Opinion by Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen
This is the fourth article in a series focusing on the fact that Autism is a social issue that could have been, and should have been, solved a long time ago. Like the first three, it focuses on the mechanism, or in this case, the lack of mechanism.
There are simple ways to organize problems for solution. Everybody uses them. Businesses can’t survive without them. Even government agencies use them. Advocate organizations employ them. Yet, for a myriad of reasons, the Autism Community cannot sit down and organize a campaign to solve their problems.
They cannot sit there and make a list of their problems, then discuss possible solutions. They cannot take those possible solutions and make plans. Consequently, they cannot execute any plans. And, finally, they cannot review the situation because they didn’t even start any process.
Instead, as the AutismOne meeting in Chicago a few weeks ago shows us, they get together, pose, position, preen, and posture, for what few parents of Autistic children show up for the event – and VERY FEW are showing up these days. The attendance is dismal – less than fifteen hundred people including the posers, preeners and posturers.
Then, to close the event, in front of those same Autism parents, they get falling down drunk at a Karaoke night, leaving, as you might expect, a solid impression with those parents of what the Autism Community leadership REALLY has to offer.
Nothing.
For, although there were appearances at AutismOne by Congressman, former Congressman, Bobbie Kennedy Jr, etc., NOTHING of any value occurred.
Nothing.
Now I’ll tell you what really happened there, and you won’t like what I have to say. For it isn’t the government, the vaccine industry, Brian Deer, stupid media, the NVIC program, or the skeptics, that are responsible for Autism anymore. It is the Autism Community itself, as a group, that WILL NOT ORGANIZE. Will not analyze. Will not look at possibilities. Will not plan, Will not do any constructive project.
For it is not about WHAT. It is only about WHO. Autism leadership, right now, is ONLY about WHO gets to go to a meeting with a government agency. WHO gets to introduce a Congressman at a panel. WHO gets to write articles for Age of Autism (AoA).
And that’s not working. And I am very suspicious…
Let’s list the specific problems.
Last March I wrote the third article in this series “Why Autism is Going to Be Here Much, Much Longer… Unless Major Change Happens… ” Then, I just walked away from the Autism world, not appearing anywhere, not getting involved with issues, just doing other things. Just to let the situation marinade – see what happened.
It seemed for a while that things were changing over there in the Autism world. So I was told. That something might happen, for new ideas were coming forward. People were moving. So I heard.
Then AutismOne, which appeared, at first, to have a very good agenda, actually happened and it became clear that there was, in fact, no change at all. AutismOne, like the Congressional hearings last November, at virtually the last minute, got co-opted with money.
Money? Yup. $40,000 to be exact.
What actually happened? There had been scheduled an actual panel of Congressman, as of May 11th, 2013, according to this YouTube video:
The AutismOne & Generation Rescue 2013 Conference Congressional Panel featuring Congressman Burton (R-IN), Congressman Weldon, MD (R-FL) and Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL). More information at www.autismone.org.
Some time between that May 11th video and May 24th, the day of the panel itself, things changed. Suddenly, the Canary Party was sponsoring the panel, the panel moderator was changed from attorney Bob Krakow to Mark Blaxill, and the panel was increased by one member Darrel Issa, the Chairman of the US Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Sound impressive? Wow, Darrell Issa was coming? Now we’ll get something done? Wrong.
It was all just another “Ken and Barbie” show.
Darrel Issa was there because, my informants tell me, Mark Blaxill’s girlfriend, Jennifer Larson, donated $40,000, at the last minute, to Issa’s Republican Party PAC to get him there.
Those at the meeting found that Issa committed to nothing. In fact, in his talk, he was singularly uninformed.
Bringing Issa was a waste of time – especially since the only obvious reason was to put Mark Blaxill on the stage once again – just like Ken and Barbie’s money removed Brian Hooker from last November’s actual Congressional Autism hearing, and inserted Mark Blaxill, in front of that same US Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Isn’t that all so special?
Do you suppose Ken and Barbie both bought new outfits to wear for the event? (sarcasm intended).
The Bobby Kennedy Jr. thing…
I hold the Kennedy family in high regard. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that Bobby Kennedy Jr.. would be involved in important social issues. It is in the family blood, and they, as a family, have paid for that social interest in blood. Their own. The Bobby Kennedy Jr. thing…
Bobby, according to his presentation at AutismOne, has written a book about the Autism problem, and has given copies of the tome, prior to publication, to key people. He says it is revealing. He claims to have audio recordings of key government officials stating that they knew about the problem and covered it up. He, according to others sources, is saying that unless the government takes action to remove Thimerosal from ALL vaccines within a year, he will release the book publicly.
Ummmmm…
Bobby, just release the damn book. If you actually have that stuff, and I certainly believe you do, let’s begin the process of criminally indicting those you recorded, for, for sure, they are guilty of a form of genocide. What are we waiting for?
Then, I see that Bobby has been having a conversation about the book with a writer over at Slate magazine, and the writer is dubious about what Bobby says is in the book, and has written about it in Slate magazine. My question is “Why would Bobby Kennedy even TALK to Slate magazine?” Slate magazine is more corporation power oriented than Forbes magazine, by far. When the US Supreme Court recently decided to not allow the patenting of human genes, Slate magazine vomited all over itself in complaint about that, calling the US Supreme Court justices stupid.
Talking to Slate magazine about vaccines is like trying to convince Stephen Barrett that Doctor’s Data’s heavy metals test is a good thing. They are not what one would call “Friendly Media.”
The Abysmal Attendance at AutismOne…
There were four main groups promoting AutismOne, and frankly, the fact that less than 1,500 people attended the event is a very telling statement about the effectiveness of those groups to get out the message. AutismOne itself, Generation Rescue, TACA and Age of Autism (AoA) were the promoters.
1,500 people when there should have been 25,000. Not very impressive.
If we accept the premise that there are now four million Autistic children in the US then simple math tells us there are eight million parents, and sixteen million grandparents very directly involved in the problem – total twenty-eight million people to reach. Add all the Special Education people from the US school districts, and the State people involved in trying to fund, and care for, all those damaged children and the numbers get even greater.
28,000,000 minus 1,500 means that there were 27,008,500 people who should have been invited, or, at least, told about the event. So, for sure, I think the Autism community needs to re- think their “Ken and Barbie” show in favor of something that would interest the real world of Autism and autistic parents. Maybe watching Mark Blaxill get falling down-drunk, one more time, at AutismOne’s karaoke night doesn’t actually have the appeal to parents of autistic children, they think it does.
The Autism Community has given up…
There is NO GRAND PLAN. There are, to me, only three activities organized by the Autism community that, at this point have any merit, and are worth supporting:
(1) Brian Hooker’s efforts to nail the CDC.
(2) Andrew Wakefield’s Texas lawsuit against Brian Deer and The BMJ.
(3) Mark and David Geier’s lawsuit against the NVIC attorneys. I’ll be telling you this story shortly.
Is there hope?
Of course there is. Recognizing the problem is half way to solution. I wasn’t at AutismOne. All of my information came from those that were there, and were angry enough to call me. Believe me, the anger in the Autism ranks is building. And, about time…
Stay tuned.
Tim Bolen – Consumer Advocate