Special Needs

POSTED BY JHW22

When Sarah Palin ran for VP, she said that she would be an advocate -- a friend -- to families who have children with special needs. Because her son has Down Syndrome, she understands the families' need for research, education, emotional and financial support. She understands that families with a special needs child have special needs of their own. And she has kept her promise by making a few speeches and a few donations. Granted, I thought she'd keep that promise by doing far more. But shame on me for setting my expectations just a little higher.

Yesterday was the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act -- the law that ensures people with special needs have full access to jobs, transportation, entertainment and safety. Nancy Pelosi celebrated the day by posting this on her Facebook page:

For all celebrating the 20th anniversary of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) civil rights legislation today, I wanted to share this moment from the House floor. This afternoon, Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), who is quadriplegic, became the first Member of Congress in a wheelchair to preside over the House. The Speaker’s rostrum on the House Floor was recently made wheelchair-accessible through a series of lifts.

What an amazing moment. What a great way to show the strength that Americans gain from a law created to make life less difficult so that they can achieve their desires. What a way to celebrate special needs by showing how the ADA levels the playing field. Impressive and moving.

So how did the advocate -- friend -- of families with special needs honor the monumental day? Well, Sarah Palin posted on Facebook, also, too. Here's what she posted:

Journey into the Media’s Heart of Darkness

How ironic that on a day when we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, The Daily Caller released 15 pages of JournoListers’ email exchanges about a dark and demented conspiracy regarding my son, Trig.

It’s tough to fittingly describe these numerous members of the mainstream media who actively engaged in the debate about this conspiracy back when I was first introduced as John McCain’s running mate, and it’s impossible to legitimize any “prominent” media publication that continues to traffic in this bizarre narrative today. It wasn’t just a few fringe characters in that JournoList discussion. It included writers for major newspapers, magazines, and online news publications. Those participating in this immature exchange in attempts to plant seeds of doubt and falsely accuse even included a famous historian.

This JournoList exchange exposes the warped nature of today’s media, thus explaining why many of us are forced, in fairness to the public, to utilize other mediums to communicate until the mainstream media wakes up and begins respecting the public’s intelligence and desire for truth in reporting. There is a sickness and darkness in today’s liberal media. With revelations like the JournoList exchanges, may the light keep shining to expose the problem.

It’s always darkest before the dawn. My hope, therefore, is that today, marking the anniversary of our nation’s attempt to show respect for our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters with special needs, will also mark the beginning of a new, more respectful discourse among members of our media who at least aspire to be fair and objective.

- Sarah Palin

Yeah, that's it. She has 1.9 million fans on her Facebook page and THAT is how she chose to advocate and be friends with families. THAT. That is one more example of her "Pawns and Shields" platform. Forget the fact that the reporters she took aim at CHOSE not to even touch the rumors that she wasn't Trig's birth mom. Forget that the reporters CHOSE not to write about her terrible judgment to fly while in labor. Forget that she just brought all that back into the open and yet, no one (except Andrew Sullivan) will even touch it. She is using private, undisclosed gossip that led to absolutely no personal attacks on her, to illustrate her respect for an anniversary that should make her son's life better.

Some think we should ignore Palin. If the media would just stop paying attention to her, she'd go away and we'd all be better off. But I say that as long as she has access to Twitter and Facebook and Fox News, she will make herself heard. And she will use every opportunity to further distort reality and frighten her fans into going along with whatever crap she shovels. She isn't going anywhere -- in fact she is marching boldly into a political future and she is taking hearts and minds with her.

In her speech linked above, Palin said:

"When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to prepare my heart."

Sometimes I wonder, has she prepared her heart -- or just strengthened her platform. And I wonder if we will let that slide for fear of her accusations that we attack her children when we attack her. Or will we say "Enough!" and hold her to her own words and actions and change those hearts and minds she captured with lies?