ASAN Protests Autism Speaks in Washington DC on 31st

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I am going to ignore this protest while I am there because I have the right to not to listen to it at all.

I highly doubt that the protesters are planning on yelling insults or throwing punches, especially since they've protested other walks without doing such.

Seriously, you've been asked this multiple times now but have yet to answer. How do you rationalize the decision to support an orginzation that has - multiple times - expressed desire to have their children die (and I'm not talking about abortion or "kill" by cure; I mean the people who have said that they wished to drive themselves and their autistic child off the bridge, or who have said they wished the child would get out of the house and drown in the pond)? How exactly is that promoting awareness, other than that it's such a horrible disorder that it drives people to murder/suicide?

You'll not find me to be one who opposes a cure (not prenatal testing for abortion, there's a difference). But even I cannot find a way to justify support of Autism Speaks, knowing both their messages and how they're shifting to appease the daughter instead of science (by including more vaccine theory possibilities).

I'm waiting for JerryHatake's so-called "whole story" that we don't seem to know. If you say that someone else doesn't know the whole story, and is therefore wrong in their opinion, you have to know the whole story yourself. The evidence against Autism Speaks has been laid out pretty clearly, in black and white, and frequently coming right down to the obscene numbers representing how they are out for themselves only, and almost nothing on helping anyone with autism, because all their income lines their own pockets.
So what's this "whole story" that you're hiding?

A few Autism Speaks facts, taken from their very own materials:

65% of non-overhead expenditures go to research. Not all of this is objectionable; some of it may even be positive. But a large proportion of this is just causation research and genetics. It doesn't do a thing to help actual autistic people, and may in fact be harmful.

28% goes to "awareness campaigns," which often coincide with their own fund-raising expenses, conveniently enough. This money is going towards producing videos such as "Autism Every Day" and "I Am Autism," which obviously demonize autistic people and actively hurt our quest to be treated as equals. Even if it is objectively true that parents of autistic kids divorce most often--which is in fact, not proven; there is some statistical evidence to the contrary--it is still completely inappropriate and inexcusable for Autism Speaks to present these issues in such a manner. Here's an established fact: all kids are prone to blaming themselves when their parents divorce. "I Am Autism" does a terrible disservice to autistic kids of divorced parents by making them feel like it's their fault. I have an autistic friend whose parents are recently divorced. Naturally, this is quite upsetting to him. Autism Speaks would give off the impression that the divorce is his fault. (Which is completely untrue in addition to being hurtful.)

3% goes to "governmental relations."

4% goes to "family services." What this entails of, I don't know. I do know that very little of this is for adults, and obviously this is a minuscule proportion of Autism Speaks' budget.

If you support Autism Speaks' allocation of funds, that's your prerogative. But many people don't know these facts--which Autism Speaks itself promotes. When I protest Autism Speaks next year, a big part of my goal will simply be to make people aware of what Autism Speaks does and what they're supporting. Because the organization bills itself as "helping autistic people," a claim which I find highly dubious. People certainly have the right to protest. And I respect fully informed protesters more than I respect uninformed people who walk for Autism Speaks without even being aware of these basic facts. So, if you're going to walk for Autism Speaks, please make it an informed decision, at the very least.

The protest had no effect on the D.C. walk at all. It was simply ignored by everyone who participated in the walk.

Autism Speaks has done some great work. If you want to look at how much they are paid, look at the Red Cross.

They are fund raisers, not researchers, and the money they send for research is spent by peer reviewed science, to further knowledge.

No one would claim that children with Polio were treated as full citizens, or any of the other childhood conditions that only well funded research could deal with. You can claim The March of Dimes was a terrorist extorisonist organization, but they brought in the money.

In Honduras I got mugged by three Nuns running an orphanage, they were going to put food on the table, and you know, they will be forgiven.

Genetics study has only shown that autism is not a simple thing. So no extirmination. It has advanced a greater across the board peer reviewed body of science about genetics, that will be useful for many things.

Neurology study has had a rapid payback, not for autism, but brain trama is much better understood and treated, and our troops in the field are getting better care because of it, auto accidents. The days of, "It is just a mild concussion take an asprin," are over, rapid treatment saves lives.

Vaccines? Maybe they did push for and fund studies, which showed Vaccines are safe.

Early treatment and intervention? The majority on WP think there should be more, but after testing to see what works, and that takes money.

One or two women said they wanted to kill their child and themselves? No millions of women have said that, and the ones in the news, killed perfectly healthy children.

Autism Speaks has directed tens of millions toward research that they do not control, real science that helps everyone. In the adult world it is results that count.

So Autism Speaks spends half on fund raising? The non profit cutoff is 89%, and 11% donated to the cause. 50% is good numbers.

All of this work is being protested? They are being harrassed at every public function? Why?

ASAN in my part of the woods would be said to, 'Have a mouth full of nothing, and a hand full of gimmie."

ASAN are doing this for all of us? Well stop.

ASAN speaks for autism? Not a chance, they are some self serving street gang out to become our self appointed leaders, because they smell money and power.

ASANs attacks on the one group that has brought in and spent tens of millions to gain a greater understanding of autism, through well funded peer reviewed science, are a hate crime against all autistic people, their families, and they are just rude street trash.

ASAN or Autism Speaks? Who makes us look worse?

ASAN or Autism Speaks? Who has done the most good?

ASAN is a group that lives to cause discord, and they have been using Wrong Planet to post their terror network.

ASAN tactics will lead to rocks thrown, blood in the streets, windows broken, and discord on Wrong Planet.

ASAN should not be allowed to drag us into their gang warfare tactics. People seeing me as Rainman was bad enough, I do not want the public to see me as a terrorist.

ASAN should not use Wrong Planet as a base for their mindless hate group.

Autism Speaks, I may disagree about some of what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.

ASAN does not speak for me, and any more claims they do will be dealt with.

ASAN has used Wrong Planet to attack Temple Grandin, Tony Attwood, and now the only funding source for research.

We do not need a terrorist extortionst street gang using us to further their agenda.

If they were doing this to a web site it would be called a denial of service attack, which is illegal.

They are disrupting the lawful business of an organization who was promoting autism awareness twenty years ago, who have done a lot of good.

They are playing us against public opinion and the largest group of parents, and others who work to learn about autism.

The public is not our enemy, and Autism Speaks is a lot more like Wrong Planet, people seeking answers.

ASAN is a active danger to our community. They are playing a big game of lets you and him fight.

Terrorists, extortionists, and bullies.

Under TOS, creating discord that causes divisions among the Wrong Planet memebership is not allowed.