Politics. And the CRPD

Okay.  There are some things that have folks murmuring concerning special needs and the UN.  I am going to answer this in a very short, to the point version.

Here is the public version that you can view. 
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/disabilities-convention.htm
 Doesn't look terribly bad or scary, does it?

So why is Santorum against it?  I mean he has a child with severe and profound needs.  You would think that he should head the parade, right?
http://www.patriotvoices.com/crpd

It comes down to this in a nutshell.  One of the United States' biggest contributions to the world at large is human rights.  They have had their own flies-in-the-ointment and skeletons, but over-arching, they have gotten spread too thin, militarily and financially, in helping and protecting groups of people who could not help themselves.  This includes people with disabilities.

But in offering this and signing on for United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) , we are effectively giving away more of our control over our own country.

Especially in our rights regarding our children.  Most especially in our rights regarding our children with disabilities.

We are handing over the reigns of these decisions to countries that we do NOT have a voice in, that we cannot vote out, and that have a history of human rights violations.  In their past, and in their present!

This is currently going on in countries that are members in the UN.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26332429/ns/dateline_nbc-international/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/europe/05bulgaria.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/world/europe/13iht-serbia.4.8319013.html

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/mhi/about/about/more

I am 100% sure that I don't want nations that are okay with this involved with my choices concerning my children.

If we sign on to this, we are not helping children in any other country.  It only applies to our own.  And these laws will supercede our own national laws.

So.  I am personally asking my senators to vote against this.  Not because I do not want my child protected, but because I do not want people who are not me to make decisions about what is best for my child.  I have seen teachers who see my child everyday make poor decisions about what would be best for my child.  I certainly do not want somebody who not only does not know what my child's best interests are, but who could utilize my child in a political maneuver. 

And I would have zero recourse.

And that is that.

31 for 21: Language.

In the special needs circles, I tend to be the oddity as far as my politics.  I am exceedingly conservative.  For now, that means I am a republican.  I am not, however, married to a party; nor do I feel the need to protect those of my political leanings when they make stupid choices.

Ann Coulter, for example.  I respect her, as a woman.  She is well-educated.  She has worked hard to get where she is in the political eye.  She is *usually* thoughtful and well-spoken, even if she tends to be harsh, and self-admittedly biased.  Which is her right.

Which brings us to this last firestorm.  After her tweet after Romney and Obama's third debate, "I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard", she managed to completely discredit herself.  She has managed to be offensive and abrasive in her response to the public outcry of her word choice, involving the ever mature and lovely, "screw them".

Frankly, she cannot be surprised, as she has chosen to use the word before and received hugely negative feedback.  Rather than use other words that would be less hurtful and offensive, and certainly more indicative of her intelligence and education; she has chosen to defend it citing:

 

"Look, no one would refer to a Down Syndrome child, someone with an actual mental handicap, by saying ‘retard.’ Where do you think the words ‘imbecile,’ ‘idiot,’ ‘moron,’ ‘cretin’ come from? These were all technical terms at one time. ‘Retard’ had been used colloquially to just mean ‘loser’ for 30 years,” Coulter insisted. “But no, no — these aggressive victims have to come out and tell you what words to use.”

 

Now, I am not a giant fan of the word police.  As a matter of fact, I prefer out-dated words, with a soft and caring heart, than politically correct vocabulary with a scornful, distasteful, indifferent treatment of my child.  But, Ms. Coulter has managed to use hurtful language and to disregard the special needs community's hurt by this word.  Not only that, she has continued to use the word in an ugly and offensive manner like a child that has been reprimanded for something they knew better than to do.

 

I do not agree with  John Franklin Stephens' politics, but he made such an excellent point, without calling her hateful names, taking pot-shots, or even using edgy language.  He made his point with thoughtful, insightful, poignant language.  He found that in making his point in a gentle manner, which comes across FAR more educated than Ms. Coulter, he met with people's hearts that don't even agree with him politically.  Which is something that she should maybe take pointers on?

 

Please read this entire open letter, via the Special Olympics' blog, to Ann Coulter.  HERE

 

Frankly, I think that he said everything that needs to be said.  I just wanted to make sure that everyone's seen it.

 



The "R" Word, and Why it Cuts

If you grew up in the 80's or 90's, you've probably heard the word "retarded" and perhaps even used it to hurt someone. If you did, I'm not here to yell at you and try and make you feel badly. I am not even pulling a Harry Potter today, and talking about "the word that shall not be named".

I have gotten a LOT of flack for the name of my blog. I am judged and written off. I have without a doubt, lost followers or fans. I was very deliberate when I chose the name, I got warnings and reprimands within the first few weeks from starting it. I chose it because I wanted everyone to know just how open I am willing to be. I want to be honest and not hide behind terminology. I want to tell you WHY parents are so "militant" about terminology and why they will jump down your throats for your carelessness. I wanted you to understand what our life really is. I wanted you to know how frivolous that diagnosis is to my value of my child. I love Elise for being her. I do not care if she is not what the world views as perfect. I do not care what you think if she has a meltdown in the middle of a store. I do not care what you think about when you hear the word "quality of life", because I know that she is a treasure beyond price!

I value Elise because she is perfect. She loves fully and completely, she is beautiful and a blessing. There is not a soul on this entire Earth that has no failings. There is not a person on Earth that can excel in all areas of life. If my daughter has to struggle more than the average bear to execute her dreams, then she appreciates them more than the average too. She will be very aware of her accomplishments and will be confident in her life.

Retarded used to mean something more simplistic than it does now. It was later used to give an explanation to educate the public. Later yet, it has been used to denigrate, cut, and attack; and it is this consequence that has caused the hue and cry. It used to mean that something or someone may take a little longer to succeed, but they would eventually meet the goal. Now it is the ultimate decree that someone is expendable and not of worth.

Because I am a veteran teacher of the public school system, I was most aware of the diagnosis/explanation. Because I am a word-a-phile, I found comfort in the original definition. As a parent of a child with THAT word in her diagnosis, I am hurt, decimated, and angered by the general and careless definition, because regardless of her IQ, my daughter is a value to her world. She may be a little more work, but she is unequivocally worth it.

I will not attack you if you slip into your 13-year-old self and you are careless. I will be hurt. I will probably correct you, if my mere presence does not make you correct yourself. If it is used against my child, I promise you that I will go Mama Bear on you. But, I encourage you to wipe this word from your vocabulary. I ask that you go mama bear on your kids, so they know what it really means. I beg that you explain to others how hurtful it is. I plead with you not to become anesthetized to the ultimate appraisal that the word "retarded" gives.

Ultimately, if you use that word, you are concluding that something is worthless and a waste. If that is used against a person, can you really wonder at the pain, anger, and defensiveness that it inspires in our community?

I hope that you will commit to not using the word "retarded" or it's variations. I hope that you will remember what it is you are really saying. If a you want something a little more concrete, please check out this site. I particularly like this page of explantion.

Please also take the time to read the article "Redefining Disability" on this page. It is such a great article!

Also, this was a really neat interview, and I really typically dislike Johnny Knoxville! (Thanks to my friend Laura who posted this up on Facebook!)



I hope that you will consider what I've said and take it to heart. Don't react to those who get angry. Do not defend yourself. Understand that it is not the words that are used, but the meanings that supersede the dictionary definition.

What I am talking about is more than political correctness. Love by action. Listen to the craving of respect. Give that respect.