Did he do any research? Does he know anyone with Down syndrome? Did he talk to any parents of children with Down syndrome? Also, what was the purpose of using offensive language to identify Trig, just meanness? He indicates that no child but especially those with Down syndrome should not be out in public. What?!

He later tries to say this is for the child’s health, but unless baby Trig has an underlying medical problem, he is no more vulnerable to infection than any other child. Mr. Myers can have whatever opinion he wants about the candidates, but he should at least do minimal research before espousing his hateful comments.

A couple of points about the writer are worth noting. First, he refers to Trig as “it” (“The infant did not need to be there to prove its existence”). Second, he actually seems to complain that “such are the new taboos which now prevail that anyone who had referred to little Trig as a Mongoloid child would probably have been lynched.” It sounds to me like the writer has come pretty close to doing just that — I haven’t heard or seen anyone else use that word in reference to Trig.

The writer suggests that Trig should have been with a babysitter in Minneapolis. He may see Trig’s presence at the convention as an “in your face” maneuver by the Palins, but Trig was just where he belonged that night: celebrating with his family.

Such derisive vocabulary may remind or educate people of the antiquated afliation between Down syndrome and the “m” word……the use of People First language should be worldwide and I hope that the many self advocates that he degrades with his words will in fact let this writer know.

– Mom to son who happens to have a chromosomal variation known as T 21.