Special Olympics Chairman and CEO Timothey Shriver personally accepted an apology from White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel Wednesday.

Thanks Tim.  But I don’t remember asking.

In case you haven’t heard, Rahm used the word “retarded” to describe a proposal made by a group of liberal Democrats.  Actually, he said “f****ing retarded”. 

Naughty, naughty Rahm.

I have been working with Special Needs students since 2003.  I spent 30 years in a telecommunications career that wasn’t as rewarding as one day with those kids.

Not all of the children I work with are impacted by “mental retardation”, and BTW, Rahm, that’s what you say, it’s not, “he’s retarded”, it’s “he has mental retardation”.  Get your terms straight.

But back to Tim;  According to a joint statement from Shriver and five other disability advocates who attended a meeting at the White House, Emanuel “sincerely apologized for his mistake and the pain it caused in our community.”

Emanuel also committed to signing an online pledge to make the word obsolete.

Stop it!

An online pledge, yeah, that’s gonna’ work.

Mr. Shriver said in a statement that “we are thankful to Mr. Emanuel for his apology”

Who is we?

Rahm made his statement months ago, but it just hit the fan came to light this week.

“Our community has earned the right to be respected instead of ridiculed. We have suffered injustice for generations and we are demanding that it end,” the advocates said. “This is another small step on the road to a country that accepts the gifts of all.”

According to The Wall Street Journal,  Emanuel met with liberal groups at a weekly strategy session in August, that highlighted the issue of health care reform. Emanuel used the term “f—ing retarded” after hearing from a group of liberals that they planned to run television ads against other Democrats who were not falling in lock step on health care reform.

Regardless of what the spat was about, the words were wrong.

And thanks Rahm, you’ve pissed off former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.  Like we need that!  She said that President Obama should fire Rahm for his remark.

Maybe, maybe not.

She also said it was the “equivalent of the N-word.”

Maybe, maybe not.  I’m sure there is about 14% of the population who might disagree.

Palin said in a statement:  “Yes, Rahm is known for his caustic, crude references about those with whom he disagrees, but his recent tirade against participants in a strategy session was such a strong slap in many American faces that our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm’s recent sick and offensive tactic.”

Of course, I would pay to see the President slap someone.  Why not Rahm Emanuel, he’s a good as any!

Palin added: “Rahm’s slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities  — and the people who love them — is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking.”

Let’s not bring God into this Sarah.

Most of the children will never know, but it does hurt the people who love them and work with them.  And it shows a lack of restraint and calousness of a man who should know better.

I agree with Kirsten Seckle, a spokesperson for the Special Olympics when she said. “Tim can’t do that. He can’t accept an apology on behalf of all people with disabilities.”  And frankly, no one can.  It’s an individual decision.

A Special Olympics official told the Huffington Post on Wednesday that all six of the people in Wednesday’s meeting accepted Emanuel’s show of contrition.  Six down, millions to go.

Accompanying Shriver at the White House meeting were Andrew Imparato, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities; Peter V. Berns, CEO of The Arc; Hannah Jacobs, a disability right advocate; Julie Petty, former president of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered; and Ricardo Thornton, a Special Olympics athlete.

Ok, none of these people speak for me.

Here’s my take, and sorry in taking so long to get here.

Most of the time I work with students who have learning disabilites, and I work with a  few who have mental retardation.  When the kids in my class use the words retarded or “f***ing” in anyway, they get detention.

Rham should get detention.

Is Gitmo still available?