Danny, as everyone calls him, has trisomy 21 Down Syndrome, where each gene has an extra chromosome.  But his outgoing and independent personality, combined with a love of life and all the people in it, make him a natural friend and leader.  They also challenge commonly held public preconceptions about what someone with this most common of genetic conditions is capable of achieving in life.

Sarah Palin’s nomination as the Republican vice presidential candidate promised to broaden that awareness.  As Americans met  the Alaska Governor and her family, including her newborn son Trig, who has Down Syndrome, Gov. Palin declared that if she and John McCain were elected, families of special needs children would have “a friend in the White House.”  In that large and tight-knit community whose voices often go unheeded, such promises have sparked contrasting feelings of hope and circumspection.

“As a mother, your heart goes out to her because even in this day and age, it’s hard,” said Mary Dory, Danny’s mother and a nurse for almost 30 years at Beth Israel Medical Center in Brooklyn.

In the 1980s and 90s, Ms. Dory and her husband’s efforts to find strong school services for their son were helped by doctor’s referral and the word-of-mouth among supportive parents in Brooklyn’s Catholic school network.  Last year, Danny graduated from Bishop Ford High School in Park Slope and is now at the nonprofit Guild for Exceptional Children in Bay Ridge, where he has occupational therapy and works at businesses throughout Brooklyn, earning a small stipend.

But in the public school system, it is more difficult to find similar programs. Mei Fung Zhang knows this from personal experience. She spent the last 10 years helping her brother and sister-in-law find programs in their Sheepshead Bay neighborhood to challenge and educate their now 17-year-old daughter, Lily Zhu, who also has trisomy 21 Down Syndrome.

“She started special education classes when she was two [and] she learned a lot in elementary school, especially when she had [a bilingual] paraprofessional” said Mrs. Zhang, referring to the teaching aides for children with special needs. But now Lily is enrolled in a program where students of different grade levels learn the same material together. “ She’s learning things she already knows, like third grade level math,” said her aunt.

“The summer-only training does nothing and she’s going to graduate high school soon.  We are looking for programs [that provide] job training and social benefits,” said Mrs. Zhang.

When it comes to the presidential election, Mrs. Zhang says her family has been pretty apathetic, but she wonders how the country could afford any additional services for students.

“I hope the government or the education department can do more for hoever wins the election,

“I think it’s great that [Trig Palin is] in the public eye,” said Mary Dory.  “It’s going to make people more aware, more educated and less judgmental.  I don’t really know if it’ll do anything for education programs, though.”

Others are even less optimistic. In a September column in the Phoenix New Times, editor Amy Silverman, the mother of a 5-year old girl with Down Syndrome, writes that Gov. Palin’s promises are not realistic for many reasons.

“There’s never enough funding … but worse, the whole system is so poorly managed you practically need a Ph.D. in public policy (or another parent who’s already been though this, or a lawyer, or all three) to help you get services,” Mrs. Silverman wrote.

“All you need to do is drive to the center of any large city in America and watch homeless schizophrenics push shopping carts to see the effects another social conservative — Ronald Reagan — had on another disenfranchised group, the country’s mentally ill.”

Neither presidential candidate stood out for Danny Dory although he did vote, exercising a right that the National Disability Rights Network has been actively promoting “I don’t like what I’m seeing on TV,” Danny said. “It is going to be a battle between them, but I don’t care who wins or who is president.  I just want a president.”

“If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations, then I don’t know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.”

Looks like somebody needs to sit in on a Monday morning Legal & Ethics class…

So in my last minute quest for a costume, I can’t help but think that it must be political in nature. Afterall, these elections have dominated our lives for quite some time, and will continue to dominate them for the next two weeks. However, I’m beginning to fear the number of drunk Sarah Palins and Joe the Plumbers that will invade our streets come October 31st.

The Sarah Palin costumes are reportedly flying off the shelves at costume stores across the country, including “Miss Alaska” and “Hottie Palin Hunter.” The “Sexy Palin Trapper” costume is already sold out on the Ricky’s Halloween Costume website. (I couldn’t find any “hottie” or “sexy” Joe-the-Plumber costumes, but alas, the sexualization of women’s Halloween costumes and Sarah Palin are topics unto themselves).

Now don’t get me wrong – I would love to don some rimless glasses, spray my hair, put on some fake $150,000 clothes, and practice my best Tina Fey impression. However, part of the charm of Halloween is coming up with that original idea that stands head and shoulders above the rest. I will never forget dancing at a party with that wine-in-a-box lady years ago. Not only was the “Franzia” logo expertly reproduced, but you could gently reach over in between songs and refill your glass with some refreshing merlot. How convenient!

As for me, I think I’m going to dress up as something truly scary – the economy. We’ll see how that goes.

What are you planning to be for Halloween?

*Update: I am no longer going as the economy. It’s too vague and depressing for me to tackle at the last minute. Instead, I will be going as my favorite internet meme of all times:

Spaghetti Cat!

Politico reported on Saturday that although head writer Seth Meyers wrote the opener, Mr. Franken helped polish the final draft.

A spokesman for Mr. Franken’s Senate campaign said he did not write any of the scripts, but admitted Mr. Franken did play a role in that show.

Mr. Franken worked as a writer for SNL for 15 years, from 1975-1980 and then from 1985-1995. After leaving the show, he has written several books, including “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right” and “The Truth (With Jokes)” and he also hosted a show for Air America Radio called “The Al Franken Show.” He is currently running for the Senate, against Sen. Norm Coleman, for the seat of Mr. Franken’s late friend, Paul Wellstone.

Although Mr. Franken has a history with SNL, the show is still recovering from the attack last week that its opening sketch about Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton was biased. According to The New York Times on September 16th, Mr. Meyers said they always tried to be fair in all their sketches, and tried not to attack any one candidate.

Mr. Meyers puts a lot of faith in being fair, since he also said the writing staff is looking forward to this Friday’s debate, because it provides the perfect opportunity to make jokes at the expense of both sides.

But Mr. McCain’s advisor, Carly Fiorina, appeared on MSNBC and called the Tina Fey-Sarah Palin sketch “sexist.”

Mr. Meyers shouldn’t have to fend off these attacks given that he writes a comedy show, not one dedicated to hard news. But given his attitude about fairness, he might have avoided any future controversy by not asking Mr. Franken to help write the opening sketch about Mr. McCain’s recent habit of stretching the truth, which has been reported fairly in the mainstream media, including the NY Times.

SNL has always had a history of being irreverent, and has arguably become famous for its impersonations of presidents and presidential candidates. Some of SNL’s impersonations have created new reputations, especially Chevy Chase’s repeated history of falling down as former President Gerald Ford. Apparently President Ford was a former football star. Did anyone know that?

Biased? Judge for yourself: here are both the Tina Fey-Sarah Palin sketch and the September 20th cold open with Darrell Hammond.

Update: I wrote this a few weeks ago, but had trouble posting. The article links are still correct, but Tina Fey is going to be on Letterman tonight to talk about how she came up with her impression. In the meantime, New York magazine named her the second-best political impersonator of all time. Arguments? Also, another reason to hope for an Obama victory, Tina Fey said she is “leaving earth” if John McCain is elected!

One of the best I’ve ever seen is Cristina Aguilera’s impersonation of Samantha from Sex and the City on SNL. Check it out at this website: http://jezebel.com/gossip/clips/christina-aguilera-as-sex–the-citys-samantha-im-a-man-330745.php

Here are a few others:

Click here to view the embedded video.
Dina and Ali Lohan

Click here to view the embedded video.
“House”

Click here to view the embedded video.
Tom Cruise

Share your favorites in the comments section.

By Lee Hernandez

   The host of the party created a “Sarah Palin Bingo” card, where every time Palin said one of her catch phrases (Joe Sixpack, referring to John Mcain as a Maverick, using a folksy story) a chip was placed down on the scorecard. It took maybe 20 minutes before someone screamed BINGO! and the game was over. 

Here is Matt Burke, 37 talking about bingo, and his expectations for the debate:

There were boos and cheers and even some tears. The debate seemed to conjure the best and the worst in us. 

Jonah Burke, the host of the party, felt that Sarah Palin had done nothing to impress him, despite sounding more competent than she had sounded in previous interviews. A fervent Obama supporter, Jonah’s only complaint with Biden had to do with the state of his hair.

Not everyone who attended the party was as partisan as it’s host was. Mikkel Hogp is a journalist from Denmark. He was delighted to watch the debate with some of his American friends, and was able to watch Sarah Palin with a more unbiased perspective.

Mikkel went on to talk about some uniquely European perspectives on the candidates.

Several days ago, a group of hackers got a hold of Palin’s Yahoo e-mail account and posted screenshots on a site called WikiLeakS that was immediately shut down after gaining attention. The group known as “Anonymous” , if many are not aware of , proclaimed war on the Church of Scientology earlier this year by prohibiting access to one of its websites.

Here is a video they posted on YouTube.

WikiLeak, not WikiLeakS, a blog exploring ethical issues recently issued a statement “politely” berating curious page browsers for coming on its site searching for information on Palin.

“If you are stupid enough to mistake or mistype wikileak.org (without an “s“) for WikiLeakS.org, whilst you are searching for illegal material then do not blame us.” 

This may, or if already have, raise questions on the security of personal e-mail accounts. Just imagine previous years of all the gossip, arguments and family conversations that could possibly still linger across cyberspace end up in the hands of a crafty hacker.

The government plans to have a database that will hold the following:

“ details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public….as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.”

The information will be held for about a year.

But keep in mind the sites that exist to show enthusiasts how to hack e-mails, however, don’t fret because there are sites that educate users to be aware and cautious.

On a lighter note. Here is a video that made headlines on CNN in wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch purchase. Try and guess these two individuals.

Having women speak for these causes helps legitimate them to other women and casts the Republican Party as one that cares about women’s interests. Not surprisingly, the former president of the Independent Women’s Forum, Nancy Pfotenhauer, is now a senior policy adviser for the McCain campaign.
McCain’s pick of Palin is not lost on conservative women’s advocates; indeed, it helps solidify their stance that women need to be speaking out for conservative causes — that these women need to play “femball.”

There are quite a few conservative women looking for someone to identify with. Nationally known groups such as the Independent Women’s Forum, Concerned Women for America and the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute all support Palin in her policies.

These groups focus on Republican line issues like abortion, affirmative action, tax cuts, same-sex marriage and tort reform — as women and for women. They call Palin the modern conservative woman.
IWF President Michelle Bernard said, “Sarah Palin might not win the votes of left-wing feminists, but she appeals to average women and men across the country.”
In fact, many men and women have called Palin the emerging leader of the right.

Many people are saying that the Democrats should not underestimate the power of Palin supporters. A CNN poll showed that 48 percent of women voted for President Bush in 2004 and a recent poll showed that 53 percent of women have a favorable opinion of Palin.

“Having Palin on the ticket… is about energizing Republican women and bringing undecided women who like the way conservative women speak to them into McCain’s camp.”

Gloria Steinem of Lady Bunny.net does not support Palin and is insulted by her politics but she does bring to light one good aspect: “Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing — the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party — are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president.”

Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, in their own ways, have both sparked the conversation of gender roles in politics. Now it is just a matter of whose politics will resonate the most among voters.

As I was cracking up on my couch though, it struck me that conservatives weren’t.  Or at least, that’s the impression given if you watched the RNC in St. Paul and if you listen to this guy, dese guys, and that guy.

But liberals aren’t the only folks disturbed by Palin’s half-a-page resume.  Some conservatives are grinning and bearing it.

David Frum, diary-ing (er, not blogging?) for the National Review Online, asks many of the same questions that I have of Sarah Palin.  Best lines: “We have no idea whether [Sarah Palin] is decisive or vacillating, prompt or procrastinating, curious or incurious. These things matter enormously in a president. Yet they do not matter much to [conservatives]. And that’s a big problem.”

Frum continues to express wariness after (cue the Monday Night Football music) The Interview.

HuffPo columnist Thomas B. Edsall’s pull-quotes of conservative dissent are so great, you’ve got to read them on his page.

Another National Review columnist, Byron York, quoted in today’s Frank Rich column in the NYT expressed an opinion on many lib minds: “If the Obamas had a 17 year-old daughter who was unmarried and pregnant by a tough-talking black kid, my guess is if that they all appeared onstage at a Democratic convention and the delegates were cheering wildly, a number of conservatives might be discussing the issue of dysfunctional black families.”

And Charles Krauthammer at The Washington Post states it plain: just like Obama, Sarah’s not ready.

Taking one for the team (again) must be tough for the right–especially after the last four years of Bush.

“There is also talk of trying to mask a “special deal” by cloaking it in innocuous immigration provisions but this is just an attempt to, as they say on Wall Street, ‘put lipstick on that pig.’”

People took this phrase in a literal sense, believing it to be a direct insult to the Irish as a race of people.  In a show of solidarity, prominent Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan US-Ireland Alliance pre-Oscar awards party where she was slated as an honoree.  An article in the Irish Voice (April Drew, 1/16/08), quoted Flanagan:

“..she was particularly incensed over the term “lipstick on a pig” used by Vargo to describe efforts to help the undocumented Irish. “That is outrageous language” she stated.

And so it rears its ugly head again.  Senator Obama is feeling the backlash for using the pig with the lipstick vibe to criticize what he claims was McCain’s ecomonic policies. “You can put lipstick on a pig.  But it’s still a pig,” he says.  But the literal translators are out for blood and view his use of this metaphor as a direct hit against Sarah Palin.  So why did Palin’s joke about the difference between hockey moms and pitbulls not cause offense?  Why aren’t the moms outraged for being one colored mouth away from a man’s best friend?

In the New York Post’s article ‘O Blasts Lipstick Smear As Hogwash,’ citizen Cheryl Snyder’s describes her defiant action against Obama’s comment  “I even ran to the store and got another tube of lipstick.”  Another offended citizen, Jean Hope said “There’s no cause for behavior like that…He just insulted all of us who wear lipstick.”

Seriously.  Isn’t this missing the whole point?