[nfbwatlk] Disturbing articlesE: Whosit question

Becky Frankeberger b.butterfly at comcast.net
Tue Aug 27 18:47:59 UTC 2013


I think most of us have had similar things happen to them or there families
by neighbors, by relatives, by strangers. "Oh just put her away in the
school for the blind." "She doesn't belong in our school."  From a teacher,
"put her in someone elses class." "Kick her out at eighteen." "Aren't you
going to do something with yourself? Your parents won't be around for ever
to take care of you." Oh she's crippled? Oh my god! How awful!" 

That is why when I read my first "Braille Monitor" I was so shocked blind
people did so many wonderful things.  Made me think beyond the four walls of
my cage.

I know a man who is autistic and who has a wonderful job as an engineer.  He
has no idea how much money he gets, so he hired someone to take care of
that. His mother helps him grocery shop, but this graduate of the Ohio State
is loving his job and has friends he does things with.  Yes he has querks,
but his friends at work and in the community care about him. He is a
contributer to society.  So don't cross off these wonderful folks as
friends.

My first incounter with this young man was when he was fifteen years old.
The first thing he said to me was, "I'm afraid, afraid, afraid!" What are
you afraid of? I knew as his mom cued me ahead of time.  "Yur dog, your dog,
oh oh." I told him softly about my guide dog's special training. Something
clicked and he asked good questions.  By the time we got finished with some
other things, he asked to pet my dog.  He said this is the first dog I ever
touched. "he is so soft." We talked about always asking first as some dogs
are not calm.  Then he told me how he got jumped on and it just cemented
fear in him. But my dog was different and he liked my dog.  

Becky and guide dog Jake   
-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Philip
Blackmer
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 3:42 PM
To: 'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Disturbing articlesE: Whosit question

While the following doesn't pertain directly to blindness I found it
disturbing enough that I wanted to post this for discussion.  Clearly when
people devalue life like this we are all harmed.

*Article 1*
Neighbor tells mom to 'Do the right thing and.euthanize' autistic
13-year-old Peter Baklinski
 
Mon Aug 19 16:34 EST	 
EuthanasiaNEWCASTLE, Ontario, August 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The
family of an autistic boy is reeling after the child's mother received an
anonymous hate letter that suggested the family move or "euthanize" him.
"I was shaking when I was reading it," said the boy's grandmother Brenda
Millson to CityNews. "It's awful words.terrible. You don't know why somebody
would ever do such a thing."
Neighbors rallied together to show support for 13-year-old Max, who was
diagnosed with severe autism at the age of two.
Karla Begley, the boy's mother, wept as she read portions of the hate mail
to local news.
"I also live in this neighborhood and have a problem," the writer stated in
the one page letter that was received on Friday. "You selfishly put your kid
outside everyday and let him be a [sic] nothing but a nuisance and a problem
to 

everyone else with that noise polluting whaling [sic] he constantly
makes!!!"
"That noise he makes when he is outside is DREADFUL!!!!!!!!!! It scares the
hell out of my normal children!!!!!!!" it says.
"When you feel your idiot kid needs fresh air, take him to our park you
dope," the letter reads.
Calling the boy a "hinderance to everyone" the letter writer states that "no
employer will hire him, no normal girl is going to marry/love him and you
are not going to live forever".
Click "like" if you are PRO-LIFE! 
"Personally, they should take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses
and donate them to science," the letter said. "What the hell else good is he
to anyone!!!"
"You had a retarded kid, deal with it.properly!!!!! What right do you have
to do this to hard working people!!!!!!! I HATE people like you who believe,
just because you have a special needs kid, you are entitled to special
treatment!!!"
The letter ends by asking the mother to move or have her child terminated.
"Do everyone in our community huge a [sic] favor and MOVE!!!!"
"Go live in a trailer in the woods or something with your wild animal kid!!!
Nobody wants you living here and they don't have the guts to tell you!!!!!"
"Do the right thing and move or euthanize him!!! Either way, we are ALL
better off!!!"
The letter is signed: "One pissed off mother".
Max's father said he was scared for his son's safety. "A person who is that
crazy or demented who would fabricate something like that leads me to
believe that they are very dangerous."
Neighbors say they will discover the identity of the person behind the
letter. The family is open to pressing charges.


*Article 2*
Police will not press hate charges against letter-writer demanding autistic
boy be euthanized Peter Baklinski
 
Tue Aug 20 15:42 EST	 
EuthanasiaNEWCASTLE, Ontario, August 20, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Police
told the family of an autistic boy that they will not pursue hate charges
against the anonymous author of a noxious letter submitted to the boy's
mother. The 

letter called the boy a "nuisance" and a "hindrance to everyone" before
suggesting the family move or "euthanize" the autistic 13-year-old.
Durham Regional Police said today that while a criminal investigation is
currently underway, the letter did not reach the needed "threshold" to be
considered a hate crime. 
"Despite the hateful language used, the Crown Attorney's office has advised
that the content of the letter falls below the threshold for a hate crime.
However, there are other Criminal Code issues that are being considered,"
the press 

release stated. 
The boys father, Jim Begley ,said he was disappointed by the decision and
that he will meet with police to hear first hand their reason for abandoning
hate crime charges. 
"I personally feel it does qualify as a hate crime," Begley told QMI Agency.
He called the police decision "sad news."
"A person who is that crazy or demented who would fabricate something like
that leads me to believe that they are very dangerous," he told reporters.
Click "like" if you are PRO-LIFE! 
13 year-old Max Begley was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of two.
The letter signed "One pissed off mother" was delivered on Friday to the
house of Max's grandmother, whom he often visits.
"I also live in this neighborhood and have a problem," the writer stated in
the one page letter. "You selfishly put your kid outside everyday and let
him be a [sic] nothing but a nuisance and a problem to everyone else with
that noise 

polluting whaling [sic] he constantly makes!!!"
"That noise he makes when he is outside is DREADFUL!!!!!!!!!! It scares the
hell out of my normal children!!!!!!!"
"Personally, they should take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses
and donate them to science," the letter said. "What the hell else good is he
to anyone!!!"
The letter ends by asking the mother to move or have her child terminated.
"Go live in a trailer in the woods or something with your wild animal kid!!!
Nobody wants you living here and they don't have the guts to tell you!!!!!"
"Do the right thing and move or euthanize him!!! Either way, we are ALL
better off!!!"
About 100 people from the neighborhood rallied on Sunday evening in a show
of support for the family, many offering to do their part to discover the
identity of the person behind the letter.


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