Hey everyone... sorry I haven't been updating much.  I've still been footing the bill to keep this journal running quickly and ad free, but college applications have eaten up a lot of my time and I haven't had the time to stay as up on events as I'd like, and therefore had little to update on.  There is actually a great deal I would like to write about, but being that it's getting late and I have school bright and early tomorrow (and still much to get done tonight) I am going to keep this one brief and give you guys a somewhat prepackaged letter from the good people at MoveOn.org.  The patriot act is terrible, and tramples our civil liberties.  Now that we finally have the chance to stop it, it is absolutely necissary that moderates and progressives band together and put pressure on lawmakers to counter what this administration's PR system is putting out.  There is a link in the letter.  Thanks in advance for your help guys!

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Last night we learned that the Defense Department has been secretly collecting intelligence on small peace groups, like one gathering at a Quaker Meeting House in Lake Worth, Florida.1 It's a jarring reminder of the ongoing erosion of our civil liberties. This Friday, the Senate is expected to vote on a new and even more dangerous version of the Patriot Act.2

A bipartisan group of senators have agreed to fight the Patriot Act—by filibuster if necessary. The law currently goes too far in curtailing our freedoms and they're fighting back. This is the time to act.

This is a huge moment. Senators from both parties are standing together to protect privacy and liberty in a time of war—and they're ready to go all the way. It's important to support them and to show those who are still on the fence how important this issue is to you. Will you help us reach 250,000 signatures on our petition so we can hand deliver them in time for the vote?

http://political.moveon.org/patriotact

If this filibuster holds, Congress could vote to temporarily extend the Patriot Act as it stands—allowing time to craft a new, better version that addresses the big problems in the law. This would be a huge victory for those of us who believe that liberty is non-negotiable.

In 2001, only one senator voted against the Patriot Act. Since then, people from all across the political spectrum have come to realize that the Patriot Act strikes a blow to the fundamental rights, liberties, and privacy of all Americans. Protecting freedom is something that all of us—progressives and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans—can agree on.

That's why a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Larry Craig, John Sununu, Lisa Murkowski and Democrats Russ Feingold, Dick Durbin and Ken Salazar, have been working to fix the Patriot Act. They have vowed to fight the most egregious provisions and filibuster reauthorization if necessary. We need to show them that we have their backs.

The Patriot Act that the president wants them to pass now goes too far and doesn't protect the privacy of innocent Americans. It doesn't address some of the biggest problems in the law. For example:3

    * The government can obtain your private records, like medical, library, school, and other records—without showing any connection between your activities and a suspected foreign terrorist.
    * Some 30,000 National Security Letters ("NSLs") are issued each year to obtain private records,4 and the recipients of those NSLs are under a gag order that is almost impossible to overturn. But the Patriot Act does nothing to address these abusive powers.
    * The government is allowed to get "sneak and peek" search warrants to search a home or business and doesn't have to tell the owner of the premises for a month. This power can be used in cases that don't have anything to do with terrorism.

Right now, the Patriot Act is just bad law about to get worse—and leaders in the Washington are actually willing to try to block it. We can't let our only chance to fix it slip away without a fight.

Hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition like this will show the Senate how serious Americans are about protecting their constitutional freedoms. Will you sign the petition and show your support for filibustering a Patriot Act that doesn't include privacy protections?

http://political.moveon.org/patriotact

Together, we can make sure we're safe—and our freedom is safe, too.

Thanks for all you do,

–Eli, Nita, Ben, Jennifer and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
  Wednesday, December 14th, 2005

According to the texas state website, She ran for city council in 1989 as a moderate, but struggled during her interview with the lesbian/gay coalition. (At the time, it would have been considered progressive to even show up.) The Dallas Police Department did not then hire gays or lesbians, and when asked about the policy, Miers replied the department should hire the best-qualified people, the classic political sidestep answer.

When pressed, she said she did believe one should be able to legally discriminate against gays, and it is the recollection of two of the organization's officers that the response involved her religious beliefs.

I dunno guys, she may not be as conservative as a lot of people, but the evidence would show she is anti abortion, anti right to die, and anti gay rights.  Hmmmm, with roberts and her voting... they could overturn Roe v Wade and Lawrence v Texas.  That'd be the end of womens and gay rights unless the (republican controlled) congress stepped in.

Ok so I'll give you that noone in their right minds really expected the situation for gays in Iran to be in any way good, but hanging two teenagers?  Burning?  Beating with cables?  Hearing a first hand account really puts the situation for gays and really anyone but powerful religious leaders in Iran in context for us all, I know it's a little disturbing but it will really make you think.

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The Dangers of Being Young, Gay, and Iranian

By Doug Ireland, Gay City News
Posted on September 27, 2005, Printed on September 27, 2005
http://www.alternet.org/story/26018/

Amir is a 22-year-old gay Iranian who was arrested by Iran's morality police as part of a massive Internet entrapment campaign targeting gays, beaten and tortured while in custody, threatened with death, and lashed 100 times. He escaped from Iran in August, and is now in Turkey, where he awaits a grant of asylum by a gay-friendly country.

In a two-hour telephone interview from Turkey, Amir -- through a native Persian translator -- provided a terrifying, first-hand account of the Islamic Republic of Iran's intense and extensive anti-gay crackdown, which swept up Amir and made him its victim. Here is Amir's story.

Amir is from Shiraz, a city of more than a million people in southwestern Iran that the Shah tried to make "the Paris of Iran" in the 1960s and 1970s, attracting a not insignificant gay population and making the city a favorite vacation spot for Iranian gays. But, after the 1979 revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini, Shiraz was targeted as a symbol of taaghoot, or decadence.

Amir's father was killed by a gas attack in the Iran-Iraq war in 1987, becoming -- in the Islamic Republic's official parlance -- a "martyr," whose surviving family thus had the right to special benefits and treatment from the state. Amir, who grew up with his mother, an older brother, and two sisters, said, "I've known I was gay since I was about five or six -- I always preferred to play with girls. I had my first sexual experience with a man when I was 13. But nobody in my family knew I was gay."

Amir's first arrest for being gay occurred two years ago. "I was at a private gay party, about 25 young people there, all of us close friends," he recalled. "One of the kids, Ahmed Reza -- whose father was a colonel in the intelligence services, and who was known to the police to be gay -- snitched on us, and alerted the authorities this private party was going to happen. Ahmed waited until everyone was there, then called the Office for Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice, headed in Shiraz by Colonel Safaniya, who a few minutes later raided the party. The door opened, and the cops swarmed in, insulting us -- screaming 'who's the bottom? Who's the top?' and beating us, led by Colonel Javanmardi. When someone tried to stop them beating up the host of the party, they were hit with pepper spray. One of our party was a transsexual -- the cops slapped her face so hard they busted her eardrum and she wound up in hospital. Ahmed Reza, the gay snitch, was identifying everyone as the cops beat us up. The cops took sheets, ripped them up, and blindfolded us, threw us into a van, and took us to a holding cell in Interior Ministry headquarters -- they knew us all by name."

Iranians live in fear of the Interior Ministry, which has a reputation like that of the former Soviet KGB's domestic bureau, and whose prisons strike terror in people's hearts the way the infamous Lubianka in Moscow did.

"I was the third person to be interrogated," Amir said. "The cops had seized videos taken at the party, in one of which I was reciting a poem. The cops told me to recite it again. 'What poem?' I said. They began beating me in the head and face. When I tried to deny I was gay, they took off my shoes and began beating the soles of my feet with cables. The pain was excruciating. I was still blindfolded. They had found dildos in the house where the party was-they beat me with them, stuffed them in my mouth. When I told them my father was a martyr [of the Iran-Iraq war] they beat me up even more, and harder. They took away my card [entitling Amir to martyr's benefits] and said they'd tell the local university, where I was studying computers."

Amir said that, at the same time, "They went to my house, seized my computer, found online homoerotic pictures of guys in it, and showed them to my mother. That's how mother found out I was gay. Eventually I was tried and fined 100,000 tomens [or about $120, a large sum in Iran]. At the time he fined me, the judge told me that 'if we send you to a physician who vouches that your rectum has been penetrated in any way, you will be sentenced to death.'"

Most of the anti-gay crackdown, Amir said, is conducted by the basiji, a sort of unofficial para-police under the authority of the hard-line Revolutionary Guards (called Pasdaran in Persian.) It is the basiji -- thugs recruited from the criminal classes and the lumpen unemployed -- who are assigned to be agents provocateurs, and are given the violent dirty work, so the regime can claim it wasn't officially responsible. For example, during recent university strikes and demonstrations, it was the basiji who were charged with the defenestrations and the vicious beatings of rebellious students.

A year after his first arrest, an unrepentant Amir was in a Yahoo gay chat room on the Web. "Someone came into the chat room and started messaging me, but I told him he wasn't my type and gave him a description of the kind of guy I was looking to meet," Amir recalled. "A few minutes later, another guy started messaging me. We exchanged pix, and he sent me his Web page right away -- and he matched exactly all the descriptions I'd sent to the previous guy. It turned out later both guys were police agents, they had so many they could come up with one who matched the personal preferences of any gay guy in the chat rooms.

"With this second guy, I was really excited, and we made a date for that afternoon at a phone booth near Bagh-e-Safa Bridge. When I got there, we started to walk away to talk and get to know each other. But within 30 seconds, I felt a hand laid on my shoulder from behind -- it was an undercover agent in regular clothes, whose name turned out to be Ali Panahi. With two other basiji, he handcuffed me, forced me into a car, and took me back to the Intelligence Ministry headquarters, a very scary place. There, I denied that I was gay, and denied that this had been a gay rendezvous -- but they showed me a printout from the chat room of my messages and my pix."

Then, said Amir, the torture began. "There was a metal chair in the middle of the room -- they put a gas flame under the chair, and made me sit on it as the metal seat got hotter and hotter. They threatened to send me to an army barracks where all the soldiers were going to rape me. There was a soft drink bottle sitting on a table -- Ali Panahi told one of the other basiji to take the bottle and shove it up my ass, screaming, 'This will teach you not to want any more cock!' I was so afraid of sitting in that metal chair as it got hotter and hotter that I confessed. Then they brought out my file, and told me that I was a 'famous faggot' in Shiraz. They beat me up so badly that I passed out, and was thrown, unconscious, into a holding cell. When I came to, I saw there were several dozen other gay guys in the cell with me. One of them told me that, after they had taken him in, they beat him and forced him to set up dates with people through chat rooms-and each one of those people had been arrested, those were the other people in that cell with me.

"We were eventually all taken to court, and cross-examined. The judge sentenced four of us, including me, to public flogging. The news was printed all over the newspapers that a group of homosexuals had been arrested, with our names. I got 100 lashes -- I passed out before the 100 lashes were over. When I woke up, my arms and legs were so numb that I fell over when they picked me up from the platform on which I'd been lashed. They had told me that, if I screamed, they will beat me even harder -- so I was biting my arms so hard, to keep from screaming, that I left deep teeth wounds in my own arms."

After this entrapment and public flogging, Amir's life became unbearable -- he was rousted regularly at his home by the basiji and by agents of the Office for Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice (which represses "moral deviance" -- things such as boys and girls walking around holding hands, women not wearing proper Islamic dress or wearing makeup, same-sex relations, and prostitution).

But after the hangings of two gay teens in the city of Mashad in July of this year -- and the worldwide protests that followed those hangings -- Amir said that things got even worse for him and other Iranian gays. Amir was under continual surveillance, harassed, and threatened.

"After the Mashad incident, the visits from the authorities would become an almost daily occurrence," he said. "They would come to my house and threaten me. They knew everything about everything I did, about everywhere I went. They would tell me exactly what I had done each and every time I had left the house. It had gotten to the point where I was starting to suspect my own friends of spying on me.

"On one of these visits, Ali Panahi -- the one who'd arrested me the last time -- grabbed me by the hair and asked me if I'd suck his cock if he asked me to. One of my friends was raped by Ali Panahi, who fucked my friend in exchange for letting him go without a record. They would arrest me all the time, take me in for questioning in the middle of the day. When I left the house, they'd hassle me, ask me if I was going to go looking for dick, and tell me not to leave my house and to keep off the streets.

"In one of these arrests, Colonel Javanmardi told me that if they catch me again that I would be put to death, 'just like the boys in Mashad.' He said it just like that, very simply, very explicitly. He didn't mince his words. We all know that the boys who were hanged in Mashad were gay-the rape charges against them were trumped up, just like the charges of theft and kidnapping against them. When you get arrested, you are forced by beatings, torture, and threats to confess to crimes you didn't commit. It happens all the time, it happened to friends of mine. I could not get a job because of my case history. Since I was obviously gay I couldn't get a job anywhere, and could not get a government job because of my record."

By the last time the cops came to his house, Amir had decided to try to leave the country. "I invented an excuse, and told them I had to go to Tehran to take my higher university entrance exams," Amir said. "I already had a passport from three years ago. In Tehran I borrowed a little money from a friend and came to Turkey by bus. At the border, I really lucked out-I was terrified because I had a record, and not enough money to get out or pay a bribe."

But indolent border guards didn't bother to check on him-they just took his passport, stamped it, and let him leave. That, said Amir, was about a month ago.

When asked what message he wants to send to the world about what's happening in Iran, and what he thinks about his own future, Amir paused, then said: "The situation of gays in Iran is dreadful. We have no rights at all. They would beat me up and tell me to confess to things I hadn't done, and I would do it. The gays and lesbians in Iran are under unbelievable pressure-they need help, they need outside intervention. Things are really bad. Really bad. We are constantly harassed in public, walking down the street, going to the store, going home… anywhere and anywhere, everyone, everyone! One of my dear friends, Nima, commited suicide a month ago in Shiraz. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't know what's going to happen to me. I've run out of money. I don't know what to do. I just hope they don't send me back to Iran. They'll kill me there."

Doug Ireland writes the blog, Direland. Dr. Houman Sarshar contributed translation and research assistance in the preparation of this article.

Well, I was doing some of my daily news reading this afternoon and what did I turn up?  Well, it was one of the more interesting peices of news I have found in some time.  I'm not going to post the entire MSNBC article here, but there's your link and read it if you want.  Basicially, let me just fill you in, and then give you the quote that really made my stomach turn.

Long story short, Michael Brown, the cheif of FEMA and therefore the man in charge of the pathetic excuse for disaster relief in New Orleans and the gulf region that we have seen since Katrina struck, "accidentally" said that he had had experience dealing with disasters before in his resume, but oops... turns out he made the mistake and actually had no experience at all.  The article goes into it, and I've been up since 5:45, so I dont want to.  But basicially, he had NO disaster experience and NO job qualifications, and so has been relieved of his duty.  So what got him into office?  Well, according to the washington post...

"...five of eight top FEMA officials had come to their jobs with virtually no experience in handling disasters. The agency's top three leaders, including Brown, had ties to Bush's 2000 presidential campaign or the White House advance operation. "

This is the kind of administration we are dealing with... and we wonder why government doesn't run smoothly

OK, two entries in a day, I know its a thrilling thing, but I have faith that you can all handle it .  Before I go into why a really just want to drop kick arnold in the face.  I want to raise two points.  Firstly... after a look at this steriod addict turned used car salesman style he has going on, who DOESN'T want to kick him in the face?

Yes, ok, that sure was, um, a great pose there mister gov.  yeah.  AHEM.  the second point i wanted to raise is that my distain for him isn't just because I headed a team fighting the recall election that got him elected, although yeah hes a republican and therefore a target in my highly politicised mind, that in and of itself isn't enough reason for me to put together a post in this journal.  The events that unfolded today, however, provided more than enough motivation.

So I'm sure everyone who at least payed a little attention to the gay marriage debate in the last few years remembers the argument the republicans/conservatives made after the Mass. supreme court declaired that same sex marriage was mandated under their state constitution.  The argument was basicially that this equality shouldn't be "forced" upon the people by the court, but rather decided through the people via their elected representatives (IE the state leglislature).  Well, I spose they meant that, as long as those leglislative bodies decided that gay marriage should not be legalized in that state.  However, that is exactly what happened in California.  Both the house and the senate voted relatively strongly in favor of gay marriage.  This is the first time any US leglislature has legalised gay marriage.  The bill is passed to the govorners desk.  And, quite hypocriticially, he vetos it, stating that it doesn't represent the will of the people. 

Well, just thought that I'd make the world aware that the gov of cali needs to be kicked.  Hopefully he doesn't google himself, read this, and call me a "girlie man."  Because if you google Paul J Kadri, the superintennant of my school district, this journal sure is one of the first results.  Hopefully he doesn't google himself often.

However, just thought in case he IS reading this, i'd say something.  Arnold, according to scientific polling, nobody loves you.  Thats right!  Oh, you poor baby.  In fact, on MSNBC at this very moment, there is an article entitled "Voters have had enough of Schwartzenegger."  In fact, in that article it shows that 57% of californian voters don't want to see him re-elected, and only 39% say they'd consider a second term for Arnie.  A sub-headline in the article says the poor guy has "Low Ratings from all Demographics."  Oh too bad.  Boo hoo.  Well, at least he'll keep us fags and les's without proper legal protection before he gets the can.  Thank god for the terminator!  Don't worry, I wasn't using my rights anyway.

Hillary Takes The Offensive, a 2008 Preview (from MSNBC.com) by Howard Fineman

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton was on the line and out for blood. Ever since she was elected in 2000, and especially since 9/11, the junior senator from New York has been careful not to move too quickly onto the national political stage (which she knows she can dominate any time she wants to). Instead, she has diligently — and shrewdly — stuck to the discrete concerns of the Empire State, preferring to worry aloud about, say, Buffalo, rather than Baghdad. But Hurricane Katrina has thrown Hillary's caution to the wind: she's decided to made a federal case out of this one.

What Sen. Clinton said to reporters in the conference call I just listened to — that FEMA should be separated from the Department of Homeland Security; that we need a 9/11-style investigative commission — is less interesting than why she said it, and why she said it now.

The answers go beyond the obvious fact that President Bush is in an enfeebled state, entering the sixth year of his presidency hobbled by suspicously skyrocketing gasoline prices and the Mesopotamian Morass.

Hillary, always the didactic one, thinks she has a deeper point to offer — and with it, a rationale of her pending run for the White House in 2008. And that rationale is: we Clintons know all about the proper, humane use of national government, and these (Bush) conservatives don't.

Attached to that is a more personal point: Yes, my husband was no saint, but it's okay to talk about him now because everyone agrees that he and his administration handled disaster relief well.

Big Government ... sometimes
Bill Clinton rose to power by mastering the art of swimming against a rising conservative tide, which reached its first crest in the Reagan '80s, when Clinton was governor of Arkansas. He eschewed Big Government answers to problems, welfare chief among them.

As president he was equally cautious, especially after Bob Rubin convinced him that Wall Street wasn't eager to underwrite anything more grand. Clinton kept his distance from his own wife's healthcare plan, and didn't seem all that steamed when it fizzled. He triangulated his way to reelection in 1996 on small cultural gestures.

But FEMA and disaster relief were relatively risk-free ways for Clinton to honor the Democratic Party's Big Government tradition. Even churlish conservatives would have to acknowledge not just the legitimacy, but the wisdom of a large federal role in planning for and cleaning up after natural disasters.

Clinton picked as FEMA chief  James Lee Witt, a fellow Arkansan known for skill, experience and effectiveness in what had been considered a political backwater. As Empathizer-in-Chief, Clinton would need someone who could deliver the goods, and Witt knew how.

In his own comments, the former president was fairly cautious. After all, he and former President Bush have teamed up for another fund-raising drive. Still, he was blunter than usual in a prelude to what his wife would say the next day.

In the Gulf States, he said, "our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now that there is no dispute about it; 100 percent of the people recognized that it was a failure.... I have my own ideas about what caused it," he added — but left it up to his wife to explain them.

The next day Hillary arrived to tout this legacy. In "eight years of the Clinton Administration," she said, "qualified" officials ran FEMA. "During the Clinton Administration," she said, "the government took the lead in handling disasters of significance." And "that is as it should be," she said, since the federal government — and the national economy and American consumers-would ultimately have to pay the bill for the disaster in any case.

"FEMA had gotten very high marks" during her husband's tenure, she said. "There was a lot of good work done in eight years." 

She wasn't finished. The Bush Administration's emphasis on the role of state and local governments and private charities "is a recipe for disaster," she said. "There was nobody in charge at the federal government level and no one willing to take responsibility to work with state and local governments."

Katrina exposed the weakness of  planning for another terrorist attack, she said. "There is no plan, no overall strategy. We don't have a seamless, smooth-running response machine."

But now Hillary does.

No wendy, i'm not done blogging, i just moved and also didn't find anything quite worth posting for a while .  However, today ended that.  This might not be so shocking for everyone, but being that fishtanks are my livelyhood and passion, this made me (and apparently all those that emailed me) sick.  Tetra (tetra-fin tetra-aqua tetra-health tetra-fauna tetra-tech etc) is one of the leading aquarium supply companies today.  Their foods still haven't been beaten, and their chemicials are the best on the freshwater market.  Marineland has royally kicked their asses in the equipment sector, but good old german imported tetra chemicials still crowd my shelves and are all i trust for the tanks i maintain.  However, tetra has for whatever reason never touched the subject or marine tank care, nor are any of their products designed specificially for saltwater besides their new marine flakes.  Why, then, they would go on to CBS and set up a terrible marine setup i dont know.  My issue is that they, with their amazing reputation for fishkeeping expertise, went on TV and spread bad information to people with little knowledge of aquatics who may find it acceptable simply because, well, tetra did it.

I realise that might sound dumb, but people really assume that because they saw it done somewhere it is ethical.  Case in point, one of my jobs and a little under half of my income comes from working at petsmart, and when i am selling a fish that gets, say, 13 inches long, I tell people that it needs at least a 55 gallon tank.  However, they think it is all fine and well to keep it in a 10 gallon tank because that is the size of the retail display tank they are temporarily located in in the store is.  Oh, i do so love talking to customers, they never seem to listen .

Yeah, so anyway, what inspired tetra to do this setup on CBS is completely beyond me.  Let me list a few of the very fundamental errors they made:

• They added too many fish at once, which would lead to a toxic ammonia spike and kill the fish
• They added seahorses, which need a very different setup from the seven gallon tank (they require a minimum of 30) that was shown
• The tang that was added required a tank much larger than 30 gallons
• The starfish SHOULD NOT have been touched like that, toxins on our hands through hand lotions etc are absorbed through their skins

I'll leave it at that because I could rant on and on about this issue.  Basicially, tetra should be advocating responsible fishkeeping.  Although I will continue to trust tetras products, my respect for them as a company dropped significantly.  Ugh, if i ever handled a tank like that i would loose that client forever haha.

If anyone wants to view the clip, just click here!

You guys all might remember the article I posted with regard to Zach, a kid that came out to his parents and was sent to a "love in action" camp, the ultimate goal of which was to "make him straight."  Well, I was able to finally find his blog, which is mentioned so many times in the article.  So, I wanted to post that for all of you, and also (for those of you that don't feel like exploring his journal) post a few of the more sickening things that he has had to endure (in accordance with love in action rules) and also some links to the camp's site online and a few other things.  At the end of this post I am going to attatch the full rules and regulations of the camp.  These are on his page as well, but being that they are supposed to be under wraps and all I figured it'd be good just to post them to anyone who wants to browse.  As you gathered from the article in my origional entry, Zach has been sent to a total of 8 weeks in the camp, and being that they started on June 5th as far as we can tell, he's still there.  Still, reading his blog entries about how he was feeling leading up to being sent there can help you to realise the effect this has on kids.  So I've given you a link to his site, I'm going to post a few of the more nausiating rules and regulations of the camp below, followed by the whole thing.  God i feel bad for that kid.

• All new Refuge clients will be placed into Safekeeping for the initial two to three days of their program.  A client on safekeeping  may not communicate verbally, or by using hand gestures or eye contact,  with any other clients, staff members, or his/her parents or guardians.  In case of a practical need, Safekeeping clients may write down their question or request and show it to another client, staff member, or their parent or guardian.  Writing may only be used when absolutely necessary.   Parents and guardians must enforce their child's safekeeping status at home or in their temporary lodging.
• Any client may be placed into Safekeeping at any time, at a staffworker¹s discretion
• Safekeeping clients are permitted to say hello and to communicate enough information to be courteous in public interaction (mostly in the clients¹ church setting).
  
• Safekeeping clients are required to spend a minimum of two hours (in one sitting) a day alone in their room (note: by alone it is understood that parents or guardians can be in the room but are not to interact or disrupt the alone time of the safekeeping client). During the alone time Safekeeping clients may work on their treatment plans, read program materials or the Bible, pray, or work on other assignments from their staffworkers.
• Clients must gain permission through C.O.C. (Chain of Command) to make or receive phone calls from friends and family members outside the program.
  
• Refuge clients may only read materials approved by staff
• No television viewing, going to movies, or reading/watching/listening to secular media of any kind, anywhere within the client¹s and the parent¹s/guardian¹s control. This includes listening to classical or instrumental music that is not expressly Christian (Beethoven, Bach, etc. are not considered Christian). The only exception to the media policy is the weekly movie.
• Refuge clients must be accompanied by a parent during any trip to a public restroom.
  
• Consequences for rule violation:1. Constructive criticism from the group.
  2. Ten to thirty-page written paper on rule violation.
  3. Program dismissal. This does not need to be addressed with the client (The client may sabotage his/her own program due to purposeful dismissal consequences).
  4. Isolation from the group.
•  LIA wants to encourage each client, male and female, by affirming his/her gender identity. LIA also wants each client to pursue integrity in all of his/her actions and appearances. Therefore, any belongings, appearances, clothing, actions, or humor that might connect a client to an inappropriate past are excluded from the program. These hindrances are called False Images (FI¹s). FI behavior may include hyper-masculinity, seductive clothing, mannish/boyish attire (on women), excessive jewelry (on men), mascoting, and "campy" or gay/lesbian behavior and talk. 

There is so much more, but that is what struck me as the worst... I'm almost about to hurl from these , also some of the comments asshole biggots left on Zach's site are really upsetting to me, so i have to stop.  The full text of these rules is below, or can be found on Zach's Site

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Sobriety

One of the core functions of the Refuge is the common pursuit of corporate sobriety from sin. The program strives to perpetuate a safe environment that is ripe for growth and for hearing from God. The sobriety of each individual is a key focus. 

Galatians 5:19 - 21: 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envying, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:12-15: 12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything. 13 "Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods," but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 14 Now God raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Will I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? Certainly not!

1 Corinthians 6:18: 18 Flee sexual immorality. "Every sin that a man does is outside the body," but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

1 Thessalonians 4:2-5: 2 For you know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust...

1. No smoking, alcohol, drugs, or inappropriate use of over-the-counter medications. All prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications must be left in the care of a parent or guardian, who will administer them when necessary.  Refuge clients may not have prescription or over-the-counter drugs in their possession at any time, exceptions by C.O.C. approval only.

2. No sexual/emotional misconduct. Any temptations, fantasies, or dreams are to be presented to one¹s staff worker only. Sexual misconduct includes viewing pornography, visiting an adult bookstore, emotional dependency, voyeurism, stalking, masturbation, mutual masturbation, or any form of genital or sexual contact with another person. Sexual temptation, as well as the above, is not to be discussed between clients. This includes MI's (Moral Inventories) written on current sexual struggles or temptations).

3. No hugging or physical touch between clients. Brief handshakes or a brief affirmative hand on a shoulder is allowed (exception is when observed by therapeutic accountability).

4. Clients are to remain within the ³safe zone² while in the program. This "zone" is illustrated on a map of the Memphis area in the office. An exception is for clients who reside or are staying outside the safe zone, and commuting to the Love in Action campus.




Hygiene

Small unhealthy habits can either reflect or lead to dysfunctional, life-controlling habits. Attention to the details of daily lifestyle is a pivotal aspect of residential recovery.

Luke 10:27: 27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

Luke 16:10: 10 He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is unrighteous in a very little is also unrighteous in much.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20: 19 Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Psalm 139:13-14: 13 For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I will give thanks to you, For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.

1. All clients must maintain appropriate hygiene, including daily showering, use of deodorant, and brushing teeth twice daily. 
   Men: Men must remove all facial hair seven days weekly, and sideburns must not fall below the top of the ear (the top
   of the ear is defined as where the ear meets the face below the temple). Clean business-like haircuts must be worn at all
   times. Hair must be long enough to be pinched between two fingers.
   Women: Women must shave legs and underarms at least twice weekly.
All: Only natural hair color is allowed. Hair that is colored, highlighted or streaked, mut be dyed back to its original color,  or the color must be cut out before entrance into the Refuge program.

2. Attire: General
   Modesty is expected. No tight, provocative, or suggestive clothing or spandex may be worn. No provocative or
   suggestive mannerisms are permitted.  Fresh undergarments are to be worn at all times. Boxer shorts of any kind are
   considered underwear and are not to be worn as outer clothing. All clients must be dressed appropriately in clean,
unwrinkled clothes when leaving the house for the day. Men may not wear any jewelry (other than a watch and a wedding band) unless approved through a C.O.C. In addition to a watch and wedding band, women may also wear a pair of simple earrings (one earring per ear.) The clients may not wear Abercrombie and Fitch or Calvin Klein brand clothing, undergarments, or accessories.
   Men: Shirts are to be worn at all times, even while sleeping. T-shirts without sleeves are not permitted at any time,
whether worn as an outer garment or an undergarment. This includes ³muscle shirts² or other tank-tops. Bikini-style underwear is prohibited.
   Women: Bras must be worn at all times, except while sleeping. Thong-style underwear is prohibited.

   Attire: LIA Campus
   In addition to the General Attire above, the following items apply. No torn, ragged, or stained clothing is to be worn at
   any time while on campus. Monday through Thursday, clients must wear pants, a clean shirt, and shoes or sandals with
   socks. Jeans and a nice t-shirt are acceptable. On Friday, clients may wear clean, knee-length khaki or denim-style shorts.
   No athletic or excessively baggy shorts may be worn on campus at any time. No hats, jackets, or overcoats are to be
   worn on campus
   Women: In addition to these guidelines, women may also wear skirts which fall at or below the knee. Women may wear
   tank-tops only if they are worn with an over-blouse. Women may wear open-toed shoes or women¹s dress sandals
   without socks. Bras must be worn at all times, except while sleeping. Sports bras may only be worn while working out.
   No sleeveless blouses may be worn. All blouses and t-shirts must fit modestly (not extremely tight).

3. No cologne, perfume, or use of other highly scented hygiene products.

Therapeutic & Staff Issues

A goal of the Source is to be purposeful and strategic in order to help clients pursue growth and transformation. The principles below are common elements of this plan.

Romans 13:1-5: 1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who be are ordained by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands theordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same, 4 for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn't bear the sword in vain; for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil. 5 Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience¹s sake.

Hebrews 13:17: 17 Obey those who have the rule over you, and submit to them, for they watch on behalf of your souls, as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy, and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.


1. HONESTY AT ALL TIMES.

2. IF IN DOUBT, DON¹T. ASK FIRST.

3. All clients are expected to memorize the Program Expectations as they summarize the spirit and heart of the rules of Love in Action.

4. All Refuge program members must complete four MI's (Moral Inventories) per week unless otherwise instructed. Detailed instruction on writing MI¹s will be provided within the first few days of beginning the program.

5. Refuge clients will be prepared to give an Introduction (³Intro²) at every Intro Rap. Detailed instruction on giving an intro will be provided within the first few days of the program.

6. To make special requests of the staff or inform the staff of something (e.g. asking permission to leave the safe zone for some reason, informing the staff of a breach in program rules, etc.), Refuge clients must communicate appropriately. This means filling out a Chain of Command (C.O.C.) form. All C.O.C.¹s must be signed by the Refuge client¹s parent or guardian before being submitted to a staff member, or the C.O.C. will be returned with no answer. All C.O.C.¹s must be concise and not ³story tell² or ³whine.² Such will be returned with no reply. 

7. No continuing education while in the program.  Home-school Refuge clients may be allowed to continue their studies during the program, pending approval by LIA staff. 

6. Refuge clients and their parents/guardians are required to attend Love in Action¹s host church, Germantown Baptist Church, on Sunday mornings.  More information about GBC can be found online at www.gbconline.net.

7. Parents and guardians are expected to attend the Friends and Family support group on Thursday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., held at the Love in Action campus.  Refuge clients will be supervised during this time by a Love in Action staff member.

8. Refuge clients and their parents/guardians are expected to attend Love in Action¹s Open Meetings whenever they occur,  held on the first Tuesday of every month at Kirby Woods Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m.

9. Refuge clients are expected to maintain a committed pursuit of a positive and thankful attitude.

10. Absolutely no journaling or keeping a diary outside of the MI process unless directed or approved by staff.

11. Absolutely no calling staff outside business hours unless it is an emotional, therapeutic, or physical emergency, or unless prior permission from staff has been obtained.

12. Additional (i.e. beyond one per week) one-on-one counseling sessions will be granted by C.O.C. appointment only.
False Image (FI) Concerns

Through the Source, God renews clients¹ minds and lives, helping them to put off the old self and put on the new. False images are items or behaviors that are of the old self.

Proverbs 8:6-8: 6 Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things. 7 For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

Ephesians 4:17-25: 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts; 19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ that way; 21 if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, that like God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. 25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members one of another.

1. LIA wants to encourage each client, male and female, by affirming his/her gender identity. LIA also wants each client to pursue integrity in all of his/her actions and appearances. Therefore, any belongings, appearances, clothing, actions, or humor that might connect a client to an inappropriate past are excluded from the program. These hindrances are called False Images (FI¹s). FI behavior may include hyper-masculinity, seductive clothing, mannish/boyish attire (on women), excessive jewelry (on men), mascoting, and "campy" or gay/lesbian behavior and talk.

2. As non-residential clients, Refuge participants must submit to an F.I. search every morning. With the exception of the very first program day,  when they may arrive no later than 9:00 a.m., Refuge clients will arrive daily at the Love in Action campus no later than 8:50 a.m., waiting in a designated area until a staff member meets them to perform the F.I. search and check them in. Refuge clients may not enter any of the client spaces on campus before submitting to an F.I. search.  All belongings brought to campus will be searched, including book bags, notebooks, wallets, handbags, purses, etc. Items that violate the F.I. policy or the dress code will be held for the client, to be returned no later than the client¹s last day in program.  Clients may request to have their F.I. items returned by filling out a C.O.C.

3. All photographs will be taken for the purpose of sobering re-evaluation. Clients may request to have pictures returned to them via C.O.C.

4. Refuge clients will not be allowed to use personally owned computers during the program, whether on campus or at home/in temporary lodging.  Computer stations are normally available on campus when clients need to type something.

5. Clients should report all FI's (with discretion), whether their own or another's, to staff.




Campus Rules

LIA honors clients¹ confidentiality and time. A campus structure has been established that will ensure a fair and balanced approach to every client.

1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

1. No visiting or entering staff offices unless prior permission is given.

2. While on the LIA campus, Refuge clients must be in phase at all times, whether indoors or out of doors.  A client is ³in phase² when he or she is with two or more other clients (whether Refuge or residential,) one of whom must have been in the program for at least eight weeks.  Exceptions to phase rules will be granted by C.O.C. request only.

3. Further campus rules which are still being developed and revised will be communicated to Refuge clients on their arrival.


Relationship Issues

Emotional dependency and inappropriate sexual behaviors have their roots in unresolved relationship issues as well as poor personal or relational boundaries. As a key part to his/her recovery, each client¹s program will focus significant attention on resolving relationship concerns and cultivating healthy relationships, both within and outside of the program.

Psalm 133:1-3: 1 See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, That ran down on the beard, Even Aaron's beard; That came down on the edge of his robes; 3 Like the dew of Hermon, That comes down on the hills of Zion: For there Yahweh gives the blessing, Even life forevermore.

Romans 15:5-6: 5 Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus, 6 that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 17:22 The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one.

Ephesians 4:1-3: 1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and humility, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love; 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

1. No physical violence or physically threatening dialogue. Violation of this rule warrants immediate dismissal from the program.

2. No breaching another person's confidentiality to anyone outside the program.

3. No talking behind another person's back (TBB).

4. The 24-hour rule is to be used after challenging another client who is in breach of the program rules. If one notices that another client¹s inappropriate behavior continues, the client should be challenged to report to staff. If in 24 hours he/she has not done so, one is required to report the breach to staff via C.O.C. or verbal communication.

5. Due to the nature of many gender identity struggles, issues of enmeshment and emotional dependency can develop not only with same sex, but sometimes even more easily with the opposite sex. Because healthy and appropriate same and opposite-sex relationships are encouraged, dating and exclusive relationships of any kind are prohibited while in the program.

6. Clients may have no contact with anyone who has left the program prior to graduating without the blessing of the staff to do so. Clients may address off-limit persons they inadvertently encounter with a polite "hello" only.

7. While in the program, clients may have no contact with anyone involved in unrepentant emotional dependencies, inappropriate sexual behaviors, or chemical dependencies. This includes any contact with friends struggling with dependency issues or inappropriate sexual behavior that was known about prior to entering the program. If such a person is encountered, the client must make his/her staff worker aware of this.

8. Refuge clients and their parents/guardians will be participating in off-campus events and meetings where non-program strugglers are in attendance. To encourage the safety of all involved, clients are required to be in phase when communicating with non-program strugglers at these meetings, and will be prohibited from establishing contact with them outside of the these meetings.

Safekeeping Rules

1. All new Refuge clients will be placed into Safekeeping for the initial two to three days of their program.  A client on safekeeping  may not communicate verbally, or by using hand gestures or eye contact,  with any other clients, staff members, or his/her parents or guardians.  In case of a practical need, Safekeeping clients may write down their question or request and show it to another client, staff member, or their parent or guardian.  Writing may only be used when absolutely necessary.   Parents and guardians must enforce their child¹s safekeeping status at home or in their temporary lodging.

2. Refuge clients may C.O.C. to be removed from Safekeeping status.  Safekeeping clients will be removed from Safekeeping at their staffworker¹s discretion.

3. Any client may be placed into Safekeeping at any time, at a staffworker¹s discretion.

4. Safekeeping clients are permitted to say ³hello² and to communicate enough information to be courteous in public interaction (mostly in the clients¹ church setting).

5. Safekeeping clients are required to spend a minimum of two hours (in one sitting) a day alone in their room (note: by ³alone² it is understood that parents or guardians can be in the room but are not to interact or disrupt the alone time of the safekeeping client). During the alone time Safekeeping clients may work on their treatment plans, read program materials or the Bible, pray, or work on other assignments from their staffworkers.

6. In the evenings, all Refuge Safekeeping clients must remain at home or at their temporary lodging with their parent or guardian (i.e. no going out to eat,  to the store, etc. during Safekeeping.)

7. Non-Safekeeping clients are responsible to protect and uphold the Safekeeping parameters of the Safekeeping clients.

Rules for the Home/Temporary Lodging

Hebrews 6:11-12: 11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end, 12 that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

Ephesians 4:22-24: 22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, that like God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Refuge encourages all clients to first focus internally. Why is the client here?  What is broken? What is the core motivation of the client¹s unhealthy behavior?  Staff members will work with clients as they learn what is wrong and as they take the steps to articulate it. Second, staff emphasize the need for each client to seek the truth of God.  What does He have to say about each client and his/her pain? The rules that follow are designed to both protect the client and facilitate his/her wrestling with God. 

Colossians 3:9-10: 9 Don't lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, 10 and have put on the new man, that is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator...

1 Kings 9:4: 4 As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances...

Psalm 7:8-9:  8 Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness, And to my integrity that is in me.9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the righteous; Their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.

Proverbs 10:9: 9 He who walks blamelessly walks surely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

Proverbs 11:2-3: 2 When pride comes, then comes shame, But with humility comes wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them, But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

Proverbs 13:13: 13 Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, But he who respects a command will be rewarded.

Proverbs 20:7: 7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity, Blessed are his children after him.

Genesis 32:24-28: 24 Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day. 25 When he saw that he didn't prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled. 26 The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." Jacob said, "I won't let you go, unless you bless me." 27 He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." 28 He said, "Your name will no longer be called 'Jacob,' but, 'Israel,' for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed."

1 Chronicles 29:18: 18 Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart to you...

Isaiah 49:13-15: 13 Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Matthew 9:36: 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, as sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 14:14: 14 Jesus went out, and he saw a great multitude. He had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

Matthew 20:34: 34 Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed him.

Luke 10:40-42: 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me." 41 Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:29-30: 29 Jesus said, "Most assuredly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the gospel's sake, 30 but he will receive one hundred times now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life.

Exodus 20:12: 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

Malachi 4:6: 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

1. No discussing therapeutic issues at home. Keep conversations positive.

2. Clients must gain permission through C.O.C. to make or receive phone calls from friends and family members outside the program.

3. No cell phones, beepers, computers, or e-mail/internet access at. Exceptions by C.O.C. approval only.

4. No visitors from out of town without permission via C.O.C.

5. Refuge clients may only read materials approved by staff.

6. No television viewing, going to movies, or reading/watching/listening to secular media of any kind, anywhere within the client¹s and the parent¹s/guardian¹s control. This includes listening to classical or instrumental music that is not expressly Christian (Beethoven, Bach, etc. are not considered Christian). The only exception to the media policy is the weekly movie.

7. Refuge clients may watch one video/DVD per week that has been approved by staff via C.O.C. Movies submitted for approval must be rated G or PG.  The parents/guardians are responsible for securing the video/DVD.

8. Weekend curfew (Friday and Saturday) is 10:00pm. Weekday  curfew (Sunday through Thursday) is 9:30pm.

9. Refuge clients must be with at least one parent or guardian at all times when off-campus.

10. On certain occasions Refuge clients have the opportunity, with the C.O.C. approval and their parent/guardian¹s permission, to visit the residential houses of the Source program clients.  On these occasions Refuge clients must be in phase at all times, and must abide by all the house rules and follow instructions given by Source program house managers.  House rules will be communicated to Refuge clients as the need arises. Refuge clients are encouraged to ask for clarification if they are unsure about a particular house rule.

11. Refuge clients may not enter any restuarants with bars, even when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

12. Refuge clients must be accompanied by a parent during any trip to a public restroom.

13. No access to malls of any kind.

14. Clients are not allowed to visit any video, music or media stores that are not expressly Christian, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Clients may visit LifeWay Christian stores with a parent or guardian.

15. Refuge clients must report off-casmpus emergencies, illnesses, or injuries to their parents/guardians as soon as possible. Parents/guardians are required to inform LIA staff members of such situations by phone as soon as possible.

16. Total silence time at home begins at 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Refuge clients may use this time for resting, but are encouraged to make a habit of using it for a nightly quiet time with God.

17. Lights-out time will begin each night at 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

18. Refuge clients are allowed a one-time 15-minute maximum closed bathroom door time for shower/grooming purposes.  The only other closed-door alone time allowed is for using the restroom.

19. Refuge clients must keep their bedroom doors open at all times, day or night.

20. Proper bedclothes must be worn during nighttime sleeping hours. Appropriate bedclothes include full pajamas (tops and bottoms) or a pair of non-underwear-type shorts and a T-shirt. Nightgowns are not allowed.

21. Refuge clients are expected to eat dinner with their parents/guardians/other family members (if any) at least four times per week.

22. Refuge clients are expected to cook dinner one time per week.



On-Level Rules

³On-Level² is a protective and therapeutic measure that is sometimes implemented between clients who are having relational difficulties. 

1. On-level clients may not speak to each other unless there is a potentially life-threatening emergency.

2. On-level clients are to spend no time alone with each other.

3. On-level clients are not allowed to ride in the same car unless C.O.C. permission has been granted, in which case, one must sit in the front of the car, and one must sit in the back of the car.

4. On-level clients, whenever in the same room, must always have exactly one person between them, whether sitting or standing. Planned activities such as church, Open Meetings, and socials are no exception.

5. On-level status can be initiated by any staff member or house manager.

6. On-level status can be removed only by Executive Staff.

Group Norms

1. Be honest, authentic, and real.

2. Active participation is expected. This includes body language and eye contact. No slouching in chairs, sitting back on chairs hind legs, sitting with arms crossed, rolling eyes, or making disgusting faces.

3. No attacking or demeaning another person¹s character.

4. Raise hand to speak. Speak one at a time as called on by the facilitator.

5. Maintain strict confidentiality of everything discussed in group. "What is seen here, what is heard here, remains here!"

6. Clients are to sit in such a way as to not cause another to stumble.

7. No food or drink during rap. This includes chewing gum and toothpicks.

8. Appropriate attire is required. No hats, athletic or baggy shorts (for men), or extremely short skirts (for women) are allowed.

9. Say "I love you _____" after each person is finished relating.

10. Be on time!

11. Do not talk at, preach to, or teach one another. Each person should keep the focus on him/herself and how he/she feels.

12. Do not be defensive. While being spoken to, one may not respond to defend him/herself or return confrontation to the person speaking.

13. If one needs to leave the group for any reason, he/she must ask permission from the staff in charge of the group session.

14. Stand when speaking, relating, or being related to. During general raps, one must stand while relating. One must also stand when someone is being given feedback or being related to. Standing is not necessary during teaching raps.





Men/Women Dynamics

The following common courtesies apply to relational dynamics between men and women. While these are not rules and may initially feel a little awkward, they are strongly encouraged as practical guidelines to promote mutual respect and honor. It is LIA¹s hope that these suggestions will become common practices and help to nurture a value of self and an appreciation for others.

Places of Honor for Women:
Respect for women may be shown by offering them first priority in a number of ways:

1. Please invite women (not just LIA clients) to be the first in line to eat.

2. Encourage women to accept the more comfortable seats in a room. Men should consider offering a woman their chair when there are none left in the room.

3. Men should think about opening doors for women, both when entering a building and when entering a car. This simply adds a level of respect, consideration, and value.

Honoring Both Genders:
Be mindful of the types of humor and communication used around one another. Jesting about bodily functions, discussing gender-specific issues when not in rap sessions (at the LIA office), and other conversation which could potentially be inappropriate to the opposite sex should be avoided.



Program Expectations

Therapeutic  & Interpersonal  Expectations

1. Clients are expected to affirm one another and edify their personal and corporate pursuit of growth and transformation. This includes a commitment to courageous honesty with respect, a commitment to sobriety in all manners of talk, action, and dress, the exercise of prudence, and honoring confidentiality and accountability.

2. Clients are expected to take responsibility for their environment and to inform appropriate authorities of program breaches. This is to be done using the 24-hour rule.

3. Clients are expected to give back. This includes watching out for one¹s brothers and sisters. It also includes the initiative of upper-phasers to provide accountability for lower-phasers.

4. Clients are expected to maintain a committed pursuit of a positive and thankful attitude.

5. Clients are expected to avoid peer-to-peer physical touch. Brief handshakes or a brief affirmative hand on a shoulder is allowed.

6. Clients are expected to actively identify and subsequently remove all personal and corporate FI¹s.

7. Clients are expected to avoid therapeutic topics of discussion with House Managers.

8. Clients are expected to make their homework a priority. Phase 1 clients must complete four MI¹s per week unless otherwise instructed. Phase 2 & Training clients must complete two MI¹s per week unless otherwise instructed. Phase 1 clients will be prepared to do an Introduction at every Introduction Rap. All clients will be assigned a personalized treatment plan.

9. Clients are expected to plan ahead and communicate appropriately, following Chain of Command (C.O.C.) for any information or communication with staff.

Practical Expectations

1. All clients must maintain integrity in their personal presentation. This includes daily grooming and hygiene maintenance, bed-making, as well as regular bedroom and bathroom cleaning and maintenance.

2. Clients are expected to work either therapeutically or professionally Monday through Friday unless prior permission is granted through C.O.C. Clients who are not working are expected to be in the office.

3. Clients are expected to actively re-evaluate the influences of secular media. Phase 1 clients are restricted from television-viewing, internet access, secular media, or reading of any kind without specific permission. Clients may not enter any non-Christian bookstores. Phase 2 clients may use email and the internet at work for work purposes. Training program clients may listen to secular music. However, they may not listen to secular radio for the first 30 days. No secular music is allowed in residences or when around Phase 1 clients.

4. Clients are expected to honor their home environment by being on-time with cooking responsibilities, attending all weekly house meetings, dinner attendance, curfew, total silence, lights out, and by working cooperatively to complete all stewardships with a positive attitude.

5. Clients are expected to remain accountable with all relationships. No cell phones, phone calls, or contact with anyone      
   outside the program without prior permission. Phase 2 and Training Program clients may make approved relational    phone calls.

Refuge Program ­ Parental Rules (not to be given to client)


1. No discussing therapeutic issues at home.  Keep conversations positive.

2. Clients are to be picked up from the LIA office no later than 5:00pm each weekday.

3. Respect all Love In Action and Refuge rules. If you do not understand them, support the program in front of client at all times and gain clarification from LIA staff.  Do not sabotage or defocus your client.

4. Don¹t allow client to split your family. Unite to present stability and unity.

5. Your client is not allowed to talk to anyone outside of your home including friends or family. Do not tell client who has called for them or who is asking about them. Keep the thoughts of the client focused on his/her treatment.

6. The family needs interactive time together. It is very important that togetherness is the priority during this time. The client does not need extended time alone or with only one family member. The only exception is for Refuge clients who are from out-of-town and staying with a significant guardian while here.

7. Family dinner is encouraged to occur at least four times weekly.

8. The client is expected to cook dinner at least one time weekly.

9. The client is expected to complete a weekly cleaning regimen to your satisfaction.

10. Parents/guardians are asked to make themselves available for any special meetings deemed necessary for the successful treatment of their loved ones.

11. If there is an ³Open Meeting² during Refuge Program, parents/guardians are asked to attend to enhance their involvement with Refuge. Open meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm at Kirby Woods Baptist Church (on the corner of  Poplar Ave. and Massey; entrance is located at the ground floor on the east side of building entrance).

Consequences for Rule Violation:

1. Constructive criticism from the group.
2. Ten to thirty-page written paper on rule violation.
3. Program dismissal. This does not need to be addressed with the client (The client may sabotage his/her own program due to purposeful dismissal consequences).
4. Isolation from the group.

Well I'd like to say thanks to all you wierd people that visit this journal... you know, today alone 183 hits... on july 8th 499... in the last month 1863.  Now i remember why i'm scared of my statistics system.  Anyway for all my political junkies out there, i have a petition and a shitload of footnotes and evidence that MoveOn.org was kind enough to compile in order to compel you to sign it.

On Sunday, Newsweek magazine revealed that Karl Rove, the President's key political advisor, was responsible for disclosing the identity of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame.(1) Rove's lawyer has confirmed that he was involved.(2)

Last year, President Bush promised that anyone at the White House involved in the leak would be fired.(3) We believe that the President should stick to his word. That's why we're calling on him to fire Karl Rove.

Sign the petition to Bush right now at:
http://www.moveonpac.org/firerove/

Valerie Plame was an operative working on stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction—the most important beat at the CIA and one of the most important jobs in the country.(4) Rove revealed her identity and destroyed her network of connections to settle a political score. He weakened America's national security. For that alone, he deserves to be fired.

But as it turns out, that's also the White House's official position. Press Secretary Scott McClellan told the press in September of 2003, when the story first broke, that anyone at the White House who was involved would be fired "at a minimum."(5) And when asked on June 10th, 2004, if he would "stand by your pledge to fire anyone found" to have leaked the agent's name, President Bush responded, simply, "Yes."(6)

Of course, in the past the White House has strenuously denied that Rove had anything to do with it. In 2003, McClellan said that he'd asked Rove if he was involved, and Rove had said he wasn't.(7) "The president knows that Karl Rove wasn't involved."( "I've made it very clear, he was not involved, that there's no truth to the suggestion that he was."(9) Asked again if Rove was involved, McClellan responded, "That's just totally ridiculous."(10)

So what did McClellan have to say about the clear discrepancies between what the President Bush and he had said in 2003 and what Newsweek reported on Sunday? Nothing. Here's an excerpt from the transcript:

Q: Do you want to retract your statement that Rove, Karl Rove, was not involved in the Valerie Plame expose?

A: I appreciate the question. This is an ongoing investigation at this point. The president directed the White House to cooperate fully with the investigation, and as part of cooperating fully with the investigation, that means we're not going to be commenting on it while it is ongoing.

Q: But Rove has apparently commented, through his lawyer, that he was definitely involved.

A: You're asking me to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Q: I'm saying, why did you stand there and say he was not involved?

A: Again, while there is an ongoing investigation, I'm not going to be commenting on it nor is ... .

Q: Any remorse?(11)

It's worth noting that both Bush and McClellan have commented on the case repeatedly since 2003.(12)

Republicans claim that the furor over this case is just politics as usual. But what Rove did has serious ramifications. Here's the story in a nutshell: In 2002, former Ambassador Joe Wilson was sent by the CIA to investigate rumors that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase uranium from Niger. Wilson found nothing, and wrote about it in a New York Times op-ed column on July 6, 2003 after President Bush used the claim as part of the case for war. Wilson was married to Valerie Plame, an undercover operative, who was revealed shortly thereafter by conservative columnist Robert Novak. Novak cited "senior administration officials" as his source that Plame was an operative.(13)

Why out Plame? While we don't know the full story, there are a couple of reasons to do so: to exact revenge on Wilson for refusing to toe the Administration line, and to send a message to would-be whistle-blowers that they should keep their mouths shut.

In any case, Plame's work was important, and by exposing her identity, the leaker destroyed ten years of covert relationship-building and could have jeopardized the lives of other covert agents in the field. At best, it was recklessly irresponsible; at worst, it was malicious; and either way, the leaker undermined our national security.

That's why we, like the President, believe it's time to fire anyone who was involved with the leaking of Plame's name. And now we know that means firing Karl Rove.

Sign the Petition:
http://www.moveonpac.org/firerove/

Here are all your footnotes people:
1. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8525978/site/newsweek
2. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=776
3. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=777
4. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002374617_leak12.html
5. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/print/20030929-7.html
6. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=777
7. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/12rove-quotes.html?pagewanted=print
8. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/12rove-quotes.html?pagewanted=print
9. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/12rove-quotes.html?pagewanted=print
10. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/12rove-quotes.html?pagewanted=print
11. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/11/AR2005071100991.html
12. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/11/AR2005071101284.html
13. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/printrn20030714.shtml

this is a real add.. the governments way of including us?  i dunno, i love it: