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Autism and other issues
Sep. 4th, 2003 12:08 pmI read an article in the New York Times today in which it was suggested that the huge increase in autism over the past decade could be due to improved diagnosis - that pediatricians are more aware of the disorder, and therefore children are now being correctly diagnosed who were previously being classified as mentally retarded (as opposed to there actually being an increase in the number of children with autism).
But if that's the case, wouldn't the number of mental retardation diagnoses have fallen while autism diagnoses rose?
Maybe they have; I don't know. It seems an obvious question, though, and one that the article didn't answer.
There was also an article about an intestinal hormone which reduces appetite, making people eat 30% less each day. It's called PPY. Hope springs eternal...I'd love to be thin again.
Why, John Kerry?
Hmm, I was listening to a speech by John Kerry this morning as I drove into work, and found a lot to criticize. Actually I was going to write something before about why I don't trust Kerry. I used to be a big fan long before he was a Senator, but his vote for the Iraq war bill was absolutely indefensible.
The bill authorized Bush to make war any time he wanted in the Middle East and expressed a hope that he would be diplomatic and rational in his approach to war. But it was only a suggestion, not a requirement. Basically they granted Bush Imperial power over the Army and piously hoped that he'd show restraint.
But Bush has NEVER showed ANY sort of restraint, and Kerry and the Democrats damned well knew that before the vote! Bush had been steamrollering them from the very beginning, pushing the most extreme right-wing agenda possible. For Kerry to pretend that he handed Bush the greatest political plum in his life - the power to have a huge Bush-approval-boosting war at any time of his choosing - and didn't realize that Bush would naturally abuse the power is simply not credible.
I'm sorry, but John Kerry is simply not that stupid.
He knew that Bush would launch a war out of pure political opportunism, but voted for it anyway for the sake of his Presidential aspirations. He assumed that the Republicans and the media would tear him apart if he didn't support the war, so the man who first entered the national stage as a Vietnam veteran against the war threw the modern American soldier to the political wolves - just to save his miserable political career.
And that is simply unforgivable.
You know, handing that power to Bush was like handing a bottle of whiskey and the keys to your car to a confirmed alcoholic and drunk driver, turning your back, and "hoping" that he would only use the whiskey for absolutely necessary medicinal purposes. Naturally the drunken bastard downed the bottle, hopped in the car, and straightaway plowed into a bunch of innocent bystanders. And now Kerry DARES to say that he's shocked, shocked?!
Grrr.
Half of my outrage is that he really thinks that the public is stupid enough to buy his bullshit.
Oh yeah, going back to that speech: it was awful. Anyone in politics really should know that short, strong words and short, clear sentences have the most impact. I was tempted to get a transcript of his speech and critique it, line by line; over and over he used phrases that simply had no punch at all. It was pathetic.
Mind you, I'd still vote for him over Tyrant George. Any day.
Suffer the Little Children
Cardinal O'Malley is meeting with the survivors of priest abuse and their lawyers today, trying to work out a deal; apparently he's upping his offer a bit, and offering a sympathetic ear as well.
As long as this is an adversarial situation, he and the Church cannot win this. If I were him (and I'm not, and as a matter of fact I'm not Catholic) - well, the smartest thing would be to go Third Way. In this case, to make a Cardinal's Appeal for the Children - that is, the children who were raped and molested by priests.
Basically he should make a public appeal to all Church members, asking them to donate to a fund which will be used not for legal settlements, but to provide free counseling and support services to the children and their families - for life. He should freely admit that the Church hierarchy was guilty of a terrible lapse of judgement and responsibility, and pledge that he will do everything in his power not only to have those responsible punished, but to ensure that it never happens again - which means installing a truly independent oversight committee, at least one-third of whom will be laypersons with full membership equality. He'd also be wise to publicly open Church doors to Voice of the Faithful.
The fact is that the Church let its most vulnerable members down horribly and unforgivably. It needs to act to make things right, not only in the legal arena, but in the actual lives of the victims.
That they have to sue the Church for something which it should have provided voluntarily, right away, is simply wrong. So far the Church has demonstrated a shocking lack of compassion; if they don't act to correct this, I suspect that they are ultimately going to be greatly diminished. And deservedly so.
While I'm shooting my mouth off, I also think that Cardinal Law and all of his associates should be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. And that there should be NO statute of limitations for rape, child molestation, or being an accessory to either of those crimes.
But if that's the case, wouldn't the number of mental retardation diagnoses have fallen while autism diagnoses rose?
Maybe they have; I don't know. It seems an obvious question, though, and one that the article didn't answer.
There was also an article about an intestinal hormone which reduces appetite, making people eat 30% less each day. It's called PPY. Hope springs eternal...I'd love to be thin again.
Why, John Kerry?
Hmm, I was listening to a speech by John Kerry this morning as I drove into work, and found a lot to criticize. Actually I was going to write something before about why I don't trust Kerry. I used to be a big fan long before he was a Senator, but his vote for the Iraq war bill was absolutely indefensible.
The bill authorized Bush to make war any time he wanted in the Middle East and expressed a hope that he would be diplomatic and rational in his approach to war. But it was only a suggestion, not a requirement. Basically they granted Bush Imperial power over the Army and piously hoped that he'd show restraint.
But Bush has NEVER showed ANY sort of restraint, and Kerry and the Democrats damned well knew that before the vote! Bush had been steamrollering them from the very beginning, pushing the most extreme right-wing agenda possible. For Kerry to pretend that he handed Bush the greatest political plum in his life - the power to have a huge Bush-approval-boosting war at any time of his choosing - and didn't realize that Bush would naturally abuse the power is simply not credible.
I'm sorry, but John Kerry is simply not that stupid.
He knew that Bush would launch a war out of pure political opportunism, but voted for it anyway for the sake of his Presidential aspirations. He assumed that the Republicans and the media would tear him apart if he didn't support the war, so the man who first entered the national stage as a Vietnam veteran against the war threw the modern American soldier to the political wolves - just to save his miserable political career.
And that is simply unforgivable.
You know, handing that power to Bush was like handing a bottle of whiskey and the keys to your car to a confirmed alcoholic and drunk driver, turning your back, and "hoping" that he would only use the whiskey for absolutely necessary medicinal purposes. Naturally the drunken bastard downed the bottle, hopped in the car, and straightaway plowed into a bunch of innocent bystanders. And now Kerry DARES to say that he's shocked, shocked?!
Grrr.
Half of my outrage is that he really thinks that the public is stupid enough to buy his bullshit.
Oh yeah, going back to that speech: it was awful. Anyone in politics really should know that short, strong words and short, clear sentences have the most impact. I was tempted to get a transcript of his speech and critique it, line by line; over and over he used phrases that simply had no punch at all. It was pathetic.
Mind you, I'd still vote for him over Tyrant George. Any day.
Suffer the Little Children
Cardinal O'Malley is meeting with the survivors of priest abuse and their lawyers today, trying to work out a deal; apparently he's upping his offer a bit, and offering a sympathetic ear as well.
As long as this is an adversarial situation, he and the Church cannot win this. If I were him (and I'm not, and as a matter of fact I'm not Catholic) - well, the smartest thing would be to go Third Way. In this case, to make a Cardinal's Appeal for the Children - that is, the children who were raped and molested by priests.
Basically he should make a public appeal to all Church members, asking them to donate to a fund which will be used not for legal settlements, but to provide free counseling and support services to the children and their families - for life. He should freely admit that the Church hierarchy was guilty of a terrible lapse of judgement and responsibility, and pledge that he will do everything in his power not only to have those responsible punished, but to ensure that it never happens again - which means installing a truly independent oversight committee, at least one-third of whom will be laypersons with full membership equality. He'd also be wise to publicly open Church doors to Voice of the Faithful.
The fact is that the Church let its most vulnerable members down horribly and unforgivably. It needs to act to make things right, not only in the legal arena, but in the actual lives of the victims.
That they have to sue the Church for something which it should have provided voluntarily, right away, is simply wrong. So far the Church has demonstrated a shocking lack of compassion; if they don't act to correct this, I suspect that they are ultimately going to be greatly diminished. And deservedly so.
While I'm shooting my mouth off, I also think that Cardinal Law and all of his associates should be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. And that there should be NO statute of limitations for rape, child molestation, or being an accessory to either of those crimes.
