What was your point in posting the above?

I really think their attitude is that Autistics are using outlets like the internet to say that they disagree with what society sees as the authority on Autism - and thats a threat to them.

If anyone looks at a name, logo, or slogan, if it has the letters TM, it is a trademark registered by the state goverment, but if it has a R with a circle around it, then it is a registered trademark and registered with the federal goverment. Just look for one of them and see if it is registered and if it is, which goverment has the registration.

And even if so, you can't criticize a company without using the company's name, most of the time (I mean, I'm sure there are ways you can if you're being clever, but not to communicate it effectively to people who don't already know about the issues).

I mean, really, the shirt didn't even have a puzzle piece on it, and Autism Speaks doesn't own that, just their specific logo. IT JUST HAD WORDS ON THE SHIRT, which is why it's even more absurd than their previous legal travesty.

Anyway, they're just making it SO obvious that they want us to shut up (unless we completely agree and acquiesce to whatever they think we should want), and while the irony is delicious, it's still disturbing, yet telling that they see opposing views as a threat.

While frustrating, and a pain, and clearly in violation of the ideal of freedom of speech, it goes to show how much progress has been made from years when an opposing view would've been unheard of in the general public and autism organizations.

That's my diagnosis, so here's my prescription for people who would have us silenced: sit back for the ride, cause we're HERE, we're WEIRD - get used to it!

I appreciate any support you guys offer!

If your addressing this I ask you be polite, cause its my site that your addressing.  If you want to abnoxious I dont want anything to do with you.

The shirt is completley fine as is and is covered by Fair Use law.

Actually it is not your site I am addressing. It is the *** behaviour of an organisation in doing something they ought to be called into question for. The fact that it relates to your site is neither here nor there. I am not representing you or AFF or autistics. I am representing me : a concerned
citizen. Is that kind of what you want to hear?

Well if your going to be an abnoxious concerned citizel all your going to do is paint the rest of us concerned citizens as a bunch of flipping idiots and further Autism Speaks propoganda and agenda.

Acting like a flipping idiot is no better then them, and I am exploring persuing legal recourse against them.  This is a sensitve matter, and if you cant be mature and civilized when you respond to it, I ask that you don't.  I have a lot of drama right now, and I don't need anymore.

In not so many words that is the picture they paint, and thats why we have to stand up and draw the line.

I realize this. I think we should come up with a strategy fpr when things like this happen.

Any ideas?

I am not subtle. I am direct.
Lack of Politeness is not necessarily being obnoxious or immaturity.
WTF are you on about and mate where do you get off?
What I was suggesting was an angry letter, off my own bat (representing my personal dislike of a bad situation), I am more than happy writing such letters and have written many on my membership here. They are angry but well written and thought out.

You have a problem with this help? Fine. You don't need to try to insult me.
Look at you coming here asking for help, then smacking away helping hands. Reminds me of my children when they were babies having a tantrum. As a parent you accept this immaturity as part of growing up. Still you do, as a mature adult, have to address the cause of the issue.

You with me so far TheZach? You are 22 and questioning my maturity and genuineness to help.
Well I was hoping to provide help but I actually think maybe Autism Speaks kicking your arse may give you a little humility.

No, I think being civilized and not acting like a flipping idiot like you were proposing is the correct course of action.  I've been a flipping idiot before - and it don't get you anywhere but a worse place then you started.

I am not against help, and am persuing the possibility of a pro-bono lawyer for the situation thanks to another member on this board.  I am however against immature and impolite childish letters

Its immature responces like this that prove my point - please do something constructive Rossco or go and trash another thread.

That is a very good message format to use, feel free to send it to them and post the response here.

There is another member on the board who is trying to get me in touch with a lawyer who handles cases like this pro-bono.  I am exploring legal actions against Autism Speaks.

I am not attacking zazzle however, I'm just hoping they come to there senses.

However - if any of you have friends or contacts that work for the media, such as news, tv, radio, newspaper i would like to explore options with them as well.

I think ALLOWING people to be involved and support you in whatever way they can AND YOU being gracious, polite, mature, and appreciative of their efforts is very important.

I think trusting people to do what they feel is best will help promote a sense of solidarity with YOUR cause. It of course is important to keep in mind YOU are asking THEM for support.

You have no idea what they will or won't do. If you let people submit their expressed opinions and views, YOU have to accept some will be in line with your views and some won't. Some will be good quality and some won't. Some may even be childish to you. At the end of the day allowing people to be involved and supporting them to support you requires you do not criticise, leap to conclusions or judgements on them or their character, intent or motivations.

Admin, please lock this thread

AspieWeb.net is being shut down because while I can deal with Autism Speaks I can not deal with whiney imature brats threatening me like the above person.

And forgive me for my absolute immature behaviour

and:

As far as I can see, Rossco is on your side - how is that harrassment?

Rossco: I think that TheZach was only asking you to be polite, I have no idea how this escalated into an internal war!

Well said.

TheZach - you had no reason at all to take your site down

You might feel very pleased with yourself for this attack, however it severely weakens our case against Autism Speaks. Not everyone in the world will have read this thread and know it is "Rosco's fault", everyone else will just see it as proof that Autism Speaks was right to threaten legal action or think you are a silly child making everything up to get attention.

I assume you don't want this and was just unaware of the consequences of this decision.

Interesting read, it's nice to see another person is as interested in human behaviour as myself.

Bookmarked.

This. A million times THIS.



yes, I am a hypocrite

Actually I'm not pleased but I'm not going to be bullied into complying with someones impolite, imature and childish tactics and have those tactics represent my hard work.

it was rossco

Why? What did he do? I'm not being facetious, I genuinely would like a repsonse to my previous post on this; I have no idea how to help, as requested, without being accused of interfering!

He did some of this:

A little of this

Some of this:

You get the point.

I want polite and mature responces writen - not whining, imature, harrasing and bullshit responces as they will get us nowhere but prove Autism Speaks points that we are just a bunch of mal-content idiots that whine and scream.

The website is back up, but I'm going to make a post about this rossco fool and others like them, by the end of the day I hope they have two anuses - cause they need to be torn a new one.

I totally agree with this ^ !

AND this ^ !

I don't have the written language skills of the above posters, but would be prepared to help in my own clumsy way, if I knew what I was allowed to say without causing offense.

I am not confused, I stated there will be confusion - people will go to your site, and be confused as to why it's down.

Then when I have to spend my time dealing with the person I linked to instead of having to deal with media contacts and my real life then said person should just shut up.

Thanks, the email's been sent. I'd also encourage everyone to post their own personal complaints to content_review@zazzle.com - the more personalised responses they get, the more seriously they'll take the original email.

As far as the other stuff going on in this thread, it's just angst, so don't worry about it. As others have commented, this has more to do with acting against Autism Speaks than acting on behalf of TheZach - so it's far more important to keep pursuing actions than trying to convince TheZach that he's in the wrong here. Yes, it was a stupid decision to take the site down, but it's just going to stay down if we keep dwelling on it. After all, if the site goes back up, it will become very popular for a brief period of time, and it's his choice whether or not to use that to his best advantage.

I agree with Moo here. Your first letter was GREAT. The second unnecessary. We already 'guessed' you were pissed. The frist letter did put you in your right.

This individual is no better then Autism Speaks and needed to be pointed out.  This person has been nothing but imature twords me and my efforts when asked that letters they send be polite and mature.

It needs to be pointed out that there are imature, and disruptive people with Autism that I don't disagree with there tactics - and when they are contacting media outlets with their behavior on this thread it makes it even more important for such things to be pointed out.

??????????????????????????????

I personally thought the serious letter Rossco wrote was valid and also very polite.

The other stuff shouldn't matter.

Rossco told me people to shut up in this thread, and was completley rude.  If you remember his orriginal post in this thread indicated he had no intention of being polite in his responces and his futher imature and idiotic behaviors dictated my responces.

That. ^^

Actually the letter is irrelevent - as his true attitude has been shown.

?????????????????????

The letter was a protest at how Autism Speaks treated you, Zach, which was the whole point of this thread; please don't derail your own, some of us are more than capable of that

*looks for GW to appear*

Well I dont want imature people protesting on my behalf - allowing him to protest on my behalf would be like allowing Westboro Baptist Church to protest on my behalf.

In a front I would rather have people I can trust, not immature whiney brats.

I already have a call into Zazzle, there going to have management call me back today.

Excellent! I hope the representative was correct and you're able to get a copy of the original correspondence.

Good job.

Everyone would rarther have to work with only people that they like, however we don't live in a perfect world and if we wan't to stop Autism Speaks then we have to accept help from anyone who is offering to help, regardless of any personality flaws you think they might have. Only when we have won the "War on Autism" can we afford to fight amoust ourselves. So please avoid arguments until then.

Can't you accept that Rossco is doing his best to try and help you and did not intend to upset you in his first post? Yes the rest of his posts were immature but then yours have not been filled with maturity either.

I can often work with people I don't like, but this isnt a fact of working with people I don't like.  Like it or not this is a battle (for lack of a better term) with Autism Speaks.  When fighting an organzaiton I would rather be working with mature, responisble, and individuals I trust - Rossco has proven to be none of the above.

I accept that point, but most of this immaturity could have been avoided. Rossco's first post was more a rash response to sudden excitement that he was unable to express in a maturer way. As you can see the actual letter he sent was not immature. I understand that you interpretated the first post the wrong way which is not your fault, he did the same to your response. But you have both been sending immature responses to each other which was unessasary.

Well, it's been 2 days without a response - it might be a good time to send out a group email...

Completely understandable that you'd want nothing more to do with it. Just remember that, as you said originally, this fight has much more to do with acting against Autism Speaks than acting for TheZach.

The main reason I wanted to reply is to say that there was only one person in the thread that questioned your motives, and the case was not convincing. Pretty much everyone else here knows that your motives are good.

Oops - apologies if it wasn't clear, but I was referring to TheZach, not to yourself. I thought your posts were fine...

Very funny, TheZach!

So you are now siding with Timelord of all people!!

Timelord's been temporarily banned and then permanently banned from AFF. Shouldn't that tell you something?

Not really seeing as your behavior is completley acceptable.

Not really seeing as your behavior is completley acceptable - which in itself makes me question AspiesForFreedom.

Errr... for one thing, I'm a fifty-year-old grandmother, not a whiny brat. You have been mistaken quite a few times recently, and very rude.

All my posts on this thread have been polite and asking how to help.

I'm sorry that you feel so bad.

I do think that's a bit harsh as Rossco really did want to help you with this situation. Sure, there is a time for playing nice but those Autism Speaks people are not doing that and I don't believe appearing weak will do much good.

I don't want the help of someone who acts like a idiot - if you guys cant accept that then thats your problem NOT MINE

Considering how dreadfully rude you were to me, that isn't much of an apology.

It also shows how little you think of other people here that you don't even read their posts properly.

**************************************************************

Tigger made a post then you have made three responses to said post, either assuming Tigger is Rossco, or didn't bother to read who made the post!

I am confused !!

As far as Rossco is concerned, yes he may be blunt, but he is one of the kindest and most helpful people on this forum.

His letter to the organisations was excellent, well written, to the point & certainly not rude!

He has tried to help you, but for some reason you seem determined not to see this.

I'm more confused!

Let me put this in bold letters seeing as you do not understand.

I DO NOT ROSSCOS HELP.  HIS BEHAVIOR IN THIS THREAD HAS LEAD ME TO DETERMINE THAT HES AN IMATURE PERSON AND A PERSON I CAN NOT TRUST.

If you can not understand that then theres nothing else I can say.

What do you mean not it your eyes? Eyes are eyes, surely you can see the posts of this thread?
So why are you ignoring everything just so you can continue to see Rossco as the bad guy? Can't you understand that it is completly irrational to hate someone who has only tried to help you?

It is extremely relevent for you not to throw abuse at people for no reason, the fact that you starting insulting Tigger shows that your insults are not based on fact or content of posts but just because you do not like Rossco. That is not a good reason. The reason why everyone wants you to accept that Rossco is not a nasty person is because that is the truth and no one wants people to see AFF as a joke, where the members cannot even get along. http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthread.php?tid=13134

I am not going to discuss this irrelevent matter anymore - its people like Rossco that make it so the Autistic Rights movement is not taken seriously.