Special Olympian Calls Out Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter's recent tweet calling President Obama a "retard" caused a firestorm, but perhaps the best response comes in the form of an open letter from John Franklin Stephens, a 30-year-old athlete with Down syndrome. In this Special Olympics blog post, he ponders Coulter's choice of words: "I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have."

He says he realizes she meant the "r-word" to be belittling, but, "Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor. No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much." He wraps it up by inviting her to come join him and his fellow athletes to see how it affects her. The letter's getting lots of attention, but Coulter hasn't responded. In fact, her only reaction has been to say "the only people who will be offended are too retarded to understand it," notes Gawker. (More Ann Coulter stories.)