Sarah Palin's argument is completely retarded.

As you are probably aware, especially if you read my Douchebag of the Day blog, Sarah Palin has been quite verbal recently in her outrage over the use of the word "retarded". As the mother of a special needs child, she feels that this sort of language ranks right up there with the "n" word, and wants people who say it to be held accountable for their lack of decency.

Well... most people.

Okay, only one person.

Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel popped off during a closed door meeting, calling some liberal activists "f*cking retarded". When Palin got wind of it she immediately went into a Facebook tirade calling for his dismissal.

Interestingly enough, her ol buddy ol pal Rush Limbaugh said that Palin wasn't going to criticize him for using the term "retard" because she's a fan of his work.

She must be, because the only real criticism leveled against Rush was through her spokesperson, a pretty ambiguous statement that didn't bother mentioning Rush by name.

No, Sarah herself said that she "agreed" with Rush Limbaugh's assessment of her political adversaries - that they are "kooks" (which in this definition is interchangeable with the word he used, which was the highly charged "retards"), and that his use of the word was clearly "satire".

Now, I could go into the fact that the same group of people (liberals) were defined by both men with the same word, and how her getting her knickers in a twist over one and not the other demonstrates her own blind partisan biases. (and no, the mealy mouthed soundbite from her "spokesperson" doesn't count.)

All of this is completely obvious to anyone who is paying any kind of attention.

But here's the interesting thing, and one that deserves more attention.

Does anyone out there actually know what the difference is between the word "retarded" and "retards"?

There is one, and it's a very, very important difference.

One is an adjective and one is a noun that is considered "offensive slang".

Main Entry: re·tard·ed
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈtär-dəd\
Function: adjective
Date: 1895

sometimes offensive : slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress

Also:

re·tard 1 (re TARD)
v. re·tard·ed, re·tard·ing, re·tards
v.tr.
To cause to move or proceed slowly; delay or impede.
v.intr.
To be delayed.
n.
1. A slowing down or hindering of progress; a delay.
2. Music A slackening of tempo.

The word "retard" (as in re TARD) and "retarded" is not limited to people who are considered mentally challenged. It is simply used whenever there is limited or delayed progress. That can and does include certain special needs folks, but it's not limited to that, and therefore it's not inherently meant offensively.

On the other hand, the word "retard" (as in REE tard) was created specifically to disparage those who fell under that definition, and is always - ALWAYS - considered offensive, whether used in satire or not.

re·tard 2 (REE tard)
n. Offensive Slang
1. Used as a disparaging term for a mentally retarded person.
2. A person considered to be foolish or socially inept.

Therefore the word "retard" (as in RE tard) is the word similar to "nigger", "fag", "kike" etc.

A word, mind you, that Sarah Palin has gone on record saying she *agrees* with, even when used repeatedly and against someone like our president, because it was used for the sake of "satire".

Let's just try them both out in a sentence, shall we? "Sarah Palin's defending Rush Limbaugh's use of the word retard is completely retarded."

Now let's take out those lightning rod terms and use their definition.

"Sarah Palin's defending Rush Limbaugh's use of an offensive slang to disparage an entire group of people who are mentally retarded (interchangeable here with foolish or stupid) completely demonstrates limited intellectual, emotional or academic growth."

You betcha it does.

Neither term is considered politically correct thanks to the slang that surrounds the word "retard" (as in REE tard). Therefore using either can be offensive and disrespectful, and probably best avoided.

Literally speaking, however, Rahm's use of the word was the lesser offense. (Note: HE apologized.)

As for an arrogant, loudmouthed provocateur like Limbaugh, Sarah's not going to call for his dismissal or question his decency (which further proves neither have any), and she's not going to expect or demand the apology he's already said he won't give.

And that is what is truly, completely retarded.