Editorial #267 North Korea Ups the Ante
Pursuant to Editorial #266, which was posted on 3/9/2013, Autism Politico has noted that North Korea has ranted and raved to the point where it seems to want to make the world think it is going to war.
We reiterate that this seems to us like Aspie behavior when the Aspie in question is one that cannot accept things the way they are, and/or refuses to “get with the program” and merge with the rest of the world’s ideals.
While it is important that we all maintain a sense of identity, sometimes, when we become too demanding of others, we back ourselves into a corner to the point where others don’t want anything to do with us, unless it is in a punitive way. In looking at what North Korea is doing, we believe that it must be a great relief to the world that North Korea has isolated itself from the international community. Out of sight, out of mind.
So it is with Aspies and autistics, especially when they are capable of conforming to societal morals and values. When they refuse to do so, they are put into programs, or even locked away.
Currently, the United States and other nations in the global community are not taking North Korea seriously. This is the best thing to do when dignitaries of the kind we see in North Korea behave the way we do, and this is the way we should behave when people on the spectrum behave in a similar fashion.
Let’s see what happens, however, if North Korea tries anything. The South Koreans say they will retaliate if they are struck. It is unclear what the United States will do specifically, but the US has said that not only will it defend its allies, but it will defend itself from attack.
Before concluding this post, it is worthwhile to consider the position of those who are perhaps the biggest victims of all in this situation: The North Korean general public. While many have been conditioned to support their government and believe in what its government is doing, many are simply victims caught up in a political tsunami, and if there happens to be a retaliatory strike against North Korea by either South Korea or the United States, some of these people may become civilian casualties.
Let’s think very carefully, then, about the position the North Korea government has put its citizenry in, and, similarly, let’s think about the situation Aspies put their parents and loved ones in when they act similarly. Perhaps it’s time for citizens in North Korea to reconsider whether their government really has their interests at heart, and perhaps it’s time for parents and loved ones of certain autistics to decide how much they are willing to take from autistics who are more than capable of conforming in society, but who willing choose not to.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #266 North Korea Run By Internet Aspies???
Autism Politico wonders if North Korea isn’t run by internet Aspies. The reason it’s easy to make the comparison between the country and the clique is because it seems that, like North Korea, whenever certain internet Aspies don’t get what they want, they throw a tantrum and threaten to make everyone else’s lives miserable.
For instance, rather than getting jobs and earning money, Aspies whine that their disability checks aren’t big enough, or the allowances they are getting from their parents are too small for them. So they beg for money from their fellow Aspies and get sullen when no one gives it to them.
Or they complain that they aren’t getting a good education (school or university), as if we are supposed to believe that they are singled out. In other words if you look at all the other students who have mental disorders, what percentage of them are complaining about not getting an education? Oh, yeah, maybe they work harder in school than some Aspies do.
Then you have to ask how it is that most of the rest of the world behaves one way and succeeds, and it is apparently impossible for whiner and complainer Aspies to at least TRY to emulate these successes.
But trying to fit in with the rest of the world is apparently too much effort for certain Aspies. Apparently, the world is supposed to change to fit their requirements.
This is kind of like what North Korea is doing. Right now, they are saying “Don’t go about your daily business, United States, because it’s provocative, and if you continue to be successful, United States, we will have to take preemptive action with a nuclear strike.
Could anything look more silly and foolish?
So Autism Politico has no choice but to conclude that since the behavior of North Korean warmongers and certain internet Aspies are very similar, they must be one and the same.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #263: Holmes And Asperger Syndrome? Part II
The following is editorial satire meant to make people THINK about how silly they sound when they support both alleged criminal behavior and actual criminal behavior, and use a diagnosis (real or imagined) to justify those behaviors. In no way is anything written here meant to mock or make light of the actual crimes (alleged or proven in court to have taken place). If anything, it is meant to provide empathy and support to those who have been victims of criminal behavior.
Neither this editorial or the previous one are meant to make fun of a particular person or a particular segment of society.
Autism Politico
Dear Autism Politico readers… The breeze of letters that has found its way into our mailbox regarding the alleged mass-shooting by suspect James Holmes continues….
Dear Newspaper,
If accused shooting suspect James Holmes was a Brit, we wouldn’t extradite him either.
Signed, an avid Gary McKinnon supporter.
Dear Newspaper,
I am the founder and face of ASS. ASS stands for Aspies Against Sense. As the leader of this organization, it is my duty to write a letter in which I offer sympathy to the victims of James Holmes, deny that Holmes was an Aspie, and cry about the plight of media mis-representation about Asperger Syndrome on television.
As I write this, I know that I am a hypocrite. As soon as I send this letter off, I am going to go into Facebook and hint that there is a possibility that James Holmes was a member of my organization’s online forums, and then put up a link to those forums. I’m going to do this because I know it will draw new members to my organization.
Next, when a bunch of concerned parents and concerned Aspies on Facebook point out my hypocrisy, I am going to get a bunch of my organization’s members to cite them for “Spamming” so that Facebook will delete their accounts. After that, I am going to find out their offline names, home addresses, and home phones, and run a concentrated conspiracy to harass them and their children.
I am writing this letter publicly so that there is no doubt in the minds of my organization’s members as to where I truly stand even though I may APPEAR to stand in the opposite corner. I don’t need to do this, really. My hypocrisy has been in existence as long as my organization has been in existence. But, some of the people that belong to my organization have crap for brains, and might get confused if they feel I have shifted my mandate, which is, in a few short words: to bolster my own ego, and also to get people to hit their Paypal button and donate money to my own pocketbook.
Signed:
The President of ASS.
Dear Newspaper,
This is a letter which doesn’t actually say anything and is designed to make it look like people with my point of view have the majority opinion regarding the James Holmes shooting. If people like me spam your newspaper, our agenda will succeed.
Signed:
An ASS.
P.S. What’s your phone number? I want to call you.
Dear Newspaper,
I think it is important to explain why it is that we self-diagnosed Aspies react negatively when supposed educated readers cite facts and sources to support their arguments.
As you all know, whenever we -that is to say, people who are self-diagnosed, like myself- support mass shooting suspects, it’s because we can fall back on newspaper articles and editorials, where unqualified people have offered vague, unsubstantiated opinions, and we can draw on those opinions to support our arguments. And so, if some NBC commentator suggests that James Holmes is an Aspie, we sail in and support Holmes by saying such things as “In 2006, a newspaper article reported that, in a survey, a high percentage of Aspies become violent when feeling repressed by society and so we shouldn’t blame Holmes, but should blame society.”
And when we make that statement, we make it a point to avoid stating that the newspaper article wasn’t an article at all, but a letter to the editor, in which someone claiming to be an authority in the area of autism spectrum disorders made a statement without citing sources. Further, we fail to state that the person who wrote the letter was a member of an autistic advocacy organization, a person who never actually went to college, never studied autism spectrum disorders, was never diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, but claims to be self-diagnosed on his or her blog.
Facts and sources are a threat to us because they cannot easily be disputed. How can we self-diagnosed Aspies collect enough money to fund a study that combats the hundreds of other studies which disprove our theories. Instead, we must meet these threats head-on by saying things that sound good, but are as tasty to our brains as air is to soft-serve ice-cream. If we SOUND intelligent, by using words such as “percent”, “article,” and “study” but never cite the source, or use the true value of the percentage, people won’t bother to look up our sources and percentages when REAL scientists and researchers cite REAL facts and give REAL percentages, because the soundbites that we have given sound sufficient.
For example: Which sounds better?
“In 2006, a newspaper article reported that, in a survey, a high percentage of Aspies become violent when feeling repressed by society, and so we shouldn’t blame Holmes, but should blame society.”
Or…
“In 2006 in the the Fowler’s Corner Gazette, a letter to the editor, written by Aspies Against Sense (ASS for short) stated that a phone survey among five ASS members resulted in one person saying that he became violent when feeling repressed by society, and so we shouldn’t blame Holmes, but should blame society.”
You people need to understand that we are selfish individuals who cannot accept what research really shows, and so when you quote the American Psychological Association at us, or the Centers for Disease Control, or the like, it’s really a problem for us because it threatens everything we hold dear.
If, for example, it can be demonstrated through studies that the majority of people with Asperger Syndrome grow up to find jobs, have relationships, purchase, homes, etc., it means that those of us who are too lazy to do any of the above can’t as easily ask for handouts from sappy ignorant fools like the kind who support our organization. It means that, unless we can continue to perpetuate negative stereotypes about ourselves, we will be forced to do what society does, i.e. go to school and get good grades, get jobs, get married, earn money, plan for our retirement, obey the law, obey society’s rules, etc.
And this is not something we like doing.
And so when someone like James Holmes goes on the rampage, this is why we try and leverage it to our advantage. In fact, just to make things more clear, we rage like maniacs because:
1) It perpetuates the idea that we are rude and don’t have empathy when we use a mass-shooting to leverage our own goals.
2) People might give us what we want, either out of fear, or out of pity.
Signed:
Someone who likes to abuse the system.
Dear Newspaper,
In 2006, a newspaper article reported that, in a survey, a high percentage of Aspies become violent when feeling repressed by society, and so we shouldn’t blame Holmes, but should blame society.”
Signed,
An ASS member.
Dear Newspaper,
James Holmes isn’t Aspie. Did Rainman ever go on a shooting spree and kill a dozen people? No. He can’t even make toast. Watch the movie, you putz.
Signed:
Yet another ASS.
Dear Newspaper,
All this stuff about James Holmes is causing people in my house to want to watch the TV. This cuts into my gaming time because my PS3 is wired to the television set.
So shut up already.
Signed:
A spectrumite (maybe).
Dear Newspaper,
For all you idiots who believe that World of Warcraft was responsible for James Holmes’s violent behavior and failure in some of life’s more common ventures, you should shut up.
I’m 29 years old and play World of Warcraft all the time. My recent job loss, my girlfriend walking out on me, my failing out of university… Those things were not related to World of Warcraft at all. I know this because those things all happened AFTER my mom took my video gaming access away from me last month, and threw me and my girlfriend out of the house last week.
To address the issue of violence…YES I’ve gotten angry with people, and maybe I shouldn’t have done some of the things I did last week, but my anger stems from my mother telling me that I have to start paying rent if I want to move back in and that she’s going to stop paying for my auto insurance no matter what.
So it’s all separate. Don’t start blaming World of Warcraft.
Also, I’ve just been self-diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, so quit picking on me. If you keep it up, I will sue you for discrimination on the basis of the fact that I’m handicapped…And only I can use the word handicapped, because that’s what I am, but if YOU use the word, it’s offensive and politically incorrect.
Signed:
The King of Warcraft
Dear Newspaper,
Here’s a word of advice to anyone who has been charged with a crime. The time to use Asperger Syndrome as a defense is quickly running out. Originally, when AS was first used as a defense, 1 in 166 people had it. Now it’s down to 1 in 80 or so. Some even say 1 in 50.
Well, if the draw for a potential jury panel is 50, there is a 1 in 50 shot that one member of your jury panel might have AS. If that Aspie is a law-abiding citizen, you’re screwed, because that Aspie will KNOW that people with AS are perfectly capable of obeying the law.
Further, there’s a good chance that, with all these diagnoses going on, other jury members might know someone who has AS, in which case you are equally screwed, because THEY will have seen Aspies behaving lawfully. They will either know, or intuit that statistically speaking, the majority of AS people don’t commit crimes.
So, basically, if you’re using AS for your criminal behavior, you might want to consider another diagnosis. Maybe another rare mental health diagnosis.
Here’s some good news: The DSM V is coming out with some new diagnoses we’ve never heard of before. Choose from there.
Signed,
A convicted criminal who used AS as a defense.
Dear Newspaper,
Ass Pees gud. Wood rite mor, butt cant spell.
Sined:
Self-digenossed Ass Pee.
Dear Newspaper,
I just want to write and say that despite the fact that many ASS members have criminal records, we should not distrust them, because their recidivist rate has been fairly low.
Another ASS member.
Dear Newspaper,
As a member of the neurodiversity movement, I must take exception to those of you who have spoken against mass-murder suspect James Holmes. In my opinion, Holmes was the victim of a society which fails to recognize the virtues of people who bravely shirk societal responsibilities in favor of computer games.
Without people who are addicted to gaming, whole corporations, like Sony and SEGA, would go out of business and lots of people would be out of work.
If you’ve read a lot of newspaper articles like I have, you know that it is believed that gaming is responsible for an upswing in juvenile diabetes and morbid obesity, because too many kids these days are sitting around playing video games and drinking soda pop instead of exercising. Do you people want to put an end to doctors by restricting computer gaming usage among our nation’s youth?
Now about this Asberger Syndrome thing…
It only makes sense that gamers are more likely to have Asbergers because… think of the way the name sounds. Ass and bergers. Gamers sit on their asses, and they probably eat a lot of hambergers. Hence, Asbergers.
Also, the spelling of the world Asberger is like a conjunction between Ass and berger.
Signed:
Another ASS.
Dear Newspaper,
I hope my letter puts an end to all this fussing about James Holmes.
I am an authority in the Aspie Rights political movement, and have made a name for myself by winning Dairy Queen’s award for eating the most ice cream cones before the onset of an ice cream headache, said award included allowing me to parade through town on a gigantic ice cream float while no one watched or cared.
Here are the facts about Asperger Syndrome:
As we all know, Asperger Syndrome was named in 1731 for Joe Asperger, an Italian Asperagus grower who was raised by fish in the canals of Venice.
When Asperger finally decided to come out of the water, he flapped his hands incessantly in a type of dog-paddle that has come to characterize the sort of stimming behaviors we see in some Aspies.
Is it any wonder that putting guns in the hands of such people would result in other people getting shot?
People don’t kill people. Guns kill people.
So give James Holmes a break if he’s an Aspie. If he’s not an Aspie, execute him.
Signed:
An ASS.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #262: Holmes And Asperger Syndrome?
The following is editorial satire meant to make people THINK about how silly they sound when they support both alleged criminal behavior and actual criminal behavior, and use a diagnosis (real or imagined) to justify those behaviors. In no way is anything written here meant to mock or make light of the actual crimes (alleged or proven in court to have taken place). If anything, it is meant to provide empathy and support to those who have been victims of criminal behavior.
Autism Politico
Dear Autism Politico readers… Like much of North America, we have been experiencing drought-like conditions at our headquarters, but occasionally, we get nice breezy weather that tempers the heat. Of late, we have seen letters blown into our mailbox from anonymous people which may have been meant for other publications. As these letters were unsigned and unaddressed, we have followed the lead of many people in the Autism sector and simply published them here without taking the time to find who wrote them, and without taking the time to get permission to publish them. This may violate copyright law in some fashion, but since a good many people who claim to be Aspie do the same, why should we care about anything legal?
And so, for you reading pleasure, here are your HERETOFORE UNPUBLISHED LETTERS:
Dear Newspaper,
This tragedy wouldn’t have happened if James Holmes was on a gluten-free diet. Has this man ever been vaccinated? That could be part of the problem too.
On a separate note, he should be sterilized.
Signed:
The Anti-Gluten/There Are Aliens Among Us League
Dear Newspaper,
I take offense that the French have cancelled the opening of the latest Batman movie because of the theater shooting in Colorado by probable Aspie James Holmes. This censorship of my favorite movie franchise cannot be allowed to continue.
I say, let us all eat Freedom Fries once more!
Signed:
A self-diagnosed Aspie concerned about censorship.
Dear Newspaper,
It is with great disdain that I have been accused of supporting former GRASP Board Member, Nick Dubin, alleged distributor of child pornography.
As I may have indicated in past letters, I support confessed Aspie Lisa Brown, who beat her mother to death over how a child was cared for. I support Lisa M. Nowak, diagnosed Aspie and NASA astronaut, who tried to kidnap the wife of her boyfriend. I support WrongPlanet.net’s ex-member William Freund who killed William Vernon and Vernon’s daughter. And I support WrongPlanet.net’s former member Hans Peterson, who murdered a Chicago dermatologist.
Clearly these murderers and this kidnapper had superior intelligence, but were hard done by because they had Asperger Syndrome. So we should take them under our wing, and chip in for their defense wherever possible. But child molestation, unlike murder or kidnapping, is just plain wrong.
I’ll never support that.
Signed:
Already bullied too much to sign my name.
Dear Newspaper,
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to all of those who have written against James Holmes, who, to date has killed 12 people and injured 59.
You idiots keep focusing on how many people he killed, and not the core issue, which is whether or not he has Asperger Syndrome. The fact is, Holmes MUST have Asperger syndrome. Follow my logic:
1) While the media -which we all know is controlled by the former NBC executives who founded Autism Speaks- has pointed out that Holmes was pre-med, and had a Master’s degree, this is most certainly a lie. I am a self-diagnosed Aspie and know for a fact that I am incapable of achieving a Masters degree in anything, and so it is impossible that Holmes could ever do the same.
2) Everyone who knew Holmes said he kept to himself in college and didn’t have any friends. The exception to this assertion comes from the multitude of people whom he hung out with in bars, who say that they all thought he was a regular, easy-going, likeable guy. Clearly these people were drunk, and so their testimony cannot be relied upon. Also, the owners of the establishments Holmes hung out in are liars too. Of course they would want to say he went to their bars. It’s good for business. But, in reality, Holmes was a loner, just like me.
3) Some people also assert that maybe Holmes was a loner because achieving a Master’s degree requires studying in quiet and seclusion, but as it has already been proven that Holmes was incapable of achieving a Masters degree because he has AS, this assertion is just stupid.
4) Holmes had subscribed to a dating website. He MUST be Aspie for that reason, and anyone worth his weight in salt knows this if he or she is willing to discount and dismiss the millions of other people who have never been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder who subscribe to dating websites. If you discount those millions, all that remains are diagnosed and self-diagnosed Aspie people. See?
5) Holmes was in a theatre during The Dark Knight. That proves he is Aspie. As has been shown by the DSM-IV study, all Aspies have perseverative interests, and, like me, these perseverative interests revolve around Batman. It’s likely that the body armor he was wearing and the guns he was carrying was part of the Cosplay fixation I have. That his guns went off by accident and killed and injured all of these people is not his fault. They knew the risks when they went to the theatre. They knew there was a risk of getting shot. If anything, everyone who went to that theatre should have been wearing Kevlar vests and helmets, or else Batman costumes. And it doesn’t really matter that they’re dead anyway. They weren’t in costume, therefore they couldn’t possibly be Aspie. So their deaths don’t matter.
Should Holmes be charged/convicted/exected?
That is a hot topic in the Aspie forums. Some are saying it should be involuntary manslaughter due to the accidental mis-fire of weapons, but my opinion is, he should be let off the hook completely because I think he is Aspie.
Would I say he should be let off the hook if he was psychopathic, sociopathic, schizophrenic, homicidal. etc.? Nope. Unless he had a co-morbid diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. Then he should be let off the hook.
In conclusion, I’d just like to say that if society would recognize that Aspies should be exempt from obeying the law and following the rules of etiquette from birth to death, we wouldn’t have these mass shootings.
Signed:
A Concerned Self-Diagnosed Aspie
Dear Newspaper,
This is a notice from a self-diagnosed Aspie hacker, unless you all stop dissing probable Aspies and alleged shooting spree suspects Anders Behring Breibik and James Holmes, I will hack into a bunch of computers and steal your i-tunes from you.
God bless Aspie Gary McKinnon too!
Signed:
An Aspie Hacker.
Dear Newspaper,
I am a self-made millionaire who studied hard through school and university. I hold a managerial position in a Fortune 500 company, hold a number of patents, and live on a sizeable island in the Pacific which I purchased with my own money. I am writing this letter from my yacht, which my wife, children, and dog are sailing in at the moment.
I have been diagnosed Aspie by six of the world’s leading authorities in the area of autism spectrum disorders.
Be it known that I am henceforth volunteering to provide security to the six people who diagnosed me. Be it further known that no amount of threats or bullying will dissuade me from persisting in saying I am Aspie, nor will it cause those whom I protect to un-diagnose me. And not to taunt, but the bullet holes in my limosene have since been repaired.
I hereby resent the idea that people who are diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome are incapable of attending school, attending college, getting along with people, getting married, having children, raising children successfully, finding gainful employment, attaining wealth and status, and taking an early retirement.
Signed:
Anonymous.
P.S. Keep shooting. The more bullets you buy from my gun shops, the more money goes into my pocket.
Dear Newspaper,
I won’t be able to sign my name to this letter because I know that what I am about to say might get me killed.
You see, I am a self-diagnosed Aspie.
Why should that matter?
Well, you see, here’s what happened. I was reading the New York times one day and saw an article about brilliant people who have perseverative interests but who are socially inept. “That’s me!” I thought, and I self-diagnosed myself.
Even though I have had many opportunities to pay for a real diagnosis, I have chosen not to do so. The reason is because there are lots of advantages to being self-diagnosed. For one thing, if there is something you’re too lazy to do, like laundry, or schoolwork, or even work, all you have to do is say you have Aspergers, which is a disability, and people have to do what you say.
Also, if you say you have AS, people might feel sorry for you and give you things. Like money, or reduced rent, or like, if you go to their houses as a guest, they might cook something special for you because you don’t like what’s being served due to “taste sensitivities.”
It really is great to go through life without having to worry about whether you are being rude or not. In fact, once you say you have AS, you don’t even have to TRY to be polite. For some odd reason, people EXPECT you to be rude.
Anyway, lately there have been a lot of people shooting other people, and the shooters have been accused of being Aspie. Aspies have been getting a bad name because of these shootings, so I think it’s time to bail out. I was more than willing to support the ASAN board member who writes stories that depict the sexual humiliation of children, and I support GRASP former Board Member Nick Dubin, who allegedly disseminated child porn because -you know- neither of these people killed anyone, but now everyone looks at me like I might be a killer in the making.
So I am just letting everyone know that I am no longer Aspie. It is my right to say this because, since I have never been officially diagnosed, I can diagnose myself when it’s to my advantage, and un-diagnose myself when it’s to my disadvantage to be diagnosed.
As for all of you officially diagnosed Aspies who are right now being painted badly by the media: Rot in hell!
Signed:
A former self-diagnosed Aspie.
Dear Newspaper,
It is important to remember that the actions of Lisa Brown, James Holmes, Anders Behring Breibik, William Freund, and Hans Peterson should not reinvigorate the cause to have people with Asperger Syndrome weeded out of the human genome. These people all might have killed people, but their death toll doesn’t come near to approaching the genocide soon to be inflicted upon autistics worldwide when an in-utero genetic test for autism is developed.
Do not let these passing unimportant murders and mass-murders distract you from the main cause. It’s okay that OTHER people die, just not us.
Signed:
Nobody’s business but mine.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #249: On Penelope Trunk
Autism Politico wants its readers to know that we do not agree with part of this statement by Penelope Trunk:
I think I probably never had a clue about how people date, because I have Asperger Syndrome.
The part we don’t agree with is the “because I have Asperger Syndrome” part. We at Autism Politico all have Asperger Syndrome, and none of us have dating problems, so we are just saying that her statement holds true for her, perhaps, but not for us.
Autism Politico wants its readers to know that we do not agree with this statement by Penelope Trunk:
I am very easy to get into bed because the dance people do before getting to the sex part does not make sense to me.
While this may hold true for her, it does not hold true for us. We are hard to get into bed, primarily because our morals and values (some of which we were taught, and some of which we learned for ourselves) keeps us from sleeping around, and also, the “dance” people do “before getting to the sex part” makes absolute sense to us. We like to think that all of this is true for us because we have Asperger Syndrome, and because we have it, have a better understanding of human behavior than most.
Autism Politico wants its readers to know that we do not agree with this statement by Penelope Trunk regarding sending nude photos of oneself to someone:
It’s not that big a deal. You know how I know? Because the state of Vermont, (and other states as well) is trying to pass a lawthat decriminalizes sending nude photos of oneself if you are underage. That’s right: For years, even though kids were sending nude photos of themselves to someone they wanted to show it to, the act was illegal—an act of trafficking in child pornography.
But sending nude photos is so common today that lawmakers are forced to treat it as a mainstream courting ritual and legalize it for all ages.
We just think that kids doing it ought to be illegal and adults doing it ought to be immoral. But that’s our opinion, and does not correspond in any way to autism advocate Penelope Trunk, or ASAN’s Meg Evans (Board Member), who writes porn stories for her Ventura33 website, or ASAN and GRASPs Chapter Director Mark Haller who proofreads porn on www.asstr.org, or GRASPS Nick Dubin who admitted to downloading child porn.
If these Asperger Advocates want to make it out that they know better than anyone else about AS and represent AS people in this fashion, let them, especially because it doesn’t seem the autism community really gives a damn anyway.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #247: Military for McKinnon?
While Autism Activists over in the UK whine that Asperger Syndrome ought to exempt Gary McKinnon from extradition to the US for allegedly hacking into databases even though other people with Aspergers say that people with AS have no trouble telling right from wrong, perhaps the United States would like to make history by using its military to solve the problem.
The Department of Justice has concluded that cyberattacks, like hacking, stealing information, or taking down networks, could prompt a physical military response, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
In a Bin Laden style raid, the US military could capture McKinnon and bring him to the US for trial.
By doing this, the US could kill two birds with one stone. First, it could finally bring McKinnon to justice (whether that means conviction or an acquittal) and second, they could show that the United States believes in the DSM IV, which has nothing in it to suggest that anyone with Asperger Syndrome is more compelled than any other person to commit a crime just because the have AS, and which has nothing in it to suggest that AS people have a problem telling right from wrong.
One could argue that because McKinnon allegedly did the hacking before this new policy went into effect that he should be excused from the terms of this new policy, but the problem is, McKinnon’s activists continue to keep the issue in the forefront with their incessant nattering, making McKinnon out to be representative of every autistic, as though autism itself is on trial here.
What it seems like to Autism Politico is that autism activists are using the McKinnon situation as a way to gain notoriety for themselves really. People out to quit donating to people who behave in this manner. But getting back to the point, since McKinnon is trying to avoid extradition, and autism activists are trying to prevent McKinnon from having his day in court (which is a metaphorical crime in itself) perhaps the American military ought to force the issue, and the sooner the better.
Autism Politico thinks maybe a petition ought to be started to THAT effect.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #246: Getting Autistics Off the Dole
Think about this carefully. Schools are diagnosing autism where autism doesn’t exist so they can get funding to care for special needs students which may not really be special needs. Some of these kids may be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and are growing up to claim that because they have these disorders, they are disabled and cannot work.
So our tax dollars are going to pay for these people to be on disability.
Autism Politico’s opinion is that everyone who is diagnosed with any kind of disability for which they may become eligible for disability payments needs to have a thorough exam by accredited medical professionals to determine whether they even have that disability.
If it turns out that the people claiming certain disabilities do not have them, then they should be denied disability payments, and the school districts which applied for funds on their behalf should be required to return them to the federal government. Also, given that people with these falsely diagnosed disabilities benefitted from special accommodations made by the school, they should be made to pay some compensation, perhaps even going as far as to retake school courses without assistance to see if they can achieve the same results without accommodations, like every other student who does not get them.
Also, people falsely diagnosed should have the right to sue their schools for compensation after being exploited for so long, and they should have the right to sue their parents for being complicit in such activities.
It is time to stop favoring people who are falsely diagnosed. It will save taxpayers money, get people off the government dole, and cause falsely diagnosed people to work harder for a living.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Editorial #245: Personal Privacy Breach
Autism Politico would just like to point out the hypocrisy of the people within the autism rights movement who bemoan the breach of privacy that occurred when an autism organization’s laptop was stolen but continue to ignore the autism registry in New Jersey which compels doctors to register autistics without their consent.
In yet another data breach, it was recently discovered that a laptop containing sensitive information about 80 children with Asperger’s syndrome was stolen from Asperger’s Children and Carers Together (ACCT).
It has also been learned that the laptop was stolen from an employee’s house last December, and that it carried names, addresses and key medical information about these children.
Not surprisingly, the Information Commissioner’s office reacted quite sharply by calling the incident a violation of the Data Protection laws, and asked the charity to ensure that in the future “information is encrypted”.
Autism Politico almost wishes that the stolen personal information belonged to the people at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network who supported the New Jersey autism registry. Lots of children are having THEIR privacy rights violated by having them signed up for the registry without their consent, but no one cares.
And if you’re reading this and do nothing about it, you don’t care either.
Replies to this editorial are welcome.
Autism Politico
