not know whether she was pressured to attend the boarding school nor do I know if she felt unrealistic ambitions on her behalf from her parents. But the risk exist.
So remember: There might be solutions but you do not have to choose them. “Hygge” as we say it in Denmark is what life is about, because we are an entire generation who have learned the hard way that living a life with hard work reaching out for new goals all the time will not secure you early retirement, you can enjoy while your health allow it.
I will pray for the family who have suffered the tragic loss of a daughter.
Source:
12-year-old student found dead of apparent suicide at SEED school in D.C. (The Washington Post)
In fact the gang war which took a violent turn forcing the United States embassy to warn tourists was only settled by a ceasefire negotiated without the participation of the authorities. Solutions are needed and they are needed right now.
In Denmark they now discuss simply to tear parts of the cities down forcing the poor part of Danish population to parts of Denmark called “The Rotten Banana”. It is parts of Denmark where they now only can afford the maintenance of dirt roads. Parts of Denmark where there are so many ruins that the villages got money from the state to tear buildings down as none are expected to live there anymore.
Some have suggested youth curfews as they have them in other countries. Some state that it was how Iceland fixed it. The problem with curfews in Denmark are that they will not work because the government will not invest the amount of money needed and you cannot mobilize the entire population as they did in Iceland because Denmark is a country where the population travelling in two pace. The difference between rich and poor in Denmark has increased over the last 3 decades. Basically the distance between the politicians and 60 percent of the population is so big that it is almost as they were living on two different planets. Parents only have surplus for their own kids. The time used for work and commuting allows no room for parents to use 2-3 hours every evening patrolling the streets as they do in Iceland.
A youth curfew without massive investment in sports combined with rolling the failed school reform back seems impossible and without those two factors youth curfews are impossible to impose. Iceland is the only country where youth curfews have worked and it was because parents were mobilized on national basis and the government invested massive in sports. Otherwise it would just be felt like Denmark once again was occupied by a foreign power like Denmark was during the second World War.
Then there is the possibility to create boarding schools like Seed. Danish research shows that children who have parents with an academically background are more likely to do something with their high school degree. That is the reason that Denmark now tries to prevent children with poor parents from choosing high school. Instead the government hope that they will be trained to do manual labor or work in shops. According to the government there is no reason to waste 3 years at high school if you do not want to study at universities.
Could you ask parents to let their children live at a boarding school close your home where they will be fed, have fixed bed times and study hard with guidance from well-educated people? That is what they do at the Seed boarding schools. It seems to work.
But there is a limit and I fear that they have bypassed it. What if the child has no motivation and comes from a background where the parents are on welfare or only have part time jobs. Should you then force the child? Should you put the expectation on the child when you know the destiny they were born to live, will not be on the first class?
I say no and I say it based on the research learned over 4 decades. In Denmark we offer student grants and it should make it possible to battle social heritage. Fact is: It doesn’t. Children still grow up for the most part following the social heritage their parents have ending up in the same situation as an adult.
I believe that the option of a boarding school system like Seed should be established in Denmark but NEVER it should be something you force children to attend. It is a question about expecting something from life. If you do not expect something, then you do not get disappointed. If you learn to settle you become happy.
I am sad that the girl saw no other option than death. I do not know whether she was pressured to attend the boarding school nor do I know if she felt unrealistic ambitions on her behalf from her parents. But the risk exist.
So remember: There might be solutions but you do not have to choose them. “Hygge” as we say it in Denmark is what life is about, because we are an entire generation who have learned the hard way that living a life with hard work reaching out for new goals all the time will not secure you early retirement, you can enjoy while your health allow it.
I will pray for the family who have suffered the tragic loss of a daughter.
Source:
12-year-old student found dead of apparent suicide at SEED school in D.C. (The Washington Post)
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Iowa is closing a loophole. Is it not time for Missouri to do the same?
Midwest Academy used a loophole in state legislation to run a school under conditions which now have resulted in a guilty verdict against the manager of the school. Because the manager was no more than a franchisee, who used and enforced the structure of the franchisor - the money men behind what was in the old days called WWASP. new schools could be created in other states now where Iowa will close the loophole with new laws.
Fact is that it is possible.
If you run a religious boarding school in Missouri, none will look after how the business is set up.
It should not be so. Regardless if you call a facility which house minors a group home, a boarding school, a wildernes therapy program or a boot camp, the state should monitor the business activities by unannounced visits where they interview the children randomly outside the hearing area of the employees. Only then possible child abuse can be prevented.
We have to remember that the child abuse inside such facilities is not limited to bring suffering to the children. Random people outside can be hurt when the children try to run. Random employees who had nothing to do with the abuse can also become the victims. To put it short: Innocent people can be hurt.
If we look at a specific case, we could look at a place in Missouri called LUC Ranch. LUC stands for lives under Construction. A few years ago 2 boys ran from the ranch. They killed a couple down the road so they had something to drive in. A family lost relatives. It was a tragedy. Now some years later it turns out that rapes among the teenagers were not reported. The knowledge was kept within the ranch as a big secret because they wanted customers to remain referring their children to the ranch. It was not the right way to deal with such an issue but it was possible because religious based facilities can operate using a loophole where they are not required to tell anyone.
We do not know how many boys at LUC ranch who was abused. Now the escape attempt which ended with the loss of two innocent lives makes sense. I have to ask: Do you want to be raped? If not to which extend will you go in order to avoid that? Will you take a life? Will you take two?
Of course killing people regardless of what they faced back at the ranch is no excuse. I can say that because I sit thousand of miles from the place and never have been in a situation where I was in danger of being raped. In my mind the two boys who killed the couple must face the punishment the court decide they should suffer due to their crimes. I do not know if a rape victim will see it different. I have never been in that situation so how can I understand what it is like. Still I have to put faith into that the court system will find the right solution.
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, there is still work to be done. The loophole which allowed LUC ranch to operate without supervision of any kind must be stopped, just like Iowa is doing now. Because the relaxed legislation has resulted in the loss of lives before.
At Mountain Park Academy a boy was killed by two other boys. This facility which is now closed used extreme corporal punishment at it only kind of therapy in the name of Christ. The two boys were planning to run away and they felt that they had to silence the poor victim so he did not tell the employees about the escape plan. One of the murderers died in prison. The other boy is still locked up.
Supervision and monitoring will ensure that the risk of child abuse inside these facilities will be minimized. It will minimize the risk of further deaths. It will secure that the facilities will not hire employees who have criminal records or had been involved in child abuse cases before.
The state of Missouri needs to act now.
Sources:
Fact is that it is possible.
If you run a religious boarding school in Missouri, none will look after how the business is set up.
It should not be so. Regardless if you call a facility which house minors a group home, a boarding school, a wildernes therapy program or a boot camp, the state should monitor the business activities by unannounced visits where they interview the children randomly outside the hearing area of the employees. Only then possible child abuse can be prevented.
We have to remember that the child abuse inside such facilities is not limited to bring suffering to the children. Random people outside can be hurt when the children try to run. Random employees who had nothing to do with the abuse can also become the victims. To put it short: Innocent people can be hurt.
If we look at a specific case, we could look at a place in Missouri called LUC Ranch. LUC stands for lives under Construction. A few years ago 2 boys ran from the ranch. They killed a couple down the road so they had something to drive in. A family lost relatives. It was a tragedy. Now some years later it turns out that rapes among the teenagers were not reported. The knowledge was kept within the ranch as a big secret because they wanted customers to remain referring their children to the ranch. It was not the right way to deal with such an issue but it was possible because religious based facilities can operate using a loophole where they are not required to tell anyone.
We do not know how many boys at LUC ranch who was abused. Now the escape attempt which ended with the loss of two innocent lives makes sense. I have to ask: Do you want to be raped? If not to which extend will you go in order to avoid that? Will you take a life? Will you take two?
Of course killing people regardless of what they faced back at the ranch is no excuse. I can say that because I sit thousand of miles from the place and never have been in a situation where I was in danger of being raped. In my mind the two boys who killed the couple must face the punishment the court decide they should suffer due to their crimes. I do not know if a rape victim will see it different. I have never been in that situation so how can I understand what it is like. Still I have to put faith into that the court system will find the right solution.
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, there is still work to be done. The loophole which allowed LUC ranch to operate without supervision of any kind must be stopped, just like Iowa is doing now. Because the relaxed legislation has resulted in the loss of lives before.
At Mountain Park Academy a boy was killed by two other boys. This facility which is now closed used extreme corporal punishment at it only kind of therapy in the name of Christ. The two boys were planning to run away and they felt that they had to silence the poor victim so he did not tell the employees about the escape plan. One of the murderers died in prison. The other boy is still locked up.
Supervision and monitoring will ensure that the risk of child abuse inside these facilities will be minimized. It will minimize the risk of further deaths. It will secure that the facilities will not hire employees who have criminal records or had been involved in child abuse cases before.
The state of Missouri needs to act now.
Sources:
- Boys ranch named in wrongful death lawsuit (Branson Tri Lakes News)
- Suit: Missouri ranch for troubled boys covered up sex abuse (Southeast Missourian)
- Man convicted as a teen of murder at Missouri boarding school dies (Missouri Net)
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