Some good, some great, some looney, some unworkable ideas written here, both by the author and the commentors.
A story:
Right after my active duty in 69 ended, I came back to West Texas and went to work on a ranch for a friend of my Dad. It was hard, dirty and seemingly unending work, but I was glad for it and used it in part to heal internally and externally.
The rancher was approached by civic and law enforcement to take some kids that had been in trouble most of their lives. He accepted and for a a while was really sorry that he did. But in the end he won and they won too.
There were a few rules. You work and do it well, or you don’t eat. You work and do it well and you get tv from 8PM to 10PM (nobody ever made it past 9PM before going to bed, dead tired.
In two years he turned those punks into young men who wanted to go back to school and move away from their old habits and neighborhoods.
It was hard and there was many a confontation, threats and even one attempted runaway.
But in the end it was 100% conversion, which I wouldn’t have given you a nickle bet would have happened.
Papa Ray
