1996 was a big political year. So...

1996

"When you're in the minority, you have to fight for everything. "
-- Lyle Baldeagle

"As long as the disability community stays in
its place, the place assigned to it by the
non-disabled, nothing will change. The only
time things are going to change is when
the disability community rolls out of its place.
It may appear that it's not right to block the door.
What's not right is that the door is inaccessible."
-- Shel Trapp

"Our leaders pledged allegiance to the status
quo and to the jobs in the disability-industrial
complex for which it stands."
-- Kelly Pierce

Cover of Mouth's disability politics issue, featuring a lead story on "The Pecking Order."

"The thing is, nobody told me I was disabled.
They told me I had brain trauma and a
seizure disorder. The word disabled never
entered the conversation. When I found out,
I was surprised, like, 'So you're saying
I'm disabled?' No shit, Sherlock. Welcome to
the new world. Right then I knew I
had entered the underclass."
-- Deb Fedor

a page from Mouth has a life and death alert that says, "Supreme Court to decide: will death be our special liberty?"

"Start with the lowest level of conflict and escalate from there."
-- Mike Oxford

"After watching 'When Billy Broke His Head' on PBS, I switched stations just in time to catch an inspirational supercrip story on the show '911.' The contrast was jolting. It's wrong and the wrong stinks to my soul every time. Never, never, never will I quit until the wrongs are made right."
-- Toby Tyler

"There was a small yellow rope tied from wrist to wrist, connecting them. Two, who I now realized were staff, loosened the rope from around the wrist of one man. I assumed they were going to take him into the washroom. I was wrong. They tied him to the water fountain and thus secured not only him but the five others attached to him.... Other than realizing that change happens slowly, I didn't get it. I didn't wake up."
-- Dave Hingsburger

"I tell them it's their responsibility to their fellow human beings."
-- Tia Nelis, on community organizing to close state institutions

"Remember George Wallace. It is good for our cause when we have a loud, ugly enemy. Got one? Make the most of it."
-- Mouth's "Gathered Wisdom"

"In about 1977, I went to see 'Star Wars,' and was floored by the bar scene. Here is this ordinary-looking guy, Luke Skywalker, in this bar where almost everybody in the place has a non-human/alien look and yet: this is their home. They are not strange. They are normal. Bingo! I woke up."
-- Neil Marcus

"Housing inaccessibility used to be like the rain, the snow, the weather. What I figured out about housing: This is not weather; this is people's decisions, builders' decisions."
-- Eleanor Smith

"I apologized for comparing a nursing home and a jail. That's an exaggeration. In jail, you get a lawyer and a release date."
-- Barbara Knowlen

"When the will to act is thwarted, it atrophies into a wish to be taken care of."
-- Ellen Langer

"Life as a CIL director is hazardous. Selling out the people in the name of representing them can happen before we realize what we're doing. When applied while sleepwalking, representation is the enemy of empowerment."
-- Kathleen Kleinmann

"When I was admitted to a hospital for surgery, the admitting clerk asked me to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order. I asked what would happen if, having signed it, I stopped breathing because of a bad reaction to anesthesia.
"'CPR would not take place,' she replied. I did not sign the order. A few hours after surgery, still delirious from the anesthesia and post-surgical demerol, I had to fight off a social worker who wanted to force feed me a DNR. I mustered my strength and screamed, 'I'm thirty years old. I don't want to die!'"
-- Joe Ehman

onward, ever onward
to 1997, the maybe most interesting year so far
| HOMEPAGE | ABOUT MOUTH | SUBSCRIBE |

back to the Mouth Chronicles index page

The Simon Says cartoon is by Clay Butler.

The Supreme Court cartoon is by Frank Billey.

The editor designed those two ace covers. Pat her on the back for them next time you see her.


				1996
	"When you're in the minority, you have to fight for everything. " -- Lyle Baldeagle "As long as the disability community stays in its place, the place assigned to it by the non-disabled, nothing will change. The only time things are going to change is when the disability community rolls out of its place. It may appear that it's not right to block the door. What's not right is that the door is inaccessible." -- Shel Trapp "Our leaders pledged allegiance to the status quo and to the jobs in the disability-industrial complex for which it stands." -- Kelly Pierce "The thing is, nobody told me I was disabled. They told me I had brain trauma and a seizure disorder. The word disabled never entered the conversation. When I found out, I was surprised, like, 'So you're saying I'm disabled?' No shit, Sherlock. Welcome to the new world. Right then I knew I had entered the underclass." -- Deb Fedor			"Start with the lowest level of conflict and escalate from there." -- Mike Oxford "After watching 'When Billy Broke His Head' on PBS, I switched stations just in time to catch an inspirational supercrip story on the show '911.' The contrast was jolting. It's wrong and the wrong stinks to my soul every time. Never, never, never will I quit until the wrongs are made right." -- Toby Tyler "There was a small yellow rope tied from wrist to wrist, connecting them. Two, who I now realized were staff, loosened the rope from around the wrist of one man. I assumed they were going to take him into the washroom. I was wrong. They tied him to the water fountain and thus secured not only him but the five others attached to him.... Other than realizing that change happens slowly, I didn't get it. I didn't wake up." -- Dave Hingsburger "I tell them it's their responsibility to their fellow human beings." -- Tia Nelis, on community organizing to close state institutions "Remember George Wallace. It is good for our cause when we have a loud, ugly enemy. Got one? Make the most of it." -- Mouth's "Gathered Wisdom" "In about 1977, I went to see 'Star Wars,' and was floored by the bar scene. Here is this ordinary-looking guy, Luke Skywalker, in this bar where almost everybody in the place has a non-human/alien look and yet: this is their home. They are not strange. They are normal. Bingo! I woke up." -- Neil Marcus "Housing inaccessibility used to be like the rain, the snow, the weather. What I figured out about housing: This is not weather; this is people's decisions, builders' decisions." -- Eleanor Smith "I apologized for comparing a nursing home and a jail. That's an exaggeration. In jail, you get a lawyer and a release date." -- Barbara Knowlen "When the will to act is thwarted, it atrophies into a wish to be taken care of." -- Ellen Langer "Life as a CIL director is hazardous. Selling out the people in the name of representing them can happen before we realize what we're doing. When applied while sleepwalking, representation is the enemy of empowerment." -- Kathleen Kleinmann "When I was admitted to a hospital for surgery, the admitting clerk asked me to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order. I asked what would happen if, having signed it, I stopped breathing because of a bad reaction to anesthesia. "'CPR would not take place,' she replied. I did not sign the order. A few hours after surgery, still delirious from the anesthesia and post-surgical demerol, I had to fight off a social worker who wanted to force feed me a DNR. I mustered my strength and screamed, 'I'm thirty years old. I don't want to die!'" -- Joe Ehman





	onward, ever onward to 1997, the maybe most interesting year so far \| HOMEPAGE \| ABOUT MOUTH \| SUBSCRIBE \| back to the Mouth Chronicles index page			The Simon Says cartoon is by Clay Butler. The Supreme Court cartoon is by Frank Billey. The editor designed those two ace covers. Pat her on the back for them next time you see her.