Talkin' Generalizations

I'm tired of hearing about ALL THE REASONS that people with autism CAN'T do anything. "They can't handle change". "They can't handle noise." "They can't handle touch." It's all a bunch of stigmatization as far as I'm concened!

How about considering the reason people with autism can't do anything, is the people who speak on their behalf. I'm talking about those who BENEFIT from the belief that these folks are so UNABLE. Without naming names, it should be clear who I'm talking about...

What about the idea that people with autism generally rise to the level of EXPECTATION placed upon them. In my many years working with these folks (inluding 12 with my own nephew), I've found this to be the case. For Christ sake, STOP pretending like these folks are unable to learn, and start believing that they are TOTALLY capable of learning!! Thank You!

Speaking of War...

"Heroism on command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism - how passionately I hate them!"

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

I've never been mistaken for a flag waving patriot. In fact, I believe the US has done more harm than good to its' citizens (and the world) since I was born. One of my earliest memories of this is a bumper sticker on the back of a neighbors station wagon that read "Footprint of the American chicken", underneath the picture of a peace sign. And then there was the old "America, love it or leave it" people, who are the same ones who hate immigrants today.

Have you heard that the LA Times has several new pictures of US soldiers in Afghanistan, using the body parts of car bombers for "funny" photos? The Administration has asked the Times to not print these photos out of a fear of retaliation toward soldiers still on the ground there. I believe the REAL reason is that if Americans saw some of these photos, it would only make an already unpopular war even more unpopular.

Yeah, they are also concerned it will make Afghanistan more dangerous than it is. MORE dangerous? The fact that a foreign country is occupying a land that they've all but destroyed makes Afghanistan "dangerous". You want safety for the troops? Bring them home!

Flakes on the Net

Last month I was contacted by someone claiming her name is Julie Vernon. She was offering me money for advertising some business stuff on this blog. Below is the interaction we had...

----Original Message-----
From: Julie Vernon <

julievernon99@gmail.com>
To: dawgoregon <dawgoregon@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Mar 13, 2012 6:46 am
Subject: Quick question about your post

Hey Dawg,

I just finished reading a post of yours from a bit ago and really enjoyed it!

Do you do advertising? I'm marketing out a site and can pay you via PayPal for adding a few text links to an old post of yours. These links would go to resources on education and topics related to the theme of your post.

Let me know if we can work something out! :)

Thanks
Julie Vernon

--
"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value" - Albert Einstein

　

On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 3:29 PM, David McDonald <dawgoregon@aol.com> wrote:

I'm interested! Please explain.

　

Hey David,

Thanks for hearing me out. I can pay you $20 over PayPal for adding a few text links to an old blog post of yours. The link would be related to online education and added within your actual writing, so they'd be discreet to a reader. I have many sites and can match up the topic of your page with one of my sites.

Here's an example, look at the Online University link:

http://engagesocially.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/social-learning-environments-and-outcomes/

Would you be interested in this? I can find a post of yours and write out a way of how to add the links in with your content. Also if you want more opportunities, we can pay you for more links in the future.

Thank you,

Julie Vernon

　

On Thu, Mar 15, 2012 at 1:05 PM, David McDonald <dawgoregon@aol.com> wrote:

Sounds interesting!

I do have a few questions to ask.

1. How did you find my blog?

2. What site(s) are you marketing?

3. What kind of agreement would we have about who you are linking to?

4. Which post are you interested in?
Thanks for your interest!

David

　

Hey David,

Thanks for hearing me out! Here's the details. You'll just add a little content to your post:

Takes only a few minutes.

You can copy paste the link, so it's very easy.

You'll get paid $50 via PayPal.

I can send the payment first, then you can update your content.

This post: http://dawgoregon.blogspot.com/2008/09/still-dangerous.html

Proposal:

1) Please add a new first paragraph to read:

“Assisted suicide laws are controversial, particularly because they could harm the poor and those with disabilities. The best online psychology degree programs and top traditional programs have studied this issue. An APA study was done in 1997 as well, it concluded that Assisted Suicide was a state-level issue. Oregon is the only state to make assisted suicide legal so far. However, other states could follow suit at any time.”

2) Please link the text “best online psychology degree programs” to

www.psychologydegreeguide.org.

Please link "APA study" to <http://www.apa.org/pubs/info/reports/aseol.aspx>

Also, please link the text “make assisted suicide legal” tohttp://public.health.oregon.gov/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Pages/index.aspx.

That's it. Remember, it is just an initial proposal, so if you want to change something we can make it happen!

Thanks,

Julie Vernon

　

On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 11:24 AM, David McDonald <dawgoregon@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Julie-

I'm wondering if there are any rigid requirements involved in placing these links on my blog. For example:

1) what is the expectation for the length of time that I would leave these links connected to the post?

2) I don't want to be connected to any group that promotes euthanasia that is specifically directed at people with disabilities. If I were to see this beginning to happen and had personal concerns, I may want to remove the links. What would happen in such a case?

Supporting people with disabilities through activism is what I do, and that's where my concern comes from. I'll be waiting to hear from you.

Thanks,

David

　

-----Original Message-----
From: Julie Vernon <julievernon99@gmail.com>
To: David McDonald <dawgoregon@aol.com>

Sent: Tue, Mar 20, 2012 11:33 am
Subject: Re: Quick question about your post

Hey David,

1) The site hopes that the links would be permanent. At the very least we ask for two years and at that point, just remind me and the site is likely to renew.

2) If the site were to ever begin advocating for euthanasia for people who did not wish to be euthanized, I would strongly recommend you take the links down. However, I don't think that will be a problem :)

If you would like to keep moving forward, send me your PayPal and I will send you a deposit.

Thanks!

　

On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 12:43 PM, David McDonald <dawgoregon@aol.com> wrote:

Thanks Julie! never having used PayPal, I'll go there now to set up an account.

　

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by PayPal.

Let me know once you have!

Thanks again!

　

Thanks David!

On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 11:56 AM, David McDonald <dawgoregon@aol.com> wrote:

I sent them the wrong bank info., so it's gonna take a few more days. Sorry...

　

That's fine, I did the same thing when I signed up!

Just let me know when you have everything worked out and I will put the payment over right away!

Thanks David!

　

Ok... we're good to go now. PayPal,s up and running! What's next?

　

Never heard from her again! The other day, I checked my account (which is fine), and then contacted the Dept. of Justice who told me this may very well be a scam. Fortunately I never completed the PayPal info., and now I may even catch her in a fraudulent attempt at accessing my bank account. Just goes to show you there are still plenty of flakes on the net!

Developmental Disability Awareness Month 5

Seeing how yet ANOTHER Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is coming to a close, I'd like to know how many people even knew it?

Wrongful Birth

I'm feeling badly about the verdict reached in an Oregon court last week, where it was decided that a health care provider was libel for almost 3 million dollars to the parents of a Down Syndrome baby. It was a "wrongful birth" suit, brought because a Doctor failed to diagnose the child BEFORE she was born. It only took the jury 6 hours to deliberate (12-0), and find for the parents.

The main reason this bothers me is that I've come in contact with so many Down Syndrome people in my life, and the idea that they could have been aborted is very upsetting! I struggle with the knowledge that as technology has evolved, it's now pretty easy to find out if a baby is not "perfect" while still in utero. If not, an abortion can put an end to the possibility of having to work hard in oder to support the child.

During WWII, the Nazis experimented on this sort of thing in the hope of creating the "perfect" race of people. Hitler had a particular distaste for people with disabilities. I'm sure he'd approve of this wonderful technology. And if a birth is determined to be "wrong", why can't also a life be determined to be "wrong"? Do we really want to go down that road of "Perfection"? I don't!

There have been studies done where somewhere between 89 and 92 percent of women have said they would terminate their pregnancy if they knew they were carrying a Down Syndrome child. That's an astronomical statistic! I'd also like to know if they interviewed mothers wih Down Syndrome children. The mothers I've met deeply love their children! As a parent, I'd much rather deal with the needs of a child with a disability, than a child who grows up with entitlement issues. I guess that's just me...

It's NEVER Ok To Murder Your Family Member!

Autism Campus Inclusion

Last week, George Hodgins, an autistic adult living in Sunnyvale, CA, was murdered by his own mother. In the aftermath of his death, much of the public discussion surrounding his killing focused on expressing sympathy for his killer. ASAN Member Zoe Gross of Oakland, CA objected to this and helped organize a candlelit vigil in memory of George and all disabled people who have been murdered by their family members. The vigil will take place tonight at 6 PM PST, rain or shine, in front of the Sunnyvale City Hall building. Details can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/events/199680943470301/. We urge supporters of disability rights and neurodiversity to join Zoe and other local Autistic people and allies in the California bay area in remembering George this evening. For those who can not make it, we are printing Zoe's prepared remarks below: Last Tuesday, George Hodgins was shot and killed by his mother, who then killed herself. George lived here in Sunnyvale and he was 22 years old. I didn't know George, but I can't stop thinking about him. Maybe it's because we have a lot in common - we lived near each other, we were the same age, we're both autistic, although we led very different lives. I would like to have met George, but I can only mourn him. And I can try to make sure that his story isn't forgotten. In the wake of this tragedy, I read a lot of articles that asked the readers to imagine how George's mother must have felt. But I didn't see a single article that asked the reader to empathize for George, to imagine how it feels to see your mother point a gun at you. I've seen a lot of people talking about how hard it must be to live with an autistic relative, but I didn't see anyone talking about how terrible it be to die knowing that your parent, who you love and depend on, has decided to hurt and kill you. Because he was autistic, George is being erased from the story of his own murder. The story of George Hodgins's death is being discussed and presented as a story of a mother who snapped, and the story of other parents who have felt the same way. It's being told as a story about a lack of services for families with special-needs children, as though a lack of services is a justification for murder. When disabled people are murdered by their families, this is the story people want to hear. It's the same story that we saw in newspapers after Katie McCarron was murdered, and after Jeremy Fraser was murdered, and after Glenn Freaney was murdered, and after Zain and Faryaal Akhter were murdered. The story goes like this: it is understandable that someone would kill their disabled relative if they don't get help to care for them. I don't think this is a true story. Why is the story being told this way? Because we live in a world that doesn't acknowledge the value of our lives as disabled people. Because so many people in our society can't imagine a disabled person living a fulfilling life, so they don't see the tragedy and the wasted potential when one of our lives is cut short. As disabled people, we have to take a stand against this kind of thinking. We have to get the word out that our lives matter, tha tour lives are our own stories and not just the stories of our non-disabled parents and relatives and caretakers. We have to let people know that they are missing part of the story. Because the story of George Hodgins's murder is also the story of the disabled community losing one of our own. It's the story of the other disabled people who were murdered by their family members, and it's the story of the society that thinks so little of people with disabilities that these murders are all too often justified as "understandable." Most of all, it's George's story - the story of a young man who enjoyed hiking, who was always looking to learn new skills, who had his whole life in front of him. Now George is gone, and only his memory remains, and already that memory is being distorted by people who want to tell his story and leave him out. That's not going to happen tonight. We're here to remember the real story.

It's Not Illegal to Be An Ass Hole

In 2008 I wrote a post about the financial exploitation of people with developmental disabilities. I used an article from a Washington newspaper to demonstrate what I was talking about, and to serve as an example. Not long after I published the post, one of the people accused in the article submitted a comment calling me to task for several mistakes in the newspaper article.

As I was not the author of the article, I commented back, that if they had a problem with it, they should contact the newspaper about it. I was merely using it as a reference. Not good enough I guess. I began getting comments from this person that were filled with personal attacks aimed at me. I couldn't figure out where all this anger was coming from, but published their comments along with some push-back.

Over the next 3+ years I'd get an occasional rant from this guy, which I'd publish along with my own thoughts regarding what he'd written. It was getting pretty silly actually. Then the other day he finally got down to what the problem REALLY was.

He said that every time someone googled his name on the internet, the first page that came up was my blog post about financial exploitation. I tried it myself and found out he was right. At first I thought of all the attempted (misdirected) character assasinations that this loon had sent me, and was tempted to leave the post alone. Then it came to me, as though the Lord was whispering in my ear... "Its not illegal to be an ass hole", and deleted the post.

Journalist or Story Teller?

Am I a journalist or a story teller? As I reflect, I can see I've done some of both on this blog over the years. I do feel more comfortable telling my stories than reporting others', so I'll tell you one today.

A few years back, I somehow got it into my head that people with developmental disabilities in Portland need air conditioning in the summer. I sent out a email to all the Portlanders in my email address book, requesting new or used air conditioners for this purpose. I knew that finding folks to give them to would be easier than finding the air conditioners themselves. I was surprised that within a few days I had 4 used air conditioners at my disposal!

I found 4 people who needed them (with ease). As I carried these units into people's homes, I noticed my back began to bother me some, but I still installed the units over the course of 2 afternoons. At the end of the 2nd afternoon my back was hurting me, so I took a few days off. During this time, I was able to build a partnership with United Way (through my wife) and Standard TV and Appliance. Suddenly I had 8 NEW units and 8 more donated used units!

My back was telling me I needed help in carrying these beasts, if I expected it to cooperate with me, and I found someone to help me. Of course this person was only available Mon. through Fri. between the hours of 9AM to 5PM, because those were his work hours. I guess he wanted to make sure he got paid for helping me. Once we identified some folks who needed AC we set about installing them. I'll never forget how grateful these people were when we plugged the units in, and they felt that first cool breeze.

Once I got a list of folks who needed them I decided I would install a few on my own, as they were people who weren't around during the day. Big mistake... as my back had promised, it stopped cooperating. Fortunately, it was at the end of installing the last one, but that was the end of "Operation Cool Air". My air conditioner carrying days are officially over...

"A Whole Nother Level"

Let me be perfectly clear... "nother" is not a word in the English language! "Mother", is in fact a word. As is the word "another". But those who use the word "nother" are simply talking trash.

Recently, I've heard a few people describing someone's basketball game or workout as "going to a whole nother level". This really bothers me! Why can't they just say the word "higher", as in "His game has gone to a higher level". Or they could say "to the next level".

This may all seem trivial to the reader(s) of my blog. They may feel as though there are bigger fish to fry in the world right now... I don't care! I had something that has been troubling me lately, and felt a need to get it off my chest before nother day goes by!

"It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times"

I lost it in the toilet paper aisle at the grocery store this morning. I was minding my own business, looking for a 6 pack of double rolls, and singing along quietly to Annie Lennox' "Why?", which was being played on the store's sound system. I'd just passed a black woman who looked to be about the same age as me, and who was also singing along with the song. Though she appeared to be somewhat dissheveled and probably poor, she held her head up as she sang.

As the song came to an end, I was struck by the closing lines...
"These are the contents of my head
And these are the years that we have spent
And this is what they represent
And this is how I feel
Do you know how I feel ?
'cause i don't think you know how I feel
I don't think you know what I feel
I don't think you know what I feel
You don't know what I feel"
And I began to sob. The words I spoke through my tears were directed at America. I said "Look at what you've done to me America!"
I thought about the direction my country is trying to take with the Occupy Movement. People finally standing up and shouting "Enough is enough!" I thought about the other direction, of Corporate greed, a corrupt Supreme Court, and a government intent on causing suffering for the majority of its' people.

This has been a VERY powerful year for myself, and many others. I don't expect anything less from 2012. It's truly been, and will continue to be, exactly what Charles Dickens and Annie Lennox wrote about.

Hear About Disability

I had the experience of deafness in one of my ears yesterday. Through this, I was able to see the connection to disability that many people have to deal with on a regular basis. I feel the need to write about it, and some thoughts I have.

It started when I finished up my shower. I'd done my customary of allowing some water to go into my ears to rinse out any reaining shampoo or conditioner. Though I go through this same process every day, this time was different. My left ear remained clogged up. No big deal... figured I'd just q-tip my ears when I was done.

That didn't work out too well. As soon as I began on the left ear, it seemed to close up completely! I continued for another minute on it, then gave up, hoping it was temporary. No such luck! After an hour I stood up, and felt disoriented. My balance was messed up!

I went to speak with my wife about the situation. Although she has a mid-range kinda voice, I had to ask her to speak up as I only had 1/2 my hearing. She went to the computer and came up with some ideas. She found "swimmers' ear" which made sense as the whole thing began in the shower.

First she told me to put a little alcohol in my ear. Didn't do anything except burn slightly. Next we tried a heating pad, laying down on my side and putting my ear on it. No good. I was feeling frustrated and cranky, having to ask her to repeat 50% of what she was saying. Next I hopped up and down on my left foot, shaking my head up and down sideways. Nope. Eventually I drove to the pharmacy and bought some drops for swimmers' ear. By the time I got home I was in a REALLY bad mood, having stood in a long, slow, line to buy the drops.

Shortly after getting back home, I found myself picking a fight with Suzanne, like it was her fault! I followed the directions to treating my ear with the medicine, and after an hour... nothing! I decided that since I wasn't experiencing pain, I'd take a break, and get back on the case in the morning.

Today I woke up still unable to hear. Honestly, I was kind of panicky. First I went to my Facebook page, asking for any help people might have. Some of the suggestions were things I'd already tried, so we decided to treat the problem as if it was an ear wax issue. Suzanne dripped some warm olive oil in my ear. It began to tickle my inner ear as it got past/through (?) the ear wax After a while we rinsed the ear with water, which scared me, but it worked!

When I was finally able to hear again, I began thinking of the deaf people I've known over the years, with my nephew Joseph leading my thinking. He's deaf in one ear as well as autistic. And like many of the other folks I've known he tends to get FRUSTRATED, and CRANKY sometimes. In fact, he has a problem in answering questions with a "yeah" whether or not he understands or HEARS what people ask him. Hmmm... once again I've been blessed with a n extremely VALUABLE lesson. Life is good!

Question

Isn't being anti war but pro veteran sort of like being anti abortion and dating an abortinist?

Ben Stiller V. The World

I've decided to give Ben Stiller a chance as a serious actor, as I've disliked his cheesey attempts at making fun of people with disabilities. The film I'm talking about is titled "Greenburg" with him in the title role of a guy with... bad luck?

Hard to say as he totally sucks as a serious actor who can do more than make fun of other people. He looks pretty odd in a film that has not done much to look anything beyond weak and silly. Does he have a partner? Or is Ben a "confirmed" bachelor?

Well, anyway, I wouldn't reccomend Greenburg (I guess no one else has either) to anyone who thinks Ben Stiller is any thing beyond a clown. But he tries occasionally...

"Can You Hear Me Now?"

I just finished watching a movie called "Full Signal". It tells the story of how cell phones are more than likely causing health problems all around the world, and it got me thinking. The idea of "safe" radiation is akin to the idea of "clean" coal energy. Both are lies.

As autism continues to grow at an alarming rate, could it be radiation that's causing this phenomena? The frequency has now grown to 1 in 100 children. And they are saying that the incidence of brain cancer in kids under 18 is at its' highest level EVER. Coincidences? Maybe, but I have my doubts.

Telecomunications is REALLY BIG business! T-Mobile, Quest, Comcast, the list goes on and on. These Telecoms are constantly competing for your money. You can find them everywhere, from Nascar to Washington DC. In effect, they are some of the fastest growing corporations in the world today. Do you think they care about you or your family's well being?? You may want to think twice.

I'm not saying I don't believe cell phones have saved many lives, and there is not a need for them in emergency situations. What I am saying is that there needs to be IMMEDIATE research done to find out exactly how harmful they (and their accompanying towers) are to human beings. If we wait another 10 or 15 years without doing so, we'll find out any way, but is it truly wise to take that approach?

My Wife's Accomplishments (so far)

I'm so proud of Suzanne. She has accomplished SO MUCH in making the world a better place! Some of the reasons I love her like I do...

1.) When my autistic nephew came to live with us, she not only took upon herself the role of her mother, but she KICKED ASS in making sure he was WELL TAKEN care of. Both by us, and his current situation.

2.) She took it upon HERSELF to advocate for ALL kids in Special Education being taken advantage of in Portland Public Schools, and caused some positive change to occur.

3.) She also advocated and became VERY active in making education meaningful for ALL students in PPS.

4.) She took it upon herself to prove that people who it was decided were unable to read, were IN FACT ABLE to be taught to go from 2nd to 6th grade level in a matter of 1 year.

5.)She has been a leader in speaking out about injustice around racial, economical,and all around EQUITY in the city of Portland for the past 10 years.

6.)She has been a forceful voice in the attempt to end war in the US, and bring peace to the world.

7.) She aint done yet, and I'm the luckiest man in the WORLD!!!

I've been thinking about what does and doesn't make sense in the US and beyond recently. for posterity's sake, I'm gonna write some thoughts here.

When one of your complaints is that you believe your government is unfair, why would you join with them in attempting to make life fair?

If you think that using the words "nigger", "faggot", and "kike" are bad examples of speech, why would you use the word "retard", thinking that's ok?

How could you possibly think that using resources for any reason before ending hunger and homelessness makes sense?

How can you call yourself (and believe) that you are a Christian and suggest that Capitol Punishment is justifiable?

How can Corporations be treated as individual persons without making sure they have personal responsibilities as well?

How can someone be so hypocritical as to believe cronyism sucks when their whole life has been nothing beyond cronyism?

Why is it ok to bleed 99% of Americans and prop up the wealthiest 1%?

How do these people sleep at night???

A Plea For My Life

Dear President Obama,

Now that you've decided you can order the death of an American Citizen without any kind of trial or due process, I'm writng to you in case you decide to take a hit out on me. I'd rather die from something more exciting.

I know that you and I have seen things differently since a year after you took on the Pesidency. I think we should feed the poor and house the homeless, while you have fed the wallets of billionaires, and had my country at war in Afghanistan for the past 10 years. I get that. I just want you to know I'm not a terrorist.

I, also had nothing to do with the suspected crimes that my fellow citizen was killed for. I have no plans to do so in the future either. All I want to do is live out my years without the fear that I could be your NEXT target.

Regards,
David McDonald

Motivation to Work

I've been listening to a federal hearing on people with disabilities and employment. I LOVE this sort of thing! A panel of "experts" discussing best practice and "thinking outside the box". I don't consider myself to be an expert on this topic, but as usual I have my own opinion(s). I'm also not hesitant to express them.

A blind doctor just stated that there's a presumption that people with disabilities are looked upon as "broken". Now THAT'S something I've believed for a while. Seems like people who don't spend much time around people with disabilities presume quite a bit. They either pity people with disabilities or look down on them. They are JUST PEOPLE! They don't need (or often want) to be looked at as "special", they need to be treated the same way non-disabled people are treated. It's pretty simple.

When my nephew moved in with Suzanne and I in 2000, he seemed abnormally "spoiled". I think that everyone who had been involved with him, up to his 16 years, had feared his autism. I knew that I was going to have to be firm with him if I hoped to assist him moving from childhood to adulthood, as I had promised my sister before she died. That meant I was going to have "expectations" that he'd be able to learn. Initially, it was a serious struggle for both of us. He was very resistant to change, and we bumped heads on several occasions. I spent a lot of time seeking ways to motivate him.

I found that the concept of being considered a "grown up" was something that appealed to him, so I began praising him when he chose to do something I considered grown up. It was a successful, if not easy, strategy. He began fishing for "grown up"s from me quite regularly. I had to tell him certain things he was doing were things everyone does, and didn't warrant praise. He started figuring out what I was trying to get through to him! He began shaving, putting on deodorant, brushing his teeth, and showering with the cuing of an alarm clock. Can you believe that??

When we were finished helping him become a man, it was time for him to do what all young adults do... move out! He was almost 21 years old, had spent the last year and a half at Sylvan Learning Center (if you want more info. about that, key word "Due Process" on this page), learning to read, write, and refine his math skills. We began a search for the right living situation for him, finding it in a Foster Care home with 4 other guys his own age.

Now came the whole employment piece. Joseph had never had a real job. Would he be able to understand the whole concept of working? He had proved to me that he was capable of doing MORE THAN what I thought he could, so the answer had to be "yes". He started out working at Goodwill. It wasn't a perfect setting, but they have a long history of working with people who are "differently abled". In order to find a solid motivator I wanted to give the idea of working some serious value. I settled on TRAVEL as the motivator. I told him if he worked hard and followed the rules, he'd be able to take trips. After he'd gotten a few paychecks, I set him up to go to a baseball game in Seattle. He loved it!

Using his new motivator, within a year he became a valued employee at Goodwill. Though he was being paid piece rate (which is really a rip-off), he was till doing better than minimum wage. Since he started at Goodwill he's been to Nashville, Vegas, Memphis, Mexico, Arizona, California twice, Alaska by rail, Hawaii, Greece, Missouri, and is signed up for Portugal next spring. Whenever I speak with anyone from the travel company (Trips, Inc. out of Eugene, Or.), they tell me he's their favorite traveler. Now he makes around $380 every 2 weeks, working 20 hours a week, and is one of the best workers in the system. Not bad for a guy with autism.

On The 9/11 Anniversary

Rather than seeing myself as a citizen of the United States, I see myself a citizen of the Planet Earth. That may not make sense to some, but I could have been born anywhere. The fact that I've made it to 55 in America, instead of starving in Africa as a child, or catching an incurable disease at 20 in India, bears my thinking out.

That's why the whole renewed fervor around patriotism, as we near the 10th year since 9/11/01 is hard for me to wrap my head around. When one considers that every 9.62 days, there is an equivalent amount of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan as September 11th. I mean Americans aren't "better" or "more important" than other people in the world. I find that I want to distance myself from the people who want to make this upcoming anniversary something larger than life.

Guess I've always been this way; believing that a candle light vigil should be going on every 9.62 days for all the people who have died in recent wars. Wars started by the very same people selling us the notion that we should care more about ourselves than "them".

Little Poem For The Day

When politicians tell me what I want to hear,
I can't bring myself to clap any more.
When I watch a Documentary proving corruption,
I can't bring myself to clap at the end.
When did this resignation take over?

When I hear of apparent good news in the news,
Now my first thought is about liars and cover ups.
Negative truth... I'm a Realist
Skies ARE falling, whether or not you believe it.
I now crave jade.