My response to "Autistic Adults Have Poor Driving Skills: Study"

If there one thing the press has gotten both right and wrong on is on autistic drivers. It turns out that many of us are simply mediocre drivers, and not by choice.

The reason I'm a so-so driver is because of the fact that I'm a slow driver, as in with reaction time. When you're driving in the tri-state area (most of the Hudson Valley, New York and all of its suburbs) slow drivers are a recipie for accidents. In fact, I drive so little just for that reason. Driving ideally for me, is a means to access frequent public transportation.

What's surprising is how the study was conducted by the lesser of likely schools: Drexel University.

My Response to Salon's "America’s middle-class defeat: How Canada shamed the wealthiest nation on earth"

“I don’t understand why anyone has to earn more than $200,000 a year,” he said. “I mean, honestly, what are you going to do with all that money?”

The words coming from Tom Power's mouth is right on the ball, says this blogger. And he's true. The United States is home to some of the world's worst income inequality, made worse with our lack of universal healthcare, lack of paid maternity leave and generally anti-labor attitude.

One Salon article could explain America's cultural behavior that is destructive? Culture isn't usually a bad thing, but in the case of Pax Americana, it might be. I'd say we need to as a nation take drastic measures before we turn into the Roman Empire circa 400 AD. But could Edward McClelland's statement shed some light?

Beneath Canada’s contemporary advantages, though, are historic factors that make it a more equal society than the United States. No. 1 is the fact that the nation is too far north to have supported plantation agriculture. Because of that, Canada never imported slaves, and never created an economic structure whose success depended on the permanent exploitation and marginalization of an ethnic underclass.

Could America's own past be why we have a perpetual attitude towards class warfare? Actually, it makes perfect sense. Americans are often oblivious to their own history, and I know this all too well, and eery for a history, I've had to be corrected on one occasion. Call me crazy, but I think that The Communist Manifesto should be mandatory reading for high school students, or if that's too radical, then at least something that is labor and economic related. George Santayana was correct in his saying: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. And apparently that's a chunk of America's history.

My Response: "My Life as a Retail Worker: Nasty, Brutish, and Poor"

So apparently an assault conviction and some questionable comments can get you throw out of political journalism. Apparently, that's what happened to Joseph Williams, who was pretty much blacklisted for some comments aimed towards Mitt Romney. As it turned out, his comments were pretty prophetic when Mitt Romney's 47% secret speech came to surface. Jimmy Carter's grandson was the leaker (but not the person who caught the gaffe on film, which was bartender Scott Prouty.

Enough about ancient history! Williams, the veteran POLITICO reporter, found himself working at a sports retailer to make ends meet. Although his story was published back in March, the story for some reason recently resurfaced on my Facebook feed, so I thought I would right a commentary on it.

Having worked in retail, I'll just keep it brief, and for all parties involved, I won't mention on here where I worked (but an investigative journalist could figure it out in TEN SECONDS). It was a less than pleasant experience. The warehouse I worked at was a safety hazard waiting to happen, overworked employees, a corporate hierarchy and procedure that could make a dysfunctional bureaucracy gloat with glee.

Williams made a really valid point with this statement:

Obtaining work in retail had changed a lot since the 1980s. What used to require a paper application and a schmooze with the manager has turned into an antiseptic online process where human interaction—and the potential for an employment-discrimination complaint—is kept to a minimum.

The online process is far from perfect too, and also can cause discrimination problems as well, not to mention that someone in HR can easily overlook candidates. But the point Williams makes is this: it's a dog-eat-dog world, and corporate America at times forgets that we're all human.

My response to "It Wasn’t Abortion That Formed the Religious Right. It Was Support for Segregation"

From Amanda Marcotte/Slate.com

The modern religious right formed, practically overnight, as a rapid response to the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade. Or, at least, that's how the story goes. The reality, Randall Balmer, a Dartmouth professor writing for Politico Magazine, says, is actually a little less savory to 21^st century Americans: The religious right, who liked to call themselves the "moral majority" at the time, actually organized around fighting to protect Christian schools from being desegregated. It wasn't Roe v. Wade that woke the sleeping dragon of the evangelical vote. It was Green v. Kennedy, a 1970 decision stripping tax-exempt status from "segregation academies"—private Christian schools that were set up in response to Brown v. Board of Education, where the practice of barring black students continued.

Marcotte's argument makes perfect sense. Even in the deep South, even churches were segregated, although a lot of Christian groups also fought against segregation. Xenophobia in America has become accepted, and in the deep South, it's engrained in parts of the culture. Not as bad as it once was, but it will take generations for it to cease. And here in New York as well, which has some of the most segregated schools in the nation, surprisingly. Of course, changes will hopefully render that moot.

America is a nation that was born in a world of racism and superstition. Michael Moore brought it up constantly in his movie Bowling for Columbine. To put it even better, America is a nation with a culture that is destructive and unhealthy.

I'll update this entry as I'm rushing it to post to meet my ten blogs a month quota.

Dead Soldiers and Indecency

On June 6th, which was the 70th anniversary of D-Day, supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino used images from D-Day and images of the graves of dead US soldiers to raise money towards tossing Governor Cuomo out of office. If I was Astorino, I would have denounced the ad, calling it inappropriate. I am not aware if he came out against the ad. On the other hand, veterans came out against the stunt.

Iraq War veteran Jon Gensler, who was an Army lietuenant and then captain while serving in Iraq in 2003-04, said he was "disgusted" that Astorino forces would seek to raise money for a gubernatorial election on the backs of dead soldiers.

I agree with Cuomo's critics. He's been cheerleading Common Core and the SAFE Act, legislation that has harmed New York. But the group promoting Rob Astorino is worse, promoting hate and not honoring those who made that sacrifice in France. The stunt was undignified behavior. Regardless, I worry that Governor Cuomo's confrontational leadership style is detrimental to New York's well-being. And Rob Astorino is right on some issues: taxes are still too high, there's too much backrooming in Albany and Upstate is still in a downward spiral. But Cuomo's also taking a stand on financial issues. I just wish he'd get to the root causes, part of it being a revenue and overregulatory issue. The men and women who serve our country in uniform should not be political pawns. It's as indecent as can be.

My reply to Hello Giggles article "10 Underrated Qualities That Are Ridiculously Attractive"

Yesterday, I came across this Hello Giggles article which got me thinking about what girls think are attractive qualities in the opposite sex, or at least are underrated. And needless to say just about all of these qualities are hallmark to what I find attractive in a woman on the inside are qualities that I try to show towards a girl.

I'll break them down by quality, in order:

10) Desire to share food: actually kinda cute. I don't ever recalling sharing food with an ex-girlfriend, but I might have.
9) Bedhead: I'm glad that girls like bedhead haired guys, because that's what my hair is like when it gets long....
8) Willingness to watch shows you love: There's sacrifices in relationships, and when I was with Cayla, I would swing by her dorm and we would watch Glee. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of Glee, so... Also, sometimes the two of you will like the same show.
7) Similar sense of humor: VERY IMPORTANT. If our humors don't match, it's going to be a disaster. And you'd be surprised: I have a quirky sense of humor!
6) Calling you out when necessary: Girls, I take no offense if you do call me out. Heck, every girl I've been with has done so. And I'm very aware of the fact that I'm a work in progress. We all are.
5) Being even-tempered: I could use some work on that, in all honesty. But for the most part, I am even-tempered, and becoming more so by the day.
4) Being great with children: As I hope to have kids one day, this is kind of a requirement. If the idea of having kids is repulsive, it's not going to work in the far, far long term.
3) Not getting grossed out by girl problems talk: Not possible, honestly. I'm not grossed out by your biological issues. There's worse things in the world.
2) Resourcefulness: I'm one of six boys. It's something I'm quite used to. I fix computers as a hobby. I mow the lawn. I can fix stuff. And I like having those skills.
1) Telling you that you look pretty: Listen, if I find you pretty, I'm going to open my big mouth and compliment. There is however a catch: if you're Kate Upton, I'm not going out with you either. Well, I don't know who Carol Alt is, but I kind of have to agree: people have made way too big of a deal out of her.

All of these are qualities I like to display and I agree: they are ridiculously attractive and definitely underrated!!! 

Top 50 Most Ridiculous Boys Names

As far as the boy names that are shooting up the baby name lists, check out the top 50 fastest movers below. The fastest climbing boy's name of the year is Bentley. This name rose up in popularity thanks to Teen Mom's Maci Bookout and her baby son Bentley. It is interesting to note that the name Maci is the fastest moving girl's name!

Sasha's rule of thumb number 17: don't give your kids celebrity names. It's trashy. What happened to good names like Alexander or Nicholas or Andrew or James? Strong names. And for girls, how's Jacqueline or Julianna? But please, for the love of peat, be a little smarter. I like my first name to be honest. You can't go wrong with Alexander.

*NOTE: Sasha takes full responsibility for the loads of narcissism in this blog entry.

Asperger's On A Good Day, Asperger's On A Bad Day

As of recent, I have started to draw back from my activeness in the autism community. It's become this: We LOVE our differences, we hate Autism Speaks.

And why you may ask? Because unlike a few on the spectrum I know, Asperger's isn't my entire life. Even one of my heroes on the autism spectrum, John Elder Robison knows that. He also devotes time to an interest in rare automobiles. I like passenger rail, history, politics and current events.

Anyways, I've been finding and reading stories recently of couples on the autism spectrum (either one person or both in the relationship have the disorder) and a lot of them are just really sweet. Here's one from this page, which accompanies many stories of how people have been affected by autism:

When I met Brad back in December, I noticed right away that he is smart, funny, charming, cute, has brown eyes that I could get lost in easily and smile that light up the room. I had a feeling that he has Aspergers. The next day he messaged me on Facebook. I was thrilled. The more I talked to Brad, the more I liked him. About 10 minutes in to our conversation, Brad said to me "I have to tell you something. I have Aspergers." I simply said "I know." He was taken aback by my response and we continued to talk. Then one day he asked me if we were together. I told him "yes we are." He looked at me with this huge smile on his face and said "I am a lucky guy. Girls like you don't even bother with guys like me." That just broke my heart. I tell him all the time that his Aspergers does not define him and who he is. It is a part of him, but it doesn't run his life. I have learned how to help him cope with his moments that he has. I will hug him tight to make him feel better. I will happily scratch his head because he likes the way his hair feels against my hand. He has his moments where does say inappropriate things. All I do is let him know that is not appropriate to say and he smiles at me while saying "Thanks babe." My absolute favorite part about him is when he wakes up every morning and texts me "Good morning beautifully" That makes me smile because he truly means what he says to me. He is so sweet. He is an amazing person. I just can't express how much Brad means to me. One day I plan to marry him. He won me over faster than anyone has. He has broken down my walls and let me in to his. We truly are best friends and soul mates. He is not the lucky one, I am.

To say that we have no capacity for love is a lie. A boldfaced lie no less. We want to love, and many of us are passionate about whatever it might be. I probably have had many girls turn me down because of the fact I have Asperger's. And the same goes for neurotypical guys: don't discount a girl on the spectrum either. I have met some wonderful young women on the spectrum, all of who continue to inspire me today.

But this is something I will stress: my autism/Asperger's is only a part of my life, it doesn't shape who I am entirely. I am more than autism. I have various interests and I enjoy learning more about them. I embrace my differences but I don't fixate on them. We're all different people, and that's what makes us interesting.

A Total Understatement

I Think Facebook Has Become Omniscient

Forget that. It's become bonkers!

Ammosexuality

From Urban Dictionary:

A sexual fetish that finds pleasure in the power to kill dozens of people with the pull of a trigger. An ammosexual may understand the desire of other people to live, but feels all the greater pleasure in contemplating that he has the power to overcome that desire with his power. Ammosexuals are very protective of their fetish, and attack even the slightest gun safety measure on the grounds that they interfere with their pleasure.
Many ammosexuals practice the religion of gundamentalism or demand the invasion of weaker countries as a means of reaching wargasm. 

To best describe this phenomena that America is currently facing is what I would best describe as America emotionally and mentally decaying and/or returning to an immature state, as if American citizens are all becoming children. From FreakOutNation:

There is nothing more telling of the Open Carry groups in Texas than to have the National Rifle Association call them ‘weird’. In this one instance, I agree with the NRA and I’ll probably never be able to say that again. The NRA has a few other choice words to describe the groups’ narcissistic behavior while besieging restaurants with guns strapped to their backs. Some of the choice descriptions from the NRA of these groups includes, “downright foolishness”  “not neighborly” “counterproductive” “a lack of manners” and many more.

Wow. And it gets worse. The open carry, oh, I'll call them another type of "truther", carry around their weapons like as if they are members of the LGBT community at a pride parade. (My sincerest apologies to the LGBT community for comparing you all to these gun nuts) It's sick, disturbing and troubling how gun owners flaunt their weapons in public. For once, the NRA ACTUALLY makes sense.

Now we love AR-15s and AKs as much as anybody, and we know that these sorts of semiautomatic carbines are among the most popular, fastest selling firearms in America today.  Texas, independent-minded and liberty-loving place that it is, doesn't ban the carrying of loaded long guns in public, nor does it require a permit for this activity.  Yet some so-called firearm advocates seem determined to change this.
Recently, demonstrators have been showing up in various public places, including coffee shops and fast food restaurants, openly toting a variety of tactical long guns. Unlicensed open carry of handguns is legal in about half the U.S. states, and it is relatively common and uncontroversial in some places.  Yet while unlicensed open carry of long guns is also typically legal in most places, it is a rare sight to see someone sidle up next to you in line for lunch with a 7.62 rifle slung across his chest, much less a whole gaggle of folks descending on the same public venue with similar arms. 
Let's not mince words, not only is it rare, it's downright weird and certainly not a practical way to go normally about your business while being prepared to defend yourself. To those who are not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one's cause, it can be downright scary.  It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates.
As a result of these hijinx, two popular fast food outlets have recently requested patrons to keep guns off the premises (more information can be found here and here).  In other words, the freedom and goodwill these businesses had previously extended to gun owners has been curtailed because of the actions of an attention-hungry few who thought only of themselves and not of those who might be affected by their behavior. To state the obvious, that's counterproductive for the gun owning community.

I've never applauded the NRA for anything. Well, now I am. And wait a sec??? I thought it was Chipotle who was...okay, that was AFTER the fact. That was May 19th. Chipotle's ban occurred later the same day. Guess where I'll go for lunch sometime in the future? I'm tempted to tweet Chipotle and let them know how much I appreciate their move towards modesty. And how about we move away from a society that embraces violence? Michael Moore is right on the money on the issue. And so was FDR: Americans are afraid of everything.

By the way: I did mention after all, here be dragons! I discuss ANYTHING, no matter HOW controversial.