Aspies For Freedom

Bush Visits Autistic Teen Hoop Star

ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 14, 2006
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Jason McElwain, second right, along with his parents David and Debbie of Rochester, N.Y., at Greater Rochester International Airport in Rochester, N.Y. Tuesday, March 14, 2006.  (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)






Quote

"I wept, just like a lot of other people did."

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President Bush


(CBS/AP) Jason McElwain, the autistic basketball manager who drew national cheers by scoring 20 points in four minutes for his high school team last month, has made a lot of fans since his big game. As CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports, those fans include the President of the United States.

And, like any fan, the President wanted to meet the star. So on his way to Canandaigua, N.Y., on Tuesday to speak at Medicare events, President Bush stopped at a nearby airport and met McElwain, accompanied by his parents and coach Jim Johnson.

"As you can see, a special person has greeted us at the airport," the president told reporters gathered on the tarmac, his arm draped around the 17-year-old senior, with Air Force One, the presidential jet, in the background. "Jason — can I call you J-Mac? You can call me George W.," he joked.

Like millions of other Americans, the President was fascinated by McElwain's performance

"Our country was captivated by an amazing story on the basketball court," he said. "It's the story of a young man who found his touch on the basketball court, which, in turn, touched the hearts of citizens all around the country."

The president even kidded that if his aging body would let him return to the basketball court, he'd want to get some hoop lessons from McElwain.

"It's a dream come true to meet the president," McElwain said.

Because of his autism, McElwain didn't begin talking until he was five and still lacks some social skills. Despite suffering from the little-understood developmental disorder, he has served as all-around motivator for the Greece Athena High School basketball team, in Greece, N.Y., a Rochester suburb.

Last month, Johnson had him suit up for the final home game of the season and put him in with four minutes to go after the team opened a large lead. In his first and only appearance in a game, the 5-foot-6 manager missed his first two shots — but then sank six three-pointers and another shot (video), for a total of 20 points in three minutes.

"My first shot was an air ball (missing the hoop), by a lot, then I missed a layup," McElwain told Hartman. "As the first shot went in, and then the second shot, as soon as that went in, I just started to catch fire."

Johnson has been amazed by the attention McElwain's big game has generated.

"I thought I did a nice thing for a kid," Johnson told Hartman, "and what happened for this is none of what I could ever dream for him

The jaw-dropping performance was caught on a student video and made national news. Hollywood is also hounding him to sign, Hartmann reports. McElwain's mom, a dental hygienist, says they've already heard from Disney and Warner Brothers.

Mr. Bush said he learned about McElwain from seeing him on TV.

"I wept, just like a lot of other people did," he said, as McElwain beamed beside him.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/1...1115.shtml

This person is becoming so prominent I really worry now that autism speaks, or CAN will try and nab him as a spokesman, and we will see him paraded around to raise money for a cure.

Well, he's already being paraded for political purposes, meeting Bush of all people!   :shock:  :roll:

I'd be well p!ssed if my folks wanted me to give such a warmongering antiChrist some free positive publicity!

Yeah how come nobody else noticed the obvious - Bush trying pretend he cares about Autistic kids to draw the critics away from the NT kids getting killed by his policies overseas. Can't help notice he had his arm around the boy... suprised he didn't wriggle away from getting touched.

One word comes to mind when I read this story - EXPLOITATION! President Bush - he doesn't miss a trick, does he? This is a bandwagon that he couldn't bear to miss. What a nasty piece of sleaze that man is!

Hubby and I were watching this story on the news last night. Hubby has not accepted that he is autistic, even though he didn't talk till the same age as Jason did, he has a definite monotone voice (like Jason's) and he also has facial features that are associated with autism, including a funny-looking area above the nose (similar to Jason and one of our kids). I could list dozens of other reasons why I think hubby is an aspie, but I wont. Sadly, hubby seems to think he is superior to people diagnosed as autistic, as he made a rude remark about Jason's level of intelligence, based on the fact that the teen looks and sounds a bit different. I said "Have a good look at yourself, dear!" Perhaps I should make a recording of hubby's voice and replay it for him? I think the difference between "normal" and "abnormal" is only a matter of self-deception with many people.

Yes, he probably hasn't even noticed that he sounds different.  I also have the monotone voice, and I'm not aware of it unless I hear myself on a recording.  My brain seems to have an "autocorrect" mechanism that, whenever I hear myself speaking, automatically fills in whatever intonation and emotion I'm intending to express, even though these nuances of speech are not actually being processed by my speech-production circuits.

I'd describe it as a matter of social expectations.  There's a great amount of variability as to what is considered "normal" in different societies and different time periods.  People naturally tend to see themselves in the light of whatever their particular culture views as normal.

If being a famous autistic means you have to put up with being snuggled-up-to by sleaze-bag politicians, is fame really worth it? :roll:

Is this autistic teen a team manager or a water-boy or a basketball player? I'm still confused. :?

If I were a kid today, and I was told I had to play sport, I'd reply "Sorry, sport is against my religion, I'm autistic".

Have fun, Tiger!

Seems to me he's a pet/mascot.
Alison

Ignoring the fact that he does not need a cure. All the media coverage of this guy seems to be saying "look how amazing he is, despite autism" and talks about how he overcame his autism etc. This sounds no better than saying "look how amazing he is, despite being black".

I think we have heard about the screening plan before, I didn't understand all of the points on the link though ( I live in the UK), is it possible to summarise it?

How is he possibly under the control of drug companies? People vote him in.
It is claimed that he is 'under control' from gun lobbyists, pro lifers, the UN, the Illuminati, etc.

Nearly all governments seek to save money, not spend more on people/medicines, for years people have complained of mental health being ignored and people suffering from lack of diagnosis.

This measure seems on one hand a good thing to seek out problems, but on the other a means to control and register people who are mentally ill.

We can go off topic. A lot of drug companies are rivals to each other, and they can't all pay for his campaigns. Surely funding comes from many sources. Do you live in America?

I have read that George Bush Senior was on the payroll of drug company Eli Lilly, and the current US president has ties to this company as well.

Apparently George Bush Senior was taking a new drug put out by this company and he got severe side effects and puked all over some people and it was terribly embarassing like a scene from "Little Britain", and the drug was taken of the market pretty soon after it was released.  :lol: Something is obviously very corrupt in a country where new drugs are cleared by the govt (the FDA) for release to the public, but are later withdrawn from the market after the FDA finds that the drugs are too dangerous and then requests the pharma companies to voluntarily withdraw their new "miracle drugs".

Ray Moynihan is an author/journalist who has written some worthwhile books on this kind of issue, but I'm sure there are many others.

You know what I've always said - you've got be friggin' mad to take psychiatric drugs. :shock: