The Modern Civil War: This Isn’t the Flag You’re Looking For

I am sure many readers have heard about the South Carolina Church shooting. The perpetrating individual shot nine African American church members, after attending a group bible study with his victims. This has been presented (in his own words even) as an exceptionally unstable, young, fascist, white supremacist.

{PHOTOGRAPH} AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton

Which obviously he is, thus far it has been proven that this young 21 year old man has a personal vendetta with minorities. More specifically, the African American communities of the United States.  Jews, Hispanics and Asians are just a few of his most tolerated things; keeping in mind he believed they should be dehumanized to the fantasy like standards of what he believed was “acceptable”.

Recently the argument of removal of the Confederate Flag from use in South Carolina (in addition to other states such as Virginia, etc.) has been stirred. This modern icon of hatred and bigoted history should be shunned and thrown into a museum, according to the societal/cultural consensus and the age of technology.

Interestingly I have read several severely misconstrued interpretations as to where this flag came from and why. Keep in mind, this flag has blood ingrained into its seams. It has been declared the symbolism of the defeated South, those anti-abolitionists. Anti-establishment through and through.

{PHOTOGRAPH} This Confederate flag, which was captured at the Battle of Mine Creek, Kans., Oct. 24, 1864, sold at auction June 25, 2011, for $26,290. Heritage Auction Galleries (Dallas) sold the 35-by-50-inch wool flag accompanied by documentation and historical analysis. Photo courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries/ANTIQUE TRADER

It’s highly offensive to many because of its historical precedence. Many generations are educated to believe that ONLY the South had slaves and fought against the Union to preserve the horrific practice of slavery. This flag represents death, slavery and moral evils that only a Civil War could remedy.

Just as the Confederate flag has been painted as villainous, the American flag has been soaked in the blood of innumerable generations. There is always an ultimate reason for war; the wars of the greatest generation down to their parents/grandparent’s wars were considered admirable. We won, right?

When the Vietnam era came into fruition this flag saw the sense of anger and blood shed that didn’t even see the casualty numbers of the Great War’s (World War I: 320,710, not including MIA---Vietnam: 211,147). Arguably, the U.S. involvement in WWI only lasted two years, whereas with Vietnam it was from 1964 until 1975. The Vietnam War was a new form of war.

{illustrative} World War 1, PROPAGANDA Poster by James Montgomery Flagg, 1917.

With the WWI, the process of soldier selection was on a volunteer basis. Men well into their 40s joined, which I found interesting. With Vietnam, a draft was instituted to gain the numbers necessary for the war. A war which would be seen as both a grave miscalculation by the U.S. and a travesty against the soldiers placed in harm’s way.

WWII causalities surpassed both WWI and Vietnam in causalities at 1,078,162. However, this war lasted from 1939 to 1945. The United States only became formally involved in WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. This led to a huge wave of Nationalism across the United States, thus drafting was unnecessary.

I believe with the loss of time, memory is often muddled. The glory of the “greatest generation” swept the country, thus when it was deemed necessary for the sons (and daughters) to defend the world against communism…we gladly accepted. Until it became clear this war would not be won, this wasn’t their parent’s war nor would it be a successful endeavor no matter how it is projected into a history book.

There was an already established campaign in Vietnam with the Soviet forces leading the way, China in tow.

“Fifty percent of all Soviet foreign aid went to North Vietnam between 1965 and 1968. Soviet anti-aircraft teams in North Vietnam brought down dozens of U.S. planes. According to former Soviet colonel Alexei Vinogradov, ‘The Americans knew only too well that Vietnamese planes of Soviet design were often flown by Soviet pilots.’”[1]

In addition, China was also heavily involved in North Vietnam.

“According to Beijing, between 1965 and 1973, there were 320,000 Chinese troops assigned to North Vietnam, with a maximum of 170,000 – roughly a third of the maximum number of U.S. forces – in the south at their peak.”[2]

This was a much weightier support system than the United States had full appreciated. But

{Photograph} The sun breaks through dense jungle foliage as South Vietnamese troops, joined by U.S. advisers, rest after a cold, damp and tense night of waiting in an ambush position for a Viet Cong attack that didn’t come, January 1965. (Horst Faas/AP).

Many young adults began to fight the system, angrily lashing out at a corrupted system. However, the outrage of being unheard by their government permitted a country to rebel on a much different level than it had ever done before.

The 60s were a time of great instability in the U.S. National consciousness. Our U.S. flag felt tainted and exploited by our own government who sent young, inexperienced men to die for the cause of stopping communism. Was this true? Doubtful that was EVER a reason. (See modern U.S. and China relations, modern U.S. and Russian Cold War)

When we focus on flags, we are basing it on a general consensus of opinion. Not necessarily on transparent history. A deepened sense of nationalism can be blinding and at best, politically manipulated.

Was Pearl Harbor an utterly surprise attack? NO.

Was 9/11 an utterly surprise attack? NO.

{illustrative} The cover of the 9/11 commission report

The bottom line is the sense of manipulation that cultivates itself within a fervid emotion of nationalism. People will kill, torture and justify all in the same breath. Thus history can portray it as necessary or even villainize those who question it.

What is the deal with the Civil War then?

So this argument is fundamentally layered in debatable content, none of which is worthy of this posting to begin with. But I feel it’s necessary to some extent. When you have one 21 year old piece of shit who deems himself the Messiah that can tear down a flag that so many men died under. It’s necessary in that meaning.

I'd like to make it clear, I'm not a Southern sympathizer. Both sides of my family tree fought for the Union and the Confederate (I would be interested to overhear those heavenly conversations).

Keep in mind that these same generations had previously fought in the Revolutionary war. Later these same surviving generations, fought in WWI, WWII, Korea and in some rare instances Vietnam. These men (and eventually fighting women) fought for our country. They had the right to fight to preserve it. Whether or not I agree with a war, I honor them for their service and courage to take on such a weight. Many were young men and women, doing what they believed was expected of them. Not necessarily always ethical nor moral. But it was expected of them under the duress of a sense of inescapable nationalism.

The Civil War casualties were staggering, this being the first step of introduction. “Roughly 2% of the population, an estimated 620,000 men, lost their lives in the line of duty.”[3]

The reason for the Civil War (North vs South) was actually regarding “state sovereignty and the interpretation of the Tenth Amendment (ratified in 1791)”. 

A summary of the Tenth Amendment, for reference, is as follows:

“The Tenth Amendment helps to define the concept of federalism, the relationship between Federal and state governments. As Federal activity has increased, so too has the problem of reconciling state and national interests as they apply to the Federal powers to tax, to police, and to regulations such as wage and hour laws, disclosure of personal information in recordkeeping systems, and laws related to strip-mining.”[4]

{Photograph} President abraham Lincoln visiting Antietam.

The South desired less federal government involvement in their state affairs.

“The perceived threat to state autonomy became an existential one through the specific dispute over slavery. The issue was not slavery per se, but who decided whether slavery was acceptable, local institutions or a distant central government power. That distinction is not one of semantics: this question of local or federal control to permit or prohibit slavery as the country expanded west became increasingly acute in new states, eventually leading to that fateful artillery volley at Fort Sumter.”[5]

Now keep in mind, former President Abraham Lincoln had never had the intention of freeing slaves. We were well into the Civil War before it was even considered it (1862). After all, the North also had their slaves and forced indentured servants to consider.[6] But the overall argument of the Northern slave owners was of their humanitarian approach to how their slaves were treated versus that of the Southern states.

So basically their stance: Yes of course we are slave owners; he treat our slaves like bound family members. We eat dinner together after they were in the fields all day by our command! Therefore we are better people.

It’s still slavery; Human beings should be treated as human beings. In the end, slavery’s blood laid upon the hands of all slave holding white men. NO matter what part of the country they lived; North or South. NO matter their justifications; we are good people!

“It was not Abraham Lincoln who first pressed the US Congress to pass an amendment to the US Constitution outlawing slavery and involuntary servitude. It was abolitionists like the former slave Frederick Douglass and white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who fought both for freedom for blacks and, as leaders of the women’s suffrage movement, fought for the right to vote for white women.

{photograph} Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, ca. 1870s Copyprint. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (112)

While Lincoln dithered and prevaricated, Stanton and Anthony sent women onto the streets of America to gather names for a petition to present to the Congress that would show that Americans wanted an amendment included in the Constitution ending slavery.

The petition read: ‘TO THE WOMEN OF THE REPUBLIC: We ask you to sign and circulate this petition for the ENTIRE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY… Go to the rich, the poor, the high, the low, the soldier, the civilian, the white, the black, gather up the names of all who hate slavery, all who love LIBERTY, and would have it the LAW of the land and lay them at the feet of Congress.’

Presented to Congress before the 13th amendment legislation was voted on, the petition played an important part in the law’s passing.”[7]

The critical piece to this puzzle is in Lincoln’s final issuance of the “Emancipation Proclamation”, which took effect on January 1, 1863.

Lincoln knew very well the South depended on the economic benefits of slavery, without slaves to their use, the confederacy would surely meet its demise.

In our school time textbooks the advantages of abolishing slavery would be summarized in this political correct order:

“First, there was the moral advantage. A proclamation would galvanize support for the war among Northern abolitionists.

The second advantage was economic.  The South’s economy was based on slavery. If enslaved people were freed and left their masters, it would deliver a severe blow to the South’s economy and ability to wage war.

{photograph} African American solider and family, circa 1863-65

Third, the freed slaves could be recruited into the Union army, to address the army’s need for more soldiers.”[8]

This move by Lincoln was a political one and a strategic maneuver. As much as we adore Lincoln historically and the good he did by issuing this proclamation, the final call was purely to end the Civil War’s reign.

Now speeding up to 2015, we have an outcry to remove the Confederate flag from state capitals across the Southern states. This symbolism of racial hate and injustice. I understand their exceptional pain at viewing the flag as a symbol of malicious and villainous hate. Never mind the idiocy of white supremacy groups and uneducated fucks who believe this flag represents Nazi-like traits of fascism.

I wanted to personally thank these groups for stomping on the blood and souls of our own country’s men, women and children who died during the South’s darkest days. Your ignorance is not unexpected, it is just pathetic. For exploiting the blood of those lost in the greatest loss of human life on American soil, I hope you answer for it at some point in your emptied lives.

All of it disgusts me, beyond words. This flag WAS NOT created by the Klu Klux Klan. The Confederate flag was used as a navy jack at sea from 1863 onward during the Civil War.

 To be more specific:

“This flag was first used in battle in December 1861. Being a new flag, different from the United States flag, it gained widespread acceptance and allegiance among the Confederate soldiers, and population in general. The flag is referred to as the Confederate battle flag, and as the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.”[9]

{illustrative} Southern Lithograph Co., New York - the United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division,  digital ID cph.3a19879.

There is an array of disinformation running rampant across social media and main stream as to the history of this historic flag. This being said, I wanted to point out the history for the reader.

A sense of nationalism has been the reasoning for most of our wars. The young men of the Civil war left many without heirs, fathers, sons and husbands. The blood of these fallen soldiers is still entrenched within the society, cultures and heritages of many Americans to this day.

I can honestly say I do support removing the Confederate flags from the capitals. I believe that the time has come to remove this flag from the statehouses; Now that society is moving onward into a new chapter, we need to "reset" the societal consciousness. 

Yet I am quite aware of how painful this could be for Southerners. Not because these individuals are racists, but because they see this as their personal and state history. Just as I feel it is my history, my family’s history and of the nation’s history. The fight for state’s rights began with the Civil War at a horrific price. But apart from the deadly losses of the war, the first legislation to eliminate a horrific sin against African Americans began within it's wrath. 

 Despite the time that has passed, removal of the flag will not remove racism from the country. You cannot erase history and you would be a fool to have such an expectation. Removing this flag will not deter it’s usage but it will make a statement among the states that the symbol of perceived hate has been eliminated and it will not be endorsed. This does not eliminate prejudice, hate or violence.

It will not stop shootings of unarmed minorities, senseless murders and/or monopolized caste systems within the United States.

It will not stop white supremacists from manipulating it to their advantage. This will change very little in the end.

To the 21 year old Charleston shooter, you have exploited, murdered and stomped upon the innocent. Innocent, unarmed church goers. In a childish and misconceived attempt to be a man of ill-conceived honor, you have proven nothing.

However what this shooting has done, is that it has proven that our country has misguided attempts at eliminating symbols of perceived hate rather than addressing the legitimate sources of hate -legislatively or directly. 

On an additional notation of consideration, the withdrawal of the Confederate flag from retailers (such as Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, etc) will do nothing. This has escalated from a position of common sense legislation to a position of corruptible stupidity.  The flag has been labeled a symbol of hate, there are Federal laws that then eliminate it from purchase.

As this situation continues, Civil War monuments have been defaced in addition to demonstrators (AKA Protesters) calling for the removal of Thomas Jefferson's memorial. Really? Because if we remove a memorial it will eradicate or change the brutal history of the United States?

How about we focus on cultivating our own historical precedence? Learn from the horrors, understand the history that accompanies it and blaze some new trails. Teach those who dwell in the darkness that we are bigger than their concepts of what education and influence is. Nope, we are going to go online and bitch about how unfair our country's history is. Go ahead! Share disinformation across social media. In turn we will blame each other's race, gender, ethnicity and culture. Comment debates thereafter will spring into life. Demand that someone else fixes it and makes the world better on our behalf. That's easier, right?

Meanwhile, the shootings of unarmed African Americans will continue. The passive aggressive prejudices will run rampant. The outcry from the communities will also continue. Then with a sparkle in their eye, the politicians will focus on the easy venues of societal resolution. Like a flag. It's so much easier to divide and conquer people when they hate each other.

Sometimes I really hate politics.

---

[1] Lind, Michael. "Why We Went to War in Vietnam." The American Legion. 2013. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.legion.org/magazine/213233/why-we-went-war-vietnam.

[2] Lind, Michael. "Why We Went to War in Vietnam." The American Legion. 2013. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.legion.org/magazine/213233/why-we-went-war-vietnam.

[3] "Civil War Casualties The Cost of War: Killed, Wounded, Captured, and Missing." Civil War Trust. 2014. Accessed June 22, 2015. http://www.civilwar.org/education/civil-war-casualties.html.

[4] "Tenth Amendment." Cornell University Law School. 2015. Accessed June 24, 2015. https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/tenth_amendment.

[5] Schweitzer, Jeff. "Slavery and the Civil War: Not What You Think." The Huffington Post. April 4, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schweitzer/slavery-and-the-civil-war_b_849066.html.

[6] Harper, Douglas. "Slavery Denial." Slavery in the North. 2003. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://slavenorth.com/denial.htm.

[7] Goffe, Leslie. "Diaspora: Lincoln Did Not Free the Slaves." New African Magazine. March 19, 2013. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://newafricanmagazine.com/diaspora-lincoln-did-not-free-the-slaves/.

[8] Applestein Esq., Donald. "Did Lincoln Free the Slaves?" Constitution Daily. The National Constitution Center. September 22, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2011/09/did-lincoln-free-the-slaves/.

[9] "Confederate Flag." Son of the South. 2003-2014. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/Confederate_Flag.htm.

Fabricated Echolalia: An Autism Perspective

{illustrative} Clip Art

The story of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be disorientating and strenuous in a society where the rapid rates of diagnosis have sky rocketed in the last ten years alone. Currently the U.S. Centers for Disease Control “…estimates that about 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).”[1] (Please consider these are based on studies conducted in 2010) This neurological disorder is unbiased to “…racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, but is almost five times more common among boys than among girls”[2]

For the reader unfamiliar with ASD, here is a more unique breakdown of Autism. “…autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is driven by ‘Autism Plus’. Autism Plus refers to autism with comorbidities (including intellectual developmental disorder, language disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and this is what is now being diagnosed by clinicians as ASD.”[3]

The key here is of these comorbidities, or the additional disorders.. Where these disabilities can be diagnosed separately without autism necessarily being the driving factor. As an example, Attention Deficit Disorder can diagnosed without a child being autistic. “Autism affects more male than female individuals, and comorbidity is common (>70% have concurrent conditions).”[4]

View fullsize

As a parent of an ASD child, I have heard the validated argument that Autism Spectrum Disorder is simply overly diagnosed. However, I would argue that even if autism is being overly diagnosed, the underlining conditions (such as a language disorder, intellectual developmental disorder, etc.) are more of the concern.

Specifically because these underlining conditions are the reason for the parental red flags resulting in a doctor's appointment. (i.e. Timmy cannot verbalize pain, he only points occasionally to objects. Or Annie won't make eye contact or play with other children.) The timing of these observations (red flags) also have an impact.

From older readings, It became clear that both autism and autism spectrum disorder are blanket terms but are the same. Varying in the past ONLY by when the child was officially diagnosed. As an example, a child over the age of 3 was termed ASD. While a child diagnosed before the age of 3 was termed autistic. (Old school medically journal observations here) But in all seriousness, ASD and Autism are the same with only varied conditions.

Also to address a recent change to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition-2012), which directly effects the Asperger classification. In 2012, the DSM was updated compiling autism and  Asperger disorder together under the identifying label of "Autism Spectrum Disorder". This is both a generalization and a removal of sensitivity to the disorders. (In my humble, non-PhD opinion) "Merging Asperger disorder (and PDD-NOS) into autism spectrum disorder results in loss of identity and ignores uniqueness of Asperger dx." Arguably I should suggest this is also why the diagnosis of autism has significantly risen with this change in diagnostic language, but again without a complete picture of these findings it is merely an educated guess.

But for now, allow me to set aside these statistics and medical entries to the the meat of the topic.

{illustrative} yale news, © 2015, Yale University

As the reader, I am sure you know of someone who loves attention. Negative or positive, it is still attention. There is an addiction to “showboating”. Well, when a child is diagnosed with ASD (or any disability) there is a supportive flood of friends, family, strangers, therapists, administrators and/or organizations who are made available to you. You can post “Autism Awareness” images all over social media, tweet motivational quotes with hash-tags (i.e.- #ourchildrenareprecious #yourchild'snamehere), gain sympathy/empathy in many avenues merely by the comment that your child is autistic. Without argument, I avoid posting much of this at all. Not because I am ashamed of my special needs child, but because I am too damn overwhelmed with helping my child to spend my free time blasting bullshit all over social media.

Being the parent of an autistic child it can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is how much I adore my son and that deep seeded ambition I have as a mother to pillage the enemy without remorse. (It's a good time.) The curse, well we will address that shortly. I am closely active in my son’s school and therapies. However, there is always a part of me that feels inadequate and incapable. (But this could be applied to any interactive parent, right?)

I love our supporters, but I can still feel isolated at times. I am constantly hearing comments such as, “Well, he looks so normal.”, “But he is so cute!” It takes everything within me not to scream “DID YOU EXPECT HORNS AND A TAIL?”

At other times, I hear comments about his erratic behavior or anti-social traits. My son lacks social qualms such as saying goodbye to a friend or recognizing when he hurts someone's feelings. My son has few close friends, with a detachment policy that causes hurt feelings unintentionally. I have dried more than a few tears and put out more than a few social fires. My brain sighs with relief when I can help curb the rougher days. At night, I find myself writing and avoiding the social media circuit of opinions.  The truth is: our family lives this every day.

For context, I also wanted to provide my experience of what it was like to hear the words “Your son has Autism Spectrum Disorder” and the events thereafter that changed my family's perspective on this disorder.

Before my son was diagnosed, several proceeding events took place that horrified me and kept me up at night. The first incident was my son wandered from our home during the day, while I was using the bathroom. My son (age 4 at the time) and daughter (age 3 at the time) were playing in the living room, safe enough. The doors were locked and they were heavily engaged in playtime. So I went to the bathroom, as I usually do. When I came back into the living room, he was missing. I searched the house casually at first, assuming my son was hiding in play mode. But inevitably it turned into frantic fear. No response from my son. I checked the door, it was locked. I still went outside and began calling for him, 15 minutes of bare-footed walking around our property in borderline hysteria.

Thoughts flew through my head, I am terrible mother, I’m so stupid. This is all my fault, what do I tell C.S.I.?

Finally after calling my husband at work, employing the help of my landlord- we spotted my nearly naked son frolicking in the nearby arroyo. My son was within ear shot of me, he simply did not respond to his name. He was completely unaware of self-preservation (see the photos of an arroyo) and uncertain as to why I was upset. There was a clear detachment in his demeanor.

I cried, my guilt was endless and the burden of this guilt translated into isolation. I am horrible parent, how could I not known he snuck outside? How did he get out there?

From this day on, our home was Fort Knox. And to this day, it continues to be.

Within a month we met with his primary care physician, who referred us to a behaviorist for mental health screening. The suspicion was autism. The behaviorist then referred us to a specialized psychologist for more intensive screening, she felt he had some classic symptoms.

The months that followed he began his first year in elementary school, we immediately met with his Kindergarten teacher. We asked that he be screened for IEP (Individual Educational Plan) intervention. Our concerns at this point were his language delay (he could barely construct sentences), his behavior (wandering, detachment to his name, relationships with other children, meltdowns, etc.) and the general concern that something was wrong.

As we waited for the appointment with his psychologist (screening for autism), two months passed into October. The school was familiar with my son’s issues and had advised their attending teachers and additional staff that he is to be kept an eye on. Well, unfortunately on this particular day things went terribly wrong.

"7 Tracking Devices to Find a Lost Child with Autism" {illustrative} friendship circle, 2014

After the dismissal of lunch recess, my son was told by assistant teachers to follow the students back into the classroom. Being of the mindset of a wanderer, he followed the other children only half way. It is assumed he exited out a side door of the school, where he walked from the elementary school to the two lane highway tucked not too far from the property. My son began to walk, oblivious to his safety, along the semi-busy highway.

I will testify that God was there for my son in this instance, because two hikers walking along this rural highway spotted my son trekking along the roadside. They escorted him back to the school, unaware my son has no concept of self-preservation. Staff searching in the parking lot spotted the two hikers bringing my son back to the school.

The time I was told he was “missing” was 15 minutes, I will argue that he was missing 25 minutes based on the distance trekked and his age at the time of the incident. Needless to say as his parents, we were both absolutely horrified but we were reassured it would be handled properly and seriously by the school.

ABA Therapy {illustrative} Autism Speaks, 2015.

By the end of the year, on the day of my birthday, we finally received the official diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for our son. Truth be told, I mourned. I mourned because I couldn't keep him safe from this disorder. My son stood before me, kind hearted and animated. A young mind so innocent, yet so complex.

We protect our children from danger at all times, but with this experience I couldn't take away the anxiety and fears he felt. There was no magic pill or remedy. This is a neurological disorder and I began to recall the horrors of my grandfather's trials with Alzheimer's disease. The wandering  so similar to my son's and sadness he underwent well into his final years of life. Both being so different yet so similar in it's behaviors. I mourned, in a isolation I cannot verbalize as a mother.

The quest for therapy began shortly after the official diagnosis, with waiting lists as far out as two to five years (depending on the resource). Applied Behavior Analysis (or ABA) was not provided to children over the age of 5. (And as of 2015, is still not available in our state) My son unfortunately was not eligible because his birthday was too close to start this therapy. As a reference to the reader, “ABA is the only FDA approved treatment for autism.  ABA encourages positive behaviors and discourages negative behaviors. In addition, ABA teaches new skills and applies those skills to new situations.”

As an additional narrative to ABA, although there has been a push to allow ABA for children over the age of 5 with the proper funding (because Autism doesn't go away at 5 years old) many states have elected not to support these necessary programs. Thus cutting mental, behavioral health programs exceedingly. The message this sends to those with disabilities reliant on these services is black and white: you do not matter. Or better yet, when it comes to our children and mental health:

No child left behind only applies to the neurotypical child.

It would be a year later before we would acquire a formal university panel review for our son,  he would be again diagnosed as a classic autistic, severe. With a language disorder as an added bonus to our combo meal. The necessity of acquiring this full panel assessment for our son was to secure services and resources in any state we moved to. Because a university diagnosis holds more water than a private psychologist or specialist.

 Appending these assessments and necessary therapies, we also had our son screened (by referral) a neurologist. Our son had developed a common issue with headaches from as early as four years old, however they grew in intensity after the age of five. Commonly these headaches escalated into full blow migraines (dark room, no noise, painful kinds). A little understood fact here is that epilepsy and Landau-Kleffner Syndrome may be a concern for some children with autism. Just as the fore-mentioned comorbidities. these illnesses can be identified with or without the presence of autism.

Treating Anxiety and Obsessions: Nothing to Fear but Fear itself? {illustrative} autism center of pittsburgh, 2015.

Interestingly, "Studies suggest that 15 to 30 percent of individuals with autism also have epilepsy" So, understandably, we are still concerned. Because there is no promise that your ASD child won't develop epilepsy, it's a 50/50 situation. What you are reading in journals and studies are literally what the doctors know at this point in time. All you can do is continually follow up with your neurologist yearly for screenings, this is nerve wracking when your child suffers with chronic headaches.

Our son was moved forward into first grade on the context of "staying with his friends", despite his lack of readiness. The university who screened our son the following school year was disgusted at this logic. But as fore-mentioned, no child left behind only applies to the neurotypical child and even under that context fails poorly.

“When a school cares more about it’s rating than it’s students, all I can say is welcome to the United States public school system.”

We have experienced the hardships of getting therapies, battles with the public school district, compulsory schedules, meltdowns, social isolation and parental guilt. The question of “If there was a cure for autism, would you take it?” is answered with a honest yes. Not because of the hardships for us, but the hardships our son copes with. He has meltdowns where he begins to pace and inevitably it becomes fight or flight. He has difficulty with change, car rides, going out in public for extended periods of time. He lives in a state of fear more often than not in these situations. I refuse to argue with the activists who feel that neurodiversity should be accepted. I agree, but I also support finding a cure for this disorder.

I am not disowning my son or shaming him for his condition. My child suffers, he is not yet aware he is autistic. Just as I have dealt with my own difficulties (Dyscalculia and ADD), I know he will too. I remember how embarrassed I felt for years for my lack of ability in the simplest of mathematics, in the inability to read numbers (even now it lingers).  I was teased by classmates, bullied by teachers (You're just lazy!) and occasionally a counselor (You will probably not make it to college. Try a trade instead.) So as an adult, I had to learn how to function in a mathematical based world. It's still crappy day to day, but I am graduating college this year. Thank you, public school system.

 The resilience my son will develop from his obstacles will then sprout the tools necessary for his success. With loving support from his family, these hardships will be complimentary to his character and development. My son is not a special little snowflake, he is a little boy trying to adapt. He has had times of bullying, loss of friends, confusion and sadness. I only hope that children not yet born will have every opportunity that non-neurotypical children do not necessarily have yet. I still support finding the cause and ultimately the cure for neurological disorders. In Layman's terms, it's called common sense.

covert narcissism {illustrative}  wisegeek.org

 Since my introduction into the world of autism, I have become familiar with an underlining trend within the autism community. Keeping into consideration I saw it well before I even knocked on the front door. This trend is that of the “self-diagnosed” autistic. I will only focus on the children’s portion of this issue and the “diagnosing” parents. I also reinforce that these children have no formal, clinical diagnosis but instead have the opinion of the care giver as to their parental imposed "disorder". 

I could relate that this phenomenon is caused by a societal obsession with attention  and forms of narcissism. However, I will argue, that often this is more related to Munchausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS) when it is applied to the creation of false diagnoses and illusionary illnesses.

Or even plausibly, parents who live vicariously through their children’s lives to compensate for their own short-comings. Whatever the reason, I find it disturbing and disgusting in its lack of moral or ethical values. To a point, I want to slap a copy of Mommy Dearest across their faces.

This has become a societal trend, one I cannot ignore and has led me to have a deep disdain for the contributors of these dysfunctions. In part two of this series, I will provide an informed and educational perspective to this shameless cycle of “narcissistic-parenting”. I will not discuss people such as Jenny McCarthy because she is not relevant. Hollywood should stay in their little world and fuck themselves. We already have enough problems ongoing in the communities of autism without the pablum. The more clear the unveiled malpractice of these parents, the more insightful it is to the audience here. Please join me in part two of this editorial as we pursue the dirty laundry often concealed.

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[1] "Facts About ASD." Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Centers for Disease Control. February 24, 2015. Accessed April 29, 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.

[2] "Facts About ASD." Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Centers for Disease Control. February 24, 2015. Accessed April 29, 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.

[3] Gillberg, Christopher, and Elisabeth Fernell. "Autism Plus Versus Autism Pure." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 44, no. 11 (2014): 3274-276. Accessed April 28, 2015.

[4] Lai, Meng-Chuan, Michael V. Lombardo, and Simon Baron-Cohen. "Autism." The Lancet 383, no. 9920 (Mar 08, 2014): 896-910, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1508931440?accountid=12085.

Reliving Rome: The Societal Gambit

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“Divide and rule, the politician cries;
Unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Gedichte (1886)

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With the recent battle cries from African Americans for justice, it seemed more than appropriate to discuss the growing threat against all races, genders and ethnicities in the United States.  However, as a politician would desire: divide to rule.  Certainly prejudice is a living entity in the United States, and as long as there are humans ruling this planet we will forever cope with the ignorance of this plague.

{image} Video Footage of Officer Michael Slager planting evidence at the shooting of walter scott (2015)

First, to address my own opinions on the current turmoil across the country of unarmed black men being killed without conscious, this is a dangerous time of volatile actions. It serves no purpose in killing police officers in retribution for lives already tragically lost. Blood only leads to further blood and little can be mended thereafter. The lessons of the great American Civil War have been clearly lost in our educational systems and the only lingering memories of this Great War are found in the bitter hatred kept quietly in the slumbering American consciousness.

Just because African American slavery ended, woman got the right to vote or own property and Native Americans can open casinos and facilitate their own governing bodies; does not institute automatic societal tolerance. If only it worked that way, but for so many of the arrogant if it’s ignored it’s not an issue. Similar to public school textbooks on the subject of Vietnam, good luck finding transparency.

Secondly, I do not buy into either political party because they are both equally irresponsible in their words, actions and causes. Meaning I listen to individuals not groups or larger entities, there are simply too many flies in the political soup. Often we lump all these stooges together, where there may be a voice or two of reason. But I do not buy into the religion of politics, they can sell their backbiting elsewhere. The need the opposition is vital to the political machine, otherwise they wouldn’t hold so much influence over our country and lives as they have for so many decades.  Dividing us is valuable for many reasons.

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Figure 1:  Pastis, Stephan. "Pearls Before Swine." GoComics. January 9, 2015. Accessed January 20, 2015. http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2015/01/09.

Moving forward let’s address the topic question, what is a police state exactly?

 Is it the images of heavily armored and armed local police, standing menacingly over unarmed civilians? Or is it perhaps the militarized police tanks or military grade weaponry? Not entirely, although it is a product of a deeper and more sinister agenda.

Reading from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary there are two running definitions of a police state. They are as follows:

Police State

: a country in which the activities of the people are strictly controlled by the government with the help of a police force

: a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures[1]

 The reach of a police state is far beyond simple men in armored vehicles or trained professional killers, it is in the laws and in the fine print of our governing bodies. The secret lists, suspicion of guilt without due process and the wiretapping of American citizen communications. It is in the sections of legislation that deny citizens the right to choose their paths, something as juvenile as attempting to ban extra-large cups of soda to the seriousness of safely parenting our children as we desire without state infringing upon us. How about a government who can step in and force your child, despite their age or personal wishes, into Chemotherapy for their health care?

These are only a few examples of what the power a government can yield when it becomes corrupted, given too much power. The fear is no longer of the people by the government but of the governing body by the people.

In the beginning the “…American constitutions and federal constitution of 1787 incorporated what elite Federalists such as John Adams and the authors of the Federalist Papers considered to be the features that gave the Roman constitution a stability missing from the faction-ridden city-states of ancient Greece and medieval Italy: a strong chief magistrate and a bicameral legislature with a powerful senate.”[2]

However, as time went on the constitution took on traits of the “Ancient Saxon Constitution” of England, such as limiting terms of men in office. With the oversight of populists and radicals of the time, the U.S. constitution took on a hybrid of traits soaked in the Roman views of senate and constitutional values. Borrowing from the Roman Empire’s earlier beginnings, prior to the transference to a democracy, the United States was then born as a republic. “The very name republic was a version of the Latin res publica.”[3] Other countries also borrowed from the Roman Empire, such as France focusing on similar aspects of the legendary fallen empire.

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Figure 2: "Gold Aureus Commemorating the Consecration of the Emperor Hadrian. Rome, Italy. AD 138."[4]

The interesting part of this historical insight is also of Rome’s notorious police state they acquired over the course of their reign. During Emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus (AD 76 - AD 138), the empire flourished for a short time. Hadrian was considered an enlightened leader, graciously forgiving national debt and temporarily halting the previous economic crisis brought forth by former leaders. However, things turned rapidly sour for the reign of Hadrian.

“Under Hadrian we also see the development of a system of secret police and informers. This system functioned in much the same way as the Gestapo and kept going until it was changed by Diocletian. The fact that an emperor as enlightened as Hadrian introduced this system speaks volumes about the state of the empire at this stage and the inevitability of the system coming about.”[5] The militarization of local police forces also established themselves under Hadrian’s reign and the growing control of the people took precedence over the Roman society. The further deteriorating empire had just begun to fall, and little could be done to stop it.

“The over-consumption and pampering of the Roman citizens during the imperial period also created other problems. It has often been suggested that the increasingly materialistic and greedy lifestyles that many Romans lead began to affect them ‘spiritually’ and intellectually. A sense of futility seemed to be permeating society. The Roman ‘spirit’ which had conquered the world was becoming increasingly lethargic. During the “pax romana” it seemed that peace, comfort and security took priority above political freedom and trying to solve the problems which were blighting their civilisation.”[6] 

 Closely it can be compared to our current state of mind here in the United States, of a sleeping giant awaiting the final straw to break. The continuing disillusionment of our people and the blind eye that has been turned to the recklessness of our government is both ignorant and dangerous. As we continue into this series regarding the growing police state in the United States, will review and study the warning signs of a dying civilization.

Whether or not it’s popular or leaves the reader with a warm and fuzzy feeling, neither matter. History is necessary: to know where we have been, where we are headed and where we desire to be.

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[1] "Police State." Merriam-Webster. January 1, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police state.

[2] Lind, Michael. "The Second Fall of Rome." The Wilson Quarterly 24, no. 1 (Winter, 2000): 46-59, http://search.proquest.com/docview/197237060?accountid=12085.

[3] Lind, Michael. "The Second Fall of Rome." The Wilson Quarterly 24, no. 1 (Winter, 2000): 50, http://search.proquest.com/docview/197237060?accountid=12085.

[4] "Gold Aureus Commemorating the Consecration of the Emperor Hadrian. Rome, Italy. AD 138." British Museum. 2015. Accessed January 20, 2015. http://www.britishmuseum.org/learning/schools_and_teachers/resources/all_resources/resource_roman_empire.aspx.

[5] Fenner, Julian. "To What Extent Were Economic Factors to Blame for the Deterioration of the Roman Empire in the Third Century A.D?" Economic Deterioration of Rome in the Third Century AD. 2015. Accessed January 20, 2015. http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article-018.html.

[6] Fenner, Julian. "To What Extent Were Economic Factors to Blame for the Deterioration of the Roman Empire in the Third Century A.D?" Economic Deterioration of Rome in the Third Century AD. 2015. Accessed January 20, 2015. http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article-018.html.