Is it bad...

[AZRedhawk44]

...that I simply considered it a duly applied insult to Democrats when Rahm Emanuel called House Dems [eff]"ing retarded?"

I never even thought of Special Olympics or how it might be an insult to the mentally handicapped to be associated with Washington Democrats.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/03/emanuel-meets-shriver-f-ing-retard-comment/

(link added to appease Balog and the rest of the peanut gallery)

Rahm Emanuel, under fire for using "f-ing retarded" in a strategy session months ago, met Wednesday at the White House with Special Olympics head Tim Shriver and other advocates for the disabled to try to quell the controversy.

Rahm Emanuel, under fire for making an "f-ing retarded" comment during a strategy session months ago, met Wednesday at the White House with Special Olympics head Tim Shriver and other advocates for the disabled to try to quell the controversy.

The White House chief of staff issued the invitation last week after Shriver wrote him to protest the derogatory comment, reportedly made by Emanuel in reference to some liberal activists.

Also on hand for Wednesday’s mea culpa meeting were Andrew Imparato, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities; Ricardo Thornton, a Special Olympics athlete; and, Peter Berns of The Arc.

The remarks drew increasing national attention after Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called Monday for Emanuel’s firing.

Fox News media analyst Bernard Goldberg, however, told Fox News that he believed the media coverage had been largely overblown.

"He’s not a bigot for using it, and this political correctness is totally out of hand," Goldberg said.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report last week that Emanuel made the remarks after some participants said they planned to air ads attacking conservative Democrats who were critical of Obama's health care agenda.

Palin, whose youngest child, Trig, has Down syndrome, wrote that Emanuel's expletive was "heartbreaking" and said his "degrading scolding" has been "completely ignored by the White House."

"Just as we'd be appalled if any public figure of Rahm’s stature ever used the "N-word" or other such inappropriate language, Rahm’s slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities -- and the people who love them -- is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking," wrote Palin.

"Rahm is known for his caustic, crude references about those with whom he disagrees, but his recent tirade against participants in a strategy session was such a strong slap in many American faces that our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm’s recent sick and offensive tactic," she continued.

Emanuel reportedly apologized for the remarks in a phone call last week to Shriver, who has launched a campaign to end use of the "R" word.

"Rahm called Tim Shriver Wednesday to apologize and the apology was accepted," a White House official told Politico.com on Tuesday.

"The White House remains committed to addressing the concerns and needs of Americans living with disabilities and recognizes that derogatory remarks demean us all," the official reportedly said.

On March 19, 2009 the president himself made headlines for a joke on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in which Obama compared his poor performance in a bowling game to the Special Olympics.

In describing his measly score, Obama said, "It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something.”

A White House spokesman was forced to release a hurried statement which said: "The president made an off-hand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics. He thinks the Special Olympics is a wonderful program that gives an opportunity for people with disabilities from around the world."

At the time, Palin responded by saying: “I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics. This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world... I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community."

This is the second time the Obama administration has drawn fire for its treatment of people with disabilities. Last year, President Obama compared his bowling skills to a performance at the Special Olympics while on the "Tonight Show."

I agree with Goldberg:  This political correctness has gotten out of hand.

"Retarded" is a legitimate insult, IMO.

Now we have the White House Chief of Staff lending his ear to the Special Olympics and listening to their crocodile tears about the issue.  Jeez.

Cracks me up that "[eff]ing" is being ignored and even reported in a censored manner in the nooz.  Who doesn't know what "[eff]ing" means, or any of the other censored ways of writing it?  I swear the media is having fun with it.

But the "retarded" part just went over my head.  Yep.  Dems are retarded.  So what?

Am I the only one?

Or are you all just super sensitive and have eliminated that hurtful, discriminatory and nasty word from your vocabularies?

ETA:  Oh yea, and Palin:  Seriously?  The world's most precious and unique people?  Come on.  I'm glad you love your family and you're there for them... but that statement is so far off the mark that it can't help but be ridiculed.  More precious and unique than our best and brightest coming out of our educational institutions?  More precious and unique than our finest artists and musicians and scientists?  More precious and unique than our decorated war heroes that sacrifice their safety for that of their brothers in arms or us at home?  Come on.

Let's not aggrandize the mediocre here.  Not even mediocre.  The sub-par.

[makattak]

Well, I don't use that word. Has nothing to do with it being "hurtful", I just don't find it a useful descriptive device.

However, I love liberals being hoisted by their own politically correct petard.

[makattak]

Also, I loved instapundit's take on it:

RAHM EMANUEL COMPARES DEMOCRATS TO RETARDED PEOPLE, then apologizes to retarded people.

[Gowen]

Yes, she is giving them back what they dish out, but I do feel some of her outrage is genuine.  If you were the parent of a downs baby, you might feel differently.

[sumpnz]

Also, I loved instapundit's take on it:

RAHM EMANUEL COMPARES DEMOCRATS TO RETARDED PEOPLE, then apologizes to retarded people.

SWMBO and I were both ROLFLMAO.

[Standing Wolf]

SWMBO and I were both ROLFLMAO.

I laughed my ankles off, too.

[Balog]

No links to any of these stories? Man, now I gotta google it like a chump...

[Scout26]

However, I love liberals being hoisted by their own politically correct petard.

This. 

[Perd Hapley]

"Retarded" is a legitimate insult, IMO.

Maybe.  I have mixed feelings about it, but if we can call people retards, we can also say "That's gay."  Cool. 


If retard isn't cool, though, we can't use "lame" as an insult either. 

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/03/emanuel-meets-shriver-f-ing-retard-comment/

Here ya go, Balog.

[French G.]

The word was quite popular in the late 80's/early 90's when I was a schoolboy, slowly replacing the grade school 'flicted(afflicted). Just so happened that my cross country coach was the special ed. teacher. Poor man's blood pressure went up a few ticks every time he heard that word, or approximately every 15 minutes. Wonder if he had a stroke yet? 

Much ado about nothing, although I did appreciate the Instapundit headline. Maybe Rahm will be saved by someone saying "niggardly" in Congress or something.

[HankB]

The word was quite popular in the late 80's/early 90's when I was a schoolboy, slowly replacing the grade school 'flicted(afflicted).

What goes around, comes around . . . in grammar school during the '60s the word "retarded" was in very common use as an insult. "Retarded" was one of the few "safe" insults we used that wouldn't land us in very hot water should a teacher overhear. (Went to Catholic school - thankfully before today's era of political correctness. But . . . think nuns.  )

I don't remember ever hearing the word 'flicted used as an insult back then.

[Tallpine]

So does anyone know anyone who is simply "tarded" 

What happens when you get tarded more than once?   

[zahc]

My first wife was tarded.


She's a pilot now.

[taurusowner]

Maybe.  I have mixed feelings about it, but if we can call people retards, we can also say "That's gay."  Cool. 


If retard isn't cool, though, we can't use "lame" as an insult either. 

I have and will continue to use all of the above.  I just don't give a damn about insulting one group or another.  I refuse to let the way I talk be managed by a committee of special interests.

[longeyes]

The obvious point is that Rahm Emanuel's sin isn't improper locution, it's that he's a rotten little thug.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Anything we can do to make Rahm's job more difficult is a win.  It doesn't have to make sense.  If he's busy defending himself he won't be as able to attack our country.