LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Palin should be admired, not ridiculed

OPINION:

Bill Maher’s “joke” about Sarah Palin’s “day job” - caring for her son with Down syndrome - wasn’t funny (“Bill Maher unleashed,” Web, March 6).

After my father died in 1930, my mother raised six children, including my special-needs brother. She did it with love, courage and the help of relatives, friends and the church. Parents of children with special needs are doing the same today.

More assistance is available now, thanks in part to the efforts of the Kennedy family, but special-needs children still require extra love and care from parents or caregivers. Mrs. Palin’s child is a person of dignity, and Mrs. Palin should be admired - not ridiculed - for her choice to care for him herself.

MARY JANE ARENS

Round Hill, Va.