As a military officer it is inappropriate for me to comment negatively on my
Commander-in-Chief (respect for the office, not the office-holder kind of
thing).  However, I don't think it's terribly appropriate for the nation's
leader to be featured on a television show that has comedy as its primary
theme.

I don't think any offense was intended, nor do I believe that his slip of
the tongue reveals a notion of superiority to the disabled.  Being so
uptight about trying not to offend tends to be offensive in and of itself.
The human condition is, well, funny...

Kyle

On Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 3:51 PM, Kendall D. Corbett <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Here's Special Olympics' official response to Obama's statement.  Not only
> did Obama apologize, he personally called Timothy Shriver, the executive
> director of Special Olympics, to do so.
>
>
> MARCH 20, 2009
> OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM SPECIAL OLYMPICS CHAIRMAN TIMOTHY SHRIVER
>
> REGARDING U.S. PRESIDENT OBAMA S COMMENT ON THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO
> President Obama called last night and expressed his regret and he
> apologized. He said that he
> did not intend to humiliate Special Olympics athletes or people with
> intellectual disabilities. He was
> sincere and heartfelt, and said that he is a fan of our movement and is
> ready to work with our
> athletes to make the United States a more accepting and welcoming country
> for all people with
> special needs.
>
> "Words hurt and words matter. Words can cause pain and result in
> stereotypes
> that are unfair and
> damaging to people with intellectual disabilities. And using Special
> Olympics in a negative or
> derogatory context can be a humiliating put-down to people with special
> needs.
> This is a teachable moment for our country. We are asking young people,
> parents and leaders
> from all walks of life to engage in conversation and help dispel negative
> caricatures about people
> with intellectual disabilities. We believe that it s only through open
> conversation and dialogue about
> how stereotypes can cause pain that we can begin to work together to create
> communities of
> acceptance and inclusion for all."
>
> Special Olympics is not a program, but a worldwide movement operating
> 30,000
> events a year in
> more than 180 countries. Every one of them is a chance for people of all
> ages to get involved, to
> think differently about attitudes and perceptions they may have about
> people
> with intellectual
> disabilities, and to make a difference.
> And so we challenge people to join our Spread the Word to End the Word
> campaign, a youth-led
> national awareness effort that will launch on March 31, where we are asking
> people to pledge their
> respect for people with special needs. We re asking people to sign our
> R-word pledge, to join in
> our Unified Sports programs, to volunteer, and to be fans of our athletes
> and our movement.
> Additionally, we challenge policy leaders at all levels to commit to
> improving the support and
> resources for people with intellectual disabilities in areas such as
> healthcare, education, housing
> and recreation.
> Finally, we invite the President to take the lead and consider hiring a
> Special Olympics athlete to
> work in the White House. In so doing, he could help end misperceptions
> about
> the talents and
> abilities of people with intellectual disabilities, and demonstrate their
> dignity and value to the world.
> Contact:
> Kirsten Suto Seckler
> Special Olympics
> [log in to unmask]
> --
>
> Kendall
>
> An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)
>
> The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
> persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
> depends on the unreasonable man.
>
> -George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 3:09 PM, Meir Weiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>  >
> http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090320/world/obama_special_olympics_1
> >
> > SIGHHHHHHHH
> > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
> > signature
> > database 3952 (20090320) __________
> >
> > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
> >
> > http://www.eset.com
> >
> >
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