William Jacobsen is burned about Trig being used as a hate symbol by the left to oppose Sarah Palin. His article is not bad, as he comments on the issue and concludes that Palin is using Trig to fire up her base. Yep, Downs Syndrome Trig is being used by the right. Nothing new here. To accept Trig, one has to accept the premise that "God doesn't watch after his followers as well as He/She should with a less than perfect baby from a Christian couple."
The right wing has long opposed Special Education and, if left up to the Right, our Special Citizens would have few programs to call their own. I taught back in the 60's when all kids were mainstreamed. At the birth of Special Education, we were made to deal with the Special Ed students as individuals. They each learned differently and had to be dealt with differently a separate Individual Education Program (IEP), for each student identified.
The conservative Right hated one part of No Child Left Behind. That part of the program did not call for the testing of identified S.E. students. But Special Ed. students have been tested much more than their mainstreamed counter-parts. Special Ed. students are tested at the beginning of the year and the end of the year and their progress is closely monitored. NCLB didn't require testing of the Special Education student, and the far right wanted that changed, and moved to change that part of NCLB to include testing of Special Education students.
"Richard Carmona, the nation's 17th surgeon general, told members of Congress that all surgeons general have had to deal with politics but none more so than he.
For example, he said he wasn't allowed to make a speech at the Special Olympics because it was viewed as benefiting a political opponent. However, he said was asked to speak at events designed to benefit Republican lawmakers."
Read that again and search for it. You will find it verified in many different documents. The right is no friend of Special Olympics, the American Disability Act, or the Association Of Retarded Citizens (the precursor to Special Olympics.) Put Trig to bed and stop lugging him out at every campaign stop and campaign speech, ... please.
