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.]

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

Sarah Palin - There's Good Purpose in Trig

Right, yeah, well, He’s got that extra chromosome, he has Down’s Syndrome. And, um, ya can’t tell at this stage by looking ya know but, um, there are some characteristics there that I think will become more apparent, 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...











... it's a perfect situation for us... there’s purpose in every situation... there’s certainly good purpose in every child.


[Sarah Palin will speak about special needs this evening.]

Sarah Palin and Down syndrome - Spot the difference

Sarah Palin with Trig

Max Harrison

Sarah Palin took upon herself the responsibility of bringing up a child with Down syndrome. We have been very interested in how she does it and so far we haven't been terribly impressed with her efforts.

Readers of Palingates send in many links of interest and one of them took me to a little gem of a blog, written by the mother of a child with Down syndrome who's roughly the same age as Trig Palin. Catherine Just is a photographer from LA and she has documented her pregnancy with Max, his diagnosis and his progress in delightful photos and videos. Coincidentally, Max was born on the 8th month of Catherine's pregnancy.


Catherine, proud mom-to-be

Some of the similarities between Sarah and Catherine, such as the prematurity, words like "gift" and "miracle" and "challenge", made the dissimilarities very obvious.

Jerry, Max and Catherine

Catherine went beyond "talking" about Max. She and her husband Jerry took action. They wanted information, joined support groups, got in touch with other parents in the same situation in order to figure out how to meet Max's needs, how to offer him the best opportunities to fulfill his potential.

"We are learning so much every day about what this diagnosis means and doesn't mean. It hasn't been easy to talk about with everyone - but we've gotten so much love and support about this and we are so grateful for that. Max is an incredible light that fills up our lives in so many ways. I'm so glad he is in our lives and I can't wait to learn more about him as he grows up and shows us who he is. I sometimes fear that I won't have a clue as to what to do or how to be the best mom for him and his specific needs and I am sure all the moms out there can relate to that one!

We signed up to be a part of the Down Syndrome Associate of Los Angeles and through that organization we were given the name of a married couple who also have a baby with down syndrome. They will be our mentor family. We've talked with them on the phone and plan on meeting with them soon. I'm so excited about that. It's nice to talk with other moms out there but to talk with one who also has a baby with similar needs as yours is so relieving in a way. I plan to sign up for everything possible. We are going to go to a group soon to meet other parents and I think that will be a great way to learn more about early intervention that we will get for Max, and what all is out there. There is a Huge round up in a few weeks that takes place at the skirball center here in LA and Jerry and I plan to go even though it's technically a "mom's luncheon"."

Sarah Palin never says anything about support groups or how she counts on the help of Down syndrome organizations in the great state of Alaska. Considering that Trig gives her the credentials as a "super mom" and that she loves to blow her own trumpet on any possible occasion, it seems very odd that, apart from the usual platitudes, Sarah doesn't say anything that would show real commitment to Trig's progress. Maybe Trig is getting some input because another member of the family joined something, but she couldn't advertise that...

We heard about Trig's haircuts, how he applauds each new day, how he needs protecting from Andrea Friedman and the Family Guy team. We followed the saga of the desecration of the iconic image of mother and child love when Eddie Burke's face was photoshopped into a picture of Sarah with Trig. In Going Rogue we learned that her sister Heather is the nurturing one, that God must have chosen the Palins for Trig because he knew what he was doing, that Trig will forever be the dependent little brother to his siblings.

What we have never heard was how much she values networking with other parents, what wonderful work the Down syndrome groups in Alaska do for the families dealing with a child with special needs and how they helped with Trig or how much she owes them for their support when she felt overwhelmed.

Sarah Palin made a donation of $1,000 to the National Association for Down Syndrome on the last possible day before her Pac report was due. That's how much the "You'll have a friend and advocate in the White House" DS mom did for the cause. That money was donated to her Pac by her followers, it didn't come out of the reported $12,000,000 she raked in from her book, TV deals and speeches in recent months.


Let's continue to look at the contrasts between Sarah and other parents with children with DS. Catherine pointed out to me that actor John C McGinley, who plays one of the doctors in the series Scrubs, is the father of another Max, who also has Down syndrome. John was just as overwhelmed as any other parent when he learned that Max had DS. Did he say Max is an adorable miracle and stop at that? No. He and his wife tried to learn everything they could about the condition, joined groups, used his fame to promote events to raise money and awareness about DS; John C. gave numerous interviews and wrote articles where he pulled no punches regarding the irresponsible use of the word "retard."

John C. is committed to building awareness and acceptance of people with Down syndrome. In 2002, he joined the National Down Syndrome Society as the National Buddy Walk Spokesman, providing significant national visibility for the program. He served as the 2005/2006 national spokesperson for the Society's annual Buddy Walks, advocacy walks that take place in hundreds of cities across the United States and Canada.

A simple google search will return results pointing to countless blogs written by parents of children with special needs. I had a quick look at some of them and noticed that they share a few things: Networking, supporting special needs organizations, supporting other parents, asking readers to pray for a particular child going through a bad patch. They all celebrate their children and are proud to share their achievements and landmarks with their readers. They share resources, united in their quest to make their children's lives richer and the path a bit smoother.

A bunch of unknown people do their best for their children and hope to raise awareness about their conditions, share what they know with others, giving tips and linking to helpful organizations. These parents want to make a contribution and make a difference in any way they can. Some of the contributors to Palingates, like StephiLou, tXdAd and others generously shared their experiences in the comments section. We learned from them and our little community was enriched, we became more aware in the process.

Please note that I refer to parents of children with special needs simply as parents of children with special needs. They don't like to define themselves or their babies by their diagnoses. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, wears Down syndrome as a badge, using Trig and his condition to serve her own skewed agenda. That's why I refer to her as a "DS mom," in the same way she described herself as a "hockey mom." She likes to point out that she "chose" to have Trig, knowing he was going to be born with Down syndrome. So did many other parents. The big difference is that they saw the child first and the condition was secondary in their choices. Some other parents were not aware of DS before the birth of their babies, but again, they fell in love with their babies, not their diagnoses. They see themselves as parents and don't feel special because their children are a bit different.



Sarah Palin is the most famous "DS mom" in the country. But apart from parading Trig all over the place in inappropriate attire, spouting some soundbites in her speeches and giving a token donation to NADS, she has done absolutely nothing for children with special needs and their families. She uses her Facebook page to attack people and not much else. There are so many avenues open to her if she really wanted to support families raising children with special needs... What's stopping her from creating a Facebook group dedicated to sharing stories about Trig, how he's making progress thanks to early intervention programs, giving links to resources, having a forum where other parents could tell their stories, talk about their triumphs and their struggles?

If she would put a fraction of the energy she uses to attack people (in a very aggressive manner) into promoting a group dedicated to children with special needs instead, she could make a greater impact than all the little known blogs put together.

But Sarah Palin is not about the positive. She's not for solutions or anything constructive.

If we see the creation of a Facebook page (as described above) in the near future, that would confirm that Sarah Palin's camp is very aware of what goes on here at Palingates. Even if it turns out to be just another hypocritical little exercise in blowing her own trumpet, at least it would be one tiny step in the right direction and would do more for the special needs community than everything else she has done so far...

(Please click on pictures to enlarge)

We can watch Max grow up by clicking on "hang on little tomato", now added to our blog list. The posts are heartwarming and informative and the photos are a real treat.

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Websites which linked to this post:

Buzzflash

Political Carnival

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Sarah Palin's ignorance regarding the reality of healthcare in the USA

Guest post by Mickey7

I have been asked by Patrick to guest post in reference to Sarah Palin’s recent inexplicable decision to charge a speaking fee to appear at an event for a special needs advocacy group (Rainbow Omega) versus giving her services away for free to the incredibly wealthy and powerful National Rifle Association. In her speech to the Rainbow Omega, Mrs. Palin once again stated her belief in limited government intervention for healthcare - even in the case of serious or catastrophic illness. She did this with full knowledge that this stand directly impacts access to needed services for those with special needs, including her own son. This stubborn insistence on clinging to a partisan mantra despite clear evidence of the failure of that position should concern us all. After all, this is a woman who believes herself qualified to craft national policy on crucial issues like healthcare and medical research spending that will impact all of us.

Because I have been working in the field of patient advocacy for the past 20 years, I pay particular attention to issues related to healthcare access and medical research policy. Leaving aside for the moment the utter hypocrisy of someone whose family benefits from government healthcare (Todd Palin and the Palin children are covered by a government-funded health program due to being part Native Alaskan, as it was revealed in Bristol's custody trial), but who does not want the average American—even Pitbulls with Lipstick or Mama Grizzlies—to receive similar care, Mrs. Palin demonstrates unforgivably appalling ignorance of policy related to healthcare and medical research

Let’s compare Mrs. Palin’s position on these two issues (healthcare reform and medical research policy) to reality and see how she stacks up:

Healthcare Reform

In her speech to Rainbow Omega about special needs kids, Palin trotted out her tired lies about Obamacare. In a Fox News interview of February this year, Palin stated (paraphrasing) “We should let the free market dictate healthcare so Americans have choice.” Apart from the obvious fact that millions of Americans actually have no ‘choice’ based on outrageous premiums and the passive eugenics of pre-existing condition denials, Palin clearly has no idea of the history of private insurance in this country—specifically the fact that health insurers are exempt from the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. They never have operated under ‘free market conditions’ and are legally able to collude and price fix. This exemption was granted during the rise of the New Deal to encourage private industry to take on health insurance, but was slated to expire in 1947. Even back then, the industry had clever lobbyists able to bend Congress to their will resulting in the situation we have today where the health insurance industry and Major League Baseball being the only industries exempt from Sherman. This explains why many states have only one or a few insurers (where’s the competition?) and the rates for all of them remain about the same. There is no free market competition in the health insurance industry and there never has been. Palin, as usual, is flat out wrong and/or lying.

In fact, the market has been rigged from day one to provide profit and to specifically protect health insurers from market competition. This explains why private insurers in states like Michigan can raise premiums by 59% and get away with it. There is no competitive option in Michigan—you either pay the extorted insurance premiums or you go without. Similar problems exist in California and many other states. Prior to the passage of healthcare reform, which Palin worked so diligently to defeat, Congress could only scold insurers and plead with them to be nice because they had done nothing illegal and the government was powerless to reign them in. It remains to be seen how effective reform will be at fixing this situation.

The reality of the healthcare situation for millions of Americans living with rare, genetic and chronic diseases is much different than most Americans assume and than what Palin would like you to believe. For one thing, most people mistakenly believe that if you receive a devastating diagnosis you are automatically eligible for government assistance through Medicare, Medicaid or SSI/SSD programs (or in Palin’s dream world, you will automatically receive help through a church-based charity).

There are currently 38 diagnoses that are granted automatic coverage. There are over 6,500 rare diseases—most of them genetic, lifelong and devastating and tens of thousands of more common disorders that impact ability to work and diminish quality of life, yet are not necessarily covered by current government programs. Clearly, the vast majority of people with serious illnesses languish with little hope of any help from the government. They can petition for aid, but it is often denied until their diseases have progressed to the point where they are facing the end of their lives. This means that they spend years trying to navigate through a private insurance system that is looking for any reason to deny them the care they need.

My own experience with my daughter’s illness is a good illustration of the real situation for American families with special needs. My daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic, progressive and incurable disease at age 7. Receiving the diagnosis was a shock and we were devastated. But we found our troubles were just beginning. Having always been pretty healthy myself, our introduction to the realities of the American healthcare system for those with real needs was brutal. Despite having two private insurances, by the time I was 30 I was technically bankrupt from co-pays and medical costs that were not covered due to arbitrary insurance decisions about what was ‘reasonable and customary.’ My daughter’s serious infections required antibiotics which were not approved for use in children or for her specific disorder (no drugs are approved for her disorder—there are not even enough people diagnosed with it to do proper clinical trials) so insurance companies—legally--didn’t have to pay for them. She was sick all the time and often hospitalized, but still not technically disabled (another issue for those with rare diseases—disability ratings and coverage for therapies are often tied to diagnosis code, which many rare disorders do not have, resulting in an obscene situation where critical services are denied based on purely administrative and often silly rules) so she didn’t qualify for any federal program. Her ‘maintenance’ therapy took 3-4 hours per day. That, plus her frequent hospitalizations made it very difficult for me to hold down a full-time job. I did what I could, barely making ends meet, but still too ‘wealthy’ to qualify for Medicaid (I made less than $15,000 a year at the time).

This is the reality for families with special medical circumstances. You are effectively shut out of the American dream at the moment of diagnosis and face a lifetime of drowning in debt with little hope of relief. When you should be concentrating on finding the best care for your loved one, you are snowed under by medical bills, exhausted by lack of resources and frustrated by the limited options that exist to improve your circumstances.

As an adult with a rare, chronic condition, my daughter requires a machine to keep her lungs clear ($15,000 one-time expense), an antibiotic that can be inhaled through another machine ($4,917 per month for the drug; $1,200 one-time expense for the nebulizer), one or more oral antibiotics in addition to the inhaled one ($800 to $1500 per month) and a drug to thin out her lung secretions ($1,800 per month). These are her ‘healthy’ expenses to keep her from getting sick. When she does get sick, those expenses double or triple, including the cost for multiple hospital stays per year. There are families in our group who have 2 or 3 children with this disorder, who face these costs times 2 or 3. Typical co-pays for drugs are 20-30% of the total cost. Medical devices are often not covered at all or if they are, the coverage caps at a few hundred dollars per year. Believe me, we looked for help from any source possible and there are not any church groups or independent charities willing or even able to cover these costs, despite their sincere desire to help. Pharmaceutical company programs to provide access generally require recipients to live at poverty level or are diagnosis-specific and only available to people with specific diagnoses. To suggest that families should be personally responsible for their medical expenses when the monthly expenses far outweigh their monthly income is as insulting as it is ridiculous.

Medical Research

The only hope for many with rare or devastating diseases comes from the promise of medical research that will provide effective treatments or possibly even cures. An example of why this type of research is so crucial can be found in the cystic fibrosis (CF) community. CF is a genetic disorder of metabolism that results in excessively thick mucus. The thick mucus ‘gunks up’ organs of digestion and the airways in the lungs leading to malnutrition and respiratory failure. Early in the 20th century children with CF did not live more than a few months or years. Dedicated research efforts sponsored by both the federal government and the private CF Foundation have improved both life expectancy and quality of life for people with CF, so that now the average life expectancy is around age 40 and some individuals with CF are living long enough to require geriatric care. Additionally, the treatments devised to help patients with CF (which affects roughly 30,000 Americans) are now used to help millions with lung disease. If you know anyone with asthma or COPD, you can be sure that some of the therapies they use to relieve their symptoms came directly from research in CF.

Tragically, Mrs. Palin has clearly indentified herself as someone who does not understand or support medical research. In fact, she used her one and only policy speech during the 2008 election to decry money spent foolishly on medical research. As is often the case when politicians attempt to criticize science for purely political reasons, Mrs. Palin managed only to demonstrate her ignorance about the topic, something I addressed in an open letter to her in October of 2008.

As the mother of a special needs child, I feel strongly that Mrs. Palin—as both a mother and de facto political leader—cannot afford the luxury of this sort of ignorance. If, as she claims, she believes that God gave her a special needs child, then he also gave her the responsibility to properly care for that child, including educating herself about his medical condition, making sure he has access to the services and care he will need throughout his lifetime and supporting research efforts to find better treatments or possibly even a cure for his condition.

A cursory look at the reality of federal spending on medical research will quickly demonstrate the falseness of Palin’s position. Despite her accusation that money is frivolously wasted on medical research, the facts show that this is far from the truth. For example, the annual budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the government body responsible for advancing medical knowledge through research—equals roughly 1-2% of the total budget. In contrast, defense costs gobble up between 20 to 39% of the total budget (it is hard to know for sure because there is a budget line item for the Department of Defense, but it does not include discretionary spending which most analysts believe nearly doubles the DoD budget).

Rare diseases fare even worse in the budget wars, with the Office of Rare Diseases Research at NIH receiving a paltry .00051% of the annual budget. This despite the fact that one in 10 Americans technically has a rare disease--defined as those affecting fewer than 200,000 people—including most disorders that are classified as ‘special needs.’ To put this in perspective, we spend between $2,213 and $3,433 per citizen to support the Department of Defense compared to $103.33 per citizen for all medical research and, sadly, only $.06 per citizen for programs dedicated to rare diseases through the Office of Rare Diseases Research. (All statistics taken from the official Government Accounting Office website).

I think most rational people can take from this that we have sadly misplaced priorities as a society. Perhaps the average American can adopt a lazy attitude when it comes to fully understanding the facts related to policy issues, but someone who wants to dictate or influence policy, as Palin clearly does, simply does not have that luxury. We need to be clear on Palin’s policy positions related to healthcare access and medical research (and no doubt other important issues I am not qualified to address): They are intellectually lazy, totally dishonest and unforgivably cruel—especially when one considers her own child stands to be harmed by them. The fact that Mrs. Palin fails or refuses to grasp important policy considerations is not a reflection on the merit of the issues, but on the intellect of the critic. Willful ignorance is not a campaign strategy.

Sarah Palin, Down syndrome, Twitter, the military, health care reform... Oh no! It must be the end of the world! - UPDATE: HEALTHCARE REFORM PASSED!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day.

Down Syndrome International (DSI) has officially earmarked 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). The date was chosen to signify the uniqueness of Down syndrome in the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome and is used synonymously with Down syndrome. Commemoration of World Down Syndrome Day started on 21 March 2006, it has " grown " manifold globally.

The annual observance of WDSD aims to promote awareness and understanding of Down syndrome and related issues : and to mobilise support and recognition of the dignity, rights and well being of persons with Down syndrome.

Awareness is not Sarah Palin's forte. Her only link to the Down syndrome world is the use of Trig as a prop. I wonder if she's going to twitter something about DSI day? She might, after she reads about it here...

So you don't have to go through the comments to find this, I'm going to put it here. It came from our friend StephiLou:

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! I "borrowed" my list here from Beth - with permission. FYI for all....

World DS Day is the 21st day of the third month of the year. The date represents the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. Kinda cute. Now someone explain how October became Down Syndrome Awareness Month??

1. Learn more about Down syndrome! Here is a link to some Myths and Facts about Ds. Did you know that 80% of babies born with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of 35? I know teenagers who have had babies with Down syndrome.

2. Talk to your children about people with differences. The way I explain Down syndrome to young children who are curious is to say that when a baby is first growing inside the mother there are directions inside the baby that tell it how to grow, what color hair and eyes it will have and how tall it will be. A baby with Down syndrome has an extra set of directions, which makes it more difficult for the baby to grow and develop. A baby with Down syndrome can learn to do all the things that a typical baby can do, it just takes longer to learn because of all the extra directions. Older kids can learn about chromosomes and how individuals with Down syndrome have an extra 21st chromosome. The medical name for Down syndrome is Trisomy 21. With your children, share what you know, and admit what you don't know about cognitive disabilities.

3. See if your library has current information about Down syndrome. Do a quick online search of your library’s listings for Ds. If they have no books that have been written in the past 5-7 years, please ask them to update their books. Any non-fiction book older than 15 years should be removed from the shelves.

4. Visit Reece’s Rainbow, an international Down syndrome adoption ministry. Learn more about how children with Down syndrome are treated in other countries. It is much like the United States treated individuals with cognitive disabilities 50 years ago. Consider supporting a child’s adoption with a monetary donation. I have given donations in honor of my mother for Mother’s Day.

5. Write a short note to your legislators telling them that you want them to fund the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (the Kennedy-Brownback bill). Currently up to 90% of all prenatally diagnosed fetuses with Down syndrome are aborted. It’s important to understand that this is not about pro-life or pro-choice, but rather about providing parents with needed data and support. Unfortunately the worst presenters of a diagnosis of Down syndrome today are medical professionals because there are no mechanisms to train them, to teach them how to deliver that diagnosis and to present the options, all of the options.

6. If you’re a woman, start a conversation with your OB/Gyn about concerns you may have about getting accurate information to families that receive a prenatal diagnosis. Prenatal testing is soon going to change, and the OBs are the first to deliver unexpected news. Bring the doctor a copy of this research.

7. Watch a movie featuring a person with a disability: Emma’s Gifts (I’m biased since Hannah and I have cameos in this documentary), Duo, The Other Sister (which I think is pretty funny). **NEW** watch The Specials an online documentary/reality show following young adults with disabilities in England. Each episode is only about 10 minutes long.

8. Contact your local Down syndrome parent support group (just Google Down syndrome and your geographic area) and email them to see what sorts of ways you could help. Usually volunteers to assist with childcare, programs and events are more than welcome!

9. "Dreams in Reality". Watch this short online video for some inspiration.

10. Remove the word “retarded” from your everyday speech. It used to be a medical term (as did the words “idiot”, “imbecile” and “moron”), but has become such a derogatory word that it is on its way out. The new “R-word” is Respect.

Thanks, Steph!

(H/T to H S)

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Talking about Twitter, this is one of Sarah Palin's latest gems:


Duh, the same way the millions of underpaid or unemployed Americans do!

Why is she so concerned about how the troops will be able to purchase insurance when HCR passes? Why is government sponsored health care good for the military but really, really bad for the rest of Americans?

The military should do their duty and contribute to the ever growing profits of the insurance companies Sarah Palin believes can do the job a lot better. The military have been unAmerican by Sarah's standards, they haven't supported 1/6 of the economy by shopping around for coverage and stimulating healthy competition. That's the "Real American" way, darn it!

The sooner the Health Care Reform bill is passed into law, the better.

Then we could have break from the Queen Quitter Twitter, her wigs, lip gloss and inane ramblings on Fox News, Facebook and Twitter.

And Sarah and her teabaggers will realize the world didn't come to an end.

Sarah, please sit down and shut up. Pretty please...?

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UPDATE:

It's a great day for America and a massive and highly deserved defeat for the Republicans and the radical and dangerous right-wingers that are slowly taking over the Republican party.

The House has passed the healthcare reform 219 - 212.

Suck it up, Sarah Palin!

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Sarah Palin's generosity

Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Brad Bitt and Angelina Jolie donated $1,000,000 each in aid of the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Madonna gave $250,000, Giselle Bündchen gave $1,500,000 and many other celebrities made their time and talent available in the Hope for Haiti telethon.

President Obama donated the whole of his $1,400,000 Nobel Prize money to ten different charities.

According to SarahPac's report, Sarah Palin made donations of $1,000 to Heart Reach Pregnancy Center and to the National Association for Down Syndrome at the last possible moment, on the day they closed the books for the year. Almost an afterthought...



Sarah may have texted $10 to the Red Cross just as she invited her Facebook fans to do, we don't know, let's say that she did.

Sarah Palin also made a public donation of $1,700 to the Red Cross when she and her entourage descended on a Silver Spoon event and helped themselves to various luxurious gifts.

$3,710 in total given to charity. Very good. But then we have to consider that $2,000 of this total came not from her deep pockets, but from SarahPac donors.

These were public donations. I can't state for a fact that Sarah Palin is not hugely generous in a very private way. Celebrities publicize their charity donations to promote a cause and encourage others to follow their example. Why wouldn't Sarah do the same?

When we look at Sarah Palin's public persona and general attitude, it doesn't seem very likely that she would be a secret humanitarian, performing her good deeds unnoticed. She's not a low profile type of person.

Haitians are not American enough, perhaps? As for people with Down Syndrome, Sarah Palin seems to believe they need to be protected, not capable of thinking for themselves or of leading independent lives.

From Going Rogue, in the voice of God:

"And Trig will be the cuddly, innocent, mischievous, 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."

Not much faith there. It looks like Sarah Palin made a token donation to a cause she doesn't believe in.

I started this post with a list of people who looked at fellow human beings in dire circumstances and who, out of solidarity, decided that they should offer some help.

We have friends here at Palingates who have volunteered to work in Haiti. I believe they are moved by solidarity and respect for their fellow human beings when they contibute their time and skills.

Sarah Palin cannot be generous because she doesn't appear to have a generous spirit.

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Sarah Palin is not a good special needs advocate

I'll start with a quick comment about Meg Stapleton's resignation.

If she wasn't thrown under the bus and we take what she said at face value,

"I have done my best to scale back but Isabella is now resorting to hiding my BlackBerry and she shouldn't grow up begging for a mother to start acting like a mother,"

good for her!

I shudder to think what would happen if one of Sarah Palin's children should resort to the same tactics and hid her precious BlackBerry... they're having a bad enough time as it is!

Moving on to the real topic of this post, we've been validated at last.

Down syndrome real advocates are not very keen on Sarah Palin and her approach to the whole special needs issue.


From the ADN, via Daily Beast:

"Since the end of the presidential election, we haven't heard Sarah Palin articulate any specific policy proposals [on disability]," said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc, a lobbying group representing people with intellectual disabilities. ...

Bruce Fletcher, founder and CEO of the New York-based National Association for the Developmentally Disabled, was harsher, saying, "I think having a celebrity as an advocate is a very good idea. But I don't think she's the right person to do that given that there's a cloud over her in terms of her credibility."

MSNBC First Read, also via Daily Beast:

Palin has drawn crowds of parents of children with disabilities to some of her events, but even as she professed to be their greatest advocates during the 2008 campaign questions were being asked as to what she would do when it comes to funding. At the end of the day, that's where a legislator can have the greatest impact.

And Palin was on record in wanting to reject stimulus funds to her state -- millions of which included special education funding.

One person didn't take so long to figure out what Sarah Palin was all about. On September 10, 2008, Amy Silverman, mother of a then 5-year-old child with Down syndrome, had already heard the alarm bells, as when Amy describes hers and her husband's reaction to McCain's pick of running mate:

Neither of us was sure how to pronounce her name, and we didn't know much about her politics, but both my husband and I knew exactly who Sarah Palin was. We paid attention in April, when she had her fifth baby, Trig.

We pay attention to things like that. Our 5-year-old daughter has Down syndrome.

I immediately started shrieking, and didn't stop for a week.

(snip)

I'm pretty much done shrieking. Now I'm just scared.

And mad that I wasted so much time being pissed at myself for being distracted by Sarah Palin's personal life. Her personal life is not a distraction; it's her selling point, and to that end, it deserves the scrutiny it's gotten, and more. When she put her four kids center stage — literally — and talked about the fifth fighting in Iraq, she made perfectly clear what she brings to this campaign: her experience as a hockey mom.

And how sad that she was willing to put her oldest daughter through the humiliation of having her unplanned pregnancy outed to everyone in the world with access to a television set.

Palin is shamelessly using her personal life to sell her candidacy in a way that's reminiscent of just one other politician I can think of — and that's John McCain. But at least in McCain's case, he's his own pawn, vis-à-vis his POW story. Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig are their mother's pawns.

Andrea Friedman summed it up, recently: "My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes."

(Do read the rest of Amy Silverman's article. You can also visit her delightful blog, Girl In a Party Hat.)
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How the Family Guy controversy was received around the web

I have collected some reactions to the Family Guy controversy from around the web. It seems to me that the people who expressed opinions in favour of Sarah Palin had not watched the episode in question. The people who had, even though some don't appreciate Family Guy's type of humour, presented a more balanced view. I didn't think it was necessary to show the comments from Sarah Palin's usual supporters. We already saw a sample of their opinions included in a previous post.

Perez Hilton

People with Down Syndrome can be completely functioning, capable people, and although Family Guy didn't approach the subject in a completely PC manner, it makes a strong point!!

Why should anyone make those with Down Syndrome feel anymore different than the rest of us, even if it's by shielding them from jokes? All it does is isolate people even further - and nobody should feel that way.

We hope you take notice, Sarah! You could learn something from Andrea Fay Friedman!!

Joy Behar

You know, I think that, as comedians, we have a sort of an obligation to make fun of the guys up above, not the guys down below, people who are in trouble, people in pain. What’s the point of that? That’s an easy shot. So I agree with Sarah on this one.

Gail Williamson, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, which, among other services, assists films and television series in casting actors with the disability, and helped Ms. Friedman get hired by “Family Guy,” said it did not matter whether she thought the episode was funny.

“Within ‘Family Guy,’ the character was fully included, well-rounded, dynamic, not dealing with stereotypical Down syndrome issues,” Ms. Williamson said. She added: “Am I a fan of that kind of humor? Eh. It’s beside the point.”

“If we’re asking for full inclusion in the schools and full inclusion in the world,” she said, “ we should appreciate full inclusion with other genres. Even if those genres are not what we appreciate.”

A random comment

...read the comments, many from the families of special needs kids, like mine. We are all rooting for MORE humor, not less. Palin is out of town on this. Read her book, Going Rogue and any parent of a special needs child or adult will be made breathless by the sucking sound of Palin using her child as political football. No personal revelation of how this terrific kid changed her life, or her family's life. She carts him around like a football from booksigning to booksigning. She talks the talk, does not walk the walk. Read the opinion of Andrea Friedman, the DS actor voice behind the Family Guy character. In sum: Palin has no sense of humor.

I would add: Palin has no sense of of DS, period.

Down Syndrome Actress Plays Indentity Politics, 'Absolute Moral Authority' Card

The latest shot fired in the 'Family Guy' Sarah Palin Down syndrome feud came from the actress who voiced the Down syndrome character in the episode in question. Andrea Friedman, who herself has Down syndrome, is upset.

This is identity politics at its worse with the "absolute moral authority" card thrown in. Andrea Friedman thought that the sub plot, including the crack about the "former governor of Alaska," was funny, so you better think it's funny too.

Imagine someone making fun of—say—one or both of President Obama's daughters. Imagine the president being told he can't take a joke when he reacts, as one would expect, more as a father than a president. Then state the premise again that there is no double standard.

Palingates

Stephanie
As a Mom of a son with DS, we need to quit making it seem as if having a child with DS should qualify you for the freaking Nobel Peace Prize! That implies that there is inherintly something wrong with having DS - that they are a lesser people. Until we accept that having DS and other chromosome disorders is no different than having blond hair or blue eyes - by that, I mean realizing that DS is part of who a person is - we are NEVER going to move forward with disability rights! Maybe then 90% of babies with DS wouldn't be aborted...

tXdAd
I am a new poster to this blog, though I've followed for a while now. I posted (1st time) regarding this topic yesterday, but this reinforces my thought that DS advocates & anti-SP bloggers are natural allies. I am the parent of a child with DS about the same age as Trig. He was one of the initial reasons I started looking into the SP issue(s). Needless to say, I've been a little horrified by the Palin clan.

Oh, and I love Family Guy (usually), and I found nothing offensive in this episode r/t DS. I thought it was great to include the DS character in a non-"special" way.

Tracy Pattin

I was at Real Time with Bill Maher at CBS Studios last night for the first episode of season 8. Family Guy’s Seth McFarlane was a guest. Bill Maher asked him about the Sarah Palin controversy over Down’s Syndrome Voice Actor, Andrea McFarlane played a Down’s Syndrome person. Sarah Palin was outraged and felt that Family Guy and that character was making fun of her Down’s Syndrome son Trig.

McFarlane defended the character choice of using a person with Down’s Syndrome to play the role, saying that Andrea “loves her life as a voice actor and is proud to be part of the show.” As a sister of a Down’s Syndrome person, this was great to hear!

Yo Mamma Mamma

As parents of children with different abilities, our challenge, I believe is to figure out how to teach the truth...and help our peers teach their children the truth, and their children's children the same truth.

That truth being that our children may have "eyes that are oddly made" but they are more like other people than they are different. Not people to be pitied, not people to be feared, or ridiculed or ignored. Just people. Not any more "God's Children" than any one else is. Just children.

Special Children

This reminds me of the flap over Family Guy making fun of deaf actress Marlee Matlin's speaking voice, which Matlin made clear in a self-lampooning appearance on a live episode was just fine with her. It's certainly more fun to be laughing with than laughed at, and there's something to be said for the argument that treating people with disabilities as too fragile and special to be part of the comedy mix like everybody else is insulting in its own way. Whether rough comic treatments are cruel or cool is often in the eye of the beholder.

Blair Williamson

This is my friend and fellow actor Andrea Friedman. She did a great voice over job on "Family Guy." I also like the cartoon version of her.


Some comments on Blair's post:

. Goes to show that there are two sides to every story. I don't watch this show, and don't plan to, but, I support any opportunity for our kids with Down syndrome to succeed. I have always respected Andrea and her work, and I admire her for taking on this role. Voice over work sound fun... and I don't think Andrea would ever make fun specifically of Trig. I have very mixed feelings about what the show has done... but appreciate that Andrea got another role to add to her resume!

. I don't know if anything is tastefully done on that show, but I love that Andrea Friedman was hired for the role and that the character was not a stereotype. It is quite wonderful that so much discussion is continuing about Andrea Friedman's remarks in response to Sarah Palin - taking the focus off the show and politics and putting it where it belongs, in advocacy.

. Ms. Friedman continued, “My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.”
You put that wonderfully. I have been saying that all along although I think you said it better. Kudos to you Andrea.
I have worked in a group home for twenty three years with young adults with DS and I also have a ten year old niece with DS. I take more offense from her exploiting her son than I did from the show.

There was nothing from Sarah Palin after the outraged Facebook note. The best she could offer after Ms Friedman's comments was a photoshopped picture of Trig, to show what a happy and normal life he leads...

The co-author of the Facebook rant, Bristol Palin, had nothing to say to Andrea Friedman either, but is launching her own acting career.

Bristol Palin, arguably the most famous teen mother in America, will make her acting debut playing herself on ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," the network announced today.
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