Mechanics - what does "retard" mean to you?

I am amazed at how easy people get upset when someone says something THEY consider improper. Palin made such an issue out of the use of the word "retard" and the news media jumped right on it. I was a mechanic for years and years, when I hear retard I think of timing an engines. I worked in a farming district where retard was used i reference to irrigation, the term is used in household products (retards dust, retards moisture, etc.). I believe the word only becomes thought of as a bad word when those who think in such a manner think of it as such. Ninety nine point nine (99.9%) of the people would never have given it another thought had Pouting Palin not made an issue out of it - and the sad thing is she probably looked at it as an opportunity for more publicity than an insult/