Rush Limbaugh Brought Tears to My Eyes Yesterday

Caution: Watch this video at your own risk. I heard it unprepared yesterday and it actually brought me to tears. I am only posting it because when I mentioned the incident to a couple people yesterday they didn't believe me...

My daughter has Down syndrome. I'm not a wimp. I stand up and handle lots, but the furnace blast of abject hatred in Rush Limbaugh's broadcast took my breath away.

On his radio program Limbaugh praised Rahm Emmanuel for calling liberal Democrats r*tards... and that was just the beginning...

Limbaugh yells the r-word over and over again, to ridicule liberals, to mock people with disabilities who deign to say "stop it" when something hurts them, and to deride the disability activists who met with the administration at the White House Wednesday about respect for people with cognitive disabilities.

Crass.

Cruel.

Limbaugh's tone leaves no doubt. He believes people with cognitive disabilities are nothing:

Beneath contempt... Completely valueless...

Emmanuel's incident was bad enough. Limbaugh's diatribe made Emmanuel look like an absolute saint.

Yesterday Limbaugh stated on his website that he was just quoting Rahm....

In admiration?

Or because he is 6?

Well Rush, as my mother would have said:

"If Rahm Emmanuel jumped off the Barge Canal Bridge would you jump in after him???"

Way to think for yourself AND take responsibility.

Sarah Palin said Emmanuel should be fired for his remark--a remark that took months to even hit the newspapers... She made statements about Rick Perry's blatherings in Texas yesterday as well...

She has herself a dilemma now. This guy is supposedly her buddy--and he hates her kid.

What's she gonna do? Not for nothing, but mom to mom? I'm hoping for a full-on mama bear smackdown.

If my family, my friends and loved ones have to swallow this bile, this better be a giant step toward respect.

Surprise, Surprise: More R-Word

Yet another public figure resorts to maligning people with cognitive disabilities when the chips are down... there's a shock.

Two thoughts:

First, isn't it fortunate that Mr. Emmanuel chose the r-word and not the n-word or hate words about some other minority to spout when his intellect deserted him?

Political careers have ended over those.

Second, you really can't get absolution for slurs toward seven million Americans and their loved ones from Special Olympics. You just can't.

Especially without meaningful (painful!) penance.

Want absolution?

Do something that matters with the actual community you offended.

And...

Shut. Up.

You can read about the incident here, Special Olympics' response here, Arc's response here.

Celebu-WHAT???!!!! Are you KIDDING me??

Apparently this week marks the release of the new book Celebutard by NY Post writer Andrea Peyser. A look inside the book at Amazon reveals that the author constructed the title by putting together the words CELEbrity and deBUtante. She added the suffix "TARD" because she wanted to convey to the world her heartfelt appreciation and respect for celebs and debs and her inestimable esteem for people with developmental disabilities and their contributions to our culture.

NOT!!!

She used the suffix "TARD" to convey her utter disdain for celebs and debs AND people with disabilities.

She intends not only to perpetuate the undeserved negative stereotypes that people with developmental disabilities contend with , but to profit from them.

I have to tell you, it makes me sick. Can you imagine if she'd used the final syllables of the "n-word" instead? Why didn't she, do you think??

I am curious what her friend Bill O'Reilly, who conceded on the air this week that his use of the "r-word" had been pretty tacky, will have to say...

You know what would be GREAT?? If Sarah Palin weighed in against this travesty...

Let's not wait for Bill-O or Sarah P. to do the right thing. Go to the Celebutard website, go down to the bottom to the contact us section and share your opinion. Also, if you happen to live where the author is appearing, show up and bring your "Words Hit Like a Fist" cards and T-shirts. Hers cannot be the only voice the country hears about disability.

Edited to add this idea someone shared: Leave a review on Amazon abut the book...

Also, it was announced this week by actor John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox on Scrubs) that March 31, 2009 will be the First Annual End the R-Word Day.

Dr. Cox, Andrea Peyser needs a housecall--and I'm not sure it can wait until 3/31.

Here's some food for thought .

Respect and Disability Advocacy

Yesterday being Valentines Day and being up to the letter R it seems like a romantic post would be in order, fortunately for all of us Dave Hingsburger and Jennifer Graf Groneberg have posted those. I have to talk about respect!

A few years back my oldest daughter came home from school and told me that there would be a new kid in their class starting tomorrow. She said that she knew that he had trouble with listening and with his behavior and needed extra help to learn.

I stared at her open-mouthed for a while.

“What’s his name?” I asked.

“What’s he good at?” I asked.

She didn’t know.

Someone, probably in hopes of creating understanding for this kid, had introduced him to his classmates worst foot forward.

This didn’t gain him a lot of friends. Go figure.

What would have?

A little respect!

Disrespect toward people with disabilities is rampant. People with disabilities are abused, injured, shunned and disregarded in big and small ways with sickening regularity.

It is a complex situation with many contributing factors:
• All people fare better in situations where everyone feels a balance of security and accountability for their behavior.
• All people fare better when common ground is recognized (we like the same band) or built (we were in the same class.)
• People fare better when there is a strong, positive example of good treatment for all.
• People fare better when everyone is expected to contribute, facilitated to contribute and recognized for contributing.
• Any other ideas?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T…that’s what it means to me!