Sarah Palin's safety tips and advice on how to clear your name

I finally got the chance to tackle my garden and lawn this evening! So, putting on the shorts and tank top to catch that too-brief northern summer sun and placing a giddy Trig in his toddler backpack for a lawn-mowing adventure, I looked up in surprise to see a “new neighbor” overlooking my property just a stone’s throw away. Needless to say, our outdoor adventure ended quickly after Todd went to introduce himself to the stranger who was peering in...

Sarah Palin's note from last year was packed with little messages:

• She's sexy in her shorts and tank top.
• Trig IS her son, he has mowing adventures with mom.
• The new neighbour is a pervert.

Throwing stones is what they do best. Todd reiterated the lawn mowing performance in his statement, but omitted the bit about Trig in the backpack. I heard that Joe McGinniss confirmed to Gryphen that the mowing adventure did take place. It's quite obvious that the performance was put on for McGinniss's benefit.

Several websites give similar advice:

The power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous tools around the home. Each year, approximately 68,000 persons with injuries caused by power mowers were treated in emergency departments. More than 9,000 of the people hurt were younger than 18 years.

• Make sure that sturdy shoes (not sandals or sneakers) are worn while mowing.
• Prevent injuries from flying objects, such as stones or toys, by picking up objects from the lawn before mowing begins. Have anyone who uses a mower wear hearing and eye protection.
• Make sure that children are indoors or at a safe distance well away from the area that you plan to mow.
• Do not allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers.

Screenshots from another site:

She may not care about her own safety, but...

And this bit made me laugh:

Sarah Palin doesn't like to be told what to do, be it regarding lawn mowing safety, wearing seat belts in a moving vehicle or using a cell phone while driving. Her children's safety is her own darned business and can't be mandated by anybody!

The sad part is that she doesn't have any common sense about the safety of her own children. Safety "mandations" by the government are directed at people like her. Somebody has to protect the children of irresponsible parents...

*****

Another interesting thing about the Palins is that they seem reluctant to clear their names in a court of law. Branding people as perverts seems to be their preferred route. Todd Palin didn't deny any of the revelations in The Rogue or the National Enquirer, he just attacked McGinniss.

A Palin fan came up with this idea for a Todd Palin legal fund: People should send $25 to Sarah Pac so Todd could be bailed out after beating McGinniss to a pulp at one of his book signings.

Violence and innuendo seem to be much easier solutions than a lawsuit for libel, eh?

Perhaps we should wait for a while and see if they sue the author when The Rogue comes out next week. Oh, and let's keep an eye on any lawsuits against the National Enquirer.

During the three years people have been writing about Sarah Palin, they only had their lawyer send threatening letters on two occasions. One was about a looming investigation and the other about a possible impending divorce. Neither needed such strong arm tactics, as time would prove the bloggers in question were wrong.

None of the gates (including Babygate) have been challenged by the Palins in a court of law.

Interesting, n'est-ce pas?

Has Trig been retired?

Where is the love, Sarah Palin?

LOVE

PROP

[Please visit hang on little tomato and catch up with our little friend Max.]

How's Sarah Palin's gift from God doing?

Catherine Just is the proud mother of our little friend Max. I'm really glad Catherine shares Max's achievements with others.



Catherine posted a series of photos taken by Max, please have a look.

I wish we could have the opportunity to learn more about the progress of another little friend, but the best his mother can do is tell the world that God knows best and chose her to be the mother of a forever dependent little person...

Excerpt from Sarah Palin's letter, dictated to her by God himself:

"And Trig will be the cuddly, innocent dependent little brother that his siblings have been waiting for... in fact Trig will - in some diagnostic ways - always be a mischievous, dependent little brother, because I created him a bit different than a lot of babies born into this world today."

Perhaps she doesn't have much to share about this miracle baby, the best thing that ever happened to her.

It surprises me that an opportunist like Sarah Palin doesn't use her prop baby in a more effective way. She could have put her enthusiasm for Facebook and Twitter to good use and kept everybody posted on Trig's progress, making him a real person. She could have highlighted the everyday challenges of raising a child with Down syndrome and how she meets them. She could have promoted various organizations and pointed out what good work they do and how they help the children and their families. She could have raised their profiles and a lot of money for them, as a true advocate.

Sarah Palin missed the opportunity to look good and to do some good for a change, but she has done none of the above.

OK, let's be fair. She gave $1,000 of other people's money to one Down syndrome organization once...

Sarah Palin, God and Trig - Again

I found Sarah Palin's letter from God about Trig in the e-mail database. She sent it to herself on April 7, 2008. It's slightly different from the version that appeared in Going Rogue. In the e-mail version, we find out that it was God who made her appear not pregnant so she could hide it and made her pregnancy remarkably short so people wouldn't have to wait too long.

It seems she sent it out to her staff as an attachment shortly after Trig's first appearance. Tom Irwin was particularly moved by it.

Sarah Palin received several e-mails from church leaders and from parents of children with Down syndrome.

The church people praised her decision to go ahead with the pregnancy and the parents offered encouragement. I wonder how they feel now, considering that Sarah Palin has done absolutley nothing for the special needs community, apart from spouting the same old tired platitudes in her very well paid speeches.

A couple of the e-mails contradict the palinbot "proof" that Sarah is obviously the mother of Trig because of her age.

Some parents had hopes of having an ally and an advocate in a position of power. What a disappointment...

What I found most interesting was God's explanation for the short pregnancy. I wonder if she edited it for Going Rogue because by the time it was published the Trig Truthers already had a good picture of her "pregnancy" and would focus on that passage for the BS content.

Yeah, right!

[If anybody would like to read all the e-mails about it, search Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin  on the Crivella West database, without inverted commas.]

Trig to Sarah Palin: "Who are you?"

Sarah Palin arrived in Arizona to regroup before she hits the trail again. She needs a break from her family vacation. [So does Piper.]



The family vacation didn't have many members of the family enjoying it. One by one, they seemed to disappear, until there were only Piper, Sally and Chuck left.

Trig is only three years old and doesn't seem to fit in Sarah Palin's present schedule. I'm not saying she should continue to parade him up and down the country, but he was conspicuous by his absence from the family vacation visiting historic sites on the East Coast. It wasn't so much Trig's physical absence that was strange, but there wasn't a single mention of his existence, not a word about him.

Was he in Alaska, being cared for by another member of the family because the One Nation schedule would have been too punishing for him? Perhaps he was in Arizona and the first thing Sarah Palin did upon her arrival was put her arms around him for some perspective, so the rest of the things in the periphery would just go away?



I don't think Trig has set eyes on Sarah Palin in a long time. He's probably tucked away somewhere in Alaska, hopefully receiving all the things he needs from somebody compassionate enough.

"Wild Ride" transcript:

...but just absolutely perfect in our eyes and we’re just very, very, very blessed and, um it’s, it's a perfect situation for us when we first heard it was, ya know, kind of confusing and, and at first blush hearing the news it was you know, I… it was received by me for a couple of hours there after hearing the news as, uh, very, very challenging… even sad… that day but just knowing that there’s purpose in every situation… there’s certainly good purpose in every child. Just knowing that, um, we should feel blessed that, uh God would choose us...

Sarah Palin is fond of saying that every child has a purpose. I'm beginning to suspect that Trig has served his purpose and is no longer a very useful, manageable, cute prop.

Considering recent events, I think Piper has blown that gig as well and the older children don't seem to help Sarah's image very much...

What's a Mama Grizzly without her cubs, eh?

What are Trig Palin's chances?

Yesterday our readers Trigmund Freud and texasagl2009 posted a link to an inspiring article about a couple with Down syndrome. Here are some excerpts:

The story of Austin Davenport and Christi Hockel began with an abnormality in their genes, the presence of an extra 21st chromosome, or Down syndrome.


What that diagnosis meant to their parents was a million dreams that seemed suddenly lost. Kindergarten. Prom. Graduation. The grief almost swallowed them, and then it toughened them, and then it taught them to forsake the children they had longed for, and instead accept the ones they had.

If they hadn’t done that, if they hadn’t recast their dreams and rebuilt their plans, there never would have been a first kiss or a walk down the aisle.

Reader Sleuth sent me another link:

Toni, now a senior at Loveland High, was crowned queen at Loveland's prom April 30. And her friend, Drew Anderson, also a senior with Down syndrome, was crowned king by their classmates.

A royal prom couple who both had disabilities is a first for Loveland and likely for most Cincinnati area schools. But it's not unprecedented.

Increasingly, students in mainstream high schools are honoring their special-needs peers at school events, said Michelle Diament, cofounder of Disability Scoop LLC, a website based in Memphis, Tenn., that covers news about developmental disabilities.

There are 6.6 million schoolchildren with disabilities; 60 percent of them spend most of their school day in classes with typical students, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics.

Attitudes are changing, but many parents had to swim against the current to help their children with special needs achieve their full potential. In August 2009, I wrote a post about high achievers who happen to have Down Syndrome. I would like to show them again:

Chris Burke, born August 26, 1965, in Point Lookout, New York, is an American actor with Down syndrome, best known for his character Charles "Corky" Thatcher on the television series Life Goes On.

His parents were told to institutionalize him when he was born, but they decided to raise him at home and nurture his talents. He was encouraged to follow his career objectives no matter how untraditional they seemed for a young man with Down syndrome. His siblings also worked with him. Many were surprised at how bright Burke was when he entered formal schooling.


Blair Williamson was born with Down syndrome weighing 3 lbs. 6 oz. He had 9 surgeries by the time he was 5 years old and didn't walk until he was nearly 4 years old. By the time he was a healthy 10 year old he was running 400 meters for Special Olympics. His ability to run got him a lead role in a national commercial for Procter and Gamble in 1990.

Blair has been running to jobs ever since. He guest starred on "The Guardian," co-starred on "ER" and he has been murdered on "CSI" and had his nose done on "nip/tuck." His film credits include a co-star role on USA's "My Antonia," as well as many independent features and shorts. Blair is most proud of his work on the feature film "Unknown," to be released in 2006, where he plays the janitor. The role was physical and demanding.


When Andrea Fay Friedman was born in Los Angeles on June 1,1970, nobody would have predicted that she would become a well-known actress and public speaker, go to college, hold a job, drive a car and live a full and independent life. Because Andrea was born with Down syndrome, the pediatrician told her parents to send her straight to an institution because she would not develop beyond the mental age of four or five. Her parents, Harold and Marjorie Friedman, ignored the doctor's advice, took Andrea home, loved her, taught her and worked to help her develop to her full potential.

[Andrea was at the centre of a controversy involving Sarah Palin when she voiced a character with Down syndrome in an episode of Family Guy. Sarah Palin was the butt of a joke in the program, but she used Trig to go on the attack, as usual...]

When Jane Cameron was diagnosed with Down syndrome at four months old, Jane's parents were told their daughter was "retarded" and that they should: "Put her in an institution and forget about her." They were shocked and, despite knowing little to nothing about Down syndrome they decided that what their child needed was as much love, care and education as they could possibly give her.

Although her artistic talent was not discovered until Jane was about twenty, her tapestries now hang across the world. Jane's embroidered tapestries are glowing statements of her imagination and her love and affection for all living things. A life that could have been a tragedy became one of joy for Jane's parents and hope for other parents of children with Down syndrome.


27-year-old Sujeet Desai is an accomplished musician born with Down syndrome. Sujeet plays six instruments. Bb and Bass clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Violin, Piano and drums. In June 2001 he graduated from high School with honors and in May 2003 from the Berkshire Hills Music Academy in Massachusetts after two-year residential Post-secondary study in Music and Human services. Sujeet travels around the world to do his inspirational solo performances and self-advocacy workshops.


Michael Jurogue Johnson has been painting fulltime for nine years. This gifted artist was born with Down syndrome, but he was also born with an inherited artistic talent. His family tree is filled with artists, engineers, and classical musicians.

When he graduated from public school at the age of 21, Michael decided to become a fulltime artist, rather than working in a sheltered workshop. Michael learned how to paint by painting every day, building on what he had learned in school, and experimenting.

Raymond Hu is a twenty-one-year-old artist residing in Alamo, CA. Born with Down syndrome, Raymond graduated from San Ramon Valley High School, Danville, California in summer 1996, where he was enrolled in a full inclusion program for four years. Since Sept. 1996, he has been attending a Transistion Program in the high school, and taking art and other classes at Diablo Valley College and Laney College.

Raymond has been studying Chinese brush painting with renowned San Francisco artist Lampo Leong since 1990. He has developed a uniquely free and expressive style of painting that has won much critical acclaim. In the last few years, he has concentrated on painting animals, ranging from lions to tigers, lizards, elephants, birds, and fish. He uses photos of animal images as models, but his interpretation is quite unique. The medium he uses is ink and watercolor applied with round brush on thin absorbant rice-paper.


Born in Nashville TN with Down Syndrome, Bernadette Resha has become well known in the art community worldwide.

Her exposure to the art world and culture started as a child attending as many art galleries, museums, concert halls and plays as her time would allow.

From an early age she was encouraged to draw and color in her own style as a form of expression and therapy. This has resulted in a body of work which documents an artist developing a unique style entirely her own.

With an artist grandmother and a mother fully committed to allowing her to use this medium of self expression for as far as she would care to take it, Bernadette now exhibits in numerous art galleries, art and craft shows throughout south east and attends many conventions throughout the United States showing and selling her work.

An Alaskan reader (thank you, AJ) drew my attention to the work of a young Alaskan artist who has Down syndrome:

Brown Bear Products is a family run business that was set up in 1998 to show and sell the art of Erik David Behnke, a young Alaskan visual artist that lives in Homer on the coast of beautiful Kachemak Bay.

The plan of this business has always been to help artists with disabilities. At this stage, it mainly focuses on Erik David Behnke, a visual artist with Down Syndrome and autism. It has a section to link to other artists with Downs and autism.

The parents of many of these very talented and productive people were advised to place them in institutions because "they were retarded and would not achieve anything". This kind of advice was given many years ago.

Trig was born in a different world, but his own so-called mother seems to believe he won't amount to very much, or she wouldn't have written (in the voice of God) : "in fact Trig will - in some diagnostic ways - always be a mischievous, dependent little brother, because I created him a bit different than a lot of babies born into this world today." If she belived in his potential when she wrote this passage: "Every child is created special, with awesome purpose and amazing potential," she wouldn't have used him as an example of a person with a low “level of productivity in society” when facing Obama’s “death panels”.

Trig is one of the 6.6 million children with special needs in the US. Considering his mother's attitudes, he is unlikely to be among the 60% who will attend regular school. Trig's value to Sarah Palin is enhanced if he remains special and dependent. Trig doesn't have a good advocate and the possibility of leading an independent life, supporting himself, driving a car or getting married is not part of his mother's agenda.

We have the opportunity to follow the progress of some children with Down syndrome whose parents see them in a very different light:

hang on little tomato
Girl in a Party Hat
Our Jacob
Teeny Tiny Hopkins

Sarah Palin Talks About Special Needs, Her Son and Todd Todd Todd in Alabama

Sarah Palin with Todd, a few days earlier

I don't have the complete footage of Sarah Palin's speech at the Exceptional Foundation event, but it appears Todd was her prop du jour. Poor Todd, he took nearly three months to recover from the Iron Dog, it took place in February... Sarah can't help lying and embellishing stuff just for the sake of it. It was all Todd, Todd, Todd (my marriage is perfect).


It seems she spoke about Trig very briefly, and she used the same old tried and tested platitudes. He's an inspiration, he's perfect, God knows better, blah blah. I don't think Sarah Palin can relate to the struggles other parents of children with special needs encounter and can't share in their achivements either.


Other parents talk about their children in a very different way: They share all their children's small steps towards independence, what therapies work for them, what groups they joined. They talk about their children as real human beings, not as a badge of faith or some mythical object they evoke for effect. There are a few blogs written by real parents of real children with special needs on the sidebar. Trig is real to somebody else, the person who's providing for him. In the three years we've been following Trig's progress, all we have observed from this joke of a "mother" is the cynical exploitation of his condition for her own ends.

I don't think we're going to see much of Trig from now on. As he grows and becomes less compliant, too big to be carried around like a loaf of French bread and less cute, his presence at events won't reflect well on his "mother." It will become very difficult for her to feign familiarity with a child who recoils from her. I believe Trig looks at her and sees a very shrill, frightening, strange woman.


Sarah's tone of voice was very patronizing in this clip. She did talk about the tornadoes, but she almost made it sound like a good thing, on the same level as the aurora borealis, something like a wonder of Mother Nature. She and Todd Todd Todd will join another opportunist and do all they can for the victims of the disaster: Franklin Graham, of course.

According to one report, she quickly turned to politics. No surprises there.

Palin speaks to Exceptional Foundation: fox10tv.com

Some excerpts from an article on Baldwin County Now:

Palin — the former vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor — received a warm reception from an estimated 150 to 200 guests who paid top dollar to attend the benefit dinner. She was chosen because her son, Trig, was diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero and she has since spoken in favor of special needs’ children’s rights.

During tonight’s dinner, Palin said she initially feared the “challenge” of having a child with Down syndrome but spoke of how Trig is an inspiration to her and husband Todd.

“There’s society’s measurement of perfection and then there’s God’s measurement of perfection — and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters,” she said of the latter, receiving the audience’s applause.

Much of Palin’s remarks veered into politics, particularly during a question-and-answer session following her keynote address.

As for a familiar subject -- whether she will run for president in 2012 -- the Republican said, "You don't have to have your name on a ballot to fight for things like that" (special needs causes). "We don't need an office; we don't need a title to do that."

What Sarah Palin has done for special needs causes:

- attacked liberals for saying she should have aborted Trig.

- attacked a blogger for photoshopping and iconic image of a mother's love for her child.

- attacked the producer on an animated cartoon where she was the butt of a joke by a character voiced by an actress with Down syndrome.

- attacked Rahm Emanuel for using the word "retarded" in private once, but defended Rush Limbaugh for using it several times in public.

- paraded Trig all over the country, exposing him to crowds, bright lights, noise and the elements.

- donated $1000 of other people's money to a Down syndrome organization.

She attacks anybody and everybody in the name of special needs, but her favourite cause is herself.



Blogs by parents of children with Down syndrome:
hang on little tomato
Girl in a Party Hat
Our Jacob
Teeny Tiny Hopkins