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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Spread the Word to End the Word

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Monday, November 5, 2012   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Scott Finney, a spokesman for The Arc Tennessee, calls it "hate speech" - a word with the power to insult, offend and belittle. The word is "retard," often referred to as the "r" word. The term was used last week on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight by conservative political commentator Ann Coulter to describe the President of the United States.

Finney says that although the talk of politics is filled with charged emotions and clashing opinions, describing someone using hate speech is never appropriate.

"Labeling people with disabilities is not a good thing to do. The r-word really discriminates against people with disabilities."

Finney and the Tennessee Disability Coalition condemn the use of this term, especially by a figure on a national platform. He says individuals with intellectual disabilities are active members of the community who will be voting in Tuesday's election.

Gov. Bill Haslam introduced a bill in 2011 that replaced the term "retardation" with "intellectual disability" in the Tennessee State Code.

Coulter says she used the word the same way people use idiot, cretin or moron. Finney said the use of the word was offensive and racially charged.

"I believe that the "r-word" is the symbolic word of racial discrimination against people with disabilities."

The national "R-Word: Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign is working to eliminate the demeaning use of the word in everyday speech. The Arc is a Nashville-based nonprofit serving those with intellectual disabilities.





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