Many of our fellow bloggers and probably people we know in our personal lives have children who are autistic. I personally work with many adults who have autism. They are treasures to their parents, but they can also be extremely challenging. It is also very frustrating to try to get the help they need at such a young age to be the most beneficial.
One of our friends, Zachary at Blogging Blue, alerts us to a program sponsored by Chevy that will help further the cause:
Chevrolet Will Donate up to $1 million to Autism Speaks when Consumers Take Virtual Test Drives of the All-New Chevy Malibu during Autism Awareness Month. If you go to “Help Chevy Help Autism” during April - which is Autism Awareness Month - and take a free virtual test drive of the 2008 all-new Chevy Malibu, you will directly help Chevrolet reach its goal of donating up to $1 million to Autism Speaks and its mission of support for individuals and families affected by autism, increasing awareness of autism, and raising money to fund autism research.
Chevrolet has committed to a minimum contribution of $500,000, but every virtual test drive taken gets Chevrolet closer to its ultimate goal of $1 million.
You can go here to take the "Test Drive". It only takes a few moments of your time, and it will help a lot of people.
Sexual assault involves sexual acts that are forced upon individuals against their will. These acts can be physical (such as rape or unwanted sexual touching), verbal (such as sexually abusive or threatening speech), or psychological (such as voyeurism or exhibitionism). Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault. However, women and girls are more likely than males to experience violence of this type. Sexual assault is most often committed by someone known to the victim such as a spouse, family member, co-worker, friend or acquaintance, although it can also be committed by a stranger.
According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a national survey of high school students, approximately 9% of students reported having been forced to have sexual intercourse against their will in their lifetime. Female students (11.9%) were more likely than male students (6.1%) to report having been sexually assaulted.
Sexual violence can start very early in life. More than half of all rapes (54%) of women occur before age 18; 22% of these rapes occur before age 12.
The National College Women Sexual Victimization Study estimated that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 college women experienced completed or attempted rape during their college years.
It only gets worse. People who are developmentally disabled are much more likely to be sexually assaulted. Almost four out of every five people with developmental disabilities are sexually victimized. Nearly half of the people with developmental disabilities are victimized at least ten times in their lives.
As Gen. Patraeus prepares to go up before Congress this morning MSNBC was playing quotes from the presidential candidates from the last hearing in September.
Help me out with this.
They run one from John McCain where he is not using his time for question but for coddling, and where he is equating withdrawal with surrender.
Putting on my business hat. Who trusts an operation that does not set conditions for terminating a project, unless of course someone wants a perpetual job and wants to endlessly spend money.
What's wrong with this picture? The presumption that to work towards withdrawal is to result in defeat somehow is evidence of totally uncreative thinking, or a big broad hint that McCain does not ever want to leave Iraq.
Voters have to look at this unsustainable perscription. Being in Iraq forever is not equatable to our troops being in Germany or Korea. Germany probably doesn't make sense since the cold war is over. But on the other hand certain regions of Duestchland are economically dependent on our bases. I happen to know people who live near the Reinstadt Air Force base and hold the dread that this thing might be closed down.
As for Korea, we have a definable line of demarcation. We know at all times where the North Koreans are -- in North Korea. And for the most part, the South Koreans want us there.
In Iraq, not only are we surrounded by people hostile to us as the mortar shells being lobbed into the Green Zone prove, but most of the Iraqis would like to see us out. Any thinking person knows that the occupation, what it is, is pure catnip not only to extreme Muslims but even the fence sitters.
So what is the problem of running this thing like a business? What's wrong with defining "victory," setting milestones towards that end, and keeping us informed with how we are doing in achieving these milestones. Does this imply that the Bush administration does not want to define victory? You can add your favorite reasons why not.
Looking at the mess we made in Iraq, most of us are resigned to the notion that an immediate yank of troops out of Iraq would not be a good idea. But most of us are recognizing that we have to look at good sense way to wrap up our involvement in Iraq.
Wise minds are out there that could come up with a solution that is satisfactory to reality. With us spending $12 B a week we cannot go on like this. And with every week seeing injured and rattled soldiers coming home and representing a lifetime responsibility for the country that sent them there, we have a growing economic challenge.
Voters have to demand a solution out of McCain and not bromides, or anyone else who grooves on this war, or we'd better be prepared for a crash of both our economy and of our military.
JSOnline is reporting that Tommy Thompson has a new portrait of him from his stint as Secretary of Health and Family Services. Here is what it looks like:
Getting past the awful color combination, doesn't the entire effect of the painting make him look like a used car salesman, or someone from a Grade B movie about the mob and its attorneys?
Just remember this when you have a crappy day at the office, school, or wherever you work: It could always be worse:
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Rather than rain or snow, or even dogs, postal workers in a West Side neighborhood near Owen Conservation Park are being pestered by wild turkeys this spring. Mara Wilhite, manager of the Hilldale Station Post Office, said she expected to deal with all manner of issues when she went to work for the U.S. Post Office. But that was not one of them.
"Just when you thought you'd heard it all," she said.
About five to 10 of the birds have been pecking at the postal workers as they make their rounds, and some of the birds have attacked the letter carriers with the sharp spurs on their legs. One of the birds went through the open door of a mail truck and scratched the driver.
And I thought they said that there were no Republicans in Madison.
... that he thinks Wisconsin blogs have just now "devolved [into] crass identity politics [. . .] about tearing each other down"?
There may have been a "golden age" of Wisconsin blogging, but it did not last long. I was on the receiving end of plenty of profane, troll-ish, moronic attacks here, there at Owen's place in the comments, and on blogs around the state by not very long after I started blogging. A lot of that is long forgotten--or long-since deleted--but it existed from the start.
I mean, this is the internet, people. It's been bilious since, oh, 1985. Wisconsin blogs have never been some magical exception to the rule.
... adding, after sleeping on it--never bad advice, you know--that there are plenty of places to get discussion of the issues. For example, capper's posts here on the County Executive race did, in fact, feature conversation around policy and issues in the comments, in addition to the invective (Scott Walker has that effect on people). There's a relatively good discussion of energy policy going on in this thread right now. To suggest that such discussion has disappeared (or become more rare) does a disservice to all the places where it remains active.
Maybe there is something to the charges of plagiarism against Obama. He seems to have lifted parts of his "A More Perfect Union" speech from this video.
There has been a lot of discussion about racism lately. With the first ever minority candidate as the likely democratic nominee we are surely going to hear much more about race in the coming months. In honor of Dad29 and his recently observed willingness to break out in song, Obama's willingness to confront race issues head on and the willingness of many bloggers to post weekend musical interludes I felt it would be appropriate for us take a step back and contemplate the state of race relations through song.
via MAL Contends Madison, Wisconsin—Frank Rick has a piece in this morning’s Times arguing that Obama and Hillary “are flat-out wrong” in condemning John McCain for McCain's allegedly having expressed a willingness “… to keep this (Iraq) war going for 100 years,” as the two Democrats on the campaign trail state their desire for withdrawal, contra McCain.
Rich, among the most perceptive columnists today, cites other writers and fact checkers making the same point, including Zachary Roth in the Columbia Journalism Review.
So what are McCain’s words about the U.S. occupation/war made at a town meeting in January, and repeated since?
Video of McCain saying “10,000 years” in Iraq with permanent bases on Face the Nation and Meet the Press
Said McCain, “Make it a hundred (in Iraq). ... We’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That would be fine with me, as long as American, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. It’s fine with me and I hope it would be fine with you if we maintained a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al Qaeda is training, recruiting and equipping and motivating people every single day."
Writes the CJR’s Roth, “It’s clear from this that McCain isn’t saying he’d support continuing the war for one hundred years, only that it might be necessary to keep troops there that long.”
What?
Rich, though he goes on to blast McCain and the Neocon enablers on other points, chides the Democrats on the 100-year war point, writing: “…The sum total of (McCain’s) public record suggests that he could well prolong the war for another century — not because he’s the crazed militarist portrayed by Democrats, but through sheer inertia, bad judgment and blundering.”
What, how again are Hillary and Obama "flat-out wrong"?
McCain predicates his anti-withdrawal position on a lie—that troops can remain in Iraq without being injured, harmed or wounded—and McCain's conclusion, that of a multi-decade-long occupation, should be taken as a commitment for a multi-decade-long occupation that will be justified by still more lies.
If you have US troops in Iraq, they will remain targets. McCain is simply throwing a bone to the public in his conditional reference (taken as fact, and not a lie, without challenge by the fact checkers) to maintain "...as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed."
No doubt, Rich and the fact checkers, having blasted Hillary and Obama for their critiques of McCain, will point to McCain's pursuit of withdrawal, for full context. No, they don't.
Then Rich and company will point to McCain's candid acknowledgement of the Neocon enterprise in Iraq, for full context? No, they don't.
Perhaps Rich and company will at least point to McCain's rejection of permanent bases, a super permanent embassy, and McCain's commitment to Iraqi control over their own natural resources. Wrong again.
Let's acknowledge that McCain's statement is compound-complex and not a model of clarity. Indeed, the statement is predicated on false premises and lies.
But reading Rich and the fact checkers we are to believe ".... only that it might be necessary to keep troops (in Iraq) that long,” (Roth) and that "...(McCain’s) public record suggests that he could well prolong the war for another century ... through sheer inertia, bad judgment and blundering;” (Rich); but Hillary and Obama's charges that McCain wants to keep the war going for 100 years are nevertheless bogus.
What has happened to Rich and Roth on this one?
Bush, McCain and Neocons don't want out; they want a client oil state, and they will commit troops there as long it takes to establish such a geopolitical agent, while spewing the WMD, al Qaeda, regional stability, and whatever other justification they come up with for however long this Neocon propaganda will hold up.
So Obama and Hillary are spot-on to blast McCain for his 100-year, one-million-year (whatever time comes to his mind) idiocies.
Their criticism accurately reflects his anti-withdrawal commitment and accurately reflects his pro-war statement.
Again, McCain predicates his anti-withdrawal position on lies—that troops can remain in Iraq without being injured, harmed or wounded, (and let's not forget that al Qaeda and Islamofascism are the threat in Iraq)—and McCain's conclusion, that of a multi-decade-long occupation, should be taken a commitment for a multi-decade-long occupation that will be justified by still more lies.
Rich and the fact checkers ought to give this affair a rethink.
While searching youtube for a Milwaukee related video I stumbled across this video. It was something I had to share. I knew meetings like this fill auditoriums in the bible belt, but I didn’t know a guy like this could fill up an auditorium in downtown Milwaukee. The video gets really good at about the five minute mark. By the end he makes a portion of the U.S. Cellular Arena look like Jonestown.
At first I was not sure if it would be appropriate to post this. Then I thought of Madeline Neumann and it became a no-brainer. Madeline died because her parents were defrauded by the likes of this guy.
Paddy-Mac seems a little unsure whether or not Madeline’s parents broke the law. I have yet to hear an argument that convincingly makes the case that they did not, even though some have tried (within the comments). Parents like the Neumanns present a clear danger to their children’s well being and should be punished by the full extent of the law when their child is harmed by their beliefs.
After charging the Neumanns the authorities should look into the "healers" that were advising them and consider fraud charges.
That Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner made a trip is not unexpected. He's known for junkets.
But some might be surprised to hear the congressman talk about his March voyage, which made a swing through South Asia. Sensenbrenner pays respect to the Dalai Lama, unloads on the blameworthy Chinese, and mentions Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi without malice. Wow. Just wow.
During the course of the trip, I had the opportunity to experience one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life - the privilege of meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet. The meeting provided the delegation with the opportunity to have a frank and comprehensive discussion about the plight of the Tibetan people in their constant struggle for independence from the government of China. . .
The actions by the Chinese government represent one of the most severe human rights violations that has occurred this year. Considering that the US prides itself on being a leader on questions of human rights, I’m surprised that our State Department recently removed China from its list of top ten human rights violators. How can we sit by idly while the Chinese beat up and torture innocent Tibetans?
It is for these reasons that I was pleased to be a part of a press conference earlier this week attended by the members of the March congressional delegation. Led once again by Speaker Pelosi, we took this opportunity to express our disappointment and displeasure toward the Chinese government’s actions, particularly in light of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games to be held in Beijing.
It might seem to be surprising that such a stalwart Republican also takes a shot at the State Department. But Sensenbrenner has walked out of step with the Bush White House on other things (but not the stuff that matters such as the Iraq War and the misnamed Patriot Act. In this case Sensenbrenner's strong words show up how tepid President Bush has been on this outrage.
By the way, you can see Sensenbrenner with the Dalai Lama and Pelosi in this CNN report.
2008 is the first year I made predictions, 30 of them. One has already proven wrong--#16, that Louis Butler would win his race. On the other hand, I called Tom Barrett's win (#22).
I also predicted (#4) that one or more anonymous Wisconsin bloggers would de-cloak and reveal their true identities this year. Chalk another one up in the Win column for me, as the illusory tenant, under his real name, joins Jane Hampden on the "Lake Effect" bloggers series this morning. Listen on air at 10 AM or 11 PM, or online later today.
TOMORROW: One of my favorite singer-songwriters, and a big influence on my own writing, Ellis Paul, is at Shank Hall. LATER: Drinking Liberally v2.0 launches. Wednesday, April 16, from 7-9 PM at the SMOKE-FREE Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave. in Bay View. The special guest will be Milwaukee Alderman Tony Zielinski.
My wife and I have an old, dear friend from college who finds herself in the thick of the renewed resistance to the Chinese repression of Tibetans. She is married to a Tibetan exile and lives in Dharamsala, India. She wrote me this jaw-dropping message:
I currently live in a mixed Indian/Tibetan village in the valley below Dharamsala. Dharamsala is a small Indian town itself, and situated more than 1,000 feet higher up the mountain from Dharamsala is McCleodganj, the predominantly Tibetan community, where the Dalai Lama resides, and the actual community we hear about in the media named "Dharamsala".
Since the uprising in Tibet, and crackdown by gov't there, protests have been held nearly every day in McCleodganj. Tibetans here mourn for what is happening and prayer vigils are as common as the protests. The so called "tension" (misnomer extraordinaire) in their homeland touches everyone---some because their loved ones are missing, imprisoned, or dead---some b/c their families live in Tibet and they fear for their safety--all because the future not only of their homeland, but of their culture is at stake. My guess is that current events are retraumatizing for many people as well, triggering memories of their own escape, torture, imprisonment, or hardships.
The issue is not only about 140 people murdered in recent weeks (my guess, a huge undercount anyway, though it's the latest number I've read in the press...but does not include people "missing" or imprisoned) but that Tibetan people do not live with basic human rights.
We do not by and large hear in the media about what is actually happening in Tibet, and what has been happening for decades. One of the things that is striking living amongst Tibetans in the communities in exile in India is how oppression and violence under Chinese rule has touched every household. What is even more striking---and should alarm all of us---is when any person or people---becomes accustomed to such a life. Last week during a break from class our language teacher casually mentioned that her brother was just released from prison after 14 years---for protesting. (Can anyone imagine losing a decade or more of our life because we marched against the war in Iraq---or Persian Gulf War---or Vietnam?!...) The next breath she said, "Okay, forget it, let's go on..."
Another woman I was practicing conversation with happens to be a former nun. She was not allowed to practice Buddhism in nunneries in Tibet because she had participated in a protest at one point. She was tortured with an electric baton---a common response by the army/police there she said. Her story is typical. She cannot return to Tibet because China will not grant her a visa because of her activism in years past. (Keep in mind, the same sort of peaceful activism many of us regularly participate in.) Every year, Tibetans escape into exile through Nepal and India. More often than not their stories are harrowing...another teacher told me last week about seeing "so many" dead bodies along the way---of the people who didn't make it. Sometimes the survivors are children who enter the school system---where they can receive a Tibetan education, which they have not been able to while in Tibet. Sometimes the children arrive to reception centers with such frostbite that they end up having parts of their feet or hands amputated.
These are the sorts of stories you hear from people here. Along with their sorrow, longing to return to Tibet, and so often such sacrifice---not seeing their families in Tibet for years and years...sometimes, e.g. they never see their parents again before they die. I'm stressing this because here in India---or elsewhere---it's easy to hear/see and enjoy the "glamor" or mystique that seems to surround Tibet and Tibetan people, and forget, at least, temporarily what brought them here.
Amazingly, (impressively) still, the Dalai Lama pleads for non-violence in Tibet and India as well. At recent protests the speakers emphasized over and over again the need to remain non-violent---despite what may happen. (On that day, there had just been reports that protesters in Delhi had been beaten by Indian police and tensions, naturally, were running high for people.) The crowd was guided to not react if the police use force, and to not join in if other people who seem to be Tibetan are throwing stones, etc., because it is well known that the Chinese gov't has used spies in the past to spark conficts as well as to create divisiveness (e.g. between Buddhists and Muslims in Tibet).
On a more personal note---this whole thing has been disheartening--to put it lightly. What adds insult to injury though, is finding out that foreigners (including Tibetans living here with foreign passports) are forbidden to participate in the peace protests, with the threat of being deported and banned for life from receiving any sort of visa to return to India.
I hope that "Freedom Loving people" in America will take time to do what they can for Tibet and Tibetans. One thing that comes to mind is contacting senators and representatives and pressing them to advocate that Chinese leadership meet with Tibetan leadership, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The sooner the better.
Thank you for your interest. For up to date news on Tibetan issues, the site commonly used here is www.phayul.com.
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You can tell a lot about a candidate by the enemies he or she makes.
In Pedro Colón (state rep., D-Milwaukee) run for the Milwaukee City Attorney’s race, Colón has gained the enmity of some of the usual suspects on rightwing radio.
Both Charlie Sykes and Mark Belling ripped into Colón Monday though not offering any argument against his candidacy.
Of course, Colón who lists among his supporters the Milwaukee DA, and the City’s legislative caucus, and US Rep. Gwen Moore, also gets an occasional hit from those upset with successful advocacy of a sexual harassment victim. Isn’t that a good thing?
And now Colón is campaigning for the City Attorney’s office advocating that he would work with other officials to flush out the law protecting Milwaukee citizens so that citizens might be better served by the actions of their government and the police. Isn’t that a good thing?
Colon’s ideas would take the city attorney’s office into the 21st century by working with other levels of government, especially on reducing crime and nuisance properties; training police officers to respect the rights of citizens while making arrests; fighting to fix the school choice funding flaw, which currently penalizes city taxpayers; finding fair solutions for residents who have had their driver’s licenses taken away; and personally advocating for the city when important lawsuits arise.
Amen to the uppity Wisconsin Hispanic efforts to make government serve the people it is supposed to serve.
I know many of you, like me, will be glad when tomorrow is over with. There will be a respite, even if temporary, from all the slimy political ads and even more so, I will (hopefully) be able to move on to other topics.
I know many more experienced politicos than I that have told me that it doesn't look good for Taylor to win, but there are some things that make me believe otherwise.
First of all, the polls must be pretty close, otherwise Walker, and his chums on the local talk radio shows would have been crowing about it all week long.
Secondly, he must be feeling nervous, or is simply indirectly acknowledging the truth, when he doesn't defend the state of the County, especially the parks, the transit system, mental health, or HOC. Instead of dealing with County issues, like Senator Taylor is doing, Walker is pulling at straws like school choice and abortion, neither of which the County Exec's office has a thing to do with.
Thirdly, this whole thing about taxes. He cannot criticize anyone for wanting to raise taxes, since he has already shown that he is ready to drop the tax bomb on the taxpayers himself. Nor does he mention that part of the reason the state is having problems is due to faulty economic policies of Bush, who he is trying to emulate. (To his credit, Walker at least hasn't tried to invade Walworth County for their oil.)
It was also Walker, with his pal, the governor of the 90s, TOMMY, who created the deficit that we are still trying to pay off. Like a spoiled kid, he wants to have his party, but is trying to a pull a political version of a "dine and dash." He tried to do the same thing to the County with his failed bid for governor in 2006, and if he were to win tomorrow, I would expect him to keep it up and try it again in 2010.
But even if taxes did go up a little, like they have over the last gazillion years, I doubt it would be more than a buck or two. To portray it as like a bunch of barbarians were going to come and pillage and loot everyone in Milwaukee County is trying to play to people's basest fears. That is the sort of contemptible politicking that got us into the Iraq War and gave us all these years of the Bush administration.
People stood up to that kind of fear and smear campaigning in the fall of 2006, and now is not the time to let up against that type of lowly power-grabbing.
I know that this sort of thing happens all the time, but I still think it's funny. This was forwarded to me from the Walker Taylor campaign:
It reminds me of the time the RNC kept sending me letters asking for money, since I was a good card-carrying member of the GOP. I just kept returning the envelopes stuffed with clippings from the paper on the latest Republican scandal until they stopped.
by capper
