Kerry wants to bring up Republican Lesbians and his CAMPAIGN STAFF wants to put out flyers making fun of those fine folks in the Special Olympics:
(CNSNews.com) - Leaders of the Special Olympics say they are "astounded and appalled" by an anti-Bush political flyer being distributed in Tennessee.
It shows the head of President Bush superimposed on the body of a Special Olympics athlete; and it reads, "Even if you win, you're still retarded."
"We see this communication as an egregious, gratuitous insult to our almost 2 million athletes in over 150 countries around the world and a stunning affront to the more than 200 million people in the world who have intellectual disabilities," said Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics chairman and CEO in a statement.
"We cringe at the thought that any one of these capable and courageous athletes would ever have to endure the agony, embarrassment, pain and suffering that this flyer would certainly cause."
The Special Olympics said it hopes the people responsible for the "outrageous political advertisement" would come forward and "explain to the people of Tennessee and everywhere else why they would choose to denigrate the spirit, courage, and accomplishments of the Special Olympics athletes."
Shriver's statement noted that ignorance about mentally disabled people is common - among comedians, on America's playgrounds, and in society at large.
"Our commitment in this political season and in every other is to reverse this ignorance and bigotry and to replace them with the stunning realization that many people with intellectual disability are, in fact, among the most gifted within our communities," the statement said.
"There is no reasonable and legitimate defense of this hateful material," it concluded. "We would expect those responsible to make an abject public apology and a sincere, determined effort to clear the public domain of this offensive material."
Shriver is a nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.
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