I went out to pick up a new pair of shoes and ended up at a little neighborhood theater for an opening night performance. Such is the unpredictable life of the city dweller. Bad Jazz, a troupe of performers that features local writer Kevin Kling, put on an absurdist show that featured a model steamboat, songs about crawfish, and burning shoes. You just had to kind of sit back and go with it. Afterwards, the audience was invited to a barbecue in the landscaped garden behind the theater. And I ran into a friend while I was there. Not a bad start to the weekend.

Michael Gerson has a column in today’s Washington Post in which he proclaims that Trig Palin, Sarah Palin’s infant son with Down’s syndrome, represents a milestone for the disability rights movement. Gerson notes that 90 percent of pregnancies are aborted when prenatal testing reveals the presence of Down’s syndrome. He also writes:

This is properly called eugenic abortion — the ending of “imperfect” lives to remove the social, economic and emotional costs of their existence. And this practice cannot be separated from the broader social treatment of people who have disabilities. By eliminating less perfect humans, deformity and disability become more pronounced and less acceptable. Those who escape the net of screening are often viewed as mistakes or burdens[…]And this feeds a social Darwinism in which the stronger are regarded as better, the dependent are viewed as less valuable, and the weak must occasionally be culled.

Gerson sees abortion as a cause of disability discrimination and a betrayal of the left’s espoused communitarian values. I’m not blind to the tension Gerson points out. As someone with a significant disability, it frustrates me that many expectant parents receive biased or inaccurate information about the quality of life that can be lived with a disability. I’m also struck by the slightly awed tone of commentators from both the left and right when discussing Palin’s decision to have Trig, which should speak volumes about how both conservatives and liberals regard disability.

If a woman equipped with neutral and accurate information chooses to have a child like Trig, she should expect the rest of us to fully support her decision in both word and deed. In practice, that means we may all need to pay a few more dollars to support things like health care, education, and the other services that child will need throughout life. And if that same woman chooses not to follow that path, she should expect the rest of us to not treat her like a criminal or a child. I’m pro-choice because the alternative is to enforce a regime that substitutes its own judgment for that of the individual. And as a person with a disability who has some experience with other well-meaning people wishing to supplant my judgment for their own, I simply can’t go along with that.

A friend is dropping by shortly to watch the Packers-Vikings game. I don’t follow the Packers or football in general as closely as I once did, but I’m not expecting great things from my hometown team this season. If I had to predict (and it’s almost impossible to resist predictions when discussing team sports), the Pack will 7-9 at best.

And I’m okay with that, as long as they beat Minnesota tonight. And here I have to insert the obligatory Vikings Suck!

In a barnstormer of a speech, Biden calls out the Republicans for failing to offer any substantive policy ideas at their convention. The problem for the GOP is that it’s being trying to re-brand itself without making any fundamental alterations to its core ingredients. That may work if you’re trying to sell laundry detergent, but it’s less effective if you’re trying to win an election. The Republicans show little willingness to do the necessary self-examination to determine how it can speak to voters who worry about the economy, health care, and other pocketbook issues. Instead, the party bosses think it’s clever to mock community organizers.

And what is up with that, anyway? Wasn’t this the same party once clamoring for federal money to faith-based entities? Entities that do plenty of community organizing and outreach? Or has “community organizer” suddenly become code for anyone who dares help poor and disenfranchised people make their voices heard?

I noticed this fellow giving me the eye as I was passing through Mears Park in downtown St. Paul today. He said he was from India and I’m guessing that he wasn’t in town for the RNC. According to him, I’m very courageous for venturing out. Honestly, I’m not sure what he meant. Sure, I disagree with Republicans on plenty of issues, but I’m certainly not afraid to mingle with them and engage in civil dialogue. I’d even pay for drinks.

Speaking of civil dialogue, I won’t be sorry to see the anarchists leave town. Hey, angry white kids, your parents still love you. Just tell them you’re sorry for running up their cell phone bills and they’ll probably let you have your old rooms back.