Quote of the Day (October 10, 2011)

Thank You, Sarah Palin
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Kathryn Jean Lopez, at Catholic Vote:

“I firmly believe that Sarah Palin has been a gift to American culture. People criticize her (and then some) and the prominence of her family, but I’m grateful we’ve met Trig Palin. I’m grateful that his mother helped shatter the mainstream media myth that a woman in politics surrender femininity. Most importantly, though, before her, I’m not sure how many of us realized that upwards of 90 percent of children expected to be born with Down Syndrome are aborted.”

- JP

Sarah Palin: 'Think about what really matters'

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Posted today on Facebook by Gov. Palin:

Do you want to keep some healthy perspective in your busy day today? Want to take a minute to think about what really matters, and be reminded to ask about purpose and destiny? Watch this:

The artist, Lee-Ellen, is the mother of two sons, one of them a Down Syndrome child named Sam.

- JP

Is 'How low can the left go?' a rhetorical question?

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From Bluegrass Pundit:

How low will the left go in order to insult Sarah Palin? There doesn't seem to be any limit. Lefties at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have nominated the "Family Guy" song mocking Sarah Palin's down's syndrome child for an Emmy.

More...

- JP

"Family Guy" cast member stands with Sarah

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At least one member of the "Family Guy" cast agrees with Sarah Palin. From the Washington Post's TV Column:

Not everyone who works on the Fox animated sitcom "Family Guy" is standing in solidarity with its Valentine's Day episode's Sarah Palin joke.

Cast member Patrick Warburton told TV critics Wednesday he objected to the flippant reference to Palin as the parent of a child with Down syndrome.

"I know it's satire but, personally, that [joke] bothered me, too," Warburton said on a conference call to promote his other prime-time show, the CBS sitcom "Rules of Engagement," which returns for a fourth season on March 1. (On "Family Guy," Warburton does the voice of Joe, a police officer who uses a wheelchair.)

"I know that you have to be an 'equal-opportunity offender,' but there are some things that I just don't think are funny," Warburton said.

Somehow we don't think this will get the same media play as cast member Andrea Fay Friedman's defense of the show's lamestream attempt at humor.

- JP

Sarah Palin: My life with a Down's syndrome child

Excerpted from her memoir Going Rogue, The Sunday Times presents Sarah Palin's compelling story of life with Baby Trig in an abbreviated op-ed format. We picked up the story when the governor was in New Orleans to speak at an oil and gas conference:

I asked my security guy to drop me off at a pharmacy. Back at the hotel, before my speech, I followed the instructions on the pregnancy test box. Slowly a pink image materialised on the stick. Holy geez!

Todd and I had always dreamt of a big family, and he, especially, dreamt of having another boy — bookends for his three daughters.

I quickly prayed about this surreal situation. First, that I’d even be able to fathom it. I was happy but I could hear the critics:

“She’ll be distracted from state business.”

“She won’t be physically up to the job.”

“That’s what we get for electing the first woman governor.”

I sighed and stared at the ceiling. These are really less-than-ideal circumstances. And for a split second it hit me: I’m out of town. No one knows I’m pregnant. No one would ever have to know.

It was a fleeting thought, a sudden understanding of why many women feel pressured to make the “problem” go away. Sad, I thought, that our society has elevated things like education and career above the gift of bringing new life into the world. Yes, the timing of this pregnancy wasn’t ideal. But that wasn’t the baby’s fault...

Follow the link for the rest of Sarah Palin's Times article.

- JP

When Sarah Held Up Trig, She Held Up A Mirror

Jennifer Ginsberg and Heather Robinson, who co-wrote "Sarah's Smackdown" (which we reported on here), have joined forces to produce another thought-provoking essay titled "Down Syndrome: Sarah Palin's Brave Choice":

"Seeing Todd Palin, primary caregiver to the couple's five children, tenderly place the couple's youngest child, Trig, into his mother's arms following her big speech, what "feminist" or "liberal" could fail to be moved? Agree with her positions or not, this was surely a moment that embodied and sanctified many of the feminist movement's finest ideals. Since, as a pro-choice independent, I felt that way, I figured lots of other women across the political spectrum would, too. But within days, the blogosphere teemed with rage-filled, anti-Palin screeds, coming more often than not from other women."

[...]

"Sarah Palin did something unforgivable. She succeeded at building the dream life -- the happy family and high-powered career -- that the feminist movement champions. In many ways, I saw her as a reflection of everything I hadn't yet accomplished. Her plate was certainly more full than mine, yet she was able to gracefully do it all. I, on the other hand, can hardly pump out a decent essay once a week with all of my family obligations. On top of it, she is beautiful. And most of all -- the most unforgivable slap in the face to modern women everywhere -- she had given birth to a child with Down syndrome."

[...]

"Is it possible that it was for this, above all, that Sarah Palin, one of our country's only female governors, got branded with an "S"-- for Stupid, for Silly, for Shallow? All because she held up a mirror to us?"

It's a powerful piece of writing, and it deserves to be read in full at Mom Logic.

- JP

CNN: Palin draws sellout crowd in Indiana

From CNN's Political Ticker blog:

In her first speech outside Alaska this year, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin praised her state, criticized the president's economic recovery plan and talked at length about her anti-abortion views.

But she didn't touch on what a lot of people wanted to know: Will she run for president in 2012?

Palin's appearance before the sold-out Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner in Evansville, Indiana, brought in nationwide media and forced organizers to open up an overflow area for attendees.

Speaking of the Democrats in the Alaska legislature, the governor quipped:

"They condemn anything that I do, but especially traveling outside the state to speak in another state at a function like this. Which is ironic, because these are the same critics who would love to see me outside the state forever, permanently, you know, outside the governor's office anyway."

In a far-ranging speech, Gov. Palin had harsh words for the Obama economic stimulus package:

"This isn't free money folks. Our nation is $11 trillion in debt. This is borrowed money. We're borrowing money from China, and we may someday find ourselves enslaved to countries that hold our notes."

But the lion's share of her speech was devoted to the pro-life cause, and Palin became emotional when she talked about her son Trig and the apprehension she felt before his birth, knowing that he had Down's Syndrome:

"I had to call upon my faith and ask that my heart be filled up and I will tell you, the moment he was born, I knew for sure that my prayer was answered and my heart overflowed with joy."

Gov. Palin's other scheduled event in Evansville is a breakfast this morning with members of S.M.I.L.E., an organization which supports relatives of those with Down's.

- JP