Comments on: ‘A nod to Sarah Palin from someone who will never vote for her’ http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/08/30/a-nod-to-sarah-palin-3058/ Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:58:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: judy jacobson http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/08/30/a-nod-to-sarah-palin-3058/comment-page-1/#comment-2437 judy jacobson Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:59:10 +0000 http://www.patriciaebauer.com/?p=3058#comment-2437 Ms Palin, I concur with your decsion to "have your baby." You were 4 months pregnant? Now, I want to know after this life altering decision, what have you done to help families make the same decision? When I had my son 48 years ago, it altered my life forever. Now, if you say this is not the case for "you", you are more out of the realm of the rest of us then I suspected. You have bear rugs, hunt, shoot guns, good for you! Now, tell us, what have you done for people with disabilities in Alaska????? You have so much money!!! Right? What a fraud you are, so sorry!! I wish the best for your family and for your baby. I suspect, your ambition far outweighs your family! Judy Ms Palin, I concur with your decsion to “have your baby.” You were 4 months pregnant? Now, I want to know after this life altering decision, what have you done to help families make the same decision? When I had my son 48 years ago, it altered my life forever. Now, if you say this is not the case for “you”, you are more out of the realm of the rest of us then I suspected. You have bear rugs, hunt, shoot guns, good for you! Now, tell us, what have you done for people with disabilities in Alaska????? You have so much money!!! Right? What a fraud you are, so sorry!! I wish the best for your family and for your baby. I suspect, your ambition far outweighs your family!

Judy

]]> By: Lawrence Carter-Long http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/08/30/a-nod-to-sarah-palin-3058/comment-page-1/#comment-2398 Lawrence Carter-Long Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:23:43 +0000 http://www.patriciaebauer.com/?p=3058#comment-2398 If the buzz on the blogoshere is any indication, it could be VERY interesting to see how the campaign develops. It has been widely reported that when their son was born Palin & her husband took the opportunity to meet with the media and explain Down Syndrome. Good on them. As we all now know, she is also a vocal social conservative, strongly opposed to both abortion & same sex marriage. Any effect Palin is likely to have would seem to be in potentially galvanizing the "right to life" constituency. If played well, adding her to the ticket could go a long way toward courting the right-wing base McCain has struggled with. But this begs larger questions for the disabled community: how will left-leaning disabled folks handle it? With the stakes being so high, and our nation being so polarized already,could the additional emphasis in this campaign embodied by Palin -- and her stand on abortion in particular -- become a wedge issue for many PWD's akin to physician assisted suicide? Out among the rank and file there already seems to be a division between more conservative mothers of children born with Down syndrome who are lining up on Palin's side and those who would rather link disability to other social justice and progressive causes. Having a child with Down syndrome is not, perhaps, the only criteria one should meet before they are considered a pro-disability candidate. Let's hope the issue continues to be delved into deeply as Pollack does above. <em> <strong>Editor's note: Lawrence Carter-Long is director of advocacy for the <a href="http://www.dnnyc.net/" rel="nofollow">Disabilities Network of New York City</a>.</strong></em> If the buzz on the blogoshere is any indication, it could be VERY interesting to see how the campaign develops. It has been widely reported that when their son was born Palin & her husband took the opportunity to meet with the media and explain Down Syndrome. Good on them. As we all now know, she is also a vocal social conservative, strongly opposed to both abortion & same sex marriage.

Any effect Palin is likely to have would seem to be in potentially galvanizing the “right to life” constituency. If played well, adding her to the ticket could go a long way toward courting the right-wing base McCain has struggled with.

But this begs larger questions for the disabled community: how will left-leaning disabled folks handle it?

With the stakes being so high, and our nation being so polarized already,could the additional emphasis in this campaign embodied by Palin — and her stand on abortion in particular — become a wedge issue for many PWD’s akin to physician assisted suicide?

Out among the rank and file there already seems to be a division between more conservative mothers of children born with Down syndrome who are lining up on Palin’s side and those who would rather link disability to other social justice and progressive causes.

Having a child with Down syndrome is not, perhaps, the only criteria one should meet before they are considered a pro-disability candidate. Let’s hope the issue continues to be delved into deeply as Pollack does above.

Editor’s note: Lawrence Carter-Long is director of advocacy for the Disabilities Network of New York City.

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