'A Down's Syndrome baby will expand your world': How Sarah Palin imagined God talking to her in extraordinary and touching letter about her unborn son

[Raskolnikov]

So the problem with vile vicious rumors is not the people who are spreading them , but the people who are pointing out the fact that they are filed vicious rumors. And of course who do you think is spreading these rumors-conservative activist?

You just love trying to contort things people post into something entirely different , don’t you? I never said salnder or libel wasn’t a problem (one woudl think from your attitude, though, that she was the first politician to take a beating from the media). What I find puzzling is the need to ascribe everything that happens to some mysterious entity with a single consciousness, “the Left,” which apparently comprises of everyone to the right of conservative republicans.

Why is it that when I express, in plain, simple, an not at all uncharitable terms, that I simply do not have confidence in Palin’s leadership capabilities, I am asked by conservatives “so why do you think it’s ok to insult her, why do you hate her so much?” I don’t/ But apparently I’ve now been pegged as a member of “the Left” for some reason and so I am to be held responsible for everything Rachel Maddow and everyone else ever says or does. How’d conservatives like to be held reposnsible for everything Limbaugh and Beck say?

 

[RACJ]

The need of Palinites to dismiss every criticism of her an the result of some leftist mania betrays a lack of confidence in her I think, not to mention the fact that that ad hominem demeans everyone who doesn’t worship at her feet to assume that that they are incapable of thinking independently and are merely functions of the collective consciousness of “the left.” I tire of that “only people who agree with me are capable of thinking freely” attitude.

Really, some of the attitudes on these forums regarding “the Left” or “the leftists” borders on superstition.

 Our nation is going down the tubes, thanks in large part to the fact that most people are gullible and naive when it comes to politics. "We are the ones we've been waiting for" makes no sense, but people bought this absurdity, as well as the idea that sea levels could be lowered with the right candidate and policies.
 Sarah Palin has been victimized by bizarre attacks since she came on the scene. The left KNOWS that she won't accept the bureaucratic status quo. She means what she says. Her e-mails PROVE that she was an engaged, successful governor against all odds. So, the Marxists and elitists move the goalposts and go on to the next lie. Such as she writes like an 8th grader. YOU possibly believe this. People use such nonsense to comfort themselves, and rationalize why they could never vote for her. Well, guys like me know that socialism destroys lives and spirits, and we don't wish to watch America die. A choice between Romney and Obama is like a choice between arsenic and cyanide. :mad: Rob

 

[Nordar]

This is nonsense. “The Left” is not a collection deviant amoral perverts seeking to crush virtue and hate her because they think she’s a good person. Most don’t like her because they disagree with her. Many of course genuinely don’t think she’s very intelligent, and I honestly don’t entirely disagree with them in some respects, though vharity is lacking in much of the criticism of her (but remember, politics is the business she’s in, and she did after all choose that path for herself).

Personally, I am a bit annoyed by the inability of many to seperate their opinions of her as a person from their opinions of her as a politician. I grant they she mayu well be the nicest and most decent person on the planet (I’ve never met her, so I can hardly judge her in that respect). At the same time, I disagree with much of her politics and do not think she would be a good president, and so I will criticize her id I want even if she is a nice person or a good mother, because nice people and good mothers are as capable as being wrong about economic policy or foreign policy as anyone else.

And Borealis, most liberals are not afraid of her at all, much as you may want to think that. I don’t think of myself as a liberal, but I’m not a conservative (by American standards) and I am most certainly not afraid of her. I’m rather indifferent to most of what she says or does, though I will fear for the GOP’s chances in the general election if she wins the nomination.

How did posting a beautifull e mail Sarah Palin wrote about her son turn into a dialogue of like or dislike about her?

 

[Nordar]

I too knew my son had Down syndrome and chose not to abort. The only one who supported my choice was my strongly pro-choice atheist sister. All the Christians and Jews in my family pushed abortion and pretty much dropped us cold when we chose life. It is amusing to see her held in such high regard as if she is the only one who made this decision. **She wrote a beautifull letter about her son, what is it that gives you the impression that she is held in such high regard as if she is the only one who made this decision? There a many many many Down Syndrome babies born so obviously she isnot the only one who made that decision. **

What many outside the disability community know is that other than choosing life, Ms. Palin is soundly criticized for how she is raising her son.Criticzied by whom? And Why? because she is not raising her son the way some think she should? rather judgemental. At the Down syndrome convention, parents all discussed how they quit jobs to stay at home and attend and learn to do all the Early Intervention (EI), Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy that begins as early as 10 months. We attend conventions and workshops to learn how to do all this therapy - it isn’t a once a week thing. We are buying equipment for PT and OT, helping our child meet developmental milestones and spending hours with hearing tests, orthotic (leg brace) fittings, hand feedings and oral stimulation to counter the common texture aversion, and all the rest. All wonderful but tell me has Sarah Palin told you how she is raising her son?

Those of us who are blessed with being educated and articulate also take positions on boards that advocate for the developmentally disabled, spend time fighting school boards that want to segregate our children from “normal” kids and don’t want to waste their time trying to teach them. We speak before State government and march on the capitol to secure services for our kids.

Those among us who are further blessed with celebrity attend National Conventions for Down syndrome and help in fund raising by speaking for free.

Ms. Palin appears to be doing none of this unless dragging your kid around the country on speaking engagements counts as therapy. And she has not spoken once for any of the Down syndrome organizations - unlike other celebrities, she apparently refuses to donate her time.

In short - Ms. Palin has turned out to be an enormous disappointment to the Down syndrome community. She is the exact opposite of the type of parent role model we endorse. As a parent mentor for new parents of a child with DS… it is appalling. Quite frankly your judgement of her is appalling.

 

[Nordar]

Answering this and another post - YES! Many, many people in the Down syndrome community have reached out to Mrs. Palin and asked her to share her experience with early intervention, therapies, nutritional stuff, balancing family life when having a special needs child and she does not even have the courtesy to engage. Folks close to her report the family is doing nothing for Trig. It is appalling.

And yes, the two major organizations, who of course were inundated with membership calling for her as a speaker, have reported that she has been repeatedly invited, but the travel honorarium is not enough - she demands money on top of expenses and a heck of a lot of it. She is already rich beyond measure with speaking fees, but she won’t take a few hours to fly free to a convention, speak, eat for free and return.

Appalling.

Sadly, many pundits are already “diagnosing” delays in Trig due to lack of developmental care, but I don’t go that far. I don’t think we can diagnose a child by simply seeing him being held, exhausted in his Mom’s or sister’s arms at an event. They may not be helping him to reach his full potential, but I don’t think any of us can diagnose the results for sure. When kids with DS get exhausted, their already low tone results in a very slack expression and they appear to be more delayed than they really are.

All this is to say that as far fetched as my own opinion of the Palin’s not stepping up to the plate may sound, I was usually the more forgiving voice among hundreds of thousands who truly feel this woman is doing a lousy job both of raising her son and of neglecting the community which they are a part. She appears to be using/exploiting her son as a prop, and her heroism in having him as a heroic virtue. And if you have no dog in that fight, to criticize her is called, “anti-disability.” But within the big world of parents with special needs kids, especially the Down syndrome community, she has few fans.

As I said - the last convention I went to was the Down syndrome Congress Annual in Sacramento 2 years ago. I talked to dozens and dozens of people who each did the same and never ran across one person who had anything but disdain for her. Even the international members discussed the fact that poor USA had this famous politician with a new baby with DS and she was totally disengaged from Down syndrome advocacy, community, research and health. This was THE talk that year.

You don’t want to know how badly she is ripped by the mothers who quit good jobs and families who sacrifice to provide top-notch care for their children. Ouch! She is NOT loved in the disability community.

Why on earth would she ever want to be involved with the people you mention? A bad Mother? this is just sad.

 

[Nordar]

The bad mother routine is yet another baseless slur against a basically decent human being. The depths that the left will stoop to in order to dredge up sludge to smear this women with have no bounds.

Exactly!

 

[ringil]

How many folks release a heartfelt letter to their family to the national stage?

Doesn’t sound very humble to me.

But again- no fear here- PLEASE RUN FOR PRESIDENT SARAH!!

 

[estesbob]

How many folks release a heartfelt letter to their family to the national stage?

Doesn’t sound very humble to me.

She didn’t. The letter was released as a result of a freedom of information request by the Washington Post, New York Times, and others.

 

[tabbey48]

Nordar asked:
How did posting a beautifull e mail Sarah Palin wrote about her son turn into a dialogue of like or dislike about her?

Even something beautiful can be turned into something ugly if your hatred goes deep enough…

I don’t know why any good and decent person would want to run for political office in this country.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Even something beautiful can be turned into something ugly if your hatred goes deep enough…

I don’t know why any good and decent person would want to run for political office in this country.

Most of us have no intention of it. Since most of the people who enter office leave it rich, I no longer see it as a venue of public service, but rather a get-rich-quick scheme on the backs of the taxpayer. In other words, elected office is like a Ponzi scheme, they make oodles of money without delivering anything of value in return.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

palinemail.msnbc.msn.com/palinAll/pdf/12866.pdf

Check this email out…

Palin wanted her baby shower gifts for Trig… donated to military families.

Thanks MSNBC, Mother Jones and The Wash Post for showing us through Palins own emails that you requested…what a terrific woman she is.

 

[Raskolnikov]

How did posting a beautifull e mail Sarah Palin wrote about her son turn into a dialogue of like or dislike about her?

Don’t dare pretend for a second that if it were Barack Obama who’d written sdome nice little email about his daughter that a thread about it on these forums would invariably turn into an Obama-bashing fest.

And my post was in response to the fact that some people implied that somehow writing nice little emails about one’s children was somehow related to one’s qualifications for the single most important administrative job on the planet.

Scott_Lafrance:

Most of us have no intention of it. Since most of the people who enter office leave it rich, I no longer see it as a venue of public service, but rather a get-rich-quick scheme on the backs of the taxpayer. In other words, elected office is like a Ponzi scheme, they make oodles of money without delivering anything of value in return.

Isn’t the revolving door just great? I agree with my father, who likes to call the senate the world’s most exclusive country club.

 

[Borealis]

Obama is smarter IMO and will win the debates, which is not least among the reasons why the GOP should choose someone else. I’m thinking Romney, but that discussion is for a different thread.

Obama can read a teleprompter. That doesn’t do him any good in a debate. Palin wiped the floor with Biden in the '08 debates.

No, and I never have. Again, she’s a politician (and not a very good one IMO, not that that isn’t exactly an insult) so that’s going to happen. She may be worthy of some pity, but that doesn’t make her any better qualified for the job.

She’s got more governing experience than Obama has, including his time as President (of which he seems to spend more time golfing than governing anyway). What she did in Alaska before her resignation proves that she CAN run the ship of state, and do it well. The e-mails confirmed it as well, which is why they have suddenly disappeared from the media narrative.

I know some liberals, and some conservatives. Most of the liberals I know aren’t afraid of her. A few of the conservatives I know like her, most of the rest are afraid of her. Granted, that’s just from my own experience, not hard evidence. As for why she is attacked so much, again, she’s a political celebrity, and they are invariably subjected to that sort of treatment, in order to discredit her. I don’t see anything really unprecedented about how she is treated.

You must be quite selective about who you percieve to be speaking for “the left” because no such fear or hatred is evident in the liberals I know. Mor often than not they view her as just a celebrity, not to be taken seriously it seems, or just don’t like the idea of her being president. Am I to deduce from the vitriol conservatives (on these very forums) spew at Obama is evidence of how afraid they are of him?
The difference between Obama and Palin is this: we knew before he was elected that Obama was a radical leftist who made his intentions for the country clear. He said he would enact legislation that would ratchet up energy costs. He told Joe the Plumber that he would take people’s money and give it to ‘deserving’ others. He demonstrated his contempt for ordinary Americans, calling them ‘bitter clingers.’ This is a man who started his political career in the living room of a known domestic terrorist, who grew up politically in the swamp of Chicago, who sat for twenty years in the pews of a church listening to the rantings of a hate-filled, radical left-wing preacher who said America deserved 9/11. Obama’s opponents don’t hate him, but yes, there is some fear involved. Fear that he will continue to destroy the economy, drive up energy costs, and radically reshape the United States into a clone of the failed states of Europe.

He is also a man who spent most of his time in the Senate running for President, and most of his time as President running for re-election. Look up ‘political celebrity’ in the dictionary and you’ll see nothing but a picture of Obama. He’s worse than an empty suit, he’s a dangerous empty suit.

Anyone would be an improvement over Obama in the White House, including and especially Sarah Palin.

 

[Borealis]

Exactly. You are now qualified to watch MSNBC.

Wow…the Neilsen ratings meter would visibly grow.

My wife miscarried last year; our third child would have been born this month. I’m glad Mrs. Palin did what she did for Trig; every baby deserves a chance at life, no matter what handicaps or obstacles they may face. Anyone who disagrees can take it up with my son in heaven.

 

[Darryl1958]

The need of Palinites to dismiss every criticism of her an the result of some leftist mania betrays a lack of confidence in her I think, not to mention the fact that that ad hominem demeans everyone who doesn’t worship at her feet to assume that that they are incapable of thinking independently and are merely functions of the collective consciousness of “the left.” I tire of that “only people who agree with me are capable of thinking freely” attitude.

Really, some of the attitudes on these forums regarding “the Left” or “the leftists” borders on superstition.

The venom displayed even on this most Catholic of forums against Palin is indeed very real.

This is an innocuous little thing, , a lovely little story about a public figure and her baby. On a Catholic forum, where forum dedication toward the unborn is an explicit goal, and where eradication of Down’s baby in our society is near universal, the divide between left and right is explicit in the fact that those on the left cannot even crack a smile, let alone stop their top lips from curling into a snarl of hatred.

Contempt for Palin, contempt for the Palinites??? who dare praise the woman for her public stance on the issue—nothing, but post after post of contempt, sarcasm and hatred from those here who swing left.

Palinites?? Worship at her feet??!!

Really !!! Such sarcastic contempt for any Catholic who happens to admire what this woman is doing for the cause of life through this one particular relationship with a bay with human condition that our society want to eradicate through abortion.

What kind of Catholic would not praise her?
And what kind of Catholic would spread lies and slander against her for doing so?

Well, the answer is obvious.

And all because some Catholics have chosen to laud a beautiful woman just for keeping her baby!!!

Believe me, collective conscious and group think would be the charitable response regarding explainingthe left’s intense hatred against this woman on this issue where she just happened to act admirably.

 

[Borealis]

Don’t dare pretend for a second that if it were Barack Obama who’d written sdome nice little email about his daughter that a thread about it on these forums would invariably turn into an Obama-bashing fest.

Actually, the vast majority of conservative posters on this site wouldn’t even consider doing such a thing. We believe in the traditional family, as Catholics, and frankly, raising two daughters in such a pressure cooker as the White House is one of the very few things that I will commend Obama for. Conservatives DON’T ATTACK FAMILIES OR FAMILY MEMBERS.

If Obama’s daughter gets an abortion, then yes, I’ll condemn that. Catholic, pro-life, deal with it. But if, for example, she auditions for American Idol, I’m not going to attack her and call her a terrible singer who’s only there because of who her father is (unless, of course, she sings as well as William Hung, in which case she deserves it).

And my post was in response to the fact that some people implied that somehow writing nice little emails about one’s children was somehow related to one’s qualifications for the single most important administrative job on the planet.

Nobody implied anything of the sort, especially me. My support for Palin, like my opposition to Obama, is based solely on their records.

 

[RACJ]

Sarah Palin to speak for Down Syndrome fundraiser in Alabama

pronlinenews.com/?p=7344

**Palin, speaking at special needs fundraiser in Point Clear, says she can advocate outside the White House
**
baldwincountynow.com/articles/2011/05/24/local_news/doc4dc30bdd81744996157774.txt

Down Syndrome Parents: Palin Is Role Model

**By Katie Couric **

cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/10/eveningnews/main4437797.shtml

Thank you for the information, Bob. The radical left needs to tell a lie about Sarah Palin before they take their first spoonful of cereal in the morning, lest they suffer indigestion. :rolleyes: Rob

 

[Raskolnikov]

Darryl1958:

The venom displayed even on this most Catholic of forums against Palin is indeed very real.

This is an innocuous little thing, , a lovely little story about a public figure and her baby. On a Catholic forum, where forum dedication toward the unborn is an explicit goal, and where eradication of Down’s baby in our society is near universal, the divide between left and right is explicit in the fact that those on the left cannot even crack a smile, let alone stop their top lips from curling into a snarl of hatred.

Contempt for Palin, contempt for the Palinites??? who dare praise the woman for her public stance on the issue—nothing, but post after post of contempt, sarcasm and hatred from those here who swing left.

Conservatives would do well to see the planks in their own eyes as well. They’ve spewed more than their share of vitriol at those they despise, right up to direct comparisons of Obama with the devil. This whole evil liberals attacking the poor, innocent conservatives" charade is laugable. And where are all these contemptuous posts exatly? There was the one challenging the supposed nordic meaning of Trig;s name. Was that one of the grave insults to which you were referring to? And again, when a liberal politician has some nice cute little story about them put out, so all the conservatives put down their weapons and smile? Not in my observations.

Really !!! Such sarcastic contempt for any Catholic who happens to admire what this woman is doing for the cause of life through this one particular relationship with a bay with human condition that our society want to eradicate through abortion.

What kind of Catholic would not praise her?
And what kind of Catholic would spread lies and slander against her for doing so?

Well, the answer is obvious.

Now I’m not asure who you’re even responding to. What ever happened to the idea of giving praise where it’s due, and criticism where it’s due? I suppose now if I were to say that I think Palin’s foreign policy opinions are nonsensical you would call me a jerk because such a nice lady doesn’t deserve to have her opinions criticized?

Believe me, collective conscious and group think would be the charitable response regarding explainingthe left’s intense hatred against this woman on this issue where she just happened to act admirably.

Well, I see no ppoint in continuing this conversation, since you seem completely uninterested in enganging individual human beings, but would rather continue your eternal war against opaque sweeping generalizations. Perhaps you’ve learned the advantage in fighting windmills is that they don’t fight back.

Borealis:

Actually, the vast majority of conservative posters on this site wouldn’t even consider doing such a thing. We believe in the traditional family, as Catholics, and frankly, raising two daughters in such a pressure cooker as the White House is one of the very few things that I will commend Obama for. Conservatives DON’T ATTACK FAMILIES OR FAMILY MEMBERS.

This is funny Borealis, it really is. What a selective memory you have. Just a few months ago conservatives were making fun of Michelle Obama, calling her fat, mocking the daughters too. Ann Coulter, of course, pride of the right, openly mocked the family members of 9/11 victims who owaqnted the terrorist attack to be investigated? Conservative pundits and even some members of this forum do indeed attack family members. Whatever supposed code of honor you say you subscribe to that holds family members off limits is evidently not shared by all of your fellow conservatives.

 

[Borealis]

Conservatives would do well to see the planks in their own eyes as well. They’ve spewed more than their share of vitriol at those they despise, right up to direct comparisons of Obama with the devil. This whole evil liberals attacking the poor, innocent conservatives" charade is laugable. And where are all these contemptuous posts exatly? There was the one challenging the supposed nordic meaning of Trig;s name. Was that one of the grave insults to which you were referring to? And again, when a liberal politician has some nice cute little story about them put out, so all the conservatives put down their weapons and smile? Not in my observations.

You don’t see the stupidity in nit-picking the meaning of her son’s name?

Now, there are people who are saying nasty things about Obama (comparisons to the devil and all that). They are not mainstream conservatives. They are fringe. The people saying nasty things about Palin are the mainstream of the left, not the fringe. Unless, of course, you consider the media to be fringe.

This is funny Borealis, it really is. What a selective memory you have. Just a few months ago conservatives were making fun of Michelle Obama, calling her fat, mocking the daughters too. Ann Coulter, of course, pride of the right, openly mocked the family members of 9/11 victims who owaqnted the terrorist attack to be investigated? Conservative pundits and even some members of this forum do indeed attack family members. Whatever supposed code of honor you say you subscribe to that holds family members off limits is evidently not shared by all of your fellow conservatives.

Who was calling her fat? I certainly didn’t, and neither did anyone I know. Any criticism of Michelle Obama goes to her ranting about the problems of obesity in America while her husband chows down at fast food restaurants and the like. Hypocrisy, anyone?

Ann Coulter didn’t mock people for wanting 9/11 investigated; she mocked people who ranted on and on and on about Bush being the cause of the terrorist attack. Notice the difference? Probably not, but other people do. And they are the ones who look at left-wing attacks of even the most petty nature as being signs of fear of Sarah Palin. Including criticizing her for having a different translation of her son’s Nordic name.

 

[SamH]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nordar
How did posting a beautifull e mail Sarah Palin wrote about her son turn into a dialogue of like or dislike about her?

Raskolnikov
Don’t dare pretend for a second that if it were Barack Obama who’d written sdome nice little email about his daughter that a thread about it on these forums would invariably turn into an Obama-bashing fest.

I think you have your answer.