Archive by Author

More California Advicacy Needed: take 20 seconds to protect services

21 Jun

Take 20 seconds and use the link to send a message to your legislators that we are angry tha the proposed state budget removed the increase for disability services.

Or, take more than 20 seconds and go into more detail about how this “compromise” budget fails to keep the promise we as a state have made to our own.

The letter below is from The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collabortation.

Next step to save our services: more 20-second emails needed 

Take Action!
Dear Developmental Disability Community Friends,

If you want to skip the explanations and take more action now to save our community services, just click on the blue “Take Action!” button at the top right of this Action Alert. Then fill in the blanks to send emails to your local state senator and assemblymember.

It will take you about 20 seconds — unless you want to elaborate beyond the short canned email I’ve given you. If you’re distressed or angry about the new state budget that includes zero to top our service system from continuing to disintegrate, as so many people in our communirty are, feel free to say so.

Last time I sent you one of these point-and-click Action Alerts, we generated more than 10,000 emails, going to every one of the 120 legislators. I know firsthand that it got attention. This time, let’s get 20,000.

And now for those who want the explanation – it’s grim, but there’s hope — click here.

Thank you for your advocacy.
Greg

Greg deGiere
Public Policy Director
The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collabortation

Tags: , , ,

The Age of Autism hits another low: excusing shaken baby syndrome

17 Jun

The Age of Autism blog has been an embarrassment to the autism communities since it was founded. They take a very vaccine antagonistic stance, promote unproven and sometimes harmful fake “therapies” and attack those whom they disagree with. In their attacks on vaccines they have until now avoided one of the most ugly claims: that shaken baby syndrome is actually vaccine injury. It’s an excuse for child abuse, a way to build a smoke screen to try to excuse someone who has harmed a child.

They have avoided this claim. Until now.

Today I was informed that they had crossed that line with an article: When is ‘Shaken Baby’ Syndrome Possibly Vaccine Injury Instead?

Besides being a new low for Dan Olmsted’s team, what does this have to do with autism? Nothing.

If you want to read about the shaken baby syndrome as vaccine injury lie, here’s

Science Based Medicine: The antivaccine lie that just won’t die: The claim that shaken baby syndrome is really due to “vaccine injury”

The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome: The Role of Irresponsible Medical Expert Testimony in Creating a False Causal Connection

I long ago gave up on the so-called “editors” at the Age of Autism for demonstrating any ability to keep absolute nonsense off their blog. They lack leadership, they lack courage, they lack integrity.

They are an embarrassment to our communities. The autism communities stand apart from the ugly lie that shaken baby syndrome is vaccine injury.

—

By Matt Carey

San Jose (and across the State) Keep the Promise Rally

16 Jun

Just got this letter and am posting it here: Rallies are being held to advocate to protect the budget for disability services in California.  This letter focuses on the San Jose Rally, but also gives links for rallies across the state.

We need to do what we can to preserve services here in our state.  Now is the time to act–call, fax, attend a rally.

KEEP THE PROMISE RALLY

 

Friday, June 19

12:15 pm to 1:00 pm

San Jose City Hall Plaza

200 E. Santa Clara St.

 

Join Senator Jim Beall for an important rally with consumers and advocates from the developmental disabilities community to urge Governor Brown to approve the Legislature’s modest budget increase and reform proposal for the developmental disabilities services programs.

 

Programs are in crisis and closing at record numbers. The gains obtained in the Legislature’s budget cannot be lost.  We must keep lobbying because 280,000 people are counting on us.

And as you lobby the Governor and Leadership remember: Your stories matter and your advocacy has an impact.  Join us Friday and share your story directly with the Governor by following the instructions below.

 

Leave your message via these options:

Phone: 916-445-2841 // Fax: 916-558-3160

 

https://www.facebook.com/jerrybrown

https://clicktotweet.com/em7dn

https://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php

Advocates across the state have organized a statewide campaign to tell Governor Brown to support the budget and reform proposals for developmental services! Learn more about how you can participate and get involved.

 

Keep The Promise Rallies will be taking place at the following locations:

 

New! San Jose

www.tinyurl.com/06-LC-SJ

 Sacramento

www.tinyurl.com/LC-06-sac

 Oakland

www.tinyurl.com/LC-06-oak

New! San Francisco

www.tinyurl.com/06-LC-SF

New! Los Angeles (2 rallies)

www.tinyurl.com/06-LC-LA

San Diego

www.tinyurl.com/LC-06-SD

Online Vigil

http://thearcca.org/38.html

 

 

The California Budget Battle Continues: Let It Shine: Candlelight Vigil

14 Jun

There is still a big legislative effort on achieving a budget increase for disability services.   People pushed for a 10% increase. But this was reduced to 5% by committee–and that could be reduced or eliminated as the budget goes through the legislature and to the Governor’s desk.  Now would be a good time to tweet, email and call.  If you can do all three, please do all three.  Here’s a video to link in a tweet and some hashtags to include.

#LetItShine #KeepThePromise #DoTheRightThing #CABudget

 

How to get involved in the virtual vigil
  • Include the hashtags: #LetItShine #KeepThePromise #DoTheRightThing #CABudget

  • And tag the two legislative leaders and governor: @kdeleon @ToniAtkins @JerryBrownGov

 

Here’s a message from The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration:

Make 5 short calls or fax 5 short letters
For those who haven’t yet made five short calls or faxed (not just emailed) five short letters to the five top decision-makers, please do that as soon as you can, too. People who’ve been making the calls tell me that some of the staffers answering the phones are getting so many calls they can practically tell the callers what they are going to say. That’s a big tribute to our united community effort and a demonstration of our new political power. But we need a lot more.
Here’s who to call or fax:
–           Governor Jerry Brown, 916-445-2841 (fax 916-558-3160)
–           Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, 916-651-4024 (fax 916-651-4924)
–           Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, 916-319-2078 (fax 916-319-2178)
–           Senate Budget Chair Mark Leno, 916-651-4011 (fax 916-651-4911
–           Assembly Budget Chair Shirley Weber, 916-319-2079 (fax 916-319-2179)
What you might say
 
“My name is __ and my address is __. I’m calling about the developmental services budget because ___ [tell them why you care].
“The budget conference committee’s actions will not be enough to stop our community service system from continuing to crumble. But they will save some of our services that that will close without them. Please don’t allow any cuts from what the committee passed.
 
“And please support the system reforms that the committee approved -– especially the language that says the savings from closing the developmental centers should go to the community services.
“Thank you.”

‘Miracle autism cure’ seller exposed by BBC investigation

12 Jun

The BBC have a new story taking on the so-called “Miracle Mineral Supplement” in ‘Miracle autism cure’ seller exposed by BBC investigation.

MMS (AKA chlorine dioxide, CD, or part of a so-called “parasite protocol”) is a bleach solution produced by mixing two chemicals which are sold separately and manufactured often in rather dubious factories. Case in point, the BBC tested the chemicals they were given and found they were much stronger than labeled.

Through his website, Mr Edwards, who says he is not attending the conference, sold the researcher the one bottle of liquid labelled as 22.4% sodium chlorite and a second labelled as 4% hydrochloric acid.

When the BBC sent the chemicals to Kent Scientific Services, an independent laboratory, they were found to be 57% and 45% stronger than the advertised concentration respectively.

The BBC approached a seller of MMS and purchased the chemicals. The person selling MMS, one Leon Edwards, made the usual huge claims: it cures malaria, HIV, cancer and, of course, autism. Of course they don’t say “cure”, they say in this case “purge”.

MMS is a scam, plain and simple. It is sold as a cure to autism parents for use on their disabled children. The sales pitches present it with the usual approach: claims of children “recovered” together with some scienc-y sounding discussion to make it seem legitimate. And, of course, if you blame vaccines for autism and claim your product somehow heals vaccine injury, you will get nothing but support from a vocal group of autism parents.

Fiona O’Leary–an autism parent–is quoted in the story. She’s been a major advocate for autistic kids through her efforts to expose MMS.

Fiona O’Leary, a mother of two autistic children, is a leading campaigner against MMS. She warned: “This has been offered as a cure for autism in 60 countries.

“What worries me is people normalising this treatment – it does not even warrant the word treatment, autism is not a ‘disease’ that you can ‘cure’ with bleach.

“We need legislation so that people offering it are always prosecuted, but we don’t see the authorities addressing this issue.”

She added: “The suffering children are going through is shocking – it’s child abuse.”

—
By Matt Carey

Tags: , ,

California Action Alert: call now to protect disability services budget

12 Jun

The California disability community has been fighting to gain back some of the budget losses from the past few years.  We tried for a 10% increase but that didn’t happen.  The increases that are in the currently proposed budget are smaller, but they are increases.  And, most importantly, they aren’t finalized yet.  They could be still be cut.

Below is a letter emailed by The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration.  There are numbers to call.  And call now.  5 people to call.  That’s it.

Please call.  Please.

Dear Friends,
The Legislature’s budget conference committee acted late Tuesday, and now it’s time for more urgent action. I’m sure a lot of you are tired – I am, too – but I also know that our service system’s continued existence may depend on this fight.
For those who want details of what’s happened and what to expect next, scroll down to “Where are we now?” For those who just want to take action now, here’s how:
 
Five short calls needed urgently
 
Please call these five key decision-makers:
–      Governor Jerry Brown, 916-445-2841.
–      Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, 916-651-4024
–      Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, 916-319-2078
–      Senate Budget Chair Mark Leno, 916-651-4011
–      Assembly Budget Chair Shirley Weber, 916-319-2079
Please call all five, even the ones you’ve called before. There’s a new message — and they need to know we haven’t given up.
What you might say
 
“My name is __ and my address is __. I’m calling about the developmental services budget because ___ [tell them why you care].
“The budget conference committee’s actions will not be enough to stop our community service system from continuing to crumble. But they will save some of our services that that will close without them. Please don’t allow any cuts from what the committee passed.
 
“And please support the system reforms that the committee approved -– especially the language that says the savings from closing the developmental centers should go to the community services.
“Thank you.”
Where are we now?
 
Here are the actions the budget conference committee took late Tuesday.
Effective July 1:
 
–      5% increases for supported living, supported employment, and respite services, and for regional center clients’ rights advocacy.
–      2.5% increase for transportation services.
–      One new dental coordinator and one new forensic coordinator for each regional center.
 
Effective January 1:
 
–      2.5% across-the-board increase for all other services and for regional center staffing.
System reforms:
 
–      Require DDS to report to the Legislature annually on its evaluation of the rate-setting methodology for community service and regional center staffing.
–      Express legislative intent that future savings from closing the developmental centers be used to benefit people with developmental disabilities in the community.
–
All these actions reflect the Legislature’s priorities. I’m completely sure we wouldn’t have gotten even this much without our community’s united efforts in the Capitol and your energetic advocacy throughout the state.
 
These actions don’t reflect Governor Brown’s priorities. Brown originally proposed giving us nothing, and we hear he’s especially against shifting the developmental center closure savings to the community.
Now what?
The negotiations between Democratic legislative leaders and Brown are continuing, and will go on after the Legislature passes the budget as proposed by the conference committee. The Legislature’s deadline is Monday.
Even after the Legislature passes the budget, it can call it back and amend it to reflect any agreements the Democratic leaders reach with the governor.
At some point before July 1, Governor Brown will have to sign the budget, with or without any line-item vetoes – or he could veto the whole thing, sending it back to the Legislature for more negotiations. He has no such short deadline for signing or vetoing the “trailer bills” containing the system reforms, and negotiations over them could go on after July 1.
 
There’s approximately zero chance all this will result in anything more for our community than what the conference committee did. The big danger now is that they will result in less.
 
And in any case, the fight for more in the 2016 budget has begun.
Thank you for your advocacy. And please stay tuned.
 
Greg
 
Greg deGiere
Public Policy Director
The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration
1225 Eighth Street, Suite 350, Sacramento, CA 95814
916-552-6619 x4
Greg@TheArcCA.org

Daniel Smith, proprietor of an MMS company, convicted

3 Jun

A few months back I wrote Yes, it may be illegal to sell MMS. It was about news and a DOJ press release (Four Charged with Internet Sales of Industrial Bleach as Miracle Cure). In short, members of company led by one Daniel Smith were charged with various offenses involving the import of materials, production of MMS and sale of MMS.

Mr. Smith has been convicted.  Here is the verdict form document.

In short, the document states that the following about six counts brought against Mr. Smith:

 

Count 1: Conspiracy.  Guilty

Count 2: Misbranding: Guilty

Count 3: Another count of misbranding: Guilty

Count 4: Another count of misbranding: Guilty

Count 5: Another count of misbranding: Not Guilty

Count 6: Fraudulently importing merchandise: Guilty

Per Consumer Affairs (“Miracle Mineral Solution” promoter convicted of selling bleach as a miracle cure)

In all, the jury convicted Smith of one count of conspiracy to commit multiple crimes, three counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead and one count of fraudulently smuggling merchandise into the United States.  The jury found Smith not guilty on one out of four of the misbranded drug counts. He faces a statutory maximum of 34 years in prison at his Sept. 9 sentencing.

MMS has recently become a fad “treatment” for autism, promoted largely by Kerri Rivera.  She has done so at the AutismOne parent convention (where anyone, it seems, can promote any fake cure as long as one claims vaccines cause autism and the “cure” is a treatment for vaccine injury) as well as her website, book and clinic in Mexico.  Also via skype for 100 Euros an hour.

Coincidentally, No More Bleach is reporting that Ms. Rivera’s online presence has gone largely offline.  I wouldn’t make too much of the coincidence.  One site (http://cdautism.org/) is up.  A facebook page is still down as of writing this (https://www.facebook.com/Kerririveracdautism).

The main promoter of MMS is a man by the name of Jim Humble, who heads a self-styled “church”.  The Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.  Their website is up.  And includes this disclaimer:

– Disclaimer –
The protocols described on this site are official sacraments of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. The reader accepts 100% responsibility for any and all use made of any information herein.

Yes, they discuss how it heals so many things (it doesn’t) but disclaim any responsibility by claiming it is a “sacrament”.  If this weren’t being used on disabled children, I would consider hiding behind a church ( a fake church in my opinion) as being reprehensible.  But that act pales in comparison to the harm caused to individuals.

Mr. Humble not only heads a church and has invented a miracle cure that apparently does everything, he has also found a way to “reduce radiation to zero and create gold in the process”:

Zero Fusion and Atomic Alchemy ebook

Reduce radiation to zero and create gold in the process.

You know it had to happen sooner or later.
YES, RADIATION CAN BE REDUCED TO ZERO AND ALL THE WORLDS ATOMIC WASTE SITES CAN BE FIXED.

On the webpage for this eBook he states

Did I do it? Yes many times. I actually made gold and platinum and demonstrated it to Texas A & M University. But don’t check with them as they will refuse to admit that they every saw me or that they ever came to my Laboratory in Las Vegas, or that they assayed the precious metals right after my demonstration, but they did. Thirteen Videos come with this book free of charge showing actual demonstrations of all of the concepts given in the book. BUY THIS BOOK AND STORE IT AWAY. MANKIND MIGHT NOT BE READY FOR THIS TECHNOLOGY, BUT MAYBE IN 20 or 30 or 50 YEARS IT WILL BE NEEDED AND YOU WILL HAVE IT.

Why bring this up here?  Because–this is an example that the man is a believer in junk science.  Actually, this isn’t even in the same postal code as junk science, and not in the same galaxy as real science.  And yet people believe the “Archbishop” Humble, alchemist, invented a cure all (everything from brain cancer to diaper rash) and called it MMS?

To be blunt, Mr. Smith is not the only person whose actions on MMS are suspect.  I hope that the Department of Justice acts against all those selling this fake cure-all.

Mr. Humbles followers have not failed to notice that Mr. Smith wasn’t convicted of selling fake medicine.  On his public forum one can find this statement:

How curious, no charges that MMS is dangerous, only mentioned in the article, not in the verdict. What a stretch! Interstate commerce, victimless crimes? Where is the victim? There is no common law. There is no constitution. Jury rights are truncated. There is no justice in these courts!

 

Where are the victims?  The victims are people taking the medicine.  Sadly, that is not the crime.  If adults want to waste time, money and health on this nonsense, that’s one thing, but children and more, disabled children are being subjected to this.    But, hey, if it takes the crimes found proved in the charges above to put a stop to this, good on you Department of Justice.

—

By Matt Carey

Where In The World Is Kerri Rivera?

2 Jun

For some reason, it looks like Kerri Rivera’s presence on the internet has, well, diminished greatly all of a sudden.

Ms. Rivera is known as the most vocal proponent of using bleach as a cure for autism. Bleach, as in Chlorine Dioxide, as enemas (recommended twice daily!) and as a drink.

It is unclear why this has happened. But with multiple sites going down at the same time, it doesn’t appear to be a simple case of “website down”.

No More Bleach

image

**Update**
Ms. Rivera has put her site back up. I suppose she had to do something to keep her people from thinking she had abandoned them. It must be hard to choose between losing your freedom or losing your fandom.

Dear Internet,
There has been an interesting turn of events where the bleach people are concerned. I’m not sure if you’ve been following the story, but Daniel Smith, the guy that was being prosecuted by the FDA for selling MMS, has been convicted and he currently faces up to 37 years in prison.  We were hoping that would happen, but we didn’t expect what happened next.

Today we discovered that when you go to www.cdautism.org, you are greeted with this glorious message:

image

And when checking sites like http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com you see  this:

image

Word around crazy town is that Kerri is “taking a break”, but does that require shutting down all…

View original post 90 more words

Action Alert: Last Chance to Save Our Services. Californians, it’s time to push again for

1 Jun

Services for the disabled in California have seen budget cuts for recent years. It’s time to change that trend.

Below is an email from The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration. Please read and take the time to follow the links and push to protect developmental services in California.

Dear Developmental Disability Community Friends,

Two weeks from today (Monday), the Legislature will have passed the budget that decides whether our community services survive or continue to disintegrate.

If you or someone you love needs those services, or will need them when they get older, is saving the services worth enough to make two calls and send one more email today or tomorrow?

It’s all now in the hands of the two leaders of the Legislature’s Democrats (Senator Kevin de Leon and Assembly Member Toni Atkins) and the six members of the budget conference committee (Senators Mark Leno, Ricardo Lara, and Jim Nielsen and Assembly Members Shirley Weber, Richard Bloom, and Melissa Melendez).

At this late point, those eight decision-makers will listen to the people in the eight districts they represent, to the other 112 legislators, and to Governor Brown. For some of them, that may be all.

If you live in the district of one of those eight, you probably already have an Action Alert from me imploring you to call them. If you haven’t got it, please email me now (Greg@TheArcCA.org) and I’ll send it to you.

And no matter where you live, I’m asking you to call and email your own Senate and Assembly representatives to urge them to talk to the decision-makers from their own parties. Here’s how:

1. Click here and follow the prompts. You’ll get your two legislators’ Sacramento numbers, party affiliations, and some possible talking points.

2. Read the talking points and decide what you want to say.

3. If you’ve ever talked to someone in your senator’s or assembly member’s district office near you or their Sacramento office, call that person now. Otherwise, call the legislator’s Sacramento office.

4. Say what you have to say politely but very clearly. If your voice sounds impassioned, or it shakes, all the better.

5. When you’re done, email me and let me know the results.

6. Then send an email to your senator and assemblymember, no matter how many you’ve sent them already. This one is new.

OK?

Now more than ever, thank you for your advocacy.

Greg

PS. And please forward this Action Alert to everyone you know. Since it’s coming from you, some of them will respond.

Greg deGiere
Public Policy Director
The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration
1225 Eighth Street, Suite 350, Sacramento, CA 95814
916-552-6619 x4
Greg@TheArcCA.org

—
By Matt Carey

Jude Mirra’s mother sentenced to 18 years for murder

31 May

Jude Mirra was murdered .  His mother gave her son an overdose and killed him.  For this she has been sentenced to 18 years, included the five she has already spent in jail.  

Jude was autistic.  His mother spent years and part of her fortune in an attempt to cure him.   She claimed in the end there was a fantastic and complicated plot to harm her son and that the murder was somehow a mercy killing to save him.  

Jude deserved to live.  Thankfully the sentence doesn’t appear to have been lightened because he was disabled (although the prosecution did ask for 25 years).

This won’t bring Jude back and I wish his family (not including his mother: she gave up the right to claim to be his family) well.  I thank the court for a conviction and a sentence that will make others think twice before contemplating the murder of disabled family members.

—

By Matt Carey

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →