Military Special Needs Network
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Standing for What Matters
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent on the things that matter.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Today, on our country’s celebration of the life of slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, this quote speaks to me like no other. What made Dr. King so special, besides the obvious, is that his lessons are applicable to us all, regardless of race, religion or income. And so, with that in mind, I refuse to stay silent over the following:
- The Autism Community is a soup sandwich. We have adult autistic self-advocates fighting parents, practitioners of traditional medicine fighting biomed followers, everyone fighting Autism Speaks, and vice versa. I’m done. I’m completely over the whole shootin’ match. Those living with autism and their families in need of support are slipping through the cracks with this circular firing squad. It has to stop. Look for a cure – or accept your child’s neurodiversity. Treat your child’s symptoms with B12 or Abilify. I really don’t care. So long as you do something to help your child become the best them that they can be. Everything else is superfluous. I refuse to stay silent any longer. Regardless of “side” or “faction,” if you are spouting a line of bullshit, I’ll be calling you on it. If you are rude or shoving your views down someone else’s throat in the name of “advocacy,” I will ask you to stop. The name of the game isn’t “conversion,” it’s teaching advocacy skills; it’s support; it’s empowering other parents to ask questions; it’s not about you and your beliefs.
- Congress is raking our families over the coals. Between cuts to COLA, the slash and burn policy to hazard pay, upcoming cuts and changes to Tricare in 2014, our families are going to end up paying not only in disposable income, but, ultimately, with their health. It will not make me popular in certain circles – certainly, I expect my invitation to the next big congressional party will be lost in the mail – but we cannot afford to stay silent. “You get what you settle for,” according to the writers of Thelma and Louise. And I’m done settling for the garbage that passes as representation. I will be doing my very best to keep our members up-to-date on the issues that affect our families. And I will be doing my very best to let our elected officials know that the silence of the military community does not equate to consent.
- The state of education in this country is scary. Between Common Core and the newspapers filled daily with stories of teachers abusing students, neglecting the care of their charges, and doing everything within their power to deny FAPE to our special needs students, my patience is worn thin. It’s time to let our voices be heard. To not do so is to relegate our children to the bottom of the food chain.
With all of the “things that matter” needing our attention, our community can no longer afford to hope and believe that the status quo will change without our active involvement. In fact, Dr. King spoke at length about the tragedy of silence:
“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
We need to keep Dr. King in our minds and hearts all year long, not just on his holiday.
2 comments on “Standing for What Matters”
Comments, discussion and insight always welcome!
Military Special Needs Network 
I don’t just like this, I LOVE this. So well said, Kelly. Now everyone needs to not only share this with everyone they know, they need to ENGAGE everyone they know. This stuff impacts all of us–active duty, retired military, civilian alike. Brave words that should get people moving!!
Thanks, Dee Dee! I really appreciate that. And, yes, share, share, share! We need to come together and make change. So many things need fixing, but the silence coming from our populous is equated with consent to the powers that be. Time to speak up and speak out!