vs.
A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.
-Bertrand Russell
If you haven't read the CNN Political Ticker on a statement White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanual made earlier, by all means, clicky clicky, and check it out. Here is some of the text,
This time, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has gone too far, Sarah Palin says.
The former Alaska governor is calling on President Obama to fire his notoriously coarse top aide after a report in the Wall Street Journal last week quoted Emanuel as referring to liberal groups in August who attacked the president's health care plan as "F-ing retarded."
In a posting on Facebook, Palin says the language is not only "caustic [and] crude" but deeply offensive to those with disabilities. She also compares the choice of words to those who have used the "N-word" in reference to African-Americans.
Firstly, for those who can't read and comprehend at an 8th grade level (see what I did there? I avoided using the phrase "retarded") The FORMER Governor of Alaska (the 50th state) and FORMER Vice-Presidential nominee was getting her panties all in a bunch not because the current CoS used the word "fucking" but because he used the word "retarded" to denote a group of people that he felt were particularly slow in understanding a particular plan laid out by the President.
For those of you who are not as obsessed with Sarah Barracuda like I am <<>/sarcasm<>> - her most recent born has what the medical community calls "Down Syndrome" and what the medical community USED to call something like "retardism" or "mental retardation." What the former governor may have forgotten was that since her time studying on the five year plan for a terribly difficult degree in Communications, the medical community stopped using the term "mental retardation" in favor of "mental disability" or just simply using the medical recognized phrase of the disability. This strikes me as very similar to people who get upset when you use the word "fat" to describe someone who is obese. In other words - it's semantics debate for crazy people. Sorry, I meant mentally and/or chemically imbalanced people. Either way, This is how I just pictured the news of this breaking in the White House
CUT TO SEMI-LIT OVAL OFFICE, WHERE THE POTUS IS STANDING GRIMLY BEHIND HIS DESK
POTUS, sternly over the intercom: "Please send in Mr. Emmanuel immediately."
SECRETARY: "As soon as he gets in sir, I'll see to it he sees you."
RAHM EMMANUEL STROLLS IN TO THE ANTE-CHAMBER OF THE OVAL OFFICE, CHEERFUL AND OBLIVIOUS
SECRETARY: "Mr. Emmanuel sir, the President would like to see you right away."
EMMANUEL STROLLS IN TO OVAL OFFICE, STILL FULL OF CHEERFUL DISPOSITION, UNTIL NOTICING POTUS WITH STERN LOOK ON HIS FACE. EMMANUEL STOPS IN HIS TRACKS.
POTUS: "I'm not sure if you've read the papers this morning, but I sure have, and I see the comments you made in regards to our democratic base who may be ignorant as to how our health care reform plan is carrying out."
EMMANUEL: "Um, yes sir, I think I said something like... -"
POTUS: "You didn't say something like, you said "these people are fucking retarded" and now, of all people, I have the Sarah Palin breathing down my neck about your poor choice of words, and how it will negatively affect the status and stature of this Presidency and this great country!"
EMMANUEL: "Mr. President, you have known me for how many years? You know I speak off the cuff about things I -"
POTUS: "BOTH Palin AND the CEO of the Special Olympics are calling for your head, as your lack of sensitivity is of great concern to the world. I'm sorry Rahm, I've known you for dozens of years, and you've been a loyal public servant, but I'm afraid I'm going to need to let you go for this heinous transgression. I expect your letter of resignation on my desk by 10 AM."
EMMANUEL: "Aww, son-of-a-bitch Mr. President, can't you give me just one. more. chance?"
EMMANUEL LOOKS UP, SEES THAT POTUS IS GRINNING LIKE AN IDIOT AT HIM, AND THEY BOTH BREAK INTO UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS.
POTUS FINALLY REGAINING CONTROL OF HIMSELF: "God love that Palin character - if it weren't for ignorant blowhards like her, this job would get to me more than it does sometimes. Keep giving 'em hell, Rahm."
EMMANUEL: "You betcha, boss."
END SCENE
