Angelica Grace Designs Blog

Friday, March 20, 2009

AS A SPECIAL NEEDS PARENT...

As the parent of a "SPECIAL" needs child and the niece to a "SPECIAL" needs aunt, this hurts! Although meant to be a joke, it was at the expense of many others in this world who weren't given a choice in the matter. Thus...another reason why I feel it totally unprofessional and inappropriate for our President of the United States to be kicking back, chillin', and making jokes about his lack of bowling skills being a comparison to one in the Special Olympics on Jay Leno's couch during his presidency. How convenient that he now would like to invite some special needs children to the White House for some bowling. If this isn't confirmation that his staff should keep him off late night talk shows while he serves as our President of the United States, I don't know what is. Amazing the type person you can reveal you are without a scripted teleprompter in your face to coach you along. Transparency at its finest! Sorry friends. I find this appalling. And for those of you who think I'm jumping the gun and being over dramatic, come watch my daughter not be able to pedal her new bicycle or throw a ball because of her "SPECIAL" needs. Walk a mile in her shoes and then we'll talk about how using the Special Olympics in the presidents jokes are belittling and humiliating to her and many other disabled children and adults in this world. Shame on you President Obama. Shame on you! Don't you have something else more important you could be doing? Like maybe running the country in a professional manner - from the white house???
I'm just sayin...

Yes, just a bit peeved, Angie
PS...Can you imagine how many heads would have rolled if President Bush would have said this or something similar back when he was in office?

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29 Comments:

Blogger Tracy said...

amen!! amazing what no teleprompter or professional speech writer will do to such a "special" man!

3/20/2009 12:49 PM  
Blogger Jamie G. said...

I couldn't even believe that he made time to go to the show with all that he should already have on his plate! I didn't watch, so I had no idea that he made a comment about the Special Olympics. Just make me more and more irked with him! I don't have a special needs child or anything, but this still hurts all of us who really care for them!

3/20/2009 1:11 PM  
Blogger Cortney K. said...

Could not agree more. Stay strong,girl!

3/20/2009 1:36 PM  
Blogger Jeni said...

I couldn't agree more. I was shocked when I read about this! I didn't watch but saw the clip when I was reading the news. Completely inappropriate. My husband and I both worked with children with disabilities (how we met actually) for many years. We were very involved in the Special Olympics....this hurt us...we love those children we worked with. To be honest, the president could learn something from them. I believe we all can. Working with children and adults with special needs changed my life...for the better. Like I said, I couldn't agree with you more...you have every right to be peeved and not at all being over dramatic. I think this comment has, to say the least, disappointed a lot of people! As it should have.

3/20/2009 1:43 PM  
Blogger Tina said...

I'm mortified.. somebody needs to let him know that he is no longer running for president (you've got the job).. but might spend his time a bit more wisely and begin acting the part of President of the United States of America.

3/20/2009 2:18 PM  
Blogger brooke said...

i have no comment, unless you could count that i voted for the other guy as comment enough. i too did not tune in, but agree with the other ladies you have every...we all have every right to be upset. i have family members, friends and loved ones...that are "special" needs and any derogatory comment whether joking or not is completely uncalled for.

3/20/2009 2:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I refuse to even call him the president!!!! That birth certificate thing. I didn't watch it, glad now because I would have been awake all night MAD AS HECK! I have already heard some of his cronies making excusses for him. He seems to wiggle out of everything. I hope someone will get a petition going, to forward to the White House.

3/20/2009 3:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I refuse to even call him the President!!!! That birth certificate thing. I didn't watch it, glad now because I would have been awake all night MAD AS HECK! I have already heard some of his cronies making excusses for him. He seems to wiggle out of everything. I hope someone will get a petition going, to forward to the White House.

3/20/2009 3:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am a proud aunt of 2 boys- brothers. One has Down Syndrome and one has Autism. Just like Angie, their mom is my hero. Dylan, who is autistic, has had his birthday at a bowling alley for the past 3 years- he loves to bowl, just like his daddy. His birthday is in June. I talked to his mother this morning after we saw the footage and are going to send the "president" an invitation this year.

3/20/2009 4:21 PM  
Blogger Molly said...

Hey Angie!! I totally agree with you 100%, beings my little sister is deaf and has a hard time communicating with people. I am appaled with how he acted and why is he going on talk shows, shouldn't he be trying to fix the economy like he said he was. I am so glad I didn't vote for him. I could go on and on but I want b/c this is your blog and I don't want to cause you any unwanted drama!! Have a great weekend and if it wasn't for people like you and me not standing up for these PRECIOUS children I don't know what would happen. I have been to too many protests for the deaf and hard of hearing and not afraid to do more.
~Molly P

3/20/2009 4:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Angie,
Everyone makes mistakes!! Working in the Obama campaign office last year in Chicago and knowing him on a personal level, I truely don't think he was trying to hurt anyone. We all say things that later sometimes we want to take back. I'm not defending the man, but remember that NOT everyone is perfect. That includes you!! I recall one of your blog post - you told your father-in-law off. Was that respectful to your husband or his father to make it public that you were annoyed with him because he corrected your grammar. People do make mistakes, we are human..

3/20/2009 4:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Ang,

I couldn't agree with you and everyone else on here...I have a niece that is 7yrs old has cerebal palsy and a nephew who has M.D. who is 12 and doesn't have too much life left....And he was actually up last night and watched it cause he is up all night can't sleep very hard for him and he was just heart broken ..Words cannot express how that little boy feels and every other and parent's as well...I think we should send a letter to Mr.Obama......It's funny how they were quick to release a statement...I am sorry but it really pissed me off!!!!!!!! It's all B.S. to me..............
And then he has the audacity to invite "special needs" children to cover his @ss even more....

Nicky

3/20/2009 4:54 PM  
Blogger Bunny Chic Boutique said...

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! SHAME ON HIM!!! I refused to watch him and now I'm so glad that I didn't see it. Sorry ~ but he's got ZERO Class to say something like that. AND you're right ~ transparency at it's finest!!

Well, don't let it ruin your weekend ~

Big Bunny Hugs ~

Jayne

3/20/2009 5:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Angie,

I have tried FOUR different times to comment on your post regarding the Special Olympics and my darn Internet keeps shutting down! Grr! It's enough to make me lose it, as if I'm not peeved enough with the topic of your post, ha!!

Comments like President Obama's irk me to no end as well and I can only imagine how, as a parent, they just make you furious. They make me livid. The words are hurtful enough, but in the end it's the beliefs leading to those words that really need to be challenged. As an advocate and educator of those with special needs, it is so discouraging when the leader of our country is freely making such ignorant, flippant comments. Programs like Special Olympics or Best Buddies do so much good for not only individuals with special needs, but everyone -- especially those whose beliefs DO need to be challenged. I hope, in the end, that this incident leads not only President Obama but many, many others to reexamine their own beliefs, thoughts, and words and make some serious changes.

Did you see this? http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/20/special-olympics-champ-to-barack-bring-it-on/

I love it.

Thanks for fighting the fight. I'm right there with you!
Sara

3/20/2009 5:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Found your blog from the party. Like this post about the president's totally inappropriate comment.

3/20/2009 5:52 PM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Miss Anonymous...You are right-no one is perfect. However, there is compassion and then there is heartless and inconsiderate. Just ask my father in law. He knows both very well. In fact, my husband doesn't even speak to his father anymore because he lacks so much love & compassion. So no... for your information, Brent was far from mad when I called his own Father out on my blog. He had his own "talking" with him later that same day. In fact, it was their last talk. After many years of forgiving that man over and over for his intentional hurts, Brent and myself decided to cut ties with him completely and haven't looked back. We have turned it over to God and fully expect that he is dealing with it or will someday. There was WAAAYYYYY more to the "grammar and misspelling" issue than what I shared with all of you on my blog that day. That was just the icing on the cake - the mediocre part to the HUGE picture. Bottom line...if Brent's father ever stopped telling people how to run their life long enough to just be a Dad and a Grandfather, then we'd all be in a much better place. I also won't get into the horrific things he has done to this family - literally down right horrific - that most would never have forgiven him for but in the end, we always have. Again, he is God's problem. If you knew him well enough, you'd know what I meant and there would be a need for your "assumptions" of my life or how I called him out on my blog. Maybe you do know him well. By odd chance, could you be Ellie? His new wife who makes fun of me and others in the family on every blog post she does because she has nothing better to do? Strangely enough...If memory serves me correctly, I believe Ellie worked with Obama's campaign last year. What a coincidence!

Thanks so much for your opinion. It is appreciated.
Angie
PS...You "SPEAK" your heart. The words that roll off your tongue each day are you and what you are made up of - inside and out. I truly believe that. Again, Obama's words were transparency at its finest!

3/20/2009 6:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh Angie,
Boy am I hot over this!!!!!!! How TERRIBLE!!!!!! I wish all of us moms with special needs kids could be in a room with him a few minutes and give him a lecture like he has never heard before! He owes alot of people an apology. What a sad day.
We just got in from Gatlinburg, and thought about when ya'll were there. Bailee said, "Mrs.Angie was right here?" We were in front of Fanny Farkles. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Love,
Rhonda

3/20/2009 6:03 PM  
Blogger Kristin said...

Amen Angie! I agree with everything you said. It's absolutely ridiculous that he was ever elected in the first place and he just keeps proving day after day why that is! There is absolutely no excuse for what he said, and it's a double slap in the face that he's trying to create a photo op out of it. You are right too....if it was Bush, he would've been crucified.

3/20/2009 6:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Angie, you need one of those options to reply to other posts on here. I hate to see anyone get you upset, but yet it sure gets exciting on here when they push your buttons to do with your kids! ha ha I guess someone was just bored or tired of living today, I don't know. I do know that she should have learned her lesson the last time they started bashing you. Ahhhh school, you can never get enough.

3/20/2009 9:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think there are a lot of people that will agree with you on this! How many heads of other countries would be on a late night show making jokes with Jay Leno!?

3/20/2009 9:48 PM  
Blogger Missy said...

Hey Angie, as a mom of a special needs child AND Obama supporter....gotta weigh in on this one. I think there are websites dedicated to our previous presidential blunders....so I'm not too ruffled about it. I don't think it makes him a heartless cruel man....just maybe one with a moronic moment which we ALL have had.
Case in point....quite recently I penned a comment on a friends note on facebook that was intended to be funny....it got that desired effect--- but I used the word retard. NOW, don't get me wrong--- I didn't use it as derogatory slang---but it was a quipped alternate meaning to the word impede. (approved by the dictionary) I immediately got ripped by a parent of a child with Down's that read that I happen to advocate for special needs children. Boy did he have NO idea about my Brendon and where my true heart lies.

Just sayin!

P.S. A Democrat founded the Special Olympics. ;-)


Love you girl.
Melissa Roark

3/20/2009 10:46 PM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Missy, thanks for your eloquent opionion girl. I love how you and I can debate maturely - especially when it has always come to your love for Obama. Ha ha! However, I must admit that I'd like to slap your hands for using the word "Retard." (especially given that you have a special needs son) My aunt is mentally handicapped and I've always detested the word "RETARD." I've never used it and never plan to. I'm glad your reader called you out on it because I would have too had I seen it. Like Obama, I bet you will reconsider before anything like that comes off your tonque ever again. :) Like my friend Sara above mentioned, hopefully the one positive thing that will come from all of this is awareness and consideration of others feelings before something flows off others tongues like this again. I know if someone started demeaning him (the president) with slurs - it would be a whole new ball game. Special needs children and adults are no different when others attack their intelligence and abilities in life (whether malicious meant or not). It is just wrong. Plain wrong. There is absolutely no excuse for it. To second Sara's comments above, it is the belief that leads to those views that should be questioned. When is it ever ok to joke in that manner? Never. I don't care if you are the President or not.

Either way, thanks for your honesty and for your support of Obama. It always makes me smile. Really it does. Brent and I both laughed when we read your comment together. Obama really needs you on his staff. You've definitely gone to bat for him since his campaign began. :) Think about Brendon though girl. Our kids deserve affirmation in life sista' - not degration. (intentional or not) Ever heard that old saying that "there is a little bit of truth in every joke?" Humor at the expense of others is always hurtful.

Oh and let me play the role of a Mom here and say that I don't ever want to hear of you using the word "retard" ever again. Got it sista? :) :) :) :)

PS...Yes, we heard all about how the founder of the special olympics was a democrat and how their family played a huge roll in Obama's election campaign funding/backing. We've also in the next breath heard all about how he called and gave an apology to their family after his colossal and moral foul up last night. Wink ;) In the words of Tim Shriver today(chairman of the special olympics)...
"Shriver called it "important to see that words hurt, and words do matter and these words can in some way be seen as humiliating or put down to people with special needs do cause pain and they do result in stereotypes, and they do result in behavior that's neglectful and almost oppressive moment of people with special needs." The son of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy pointed out that in Detroit there's a Special Olympian who has bowled three perfect games.

"This kind of language needs to be a teachable moment for our country, I think," Shriver said. I would help every parent that's at home this morning watching this show could turn to their children and say, 'this is a chance for us to recognize that when we talk about Special Olympics, when we talk about people with special needs, let's make sure we talk about it in an affirming way."

Love you too friend,
Angie

3/20/2009 11:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

IMO, Obama is so classless and this just prooves it. He ran Ill like a classroom bully and now he shows his true colors by talking like one.
Everyone knows "how" he meant it. To say he meant it any other way is undermining the intelligence of everyone that heard it...
He should of just said, "yep I'm a schmuck and I will stop saying things like that." However, he is so egotistical he will never do so in a sincere manner. He just invites some people to the White House and assumes that is enough, ugh. Sad thing is, he will get a pass by the media as usual...
This all could have been avoided if he WAS DOING HIS JOB and not hanging with the talk show hosts.
What the heck, how about work on the economy, problems with Iran, Pakistan, Afganistan, or Healthcare, Social Security, Education or something useful. NOT chatting it up with celebrities. I cannot believe everyone isn't outraged that he thinks he has the time to flit around doing mindless crud while the nation as we know it is being forever altered....He wasn't put in office to scmooze, he was put in to "change" things and all he has done is change our deficit by trillions....
Ugh. So sorry for the tangent. This stupid slip up was just the straw that broke the camels back regarding Obama.

3/21/2009 1:02 AM  
Blogger Jill said...

You go girl! Kenidi is blessed to have a momma as passionate about her rights and equality as you are.

President Obama's comment was tactless. As president, he is held to a higher standard than the average person. Something tells me lots of feelings were hurt over his comment. Not good.

I'd have to agree--if Bush had said that, they would've fried him.

3/21/2009 9:24 AM  
Blogger Beth in NC said...

You hit the nail on the head. His true colors seem to shine through when he isn't being prompted. He disgusts me anyway. He is so contrary to the beliefs he confesses. God help him (and God help my heart towards him).

3/21/2009 10:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Angie,

I agree the comment that President Obama made was down right offensive! Now you know you are my girl, but I have to look at this and bring some positive to this situation. I really believe that this has shed some "much needed" light on such a forgotten issue. For example the situation that you dealt with in your old community. How they treated Kenidi like a number and not a child that God gave a special touch to. I say let us use this opportunity to open peoples eyes and hearts to something that "normal" people place on the back burner because they don't have to deal with it on a day to day basis. I voted for President Obama and I still beleive that he can make changes in this world like health care. Especially for families dealing with special needs of all kinds. Like for the poor who cannot afford those expensive shoes or therapy! I hate so much that such a comment was made especially by our President! We all have faults and as a child of God we must forgive because we are still made in the flesh! Please Angie and readers forgive him for his actions, but let us not forget! Let's make him make good on something he said so bad! Much luv to you my sista!

P.S. I also feel like because he is black, that people are waiting for him to drop the ball. Let's not forget that George Bush while president more that 7,500 people died due to Katrina and a war that has placed us in this situation. The president was on business when he made this stop to Jay Leno. People are people! I am black a female that encounter harsh words and actions on a day to day basis. He has apologized. What more do you want from him? I keep seeing the comments that if Bush would have done this he would have been.... Let's us say what we really feel here. Is it a black and white issue? I will say this, Bush probably wishes that the only mistake he made, was to hurt someones feelings and not to be remembered as the president that placed our country in the worst recession I believe in American history!

I am just sayin! ;}

Natasha

3/21/2009 11:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WOW...can't belive this obama thing. Can you get a video clip on utube and place it here?

3/21/2009 11:06 AM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Natasha,

All I can say to your post is that if you had a special needs child, your views would be different. And until you do, there is no way to counter your comments. I wish we could trade places for once second. Just once. Maybe those few seconds of life with a special needs child would allow you to see what we all see so clearly thru her eyes and what we all feel so heavily from her heart. Let's just maturely agree to disagree on this one. I'd bet my life that if you had a special needs child, your sole and your heart would hurt so badly for them that you wouldn't be able to compare this to a black and white racial issue. Bush got picked on for everything in his presidency. Therefore, had he made this slip up, we would've never heard the end of it. Obama will be past it next week because people consider him & treat him like more of a celebrity than U.S. President. There is a difference in making a mistake - while in office (Bush's mess with Hurricane Katrina) and then there is another difference in being so heartless that you could utter words like Obama did - so naturally at that. His wasn't a mistake, it was a "moral foul up." Moral foul up's come from within. From inside. If he can speak those words on a couch so fluently in front of millions, what does he say behind closed doors and how does he feel when others aren't around? Like my blog reader Sheryl W. posted above, Everyone knows "how" he meant it. To say he meant it any other way is undermining the intelligence of everyone that heard it...Bluntly put...it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the color of his skin. We have many people in our life that are African American whom we love and adore. You being one of them. I'm saddened by the fact that you take this situation for what it is and then could insinuate a racial issue here. The man was voted in my millions in this country. How is it a race issue now?

Obama's apology was a "have to do thing." And no...there isn't anymore he can do to correct it. He knew what he had done as it rolled off his tongue and thus why he apologized before the airing ever even ended. He knew he was in deep and had to fix it. Rightfully so. My fear once again is what type of man did we elect into office to
"save" our country? He is doing some saving alright - just of his own butt after this remark. I'm just sayin...

3/21/2009 11:20 AM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Beings that this has now become a black and white issue - revolving around race, I'm choosing to close the comments on this thread. That is so far from where this topic should've ever gone. I don't want any debates on black/white issues on this blog. And as an FYI...Obama has been forgiven and prayed for many times since Thursday night in our house. However, I will not sit back and allow his words to go unnoticed when I've been given this platform called a blog to bring attention and awareness to things I feel strongly in life about. Especially when it comes to the feelings of others. I think the blog worked in regard to helping raise awareness to the situation. And to glorify God here during such a negative event, I have one question...what would Jesus do? As a man of God, I doubt highly that God with agree with using the Special Olympics as a form of a joke in regards to lacking abilities...on a bowling alley or anywhere else in life for that matter.

I appreciate each and every one of your comments and opinions.

Blessings, Angie Seaman

3/21/2009 11:32 AM  

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