The Mormon Gulag

[_harmony]

What makes you think that's not what GoodK is doing?

It is certainly not the approach he and others have taken here or on the linked website--which is all that I intended to speak to.

As for the rest of your snarl, I will ignore it for want of edification. ;-)

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

We here, and his friends elsewhere, are helping him. Thanks for your concern.

And snarl? Unholy glee, maybe, but never snarl.

[_marg]

I thought tough love programs were reserved for children of the rich whose parents considered them the worst of the worst--hard core druggies, thieves, etc. and in order to keep them out of court, they send them to these sorts of facilities? (children of poor parents who are the worst of the worst are confined to juvenile hall or prison when tried as adults and the bill is given to the tax payers). But for almost 3 years???

That may be, that in the majority of cases kids who end up in thought reform or behavior modification facilities which use techniques to what Eric describes and they do exist because I have been reading about them on the Net..may be kids in fact who have serious emotional issues. I really can't see most parents sending their kids anywhere unless there was a serious problem going on. Certainly though the sorts of abusive program Eric describes are not medically appropriate...putting people on leashes, having them wear blankets instead of clothes, ostracizing them completely from family and friends, not allowing them to talk for long periods etc. So the actual program is not appropriate no matter if the kids have serious issues or not. It seems there are few regulations on this industry. And a kid who doesn't really have issues but simply is rebelling against a parent's wishes such as it seems with the case of Eric and his dad, the dad has the right too send him to a thought reform school using abusive techniquesa s part of the , and it seems with an emphasis in promoting Mormonism and Eric has no recourse. by the way few lawyers have been interested in taking on these cases. http://nospank.net/szlvtz7.htm perahps that will change.

The legislation would ban "disciplinary techniques or other practices that involve the withholding of essential food, water, clothing, shelter, or medical care," and prohibit "acts of physical or mental abuse designed to humiliate, degrade, or undermine a child's self-respect." It would require that teens have access to a 24/7 abuse reporting hotline and that staff be educated about the nature of child abuse and neglect so that they understand that maltreatment is illegal even if program owners call it "therapy."

And possibly even more importantly, it includes a "private right of action" which would pay lawyers' fees for those who successfully sue these programs on behalf of parents and teens.

In the past -- despite thousands of cases of severe abuse -- few attorneys have been willing to take these cases because they risk spending a great deal of money that may not be recouped unless they win an extremely large judgment. This provision would level the playing field -- and could make programs uninsurable if they did not stop abusive practices like those experienced by Kathryn Whitehead and Jon Martin-Crawford, who testified eloquently at the hearings.

[_GoodK]

I'd like to see him address this further for at the root of sexual and physical abuse lies the issues of supervision. One one hand, I'm hearing that youth were closely supervised and monitored.

I most definitely will.

Where's the opportunity?

This is absurd. You can't be serious. People in jail don't have the opportunity for such things either, do they?

GoodK, I'm trying to be fair to you and your feelings, and you obviously had a very bad experience at the UBR, but I've searched the Net in vain looking for any similar reports/claims about the UBR. I know a Net search isn't the ideal way of going about this, but I would think that someone, somewhere, who experienced similar treatment would surely have spoken out by now?

I know there isn't much available via a regular search engine query (trust me, I've exhausted them in preparation for this) a website dedicated to the same cause used to exist. It's no longer up, unfortunately, but it was http://www.utahboysranchabuse.net. I have been in touch with the author of the site in the past, but not recently. I am in the possession of dozens of testimonials; on camera, audio recordings, and in writing. I have one very substantial piece of almost priceless hard evidence in my possession that was given to me by a former resident.

Remember, this post was to announce the website and upcoming protest and is just the beginning of much, much more to come.

From what I've read of the UBR over the past couple of days (and I've done a lot of searching), the positive stories dominate.

Not like it really matters to me, but again, I don't know anyone that would endorse that place. I have no reason to believe that those testimonials on the Boys Ranch's own website are genuine. Quite the contrary, in fact. Soon a new addition to the site will be up addressing the many obvious untruths perpetrated by the Mormon Gulag's official website.

But you can't have looked too hard. If you are looking for negative testimonials apart from those on my website, you should have checked the Myspace groups, the Facebook groups, and the Myspace school page for West Ridge Academy. There are plenty.

In fact, as I said, I'm having difficulty coming across any negative ones, apart from the ones I've read on your site.

See my last response. Plus my website will be updated and then the book and film when they are available.

That is not to down play the bad experiences of those who have had them, but I think Wade is right on one point - you're going to have to get some serious documentation and more stories if anything is to be accomplished, as far as your aim is concerned.

I'll respond to Brother Englund in a moment, but you shouldn't assume that I don't have tons more stories in my possession because they aren't available to you via Google or my website yet.
I'm not going to be sensational and just give this forum a list of the most disturbing details for shock value. I have been networking for the last few years, in preparation for this project. I've been to Utah six times this year alone for this. I'm not going to give it all away on http://www.mormondiscussions.com just yet.

I'm glad to see a hunger for more, though. Most of you should be very satisfied, when more information becomes available.

This thread has made for an interesting read.

Good to hear. I imagine the book will be riveting.

And, if GoodK and others are serious about resolving this issue, then it would be good to know that there are productive problem resolution strategies and counterproductive strategies. I mention this because the later seems to have prevailed in this thread.

Oh, I see. I know what this is. Here is what I had to say in response to Brother Peterson's attempt at damage control:

"He whispers in my ear late at night, and tries to steal the blessings God has given me. There is a serpent that whispers to me in church, telling me to do it for myself. There is a deceiver who whispers to me when I’m with family and friends. Why does he whisper? The devil whispers doubt, but Jesus speaks assurance. The devil whispers failure, but Jesus speaks victory. There also are times when the devil attempts to convince me that what I’m about to do isn’t wrong, but God reveals them for what they are. The devil whispers fun, but Jesus reveals fornication. The devil whispers stories, but Jesus reveals lies. The devil whispers admiration, but Jesus reveals idolatry. The devil whispers love, but Jesus reveals betrayal. The devil whispers survival, but Jesus reveals transgression. The devil whispers all your dreams, fantasies, and lusts, but Jesus reveals hell."

Here is a brief list of productive steps:

LOL. Thank goodness you've given me these. I was sort of just flailing around with no real direction until now. Whew.

1. Clearly and specifically define the problem (who exactly is doing what to whom and how and where and when).

Done.

2. Make a best-effort attempt to assemble documentation for the specifics listed above.

Done.

3. Formulate viable and specific solutions for the specific problems, including mapping out clearly defined strategies and objectives for implementing the solutions.

Except I'm not looking to reform the Utah Boys Ranch to bring it in accordance with LDS standards.

4. Write this all up in a reasoned and dispassionate report, and present it to the appropriate authorities--i.e. those who have legal and administrative oversight responsibilities as well as those who are in a position to affect change.

Why would I expect the state legislature in Utah - which is 90% LDS, and remember Chris Buttars is a SENATOR - to be motivated to "affect change" at this place. Like I've said before, there are more effective methods of shutting this place down, and that is the direction I am going to take it.

5. Continue to monitoring and conjolling the process along to resolution, and make whatever adaptive changes that will best assure success.

LOL. Good stuff, good stuff.

What I have found here on this thread have been vauge and sweeping accusations (indiscriminate mud-slinging)

Care to document a "specific" example?

emoting, name-calling, rumors and innuendo,

Nice! You really are pulling at our heart strings. You're making me feel bad for even bringing this up.

Sorry, Brother Englund.

dismissiveness towards those who may question or have varied views

Baloney.


lol.

equally vague and sweeping solutions (close the place down?),

Let me be more specific then. Close the Utah Boys Ranch down. Cause it's occupancy to drop in such a manner that it shall no longer be able to afford it's operating expenses.

(better?)

ineffectual resolution tactics (protests? anti-website?),

To be fair, I have little to nothing to do with the protest. The website is mostly mine, but I don't share your opinion that it is an ineffectual resolution tactic.

I'm sure you would be hard-pressed to explain how it is, especially in light of Ray's complaint for lack of negative talk about the Gulag online.

and this all voiced among people here who are far removed from the situation,
are relatively ignorant of all sides of the matter, and have little or no influence to affect positive change.

Well, luckily I seem to be one of the few here who are not far removed from the situation. You and I, Brother Englund. You and I.

Unfortunately, such may have only served to de-crediblize the effort.

The thousands of visits to my website, and the dozens of emails pledging support -already seem to indicate you are wrong about this.

It is certainly not the approach he and others have taken here or on the linked website--which is all that I intended to speak to.

This is certainly a false statement. I'm not sure you even understand the situation, or what our mission is, or even what the best way to go about
solving this problem is. I think I am in a far better position to make that call. Like I said to Ray, this thread is only an announcement for the website, and the website - still in its infancy - is only the beginning.

Thanks for your interest, by the way.All I can say is, stay tuned.

[_cinepro]

The Utah Boys Ranch was founded by the prominent Utah Mormon Lowell L. Bennion in the 1960's.

If that is true, it is a tragedy. The boys camps that Lowell Bennion started were the antithesis of what is described on your site, and certainly Bennion would be right with you in condemning these modern camps if these are the tactics they promote.

[_GoodK]

The Utah Boys Ranch was founded by the prominent Utah Mormon Lowell L. Bennion in the 1960's.

If that is true, it is a tragedy. The boys camps that Lowell Bennion started were the antithesis of what is described on your site, and certainly Bennion would be right with you in condemning these modern camps if these are the tactics they promote.

It's just a lie.

Just kidding, but I did explain the connection a little better early on in the thread to Truth Dancer.

The place Bennion founded and the place Buttars operated were two entirely different places.

[_Ray A]

I know there isn't much available via a regular search engine query (trust me, I've exhausted them in preparation for this) a website dedicated to the same cause used to exist. It's no longer up, unfortunately, but it was http://www.utahboysranchabuse.net. I have been in touch with the author of the site in the past, but not recently. I am in the possession of dozens of testimonials; on camera, audio recordings, and in writing. I have one very substantial piece of almost priceless hard evidence in my possession that was given to me by a former resident.

Remember, this post was to announce the website and upcoming protest and is just the beginning of much, much more to come.

Fair enough, I'll be following it with much interest, as I'm sure many others are.

[Guest]

Along the lines of what wade said, GoodK, if you really are concerned and determined to help this place shape up, given your experiences and views of it, you must carefully consider what methods you employ. If you are more interested in a campaign of shame and blame you may lose the overall game. The game being improving the situation, which I hope is your cause.

I would say that if your intent is to embarrass the folks there you can do so, but in general, you risk damaging your message if you present it poorly. If a good case can be built of abuse as you say, there needs to be police and media involvement. You can become the advocate role instead of the accuser role, which will give you the moral high-ground you will need if you really desire to change the situation.

[_GoodK]

Along the lines of what wade said, GoodK, if you really are concerned and determined to help this place shape up...

Thanks LOAP. I should be more clear-- my intentions are not to help this place "shape up" or "reform" itself.

[_LifeOnaPlate]

Along the lines of what wade said, GoodK, if you really are concerned and determined to help this place shape up...

Thanks LOAP. I should be more clear-- my intentions are not to help this place "shape up" or "reform" itself.

Indeed, if your goal is to shut the place down there are better ways to go about it as well. Again, you will find some sympathetic ears in regards to the stories you have to tell, but you risk sounding more like a disgruntled "un-rehabilitated" person, even if you didn't need rehabilitation to begin with.

[_consiglieri]

In 2005, the time had come for me to place my 14-year old son in a behavioral correction institution.

For those who wonder how a parent could do such a thing to a child they love, I can only say I might have wondered the same thing . . . until it became the only option left.

And so you know, it broke my heart to do it.

At this very time when I was looking for a good place, and believe me there are tons out there to choose from, I and my ex were looking at the Boy's Ranch in Utah because there my son would be closer to where his mother lives.

At this very time, a sister from a ward we used to live in, and who we hadn't seen or talked to in literally years, just happened to drop by our home one Saturday afternoon to say "Hi."

For some other reason that I cannot fathom, the subject of my son was brought up and that we were considering the Boy's Ranch.

She told us that we needed to contact her niece who had a son who was sent there and had the most awful experience, and who was in the process of banding together with other parents to take some sort of action. I contacted the niece, confirmed her story, and averted a likely catastrophe for my son.

I am only sorry that GookK was not so fortunate.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri