Autism on the SnorePath
By Anne Dachel
On Sept. 6, Lisa Jo Rudy ran a column on her blog titled, Autism On the Warpath, about the call from the National Autism Association for advocates to contact legislators, federal health officials, and the mediaasking the question, "How much longer?" See the campaign here.
In essence, how much longer will we continue to ignore the autism epidemic, now affecting one percent of our children?
In her piece, Lisa Jo pointed out that the NAA's position on the cause of autism puts them "at odds with most mainstream autism-related organizations and researchers." She doesn't believe that seeing normally developing children regress after vaccinations is proof that vaccines can cause autism. Nor does she think that "personal accusations of cowardice and deceit are the best way to make an impact on federal policy," ---tactics being used by the NAA.
In summary, she said, "Granted we have a long, long way to go before people with autism -or any developmental or mental disability - are fully accepted, supported, and valued. There are abuses, there is neglect, and these issues must be confronted and addressed.
"But it's hard for me to believe that a kick in the teeth will motivate anyone -- even Tom Insel -- to positive action."
I posted a comment on her article (#32) in which I said, "Lisa Jo Rudy is never really worried about autism. She can’t understand why the NAA should be. She criticizes the NAA for asking the question, “How much longer?” Rudy obviously trusts that folks like Tom Insel are doing their best to address autism. Rudy outlines her goals….” Granted we have a long, long way to go before people with autism -or any developmental or mental disability – are fully accepted, supported, and valued. There are abuses, there is neglect, and these issues must be confronted and addressed.”
She wants autistic people to be accepted, supported and valued. Any sane person wants no more autism, and they want children in the grip of autism to recover. Rudy is happy with the status quo. If she keeps writing like this, she’ll get a post on the IACC.
Lisa Jo responded by saying (#33),
Anne – thanks for commenting.
I’m sorry if you don’t feel autistic people should be accepted, supported and valued. Certainly I would add that autistic people should be also educated, challenged, employed, housed … and everything else that we want for ourselves and our children.
“No more autism” is a complicated goal, IMHO. That’s because “autism” is such an incredibly broad-ranging term these days.
I would absolutely agree with the goal of no more autism if it’s defined as a “profound and painful disability which disrupts every aspect of life.”
I can’t agree, though, if the definition of autism continues to include “those people who don’t fit the social norm, but have a wide variety of unique and valuable talents, abilities and skills.”
Even if we are speaking only of the most profoundly disabled individuals, though, I would
not agree that we “know” vaccines are a significant culprit.
Lisa
The reason I bring all this up is not to criticize Lisa Jo. I'm sure on a personal level we're a lot alike. In her biography, it says she has a 12 year old son with PDD-NOS and that she homeschools him. My son John is 22 with Asperger's and I homeschooled him. And I also want autistic people "accepted, supported, and valued." But more than anything else, I want this terrible epidemic of children with developmental disorders stopped. I've been a teacher for over 25 years. I've seen the wave of learning disabled children overtake our schools. Disorders I never heard of back in college are commonplace today. Our federal officials still haven't figured out if more children really have autism or if they can be explained away with terms like "broader spectrum of autism" and "better diagnosing."
The reason I'm as angry as the NAA and why I will keep on shouting "HOW MUCH LONGER?" is because I'm scared. I'm scared of the complacency of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, and the American Academy of Pediatrics when it comes to autism. None of those groups will call autism a crisis. They've been scratching their collective heads for years now. The only certain thing they can say about autism is that they're sure vaccines don't cause it.
All one has to do is read the news to be alarmed. In April, the New York Times reported, "In 2001, the city’s Department of Education listed 3,278 students with autism; by 2008, that figure had more than doubled to 6,877." (HERE)
The Times told us that each of these students costs the city tens of thousands of dollars more to educate each year than a typical mainstreamed student.
When the California Senate Select Committee on Autism (ASD) was established this year, it was announced, "14,000 students with autism a decade ago,” and “46,000 students today, and growing."
Dept of Ed numbers from across the country (HERE) tell a similar story about the explosion in autism.
The same federal officials creating the hysteria over the H1N1 flu have failed to show even a fraction of that concern over autism-- a very real epidemic happening right before our eyes.
After years of writing on this subject, I've seen almost no concern over the future when all these children are adults dependent on the taxpayers for their support. Where will they live, who will care for them, and most of all, where will the money come from? Research from Harvard puts the cost of lifetime care for one person with autism at $3.2 million.
(HERE)
No one can deny that when we talk about autism, we're almost exclusively talking about children with autism. Go to Google News and search for the latest stories. You'll find them about kids with the disorder. And I must add that this will soon be changing. These young people will be aging out into adulthood and going on Social Security Disability for life with autism. And when their aging parents can no longer care for them, the government will be faced with the job.
To all those who claim that autism has always been around in these numbers--we just didn't call it autism, I can only respond by saying, show me the 30, 50 and 70 year olds with autism at rates even remotely close to what we see in our children.
Having a child with Asperger's or PDD-NOS doesn't come close to experiencing what countless thousands of parents live with everyday. My son is bright and social. He has his driver's license and he helps me in my work with kids on the spectrum. If all affected children were like my son, I wouldn't be the advocate that I am.
However, I know too many parents who live with full-blown autism and their lives are overwhelmed by it. They have children who don't speak but beat holes in walls. Some can only endlessly repeat memorized phrases from the radio or scream for hours on end. I know parents with teenagers in diapers who have security locks on doors and windows because their kids could run away at any moment. I know parents with children who are a danger to themselves and to others, like the 17 year old who kicked the window out on the school bus ride home.
I know countless parents terrified about the future for their children. This nation can't begin to provide adequately for all the children with autism overwhelming our schools, and the future with hundreds of thousands of disabled young adults looms over us like a tsumani.
Personally speaking, I can't shout it enough, HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE IGNORE THE AUTISM EPIDEMIC?
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.
Many psychosocial interventions have some positive evidence, suggesting that some form of treatment is preferable to no treatment, the methodological quality of systematic reviews of these studies has generally been poor, their clinical results are mostly tentative, and there is little evidence for the relative effectiveness of treatment options.
Posted by: dsl router | October 05, 2009 at 05:23 AM
Kids with autism often can't make connections that other kids make easily. For example, when someone smiles, you know the smiling person is happy or being friendly. But a kid with autism may have trouble connecting that smile with the person's happy feelings.
Posted by: creatinine | October 02, 2009 at 02:31 AM
"What would you have a parent do when all legitimate options are denied them? What should a sane parent do when their child has been destroyed and they’re given no help and no opportunity to seek justice? Just shut up and go away?
I don’t believe that’s likely to happen. I’ve heard it said “no justice, no peace”. If our public health officials and the people who made and profited from these toxins and our justice officials don’t step up to the plate, I predict that things are going to get a lot uglier than some large letters on some posters."
This is my vote for comment of the week. Right on, Robin!
Posted by: Julia C. | September 13, 2009 at 07:59 PM
Wasn't Lisa Jo the one in that 1960's sitcom?
It had that very catchy theme song:
"There's Lisa Jo, she's movin' kind of slow, at the junction"
Waiting patiently may be OK for her, but it certainly is not OK with me, and it is one of the many reasons that NAA has my full support and admiration.
Posted by: Sylvia | September 13, 2009 at 07:47 PM
WTH? "I’m sorry if you don’t feel autistic people should be accepted, supported and valued." Lisa Jo reminds me of the chick that shows up at the bus stop and says "has the bus come yet?" Yeah you just missed it, I just decided not to get on because I wanted to wait for you!!!! She need to get a clue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Big D | September 12, 2009 at 11:41 PM
Let's all focus on getting a FOIA document of the estimation of how many kids will receive SSI in the next ten years...then and only then, they may pee their pants with the knowledge of the impending bankruptcty it will cause on the system...like I say, until it happens to YOU, you won't be involved...but what if it DOES involve the average citizen, paying for these kids for lifetime care...me thinks so...
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | September 12, 2009 at 11:04 PM
RE: "BETTER DIAGNOSING"
It is impossible to explain away the tidal wave of children with autism by saying that they used to be diagnosed as mentally retarded. We simply would not have the disabled children everywhere if it were a mere label change. We're seeing classrooms full of these children and even whole schools are being built to educate them. We can't train teachers fast enough to deal with autistic students.
Secondly, when in the past have thousands of parents across the country made the claim that their kids were normal until they were vaccinated?
When did it become common that children who could talk, suddenly stopped talking, stopped making eye contact, started spinning in circles and banging their heads?
Read these reports about what autism is doing to CA. The forecast is a disaster. Spinning the myth that autism is nothing new covers up the approaching hurricane. When these kids become adults there will be no explaining them away. The numbers are real and we need to wake up to the truth.
Anne Dachel
Media
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/tidal-wave-of-young-adult_b_221977.html
"As a tidal wave of these youngsters moves toward adulthood with complex behavioral and medical problems, society is largely unprepared," Hubert writes. "The futures of hundreds of thousands of autistic people in America cannot be ignored for long."
Dr. Robert Hendren, director of the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, concurs. "We don't have the programs. We don't have the research," he warns. "We have this very large adult population of autistics coming along, and we don't know how to deal with them. We just haven't come to terms with it."
California has certainly not come to terms with it - and I have no idea what will happen to the thousands of young people in need who will be showing up at state offices in the next few years, their parents desperately seeking services.
http://www.physorg.com/news160906373.html
From 1987 to 2007, the number of children and adults with autism served by regional centers rose from 2,701 to 34,656, notes a study released this week by the state Department of Developmental Services.
The statistics include only people who are receiving services through regional centers, which represents about 75 to 80 percent of the autistic population, the study estimates.
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/news/autism-2007-09-19.htm
Government agencies are facing a new public health crisis -- a dramatic increase in the number of autistic children -- and must swiftly explore how best to provide better care and protection for them in their lifetimes, a blue-ribbon state commission concluded Tuesday.
Prevalence of the disorder has increased more than 600 percent in recent years, now affecting about one in every 150 children. It is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States.
Posted by: Anne Dachel | September 12, 2009 at 03:04 PM
Nancy maybe for cancer rates, but autism? It has been the vaccines for my family --- even immediate reactions to them in several incidences. This makes it easy for me to decide it is the vaccines.
Posted by: Benedetta Stilwell | September 12, 2009 at 08:53 AM
Good morning, Susan. Thanks for your powerful comment. We all fight toward prevention, treatment, cure and
PROPER CARE for all, regardless of age. How could we do anything less, right?
Again, thanks for your comment. It really struck me.
Kim
Posted by: Stagmom | September 12, 2009 at 07:37 AM
I am the parent of an adult with autism. I spent years trying to help my non verbal wall punching {Mom pinching} son and finally faced the horrible decision to have him placed in an institution. At 31 he is at pretty much a dead end. He is mostly happy and in a place where people care about him but it still breaks my heart. This is why I advocate and will never quit advocating for a cure and for help for our kids and their parents. My sons life should not be any childs future. I will never accept it. I accept and love my son but DO NOT accept that this is the life he or anyone else was meant to have.
Posted by: Susan Cranmer | September 12, 2009 at 07:34 AM
When I read Lisa Jo's writing, she makes me angrier than just about anyone. It's odd, because often other bloggers' comments are more blatantly mean, arrogant, rude, and insulting, but just go in one ear and out the other (or in one eye and out the other) and I just focus on debating the issues. But something about Lisa really gets my dander up.
There she is with her sweet little humble smile (or is it a smirk) looking like someone's nice matronly nurturing aunt, often adding little self effacing qualifiers to her comments (e.g. "IMHO" or "But I could be proven wrong, and only time will tell," or "Thanks so much for writing and I appreciate your comments.") She advocates for civility and is against using all caps. Yet she really knows how to slide the knife in and give it a swift twist.
Her statement to Anne that, "I’m sorry if you don’t feel autistic people should be accepted, supported and valued," was beyond the pale. She comments often enough at AoA that I am sure she must have read some of Anne's writing, which shows Anne to be exceptionally committed to advocating for people with autism and caring for her own son. Anne's writing is full of love. Lisa's comment is hitting below the belt.
And Lisa's comments about NAA are infuriating, such as "the NAA's science has something to be desired ('we all have two eyes and a brain and we used them in combination to determine that our children were speaking before vaccines and but then stopped speaking afterwards' isn't precisely iron-clad proof of a causal link between autism and vaccines).”
She pretends to be so compassionate, yet she seems devoid of compassion.
Posted by: Twyla | September 12, 2009 at 01:49 AM
Great Article! I agree we should all be outraged and scared. While I believe vaccines are a significant part of this puzzle there is another significant piece that is ignored, dismissed and ridiculed every time it comes up. Wireless Radiation is the thing in our environment that is increasing at the same rate as autism. There are so many parallels between the symptoms of autism and the effects of wireless radiation it should not be ignored. Just recently the environmental working group did a study titled Cell Phone Radiation Science Review of Cancer Risks and Children's Health.
http://www.ewg.org/project/2009cellphone/cellphoneradiation-fullreport.pdf
This point was very revealing "in the opinion of the Committee, children are likely to face the following health hazards following long term exposure: “disruption of memory, decline of attention, diminishing learning and cognitive abilities, increased
irritability, sleep problems, increase in sensitivity to the stress, increased epileptic readiness” (Russian National
Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection 2008).
Can we really deny that this cannot have anything to do with autism?
Lisa Jo Rudy, BTW, covered a study on Wireless and Autism. She called it "silly," for apparently no other reason than the Journal it came out of was unknown to her.
Posted by: Nancy Naylor | September 11, 2009 at 11:01 PM
I never liked her and I think her column sucks.
Posted by: Diane | September 11, 2009 at 10:54 PM
Hi Anne,
Thanks for stating in words what a lot of us think.
I used to read Lisa Jo's blogs but I agree she's full of fluff with no backbone. In her willingness to mediate, the only thing she accomplishes is nothing (and probably annoy all sides)...
Yes, HOW MUCH LONGER?
Posted by: Anna | September 11, 2009 at 10:53 PM
An article to consider make of it what you will
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/dyp261
Methods Retrospective case record examination of 7003 patients born before 1987 with autism who were enrolled with the California Department of Developmental Services between 1992 and 2005 was carried out. Of principal interest were 631 patients with a sole diagnosis of mental retardation (MR) who subsequently acquired a diagnosis of autism. The outcome of interest was the probability of acquiring a diagnosis of autism as a result of changes in diagnostic practices was calculated. The probability of diagnostic change is then used to model the proportion of the autism caseload arising from changing diagnostic practices.
Results The odds of a patient acquiring an autism diagnosis were elevated in periods in which the practices for diagnosing autism changed. The odds of change in years in which diagnostic practices changed were 1.68 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–2.54], 1.55 (95% CI 1.03–2.34), 1.58 (95% CI 1.05–2.39), 1.82 (95% CI 1.23–2.7) and 1.61 (95% CI 1.09–2.39). Using the probability of change between 1992 and 2005 to generalize to the population with autism, it is estimated that 26.4% (95% CI 16.25–36.48) of the increased autism caseload in California is uniquely associated with diagnostic change through a single pathway—individuals previously diagnosed with MR.
Conclusion Changes in practices for diagnosing autism have had a substantial effect on autism caseloads, accounting for one-quarter of the observed increase in prevalence in California between 1992 and 2005.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Examining the control variables, we see that the level of intellectual impairment of clients had a significant effect on the likelihood of observing diagnostic change. The relationship between severity and the odds of change appears to be non-linear with moderate and profound severity to be at greatest risk for diagnostic change.
Finally, race and year of birth were also significantly associated with the odds of change. Persons born in later years, who were younger, were more likely to experience diagnostic accretion or substitution. Finally, African–Americans
were considerably less likely than Caucasians to have a change in diagnostic status.
Diagnostic substitution and diagnostic accretion along other pathways, such as developmental language disorder or other learning disabilities, may be contributing to an increase in higher functioning cases. In a study applying contemporary diagnostic standards and practices to persons with a history of developmental language disorder 21% (8/38) of the individuals met the criteria for autism and 11% (4/38) met the criteria for milder forms of ASD. Thus, there are multiple pathways to an autism diagnosis from multiple disorders that contribute to increases along various parts of the spectrum. In this article, we have considered only one pathway and one part of the spectrum
We have estimated that one in four children who are diagnosed with autism today would not have been diagnosed with autism in 1993. This finding does not rule out the possible contributions of other etiological factors, including environmental toxins, genetics or their interaction to the increased prevalence of autism. In fact, it helps us to recognize that such factors surely play an important role in increasing prevalence.
Posted by: Roger Kulp | September 11, 2009 at 09:58 PM
Nobody has seen the way I have held my son through a vaccine induced long term seizure, and cry my out my fears and pain to God and man, that this was not necessary...go suck it...anybody that says it's easy to care for a sick child, can really go suck it...
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | September 11, 2009 at 05:44 PM
Lisa Jo has never understood kids like mine. Her child goes to a public school,she doesn't have to sue the state for her son's education every year,her son never had a regression has no chronic illnesses and never experienced post vax febrile seizures.
I don't expect Lisa Jo to understand how much harder it is for our children or how sick they are but I did expect her to know better than to advocate for the status quo! This is not merely about treating people w/ special needs w/ respect. We all agree upon that. Lisa Jo try having a child w/ such terrible diarrhea that it is an ordeal to leave the house for years and have pediatricians tell you a) there is nothing wrong b) there is nothing you can do or 3)they only learn about early diagnosis- sick kids w/ autism don't exist.
It is very easy to have a high functioning child and pass judgment on parents who have to basically become doctors to heal their child and want something better from the medical community. It is so easy to defend the AAP when you did not take a perfectly normal toddler to be vaccinated and came home with a baby having seziures.
Lisa Jo save your sympathy for the kids stuggling every day to be healthy and pain free. The AAP has always been the AAP's top priority, they have more than enough self-pity.
Posted by: Katie Wright | September 11, 2009 at 04:18 PM
I agree with Nancy that the point is not to harrangue Insel into cooperating but to get rid of him at this point. His conduct on IACC has been shameful. His only purpose there is to block vaccine safety research/comparison studies and to make sure that the NIMH's psychopharmaceutical sponsors get drug promotional opportunities (cough, I mean "research" money-- wink, wink) attached to every aspect of the fund.
It makes me laugh the way Rudy extemporizes like a 12 year old that Anne-- and by implication, all of us-- who want to stop the epidemic don't feel that autistic persons should be "accepted, supported and valued". Please-- so lets make more of them so they have company? Is that what she means? The illogic is so consistent that it would be snore fest if it weren't so immature, crazy and terrifying under the circumstances.
Posted by: Gatogorra | September 11, 2009 at 03:48 PM
This quote "accepted, supported and valued..." struck me as well.
Speaking out for those who cannot speak or have trouble communicating is the ultimate way to support our children. Their silence and the silence of the issue all around this is unacceptable to me.
Accepting and loving these kids today is what many parents do every day. Helping them to get to the next level is a standard parent responsilbity. No one has a child so they can be institutionalized which is a "standard" set by many doctors for our kids futures. I won't accept that as a future my my son or anyone else's child who is given a "no hope, no treatment" prognosis. That is wrong for anyone to set expectations when they do not know the future.
Valuing our kids is an understatement. I worship both my kids and my husband. I am human and consider this a common characteristic. My goal is that people value the thought of recovery for those on the spectrum so that they can lead the lives they were meant to lead AND CAN lead. They have a future of value.
What I don't accept:
- pain
- suffering
- discrimination
- jeers & negative comments
- lack of support in every category under the sun
For parents who wish to wait or just accept, value & support what is today - I encourage them to leap forward. Hope is real and something to behold. Leap forward to help your child anytime you are ready as their are many to support your efforts. The window never closes.(I know I am speaking/writing the choir here.)
As a parent these statements are something I won't settle for. As a member of our community - I will work to change for the better. What's wrong with that? Isn't that the ultimate example of caring?
Posted by: Lisa @ TACA | September 11, 2009 at 02:37 PM
"I’m sorry if you don’t feel autistic people should be accepted, supported and valued."
This comment just blows me away! As a parent of a 14 yo son who I love more than life itself and wishes that others could see more of the beautiful boy that is underneath all the pain and suffering that he endures, not only physically, but emotionally from others who give him weird looks, make off hand comments and do not value him as a person so much so that they refuse to see that he has comorbid medical issues along with his odd behaviors, I believe so very much that "autistic people should be accepted, supported and valued."
What I don't get is how advocating for changes to policy and pointing out that things are VERY wrong is the opposite of this. I think it is the epitome of this.
This morning I got a call from a grandfather whose grandson has been diagnosed with autism and he found out that two other of his son’s friends who grew up within several hundred feet of their home also have children diagnosed. He was trying to figure out who he could contact to see if there was something wrong with the land their homes were built on… I told him I would have to call him back… too many, too too many… I just want there to come a day where I don’t get those phone calls.
Does my feeling that I don’t want those calls to come mean that I don’t think that my son and others should not be accepted, supported and valued???… NO F’IN WAY.
Taking action to stop the increasing number of individuals diagnosed with autism and asking for health care reform so they get the medical and other attention they need REINFORCES acceptance, support and value to my son and others like him.
Posted by: Proud to be part of NAA | September 11, 2009 at 01:22 PM
Anne, thanks for everything you do! we sure appreciate you!!
Posted by: Lin | September 11, 2009 at 01:02 PM
Unfortunately, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. Hang in there, Anne and AoA. You are getting results. Keep on forcing the research, and analyzing what is done in that regard. It has now been established that vaccines CAN cause autism - along with a whole host of other neurological and autoimmune conditions. The progress has been grudging. But it has been made. And it wasn't made by parents trusting their medical personnel to be 'doing all they can be doing'. It was made by making waves. Nice, big, crashing, boring, turbulent waves.
Well done, thou good and faithful servants of your children, and through that focus of service, of humanity.
The truth - the whole truth - of vaccines MUST out. And be faced. Squarely. No more wee timorous beastie in this regard, just doing what your masters tell you to do.
Don't just 'wave' big-lettered posters. Kick ass. Hard.
Posted by: Stan | September 11, 2009 at 01:00 PM
Rather than the kick in the teeth that Lisa Jo Rudy envisions for Tom Insel, I prefer to think of him receiving a kick in the slats. Caboose. Patootie. Or for the sciency-minded, the gluteus maximi. Anything to nudge him firmly out of the IACC.
Sheesh, who DOESN'T want want people with autism to be accepted, supported and valued? How petty of Rudy to argue back so childishly, while discounting and denying others' everyday realities. An apology and retraction are in order.
It's sadly fascinating how Rudy attempts to project her image as that of an unbiased journalist, yet elsewhere she appears on ND blogs making statements supporting their uninformed and contrarian views and disparagements of AoA.
How pathetic that Rudy feeds her ego by figuratively cannibalizing other autism parents rather than opening her mind to their abundant evidence. What a waste of pixels and bandwidth.
Posted by: nhokkanen | September 11, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Anne -
The only two times I bothered to comment on one of Lisa Jo Rudy's inane posts, she responded back by totally twisting my comment, as she attempted to do to you:
"I’m sorry if you don’t feel autistic people should be accepted, supported and valued."
What?? Did you say that?
I don't bother reading her fluff anymore - as we say a lot in my house, "What a bunch of CRAP!"
Posted by: PJ Carroll | September 11, 2009 at 10:43 AM
The first step to correcting a problem is to acknowledge that there is a problem in the first place.
This has not been done. They don't see a problem because, hey, there isn't any real evidence of an epidemic. 1% of all children born have always been autistic.
Deny that a problem exists, and you don't have to fix it? Thus is the logic of the Vaccine defenders. Stick your head in the sand....maybe the problem will go away.
Posted by: Craig Willoughby | September 11, 2009 at 10:08 AM
As the parent of one of those non-verbal vaccine damaged teenagers who wears diapers and lives in a locked down home in case he runs away, again, I refuse to be polite to those who say vaccines don't cause autism. After all these years of bullshit research, if they can't tell me what causes autism, how can they say what doesn't cause it? I often suggest, impolitely, they get their heads out of their collective asses.
Posted by: Harry H. | September 11, 2009 at 09:58 AM
When a new and deadly virus ravaged the gay community just a few years before autsim started ramping up - that community did not sit on its hands and patiently wait for genetic research to save the day. They got noisy, loud, angry, militant even, marched, screamed, yelled and got PREVENTION and TREATMENT out of their work. Condoms first - then anti-viral drugs.
NAA, GR, SM, TACA, A1 and other local orgs are the Autism Community's equivalent. I'm proud to be affiliated with them.
Posted by: Stagmom | September 11, 2009 at 08:39 AM
What is so wrong about accusing people of deceit when they have been guilty of being deceitful? I could’ve sworn I tried to post the following there, but I don’t see it *shrug* :
>I suppose that being polite works for most people. But then for most people, when those they love have been seriously harmed by the makers of a product and those people were aware that their product could cause harm, justice is done in a court of law. No doubt no amount of money can replace a loved one, but at least society makes some attempt at recompense.
What happens to the parents of the vaccine damaged? They are told that vaccine manufacturers are too important, and cannot be allowed to fail, and so their cases must be tried first in a Special Court. A court which as it so happens is nothing more than a sham. And then they are told, after spending years and years in this Special Court, that the vaccine makers would like to have the legislation, unfair to begin with, reinterpreted in an even more unfair manner so that parents can no longer go to a regular court AT ALL, EVER.
And some talk about a poster with large letters as being a ‘kick in the teeth’??
When this parent chose to go onto a public sidewalk to politely hand out information about vaccine safety to others, she was falsely accused of threatening and harassing others, and then threatened with arrest. When this parent has gone onto countless political internet chat rooms to post facts about vaccine studies and vaccine ingredients, she has been repeatedly banned simply for speaking the truth.
But some would refer to posters with large letters as a ‘kick in the teeth’???
It’s always amazed me that no matter the conflicts of interest, no matter that their profits and their reputations are at stake, those who apologize for the damage that vaccines have caused have always been given a voice, but the parents cannot be heard or if they are they cannot be taken seriously. Yes, we parents have a conflict of interest – our children do matter to us just as money and reputation matters to those who’ve profited from the sale of vaccines. And yet we have been told time and time again that we cannot be taken seriously because we love our children. Apparently we have to agree to stop caring about our children in order to have any hope of being listened to?
What would you have a parent do when all legitimate options are denied them? What should a sane parent do when their child has been destroyed and they’re given no help and no opportunity to seek justice? Just shut up and go away?
I don’t believe that’s likely to happen. I’ve heard it said “no justice, no peace”. If our public health officials and the people who made and profited from these toxins and our justice officials don’t step up to the plate, I predict that things are going to get a lot uglier than some large letters on some posters.<
Posted by: Robin Nemeth | September 11, 2009 at 08:23 AM
Thank you for your passionate advocacy Anne!
Posted by: Angela | September 11, 2009 at 08:13 AM