Who Do You Think You Are?

Angela's comment: Yep, This is my friend Jeanne, who like myself, is a bit snarky at times. And yes, we have each other's pinkies. You can check out her site at Charlie In Wonderland Jeanne, you took the words right out of my mouth... ...

Are you the parent of a child (or children) affected by autism? Are you an autism advocate? Do you run an autism organization? Do you work for an autism organization? Volunteer? Write a blog? Publish a magazine? Who are you? And more importantly, who do you think you are?

No matter what the answer to the question, you are not exempt from action alerts. Why you ask? Because until we all stand up and speak, we'll never make the changes needed to get our kids, and future generations of kids, out of the devastation that is autism.

Here are some truths I'd like to share with you:

1. Don't think because others are making calls, emailing, and faxing, that your help is not needed. As of July 8, 2009, there are 541 members of Congress, of which over 150 are members of the autism caucus. Add to that the 100 members of the United States Senate. Do the math. That's almost SEVEN HUNDRED offices to call, fax, and email.
Now, imagine if that list were only being tackled by a few people... Yeah, now you see the problem.

2. Don't think because you hold a position in this community, you're supposed to let others do the work. If anything, in my opinion, you should be the first one out of the gate making phone calls, setting an example for those around you. The "I made my calls now I need you to make yours" type thing. If people don't see you, the pillars of our community, getting involved with action alerts, they're going to probably assume it's not that important - and nothing could be farther from the truth, or more important than stopping the autism epidemic.

3. Don't think your one call won't make a difference, because I promise you, it will. Every single call counts. Every single call makes a difference. Every single call pushes us one step closer to getting somewhere in Washington.

4. And lastly, in my opinion, you have no right to spend your days talking/blogging/Tweeting/Facebooking about the fact that the autism epidemic is being ignored if you are not contacting your legislators every single time an Action Alert is issued.

Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. I apologize if I have offended anyone, I'm just so tired of the apathy, complacency, and "I've done my part by simply being who I am every day" attitudes.

I mean, we're all busy, shit we've all got kids with special needs on top of the everyday busy stuff. My own schedule is crazy - 40 hours of work to cram in a 18 hour period: Consulting; Generation Rescue Angel (any other Angels scared about the number of contacts your getting each week?); building a website; autism advocacy; blog; a child with autism; two teenagers (one of which needs my constant shuttling services, and the other who has band practice upstairs every day).

All of this, yet I still find time to make the calls, send the faxes and emails, and get involved. Why? Not because I think I'm perfect or better than anyone, oh no..never that, trust me. But because I can't see another way around this problem. If we all just go on about our lives nothing will change. You can stay focused on your own world or you can open your eyes to the big picture, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick and damn tired of feeling like I'm running in place with this advocacy business. I want the truth to be known by all. I want the naysayers to finally admit what has happened. And also, I want to stop the epidemic in its tracks, to save future children and families from living this hell we are all living.

We're either going to pull together and do this as a team, or we're going to splinter off into groups, thereby losing any chance to stop the madness.
Please, go to Age of Autism and follow the links to your elected officials' contact information. Make the calls. Don't be intimidated. These people work for you, you put them in office and you can take them out. Of course, you should always be polite, but you can still get your point across.
Once you've done that, check out the list of autism caucus members who have not RSVP'd. Pick 5 names and contact those offices. I've found it's helpful to say something like:
"I just noticed Congressman Blank's name is not on the RSVP list for the upcoming autism briefing. I am certain that is an oversight, being that he is a member of the autism caucus. Can you check the schedule and let me know if the Congressman, his health legislative assistant, or a staffer is planning on attending... I'm sure someone is, since the briefing is autism-related..."

I promise you guys, one or two calls and you'll feel like an old pro. It's invigorating and empowering to be involved.

Maybe I'll start a new club... The Pinkie Promise Club. Members do a virtual pinkie promise with each other to get involved and make calls when the action alerts come out. If you can't make that promise, you can't be a member of the club. And if you can't make that promise, well... that's just sad.

ONE MORE NOTE on my part (Angela here) - Roll up your (blanking) sleeves people and put your boots on. We're talking breaking pinkies here. Or maybe more. That's the military way. Jeanne knows.