Again: Inertia and Effect. Herein, Positive Change in the Works Personified.

I rarely get direct responses from actual staff at The Arizona State Hospital, but when I do, it is more often that not positive. The "good people" at ASH have the character to speak to me (on occasion), while the Rat Bastards there are cowards at best, who will go to their graves knowing how despicable they are, in fact. For as I have stated and will continue to state, there are indeed a number of "good people" working at ASH, and if not for them- the minority- someone like I would likely have nothing but overwhelmingly negative memories and related impressions from the accursed place. So it is a genuine pleasure to learn how the change of tide is occurring.   

That said, I somewhat anonymously received the following communication earlier this week from a "Former Security Guard", as follows:

Kudos to ABC15 for running this story. I got out of that place in Dec 2011.... which ended up being perfect timing, as things spiraled downward from there. I feel bad for those that have to continue to work there, as many good men and women do. Keep up the good work exposing the wrongdoings there. Public agencies need to be held accountable to the public and taxpayers of this state. You still doing your jogging? 

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AND TO YOU, GOOD SOUL: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU AGAIN, WHOEVER YOU ARE. YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I HOW CRITICAL THE PRESENCE OF INDIVIDUALS WILLING TO SPEAK OUT IS, IN TERMS OF THE BLATANT SECRECY THAT ASH ADMINISTRATORS & DOCTORS RELY UPON AS THEY ENGAGE IN THEIR WRONGDOING AT THIS TIME. AND KUDOS TO YOU FOR DIRECTING YOUR PERSONAL SENSE OF CHARACTER OUT AND AWAY FROM THE RAT HOLE KNOWN AS ASH, AND IDEALLY INTO SOMETHING THAT I HIGHLY SUSPECT WILL BETTER MEET YOUR DESERVED REWARDS, SPECIFIC TO YOUR GIVEN SKILLS. 

ON A RELATED NOTE: I DO NOT JOG- I RUN! HA! AND YES, IT IS ONGOING. I AM BACK TO RIDING BICYCLES, TOO, ON A NEARLY FULL TIME BASIS, HERE IN MY HOME TOWN, AMONGST GOOD OLD FRIENDS. 

IT'S PRETTY GREAT, EVEN PROFOUND, AFTER AN EXPERIENCE SUCH AS ASH. I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN A HANDFUL OF BOTH RUNNING AS WELL AS CYCLING EVENTS SINCE MY DISCHARGE FROM ASH IN FEB., 2012. THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CENTRAL TO MY RECOVERY FROM ASH, AND MY MENTAL-EMOTIONAL HEALTH IN GENERAL, JUST AS MY RUNNING AT ASH GRANTED ME DIRECT MEANS BY WHICH TO FOSTER MY DEEPEST SENSE OF IDENTITY AND CHARACTER, IN DEFIANCE OF MY VARIOUS PRIMARY CARE PSYCHIATRISTS' ATTEMPTS TO ALIENATE ME FROM MYSELF. I HAD FOUR SUCH "DOCTORS" AT ASH IN 13 MONTHS- SO MUCH FOR CONTINUITY OF CARE! ON ONE OCCASION, WHEN THE TOPIC CAME UP IN ONE OF I.T.D.P. SESSIONS, I LOOKED DR. PERVAIZ AKHTER IN THE EYE AND TOLD HIM "I RUN TO GET AWAY FROM THE LIKES OF YOU, TO ESCAPE YOU AND YOUR KIND. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO RUN LIKE THIS BEFORE…". THAT SAID, "FORMER SECURITY GUARD"  PERSON (NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED), I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR INQUIRY, AND WHILE I WOULD LOVE TO GUESS/SUSPECT WHICH ONE OF THE GOOD SECURITY STAFF I KNEW THERE AT ASH, I AM COMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT YOU AND I HAVE A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WHICH DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST REMAIN INFORMAL AND ANONYMOUS. I WISH YOU WELL, FRIEND. 

ALSO: I KNEW THAT THAT ONE GUARD, ROGER JAMES FORNEY, WAS A BAD APPLE FROM THE GET GO. A FREAKING SCUMBAG-PERVERT PEDOPHILE, NO LESS, SHIRKING THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR PROFESSION WHEN HE WAS ON THE CLOCK THERE, IN CAHOOTS WITH AT LEAST ONE OTHER ASSHOLE WHO WILL REMAIN UNNAMED AT THIS POINT IN TIME. I IDENTIFIED FORNEY AS A SNAKE AT THE TIME, AND NOW HE IS IN PRISON, WHERE HE BELONGS. I RECOGNIZED HIM AS I DID ANY NUMBER OF DOCTORS AND ADMINISTRATORS AT ASH FOR WHO THEY ARE, INDIVIDUALS WHO SHARE HIS CHARACTER, AND WHO DESERVE MUCH THE SAME CONSEQUENCES AS HE. 

paoloreed@gmail.com