Shame on me for being inept in my research on this case!

This story HERE titled "Helping Everyone But Herself," makes me absolutely sick.

It has all of the excuses one could think of in these cases. None of them will ever absolve this terrible murder of an innocent child even if they were true. Which we know they're not from the quotes of Mr. Michael McCarron, Katie McCarron's Grandfather.

Thank you Stephen Drake for bringing these former stories to light. How could I have missed them? Yet, sadly, that is the case.

Yesterday I had posted praising this columnist for this piece HERE titled "This Was Not About Autism," where columnist Phil Luciano quotes Michael McCarron's words, not telling us why. How very deceitful! What a despicably wretched reporter.

I retract any thanks or praise toward Phil Luciano and can only state that contempt would more apt fit the description of how I feel about his type of heart and his perverted style in reporting.

My most humble apologies to Mr. Michael McCarron. Please know that I stand with you in calling this Murder. For that is precisely what it was. It's an atrocity I'm sorry you're having to go through.

May God bless you for standing up to this columnist.

Please accept my condolences in your time of bereavement.

Denise Gilmore

You need to check out another Luciano column I didn't notice on your list: See video before venting (this is the infamous "Autism every day video" that has been blasted on autism blogs for weeks for its grotesque content. Critiques have included wondering how many murders the video would inspire.)

A couple of quotes from the article:

Been there: No one should judge this woman for doing what she felt she had to do. My oldest daughter Jenna (age 8, severe autism) almost drowned 4 years ago. She had run off, and I spotted her and pulled her out just as her head was going below the surface of a stream's muddy water line. I cannot tell you how many times I have thought about that being a mistake.Autism takes a toll on the whole family. If you haven't lived with it you can't possibly understand. - Valeri Dugan, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Karen's feelings of isolation and despair are the norm, not the exception. What's remarkable about this tragedy is that it didn't happen here sooner. - Christopher M. Kennedy, legislative director. Autism Society of Illinois, Chicago

Right now, there's a state-wide conference on autism going on. I doubt they'll read the column with the comments from Katie's grandfather to attendees.

"Karen's feelings of isolation and despair are the norm, not the exception. What's remarkable about this tragedy is that it didn't happen here sooner. - Christopher M. Kennedy, legislative director. Autism Society of Illinois, Chicago"

With Christopher M. Kennedy, legislative director of the Autism Society of Illinois, Chicago saying the above, he's has essentially endorsed Murder of every person who is Autistic.

It appears that the Autism Society and the Heritage Foundation are on the same bandwagon.

Truly frightening and enraging.

What I neglected to add was that video is so deceiving in and of itself. That's why it's hated. It goes further in the subliminal message it intends besides the obvious grotesque aspect it blantantly over-uses (without delving into the why's, of course).

It portrays Autism as a very Morbid, unmanageable, hopeless life lacking any quality.

Not only so, it portrays people with Autism as things without any intelligent mental process nor construct. The only emotion it offers is equally deceiving, depicting primarily self destruct, violent, abusive and otherwise negative tendencies which are, according to the perception one gets in that video, without reason.

Critiques need not wonder how many murders are induced because of videos like that. With statements like the one quoted coming straight from the Autism Society itself, namely:

"Karen's feelings of isolation and despair are the norm, not the exception.'

"What's remarkable about this tragedy is that it didn't happen here sooner. - Christopher M. Kennedy, legislative director. Autism Society of Illinois, Chicago"

That should, in any reasonable thinking human, quench all speculations and shine the spotlight on why these murders are happening much more often than before that horrid video.

Here's another "interesting" development. Karen McCarron's husband has filed for divorce - claiming "extreme and repeated mental cruelty."

This is a very unusual move by a husband in this kind of situation. It makes me think there might be more ugly things we'll be learning about Karen McCarron in the future.

Link: http://www.pjstar.com/stories/052406/TRI_B9TDC2HS.028.shtml

Meanwhile, the Springfield IL newspaper is now referring to Katie Mccarron's murder as a "mercy killing" - and that has now been picked up by UPI.

Links:

http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/86798.asp

http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20060524-113035-3157r.htm

I am a lefty and I have always been interested in trying to understand crime. After 9/11 people on the left like Noam Chomsky were accused of oondoning terrorism because they tried to understand it. Just because people say they "understand" at some level, does not mean all of them condone murder. And to say that this "understanding" is revolting,is censorship. Personally, I am sort of tired of the "you are either with us or against us." mentality of thinking. If someone says to me that they understand an act or even (heaven forbid( murder, I want to ask the next question. Who are you? What are your experiences in life which have brought you to such an understanding? Are we at a point now where we leave this questioning to novelists? If it is coming from a parent, maybe we should be asking a lot more questions than we do. On the other hand we can just judge all of them for not saying the politically correct words we want to hear and be done with it.

sonia,

I don't understand your points at all or your attempts to brand the criticism of press coverage as "censorship," since the viewpoints of autistic bloggers and people like me haven't been seen *once* in the press coverage.

this isn't a case of "leftys" seeking to understand murders - but rather treating the murder of autistic children (and a few adults) by their parents as somehow "different" than other murders by parents.

It's a double standard fueled by bigotry, stereotyping, and some really vile "advocacy" portraying autism as everyone's worst possible nightmare.

It shouldn't have been *necessary* for Katie McCarron's grandfather to write to the newspaper defending her life, her joy in it, and the joy she brought to others.

Or maybe, according to you, he was just being "politically correct."

With the move the husband has made, claiming "extreme and repeated mental cruelty," this could be seen as his first statement of self defense in the complicity of a crime as well.

Not accusing mind you, and I trust this is understood. Just looking at this from a different angle. Is it possible that we'll find 'ugly' things about both of them? He had been married to her for 10 years. What took him so long to file divorce papers if his reason for them now are "extreme and REPEATED mental cruelty? I emphasize the word "repeated" as to make clear this has been going on for some length of time. Perhaps years.

Had the wife ever eluded to doing just this sort of thing within earshot of the husband? Did he ever suspect she had the potential and did nothing? Did he, in those 10 years of marriage, ever have misgivings regarding her mental stability? Had he ever witnessed outbursts of anger or experience physical abuse from her toward him in those 10 years? Questions of this nature haunt me.

Obviously it wasn't a normal relationship to begin with according to his reason for a divorce. I hope to be wrong regarding the husband and that he is innocent. Yet something is amiss and to place a finger on what it is, I cannot. Again, let me state, I'm not accusing, just wondering and asking. Truly, I do hope to be wrong. If it turns out I'm completely wrong, yours truly will be the first to jump with joy.

As to the "Mercy Killing" mantra, it was only a matter of time. That's the mantra of this age in most all of these cases of unadulterated Murder.

The censoring I was talking about was not of the grandfather because I believe That that child did have a love for life and a desire for life like most of us and what the mother did was murder and she should be punished. I have an adult son with autism. I think though we have to be careful when we begin to without futher questioning call people's responses of "understanding", revolting. I think it depends where that understanding is coming from. If it is coming from my mother who believes my son should be in an institution and has never bothered to get to know my son, it is to me revolting. If it is coming from a parent or even a sibling, that so called "understanding" is a lot more complicated and confusing and becomes very easily misinterpreted without further questioning of the experiences of that family. I worry a bit when there is any effort to be judgemental. Maybe censor was not the right word here. Parents need to be able to talk freely, without people who have never walked in their shoes, constantly judging everything they say.
I listened to part of the video people have been talking about. I have mixed feelings about it because it does not portray the whole picture obviously and because of that assumptions are made about the children and the parents. It was a video created I suspect as fundraising for the outside world. Parents who have kids with autism are not perfect. We have a lot of baggage from the society, prejudices etc. However, what these parents need is not your condemnation but the skills to work with the local schools, service providers, and the outside world. I would point out that the woman who said she wanted to at one point drive over the bridge mentioned this in context in talking about the schools. This past year I had a very dark time. My son had become increasingly more violent at home and in the community It was incredibly scary time. It is isolating. In my opinion, this video is not going to cause more murders.


I

Besides the "Mercy Killing" spin in This Article These two lines continue to bother me:

"Police found McCar-ron and her husband, Paul, hugging and him crying. McCarron had just told him she had killed their daughter, police said."

If somebody, be it my spouse, my mother, my brother, a neighbor, a stranger or my best friend, had just told me they killed my 3 year old daughter-- on purpose--, I don't believe I'd be hugging and crying on the shoulders of that murderer. Would that make me 'atypical'?

How many people, do you suppose, upon hearing a confessed murderer tell them they've just killed their 3 year old daughter--on purpose--would not only hug but continue hugging and crying on the shoulders of the murderer until the Police arrived?

That's not a normal reaction if you ask me.

Notice too, there's only one party crying in that quote.

Yeah. Luciano makes me sick. I left him an angry message, and just might call again.

I want to know why being differently brained is a crime. And maybe the mental cruelty thing...well...Dad and Katie lived in one of the Carolinas for better schools. Maybe theres a reason he didnt mind relocating.

She hadnt even been back 2 weeks. And she was killed for doing what autistic children DO.

I'm still putting pressure on the states attorney to go for death penalty, the information to do that is available on my blog, under a letter i wrote to Katie. Blog is The Rettdevil's Rants. So if anyone else wants to email or call, go for it.

I posted Luciano's contact info too. Have a ball.

We are PEOPLE not tsunamis, toxic waste dumps, an epidemic, a national emergency, bodies without souls, or any of the crap the curebie parents would have you beleive. We have thoughts. We have feelings. We learn. We love.

Sounds human to me...

"I want to know why being differently brained is a crime."

You and I both. My records state "atypical" and this is not looked at in a favorable light. As to the reason it isn't, this has never been explained to me. I say it's fear and bigotry on 'those' types of 'typicals.' It's a guessing game.

Good for you for sending the letter and applying pressure. If we all did this, maybe just maybe...

Well, we can hope.