Now I've seen EVERYTHING! Have you heard about the rich people's disease that was recently used to keep a rich kid out of prison? It's called Affluenza, and was successfully used as a defense in a Texas courtroom, to defend this kid who killed 4 others while driving drunk. You can't make this shit up...
I heard about it this morning while watching "Democracy Now!" on TV. From their website... "A wealthy teen who killed four people in a Texas drunk driving accident will not go to jail after a judge ruled this week that instead, he must attend an expensive rehabilitation facility paid for by his parents. The driver was 16-year-old Ethan Couch. He was speeding, with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
Couch has admitted to his crime, and in a case that went before a Texas judge, prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence. Instead, Couch was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after a psychologist claimed he had "affluenza," and testified that his cushy upbringing prevented him from connecting bad behavior with its consequences." What follows is part of a transcript they played on the show...
"911 DISPATCHER: And how many people need EMS?
CALLER: Ma’am, I’m telling you, it’s dark. There’s four or five kids. There’s kids laying in ditches and street.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: That was a 911 call from last June, when four people were killed by a drunk driver. The driver was 16-year-old Ethan Couch. He was speeding, with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Couch has admitted to his crime, and in a case that went before a Texas judge, prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence. Instead, he was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after a psychologist claimed he suffered from "affluenza," which he described as growing up in a house where the parents were preoccupied with arguments that led to a divorce. On Wednesday, a judge ordered him to go to an expensive rehabilitation facility paid for by his parents."
Am I supposed to actually believe this bullshit? Is this the REAL story of "the poor little rich kid"? I AM DIS GUS TED!!!
I wrote an open letter to you back on December 5th, 2013, where I apologized to you for taking your team too lightly. I pointed out the many surprising strengths the team had displayed since the start of the NBA season. I singled out how I felt about individual players, and complimented the team on having a 16-3 record on that date.
Well, here we are, a little more than 1/2 way through the season, and I'm back to writing you yet another open letter. I hadn't planned to do so, but I feel the need to "reconnect" before the upcoming All Star break. Having both Damian and Lamarcus represent your team and our city as players in that game is impressive, but it's looking like that's where all congratulations end.
Your record is now 34-14, which is not disrespectable, if you want to make it to the playoffs in the Western Conference. However, you have begun to lose games you really shouldn't lose. Last night it was the Wizards, a 24-23 team, and after squeaking by Toronto the other night, you were up-ended by Memphis and Golden State. In other words, you've lost 3 of your last 4 games. In fact, since I sent you my original letter, your record is 18-11, which is slightly better than average; around a "B" in letter grades.
Once again, that old feeling in the pit of my stomach is beginning to grumble. There are several important games with good teams coming up in February, and I'm not convinced you're going to sail through the month. In my humble opinion, it's time to take a look at yourselves, and get back to work! When I've watched you lose (many times now), I've taken note that the only player who truly looks pissed off is Wes Matthews. What about the All Stars?
I'm sure that when you see this, you'll likely think; "Who the hell does that dude think he is"? The answer to that question is simple. I'm just someone who lives in Portland, loves basketball, and has followed this team since 1982. That would be 32 years where the Blazers were in the Finals twice, losing both times. I WANT A CHAMPIONSHIP ok?
Today is my nephew's annual ISP review. For the uninitiated, ISP stands for Individualized Service Plan, but let me assure you, it's anything but "individualized". I've been "participating" in this for 13 years now. Always with the same results that nothing will ever change in his life, other than his address.
I made a major decision this morning. I aint goin'! The plan is, that soon as I finish here, I'm going to call his case manager and tell her. She knows Suzanne and I well enough to realize what we want for him. INDEPENDENCE... the one thing he'll never get in the system.
Last night I was thinking I'd go and give the "team" a piece of my mind. I wrote down what's troubling me about this process, and planned to read it out loud, leaving each team member a copy. The more I thought about it, the less I felt like actually doing it. As I get older, the less I want to fight. That's the reality. My God, I've been fighting this monster for over 1/2 my life! Time to give it, and me a break. Instead, I've decided to talk about it here; sharing what I wrote, with Suzanne's help last night...
"I’m here today to make a statement about my nephew.
For at least 10 years, we’ve been meeting with this team , making suggestions
of what we believe would make his life better. Better meaning some kind of
PROGRESS. Progress towards independence – like an adult, which he is. Suzanne
and I feel that we AND our nephew have been [jerked around] led on a bridge to
nowhere – a bridge to continuous dependence, by all the rest of his “team”.
I have to wonder if there is real sincerity among his *team*
members to see him move forward in his life. Yes, he understands when he’ll
burn himself when the water is too hot. And, of course, he knows how to leave
the house if it’s on fire. He won’t *choke* when he is eating, and his *hygiene*
is appropriate. THIS part of the ISP meeting – I have always HATED it. It’s
demeaning, it’s stereotypical, it has no respect for the individuality of who
HE is, and it subjects HIM to a degrading --- uh, I hate it. Please, Case Manager,
you KNOW us and you KNOW him. Just STOP it. I will NOT answer any more if
he needs *assistance* with his hygiene. If you need to fill out your form for
the authorities, Pllllllllllllllleeze do it on the time you are paid for by the
STATE.
Approximately five years ago, we as his ISP team figured out
a *person-centered-plan*, which was paid for by the state. Everyone was in
agreement – or so they said -that this
plan should happen. What happened? A few years later we were told that he
needs watching 24/7, so that his provider could be paid as much as possible.
He’s still doing the exact same things, in the exact same
places, at the exact same times that he was 5 years ago. I never would have
participated in such a planning process if I had known that it was all for
naught – at least for him.
I will no longer go along with this silliness. How many
times have we heard from Goodwill, he’s not ready to move along to another job
opportunity *in the community*? How many times have we continually heard “not
yet”? It’s been years of pestering for speech and language services using his
own damn money to pay for it. HIS OWN MONEY???
You may surmise that I am angry about how he is dealt
with in these meetings. You are 100% correct. It is a waste of his, and
everyone else’s time. You can go on and finish this meeting, to satisfy a
broken system, but it will be without my “participation”.
Sure, this is a scurrilous tactic to draw folks into your blog, but it works, or you might not be reading this! Right??? Okay, now that you're here to read about something all together different than what the writer is writing about, you may as well stay, and see what I consider the "year in review", on New Years Eve, 2013!
It's been an interesting year alright. With the prediction that something would change the whole worldly picture on 12/20/12 (remember that?) behind us, we've moved into what I like to refer to as "The Golden Age of Mass Confusion", both here and abroad. In other words, nobody has any idea what's going on these days. Not really.
In a speech at the UN, General Admiral (Admiral General?) Aladeen from the movie "The Dictator", asked the American people: "Why are you guys so anti-dictators? Imagine if America was a dictatorship. You could let 1% of the people have all the nation's wealth. You could help your rich friends get richer by cutting their taxes. And bailing them out when they gamble and lose. You could ignore the needs of the poor for health care and education. Your media would appear free, but would secretly be controlled by one person and his family. You could wiretap phones. You could torture foreign prisoners. You could have rigged elections. You could lie about why you go to war. You could fill your prisons with one particular racial group, and no one would complain. You could use the media to scare the people into supporting policies that are against their interests." He also referred to a bungling Anna Farris as "democracy", which has almost become deluded to a point of no return.
Now we have a Tea Party, a Me Party, and a Please Don't Pee on Me Party calling the shots in our country. I don't know, maybe I should just get back to the task at hand here, I'm pretty sure you know what I mean.
The month we're in now has shown me exactly how confused people are. The ACA (Affordable Care Act) enrollment date has been pushed back once again. I fear that soon there will be millions of other Americans, like myself, who will be uninsured when something catastrophic happens in their lives. I hope that if and when that happens, the government will show some compassion and understanding. On a more positive note, the Ducks won their bowl game last night, and the Blazers continue to baffle all the know-it-alls in the NBA world!
November wasn't bad. Gathering with family is always joyous; even when they see it as an obligation. I never do. I think experiencing my sister's death back in '99 taught me a lesson about the fleetingness of life. As the Buddhists say the "impermanence" of life. A brief warning here... Don't be too casual about showing those you love how you feel. 'Cause you just never know!
Ahh... October. I found myself getting fumed up over the treatment of children receiving special education services in public schools. This subject has been near and dear to my heart for several years, and I wrote a pointed piece on here about what I believe is happening throughout the country. I also was exposed to a story on Sports Center about a Hawaiian surfer who saved thousands (that's right, THOUSANDS) of lives as a lifeguard on a beach where many of the largest waves in the world grab and have their way with people crazy enough to believe THEY would be safe swimming there. Yeah... right.
After a conversation with my brother in mid September, I decided I'd have a hand at writing a book about my experiences working with people having developmental disabilities. After getting to my 5th year of service (no one's ever thanked Me for MY service...), I developed some writer's block in November, but I resolve to get back on it and FINISH it in 2014! Once again Sports Center got me with a story of a weight lifter having Down Syndrome that compelled me to write about him. Started out the month teaming up with Suzanne to produce a video about THE REAL state of the union, following the President's own slightly different version. It's right below here if you missed it.
August found Suzanne and I celebrating our 13th year marriage anniversary. I honestly don't know where I'd be without her! She is my rock! I pondered my own existence in another post when I had one of those days where you realize how small and insignificant you are in the scheme of things. Ever have those kinds of days? I also exploded at Monsanto for the serious damage they've caused throughout the world. Those people piss me off!
In July, I wrote about my nephew, Joseph, who has autism, but has managed to do more world traveling than most of the people I know. The way he's done it is by working his ass off, and saving for his trips. Good for him! It was also the month where it was decided that George Zimmerman was innocent of murdering Trayvon Martin. Of course since then, he's been in all kinds of trouble with just about everyone who crosses his path, but at least his innocence was decided by a bunch of white people. Paula Deen was also exposed as a racist in July, though I hear she's doing well these days too. Maybe George and Paula could hook up and start a band...
I spoke up (no kidding...) about my feelings regarding drug testing poor people who receive government assistance back in June. The people who cry out for this seem to be too chicken to require the same thing from politicians who wear ties and suits, and are paid employees of the government. Go figure... I previously had written a "Manifesto" about poverty and wealth which I stand by today, where I explain why I believe as I do.
I wrote about the little problem I had with being involved in fires as a little kid back in May. It just seems like I was in the wrong places, doing the wrong things, at the wrong times. But I can assure you I've since changed my evil ways. I told y'all about a dog who helps kids with autism and returning veterans. Ricochet's his name. Maggie Thatcher died last May, and I shared my thoughts on her. I also wrote about Hill County Farms, and how they not only exploit people with disabilities, but have caused some of these folks to die. And I started the month off talking about how hard it is these days to get REAL news.
April was an interesting month this year. We had the Boston bombing where once again people found a reason to hate other people. I wrote about West Texas, which was destroyed by a tornado that people were unable to hate, so they all but ignored that story. I explained the back problems I was having then as being almost incapacitating. Guess what? I'm having back problems again! Grrr...! I ended the month writing about how Suzanne and I had pulled off a rarity by suing a school district on behalf of our nephew without a lawyer and WINNING! I'd found the story on the internet of all places...
In March I celebrated Saint Patrick's Day with recalling my memories of going to Ireland with my mom in my mid twenties. What a trip! First I wrote about death. The death of Hugo Chavez (one of my political heroes), Alvin Lee (one of my rock heroes), and the "R" word (one of the most vulgar words in the English language). May they all RIP. I wrote about a very cool film I saw called "Compliance", which I highly recommend! I spoke about the Nazis who read my blog in secret. I finished off the month reflecting on the Prison Industrial Complex, and its' use to continue making rich people richer, while successfully keeping the poor man down.
I began February by talking about something so private to me that I'd held it in for 40 years. My undying devotion to... BASKETBALL!! Later I told the story of what happens when you ask questions from those considered "beyond reproach". It can blow up in your face, but don't EVER let that stop you from doing what is right. It's a spiritual thing I believe in. On my birthday I wrote about the craziness that goes on in the worlds of entertainment, news, and stuff we're not exposed to unless we seek it ourselves. That was some strange stuff, to realize these worlds are all a part of each other now.
On January 14th my daughter turned 28, the same age I was when she was born! I wondered then, as I do now... where's MY grandkid(s)? I also wrote about the Newtown school massacre after watching a speech about gun control by the President. I know my position on the subject is probably controversial, but as a friend once told me; "The truth will make you sick BEFORE it sets you free". I ended the month with my most popular post of the year (over 500 page views). It came from an article I wrote months earlier which was published by John Hopkins University Press.
And that wraps up my year in review. Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading my blog, and may you have a Happy New Year!! It's almost time to dig into some fondue and shrimp cocktails! See ya next year...
I just had a cathartic moment, and decided to write about it here. It was very powerful, and I want to write down what it was about before I loose touch with its' power. These moments are rare in my life.
I was watching a Beach Boys 50 year anniversary special on TV. I was taken by how old the members of the band had become, and was particularly drawn to Brian Wilson, as I'm familiar with the story about his collapse as well as his rise back up.
They played his song "Heroes and Villains", and I found myself almost entranced by the layers of beautiful harmony he'd created. I've heard it before, but not with the whole band involved. What a truly beautiful song!
Right after, that they played a song I grew up listening to that I always liked a lot. "Wouldn't it Be Nice" is a song I remember listening to as a small kid. Something about that song has always made me feel like it was written about me and my life.
Half way through the song I could feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes. Before I knew it, I was crying like a baby; literally sobbing and groaning. I realized that my whole life has been an adventure. I've lived almost 58 years without really understanding life, and the highs and lows we all deal with. It's all been an adventure of who each of us are as individuals and community. When you "get" that message on a cellular level, it almost feels like enlightenment. That was my catharsis.
I'm writing this as an apology to your basketball team. I've watched 5 or 6 of your games so far this season (all wins), and feel a need to say I'm sorry. Without a doubt, I have underestimated you.
As I looked at your roster before the season began, I admit I was depressed. I picked you to be no better than the 9th or 10th best team in the Western Conference. If I had bet on you back then, I would have surely predicted that you wouldn't come close to making the playoffs. I figured that winning 35 games would be a stretch. Well here you are... with a record of 16-3! Your best start since 1998/99.
When I noticed you got rid of JJ Hickson (one of the brighter spots on last year's team), and brought in Robin Lopez to play center this year, I thought that was a big mistake. I was wrong. Robin has come a long way since being drafted #18 in 2008. His numbers are not far off from JJ's, and he's a MUCH better shot blocker/ defensive presence.
I remember seeing a replay of Nicolas Batum purposely whacking a Spanish player in the nuts during the Olympics. I figured he was a dirty player trying to get an advantage due to his inability to play well. He already has 2 triple doubles this year, and has proven that he can give fits to all the small forwards in the League, both defensively and offensively.
Wes Mathews... I always liked his game, but thought he was far from being one of the best shooting guards in the league. Wrong again! He's averaging over 16 points a game this year, and is tough as nails defensively. Nightly, he's guarding all stars successfully. He's only 27 years old!
Everyone knows that Damian Lillard was Rookie Of The Year last season, but many people (including myself) waited to see if he is for real. He IS for real! He's averaging 20+ points and a shade under 6 assists a game so far. He's also playing fewer minutes this year due to the acquisition of Mo Williams. The sky's the limit for this kid!
Lamarcus Aldridge... is probably the best Power Forward in the game right now. He's averaging 23.5 points, and 9.7 rebounds a game, good for 6th and 14th (3 guys in front of him in rebounding have 9.9) respectively. NO BODY wants to have to guard him in the league! He's a monster.
You have the best record in the Western Conference. Better than the Spurs, the Thunder, the Clippers, and the Rockets. Other than the Pacers (who you beat 2 nights ago), you have the best record in the league! No one's taking you lightly any more . And that definitely includes Yours Truly.
I need a mantra in order to write this post. Something meditative and relaxing seems to be in order. Fortunately, I took my blood pressure med this morning, so I should be ok. However, if I start using profanity, please forgive me.
A few hours ago, I came upon this video on my Facebook news feed. A friend posted it, and immediately I watched it. The video is a little bit longer than 6 minutes, and contains a world of deep thought regarding right and wrong. Some of the comments I received (as well as those on my friend's post) show me just how much abuse of people with disabilities effects community.
I'm going to assume you watched the video now. At the 2:10 mark, the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS (Mantra David...), Daniel Domenech really spells out the problem. People like HIM! Who mistakenly believe they MUST restrain kids so they won't "hurt themselves". That is a crock! He's REALLY concerned about teachers being injured. And he's right, before he's done spinning the situation to suit his agenda... he IS a barbarian!
Then you have the story of Corey Foster in NYC which begins at the 3 minute mark, where 5 ADULTS dogpile on a kid because he doesn't want to stop shooting baskets. They KILLED him! The coroner can call it "Cardiac Arrest while being subdued" if they want, but I call it murder!
Later in the tape when they interview the group of kids who HAVE EXPERIENCED this "restraint" themselves, their heads simultaneously nod "no" when asked if THEY believe this works. If THEY aren't the experts here, I guess we should go along with what the self admitted BARBARIAN tells us.
I'm fully aware that my writing on this blog has slowed down recently. I've just had other things I've been working on which have pulled me away from here. However; I just watched a movie from ESPN about a hero that inspired me to jump on here and at least link to it. The man's name was Eddie Aikau, a royal Hawaiian who saved at least 1,000 people as the first lifeguard at Wiamea Bay. That's not where his story ends... (copy and paste the link into your browser)
I just got off the phone with my second eldest brother, who brought up a good point. He suggested that I write a book (not a blog) about my experiences in the field/world of developmental disabilities. I think it's time I did.
My perspective would likely be different than 99% of the other books on the same topic. Why? Because I am different in the way I see the whole thing than 99% of the people I know! I'm not better than them, but I've never been on the same team as them.
There are enough folks who look for adoration and accolades in their writings about disability. I want to tell the truth! How will this effect my putting time into this blog? I don't know. I guess we'll have to see...
I LOVE this kind of story! I think it has something to do with the work I do. I'm sure this blog never would have come to be if it wasn't for people like Jon Stoklosa. He might be considered by some to be an "underdog" in life. Let me tell you... he's anything but!
Sure, he has a label, but he is so much more than any label!
To watch the video, click on the arrow at the bottom.
My wife and I were talking yesterday about what's going on in the world and America right now. The truth is that no matter how you see things, we're undeniably in some turbulent times. We decided to create a video that would reflect what's going on, both positive and negative. This is our finished product with a sound track by Blood Sweat and Tears...
On 60 Minutes last night, they did a piece about crocodiles along the Amazon River in Africa. Did you know that each year 100 people are eaten by these monsters? Of course there are countless other creatures who are also predated by crocodiles, but my own opinion is that 100 people are a lot!
Watching this on my TV brought up thoughts about other monsters that exist in the world. Of course there's those great white sharks that have been known to kill man as well as other creatures. And you also have Grizzly Bears, often referred to as monsters too. But in my book, Monsanto is a much larger and scarier monster than all of natures' combined!
Of course they are much more subtle, and there are many who don't even believe they are a danger, but don't be fooled! Aunt Jemima, Aurora Foods, Banquet, Best Foods, Betty
Crocker, Bisquick, Cadbury, Campbells, Capri Sun, Carnation, Chef Boyardee, Coca
Cola, ConAgra, Delicious Brand Cookies, Duncan Hines, Famous Amos, Frito Lay, General
Mills, Green Giant, Healthy Choice, Heinz, Hellmans, Hershey’s, Holsum, Hormel,
Hungry Jack, Hunts, Interstate Bakeries, Jiffy, KC Masterpiece, Keebler, Kelloggs,
Kid Cuisine, Knorr, Kool-Aid, Kraft/Phillip Morris, Lean Cuisine, Lipton, Loma
Linda, Marie Callenders, Minute Made, Morningstar, Mrs. Butterworths, Nabisco, Nature
Valley, Nestle, Ocean Spray, Ore-Ida, Orville Redenbacher, Pasta-Roni, Pepperidge
Farms, Pepsi, Pillsbury, Pop Secret, Post Cereals, Power Bar Brand, Procter and
Gamble, Quaker, Ragu, Rice-A-Roni, Schweppes, Smart Ones, Stouffers, Tombstone
Pizza, Totinos, Uncle Ben’s, Unilever, and V8 are all companies under the Monsanto umbrella.
You'd need to be some kind of scientist to know which (if not all?) of these companies use genetically modified organisms in their products, but Monsanto has a long standing reputation for using them. If that's the case, no one in America is safe from this monster!...What to do?
For one thing, maybe it's time to rethink your idea of what a "monster" really is and isn't. Maybe the "monsters" we REALLY need to fear are not made by Mother Nature, but by Man himself.
I've been feeling a bit melancholy lately. I go through these periods every so often; feeling like I haven't yet left any real mark of significance on this world, and realizing I'm not going to live forever. I used to make light of it when I was younger, but the meaning now seems to walk beside me as I age.
I just want to know that my existence wasn't in vain. I want assurance that the challenges I've faced and the battles I've fought meant something to someone beside myself. Maybe my real problem is that enough is never enough for me. Insatiable ego. I also find myself wondering if other people feel the same way. If they do, I think they mainly keep it to themselves, rather than plastering it on the internet for the world to see.
What brought me out here today was the song "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks. As I listened to it, an overwhelming feeling of longing swept over me. Flashing on many of the people who have come and gone throughout my life, and others that remain in it. I want to tell them all that I love them and think of them often. That's the truth. I know there are some people I've hurt, but that was never my intention. I'm just a lumbering human who has pushed some people around.
There is some solace in knowing that my writings have produced almost 40,000 page views of this blog, and my hope is that it's inspired some people somehow.
I haven't written on here for a few weeks. Is it that I finally don't have anything to say? That would be highly doubtful. I thinks it's probably more like "the dawg days of summer" have caught up with me.
Some news in my personal life, is that after a 7 year absence from the work force that other people participate in, I've once again joined in the fun. It's taking some time to get used to letting people tell me what to do, but so far, so good.
The family's well. At least the ones I know about are. Those who don't like me so much, I'm not sure of, but I think they'd still let me know if something bad was going on in their lifes (or is it "live"?)
Been eating lots of berries. Been getting my fiber fixes daily. Lots of legumes and other healthy vegetables. Have kind of a "Moses" thing going on with my long beard. Lost some weight over the summer. Back still hurts but I'm used to it. The people at Social Security decided I'm not disabled after all. Thank God! I was scared for a while there. Life's pretty good.
Seattle twice to watch the Mariners play baseball. Tucson Az. to watch Spring training. Disney Land in California. Disney World in Fla. Graceland in Memphis. Dolly World in Nashville. Branson Missouri for country music. Las Vegas (What happens in Vegas...) Two times in Hawaii for sunshine. Alaska for cold weather. San Diego for Sea World. Washington DC for politics. A 5 night stay in downtown Portland at Christmas time.
Mexico for Mexican food. Greece for olive oil on the beach. Portugal for adventure. Russia in August. Polynesia next summer.
That's some pretty good traveling in 10 years! Especially for a man with autism.
By the title of this post, it probably looks like I'm talking about the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. Although I'm EXTREMELY upset by the decision the 6 non-black women jurists made, that's not what I'm going on about this morning. I had a thought earlier today that inspired this writing.
Want to get pissed off? How about our government's total lack of empathy for the people and city of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina? Or the billions given to banks in what was called a "bail out"? Guantanamo still open, while force feeding innocent detainees? Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and all the other whistle blowers persecuted for telling the truth? The killing of civilians by drone throughout the Middle East? There's plenty to be pissed off about. Trayvon Martin's murder is just the flavor of the day in reasons to riot.
A riot (/ˈraɪət/) is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. (Wikipedia... not to be confused with WikiLeaks) Maybe the keyword here is "disorganized." The 3% (1% my ass) and their minions count on disorganization. They know that unless the people can STAND TOGETHER, disorganized riots is all that can be accomplished. And it's highly doubtful that any violence would occur in their gated communities.
So what are we gonna do? Awaken, that's what! If you are STILL unable to see the game being played on you, simply start asking questions, then weigh the answers you get. If you dig deep enough, you'll surely find that the ultimate beneficiaries of the suffering of ordinary people are those who have the most. I'm done.
One of my very FAVORITE features about our yard is the wild black berries we inherited when we moved in a few years back. The vines grow out through our hedges, yielding the sweetest of crops every July and August. Last year we harvested over a gallon of sweeties. This year promises to be even way more productive! I LIKES!!
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Who could blame Paul and Hava Forziano for celebrating Independence Day a few days early?
The mentally disabled newlyweds, who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against group homes that refused to allow them to live together as husband and wife, held a joyous moving-in party Monday at their new apartment after another agency sympathetic to their plight stepped forward to offer them space in one of its facilities.
"We can be together all the time now," Paul Forziano said. Added his wife, "Happy, not sad."
The newlywed couple beamed with joy and frequently hugged and kissed as they welcomed their parents, attorneys and reporters into their freshly painted one-bedroom apartment. Their new place is inside a large group home, already occupied by eight men; the newlyweds will live alone in a second-floor apartment, although the group home is staffed day and night should they need any help.
"It's more independent," said Norman Samuels, the father of the bride who walked her down the aisle at a ceremony last April at a Long Island catering hall. "Here it is July 4th is coming up. It's not quite that type of independence, but it is more independent."
Despite the happy developments, the lawsuit filed earlier this year will go on. The couple and their parents want a judge to order that all group homes in New York make facilities available for mentally disabled married couples.
Legal experts are watching the case closely as a test of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which says, in part, that "a public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures ... to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability." The group homes are licensed as nonprofits by the state and receive Medicaid funding on behalf of their clients.
"You don't know what's going to happen in the future," said attorney Martin Coleman. "People like Paul and Hava have to have the ability to move around if they want to. There's only a limited number of providers. We need to be sure they're not closed out of places."
Paul's mother, Roseann Forziano, said her son and his new wife likely would still be looking for a new place had it not been for the legal action.
"I don't think it would have happened without a lawsuit." she said. "All of a sudden once you file a lawsuit there's a whole lot of cooperation. I don't want that to have to be the norm."
The facility where the former Hava Samuels lived has declined to comment because of the pending litigation. The group home operators where Paul Forziano lived said they didn't have facilities available for a married couple.
Also named in the lawsuit is the state Office of Persons With Developmental Disabilities, which the couple claims sided with the agencies in refusing to accommodate their wishes and has not done enough to find a solution. The office has declined to comment.
Forziano, 30, is classified in the mild to moderate range of intellectual functioning, with limited reading and writing skills. His wife, 36, is in the moderate range, with significant expressive language disability.
Gus Lagoumis, director of programming at East End Disability Associates — operators of the facility the newlyweds now call home — said his agency has no objections to mentally disabled people living as married couples.
"Gone are the days where parents are told a kid has a disability, institutionalize them and forget they ever existed," he said. "Now we have people growing up in the community and they want to do things just like everybody else does and getting married and possibly getting divorced is one of the things that goes on in a community."
I want to go on record as thanking Paula Deen. She has been the most recent catalyst in bringing out the more subtle (can't think of a more apropos word for it) forms of racism in the US. The George Zimmerman trial has brought it all to light for me.
Many white people find it easy to "like" certain types of black people. If you wear a shirt and tie, and speak the same as what I believe to be an educated white person, I "like" you. Thus I can't possibly be a racist. If you DON'T wear pants that sag, or hoodies, when I decide the weather's not right for it, I "like" you. If you're more Bill Cosby than Cornell West, I "like" you.
It's usually the more in-your-face black people that I don't "like". Those ones who speak in Ebonics, or those people who don't give a shit what white people think, that I don't "like". And I'll find any reason I can to point this out. Just look what Paula Deen has shown us lately.
People who really don't believe they're racist have come to her defense from out of the woodwork. "How can you blame Paula Deen for what she said so many years ago, and not blame rappers and other "unlikeable" blacks for what they say or said?" is their battle cry.
These white (and sometimes black, if you can believe it) people will NEVER understand the level of hurt black people have experienced in this country. They are incapable. They will go through their lives in search of the new reason they can get to display their subtle racism. Trayvon Martin could probably attest to that, if he were still alive to do so.
