anyone want to explain where this came from? This sounds like the hot ill tempered guy I remember from back in the day, same Name too “Mark” I wonder if he’s the guy Married to a woman named Shannon “Shay.” =) if so, HEY old ape how yah been?!

I am only going to respond to a few of your comments which are inaccurate in order to set the record straight. I have copied and pasted portions of your commentary so that you understand to what I am speaking in reference to.

“It would be my pleasure to do so. Yes, I am the same Erick you grew up with. A good example of audism is when your mother doesn’t know sign language and had you be an oralist before you learned sign language.”

Erick, this comes to me as a huge surprise –especially considering that I’ve known you since you were approximately 6 years old or so. I’d think that given the fact we have a long history of knowing each other, that you’d have known better than to say this and most certainly, that you would not have disrespected my mother the way you have with your comments. For your information, Erik, my mother, whom I have a deep admiration and a profound respect for the way she raised me and fought for my rights as a deaf individual, actually did her research when she discovered that I was deaf at 15 months old (I was born profoundly deaf but back in 1974 hearing tests for infants was not a common practice or the protocol it is today, so nobody knew that I was profoundly deaf at the time of birth). Among the several things my mother did was to have me learn sign language, learn spoken language, and learn other things to see which method would be of most interest to me. Never once did my mother ever specifically steer me in a certain direction. It was entirely my own choice. Furthermore, she contacted Barbara Bodner (who now, and has been for an extremely long time, working at Gallaudet University in the Education Dept., but was previously working at Syracuse University at the time my mother contacted her) and asked her to be my first sign language teacher and to provide support and information to my mother about how to best raise a deaf child. As a result of Barbara Bodner’s recommendations, my mother and father commenced attending sign language classes and began to learn signing. I had already taken a liking to sign language – moreso than the spoken language – and opted for that route. I was a very young toddler with no patience or real world experience or knowledge/understanding of Deaf Culture when one day, after my mother kept repeatedly making mistakes with her signing – for example when she’d sign a sentence and she messed up in the middle of the sentence, she’d go all the way back to the beginning. I, being the extremely impatient child that I was, told my mother to just stop signing and to talk to me and that I would understand her. THAT, Erik, is the reason why I grew up using spoken English. My mother, bless her heart, continued to sign even after I asked her not to. For your information, my mother DOES sign. She may not be fluent, but she has her own ability which I and several other of our fellow Syracusans as well as other Deaf people understand clearly. Don’t you dare ever criticize my mother ever again, Erick. The other major factor why I was more oral is because I was isolated in being mainstreamed, and that said, it only seemed most natural for me to use my spoken English skills in that kind of setting. What I’ll have you know is that three of my closest friends from 4th grade (whom I’m still close with to this day) started learning sign language when I joined the school. They are all still signers to this day and have even taken formal ASL classes.

“It was the Split Rock, Camillus Middle School, and Westhill program that saved you. If it wasn’t for that program, would you be signing today?”

For your information, Erick, I never attended any of these schools you mention above – I attended Stonehedge with the BOCES program from K-3 (where, by the way, Erick, I had sign language interpreters - surely you remember Mary Shaunasee (sp?) and Regina Whiteside. So, I was signing at that time) but then transferred to the Syracuse City school district (where, again, by the way, Grace Miller’s Grandmother - “Ma” Miller was my interpreter) at the 4th grade and then attended the Fabius-Pompey school district, with Jessica LaSala Cuculick, from 8th grade until graduation (again, with interpreters). So, I wasn’t “saved” and had no reason to be. I was perfectly content with the person I was and am now.

“And also, I remember there was a time when you would whisper/speak to other speaking Deaf people and laugh when non-speaking Deaf signers didn’t understand you. I do remember a time when you would hide your mouth and talk with other oralists like Grace (can’t remember her name) and Eva Ayers.”

Geez Erick… what you fail to mention to the viewers is that these kinds of actions (which I don’t recall ever happening, but if that is your recollection, then I respect that) happened when I was an adolescent. Tell me, how in the Sam Hill was I supposed to know otherwise if I was never told otherwise, Erick? And how about yourself? You’re not exactly the angel. You would sign things so fast, I couldn’t understand you. And then what was your response? You’d slap Marcus Welch or Ralph Mingolelli’s shoulder and point your index finger towards me and start bursting out laughing. Not exactly what I’d call supportive or an educational moment for me, Erick. I’d call that oppression and resistance to be of support to your so-called friend in helping me learn sign language to the level which you were at. Furthermore, Erick, I know for a fact that, for many years, you were a Sim-Com kind of guy. Guess you decided that wasn’t the kind of communication you wanted to do anymore. That’s fine. I wish you well.

“Erin, by no means am I attacking you. I am only pointing certain things so that you can understand better when it applies to you directly. For a childhood friend like you, I am willing to put the time in to show you how it affects you personally so that you can better understand and analyze yourself.”

What a friend you are, Erick! If this post isn’t a “personal attack” on me, then I am not sure what constitutes a personal attack anymore. In my eyes, it is more than a personal attack - it is sheer disrespect. Publicly bashing me, and worse so - my own mother! If you truly were the friend which you claim to be “taking the time to show me…” you would have responded with a post, asking for us to chat via AIM or e-mail to discuss in further detail instead of doing it the way you did. Looks to me like you needed to do it for show, so as to boost your own ego, Erick.

“And you do wear hearing aids, still, don’t you, Erin?”

Yes, I do. I reckon that automatically makes me an audist, eh Erick?

“Her son chose to join the military, and fought a senseless war for an idiotic president. He got what was coming.”

He got what was coming??? You obviously are a very angry man, Erick. For you to show disrespect for the dead - especially those who serve our beloved country and die defending for people like us - is beyond my comprehension.

If you just simply look at my original post, you will see that all I ever did was to respectfully ask you to give examples of how Shane didn’t have the right information regarding the protesters. I am not sure how your comments even respond to that. All the points you make are not justifible grounds to drop the reprisals.

Learn to understand and practice the concept of respect, Erick. Once you do, you’ll find that life is heckuva lot better.

Erin Esposito

Burning Fernandes in effigy was entirely appropriate. It is a symbolic statement and was done responsibly.

The world will *respect* the protesters, as they are doing now, and it will enhance Gallaudet’s reputation.

Whether or not some people chugged beer has nothing to do with the actual protest. That’s their private business as private individuals.

I really never forgot how emotional Gary Olson was during the very first DPN protest night. I had to walk with him that night to ensure that everything will be not out of control. I just got off my car when I found out myself looking at Gallaudet people lit up the Gally Board of Trustee announcements near the Field House. I left my car without locking it up or taking the car key with me. I ended up walking with Gary Olson in the front row of our impromptu march to the Mayflower Hotel. What an lifetime experience!

Of course, I was kinda wary when the police cars swevered in front of us, marchers. Gary Olson told all of us “Heck with it. Run for it!” Everyone ran past the police cars. The police officers didn’t stop us or using batons on us that night. Thank Goodness!

RLM

To me, the most amusing part of your drivel was:

“And I’ll have you know that I’m an ASL professor these days.”

First of all, your status as an ASL professor does not lend any credence to the ramblings you posted. Are you trying to imply that by being a professor, your words on this subject should be respected?

Secondly, pray tell, please tell me how by being a part-time ASL instructor at a third-rate community college in Rome/Utica New York means you’re a ‘professor’?

I mean, you didn’t make it at RIT, and from what I hear, you didn’t make it at Gallaudet either, so how can you be a professor without a BA?

Here’s what I think: you’re full of sh*t.

While I disagree with you on many things, you are correct about this root cause for the protest. Put in another way, JKF was right when she said she wasn’t deaf enough.