Phoenix House disappointment

["Kevin O'Neal" <kevinandt@xxxxxxxxx>]

>From: Ken in MD
>Subject: Re: Phoenix House disappointment
>
>Actually I think a place that deals with addiction,
>abuse, and recovery would be a good place to talk this
>out.  However, I'd recommend giving them a call first,
>maybe even trying to talk with the director or someone
>like that.  Just showing up and hoping to catch
>someone to talk to about Pete sounds iffy.

Yeah, it was iffy.
But, as soon as I realized that this was a house for addiction recovery, I
didn't think it was appropriate to go into the child porn issues.
Different Phoenix Houses deal with different issues.  In the same way I
wouldn't raise this at a burn victim recovery house.
I also just don't think they would be in tune with the whole Pete matter,
the way I imagine (or think) that a house devoted to child abuse victims
would be.

The calling ahead thing really doesn't apply.
We're an incredibly small and informal community.
The house itself was set up with a very large entrance loby designed for
drop in visitors, etc (Picture big old New England Mountain Home.  It was
nestled all the way at the end of a loooooooong dirt road, up at about the
2,000ft elevation).
Had I not become aware that this was a facility for recovering addicts, I
could have easily gotten some staff persons attention.
I didn't bother at that point.  But, I did want to be discovered.  I think.

I don't know.  You may be right.
Just didn't want to make it a formal thing.  Having just come from work with
some big meetings that day, I was dressed too formally as it was.

>>>You seem to see the "research" defense as
>>>something he made up to cover up his real motives.<<

>I don't read that in Kevin's remarks at all.  He is
>making a good faith effort to address the troubling
>aspects Pete's actions, statements, and attitude
>present.

Thanks Ken.  I do appreciate that.

>Personally, I was hoping the first open statements he
>made would have less to do with prevaricating his own
>situation and more to do with acknowledging he made
>mistakes, albeit well-intentioned ones.  In some ways
>I'm more disappointed at the tone and content of his
>"Free but Branded" diary than *anything* that he may
>have done before.  At least before he had the balls to
>say "I'm a GradeOne addict-accident waiting to happen"
>instead of whining that he's a victim of unfair laws.

Couldn't agree with you more.
I think the fact that his diary entry was immediately (relatively speaking)
withdrawn is pretty telling that there are some with great influence with
Pete that agree with you........if it wasn't Pete himself.

Kevin in VT