The R-word

There is a national movement afoot. In the face of full-on worldwide economic crisis, poverty, starvation, and most worstest, Madonna's attempt to engulf another child, up rises an issue of dire need and great consequence. We're quibbling about banning the word RETARD. Discussions are heated, newspaper articles aplenty, CNN atwitter, and so on.
I'm confused. Is it like the N-word? can a retard safely call another retard "retard" without fear of retribution or what?

I guess the reason I can't really take this seriously is because it seems to be a largely victimless offense (unless you're a bored advocate), as the group in question, by and large, do not care much about how they are labeled. You really can lob just about any insult at them, and at the end of they day, they are still going to be the happiest fuckers on the block. I am certainly not unsympathetic to those with, ahem, "cognitive disabilities" (my best friends have cognitive disabilities!), but I think their advocates are the ones being retards at this point in time.

Mostly I'm confused about what I'm supposed to call the residents during surgery when they are dicking things up with the drill. "Drop your hand you "intellectually challenged person"?? it is just not snappy. "Drop you hand you jackass"? too gay. "Drop your hand you big dummy"? lacks heft. "drop your hand you idiot"? This should be just as forbidden as "retard", as it was once a medical term used to describe cognitive disability, as was "moron" and "imbecile". Honest. Look it up if you don't believe me.