It is no secret Rahm Emanuel has a very short fuse and is prone to angrily attacking those around him. Remember the dead fish he sent to a political rival? Yep, he is quite a piece of work. It is what he has done recently that has concerned Americans like myself on fire. A gentleman from the great state of Massachusetts alerted Sarah Palin to an incident between Mr. Emanuel and participants in a strategy session. Instead of instructing the group appropriately, he reportedly referred to the participants as "F---ing retarded." Not only did Mr. Emanuel clearly cross the line, but he did so in a way that was both offensive and derogatory. While you and I know that his words were wrong and should be addressed, the media are once again turning a blind eye to the White House. This isn't the first time a member of the White House has unfairly mocked referred to those with special needs in a derogatory way. Just last year, our very own president made fun of his bowling skills, making fun of the Special Olympics in the process. It took a lot of pressing for the media to finally report the story causing president to apologize for words he NEVER should have uttered in the first place.
You think the Obama Administration would think twice before pulling such a stunt again, but, then again, we are talking about an Administration that prides itself on being a media darling. Can you imagine if President Bush had uttered such a statement on The Late Show? What if Karl Rove had pulled a Rahmbo? I know both of these men would NEVER even think to do such a thing, but if they had, you all know the media would be all over the story, as they should. Where are they now? Where are they to speak out on behalf of individuals with special needs and their families? Then again, who needs the biased media when we have amazing individuals like that gentleman in Mass. and Sarah? Thank God we have a woman who is not afraid to do what the media seem so afraid to do. In calling out Mr. Emanuel, she is literally calling out the entire White House for actions they seem to ignore. Adrienne Ross, my good friend over at the blog Motivation: Truth, has written an excellent post about this incident, and I stand with her and Sarah in calling out Mr. Emanuel for his terrible, disgusting use of words. (I encourage you all to read Adrienne's post here.)
Shame on Rahm Emanuel for using such vulgar language and hurtful words. He obviously thinks he is above any criticism because he seems to make a fool of himself on a regular basis; furthermore, he shows a complete disregard for people in general. Just today, it has been reported the Mr. Emanuel did in fact issue an apology to Tim Shriver, the CEO of the Special Olympics. While I applaud Mr. Emanuel's actions, he shouldn't just be apologizing to the Special Olympics, but to every member of the special need community and their families; after all, his terrible comments effect many. It is only right that Mr. Emanuel right his wrongs and apologize to all, for until he does, people will wonder just how sincere his most recent apology was. Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Emanuel.
Like my friend Adrienne, I too work at a school. When I heard that Mr. Emanuel had made uttered this statement, I immediately thought of the high school students I work with. I work with a variety of students from all walks of life. I would NEVER refer to any one of my students as "retarded." All members of our society should feel welcome and accepted. No one deserves to be called a word that so many have rightfully tried to remove from use. If anyone has the right to speak out in outrage, it is Sarah. As the mother of a child with special needs and an advocate for children and adults with special needs, Sarah understands firsthand how much words like "retarded" hurt individuals.
Individuals with special needs deserve the same amount of respect as you and me. They are hard-working individuals who just want to be treated like everyone else, and when individuals like Rahm Emanuel spew hateful words like that, it is insulting and unfair to these amazing individuals. Wake up, Mr. Emanuel! Wake up, Mr. Obama. Wake up, lame stream media! Wake up and see that by letting comments like this go unnoticed, it seems to insinuate that you welcome dialogue that includes terms like "retarded." One can only hope that you all wise up and become as welcoming and loving as those in our special needs community, for they are true examples of people who exhibit unconditional love, for they live their lives with kind hearts and open minds. They truly do make the world a better place, and for this, the least we could do is show them the respect they deserve!
The following is Sarah's note to Mr. Emanuel:
Are You Capable of Decency, Rahm Emanuel?
The newly-released mind-boggling, record-smashing $3,400,000,000,000 federal budget invites plenty of opportunity to debate the merits of incurring more and more debt that will drown the next generation of Americans. Never has it been possible to spend your way out of debt. So... let the debate begin.
Included in the debate process will be opportunities for our president to deliberate internally the wisdom of this debt explosion, along with other economic, military and social issues facing our country. Our president will discuss these important issues with Democrat leaders and those within his inner circle. I would ask the president to show decency in this process by eliminating one member of that inner circle, Mr. Rahm Emanuel, and not allow Rahm’s continued indecent tactics to cloud efforts. Yes, Rahm is known for his caustic, crude references about those with whom he disagrees, but his recent tirade against participants in a strategy session was such a strong slap in many American faces that our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm’s recent sick and offensive tactic.
The Obama Administration’s Chief of Staff scolded participants, calling them, “F---ing retarded,” according to several participants, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
Just as we’d be appalled if any public figure of Rahm’s stature ever used the “N-word” or other such inappropriate language, Rahm’s slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them – is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking.
A patriot in North Andover, Massachusetts, notified me of Rahm’s “retarded” slam. I join this gentleman, who is the father of a beautiful child born with Down Syndrome, in asking why the Special Olympics, National Down Syndrome Society and other groups condemning Rahm’s degrading scolding have been completely ignored by the White House. No comment from his boss, the president?
As my friend in North Andover says, “This isn’t about politics; it’s about decency. I am not speaking as a political figure but as a parent and as an everyday American wanting my child to grow up in a country free from mindless prejudice and discrimination, free from gratuitous insults of people who are ostensibly smart enough to know better... Have you no sense of decency, sir?”
Mr. President, you can do better, and our country deserves better.
- Sarah Palin
UPDATE: Yesterday, I posted a piece about why I am pro-life. I learned this afternoon that phenonmenal blogger, Robert Stacy McCain, was inspired by my post, so he wrote his own post in support of life and mentioned my post. I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart. The Other McCain is THE REAL DEAL FOR SURE!!! Read his must-read post here.
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