Since going to night shift I began to listen to all-night talk radio again. I love Art Bell & George Nory with their "Coast to Coast AM" show... Lots of really bizarre stuff like UFO's, Bigfoot, Pod People, Ghosts, Chem-trails, Government conspiracies, stuff like that.
I don't really believe this stuff, but at 3 AM it's really entertaining.
But the thing that made me sit up and really listen this morning wasn't on the program, it was the local news that had me shaking my head.
Anyone who listens to AM radio a lot knows that at night you get fabulous reception due to the lack of ionisation in the upper atmosphere. I can't get local AM stations, but ones that are hundreds of miles away I get clear as a bell. CBr's call it "skip". I could go on now with a little physics on the difference between AM, or amplitude modulation and FM, or frequency modulation but I wont as not to bore you to death. On really clear nights I can get KYW 1060 out of Philadelphia and I listen to that once in a while to hear what's going on in my home town.
Last night and early this morning I was listening to a station in Indianapolis, Indiana. The signal was crystal clear. I was laughing my ass off at the guest on "Coast to Coast AM" talk about his raw food only diet... He looks and feels great at 6' tall he weighs 140 lbs...
Stick Man.
But that's not what I'm shaking my head over.
It was the local news at the top of the hour. Now I really feel for the parents of this boy, and in no way want to seem insensitive.
Really.
Apparently this seven year old, severely autistic boy went missing at a family cookout over the weekend. The authorities were led to where they found the boy's body, a retention pond, behind the boy's home by finding his...
Are you ready?
His Chew Toy.
Chew toy?
a damn chew toy???????
I thought I was hearing things, and maybe the reporter mis-pronounced something. One time while watching the news in Philly, a TV reporter said "Testicles" instead of "tentacles" while reporing a missing mollusk from a local aquarium. I think he said something like "The missing mollusk has eight inch testicles."
I listened harder, and yep, the reporter said it again.
Chew Toy.
Again I don't want to belittle this boy's tragic death in anyway, but what the fuck is a seven year old, autistic or not, doing with a goddamn chew toy?
Was it one of those rubber bones? or maybe one of those squeaky-rats my Fred used to play with?
Was animal control called in? Did you put out a trail of milkbones to get him to come home? Didn't he like his Kibbles N' Bits?
What the Fuck!
Again, and I'm saying this sincerely, I really do feel for the parents. I hate like hell to hear when any kids get hurt or killed and I'm sorry for their loss. I really am.
But why, oh why did a seven year old have a goddamn chew toy?
Copyright 2005 Thomas J Wolfenden
About Me
- Thomas J Wolfenden
- Thomas Wolfenden was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is an honorably discharged veteran of the US Army. He's worked in several different jobs throughout his life, spending fifteen years in law enforcement and the private security field. He has worked as an automotive detailer, ambulance driver, a nuclear medicine delivery courier, a dairy barn cleaner, and most recently has worked as a ballast regulator operator, a switchman, conductor and a locomotive engineer on the railroad. He's traveled extensively, through the United States and abroad, and lived in several States. Pennsylvania, Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky, Idaho and Florida being a few places. He has written several OP-ED pieces for various local newspapers, and had up until recently, kept a political humor blog. He's a Life/Endowment member of the National Rifle Association and a strong supporter of the.2nd Amendment. He now spends his time between the United States and Australia, with his life partner, Catherine.
2 comments:
I had never heard of this, but you got me curious so I did a google search and found this site, which explains:
Some children with autism may [exhibit]... restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors, interests, and activities. Note: The repetitive behavior may be related to a sensory need that the action meets for the person (for example, the person may flick fingers for the visual stimulation, may rub objects for the tactile stimulation, may chew things for the oral or taste sensation, may tap hands or fingers on things to get a certain sound sensation, or may place fingers in front of the nose for the smell, etc.).
Can you believe this stuff?
Ok... Now I fell bad making fun of it...
Sort of.
But when I first hear it I almost pissed myself laughing!
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