Category: Education

Aptos psychologist: How to cut entitlement programs such as Social Security Disability

One way to cut social security disability: thin out the persons who receive social security based on mental retardation alias intellectual disability. Too many persons categorized by the schools with mental retardation alias intellectual disability eroneously slide into receiving social security because of how they are assessed by the schools. We need more rigourous and accurate assessment of youn person’s functional abilities. An easy way to reduce social security disability: change federal law so that all children with an IEP must provide a copy of the 3 year reviews to a local professional trained in assessment. By monitoring the IEPs far fewer will be diagnosed with mental retardation alias intellectual disability. This will lighten the load for taxpayers.

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Time to trim social security disability?

by Cameorn Jackson
Time that Social Security Disability got a razor hair cut? Yes. And time to lighten the load for taxpayers.

The federal government hit the Replace function and Mental Retardation (MR) became Intellectual Disability (ID). Per the WSJ article 11-30-2010 no change in services occurs. The hurtful label goes.

Is this a superficial face lift for Mental Retardation? Does the underlying structure remain the same but the pain associated with the label continues? Perhaps less pain. But confusion continues.

Confusion exists and continues because words used in one context – education — mean something quite different in another — the medical setting.

In the educational setting, Mental Retardation is a catch-all category to provide special educational services for various students who “don’t fit” That includes behavior problems and a wide variety of other behaviors.

In contrast, in the medical setting (doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists) Mental Retardation means that certain criteria are met. Those criteria are specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) or what will be in DSM-V in 2013. For a medical diagnosis of MR or IT must meet the criteria set out in 317.0 Mental Retardation or a gradation of it.

It is not correct to think of educational MR like a banana and medical MR like a apple and that both are in the category of fruit. Education MR and medical MR are not – and were not — similar in kind or degree. They are simply different entities.

What happens far too often is the student labeled as MR by the schools later slides in to a MR diagnosis and receives social security disability .

How does this happen? Schools often give students leaving high school an exit IQ test. Who knows why but the test often given is the adult version of the Wechsler. And, lo and behold, special education students categorized as MR who have not been held accountable to meet certain standards for moving along in various skills typically perform in the Deficient range. Based on a Deficient score social security deems the person MR and pays social security disability.

What to do about this? It’s time that social security disability got a hair cut. Think of it akin to a razor cut, one that thins out appropriately. Using sense and caution, it is time to separate out those persons who truly are low functioning in most areas of life because of low cognitive IQ abilities.

How to do this? Change the federal law that defines Individual Education Plans (IEP). Require that all students who have an IEP to provide a copy which will be reviewed by local professionals trained in assessment. It is better to use local community standards rather than federal one-size-fits-all standards. By screening IEPs every three years by the time the student turns 18 it will be quite clear whether he or she meets a medical diagnosis of MR alias IT. The defining characteristic of MR alias IT is consistently low functioning abilities — as a result of low cognitive IQ abilities. So, around age 16 students with IEPs should be assessed as to their overall functional abilities

Interestingly, the young man Eddie Belasco discussed in the WSJ article (WSJ, 11-2—2010, A6) may well not meet a diagnosis of MR or IT. Most persons with a medical diagnosis of MR or IT do not graduate from high school; Eddie graduated from a catholic high school. Unlike most persons with MR or IT Eddie has a job, he is saving for his own apartment and he is about to be engaged.

Yes it is good to remove hurtful labels. We used to refer to low IQ and low functioning persons as “idiots” and “morons”. Saying that they were “retarded” was supposed to be a step up. My guess is that because intellectual deficiency has 9 syllables and mental retardation only 6, that it is harder to say it in a pejorative manner. “You ID!” just does not have the ring that “You retard!” had. Unless people think that “You ID!” stands for “You idiot!” If so, we have come full circle.

It is commonly thought that I.Q. is the ceiling and that students can achieve up to their ceiling. However, I have met a number of students with Deficient I.Q. (standard scores lower than 70) who achieve in academics in the high 70’s and low 80’s — a full standard deviation above their IQ scores. How is this possible? Home environment. For example, a child with Deficient IQ raised in a positive way with several brothers and sisters gets pulled upward by them. I.Q scores are just one facet of functioning.

Yes, it is time to trim social security disability. And let’s start with appropriately thinning out those who receive money under mental retardation alias intellectual disability.
written by Cameron Jackson

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The 2010 U.S. Congress should look at how to appropriately cut entitlement programs including SSI Disability for children and youth. Some thoughts…

Children grow and change enormously. Diagnosis of children changes. How to cut social securit appropriately: all children receiving social security disability (age 3-22) should be reviewed every 3 years.Unles OK the disability stops. Simply require that schools send the psych-educational 3 year reviews to a local psycholoigst for review according to local community standards.

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response to Jim DeMint's WSJ article
I work in California as a licensed psychologist with children who have disabilities. Some of the children and youth I assess should never have been diagnosed as disabled. There is an entitlement mentality such that some families want a diagnosis because of the benefits that will come with the diagnosis.

Let’s hope that newly elected Tea Party representatives to Congress address how to rein in the cost of entitlement programs. One way to start could be to take a close look at the social security disability entitlements that children receive.

An appropriate way to limit entitlements is to limit the time that children with disabilities receive disability money. Many children with disabilities make amazing growth. For example, some children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder at age three will lose many of the characteristic symptoms within 3-4 years. On the other end, too many young 18 year olds who score low on IQ tests as they leave high school get diagnosed as mentally retarded and moved on to social security for life.

For children and youth age 3 – 25, a limit of 3 years on disability is probably the best way to go. Children should be eligible for a maximum of 3 years and review required to extend eligibility. The federal government could require schools to send for review all 3 year IEP psycho-educational evaluations.

As children shed their difficulties based on successful school interventions they should also shed their federal government disability entitlement.

Have the review done by an independent source, i.e., private licensed psychologists in the same geographical area where the child resides. For older youth who score low on IQ tests the federal government via private psychologists in the locale should examine the applicants. Does the young 18 year old fit in fairly well to their culture and what is expected of them? What kinds of hopes does the young person have and how can that young person become employable?

Below is an article by Jim DeMint from the Wall Street Journal 11-3-2010 addressed to the persons newly elected to Congress and the Senate.

In 2010, America elected an overwhelming number of Republican and Tea Party movement persons. In 2010 America rejected ObamaCare, the stimulus bills, the huge deficit, massive tax increases and …. President Obama’s teleprompter! Bowing to various heads of states and apologizing for America did not sit well here at home.

America wants the economy to improve, more limited government, less intrusion by government, growth of the private sector, a balanced budget, jobs that stay here and … to continue to believe that America is exceptional. It appears that many Americans reject President Obama’s domestic and foreign policies.

How can the newly elected representatives stay true to why they were elected? Jim DeMint has some excellent thoughts. The above is written by Cameron Jackson DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

November 3, 2010

By JIM DEMINT

Congratulations to all the tea party-backed candidates who overcame a determined, partisan opposition to win their elections. The next campaign begins today. Because you must now overcome determined party insiders if this nation is going to be spared from fiscal disaster.

“Many of the people who will be welcoming the new class of Senate conservatives to Washington never wanted you here in the first place. The establishment is much more likely to try to buy off your votes than to buy into your limited-government philosophy. Consider what former GOP senator-turned-lobbyist Trent Lott told the Washington Post earlier this year: “As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them.”

“Don’t let them. Co-option is coercion. Washington operates on a favor-based economy and for every earmark, committee assignment or fancy title that’s given, payback is expected in return. The chits come due when the roll call votes begin. This is how big-spending bills that everyone always decries in public always manage to pass with just enough votes.

But someone can’t be bribed if they aren’t for sale. Here is some humble advice on how to recognize and refuse such offers.

First, don’t request earmarks. If you do, you’ll vote for legislation based on what’s in it for your state, not what’s best for the country. You will lose the ability to criticize wasteful spending. And, if you dare to oppose other pork-barrel projects, the earmarkers will retaliate against you.

‘In 2005, Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) offered a measure to kill funding for the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.” Before the vote, Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.), an appropriator, issued a warning on the Senate floor.

“If we start cutting funding for individual projects, your project may be next,” she said. “When Members come down to the floor to vote on this amendment, they need to know if they support stripping out this project, Senator Bond [a Republican appropriator] and I are likely to be taking a long, serious look at their projects to determine whether they should be preserved during our upcoming conference negotiations.”

The threat worked. Hardly anyone wanted to risk losing earmarks. The Senate voted 82-15 to protect funding for the Bridge to Nowhere.

Second, hire conservative staff. The old saying “personnel is policy” is true. You don’t need Beltway strategists and consultants running your office. Find people who share your values and believe in advancing the same policy reforms. Staff who are driven by conservative instincts can protect you from unwanted, outside influences when the pressure is on.

Third, beware of committees. Committee assignments can be used as bait to make senators compromise on other matters. Rookie senators are often told they must be a member of a particular committee to advance a certain piece of legislation. This may be true in the House, but a senator can legislate on any matter from the Senate floor.

Fourth, don’t seek titles. The word “Senator” before your name carries plenty of clout. All senators have the power to object to bad legislation, speak on the floor and offer amendments, regardless of how they are ranked in party hierarchy.
Election Night at Opinion Journal

Lastly, don’t let your re-election become more important than your job. You’ve campaigned long and hard for the opportunity to go to Washington and restore freedom in America. People will try to convince you to moderate conservative positions and break campaign promises, all in the name of winning the next race. Resist the temptation to do so. There are worse things than losing an election-like breaking your word to voters.

At your swearing-in ceremony, you will, as all senators do, take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution.” Most will fail to keep their oath. Doing these five things will help you maintain a focus on national priorities and be one who does.

>Congress will never fix entitlements

, simplify the tax code or balance the budget as long as members are more concerned with their own narrow, parochial interests. Time spent securing earmarks and serving personal ambitions is time that should be spent working on big-picture reforms.

When you are in Washington, remember what the voters back home want-less government and more freedom. Millions of people are out of work, the government is going bankrupt and the country is trillions in debt. Americans have watched in disgust as billions of their tax dollars have been wasted on failed jobs plans, bailouts and takeovers. It’s up to us to stop the spending spree and make sure we have a government that benefits America instead of being a burden to it.

Tea party Republicans were elected to go to Washington and save the country-not be co-opted by the club. So put on your boxing gloves. The fight begins today.

Mr. DeMint is a Republican senator from South Carolina.

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Aptos psychologist: In America we take exercise of religion for granted and yawn… see what happens in Egypt when a Christian mom has twins…

Egyptian Court Grants Custody of Sons to Coptic Mother
But twins will keep father’s Muslim identity in their records, creating future problems.
LOS ANGELES, July 1 (CDN) — A Christian mother in Egypt has won custody of her twin sons from her estranged husband, who had converted to Islam and claimed them according to Islamic legal precepts.

The now 15-year-old boys, however, will still be considered Muslims despite their desire to remain Christian.

On June 15 the Egyptian Court of Cassation ruled that Kamilia Gaballah could retain custody of her sons Andrew and Mario, even though the father converted to Islam and the boys’ religion also changed as a result.

If the court does not allow them to return to Christianity, the family will open up another court case, said their older brother George Medhat Ramses.

“Up until now the court said they would have the right to choose their faith,” said Ramses, 21. “But if they don’t, we will start another trial. This is the only way.”

The decision overturns a September 2008 ruling by the Alexandria Appeals court that had granted custody of the twins to their father, Medhat Ramses Labib, due solely to his conversion. During this time Gaballah lived in constant fear police would take away her sons.

The ruling also affirmed Article 20 of Egypt’s Personal Status Law, which states children should remain with their mother regardless of religion until age 15, over that of the Hanefi School of Islamic jurisprudence, which says that a child must be granted custody to the Muslim father in an inter-religious marriage once he or she becomes 7.

But the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) advocacy group noted that while the court ruled a woman cannot be denied custody of her children solely on her Christian faith if her husband converts, children can still be removed from her home if there are “fears for the child’s faith.” An ex-husband or his family could easily exploit this clause, the human rights group said.

According to Gaballah, the trial was not a matter of custody rights but was religious in nature from beginning to end.

“My opponent is not only my divorcee; my opponent is everyone who hears this story and wants Andrew and Mario to become Muslims,” said Gaballah, according to Copts United advocacy group.

Mario and Andrew turned 15 in June. On their 16th birthday, they must apply for Egyptian identity cards, which factor heavily into Egyptian daily life. Barring another court battle, their religion will still be registered as Muslim.

Because of this predicament, the court verdict that granted the twins’ mother full custody only solved half of their problems, said Naguib Gobraiel, a lawyer familiar with the case.

As registered Muslims, they could face harassment while attempting to practice their Christian faith. And while they could marry Christian women, their future children would be registered as Muslims, following the Islamic dictum that children take the religion of their father.

“The court didn’t give them the right of freedom to choose their religion,” Gobraiel told Compass. “We must ask ourselves how the children are permitted to stay with their mother but must follow the religion of another man.”

Until then the family is worried that the court will not allow Andrew and Mario to return to their Christian faith and are taking every precaution. Last Wednesday (June 24) they appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to have their birth certificates state their Christian faith. They had been recently changed to retroactively show the boys’ birth status as Islam.

A Longstanding Battle
The controversy began in 2007 when a court ordered the twins to take Islamic education within the Egyptian school system due to the conversion of their estranged father from Christianity to Islam.

The twins refused to take their Islamic religion exam required to pass the next grade. “I am Christian,” each boy wrote on a make-up test in July. They turned in the exam with all of the answers left blank.

Their father converted to Islam and remarried in 2002. He changed the religion of his sons to Islam in 2006 and applied for custody even though he had not lived with the family. According to sharia (Islamic law) custody of minor children and influence over their religious status belongs to the Muslim parent.

The case reflects the tension in Egypt between civil and religious law. While Article 47 of Egypt’s civil law gives citizens the right to choose their religion, Article II of the Egyptian constitution enshrines sharia as the source of Egyptian law. The same tension has inhibited recent attempts by other converts to change their official religious status from Islam to Christianity.

Rights groups said the court order is good news for Gaballah and the twins, but it does nothing to address discriminatory policies of Egyptian law that attach a child’s faith to a parent who chooses to convert to Islam.

“It is regrettable, however, that the highest court of the country chose to treat the symptoms and ignore the root causes of the problem – changing the religious affiliation of Christian children whose parents convert to Islam without the slightest regard for their will or that of their Christian mothers,” said Hossam Baghat, director of the EIPR, in a statement.

Gaballah has fought with her ex-husband over alimony support and custody of sons Andrew and Mario in 40 different cases since he left her and converted to Islam so that he could remarry in 1999.

END

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Give the needy a fishing pole & not a fish. Example of a woman with 5 children, 4 fathers who collects 39,000 English pounds & has never worked. How change the welfare “mess”?

Give the needy a fishing pole & not a fish.

fishing
Give the needy a fishing pole not a fish.

In California there are women who repeatedly have child after child while addicted to drugs. The children are messed up from the start. The money from the state keeps flowing.

What say you how to change the welfare system for the better?

Here’s a sad example of what socialism brings from merry England. Not a merry tale. This is about a young woman with 5 children, 4 different fathers and the free stuff she collects without ever working…

Adventures in welfare; the young and the shameless
Phil Boehmke

Margaret Thatcher said that ‘the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other’s people’s money.’ Runaway social welfare and entitlement programs designed by liberal politicians as means of creating a permanent voter base have brought the nations of the west to the brink of bankruptcy. Most of us have had to tighten our belts, work harder and make due with less, but even in these difficult times there are a lucky few who seem to thrive.

The UK Daily Mail brings us the amazing tale of Kelly Marshall, a 32 year old single mother of five children (by four different fathers) and my nominee for the coveted title of ‘Miss Welfare State.’ Despite the fact that Ms. Marshall has never worked for a living she collects benefits and credits which provide her with the equivalent of a £39,000 salary.

Miss Marshall has no plans to start working. She once went to a job centre, but quickly realized she would be financially much better off if she didn’t work.

‘What’s the point? My Mum worked all her life and she paid taxes so I feel I am getting what I deserve,’ she said. ‘Some people might think I am a scrounger, but I don’t think me or my children should miss out on nice things just because I have never worked.’

Marshall’s children have the best gaming systems (Xbox 360, Wi, Play Station3) and each of the four bedrooms in their detached housing unit is equipped with a flat screen TV. At present the children ‘only have three laptops between them’ and since ‘they don’t like sharing,’ Super Mum will have to buy another laptop. Of course like any good parent Ms. Marshall understands the educational benefits of foreign travel.

‘I always take the kids abroad,’ she said. ‘We have been to Tenerife and Cyprus, and this year we have been to Magaluf twice.’

‘Each holiday costs about £2,000, but it’s good to get away, and the kids and I deserve it.’

Last year the proud Ms. Marshall embarked upon a self-improvement program. She saved for months and used her credit card to come up with £4,500 for breast augmentation.

She explained: ‘I have wanted a boob job since I was a teen. But it wasn’t possible until I had the five children that I could afford it-with all the extra benefits I get. Now I hope to get liposuction, a tummy tuck and regular Botox.’

[…]

‘I know most people will think it is wrong I am spending taxpayers’ money on my looks. But I deserve it because I am a good mum. Having children has taken a toll on my body. All mums should be able to have cosmetic surgery.’

Showing absolutely no sense of shame Ms. Marshall defiantly said ‘I don’t care that it is at the taxpayers’ cost’ adding that ‘it’s my decision what the money is spent on.’ It might be comical if Kelly Marshall were unique, however she is merely one of the growing number of entitlement junkies who have been spawned in the murky waters of the modern welfare state. The children of redistribution are in for a rude awakening, because as Lady Thatcher observed ‘eventually you run out of other people’s money’ and that day is on the horizon.

paboehmke@yahoo.com

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Aptos psychologist: look what lengths sharia law goes to control women… Saudi women cannot drive cars… now they must give breast milk to avoid illicit contact between sexes… What’s next???

June 22, 2010
Many were stunned when Saudi cleric Sheik Abdel Mohsen Obeikan recently issued a fatwa, or Islamic ruling, calling on women to give breast milk to their male colleagues or men they come into regular contact with so as to avoid illicit mixing between the sexes.

But a group of Saudi women has taken the controversial decree a step further in a new campaign to gain the right to drive in the ultra-conservative kingdom, media reports say.

If they’re not granted the right to drive, the women are threatening to breastfeed their drivers to establish a symbolic maternal bond.

“Is this is all that is left to us to do: to give our breasts to the foreign drivers?” a Saudi woman named Fatima Shammary was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Obeikan argued in his decree that if the women give their drivers their breast milk, the chauffeurs would be able to mingle with all members of the family without having to worry about violating Islamic law. Some Islamic scholars frown on the mixing of unmarried men and women. Islamic tradition, or hadith, stipulates that breastfeeding establishes a maternal bond, even if a woman breastfeeds a child who is not her own.

Drawing from the cleric’s advocacy, the women have reportedly chosen a slogan for their campaign that translates to, “We either be allowed to drive or breastfeed foreigners.”

The current driving ban applies to all women in Saudi Arabia, regardless of their nationality, and it’s been a topic of heated public debate in recent years.
The ban on driving was unofficial at first but was introduced as official legislation after 47 Saudi women drove cars through the streets of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in 1990 in an attempt to challenge authorities.

The incident brought harsh consequences for the women, who were jailed for a day and had their passports confiscated. Many of them were said to have been forced to leave their jobs after the driving protest.

Still, every now and then, reports of Saudi women driving in defiance of the ban emerge in the media.

Two years ago, 125 women in Saudi Arabia signed a petition that called on the Saudi interior minister to lift the ban.

One of the Saudi female signatories, Wajeha Huwaider, posted a video of herself driving on YouTube in a direct appeal to the Saudi authorities to allow women to drive.

“For women to drive is not a political issue,” Wajeha said as she sat behind the wheel. “It is not a religious issue. It is a social issue, and we know that many women of our society are capable of driving cars. We also know that many families will allow their women to drive.”

— Alexandra Sandels, in Beirut

Photo: Saudi women look under the hood of a new car at a showroom in Riyadh, where women sell cars to female buyers. Women can still own cars in Saudi Arabia, but they are banned from driving them. Credit: Associated Press

Twitter: @latimesworld
Facebook: latimesworld

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How many smart, older American woman have asked themselves recently:

* I have a job for __ years and people say I have done an excellent job. Why have I never considered politics?

* I have conservative values.

* I do want to return to values of George Washington, Madison, Jefferson and early Presidents

* I want a world for our children hat supports the original values that made America great.

Then maybe it is time for OLDER WOMEN to enter politics?

So what if your teeth are not as white as a 30 year old !! Do you have experience and tenaity? Then why not get into politics?

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St. Timothy School in Tanzania with help from Mama Hope not only educates but provides plenty of bathrooms!

Moshi, Tanzania is home to St. Timothy School. One-third of the students are orphans.

Recently, Mama Hope partnered with St. Timothy School so they could move into a larger school.

The new St. Timothy School is open. It serves five rural villages near Moshi, Tanzania.

And the students are so happy. In their former school there was only one bathroom for the students and the other for teachers. Now there are more bathrooms.

That problem – fewer bathrooms for those served than those serving – exists in many places. Good to see that the new St. Timothy School has addressed the bathroom issue. And great to see many young people getting a good education.

To see the Mama Hope video about St. Timothy School in Moshi, Tanzania filmed by Bryce Adophson go to:vimeo.com/14559808


Mama Hope | St. Timothy School from Mama Hope on Vimeo< /a>.

written by Cameron Jackson
DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

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Aptos, CA psychologist: Why and How to Reform Social Security Disability

Here’s a case that illustrates why and how to reform social security disability.

Billy – not his real name – is a five year old boy. When age 3 he was diagnosed with Autistic Disorder and put on social security disability.

Billy’s parents have drug problems, are unemployed and have been in and out of shelters.

Due to neglect, Billy was removed by CPS and placed in a foster home 2 days a week. The other 5 days Billy lives with his mother in a shelter. His father’s where-abouts are unknown.

The care that Billy received 2 days a week for 10 months in a foster home was sufficient that Billy changed dramatically.

Billy changed from having no language to speaking in 4-5 word sentences, from not being potty trained to potty trained, from ignoring other children to seeking them out.

This child is not autistic and should not receive social security disability based on that or any other diagnosis. Currently, Billy has behavior problems and having missed considerable school is behind other students.

How to reform the system so children are not put on disability who should not?

There are some very simple ways to radically reform social security disability.

Judiciously limit who gets on social security disability to start with. Limit the time period to maximum of 1 or 2 years depending on severity. Make it clear that any new information that shows much higher functioning will automatically cut off the benefit.

Tell the family that the benefit automatically dies once the 1 or 2 years has passed. Make the family be the moving party to continue the benefit. Assess the child again prior to re-newing the benefit.

Legislative changes: Require that a copy of all 3 year school assessments is sent electronically to social security for review. Hire licensed psychologists as independent contractors to review cases.

Require that all California regional centers provide social security with electronic copies of psychological and medical reports.

These simple changes can reform social security disability.

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First cousin marriages between British Pakistani a ‘tradition’? So says Deborah Gabriel

On the website People With Voices Deborah Gabriel writes concerning British Pakistani who marry first cousins.

Gabriel, working on a Ph.D. in journalism, criticizes fellow British journalist Ed West for using ‘inbreeding’ instead of ‘consanquinity’ to describe marriage between British Pakistani first cousins.

After faulting West, Gabriel goes on to use the word ‘ tradition’ in a misleading way. She says that wearing Burka and marriage between first cousins are best described as Pakistani ‘traditions’. I disagree. Gabriel describes human behaviors – clothing and marriage habits – that are largely guided by Islamic religious law.

What are traditions? Some Brits regularly eat yorkshire pudding with their roast beef. Some Americans regularly go to 4th of July parades. Those are traditions. No legal or religious sanctions attach to persons who do not do those activities.

In some countries — and possibly in certain areas of the U.S. and Britain — Islamic religious law guides most aspects of life including clothing, marriage and sex. And huge sanctions may attach for breaking Islamic religious law.

In Saudia Arabia last year Shiria law upheld selling an 8 year old child to a 50 year old man. In Afganistan, a couple was stoned to death for having sex outside of marriage Homosexualaity is a capital crime under Sharia law.

A favorite cookbook of mine is 1000 Jewish Recipes by Faye Levy, published in 2000. This cookbook has no recipes for pork. Is Ms. Levy a racist or acting in a discriminatory manner by not including pork recipes? No. My Jewish cookbook lacks pork recipes precisely because ancient Jewish religious law guides modern Jewish food habits.

Similarly, wearing Burka and first cousin marriages between British Pakistanis are not best described as Pakistani ‘traditions’.

These behaviors are guided, possibly controlled, by Islamic religious law. Yes, some Pakistani women may say that they choose to wear Burka in Britain. A choice in Britain or the U.S. is not a choice for women in other parts of the world.

I have heard it said that Islamic law affects all decisions people make. And we all know instances where things do not go well for those who break with Islamic laws.

A year or so ago, in Saudi Arabia a bunch of school age girls ran out of their school because it was on fire. The girls did not wear Burka. The girls were seized and thrown back into the burning building. The girls died because Islamic religious law caused some men to act that way.

Deborah Gabriel argues that first cousin marriages and wearing Burka by British Pakistanis are best thought of as ‘traditions’ and best dealt with similarly to the demographic shift in educated women to bear children later. She cites figures that older women age 40 have a 1% chance of having a Down’s Syndrome child. Pakistanis who are first cousins have a 6% chance of bearing a child with severe disabilities. If older women have choice to bear disabled children why not also British Pakistani who marry first cousins? The author uses medical authority for support for her view.

Does Gabriel think that Pakistani women who were bamboozled or intimidated into marriages have a real choice to say “No!” to more children with their first cousin husband? In general, Islamic women are very much second class citizens relative to the power and authority that Islamic men exert.

What will give real choice and freedom to British Pakistani women? Not having to do 24/7 total child care for severely disabled children is one way. And that way means knowing that marriage between blood relations is wrong for the children, wrong for society to pay the incredible expense and wrong for parents to bear the terrible grief.

If women know it is wrong then they will teach their daughters and sons that it is wrong.

I say to Deborah Gabriel, aspiring Ph.D. journalist, that she call a spade a spade. Use words accurately. Words are your craft as a journalist. Be precise with words.

Traditions are habits that people engage in by choice and desire. Traditions are not behaviors that must be done or sanctions may attach.

Gabriel may prefer the six sylable word ‘consanguinity’ to the word ‘ in-breeding’ but generally simple words say it best. ‘Related by blood’ says it simply and accurately.

First cousin marriages between British Pakistani is not a ‘tradition’. It is an unfortunate bi- product of ancient Islamic religious law.

The Prophet Mohammed had a number of wives. Five wives I believe. One marriage was consummated when the girl was age 9. Is that not child abuse? Another marriage was with a young woman whom he married the same day that he killed her father, brother and husband. How cruel can you get to deprive her of all close male relations? The Prophet in his personal behavior showed little respect for women.

With this kind of personal marital history — multiple wives with young girls and women taken through violence –probably the Koran condones behavior akin to what the Prophet did.

Back to author Gabriel’s assertion that marriage between British Pakistani first cousins is simply a ‘tradition’.

No, Ms. Gabriel. Read the Koran. Project Gutenberg has 3 versions of all verses. Book 4 verse 023 lists all persons a man is prohibited from marrying. The list is extensive including his mother-in-law and nieces. Not on the excluded list are first cousins. So, the religious law of Islam permits marriage by first cousins. This is not a ‘tradition’ — this is Islamic law.

From the Koran:

004.023 Y: “Prohibited to you (For marriage) are:– Your mothers, daughters, sisters; father’s sisters, Mother’s sisters; brother’s daughters, sister’s daughters; foster-mothers (Who gave you suck), foster-sisters; your wives’ mothers; your step-daughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom ye have gone in,- no prohibition if ye have not gone in;- (Those who have been) wives of your sons proceeding from your loins; and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time, except for what is past; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful;-

P: “Forbidden unto you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your father’s sisters, and your mother’s sisters, and your brother’s daughters and your sister’s daughters, and your foster-mothers, and your foster-sisters, and your mothers-in-law, and your step-daughters who are under your protection (born) of your women unto whom ye have gone in – but if ye have not gone in unto them, then it is no sin for you (to marry their daughters) – and the wives of your sons who (spring) from your own loins. And (it is forbidden unto you) that ye should have two sisters together, except what hath already happened (of that nature) in the past. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.”

Written 8-28-2010 by Cameron Smith Jackson drCameronJackson@gmail.com

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Aptos psychologist: elite parents with $ steal for autistic child. Why?

These parents have money. Connections. Why steal? I do not get it. Do you? Is it arrogance?

See story below:

“A former partner at a well-known law firm and his marketing consultant wife were arrested Wednesday on felony charges of bilking the San Francisco school district and private insurers out of about $400,000 via fraudulent bills for treatment of their autistic son, officials say.

“The San Francisco couple, Jonathan S. Dickstein and Barclay J. Lynn, both 43, surrendered Wednesday and are expected to appear in court this morning for arraignment on 30 counts of fraud, theft and conspiracy, authorities say.

They were briefly jailed Wednesday on $100,000 bail each but were released on bond.

“This was an elaborate scheme to defraud the school district and insurance companies out of a lot of money,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney David Pfeifer. “They used this scheme to make money off their child’s special needs – that’s terrible.”

Until this year, Dickstein, who graduated from Stanford and then Harvard Law School, was a partner at the internationally recognized San Francisco firm of Morrison & Foerster, specializing in intellectual property issues and the law surrounding life sciences. He has since started his own practice, according to his Facebook page.

He and his wife had arranged for the home care of their young son through another school district before transferring to the San Francisco school district. Under state guidelines, school districts are obligated to provide or compensate parents for home education of autistic or other severely disabled children.

By law, parents are required to use licensed private educational providers to develop individual treatment plans that meet state guidelines for their disabled children.

Dickstein and Lynn had employed such a private provider, but in 2006, they created their own: Puzzle Pieces. Prosecutors said it was actually a dummy company that was not licensed to develop autism education.

Double dipping

In fact, they say, the couple used Puzzle Pieces to overbill and “double dip” – charging both the school district and insurers for the exact same services – from 2006 to 2008. They billed for counselors and doctors at allegedly inflated rates and charged both the district and insurers for the same hours of treatment. They allegedly told insurers the district would not pay.

Gentle Blythe, spokeswoman for the district, said it was school officials who raised red flags to prosecutors last year.

“The parents weren’t allowing the district personnel to talk to the service providers,” Blythe said. She said it was then that the district uncovered the fact that Puzzle Pieces was not a licensed provider and in fact had been started by Lynn in 2006.

Dickstein’s attorney, Garrick Lew, said the couple were devoted to their severely challenged son, but admittedly took efforts too far.

“They put a lot of work into getting whatever the child needed,” he said. “In the process of getting all those needs met, there were problems.”

He said he hopes to “try to work something out” with prosecutors.

Douglas Rappaport, Lynn’s attorney, said that it was too soon to comment in detail but that there was “some indication that their conduct could be construed as lawful.”

He said the couple volunteered many hours of their time to causes associated with autism.

The alleged fraud went undetected for about three years, until the school district assigned a new case supervisor over the education and treatment of the child last year.

Blythe said the district’s earlier efforts to supervise the child’s care met with resistance from the couple, but officials acted quickly when the problem was uncovered by the new supervisor.

The new supervisor noticed that Puzzle Pieces was charging twice what would typically be paid for in-home autism care and counseling for autistic children, prosecutors say.

A doctor who supposedly provided help had no specialty in autism, prosecutors say. Dr. Robert Schenck describes himself on the Internet as a specialist in depression in adults. He declined to comment.

When confronted about the questionable billings, the couple told authorities at the district that they did not have copies of the checks used to pay Puzzle Pieces.

Prosecutors said the couple attempted to pass off Puzzle Pieces as a company that they were not directly involved in, saying they would have to talk to the company people and get back to the district. But, Pfeifer noted: “They are the company.”

Thousands in losses

According to prosecutors, the district lost as much as $240,000 while Anthem Blue Cross lost an estimated $100,000 and CIGNA, which administered the law firm’s health plan, lost about $40,000.

In an Internet profile, Lynn said that from March 2006 until June of this year, she was a “director” of “private autism services” and that she “designed and directed (an) individualized home education program for (a) child affected by Autism” that combined “best practices” in ” therapies and techniques …”

She said that the “10 year old child in question went from an ‘untestable’ IQ in 2004 to being able to reach (sic) at a 2nd grade level, write several pages of text and is able to do 2nd grade math.”

Lew, Dickstein’s attorney, said the couple got overwhelmed as they worked with the many intricacies involved in securing care for their son.

“They were dealing with multiple agencies,” he said. “Somehow things kind of went south. It’s really unfortunate for them, as people, and also for their kid.”

E-mail Jaxon Van Derbeken at jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/26/MNUI1F3CFL.DTL#ixzz0xrvRHDwD

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