A Bright Spot in a Difficult Week

This has been a difficult week for our family. It has been particularly hard for me. I am not prepared to talk about it, yet.

However, there is a bright spot in this week, and it is Lillian. She is turning into the kind of person I respect, and admire. While she is still the difficult teen, she is showing confidence, strength, and the intelligence needed to live in a state that voted for Bush. I am proud of her. She is a caring young lady who lives up to the responsibilities our founding fathers protected in the rights of our constitution. She is a model US citizen, and far more patriotic than 60% of Oklahomans.

Lillian has a special place in my heart, and now a special respect in my mind. Therefore, it is with great honor to show her 2007-2008 school picture.

Recently My Son Challenged Me So ........

Let me tell you about Autism.

Families with members who are within the Developmentally Delayed Spectrum are considered by Psychologists as bottom end families. People incorrectly assume the effected deserve their plight. –OR- Some feel the family did something wrong.

I can tell you what it is like to have people look at you funny in the store, or worse yet in the schools. I can tell you what it is like when your own family doesn’t understand. I can tell you what it is like to love someone who is hurting because of others lack of knowledge. I can tell you about the pain of watching a loved one struggle substantially harder than the average person at tasks that seem easy.

-BUT-

I cannot describe the pain a person with Autism suffers every day, because the “normal” people are too stupid to become informed about issues that deserve everyone’s respect.

Therefore, I simply offer this:

Click Here

McCain wants to reintroduce himself, but do you know....

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.¹

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."²

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.³

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."⁴

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.⁵

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.⁶

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."⁷

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.⁸

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."⁹

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.¹⁰

Today is Autism Awareness Day; April is Autism Awareness Month

Autism affects more children than juvenile diabetes, childhood cancer and Down syndrome combined. Plus more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined.

I find these facts amazing! Furthermore, this does NOT include the number of adults with autism!!

Did you know…

• 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
• 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
• 67 children are diagnosed per day
• A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
• Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

Incidence vs. Private Funding

• Leukemia: Affects 1 in 25,000 / Funding: $310 million
• Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 20,000 / Funding: $175 million
• Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 8,000 / Funding: $394 million
• Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $130 million
• Autism: Affects 1 in 150 / Funding: $15 million

National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation

• Total 2005 NIH budget: $29 billion
• Of this, only $100 million goes towards autism research. This represents 0.3% of total NIH funding.

The international symbol for autism is a puzzle piece, signifying the mystery of this disorder. The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the individuals (and their families) effected. The brightness of the colors symbolizes hope - through research, increased awareness, understanding and acceptance.