tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post7537373103747929120..comments2024-03-16T16:44:18.220-07:00Comments on Bad Cripple: Santorum, the UN and CRPD: Stick to the Facts william Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-4127944504050764392012-12-15T09:53:26.272-08:002012-12-15T09:53:26.272-08:00I agree completely about Bob Dole. Nobody is wheel...I agree completely about Bob Dole. Nobody is wheelchair-bound; a wheelchair is a mobility device. People are confined to prisons, not wheelchairs. Estherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10165090214600101963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-47882819573417866832012-12-08T14:36:43.998-08:002012-12-08T14:36:43.998-08:00The "post-factual world" is a fantastic ...The "post-factual world" is a fantastic turn of phrase, though it might give the preceding era a tiny bit more credit than it deserves :-) <br /><br />And the ADA as the "gold standard" reminds me very much of discussions about educational standards. I've been involved in several Facebook conversations that involved parents across the US reacting to articles that rank the quality of state standards for science and other subjects. I've had to refute all sorts of envy from other participants whose states ranked lower than California, where I live. Yes, California employed high-paid consultants to define detailed and rigorous standards for all subject areas... but that doesn't mean we're meeting them! The binder of state standards for music is several inches thick, yet most schools have no music program at all. Why anybody puts energy into comparing standards that nobody is meeting is beyond me.<br /><br />The ADA has a little bit more legal clout than a fictional curriculum standard, but only a little. (Which is all the more reason it's so far out in left field for Santorum-et-al to suggest that a UN endorsement of the same standards would have any teeth that could possibly affect their lives.) The treaty is more symbolic than anything. But rejecting it is more than symbolic; it is another tangible step in our country's march towards putting a price tag on dignity that only the economically and politically advantaged can afford.<br /><br />Now if only people would quit with the pathos about "wheelchair-bound Bob Dole." Speaking of dignity. That wheelchair enabled him to show up, make a powerful statement of principle by his presence, and expose the new Teabagger generation in his party to a small taste of the public shame they deserve. Semantic nit-picking perhaps, but it still bugs me.Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03274978908688510739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-43011432067791710032012-12-08T07:18:25.699-08:002012-12-08T07:18:25.699-08:00Elizabeth did indeed share this and brought me her...Elizabeth did indeed share this and brought me here. Your articulation of this issue is spot on. Yes, the ADA may indeed be the "gold standard" but it's not pure gold and, in any event, is more of an ideal than a reality. I am particularly fascinated with the "post factual" comment. That too sums things up so well. <br /><br />As it is spun, so shall it be.<br /><br />Or as I often say, never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Maggie Worldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12578683202372124444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-56601299636257288672012-12-08T00:23:34.702-08:002012-12-08T00:23:34.702-08:00I confess to getting into many heated debates on F...I confess to getting into many heated debates on Facebook and otherwise over this issue and while I did so, I resorted to lauding the ADA here and there -- knowing full well that it and IDEA are uniquely flawed. At one point, I told someone that I am not particularly "patriotic," and was chastised, naturally, and indirectly as she stated that our country is the greatest and most free on earth. Thank you for sharing your strong opinion on this -- I hope to share it.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-89760025810677231362012-12-07T18:12:31.050-08:002012-12-07T18:12:31.050-08:00Thank you for the clarity in your piece as most of...Thank you for the clarity in your piece as most of the writings about this subject that occupy the bulk of internet search results reside in the biased, ill-focused fringe realms of the CRPD debate.<br /><br />Your piece also possess a great weight of validity due to the fact that you belong to the community of citizens that this treaty is supposed to represent. <br /><br />It is sad that the opposing representatives decided to take up the position of banishing a non existent boogie man rather than stand for the civil and human rights of disabled citizens. <br /><br />Richard<br />Son of the SouthRichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10001029525666589563noreply@blogger.com