Readers will undoubtedly recall the high political drama at the beginning of this month, when Sarah Palin earned national media attention for calling for the resignation of Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for his casual use of the word "retarded."
Given that high-profile fracas (which ended with an apology from Emanuel), it will be interesting to see what Sarah says, or doesn't say, about this guy:
State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God's punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.
He made that statement Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.
"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," said Marshall, a Republican.
"In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."
This is fraught with some tough implications here. For one thing, it fails to explain the existence of first-born children with handicaps, which do, of course, exist. Perhaps Bob Marshall would like to explain what "vengeance" is being sought upon those loving parents of their one and only exceptional child.
For another, if Sarah Palin was so outraged by Rahm's invocation of "retarded" as an epithet, will she not summon even a mild reproach for Delegate Marshall, given the fact that a member of her own party just explained that children with disabilities, such as her own beloved son, are the result of a vengeful God?
(For more on the antics of Delegate Marshall, and for continuing discussion of this story, check out Lowkell's diary on the Recommended list)
