Comments on: Writer: Palin running to get more ‘retarded people’

By: NICOLE LEBLANC

NICOLE LEBLANC — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:34:39 +0000

Please stop using the R word. It is mean, rude and disrespectful, and makes me want to hide!!!!!!! It is time to society to start being nice to us!!! We are people, too.

By: Mandy

Mandy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:36:05 +0000

I was a poster on the Huffington Post well before the last election. I’m a liberal Democrat. During the primaries, I was shocked by the Hillary Clinton trashing: HuffPost posts rumors, they get picked up by the New York Times. I would occasionally post (reasonable) criticisms of what was posted about her – those posts were ALWAYS censored. How strange.

Then Sarah Palin came on the scene and the HuffPost went ballistic. Naturally as a parent I was appalled by all the idiotic comments posters made (and posts have to be ‘approved’ by the HuffPost) about people with Down Syndrome. The HuffPost was the central for spreading rumors that Trig was the son of Sarah Palin’s daughter. But try posting something – reasonable – to contradict what the blogger or some other poster says, it does not get posted. Try complaining about some post which uses derogatory language to describe people with Down Syndrome.. you get ignored.

At his first press conference, President Obama called on a ‘reporter’ from the HuffPost and since then a Vanity Fair article claimed that the Obama administration uses the HuffPost to leak unsavory items (about Sarah Palin?) into the mainstream press.

By: Dolly Schmitt

Dolly Schmitt — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:16:24 +0000

Mr. Nelson’s apology is laughable…

The fact that he even thought of such vile, mean-spirited,
attacks on our children is frightening. He is nothing but a coward, picking on the most defenseless in our society for the sake of “comedy”. He’s not fit to wipe my son’s shoes.

And I will not use this as a “teachable” moment. I’m tired
of being nice when things are said about the disabled population. Things like “Tropic Thunder”, comments by Ben Stiller, even by our own President, make it seem like being disabled is somehow less than human. That it doesn’t hurt.

Well, it does … and I for one am tired of “accepting apologies” … enough already!

By: Russ

Russ — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:27:48 +0000

Sean is a total dweeb. Unbelievable, I am ashamed that he lives in the same country as I do. Words do not express my outrage about this guy. Nuff said, the next things that I may write would not be fit for family consumption.

By: Pamela Wilson

Pamela Wilson — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:15:14 +0000

Should we treat this as a ‘teachable moment’ or use it to attack those who some consider political rivals, painting with a broad brush those who are much more likely to join us in advocacy efforts for our sons and daughters?

I strongly agree with Jawanda — what you wrote in five sentences says it all for me.

My admiration goes to those who are expending energy and effort to educating communities and politicians about the terrible effects of cutting support for adults with disabilities and early intervention for children right now.

We should be able to share Nelson’s article with decision-makers to illustrate how much further we need to go to change attitudes and keep moving toward civil rights and human rights for individuals with developmental disabilities. Acting on the assumption that anyone who reads a publication that publishes such rubbish agrees with it is beneath us as advocates.

By: Susan Henderson

Susan Henderson — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:58:31 +0000

The post was certainly ignorant. The apology seems sincere. I hope Mr. Nelson gained some understanding. We all need to watch our use of terminology — we all slip. The word “idiot” has historical usage and should be used with discretion. From dictionary.com: “Idiot – a person of the lowest order in a former classification of mental retardation, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.”

By: R

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:01:31 +0000

The apology is inadequate and unacceptable. His lack of sincerity is only rivaled by his lack of understanding of people with Down syndrome. If you read it carefully, he only admits that he was wrong about how people would interpret his work. He is not apologizing for his ignorance or lack of consideration at all.

By: Gina Miller

Gina Miller — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:38:21 +0000

This ‘writer’ – and I use that word loosely – is nothing but a bigot in its purest form. The fact that Nelson has been welcomed by the Huffington Post and provided a forum to spew this type of hatred is not only disgraceful, but also illustrates what type of character, or lack there of, is held by its editors. They obviously know nothing about people with Down syndrome, nor are they interested in learning. These are the types of people that keep our country from moving forward.

By: Laura pope

Laura pope — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:05:22 +0000

I can’t even fathom how this could have ever been funny. I have no words. This was shameful.

By: Sandi Adams

Sandi Adams — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:18:23 +0000

I am disabled. I am so mad aboout what Nelson wrote that I can not form thoughts about it without unacceptable language. I’ll leave it at that.