Taking the Scenic Route

Because here are several interviews that he did over 2006-2007 where the other financial advisors laughed at him. In particular, they recommended a series of stocks that are “sure things” of a bunch of companies that no longer exist. It is frightening how right this guy was.

Oh, and I will never believe another word Ben Stein says.

The basic ground rules in the USA when companies want a bailout:

If it is during a Republican administration, a bailout is vital to support our captitalist society.
If it is during a Democratic administration, a bailout is SOCIALISM and destroying our society.

I don’t disagree with the concept of bailout, but I really think those CEOs should be fired fired fired. They need to put people in charge who aren’t so stupid and greedy that they take individual $20K jets to ask for money. I would have a real problem giving them money if they weren’t willing to sacrifice (can you really call “don’t take a jet” a sacrifice in any normal person’s life?) some of their own salary and benefits to help the people under them and the company survive.

I question their ability to lead a company and manage money and I question their intentions. I am angry that they aren’t requiring them to retool (that is what they are funding…retooling the factories) to make more gas efficient vehicles. They already make them in Europe and the technology already exists, why are we not allowed to have them here in the US? Doesn’t it seem backwards to anybody else that using tax money to retool the factories is going to push back making fuel efficient vehicles? ARG!

Zane’s camp ended today. It was a really good week for him. (except that he seemed to have a stomach bug or something this morning, but he perked up this afternoon) At the award ceremony he got a certificate for “Good Listening and Gentleness”.

At the ceremony I discovered there was a second news story about the camp. Zane is in this one too. He is in the green shirt througout, so it was taken on Monday. (the only day he wore a green shirt)

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

A few pictures from the final awards ceremony and wrap up.

Don’t they look thrilled.

Suddenly, he seemed to perk up…wonder why. lol. (showing features of the website the older kids made)

And here is the little stinker that caused us to leave early. It was naptime and she was not handling things well. She also insisted on wearing the too small hat, despite the fact she had really cute hair today. (earlier in the week I wouldn’t have minded because her hair was a mess.)

Well, what do you know, some good is coming out of the Savage comments. Our local CBS station did a story on Autism and the camp Zane is at. Zane even got some air time. When they start talking about “1 in 150 kids have autism…”, right after the older kid with autism talks a bit, look for the dark haired kid in the front row in the white/tie dye shirt and bright green crocs who is stimming like crazy. lol. That would be Zane.

Local Autism Camp Reacts to Comments (click below or on “Featured Video” next to the article to see the news video)

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

The sort of sad part about the whole comment uproar is that a big part of the reason they don’t bother me terribly much is because it is such a normal thing to hear. It isn’t even close to the most obnoxious thing I hear said. After all, it used to be the whole thing was blamed on “Refrigerator Mothers” and bad parenting. There has always been an attempt to blame the parents for it (especially moms), but anyone with an ounce of education knows that isn’t the case.

Essentially, after the initial anger, I sort of laughed because he was an “amateur” in making fun of us. I don’t think I could possibly count the times I overhear people nastily saying that I should spank Zane when he is having a meltdown, and feel like I live in dirty looks from passer-bys on many days. It is just a fact of life. Some days it does really get to me…I am human after all. Most of the time I have learned how not to care about it. Other’s opinions of the situation really don’t matter, because they can’t, because if I took it all in, I would never be able to cope.

Maybe I should write him. Apparently, according to him, we get all sorts of freebies with a diagnosis. Where are my freebies? lol Legally, yeah, we are supposed to get things like a free and appropriate education, but it is nowhere near free, and very rarely actually appropriate.

For those lucky enough to have missed this gem, here is a quote from his show July 16:

Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism, since I’m not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket. For a long while, we were hearing that every minority child had asthma. Why did they sudden — why was there an asthma epidemic amongst minority children? Because I’ll tell you why: The children got extra welfare if they were disabled, and they got extra help in school. It was a money racket. Everyone went in and was told [fake cough], “When the nurse looks at you, you go [fake cough], ‘I don’t know, the dust got me.’ ” See, everyone had asthma from the minority community. That was number one.

Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is ? I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.
What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, “Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.”

Autism — everybody has an illness. If I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, “Don’t behave like a fool.” The worst thing he said — “Don’t behave like a fool. Don’t be anybody’s dummy. Don’t sound like an idiot. Don’t act like a girl. Don’t cry.” That’s what I was raised with. That’s what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You’re turning your son into a girl, and you’re turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That’s why we have the politicians we have.

 

After an uproar, and him claiming that he would never apologize, Low and behold…here is a copy of his defense of his comments:

My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community’s attempt to label too many children or adults as “autistic.”

Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed “ADD” and “ADHD” to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing “autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!

Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an “illness” which may not exist, in all cases. Just a few weeks ago doctors recommended dangerous anti-cholesterol drugs for children as young as 2 years of age! Without any scientific studies on the possible dangers of such drugs on children, corrupt doctors made this controversial, unscientific recommendation.

Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment. As the brother of a severely disabled person who suffered and died in a New York “snake-pit” of a “mental hospital,” I know first-hand what true disability is.

To permit greedy doctors to include children in medical categories which may not be appropriate is a crime against that child and their family. Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free.

Michael Savage

 

When I first heard the initial quote I was incensed.  Very upset.  I went to look up his name and discovered that this is probably one of the least offensive things he has said.  The dude is a lunatic.  As much as I passionately hate Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, because they are also assholish idiots, this guy somehow manages to be even just a little bit worse.  I can’t take somebody this stupid seriously.  He is a shock jock who was obviously hit in the head a few too many times by his asshole father. 

There is a part of me that wishes there wasn’t such a response to this guy, even as I add to that response, because it is what feeds him.  I would never have heard of the guy if not for the uproar.  I do wonder if it was a smart thing for him to do though.  Autism crosses all socio-economic and political boundaries, and there are as many conservatives with autistic relatives as liberal, and it might be problematic for him if he ticks off his base audience.  The liberals already know he is a fruit.

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/454961.html

I don’t think we know them.  Nevertheless, I am heartbroken for them and scared that it could be us.

 

Sarah Ariella wrote a great post on IEP process and the problems faced when dealing with the education of her son.  I could identify with a LOT of it.  I think the biggest, most discouraging, thing I could identify with is the overall attitude of unwillingness to see the gifts and strengths, nor the desire to put in the effort to really push ds.  I don’t think it is everybody, and I don’t think it is limited to just SN kids, but it was there.  I knew what it felt like to have people push him and recognize who he is because I was getting that at WSU and Heartsprings.  It is intangible, but probably the single most important thing for any child in their education. 

---

Fee has a neat post about Bedeism, and instead of leaving a blog in her comments, I thought I would share some Zaneisms, also computer related.  (no surprise, since both Bede and Zane are accomplished on the computer) 

“Next Level” - means he wants to do something again, usually also means he wants to modify it some way or make it more challenging.
“2 Player!” (or 3 player, 4 player, ect) – means he wants you to play a game with him
“click on it” – means “look at that” or to press some button
In a funny coincidence (probably heavily influenced by parents who buy candy on clearance sales) the day she posted about Bede wanting a “J” candy cane, Zane was bugging us all day for “stick candy”, which we finally determined was the stick candy canes we have up in the shelves.

eta:

“Oops!  Try Again!” is said with the same intonation by both boys…we figured out it comes from an educational internet site they both like (when I think of the name of the site, I will add it, but I am having a brain fart right now)

Examples of Functional Echolalia. 

---

KAKE, the local ABC affiliate, did finally post his video in their video links.  (on the right side of the page, but will probably have to scroll to see it if you don’t see it right away.

We did it!

But it was TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING for us!

I knew they wanted Zane up there, but I was totally not expecting to be up there myself.  I was definitely not prepared to be interviewed up there again. 

 

The U.P. Autism Parent’s meetup group had a small showing.

 

Walking

 

A talking fire hydrant intrigued the kids

 

Zora wanted to pet the patrol horse.  (the mounted police escorted us the entire walk)

We were planning on going to the MCC Sale afterwards, but after freezing our tushies off and dealing with the crowds, we were done for the day.  (plus, Zach really needed to keep working on his thesis.  He has to finish the work by the 15th, write it up and defend it by the 30th…yikes!)  They were expecting 150 walkers and got over 400.  A good day!

 

I like this interview much better.