I just found a dormant blog aptly named Lovely and Amazing. Written by Emily Elizabeth, it contains stories from a woman who, like Sarah Palin, is the mother of a child with an extra chromosome. This mom is what Sarah Palin wants to be. Or, I should say, what Sarah Palin wants you to believe she already is. It has writings from a mom who obviously loves her little girl, Emma Elizabeth.
I found Lovely and Amazing when researching Sarah Palin's words versus actual actions and accomplishments in helping promote disability issues. You know - putting love into action. That sort of thing.
Here is what I learned from Emily Elizabeth from her post in 2008 following Governor Palin's knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark RNC speech:
I fail to understand how a candidate who disavows Big Government will be able to advocate successfully for the disability community; a community that has historically lobbied for more government, not less. The disability community has spent decades trying to pass more legislation protecting the rights of those with disabilities; to create more publicly funded programs to provide support of and access to those rights; and to increase budgets allocated to to self sufficiency programs. Disability history is ripe not with government handouts, but with the end goal of creating more tax payers and more active participants in society. These programs in of themselves have created and will create an entire industry which has the ability to bring further economic growth to all Americans. This is an investment that should Big Government place in the disability community, will return a profit. That profit is dependent on the full force of the investment, and if we allow the current trickle of funds to continue - a trickle down theory that doesn't support the very legislation it is bound to - there won't be anything to reap.
Is that fiscal responsibility?
The disability community today is faced with many critical issues which may not reveal themselves fully to those of us who do not have children transitioning to adulthood. We are all probably aware that IDEA has never been fully funded at the federally mandated percentage of 40%, today sitting at a meager 17%, and that Special Education and Early Intervention programs across the country have seen their budgets repeatedly cut as a result of this.
(There is much more, and you can find it and read it here. Many of you mentioned in my previous post that you, too, love someone with physical or mental challenges, and I think you might find yourself in the writings on Lovely and Amazing and her description of young Emma Elizabeth.)
Fiscal responsibility, it's a line Sarah loves to use, but something she applies unequally. Even when it comes to helping the disabled, she is stingy. But when it comes to big business, she's a giver. Again, I'm going back to historical patterns here to prove a point. Below is a portion of the Boston Globe's October 12, 2008 article "Anti-zoning key to Palin's early record,"
WASILLA, Alaska -- Days after Sarah Palin became Mayor John Stein's only serious challenger in 1996, the 32-year-old city councilwoman stood and cast a proud, dissenting vote against one of Stein's greatest achievements: the first zoning plan in Wasilla's history ...
Over the next two months, Palin surprised and excited many in Wasilla by introducing social issues such as abortion and guns to the city's nonpartisan elections on the way to defeating the incumbent. But the centerpiece of her campaign was opposition to Stein's effort to bring zoning to the community.
Wasilla today reflects the results of her free-market approach to development. Running for a second mayoral term in 1999, Palin cited as one of her greatest successes luring a Fred Meyer mega-supermarket to Wasilla. The zoning plan, adopted over then-councilwoman Palin's opposition, proved no impediment for the store, which went up just a few feet from the banks of bucolic Lake Wasilla ...
When Wal-Mart expressed interest in building a store in the Wasilla area, the company faced few restrictions. Residents, who had a smattering of small, locally owned stores but were used to driving into Anchorage for other purchases, appeared to be uninterested in dictating the terms of the development.
"I think Wal-Mart won: They weren't asked to do much," said Stein, then mayor ... [Sarah Palin beat Mayor John Stein in 1996]
In her first year as mayor, Palin repeatedly signed ordinances to rezone lots for denser uses, often turning plots of land from "rural residential," the most restrictive category, to the looser "commercial."
Fearing that substandard construction on these new lots would undercut their members' work, the Mat-Su Homebuilders Association pushed the city to adopt building codes. In February 2007, Palin broke a 3-to-3 tie to defeat a proposed building-code ordinance in the council ...''
Now then, if Sarah was such a freedom-loving, small government politician, how does that fit with her opposition to having group homes in Wasilla? Remember that? Way back when she was a member of the town council, with her sites on becoming the mayor, Sarah was vocal about wanting to ban group homes for the most vulnerable members of the community:
...Dick Deuser, the city attorney... was not your average small-town lawyer. He'd attended law school at the University of Minnesota and had worked for a prominent Anchorage firm. At one point, the council asked him about the legality of banning group homes--such as shelters for runaways--a position Palin championed. Deuser had an academic manner and was fond of citing Supreme Court precedent. When he explained that a ban would be unconstitutional, Palin appeared impatient with such legal niceties. "I would describe it this way: Sarah was not an in-depth person. Never has, never will be," Deuser says. "Her instincts are political as opposed to evaluative." (The New Republic, October 22, 2008 )
"Political as opposed to evaluative. " That description of Sarah Palin in 1996 as a council member of a very small town, is equally fitting for Governor Palin the VP candidate running with John McCain in 2008. Remember her making fun of tax-dollars being spent on "fruit fly research"? She was supporting federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (candidate Obama supported it, too), but then she did her trademark snarky thing and criticized a specific research group as having "little or nothing to do with public good." Political but not evaluative. Guess who benefits from some of the discoveries of fruit fly research - Autistic children. In fact, it's been said, that the study of fruit flies has "revolutioned" the study of birth defects.
Has Sarah grown in her knowledge of disability issues? No, just look at her pathetic pandering in Newsweek . Talking about Trig eating pureed food. Compare that with the Lovely and Amazing miss Emma Elizabeth.
What has grown exponentially is Sarah's bank account. She sells her brand - "Sarah Palin, mother of Trig Palin." Apparently, Sarah's definition of fiscal responsibility is "whatever puts money in the Palin family coffers." If it's coming out of the pockets of those Jesus would have called "the least of these,"that's just fine with the former president of the Wasilla High School Christian Athletes.
May 11, 2010 - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is at the downtown [Birmingham, AL] Sheraton hotel greeting residents and supporters of Rainbow Omega, a faith-based group home for adults with developmental disabilities...Her appearance at the Rainbow Omega event is a paid appearance. http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/05/sarah_palin_greets_residents_a.html
Malia Litman reported on the above appearance for the Huffington Post:
Malia Litman reported on the above appearance for the Huffington Post:
According to Stentson Carpenter, the Board Chairman and CEO of Rainbow Omega, the contract with Palin prohibited him from disclosing the fee paid to Palin, but he did confirm that the amount was agreed upon in advance, and that the fee was in addition to travel expenses. Palin's usual fee is $100,000. Travel expenses in this case did not include a private plane, but a first class ticket for Ms. Palin and two coach tickets for her security guards. Obviously Grandma Palin was not donating her time, but was receiving financial compensation for this 39 minute speech.
It's Valentine's Day and I have no love for Sarah Palin. None. That doesn't make me a hater. I just don't love that woman. And I'm very sure that if those hits I'm getting from Wasilla are from the compound on the lake, then Sarah Palin has no love for me.
Sarah can love, however. Sarah loves herself. She loves power. And Sarah loves money.
Is that who you want influencing the future of this country? Neither do I. Press on Truthers. With love.
25 comments:
Since John McCain unleashed the pestilence that is Palin
* Has she said or done ANYthing to help make things better that didn't involve any self-promotion ?
* Has she come up with an original idea, created a program or offered any concrete, well thought-out plan to make things better ?
* Has she given a speech or interview that did NOT include some insult directed at her perceived "enemies," political or otherwise ?
No. In fact, she's infected politics like a bad case of syphilis and exposing the truth is the only cure.
Happy V.D., Sarah.
I found it particularly interesting that one of the very few health issue advocacy groups to support universal healthcare was the group advocating for DS families. (I cannot recall the specific name.) Their interest in universal healthcare makes a lot of sense because a disability like DS involves so many health and therapy issues.
Having Sarah Palin shrieking about the nonexistent "death panels" and helping to doom universal healthcare legislation in the near future was a slap in the face to families whose children are disabled. What a great advocate Sarah Palin is - not.
Babbling interminably about what a "blessing" your DS child is when you have a bully pulpit for advocating for real help for real people is a disgrace. What a supreme failure Sarah Palin has been.
Anonymous @ 5:13 PM
Thanks for that info. I hadn't heard anything about that & it needs to be known.
How typical of Mama Mooseface -- why should SHE care about OTHER families with DS kids ? Trig's not only covered by health insurance, but there's always SarahPAC to cover any "incidentals."
Remember the infamous $200,000 wardrobe that the Republican Party had to buy for her during the 2008 campaign so she wouldn't look like trailer trash ? It included a $95 baby pacifier ! It's listed in the GOP's campaign expense disclosure forms.
She's a worthless, despicable low-life who belongs in prison for fraud.
I'm not so sure Brad S "proved" Ruffles and Tri-G are the same. I actually think there have been several stand in Tri-Gs along the way. Perhaps on of them is the same, but there have been more than one, of that I am quite convinced.
Yes, Sarah's evil. Adopting a baby so he can live in a stable environment and not with someone who has no means to support him is evil.
"Having Sarah Palin shrieking about the nonexistent "death panels" I see you bought into the liberal lie that the above wouldn't have existed. However, if you paid attention, you would have realized that these "death panels" were being discussed before Sarah used the word death panels. She herself did not invent that concept. It was in the words of the bill.
The more bloggers write posts like these, the more they become what they protest against; the more they become hateful and angry little attack muffins.
Remember your sense of humanity. Instead of pointlessly blogging (it wont make a global different), go volunteer. Go run for office or a position that gives you power to change things. Endlessly bitching about people who have passion and conviction does nothing but it does make you look juvenile.
By the way, what you've written above does not prove anything about Sarah's family, nor do the words prove she ignores the plights of special needs families. You in actuality have no idea what she does privately do you? She didnt publicize her support of those DS organizations did she? She didn[t publicize her donations to Wasilla charity did she? She doesnt facebook about her volunteer time with the Christmas dinner does she?
In reality, she could be doing all you criticize her for, but as she's said, people typically don't call attention to their acts of charity. It makes those who receive the actslook like charity cases.
Anon 7:07
There you go again with the "adoption" thing. Who is the adopted baby? Trig? Wasn't Trig the gift from God that Sarah carried in her shape-shifting womb for 8 months?
Also, too, you're lying about the "death panel" language in the Health Care bill. Sarah was the mouthpiece for the "death panel" lie and she should be heartily ashamed.
Oh, and regarding fruit flies -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg1vIeuQT1s.
Fuck off.
Well the fact is she DOES ignore the "plights" of special needs families. The tragic case of Cindy Olson and her autistic son Billy proves that.
http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2008/09/palin-sued-by-autistic-teen-needing.html
All Cindy wanted was for Sarah and her administration to take a LOOK at this topic and Sarah fought it tooth and nail.
http://www.courtrecords.alaska.gov/pa/pa.urd/pamw2000.docket_lst?71417541
In the end Cindy lost everything, her house, her son, her dividends and eventually her life, just 12 days after they took her first dividend for having the audacity to ask Sarah for help for all special needs children.
http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2009/11/24/local_news/obituaries/doc4b06381479134606028559.txt
So fuck you Fairy Tale Troll. There's a special place in hell reserved for you AND your queen
7:07????
Why do you keep saying she adopted the baby? (by the way, he is no longer a baby). And now you have added the twist that his parents couldn't provide for him. What gives?
And what makes you think that the people blogging here don't volunteer, or run for office? We don't all spend our whole day reading blogs. You seem to hang around here a lot yourself.
Ms. Palin may privately donate lots of money and time to charity. But, I think maybe Allison and the others' point was that since Sarah has higher visibility, her promotion of DS charities would provide those organizations with greater exposure to people who would like to donate their time and money. Yet Sarah doesn't do that, why not?
Lots of other "celebrities" lend their name, and also lots of time and effort, to charities of all kinds. Why not Sarah, who may be a mother (adopted?) of a child born with a disability?
Anon@7:52 Thanks for the link to Rachael Maddow and the fruit fly research! RM is my favorite MSNBC political geek.
Allison -- Thanks so much for the response. Isn't Rachel just fabulous? There's a reason she gets under the skin of so many wingnuts.
Anonymous @ 7:07, you apparently seem to know quite a bit about Trig's past, indicating his birth mother couldn't care for him properly so Sarah adopted him? Why would she do such a thing? Sarah has NEVER been known to do for others or even be aware of the plights of those around her, as in her sister's own problems with an autistic son and what she faced on a daily basis. Sarah needed to be sat down and told specifically about Heather's problems with Karcher and yet you and others claim this family is so close, they babysit for one another or should I say, they all babysat for Sarah? If Palin adopted Trig, why the story about how difficult it was to find out she was going to have a son with DS, her elaborate lies about the amnio, her going into "labor" and the leaking of amniotic fluid during her speech, "big laughs--big contractions", etc. Those aren't just little fibs to cover up for an adoption, those are wildly exaggerated stories all written or said to present Sarah as the picture of the perfect mother, even prior to birth. Then there's the letter from the Creator! If you think she can spin this that it won't do her any harm or that it's all so innocent, why hasn't she done so? Because she knows the shitload of lies she has told is going to be impossible to undo and
the majority of the people who still have a positive opinion of her will shrim overnight to nearly zero. Of course, there will be those stupid cretins at the PeeZoo who believe she walks on water and that God has commanded her to be President, they'll never leave her side but then again, they're mentally ill. They have a good excuse.
As far as death panels go, they've existed for decades and they are called insurance companies. However, Sarah tried to turn an innocent prospect, being able to speak to your doctor about end of life care long before one reaches this stage, as the government demanding you sign over your rights to them. Yet this is the very same thing Palin spoke about as Governor and was in favor of at the time. Listen to her state of the state address in '08 where she sounds just like Michelle Obama speaking about obesity and what THE STATE CAN DO (sarah's words, not mine) to help get obesity and healthy eating under control. What a far cry from her ridiculous, "the government is trying to tell me what I can and cannot feed me kids". Palin is the stereotypical political hypocrite. How sad that we have adults (allegedly) who are too blind to see the reality of her lying!
I have close relatives who work with DS on a National basis and Sarah is nowhere to be seen when it comes to helping the foundation. They have continued since losing their brother almost 20 years ago to heart disease. While they could write large checks and consider their work done, they also give of their time and are teaching their children to do the same. Sarah has done neither. She could have done a few 30 second public service promotions for D.S. that could have raised millions but did she? Hell NO! Why not? It wouldn't have done anything for Sarah. Anyone with a kind heart would do these things without being asked, they would want to help and would step forth to give whatever they could in terms of time or money. Sarah is not known for her works of charity. Yes, I've heard about the hour that the family spends dishing up dinner to the poor on Christmas. There are also plenty of publicity shots that accompany the same. Sarah does nothing without recognition for it. That's long been known. Too bad you've been taken in by the hypocrisy.
All that money she took from retarded people and yet no Sarah Palin Foundation for D.S.? No commercials on the behalf of anyone but her? No beg-a-thons that don't completely benefit her?
She should have a Foundation in her name not a PAC. She should have been the national spokesperson for D.S. by now, instead she's simply become the national spokesperson for B.S.
"but as she's said, people typically don't call attention to their acts of charity."
Nope, she's never said that. You must have made it up. How funny! What is it we call people who tell us stuff that isn't true? "Liars," isn't it?
@Anon 4:17AM
Thank you! With all due respect to Prof. Scharlott, he has not proven, to me, Ruffles and Trig are the same baby.
He can place ears-over-ears but it does not explain the weight difference between the two. I've made many comments about Mercede's girlfriend who gave birth the end of February, 2008. This information was on Mercede's facebook page and I spent three days -- two years ago -- going over her facebook pages and all her girlfriends.
There were so many pictures of this pg girlfriend, drinking at parties and out-of-control, it was really sad. It would not have been surprising if she did, indeed, have an FAS baby that turned out to be Ruffles. He looked like he barely weighed five pounds. Just perfect for Sarah to take to her baby shower and show off as "her" preemie.
Just my opinion...
@Ginger,
That is really interesting re Mercede pregnant & partying girlfriend. The timing would work.
It also means Mercede is a big fat liar. Which I always felt was the case. She would have to know the entire hoax.
Some sort of twilight zone up there in Wasilla, eh? I guess this is what happens when you isolate marginal types and leave them to their own devices. I always thought studying Palin will give many people their future PHD's. Perhaps also studying isolated groups of people and their norms will grant more PHDs as well. Palin could only have come out of Alaska...she was the perfect storm. Hopefully and thankfully perfect storms are few and far between and people learn to navigate around them.
Anon 4:17
Ginger - Brad proved it as far as I'm concerned. Others have their own opinions.
You talk about pictures taken in early 2008 of a baby I've never heard mentioned. A real baby has a real birthdate and you say you saw pictures. Got any screenshots? Those thing aren't opinions, those are documentable observations.
If this turns out to be the girl I've seen in the drinking/parting pics with Sadie- the tIming isn't right and there are pics on Facebook showing she is raising the baby. So provide some evidence with some links and we can all take a look.
As you see from Anon 4:26 comment, your opinion might become someone else's fact. If you documented your work with screenshots , you can email them to me at thepalinplace@gmail.com. I'll post them.
But again, I've not heard that Sadie's friend had a baby in 2008. Let's see.
New comment on Shailey interview by our friend AKRN. Take a step back and check it out.
Malia Litman also wrote about SP's speech here in South Alabama for the "Exceptional Foundation".
http://malialitman.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/confirmation-that-sarah-palins-servants-heart-comes-with-a-100000-00-price-tag/
Allison, no, I don't have any screen shots. I was just reading facebook pages and there were so many, where would I start?
Hey, you are absolutely right! We all have our opinions. Some people are intuitive and some, regardless of how educated, lack in this respect.
There is more to this story than just facebook pages. There were no pictures of the baby ... just happy greetings between Mercede and her girlfriend (whose name I will not disclose). They were so excited awaiting the birth of this baby, due the end of Feb., 2008, and talking about buying Nike baby shoes, things like that.
Just telling you what I read...
Ginger- there might be other readers with access to the pages you saw. Are you certain it was Facebook? In 2008? I am quite sure Sadie was only into MySpace in early 2008. Those Bear pics were on MySpace. It was later she opened up a Facebook page. She started Facebook her senior year of high school 2009-2010.
Allison, I think what I saw was on Mercede's "girlfriend's" facebook page. Mercede was on there with her picture and comments. It sounds like you know which girlfriend I'm talking about. If you can have someone find her Facebook/MySpace pages from Jan., Feb., 2008, you will see what I've been saying is true.
You know, Allison, I really don't like making comments about Ruffles but when it comes to saying he and Trig are the same baby, it bothers me.
You are right about this girlfriend raising a baby and currently having pictures on facebook or whatever. What's even more confusing -- from what I can tell -- she gave him the same name that Ruffles had. However, I think it's her second child that was born in May, 2010. It looks like she got herself together and is doing well.
If you know someone that can find these old facebook pages, let me know. One girlfriend sent out a message the end of May, 2008, (to their circle of friends) that told me what could possibly have happened to Ruffles.
Sure, "the powers to be" would love to have everyone believe Trig and Ruffles are one in the same. That way, no one can question what happened to him. Right? It looks like they scrubbed all the records...everything...thanks to Gov. Palin. In Alaska, this seems to be routine.
When I think of how she used that shower picture of her holding Ruffles -- on a national magazine cover -- during the VP campaign -- for PR purposes and to prove she gave birth to a preemie, and knowing if something did happen to him, just makes my blood boil.
Thanks, Allison, for being interested and caring...
Ginger--I'm totally confused.Are you saying that Sarah borrowed a baby that belonged to a friend of Mercedes, used him for a photo shoot, then gave him back?
@carrie
Yes, that's what I'm saying.
Unbelievable, huh? Almost like a woman, governor of a state, faking a pregnancy.
Ginger -- Thanks for the thoughtful posts. Lots of stuff to mull over!
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