Newsweek Magazine Proves Trig Is Still A PROP

In the beginning, Sarah Palin held Trig up in front of thousands of people in the convention hall and millions of others watching on televisions around the world. She led them to assume she was someone she wasn’t – a person who cared about the disabled.  Trig Palin is the very embodiment of the dupification of the American voter.

The Daily Beast reported yesterday that Newsweek Magazine this week has an article titled  "Life With Trig: Sarah Palin on Raising a Special Needs Child."  I read it, and there's nothing new there. Nothing. She regurgitates the same old stuff she was saying under the pen name “Trig’s Heavenly Father” in April of 2008. Same old accusations about the rest of us being mean and ignorant and not as good as she is because she’s "blessed" with a kid with an extra chromosome. It's disgusting.

In four years, this adult has not learned one knew thing she can share with public that’s going to make a difference. She’s not advocating stem cell research. She’s not doing Public Service Announcements for organizations that help families deal with disabilities. She’s just saying “I’m blessed. Trig’s a blessing. People are mean. People are wrong.”  Blah, blah, blah.   

This is all part of the Babygate hoax.  Trig is still a prop. She can't give up the claim to her fame. Here, take a look:

It’s a sacrifice every parent and caregiver of a child with special needs sympathizes with. Families of children with special needs are bonded by a shared experience of the joys, challenges, fears, and blessings of raising these beautiful children whom we see as perfect in this imperfect world. 

During the 2008 presidential campaign, on rope lines at rallies across the country, my husband, Todd, and I met so many of these families and caretakers, and I’ll never forget them. There was an instant connection—a kind of mutual acknowledgment that said, “Yes, these children are precious and loved. Yes, we face extra fears and challenges, but our children are a blessing, and the rest of the world is missing out in not knowing this. 

When I discovered early in my pregnancy that my baby would be born with an extra chromosome, the diagnosis of Down syndrome frightened me so much that I dared not discuss my pregnancy for many months. All I could seem to muster was a calling out to God to prepare my heart for what was ahead. My prayers were answered beyond my shallow understanding of what true joy could be. Yes, raising a child with special needs is a unique challenge, and there’s still fear about my son Trig’s future because of health and social challenges; and certainly some days are much more difficult than if I had a “normal” child. 

I know I'm biased, so I'm going to step back and let someone else make the point. When Sarah was running for Vice President, over 3 years ago, her sister Heather gave an interview to Autism One Radio.  Heather's son, Karcher, was 13 at that time.  Karcher has Autism. Below is a comment about what Heather said. About what she said about Sarah Palin, her sister. This is from a blog "advocating for children and adults with disabilities -   Special Needs Truth : 

October 23, 2008

Heather Bruce, Palin's Sis, Speaks

Gov. Palin's big sister, Heather Bruce, spoke with Autism One Radio, about raising her 13-year-old son with autism. What she said doesn't reassure me about her sister's understanding or commitment to autism. Here's what she had to say:

"She [Sarah] wants to help. She wants to help so badly, but she has a lot to learn, and she knows it. She’s fresh into this, being an advocate for autism, for Down syndrome. People expect her to know everything about everything. [She has said] We need to sit down Heather, tell me what your needs are, what do you wish you could see, what do you think would help the state. And that was just the time she was the governor."

So after Sarah has been an aunt to a child with autism for 13 years and governor for nearly two, the best endorsement her sister can give her is "she has a lot to learn, and she knows it"? Interestingly, she also gives credit to the Democratic candidates for also raising the issue of autism during the campaign. How strongly does she support her sister's candidacy? I can't tell after listening to this nearly hour-long interview.

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The next day, another writer, Becky Blitch, posted this on  open.salon.com blog 

OCTOBER 24, 2008 10:46AM

Sarah Palin’s “Special Needs Children” Policy Address

First, by going off on impassioned tangents about earmarks and Obama's tax plan, Gov. Palin gave the impression that this speech was merely cover for stump-speech attacks, belittling the importance of the topic at hand.

Second, it's worth noting that absolutely no new territory regarding disability policy was covered in this speech. Given its length, there was very little red meat. In fact, at the beginning, Gov. Palin said she'd be offering three specific policy points, but after watching the speech a second time, I'm still unclear as to what those points were.

Third, while I absolutely agree and understand that changes need to be made for children with disabilities, we must remember that those children do, in fact, grow up. There are millions of adults with disabilities in this country (many of whom acquired disability after childhood, including thousands of veterans), and we are all too often left out in the cold. Sarah Palin said that she and John McCain would support finding ways for adults with disabilities to live independently, but McCain has rejected the Community Choice Act, which would do precisely that.

Fourth, Palin's speech did little to honor the dignity of people with disabilities. We in the disability rights movement have been fighting for decades to be seen and treated as full human beings; we have fought to make people understand that just because we have unconventional bodies, we are essentially—in the things that matter—just like everyone else. Palin, however, pushed the human-interest angle, gushing about how "blessed" families are to have such "special" children. The "Inspirational Gimp" and the "Blessed Gimp" are stereotypes whose time is long gone, thankfully. But Sarah Palin seems determined to resurrect them.

I could go on at length about the very necessary policies and programs Palin could should have endorsed while she had the spotlight on this issue: Respite services for caregivers. Health care reform. Stem cell research. Medicaid reform around durable medical equipment. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Supreme Court decisions that decimated the ADA. And on and on and on …

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Sarah doesn’t change.  She doesn’t come up with new ideas, and she doesn’t learn. Just  look at what her eighth grade rival Cheryl Welch wrote about her in a letter to friends in 2008, you see the same Sarah we’ve studied on the national scene. She hates to lose. She attacks with a vengence. She can’t let anything go. She isn’t the smartest. She wants to be the leader. She likes attention. 

Knowing that Sarah doesn’t change,  it’s no surprise to see that she’s put Trig out there again, with nothing new to say. Same old stuff. Look! I have a child with Down syndrome. I'm blessed. Why isn't there something new?  Because Sarah doesn't care about disabilities. She didn't care in 2008, she doesn't care now. Sarah doesn't change.

Why is Newsweek carrying this tripe?  Who owns Newsweek? I think we should follow the money.

According to Wikipedia, a quick search says 

August 2010, The Washington Post Company sold Newsweek to 92-year-old audio pioneer Sidney Harman—reportedly for a purchase price of $1.00 and an assumption of the magazine's liabilities.

At the end of 2010, Newsweek merged with the online publication The Daily Beast, The goal of the new Newsweek Daily Beast Company is to have The Daily Beast be a source of instant analysis of the news, while Newsweek would serve to take a look at the bigger picture, provide deeper analysis, and "connect the dots," in the words of Harman, and to ultimately return both publications to profit-making.

Now, Newsweek is jointly owned by Harman and IAC/InterActiveCorp.  InterActiveCorp (legal name: IAC/InterActiveCorp) is an American internet company whose Chairman and Senior Executive is Barry Diller.

Mr. Diller was previously head ofParamount Pictures, Fox Broadcasting and USA Broadcasting.

Diller was the head of FOX Broadcasting?   Oh, that explains a lot.  Fox needs Palin's name out there, in a goodwill kind of way. Newsweek runs a cotton candy article - all sugar no substance. Somebody did somebody a favor. So much for the NEWS part of Newsweek, the deeper analysis, and "connect the dots." 

Good luck, Mr. Harman.  If you really want to make some sales, I'd suggest you breakout the Babygate story. It's much more interesting, and real, than the pablum you printed about Trig this week.