Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busy-bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis
Today is the 12th anniversary of the death of Aaron Bacon who at age 16 lost his life while participating in a now-defunct wilderness therapy program in Utah called North Star Expeditions. While much has been written about this horrific tragedy - the single most important thing anyone needs to know is that Aaron did not have to die on March 31, 1994 and most certainly not in the back seat of a truck where in the final tortured moments of his life - the people who could and should have taken him to the hospital - casually stood by talking and, in the ultimate act of depravity, mocked Aaron as his young life slipped away.
After Aaron's death there was a criminal trial that should have brought justice for Aaron and his family but did not. Just as the trials related to the deaths of other teens killed while participating in a program did not bring justice either - except in a civil court for wrongful death lawsuits which sadly, appears to be the only real recourse for parents who have lost a child at the hands of people who promised to save their child - not take their lives because of gross negligence, greed and ignorance.
The essence of Aaron Bacon was the strength of his heart and his courage which lives on in the hearts of those whose lives he touched, if only for a short while.
If there is a lesson to be learned, it is that programs are only as good as the people running them - and selling them. Buyer Beware may sound like a catch-all phrase but when it comes to an industry that attracts it's fair share of shameless profiteers, child abusers and criminals, CAVEAT EMPTOR is the rule, not the exception.
BARBE STAMPS
