Note: I suspect the following is not satire.
Grant Line Elementary Will NOT Broadcast ObamaAgain, I ask: When a right-wing fanatic begins foaming at the mouth over the impending threat of listening to the undisputed winner of a fair election, how much saliva can he lose before dehydration sets in – and who pays for the ambulance run?
I had the chance this evening to talk with Mr. Lang, the principal at Grant Line Elementary where I have three students attending. He assured me that the school will not be showing the attempted indoctrination of our youth (my words, not his) next Tuesday. This came as a great relief to me as I was prepared to take a day off of work and keep my children home so they would not be exposed to this thinly veiled attempt at brainwashing.
Have you contacted your children's elementary school? You can opt out of this ridiculous show. You can and should stand up for your sovereign rights as the ultimate educator of your children.
26 comments:
After the text of the speech is available, I'd really like one of the opponents of the President's speech to go through line for line and tell me which they find objectionable.
Supposedly this President was to be the role model for young minority youth, showing them that hard work and education do pay off. Should I infer that hard work and education is not a message some want minority children at Grantline to hear?
Gee, what a terrible idea for our President to ask students to study hard and stay in school. Maybe we're so used to a president who can rarely string a coherent sentence together that this is just too much for some people.
I've had Facebook friends who are just outraged at their kids being "indoctrinated" by the president. I can't help but wonder if the previous occupant of the White House had had the forethought to speak to children, would these same people been so upset?
Since when did it become so acceptable to disrespect the Office of the President of the United States?
Not the person in the office, but the Office itself?
I think its really sad. Despite a loathing of our last President, I would never have wanted my kids school to turn off a speech by George W. Bush about education (whether he could have pronounced the word "education" or not).
Teaching our kids to be part of fractured society cant be good.
As a social worker, i.e. professional meddler, I can tell you what happens to kids whose parents encourage them to not pay attention to any authority figures and make their own rules. Ask any teacher. Please tell me this insanity is a minority... I still believe in that 'United we stand, divided we fall' thing.
Oh, where to begin...Many fools are legally elected and I choose not to listen to them. Chris, I am not disrespecting the office, however, BHO is abusing the office. The original text had more to do with how our kids could help the president with his agenda and less to do with studying hard. Come on...write the president a letter and tell him specific steps you are going to take to forward his agenda?? Really?
I still believe in the U.S. as a Republic. Yes, we elect our leaders by a simple majority. But, that does not mean that the will of the 51% can be imposed on the 49% without any dissention or argument.
I am making a choice as a parent. My children respect authority figures because they respect their parents first. I will stand by my convictions on this. My children's teachers do not need BHO's help teaching and I don't need his help parenting.
Actually, Daniel, the original text asked children to write letters explaining how they could help the president. There was no mention of any specific policy. That text mirrors the language used by President George H.W. Bush in his address to school children.
On another note, you reported that the town hall hosted by Baron Hill at IUS was accessible only to those who reserved a seat. As evidenced by television reporting of the line of first come, first seated attendees, that's not true, either.
Care to correct the record on your blog?
I think they just hate America.
While I don't believe the the speech is an attempt an indoctrination, how can those who object to Obama giving his speech still say, with a straight face, that there ought to be DAILY prayer in school?
Let me get this straight. Some parents will not allow their children to watch a video of the President of the United States encouraging such children to study hard, and inviting their ideas. This is obviously a sinister plot to brainwash innocent children by asking for their ideas. No wonder parents are up in arms. How dare the President ask my child for an idea!
Brainwashing indeed. Glenn Beck and the other "personalities" on Fox and talk radio are continaully feeding their audiences on lies, myths, and conspiracy theories, whipping up the fear until these people are becoming whirling dervishes of anger and paranoia. And with guns yet!
Too many preachers are adding fuel to the fire, either overtly encouraging the same, or by remaining silent and allowing this
hatred to become viral. Shame on them for this perversion of the teachings of Christ.
The question is: Who is brainwashing whom?
Daniel,
You seem to be a little cloudy on the definition of a republic... Allow me to clear up some misconceptions for you.
By voting in the first place, you are entering into an agreement by which you accept the decision reached by popular vote. Yes, even 51% to 49%. Just because you do not like the outcome of the election, does not mean you can withdraw your previous acceptance of the risk you took by voting in the first place.
Also, President Obama did not win by a mere %2 margin. The electoral college favored him with 365 votes as opposed to Senator McCain's 173.
Please don't let blind hatred and ignorance prevent this country form moving forward and uniting in a common, admirable goal.
The behavior towards this speech has been disgraceful and the parents who are objecting to their children watching the speech ought to be ashamed of themselves. Teaching our young people to not listen to a speech because we have a personal animosity of a difference of opinion, no matter how sharp that difference of opinion is, teaches complete and utter disrespect for the Office of the President. Period.
Lesson number one. When the President of the United States enters the room you stand until he tells you to be seated. You listen respectfully. If he takes questions, you ask, respectfully. You do not respect the person, but the office.
There have been Presidents I totally disagreed with. Totally. The idea of telling my children not to listen to that person would have never crossed my mind. The greatest way a parent can teach their children to respect others is to show that respect to others themselves.
This behavior is shameful and without excuse, whatsoever.
ditto what JM said.
It is important that children are taught that they can listen to those they disagree with in a respectful manner.
Regardless the person who holds the office, they should respect the office.
I deleted my first comment, it was written before I thought about what I wanted to say.
I read Daniel's comment that "that does not mean that the will of the 51% can be imposed on the 49% without any dissention or argument."
Yet, I remember the last 8 years. Good years for Daniel, I'm sure. I remember them as 8 years of being told I was "unpatriotic" and "unamerican" because I was against many of the policies of the Dubya administration. However, I would never have told my child that he/she cannot listen to a speech by the president simply because I didn't like his policies. It's petty, small minded and tells a sad tale of the state of our country.
I think the part that bothers me the most is the dishonesty. In terms of heritage, I was raised to be honest and taught that doing so was tantamount to goodness, whether that was measured via levels of patriotism, friendship, or other potential gauges.
Should we teach our children to ignore facts and repeat misconceptions as an acceptable method of expressing emotion, even if the emotion itself is initially brought on by a misunderstanding of facts?
We all occasionally misconstrue something or inadvertently garble information. When those behaviors become a consistent pattern, however, it's difficult to believe, outside of legitimate mental issues, that they are anything but intentional and damaging.
Dissent may be a function of a healthy republic but deceit certainly isn't. Likewise, quelling dissent isn't palatable but decrying deceit is admirable.
I was told about the reserved seating for the town hall in an email that was sent out by Adam Dickey, a spokesman for Baron.
The last 8 years were in fact not good for me. It pained me to see a republican president grow the size of government to never before seen portions, until now. The Patriot Act was a disgrace and I have never called anyone un-American or unpatritotic for disagreeing with GWB.
I always respect the office of president as well as all other elected positions, and teach my children to do the same.
I did not have children in school during George HW Bush's term, but I would have disagreed with his speech also. We all know this is more than a pep rally for studying.
I don't wear a foil hat, I am not a conspiracy theorist, I am not a racist. I simply disagree with the direction this country has taken for the last twenty years.
My children know why I disagree with this president, what I disagreed with when W. was there and why I feel the way I do.
On a side note...Ventured down to River City Winery on Friday evening. The Main St. Red is awesome and the missus loved the Peach. The building was absolutely perfect and we will be back.
Not bad, Daniel. Not bad. I'm especially impressed that you are repulsed by the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. Too.
after listening to FM Lunatic 105.1, i almost thought the president was giving a speach about how to roll tight dooders and bonging beers.
dear right wing nut jobs. i'm not sure whats going on with you all, but it appears to me that many of you must snort 20 lines of coke...i have never seen more paranoid people in my life!!! maybe if the right would just shut their yappers for one second, instead running around claiming the sky is falling, they might actually hear whats going on.
sheeshh...chill out for one second and listen!!!
Dang, where was this lady/guy when no child gets ahead passed?
I will second Bookseller's comment to Daniel Short.
Daniel,
I respect your opinion, But BHO is no more abusing his power than did GWB.
Using falsified intelligence to invade and overthrow a nation, instituting illegal wiretaps on US citizens, thousands of dead US soldiers for WMD's that did not exist.
I am not a democrat or a repblican for that matter, but honesly I will take a hundred Obamas to one more GOP ultra-conservative, war mongering Fundamentalist Christian like Bush.
But be that as it may, still I would NEVER refuse to let my child listen to what the President of the United States had to say, and take away the fundamental freedom for my child to make an informed decision as to which political path she chooses to take.
It is NOT the place of a parent to decide that for their child, that is a decision only the child should make.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/
Here's the text. To which line do you object?
Anyone? Anyone?
Just found the "revised" text earlier today. I must say this is different from what was floating around when this whole thing broke. After reading this version, I am not offended by any of it. I do however think that the text was altered after the public outcry and this was the best outcome for his poll numbers. I can only wish that he would again listen to the public on the health care debate.
"Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class or spending time each day reading a book,"
Those darn socialists. Asking kids to read and work hard in school.
As far as health care reform goes, it's 51-48 opposed according to the latest CNN/Opinion Dynamics poll (and with all the disinformation out there, that's not suprising). What is noticeable are two things. First, 91% say some type of reform is needed (hey, at least Republicans are actually admitting there's a health care problem now) and secondly..well, I'll just paste the question and the results...
"Now thinking specifically about the health insurance plans available to most Americans, would you favor or oppose creating a public health insurance option administered by the federal government that would compete with plans offered by private health insurance companies?
55% Favor
41% Oppose"
So, 55% of the country (as of 8/30) says that they favor a public option. So, you're right, I hope he does listen to the public!
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