School Districts in Six States to Refrain from Showing Presidential Address Next Week

would love to see an in depth analysis of those districts

“would love to see an in depth analysis of those districts”
I would guess it has to do more with kneekjerk fears of parents complaints than demographics or school performance or things like that.

mr obama i wish you spent as much time trying to create a job as you do reading speaches. what is it with this guy and the microphone?

OBAMA-Amateur mistakes Weekly…stay tuned!!!

Why upset? Oh no reason except
information overload
“celebrity” overexposure
all crises are opportunities.
all crises are opportunities … for a speech.
Alinsky organizing – Ayers school grants – indoctrinating the children
condescending attitudes
And Pres Obama:
don’t go off the teleprompter,
don’t go off the script and bring up sumpin in the news. Remember Gates / Crowley
Don’t use self-deprecating humor. Works for Biden when you do it, it comes out “special olympics bowling”

Yes, can we get the names of all the districts?

I wish there had been some way to keep our children from being exposed to the previous 8 years of “W” … I’m sure they’re scarred for life.

So the President addresses children in schools?? Haven’t several other Presidents done this in the past, including Bush? What is the problem??? Maybe it’s because his skin is just a little too black. That is very very sad. If the parents don’t want their children to listen to the President, then they’re just displaying to their own children how filled with hate and discontent they are. which is an even sadder example for the child. Most kids whose parents are like that end up either completely resenting their parents for being so stuck in the mud, or they grow up to be hate-mongers themselves. Very very sad.

My guess is the districts that are not allowing this presentation to their kids also don’t agree with O’Bama’s idea of Health Reform . I wish my kids went to school in one of those districts!

Let me see… the President wants to tell kids that they should stay in school, create their own goals, meet them, graduate, and move on to bigger and better things…. and THIS is what the right wing wants to PROTEST? and keep kids away from school? What are they afraid of??? Their kids may actually be told something that their parents aren’t telling them to better their own lives?
FYI, 99% of school kids in the US are CITIZENS too. OBAMA is their president too. For those of you who didn’t vote for OBAMA, you can’t say he’s not your president, no matter how much you protest. If you’re a citizen of the US, he’s your president. Deal with it.
Don’t like it? vote him out in 2012. It’s not likely that will happen tho’.
Have a nice day!

We need to get this socialist out of the white house, he is dangerous, oh, I am a democrat and race has nothing to do with it, that is an obama supporter copout, if you don’t like obama u r a racist,so they say,

And oh, by the way, federal statute explicitly places limits on the federal government’s involvement in curriculum, and expressly denies the feds any control over curriculum or programs of instruction.

“The difference is Bush had ONE network..”
Nice to see a right winger finally admit the truth.

Has washington lost its mind once again. NO I do not want this political radical in my school around my grandchildren. skin color has nothing to do with it . Its his crazy way of thinking i dont want repeated to my grandkids. Its hard enough as a grown up to see threw his lieing b.s. a child can only believe what they hear. Children learn what they live I guess that explains why hes such a liar.

Thomas Payne, please let these dumb American’s know about other countries. I bet is most of these nuts try to find out who owns the company they work for it maybe UK based. ?

Why do some people try to bring race into everything? This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with protecting our children from political agends. If he (or his aides) would have left it alone at working hard and getting good grades, that would have been fine. They did not therefore it is a problem.

“This man is so puffed up with his own conceit he thinks the world needs to hear him speak daily. We don’t”
Because Hannity does such a great job speaking for him, right?
As much as he’s spun and lied about daily, he practically has to show up somewhere on television every day to do damage control to keep uninformed people from spreading baseless dribble rooted in their xenophobic assumptions.

“Why do some people try to bring race into everything? ” Because, the majority of people objecting are doing so for political reasons or because they are racist. Moreover, a good share are probably right wing ‘christians’(tongue in cheek). I can remember no objections when Bush 41 or Reagan addressed students.

“This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with protecting our children from political agends. If he (or his aides) would have left it alone at working hard and getting good grades, that would have been fine. They did not therefore it is a problem.”
DARE wasn’t a political agenda forced upon school children?

How many right wingers here support school prayer?

I’m outraged! I am so angry. I can’t believe that these kids should be hearing the communist propaganda like, “stay in school” and “get an education”. What a crock! In my day we just dropped out and made our money by doing hard work like working in factories or construction. Why is HE encouraging kids to learn? I guess he just doesn’t get OUR ways…

It’s all just getting too creepy. He believes all the stuff axelrod, gibbs and rahm tell him. The rest of us are just creeped out about it. He’s everywhere, all the time. I feel like we’re all being stalked.

How many right wingers here support school prayer?
Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 3, 2009 8:04:40 PM
If Obama and the left keep up their eternal campaign like this, it’s YOU who don’t have a prayer.
NJ and VA in 2 months, the House in 2010, then goodbye to Obama in 2012.

“This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with protecting our children from political agends. If he (or his aides) would have left it alone at working hard and getting good grades, that would have been fine. They did not therefore it is a problem.”
DARE wasn’t a political agenda forced upon school children?
Posted by: Questioner | Sep 3, 2009 8:03:41 PM
DARE was(is) a program designed to educate people about drugs and the harm they can do, so no. It does not ask them what they are going to do for their president or what part of his speech inspired them the most.
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It’s propaganda for the war on drugs, as you said it educates about the harm – often exaggerating while downplaying any benefits derived.

Obama has never done anything in is life except get elected. The weakest of all the canidates for decades. O he is a terrific quarter back none better.
We are all in for it, he will beat even Carter lousy record for hurting America.
I was hoping that he would be different but he is not with one excetion he is worst. Just look at who he is surrounded by OMG.
The media secured his election and they can’t even hide the mistakes. They deserve each other, America deserved better.
Now you will see him for he is and I am sorry I told you so.
Last word glad Gibson is leaving – he should leave sooner.

“Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters nationwide believe that Congress is too liberal while 22% hold the opposite view and say it is too conservative. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 14% say the ideological balance of Congress is about right and 12% are not sure.”
Right-Wing Nation is poised like so many panthers, coiled like so many cobras. Come November, 2010 we strike. And even the daffiest on the left can see what’s coming (OK, a few of them are too stupid).
Is prayer OK in parochial schools? Are parochial schools OK?

“Ryan C. your non sequitur about No Child Left Behind does not refute the fact that federal statutes, which precede the enactment of No Child Left Behind by the way, prohibit the Department of Education from involvement in curriculum.”
Are you really saying that previous legislation negates legislation more recently enacted?
ROFLMAO!
Maybe you should brush up on your civics and how on law supercedes previous law especially in the case of a reforming law like NCLB.
On the Dept of Ed website, they have a section for Teachers…two parts of that
“Teaching Resources, Lesson Plans
Lesson plans, primary documents, and teaching resources across the federal government”
And there’s this
“Doing What Works
Research-based practices for teaching English language learners, encouraging girls in math and science, and more.”
For administrators,
“What Works Clearinghouse
An independent source of scientific evidence regarding what works in education”
Those are just a few examples.
So who told you the fed was forbidden from being involved in curriculum.
I know you did not come up with that yourself.

t’s propaganda for the war on drugs, as you said it educates about the harm – often exaggerating while downplaying any benefits derived.
Posted by: Questioner | Sep 3, 2009 8:11:21 PM
Yeah, because the benefits from cocaine and heroin are so good for everyone.

“NJ and VA in 2 months, the House in 2010, then goodbye to Obama in 2012.”
ROFLMAO!
How far the GOP is fallen when they are pumped about the possibility of taking the Gov of VA.

DARE wasn’t a political agenda forced upon school children?
==========
DARE doesn’t come from the Federal Government, does it?
Things like DARE and various sex ed programs are definitely social engineering courses forced upon- or provided to, depending how you see it- school children.

“Is prayer OK in parochial schools? Are parochial schools OK?”
Parochial schools are not public schools.
But given your attempt at deflection, you can see the rank right wing hypocrisy of demanding religious indoctrination while flipping out about a do good in school speech by the President.
Even if you won’t admit it.

“So who told you the fed was forbidden from being involved in curriculum.”
google “department of education prohibited from providing curriculum to the states”, and you will find a letter from the Deputy Secretary of the Departmen of Education (written after No Child Left Behind) that clearly explains the legal limits on the authority of the federal government to interfere with curriculum.

Dangerous, frightening stuff. Indoctrination of the young.

Obama needs to realize that we don’t trust him any further than we can spit!
Stay away from our kids with your marxist indoctrination!

” most american’s see what he’s doing to our country that did vote for him have seen and heard enough .”
Considering they didn’t vote for him, and they lost.. there may not be too much concern.

Rick_VT
It always turns back to Bush. He’s out of office. Get over it. Address the topic at hand. Youth indoctrination.

Posted by: Bridget | Sep 3, 2009 8:20:10 PM”
So are you an intelligent design pusher?

These right wing nuts are destroying our country. Gee I guess it was ok when Bush read My Pet Goat in school for a photo op. I mean that was propaganda. Then I bet they didn’t get their panties is a bundle when Reagan (their god almighty) spoke to school children and really spewed propaganda. The right wingers have really gone too far. They need to be locked up to protect the American people from harm. And the Mainstream Media needs to stop reporting this crazy crap. In fact just reporting this is right wind propaganda as far as I’m concerned.

Just another example of Obama bringing the country together. LOL

A small window of time set-aside for a school’s principal to speak to students about meeting the challenges of education and setting personal goals would NEVER be thought as anything but informative and beneficial; the notion that it could help a single child would be enough for most parents to support it. If I am to believe that a lack of support is anything other than a personal dislike of the president, then I will, at the same time, acknowledge that I am a fool.
I work everyday with schools (on issues of policy) where there in are achivement gaps that are in no way simply attributed to any one cause. Collectively, our children need to be helped, this gap needs to be eliminated, and (perhaps most importantly) individuals need to begin to address their racial biases and insecurities honestly so that they can be overcome. If not now then you must know that you will have to atone for it later. Lashing out and being overly emotional isn’t even a first step in the right direction but instead one giant leap toward century old misconceptions.

“A letter explaining that NCLB will not require the teaching of intelligent design! ”
How convenient that you overlook this:
“Furthermore, both the Department of Education Organization Act and the General Education Provisions Act, include a similar, but broader rule of construction that applies to all Department of Education Programs, and which protects, among other things, against Federal control over curricula, programs of instruction, textbooks, and instructional material. 20 U.S.C. section 1232a, 3403″

Soon we will all Try to Remember What it was Like, when The U.S.A. was a free Country

Mr Woodard: If I am to believe that a lack of support is anything other than a personal dislike of the president, then I will, at the same time, acknowledge that I am a fool.
==========
Am I correct in assuming you’ve read the Department of Education materials?
If there is no reason other than personal dislike for the president at play here, why do you suppose they changed some of the wording and called it “inartful”? Do they hate the president?
Is there really no room in your mind to entertain the idea that asking children to muse how the president will inspire them may not be the right educational message?

“simple back to school address” ya right.. “simple” a NATION WIDE speech to our children that WILL be carried live by the Government run media outlets (right ABC)…. who will be swooning over how WONDER BO is for weeks after this infomercial airs…..this IS blatant partisan politics Using our children to push BO’s agenda..

Obama wants to be adored by everyone including kids. The adults get their chance when he speaks to Congress. lol. I wish he would spend more time strategizing and less time worrying about his image to the public. It’s ridiculous and turning people off.

I hope ALL parents keep ALL their children home that day.

Oh, my god. Obama is the President. I don’t care who the president is or what he believes, you teach your child to respect the office.
We as a country have to allow for his position as a leader, which god-willing includes outreach to the nation’s children. He is not the first president to do this, and I didn’t hear of anybody keeping their kids home out of fear of conservative indoctrination when GHW Bush did the very same thing.
He’s doing a “Stay in School, How You Can Serve Your Country and Be a Good Neighbor” public service announcement. This is an honorable endeavor, and we, a nation that has an over 30% drop-out rate, should be thrilled whenever someone encourages our kids to succeed.

Barrack Obama is our President. This criticism prior to a speech from our President is disrespectful. Republicans and conservatives want the President of the United States, our President to disappear, to the extent that they want him to have no access to future voters, who are presently learning about respect and civility in government. These prejudging voices complaining about a logical and civil presidential speech are too shrill and smack of unamericanism. Mr. Obama is our President, including school children.
Certainly school students should have access to our Presidents counsel, the same as adults.

I think this will be the issue that draws many people stronger behind the current President.
The absolute, over the top, nuttiness of this extremist claims will convince many people to give strong support to the President over the idiotic right wing media and their childish behavior and tantrums.
This one will bite back on the extremeists – an it’s about time.

“simple back to school address” ya right.. “simple” a NATION WIDE speech to our children that WILL be carried live by the Government run media outlets (right ABC)…. who will be swooning over how WONDER BO is for weeks after this infomercial airs…..this IS blatant partisan politics Using our children to push BO’s agenda..

If I had a kid, this would be a catalyst for withdrawing from the pub sys and enrolling in private edu. Granted, the CONTENT of the President’s speech most likely will be benign, but the ACT sets a potentially dangerous precedent. Whose to say that a leader in the future won’t follow in Obama’s footsteps but go further, taking advantage of the opportunity? I think it’s just best if education remained completely local, b/c then not vulnerable to such indoctrination. Feds should butt out.
=======================================
Go back and check your history. Presidents Reagan and Bush did this back in the 80s. This “precedent” was set years ago.

I pledge my devotion to the great Obama.
He who must be obeyed.

lets get moving
We need a good new slam for these guys …how about the “SCHOOLERS”
Those guys are crazy talking about politicizing the dept of education…real whack jobs…
Attack, ridicule and denigrate the messenger and the message will go away.
It worked on the “Birthers” despite the prez not giving up his college or birth records.cool work. Plus we don’t need to explain about Van Jones either…racists!
Ok everybody get on those keyboards and remember… Attack, ridicule and denigrate…and never never address the issues or facts…why should we? We won the election…get over it

I cannot believe anyone not wanting to have their children listening, encouraging them to stay in school to get an education; especially by the President of the United States; who by the way is very intelligent himself.
It must have something to do with the Republicans or Racism or both.
How come no one objected to R.Regan or GWBush’s speaking to school children.

We probably shouldn’t even allow the President to address the nation anymore. It’s all propaganda. He’s evil and he’s from the planet Zoron. He wants to kill our grandmothers, and now hypnotise our children!
It’s propaganda!!!!!!!! Run for your lives!

Marge Hill said “How come no one objected to R.Regan or GWBush’s speaking to school children” I’m sure if the internet had been prevalent during that time, there would have been plenty of objection voice so all could see. You just didn’t hear about the objections back then.

“I suppose that Sabrina’s views are not untypical. I remember, long ago, when the right-wingers were the haters. Now we have left-wingers biting off the fingers of elderly gentlemen”
Strange that you keep telling this story without mentioning the elderly gentleman sucker punched and knocked the guy down who then bit off the finger thrust in his face.
Actually it not strange.
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.

Allright, I am currently a student at a high school. My biggest question is what is the concern? Six schools are not going to show The President’s Address? Why is this? The President has every right to talk to the future generation of this country. Why do we want to deny the president his right? He’s our president. This is like telling The President that he can’t talk to Congress. If people really want this country to end up somewhere when they are elderly, they’ll stop talking about such a pointless issue and fix they’re attention to problems with other countries and the steady decline of people who are going to take initiative in this country. Don’t deny my right as a citizen and a student just because some ignorant people don’t know how to organize their priorities.

I don’t need the President to tell my children to stay in school & do his/her best. I have instilled that in my children from the day they were born. They are self-motivated to do the best they can.

“Conservatives follow Martin Luther King teachings”
They do?
They believe in the government helping the poor?
They believe in equality?

The Victim: The President has every right to talk to the future generation of this country. Why do we want to deny the president his right?
============
Really, the president has no such right.
Having said that, I wouldn’t ask our school not to play the speech. I don’t know if they are or not, but I’d do nothing to stop it.

During the Soviet Union school children were always put in front of the TV when the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, was speaking at the opening of the party gathering. Once his 1+ hr speech was over, the children were typically dismissed home to reflect themselves on such a historic event. This is a historic fact and you are welcome to make your own conclusions.

And the idea that the president has a “right”, over parent’s wishes, to talk to their children is pretty scary.
But then, that was the kind of mindset I think the DoE materials was playing toward.

That’s it. I wish you freaks on the far side of right sucking Fox as pure truth, buying the whole scary government thing, would just leave the country. I swore I’d never say this back, after so many of you said it to me when I complained about a war. But seriously. I’m sick of you. You’re stupid. You’re completely disrespectful. You’re ruining my country.

If you boycott this address, we will bite your fingers/hand out – ACORN, SEIU

The President has no such right? Since when? Doesn’t it declare right at the beginning of the Bill Of Rights, that every person is given the freedom of speech?
=========
That doesn’t give you the right to have an audience.
Do you have a right to talk to the President of the United States?
Has he denied you that right?

“First, my friend, you should educate yourself on history… the “1930′s fascism” you speak of rose from the LEFT.”
ROFLMAO!
While Mussolini was first a socialist, fascism is a right wing animal.
I know its embarrassing for the right wing to realize the extreme end of their ideology is bad.
But its the extreme end.

I know Reagan and Bush1 did them, but did Clinton and W do these speeches too? I don’t recall. If not I wonder why and if so why Obama decided to bring them back. Seems odd.
Posted by: Miranda | Sep 3, 2009 9:10:36 PM
Because we have a chunk of the country getting sub standard education and living in homogeneous areas being sheltered from the reality of varying cultures through seclusion and ignorance.

What a joke. Maybe that one sentence was worded wrong, but the overall message means well….like Bush never “mispoke”….C’mon. If you are in school and plan on making something of yourself, then the message, “Stay in School”, isn’t directed at you. Don’t take it personally. However, many students do need a push and they do look up to our President. I like to think of myself as someone in the middle. Both sides can get a little crazy at times, but the left is certainly more educated and don’t over-react like paranoid, ignorant rednecks.

These parents are teaching their children to disrespect the views of the President of the United States, and are censoring to boot. Aren’t we SUPPOSED to come in contact with a variety of viewpoints to better develop our own? Isn’t that what education is about? A sad day in America.

I teach in Maryland and my district isn’t allowing me to show this

While President has the rights to speak, the citizens have the right of whether or not to listen. This speech was certainly not a part of the curriculum. If students decide to listen the speech after classes – let them do so.

Ryan C: Facism and Communism BOTH embrace Socialistic, planned econiomies.
After that differences are minor:
Facism is nationalistic oriented with government controlling the economy through state control of phoney corporations.
Communism is international oriented with governemnt control of the economy through phoney worker unions.
Choose your poison. They’re both socialistic.

Amazing. This Nations first Black President and the KKK states don’t like it. Looking forward to cleaning more republicans out coming the 2010 elections!

If Clinton and W didn’t do it, it was for a reason. Bringing it back seems unfortunately like a political move. Parents and schools should be free to decide what gets exposed to minor children. If Clinton and W did do it, I can’t see what the fuss is about then.

I will not let my grandkids participate in anything having to do with Obama. Just listen to his green CZar and you have the true Obama philosophy i.e. a Socialist/Marxist. I refuse to expose my grandkids to somebody like that.

I wonder what color the sky is in Mr. Obama’s world. Just another attempt by liberals to sway young children. There is something really wrong with this. This is not educational, it is political. My local school board better stand up for the citizens of my school district and refuse to participate.

Dayum Ryan C. I think I’m in love.

“Ryan C: Facism and Communism BOTH embrace Socialistic, planned econiomies.”
Socialism is not necessarily a centrally planned economy like the Soviet model. In fact most socialist economic models are far from centrally planned.
The authoritarian nigh totalitarian natures of fascism and communism demand planned economies.

“From the guy who spread the Ashley Todd hoax.”
Oh so Concerned is the guy who kept pushing that Ashley Todd thing during the election – shoving it in people’s faces to try to discredit Obama.

RyanC; so what you’re saying is that the Fascist-Socialist claim is an oxymoron? LOL!

“Fascism is definitely and absolutely opposed to the doctrines of liberalism, both in the political and economic sphere. (p. 32) ”
Bears repeating.

If the president wants to encourage my kids to read, study, and do well in school, GREAT. I think we can all agree that the president is supposed to set the example. It’s when he is not concerned about setting an example that people should be worried. We should socialize clue-giving so everyone can get one for free.

Add some Arizona districts pulling out of watching. Our district informed us today they wouldn’t be watching. Fortunately we have teachers who were not going to watch anyway. The kids are in school to learn, not listen to fantasy and make believe.

in response to The Victim:
You say if The President wanted to, right now, go on live television and tell the world that he’s the boogeyman, don’t you think that they’ll let him do that?
Then we, as adults, can decide whether we want to watch it or not.
Children in school are basically a captive audience, and they would have to watch whether their parents approved or not.
That’s the difference.

Come on people! The President has every right to give an address to motivate students on their studies that local officials can decide to or not to show. There is no controversy about the President giving such an address.
May I also add, that there is no controversy if a County or school district or state decide on their own how to conduct their school day, including whether or not to show the address.
It is the right of the States in our dual-federal Republic to determine things like school day configuration and school policies, so long as they abide by equal protection.

Don’t ask what can your country do for you, ask what can U do for your country. Basically same thing…?

If Clinton and W didn’t do this, I agree with the right wingers. I wouldn’t want any politician including the president to “talk” to the kids, it does seem politically motivated. I also want to add I thought it was gross when the Republicans were doing televised talks into churches.
Even if it is politically motivated, he has freedom of speech. The kids should go home and in a conversation with their parents have it told to them that what they experienced was “political” and then explain to them that people that engage in policy engage in politics.
You make of it what you will, using your powers of free speech. It’s a chance to educate them however you want to, not make crippled future citizens out of them when their first exposure to politics is civics class when they’re having senior skip days, flirting, driving, and otherwise distracted exploring late adolescence.
The reaction happening now is absurd. The parents that have their kids stay home are afraid that they themselves cannot form a rational argument to their own child.

What could possibly be more sinister than the President encouraging children to get a good education? Doesn’t he realize that “no child left behind” by definition means no child can be permitted to get ahead? Imagine what would happen 20 years from now if all those children learned to think on their own. There wouldn’t be a dittohead left on the continent!!!!

Everything the president says is political if it is intended to be political or not. His position makes it so. The presidents from the past who spoke to the very young students were also wrong. Even my favorite president Reagan was wrong when he did this. They were all criticized for this.
Obama takes that one step further with the additional documents and instructions.
The White House now admits that one of the lessons plans surrounding the speech was written clumsily, subjecting it to misinterpretation, and had to be re-written.
In plain language this means we got caught with our pants down.
What seems to be drawing the most ire are optional preparatory materials from the Department of Education asking students to “Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.” This makes it clear that it was intended to be political from the beginning. This is not an oversight!
Heather Higginbottom, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said it was “inartfully worded.”"We changed it. The whole lesson plan speaks to setting goals in increasing their educational achievement,” she said.
“Inartfully worded” is another political term for “you caught us but we will rephrase it so that it is not that obvious”. If they really honestly mean what they say, they are extremely incompetent.
If I believe what they say, I am scared for the future of our country because of their incompetence.
If I do not believe what they say than I am scared for the future of our country because of the crooks in leadership positions.
I do resent any opportunity by either party to take a captive, young, very impressionable audience for political purposes. The minimum purpose of these speeches is to create goodwill for Obama. If the kids come home from school and tell their parents what a nice guy Obama is, some of the goodwill will rub off on the parents.
Do we now apply the “Fairness Doctrine” and give the conservatives an equal opportunity to make their impression on the children?

I believe it was just a poor choice of words by the president’s advisors. But he has to be very careful, especially now. The enemies of Obama and his policies have “sharpened their knives” and are looking for any slip to pounce on. Obama can’t give them anything at all to work with. Now more than ever he has to be at the top of his game. He’s got to learn the lesson of the Clinton years: in the effort to regain their access to power and money, the BushGOPers will probe and pounce on any weakness or slip.

On November 14, 1988, Reagan addressed and took questions from students from four area middle schools in the Old Executive Office Building. According to press secretary Marvin Fitzwater, the speech was broadcast live and rebroadcast by C-Span, and Instructional Television Network fed the program “t o schools nationwide on three different days.” Much of Reagan’s speech that day covered the American “vision of self-government” and the need “to keep faith with the unfinished vision of the greatness and wonder of America” but in the middle of the speech, the president went off on a tangent about the importance of low taxes.

This is SO disturbing to me. I have never been more ashamed to be an American in my life. I have NEVER seen such utter hate and disrepect for The President Of The United States
I bet EVERY school doing this had NO PROBLEM taking the Stimulus money.
EVERY PRESIDENT has addressed school children-this is no different. But hatemongers as usual turn something positive into something dirty, because their minds are filled with dirty, evil thoughts. We should be more upset that these folks have bred.
We are seeing outright fascism, hate and racism.
By causing a stir you have denied EVERY CHILD in these school districts the right to hear the President-NOT JUST YOURS. You’ve taken away OUR rights!
I wish every single one of you terrible people would be a GROWN UP and spew your nonsense while standing in front of the President. But instead you spew your mess behind the anonymity of a computer screen.
President Obama is a GOOD and DECENT MAN. He does not deserve this.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
You are teaching your children to hate and to disrespect their elders.
Don’t be surprised when they grow up and have no respect for YOU.

We need to be rising above this,” said Higginbottom. “When the president goes out to talk to students about education, this shouldn’t be a tool for the right wing.”
LOL AS opposed to a tool for the left wing?
What a joke this administration is becoming. If it was a TV reality show it would be entertaining, as it is truly a REALITY is just sad and does not bode well for the future of uor country.

flopez, I remain with a small sliver of hope. . . . . .

“Write letters to themselves”. What then, will the letters then be turned over to the school counselor? Is there red flag criteria? Will the letters subsequently be reviewed by a panel? What if the letters do not meet party approval and goals? I spoke to a gal in the rehab industry about this, she says it is one of the same methods used to help addicts be reintroduced into society. You know, as a productive citizen.

Ryan C, Obama condemns the Minutemen. He will let the children know how evil they are.

td, you are correct. Obama will instruct the children as to how not to be spoiled brats. And he will assure the children that he won the election. . . and is the President.

“For this reason we have set before ourselves the task of inoculating our youth with the spirit of this community of the people at a very early age, at an age when human beings are still un-perverted and therefore unspoiled.”

Concerned in OH, Obama will teach the children there are no “illegal immigrants” and there is “no war on terror.” And, of course, 9/11 was an inside job.

I am a lifelong Democrat but I would have NEVER thought to keep my child away from ANY President Speech at their school.
I have raised my child in the American, old fashioned way. That once that inauguration is done whomever is elected is OUR COUNTRIES President and deserves the Respect of that office.
I even sent a get well message to President Reagan when he was shot. YOU RESPECT YOUR PRESIDENT.
You people are UN AMERICAN.
Remember your acctions today the next time you put your hand over your heart and recite that pledge of allegiance.
You have literally SPIT on our President with your actions.
Terrible, terrible, terrible.

Obama needs to stay out of school. This is not part of the curriculum. They should not have to answer any questions concerning his speech. My children won’t be at school to listen to his BS.GFYBHO!

Jeez folks…He’s the PRESIDENT and he’s just trying to engage the young people.
If W had done this, you would not have seen Dems standing up and saying this is wrong and offensive.
Give it up Hatemongers.

What this backlash over a seemingly innocuous speech to school children suggests is that more and more Americans simply do not trust our president. The assumption, now, about everything he says is that he is lying or obfuscating to advance a far-left political agenda that he knows the American public opposes. Through his vicious attacks on ordinary Americans who simply disagreed with him on a policy issue, he has lost all credibility as a statesman with a plurality of the American people, and I honestly don’t see how he gets it back. Trust, once lost, is seldom regained.

Kenneth, Obama is brilliant. That is why all is now well in the world.

Talk about UnAmerican! Here is the ELECTED President of the United States talking to children about self-responsibility, the very thing Republicans say they’re ALL about, and the conservatives and Republicans go nuts about how dare he speak to school children! What a bunch of disrespectful and treasonous losers! I hope true Americans will see this for political posturing and hateful racism it is! Despicable!

Many if not most of us are aware that profit is gained through contrived drama.
There is money to be made when a subject of controversy is on the table.
There are also much greater advantages to be gained while everyone is engaged with one another in dispute.
Take into consideration that both media outlets and the commentators on these threads could be out for more than merely making a buck, or even in influencing your opinion.
You may merely be talking to many copies of one person, someone with no interest in logic, someone who wishes to infuriate you, or someone who seeks to further isolate you through polarizing your opinions of others.
Frankly, I’m concerned for you, whichever of you are actually individual open-minded citizens.
But, maybe that’s my own illusion, and I shouldn’t be trying to protect shadow puppets from themselves because they won’t listen anyway.
In perhaps a moment, vitriol will return to this thread regardless. But, food for thought: Perhaps you should question if it’s fabricated.

flopez: You are way out there… It’s about kids staying in school & doing better in life!!!
I don’t think that’s brain washing.
All you Rush Limbaugh’s out there.
Paranoia Will Destroy Ya!!!

td, You are correct. Obama is not Bush. That is why we are doing so well in Afghanistan. Hoo rah. The FBI is investigating all of the crimes being committed daily by the Taliban. It will soon be a new cable show on TNT.

deejay, Rush Limbaugh is evil. His name should not be posted on the same post that Obama is being discussed.

Can we have a Truther in the White House?
Yes We Can!

All I can say is if you radical right wingers don’t want the President to encourage your children to work hard and get as good an education as they can that maybe you will. Tell them if they don’t they could grow up to be an immature whiner who’s afraid of everyone who did get a good education .. like you are. That’ll convince them.

The first speech he makes gets his “foot in the door”. Wake up you BO lovers…it’s all the other speeches I’m worried about. The ones that start out “be good, stay in school”. Then the next one is “love President”, then “serve your President”, then “do exactly what your President asks and tell us where your parents are”. Oh yeah…I trust him-NOT. This man has lied from the very beginning, and I can’t believe you’re not seeing this. He should LEAVE THE KIDS ALONE!!!!

On November 14, 1988, Reagan addressed and took questions from students from four area middle schools in the Old Executive Office Building. According to press secretary Marvin Fitzwater, the speech was broadcast live and rebroadcast by C-Span, and Instructional Television Network fed the program “to schools nationwide on three different days.” Much of Reagan’s speech that day covered the American “vision of self-government” and the need “to keep faith with the unfinished vision of the greatness and wonder of America” but in the middle of the speech, the president went off on a tangent about the importance of low taxes.

td-You obviously know nothing of Developmental Psychology.

My concern is that the children would realize that it is ok to remake themselves to suit your dreams just by hiding your past. Obama has refused to release anything from his past, not bith records, not school records, not medical records not anything. We know only what he wants us to know. I say the man is a fraud and should not be allowed near schools. Call me names, yell but I challege anyone of you to prove me wrong with hard written evidence. Until you can dothat I will continue to say, “OBAMA IS A FRAUD”.

Some American parents are truly stuck on stupid. My first question to parents who are rejecting a Presidential address to school age children is: What is the name of the last book you read? If the answer is none or you can’t quite remember, please take this suggestion, read The World Is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman.
Our nation, which was once number one in almost every category, now it has slipped beyond the position of mediocrity. When both the average high school and college graduate can’t write a decent well constructed letter, we had better look for leadership from someone like the President of the United States, to help young students think, reason and act on their fresh developing minds. After all President Obama, attended Harvard University, was President of the Harvard Law Review and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

hopespring52, Yes, Michelle laughs at Obama all day long. She knows him better than we do.

If they’re stupid enough to pull kids out of school to avoid watching Obama or the school district is that dumb, let them go ahead. They probably don’t value their kid’s education very highly anyway.
I know I would never have allowed my kids to skip school in order to avoid watching Bush “talk” directly to them. I would have let them know in no uncertain terms what an idiot I thought he was, but I would have made sure they were sitting in that classroom the rest of the day learning from their teachers.

Honestly, I cannot believe any parent is against the president encouraging children to focus on their education. I think republicans just want something to complain about. When I was in 7th grade teachers in my school let classrooms full of kids watch the OJ Simpson verdict- are you kidding me that you don’t want the President sending a positive message because it will “brainwash” the kids…how about have a discussion with your kids about it if you’re so worried. The republicans never did a good job addressing children so give it up.

Ed | Sep 3, 2009 10:25:27 PM – That is real good Ed. Besides Regan and Bush addressing school students, you list Hitler and the ancient Greeks.Isn’t it interesting that only two republican Presidents successful at what Hitler and ancient Greeks. I don’t remember democrat parents hold their kids out of school for fear that their kids weren’t strong enough to respect the president without having to agree with everything he said. It is too bad republican parents don’t have more faith in their kids to show respect to the President of the US and still disagree.

That’s right….Study hard in school, work hard in life, make alot of money so the government can take a big chunk of it away & give it to those that don’t study or work hard.There’s your message kids!!!
Posted by: Todd | Sep 3, 2009 10:38:48 PM
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If you really were paying attention kids, it won’t be your money we’re taking away. You’ll know well enough how to deduct from your taxes, or hire someone who can anyway. But somewhere along the way, someone will teach you to feign outrage over it for political gain!

Arne Duncan was the head of the chicago public schools and their graduation rate was less than 50%. This
is not about indoctrination to socialism; it’s about politics, votes, photo & video ops,. However, who ever wrote up the so-called lesson plan (Emmanuel? Axelrod? Duncan? Jarret?: notice the Chicago connection)is an idiot

Kids are very perceptive. If their parents try to shelter them from Obama they’re going to think their parents are afraid of the President, while many of their peers are not. It’s weak. It will only make them more curious about him.

Really, if you people are going to cite historical evidence, you should learn some history. No radicals in the White House before? Oh?
Let’s see: Washington (a revolutionist who overthrew a King), Adams (a revolutionist who overthrew a King), Jefferson (a revolutionist who overthrew a King), Lincoln (who invented the strong federal Army and created the first draft), FDR, who created Social Security and a slew of other SOCIALIST programs, Johnson, who created Medicare and a slew of other SOCIALIST programs….
Face it, you people hate all Socialists, especially the ones that threaten your MEDICARE and SOCIAL SECURITY, which take more out of my check every month than taxes (and 40% of those go to the military). Seems to me, you’re the true Socialists, and you don’t want to share the pie I’m paying for.

“what is world has happened to this country when the President of the United States wants to encourage our children to be diligent in their studies and it is somehow considered controversial.”………… Fox happened. Glen Beck happened. Far right radio and Limbaugh happened. Hannity happened. . . .

If a President wants to address our children about how important education is, wouldn’t you think he should lead by example.
What he has done in this administration by his actions has shown us that if you do work hard, save your money, and maybe even start your own business government is just going to take a good percentage away from you to help those that don’t want to work. Sounds fair, right?
I know this is a cynical viewpoint, but I am sick and tired of this piddly crap and this administration doing stupid things.
What Obama should be doing is addressing unemployment, the fraud & waste of Medicare/Medicaid programs, working on a comprehensive health care reform bill, working on getting our country back on it’s feet.
Sometimes it’s as if the only thing this administration wants to do is to cause dissention within our country. Some example Mr.President and you wonder why people are concerned about you addressing our children.

I don’t resist the White House for appealing to the most sensible & most educated in most of these homes claiming outrage: The children attending primary & secondary schools.
Most children are honest, many better informed and worldly (thanks to the internet and integrated schools) than their parents. They are interested in the sustainability of the U.S. –interested in their future. That’s why so many worked the campaign to help elect President. During various canvassing pre- election, in conservative neighborhoods with staunch Republicans, I met many teens who in confidence told us they did not agree with closed-minded conservative ideas.
The children are the future.

What Obama should be doing is addressing unemployment, the fraud & waste of Medicare/Medicaid programs, working on a comprehensive health care reform bill, working on getting our country back on it’s feet.
Sometimes it’s as if the only thing this administration wants to do is to cause dissention within our country. Some example Mr.President and you wonder why people are concerned about you addressing our children.
Posted by: CJ Dean | Sep 3, 2009 10:55:51 PM
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Sometimes it’s as if causation is confused with effect. How does anything get done when his first breaths are under protest?

flopez | Sep 3, 2009 10:29:02 PM – “You are correct. Obama is not Bush. That is why we are doing so well in Afghanistan. Hoo rah” No wonder you are so mixed up. You don’t even know recent history. Terrorist from Afganistan took down the WTC and Bush and all took us to war as he should have. He did a great job the first six months. Then he decided it was more important to build a democracy in Iraq and took the troops there. We slowly lost control of Afghanistan during the next seven years. Finally Obama became President and starting putting more troops in Afghanistan to try to complete what Bush never accomplished. And keep in mind that this was a war where only the troops and their families sacrificed for the war effort while President Bush gave the rich a take break. Bush did a good job in some areas, but the war in Afghanistan was not one of them.

Maybe if we have more kids finishing school and furthering their education we will have less people living off of the government in the future. Look at the big picture people. Come on higher level thinking.

If a President wants to address our children about how important education is, wouldn’t you think he should lead by example.”
Posted by: CJ Dean | Sep 3, 2009 10:55:51 PM
So let me get this straight: in your mind, the son of a single mother who grew up in modest circumstances, went to Harvard Law school where he became the first Black president of the Harvard Law review, then became the first Black president of the Untied States is NOT setting the example as to how important education is?
If you don’t mind me asking, on what street corner can I buy whatever it is that you’ve been smoking? The weekend is coming up and I need to “relax.”

I think anyone with any sense knows how important staying in school is so why all the hub bub about this speech if that’s all it is and THAT IS ALL IT IS A SPEECH ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT STAYING IN SCHOOL IS. DOES THIS NOT SHOW PEOPLE WHAT THIS REALLY IS ALL ABOUT.WHEN THE SCHOOL IN OUR DISTRICT TAUGHT MY CHILD ABOUT JESUS AND MOSES ALONG WITH OTHERS FROM BIBLE STORIES,THAT HAVE TO BE TAKEN ON FAITH ALONE, I HAD NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER IT WAS IN THEIR TEXTBOOKS

Sometimes it’s as if causation is confused with effect. How does anything get done when his first breaths are under protest?
Posted by: ಠ_ಠ | Sep 3, 2009 11:01:16 PM
I understand your sentiment here, but my problem with this administration is that their plans don’t seem to be thought out. The intent is good, but the follow through stinks because their plans have no substance to back them up, no specifics. It’s like a fairy tale half the time, it looks good..sounds good.. but how exactly does it work .. ah magic.
We needed change in this country, unfortunately for change to happen you have to be able to back up what you say. You have to be able to prove what you say. So far, all I’ve heard are promises that they know what they are doing but no specifics. Sorry, but I need the specifics.

Kyle Cameron… your post was a breath of fresh air. I applaud your respect for the office of the President of the United States.

will Obama mention that because he doesn’t trust the public school system that he sends his children to an elite, expensive private school? Or that while he agitates for an Orwellian centralized databases containing ALL your personal information in the guise of health care reform that he, and other politicians, won’t be subject to it? I realize that leaders in the past often used youth brigades and the public school system to indoctrinate- so it is not like Obama has new ideas- but still I question why parents, local school boards, and teachers aren’t informed exactly on what propaganda will be mentioned in the school kid address!

What is wrong with all these offended parents, so opposed to having our President speak to their children??
If it was Bush who was going to speak to them, then I’d be very concerned. As a single mother of three teenagers, one of whom is to attend one of the top 10 universities in the country and who graduated high school in the top 3% of her class, I’d be very afraid that they would walk away from it learning words like nucular instead of nuclear, or decider instead of decision-maker. I’d be afraid that they would learn that all those brown-skinned people with funny sounding names were evil, or that invade and kill first and ask questions later, or that our Constitution is not worth the ink it was written with.
I will be honored to have a man like President Obama speak to our children. A man who can not only speak correctly, but intelligently and with common sense. A man who can inspire a generation to action. If a single child from an impoverished home, with a working single parent on a limited income listens to him speak and walks away from that speech thinking….he did it. He came from a single mother who worked so hard to give him every opportunity and he took that opportunity and has given so much back to his community and to his country, then why not me??? I will try my best and stay in school and learn as much as I can and try my best to be the best, then I too can be someone important to my country, to my community.
If one single child walks away with that, then our President was successful. And for that, I applaud him for this endeavour. We should all as parents of this country’s future applaud and support him, regardless of our political leanings. He was elected by us, the American people, to be our President and as such should be respected. You may not like what he stands for, but he is our President. What are you teaching your children when you disrespect the President of the United States. For shame on those who do.

It’s quite unfortunate what’s going on in this country right now with the health care debate and now a debate about the President addressing the children of this country, about the importance of staying in school, performing to the best of their ability and higher education. What in the name of all that is sacred are “some” people so upset? And as a white person, the majority of the anger I see is coming from very evil, devilish looking whites. Why are some of you so mean spirited? Was it taught? Are you teaching it to your children and your grandchildren? Why all the anger toward this black President? You better get over because he is the President and will probably get re-elected another term so those of you who are hating are wasting your time. Love and Peace to those who hate, Give Peace a chance..

Posted by: Steve X | Sep 3, 2009 11:06:40 PM
I grant you the man has done a lot for himself and if circumstances were different, I probably wouldn’t have a problem with him addressing our kids.
As it stands, our country has serious problems that need his attention more than addressing our children about the importance of staying in school. Knowing that he would cause a controversy.

Sometimes it’s as if causation is confused with effect. How does anything get done when his first breaths are under protest?
Posted by: ಠ_ಠ | Sep 3, 2009 11:01:16 PM
I understand your sentiment here, but my problem with this administration is that their plans don’t seem to be thought out. The intent is good, but the follow through stinks because their plans have no substance to back them up, no specifics. It’s like a fairy tale half the time, it looks good..sounds good.. but how exactly does it work .. ah magic.
We needed change in this country, unfortunately for change to happen you have to be able to back up what you say. You have to be able to prove what you say. So far, all I’ve heard are promises that they know what they are doing but no specifics. Sorry, but I need the specifics.
Posted by: CJ Dean | Sep 3, 2009 11:11:10 PM
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Part of Obama’s problem is that he’s relying on the Republicans and Conservatives to meet him halfway. Instead they dig in their heels and start lobbing insinuations about his intentions and character.
Everyone gets caught up in this, instead of pressing conservatives to show REAL leadership and make Obama’s original idea palatable.
We end up getting a completely counter offer that doesn’t resemble the original offer at all. No one can agree because they’re not on the same page, let alone the same book.
Would you rather he always had every single answer to every problem laid out in rigid detail so that we could spend years picking apart each piece before eventually giving up in frustration?
Or worse, would you rather have him lay out so detailed a plan that the right simply plays ball by bringing it to the center, loading it with pork and both of them leave hand in hand laughing?

Totally rediculous. The conservatives don’t mind having theocracy thrown at the kids by the likes of Pat Robertson, but heaven help us if they get encouragement to stay in school, study hard, and become productive citizens of the United States.
Sounds like someone is afraid of freedom of expression (1st Amentdment), but don’t dare suggest that carrying guns to town halls and in national parks might not be appropriate. That’s a no no.

“On November 14, 1988, Reagan addressed and took questions from students from four area middle schools in the Old Executive Office Building. According to press secretary Marvin Fitzwater, the speech was broadcast live and rebroadcast by C-Span, and Instructional Television Network fed the program “to schools nationwide on three different days.” Much of Reagan’s speech that day covered the American “vision of self-government” and the need “to keep faith with the unfinished vision of the greatness and wonder of America” but in the middle of the speech, the president went off on a tangent about the importance of low taxes.”

…addressing our children about the importance of staying in school. Knowing that he would cause a controversy.
Posted by: CJ Dean | Sep 3, 2009 11:21:45 PM
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You seem as though controversy is reason to preclude action. There are a lot of problems at hand, you would agree. Education does well to prevent them from occurring once more.

If Obama was thinking, he would have mandated that states that take stimulus money must show his speeches whenever he desires.

Posted by: MikeMo1947 | Sep 3, 2009 11:21:43 PM
So then you agree with this administration’s ideals then about evening out the wealth. Well the way things are going you will get your wish.
I’ve worked hard, been a single mom, scrimped, saved to buy my house and keep it. I’m sick and tired of all the govt crap about the poor unfortunates and how we should help them out.
Small business owners don’t make the money your talking about. The business owners I was referring to are your mom & pop shops; the neighborhood cafe, your local barber, etc. not corporate greed America.
There is an e-mail going around call ‘LETTER FROM THE BOSS’ read it if you come across it. Maybe then you might have a better perspective of those who really did fight to have a business, not just want someone to give them a handout.

I BELIEVE THAT THIS WHOLE WORLD IS JUST ONE BIG SCREW UP

One final thing before I go to bed. Our elections and government policy is not decided based on truth and good ideas. Elections and government policy is decided base on which party has the best propaganda campaign!

I cannot beleive that in the 21st century there are ‘educated’ people who want to teach our kids and grandkids that even the President is NOT PROTECTED by FREEDOM OF SPEECH! How can these people even think of calling themselves Americans? If not careful, conservative America will lose for all of us, every freedom that all previous Americans have fought to create and preserve. Let the man talk BEFORE criticizing the speech.

“I grant you the man has done a lot for himself and if circumstances were different, I probably wouldn’t have a problem with him addressing our kids.
As it stands, our country has serious problems that need his attention more than addressing our children about the importance of staying in school. Knowing that he would cause a controversy.”
Posted by: CJ Dean | Sep 3, 2009 11:21:45 PM
The children are the future, and making sure that they are properly educated is by far the most important thing that we can do as a nation. If our children don’t understand the importance of education now, then this country has no future.
Conservatism is truly in a sad place if the right wing throws a tantrum because the President takes a few minutes out of his schedule to remind kids of the importance of education. The only reason that this is even remotely controversial is because right-wingers foam at the mouth whenever they hear the name Obama.

“Conservative extremists, domestic terrorists and nativists are scared, and the right wing conservative personalities [conservative radio hosts and other millionaires] use clever tactics to fuel their hate.”
Yeah, hate. Of course, when you call those you disagree with “domestic terrorists,” there’s no hate there, right?

“There is some historical precedent for presidents speaking to students in nationally televised addresses. President George H. W. Bush did so in 1991 and President Ronald Reagan even talked politics with students in 1988.
Nonetheless charges from Republican officials that President Obama is seeking to indoctrinate students — unsupported by any real evidence — have been flying.”
The right wing’s irrational hatred of Obama is unprecedented. No one freaked out when Reagan preached his (since discredited) dogma that cutting taxes would not increase the deficit directly to school kids. No one pulled President Bush’s comments out of context. This is frightening – the Right wing is clinically paranoid.
” the taxes can be such a penalty on people that there’s no incentive for them to prosper and to earn more and so forth because they have to give so much to the government. And what we have found is that at the lower rates the government gets more revenue” Reagan to schoolkids 1988
“rite me a letter — and I’m serious about this one — write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals. ” President Bush to schoolkids 1991

Continuing from previous post, our President would like to encourage our children to learn and question, to broaden their educational and learning horizons. But the problem arises when those who are educated and learned cannot be controlled. If you are educated, and question, then you cannot be frightened into believing that everything our government says is the right thing. Don’t you get it everyone??? He doesn’t want to control our children. He wants them to go out there and learn and read, and question the world around them. That way they can right a situation they see is wrong. They can improve theirs as well as others lots in life.
Why can’t these narrow-minded people see that??

The difference in this speech and the other two presidents” speeches is that Obama has included study material, some of which will last throughout the year. Totally different agenda than just a little talk with the kiddies.

President Obama has showed himself as one of great grace and thoughtful consideration.
The political posturing and mud-slinging by the GOP has not been effective. They are trying very hard to discredit the President of the United States.
Citizens, we know better. We know it’s right to care for our children and one another.

I call complete racial motives on all this so called unnecessary outrage over the President of the United States speaking to the children. All I have seen on the news is the republicans and other majority white school districts crying about President Obama’s speech. It is funny that here in Dallas that one superintendent was all gushing about former president Bush & Laura coming to one of the Dallas schools to address that particular school and his whole tone changed to a less supportive tone when he spoke of our current president and his efforts to encourage ALL children in our country. The republicans need to GET OVER IT!! The world do not revolve around you and at this point with all the hatred and pouting that has been going on since Obama won will not get you back in power. You are doing nothing more than showing the world you true colors in which you try so hard to hide but you’re slipping everyday. Hate is a terrible thing and until your party let go of the bitterness and hate towards are current President you will not regain office.

So… his speeches are useless.
Yet… when used against our children, are all powerful.
Hmm… ಠ_ಠ

“Nonetheless charges from Republican officials that President Obama is seeking to indoctrinate students — UNSUPPORTED BY ANY REAL EVIDENCE — have been flying.”
Why is the media giving these liars a mouthpiece?

“well, that immediately eliminates most of the vocal ‘right’ from doing anything”
You might want to look up the figures on such things as left vs. right charitable giving. The right believes in personal responsibility in helping others. The left also believes this, albeit at about one-quarter the rate of giving.

Thanks Mr. President, I realize you have giving all you got and than some, and you are doing just as you say you would, you have held steadfast on to your integrity, and so far have deliver wonderfully, one can see that you are a good father and parent, for most this is obvious and for others no matter what you do they will find fault, but I am letting you know (Thank you ,so far a job well do).

Got to go but, let me leave you all with this. My Children are my Children, as are Yours. They do not belong to the School, DHS, a Doctor, or any other state sponsored entity. They darn sure do not belong to our employee. 2010, looking good.

This is my final comment of the night. I need to go to work early in the a.m. I wonder why all these people are so against this man. What has everyone so frightened of him? Is it his intelligence? Is it his education? What makes you hate him so much? It can’t be lack of competence because look at Bush and you all put in him office twice (I’m a long term Democrat). I really and truly hate to think it’s his skin color. If nothing else, his ethnicity and his multi-cultural background should be something we should all embrace and appreciate. He, like Justice Sonya Sotomayor can offer a refreshing and truer perspective of our country’s difficulties. Let’s give this man who we elected to office our respect, support, and encouragement. Goodnight everyone and peace be with you all and remember, it’s healthy to disagree.

I think this country is probably toast. Done for.

the myth is that there are so many people that are against Obama’s policies, what you see on TV is a 10 sec clip of the loudest screaming nut jobs, and not the other 1 1/2 hours of talk….
this is a disservice and failure by the various media….
even the polls, depending on which one and how the questions are asked skew the results…
there was one that went something like this, not exact but close:
‘If you knew that president Obama’s health care reform would create panels to assist in the death of senior citizens, would you be more or less inclined to support it?’
there is such a visceral hate by the right about anything connected with Obama that many have lost perspective… you can draw your own conclusions as to the source of this unreasonable hate, but it is certainly there.
certainly there are those that are strongly opposed to the presidents proposed policies, and there is nothing strange about that,..but, the distortions and outright lies are self evident.
it is a curious thing that many of the anti-health care reform crowd are themselves victims of exorbitant fees for health insurance, but are supporters of government run medicare..
a dichotomy to be sure… as they support those who place a difficult financial burden on their families, with no real security that the insurance companies will live up to the terms of their obligations.

A top official with a committed anti-reform group tells that Mike Enzi, one of those proclaimed bipartisan GOP Senators, strongly suggested at an event hosted by the group that he would oppose whatever proposal emerged.

Republican gangster Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) told a radio listeners that Democrats wanted to kill the elderly with comparative efficacy research. two weeks agao Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) repeated the “death panel” meme at a town hall meeting. Grassley has also been raising money campaigning against “Obama-care.”
It’s looking more and more like the Democrats will have to look to budget reconciliation, a special parliamentary procedure that could sidestep a filibuster and pass a health care bill by a simple majority vote.

“My Children are my Children, as are Yours. They do not belong to the School, DHS, a Doctor, or any other state sponsored entity. They darn sure do not belong to our employee. 2010, looking good.”
Reflect09 | Sep 3, 2009 11:59:34 PM
Children are people and belong to themselves and God. Parents guide and protect them for the start of their lives. And to an extent they do belong to society – we do not let people kill, maim, or seriously abuse their children like they are a piece of personal property. Your dehumanizing tone towards them is frightening.

It’s sheer irony to speak of concepts like freedom of speech in such a censored forum as this!

It’s amazing how so many people are finding fault with this issue.Before you judge Obama’s decision to do this address you need to take a good hard look at our public school system. We are so far behind educationally in comparison to other industrialized countries and many developing countries it’s ridiculous. Jobs are being sent overseas not because of low wages but because America lacks individuals with the knowledge base necessary to fill critical fields. If you haven’t noticed it we are raising a generation of children who will not be able to compete globally. So if you want to find fault with O’s address then keep your kids at home but remember that the time is quickly approaching when America will loose it’s rank to nations like China and India.

You are all yelling what is wrong with this being done. Good thing!!! Especially since the White House admits “the speech was written clumsily, subjecting it to misinterpretation, and had to be re-written”. Obama is like a loose canon. Look how he has done with other countries. And you expect us to trust what he may say to our children?!?!? Give me a break!!!

It has be asked several times above, but there seems to be now substantive response from the conservative extremists…. What is so wrong with our President speaking to our children…? Are you afraid that they may come home and challenge your own ideals? Do you think your children will be brain washed? Please stop the scare tactics… really. Please stop.

Can Obama do anything that the GOP will not oppose?none
If you correctly educate your kids why are you afraid from the speech by Obama.
You just are not doing your job

It’s funny to see what parents will let their kids watch at home

The opposing school districts in Texas must be in the heavy conservative regions, e.g. Dallas, Austin, portions of Houston…

Remember, sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. When you teach lack of respect for authority figures – and he is the President – the highest office in the U.S., and you will see it again – thrown up in your faces – just give it some time. I should think he would have a plenty to say to encourage your child/children to stay in school.
Heck, I am not even a Harvard or Yale Lawyer, and I can advise your child to study hard, stay in school, stay away from drugs, get his/her/their education so that they can one day maybe run for President, the Senate or run his/her own company. If they become drop-outs or run into trouble, it is the end for that sort of dream.
I teach universal oneness – we are all from the same essence according to Genesis 1:26, for all of you Conservative Christians, which is really a misnomer to me. Love and hate cannot occupy the same space.
Most of you are poorer than a church-mouse, but you look at your skin color to claim superiority in your miserable states of existence. That is sad!!!
Please learn respect for your President. Remember, the children you encourage to hate and disrespect will turn that on you if they have not already done it.

“Especially since the White House admits “the speech was written clumsily, subjecting it to misinterpretation, and had to be re-written”. Obama is like a loose canon. ”
TerriLee | Sep 4, 2009 12:33:56 AM
No, the White House admitted no such thing and that quote, attributed to the White House, is a flat out lie. Even as a paraphrase what you wrote would be a lie.
Does the Right wing have no self-respect to lie so obviously and continuously? Or do they just have no respect for the people they are lying to?

As i said on Facebook, so shall i say here. Mr. President can address MY 6y/o and 14y/o children anytime on any given day. If such an act is the catalyst to MY children thinking politically, i do so welcome such a chance.
i reside in a house that is quite divided. One child is pro Obama, the other is NOT. i welcome both perspectives and encourage MY children to seek out politically what THEY feel is in the best interest for THEIR future America. Despite that i am usually the devils advocate in our political debates, MY children are aware that i voted for Obama, as well as Bush, and also Clinton.
MY children know that all things said politically are rarely all things done, hence my allegiance is to the best political liar.
Is not a matter of liking, nor agreeing with the President. For MY family, is a matter of being involved, and encouraging free thinking.
The fact remains that we are speaking about the leader of OUR AMERICA. In such a place, as well as in my home, free speech, and the ability to debate current and future endeavors until the cows come home, or the fat lady sings shall always be welcome.

“You might want to look up the figures on such things as left vs. right charitable giving. The right believes in personal responsibility in helping others. The left also believes this, albeit at about one-quarter the rate of giving.”
Posted by: PD | Sep 3, 2009 11:56:47 PM
Obama gives slightly more beginning with his run for the WH, but still a low percentage of income!

I totally agreed with Obama in leaving his kids out of the job of politics….Please Mr. Obama, extend the same courtesy to my children as they mean just as much to me as yours do to you….

TO: d_d: “Will someone please tell me what is wrong with school children thinking about what they can do to help the President, and by extension the country? I guess we want to raise a country of lazy complainers.”
Children shouldn’t be asked to think about what they can to to ‘help’ the POTUS, and “by extension the country”. He’s SUPPOSED to work for US, not the other way around, and has plenty of help already with handlers telling him what to do. He should concentrate more on filling his cabinet, that up to now has over 43% not even picked and he’s been in office almost nine months! But he certainly didn’t waste any time appointing 35+ CZARS that don’t answer to us, Congress, NObody, except for him.
And as far as “raising a bunch of lazy complainers”, it is not HIS responsibility to raise our kids, it’s the parents, and a large majority are already a bunch of teevee watching, fat and lazy complainers. I wouldn’t want him anywhere NEAR my kids attempting to indoctrinate his facist views on them without the benefit of having parents decide whether they want their kids exposed to this without even the benefit of seeing what he is planning on telling their kids without their permission. Get your head out of the sand and quit complaining about what you think is so bad about a parent not knowing what’s best for their own child.

“Please Mr. Obama, extend the same courtesy to my children as they mean just as much to me as yours do to you….”
Parallex View | Sep 4, 2009 1:03:08 AM
They are being left out of politics. I suppose you vehemently oppose the saying of the Pledge of Alligance too – talk about political brainwashing.
And I’m amazed at how the liberal loons didn’t have the slightest problem with Reagan (who pushed his tax philosophy to school kids!) or Bush’s speech to millions. Why is the far Right so viciously paranoid?

Re my comment to ‘d_d’…
What I meant to say in my last sentence was “Get your head out of the sand and quit complaining about what you think is so bad about a parent that KNOWS what’s best for their own child. I hadn’t meant to say what they don’t know.

We are in a very scary place right now.
Posted by: Oreisha | Sep 4, 2009 1:10:40 AM
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The blob is attacking!!!!!!!!!!!
keep your children and small dogs away from the scary blob of education rationality and reason!
Get the Robot troops, quick!

Watch out. A new group of Obamabots need to be created.
Don’t get in the way

His speech sounds like a very positive one. If it encourages young people to work harder, to set goals for themselves, and to try and think beyond their own wants and needs, to consider what they can do that benefits their community or their country — these are all good things. I can’t understand why this would upset anyone.

While I don’t think there was really anything “sinister” intended here, you have to almost laugh at the way this administration has surrounded itself with idiots that would put the president in the postition of having to defend himself like this. Doesn’t Obama have anyone to proof read the things they put out before releasing it?

who is more qualify to speaker to students than a man who’s first is the president of the free world and than a family man and a good father and parent.

It’s always about the “cult” of Obama. It’s not about what can you do to help America, but what can you do to help Obama. Forget Obama, he’s bankrupting this Country into more cetralized government insanity.

If he can’t get it right talking to a bunch of school kids, how is it going to be with a health-care bill he hasn’t even read?
Posted by: Jon | Sep 4, 2009 1:24:49 AM
—————————————
You have a bad additude.

It’s always about the “cult” of Obama. It’s not about what can you do to help America, but what can you do to help Obama. Forget Obama, he’s bankrupting this Country into more cetralized government insanity.
Posted by: Juice
You aren’t making sense.

NO to Obama indocrination!

obama should address the youths of america. they will receive something i did not receive as a student. i think it should be a currculum requirement.

I’m keeping my kids home and it doesn’t have anything to do with racism. This is indocrination! When Reagan and Bush spoke to children there wasn’t a lesson plan to go along with it. I will not have my children force fed. This is just another stepping stone for marxism and socialism. I too think Jesus is coming back soon. Sign of the times. Things are going to get worse.

marie “This is just another stepping stone for marxism and socialism”……OK, give us one example where the President is proposing a single Marxist or socialist policy…just one…name it.

Flash back to October 8, 2008 when people where warning Of socialist Obama targeting kids to help him: I saw the future and it was as dark as I was afraid it would be. And with a single click you can see it too.
After I wrote about the danger that Sen. Obama’s association with people like Bill Ayers poses to the U.S. education and drew parallels between children singing praise to Sen. Obama and kids who grew up in police states, the reaction from the readers was somewhat mixed. Most people shared my concerns, but some doubted that an Obama-led government would bring politics into elementary and middle schools. Well, today my predictions have been confirmed by the most reliable source: Sen. Obama himself.
If you go to Sen. Obama’s official site and click on People you’d see — among others — a recently added category called Kids. Yes, that’s Kids as in “your kids” or “your sister’s or brother’s kids”. Those kids. Sen. Obama and his staff have apparently realized that they’ve been ignoring this important segment of our society. And with their usual determination and perseverance they went after it.
The opening statement sets the stage: “In the words of Senator Barack Obama, the “Obama for America Campaign is a different type of campaign”. For the first time in campaign history, children ages 12 and under, have a place to go and actually vote—through their voice. What a great way to be introduced to politics and to express your support for Senator Obama.” On this one, I have to agree with Sen. Obama–this is certainly a very different kind of campaign.
The site features content for kids themselves, for adults who want to leverage others’ kids to get more votes for Sen. Obama and for parents who want to leverage their kids to promote their support of Sen. Obama
Every set of instructions is worth reading. Kids have “10 Ways Kids for Obama can get involved” at their disposal. These steps include suggestions such as
Draw a picture of Senator Barack Obama or “an expression of Democracy”. For example, the Senator sitting in the White House or working on Capitol. Hill. You can send your drawing to the Obama for America Campaign Headquarters in Chicago and it will be posted for the Senator to see.
Implement T-Shirt Thursday. Get friends to wear an official Obama for America T-Shirt to school.
Take an adult (voting age) to the polls on Election Day and encourage them to vote for you, by voting for Senator Obama.
Post an official Obama for America Campaign sticker/logo on your school bag.
The site offers many handy instructions for young Sen. Obama supporters, helping them to form the pragmatic attitude they would absolutely need in the Obama led nation. The quote is worth reading in full (for the full text the site refers to this article):
The one thing most grandparents have in common is that they have the most wonderful grandchildren in the world – so clever, so handsome, so pretty, ever so precious. Even if you are still unsure of your path in life, and even if your parents and friends occasionally wonder about you, your grandma and grandpa love you and have faith in you.
That is your weapon! “Precious” needs to get on the phone and say, “Grandpa, Grandma, I am asking you to vote for Barack Obama. This is really important to me. It’s about my future. It’s about the world I will be living in. It’s about the world I want for my future children. (They will love that one!) Please! Do it for me!”
Put some urgency in your voice. Sound very disappointed in them if they give you excuses. Come back again, even harder. “This is about my future – my ability to get a good job, to live a healthy life, to have the same (or even more) opportunities than you had to succeed. I have never felt more strongly about anything. I am begging you to vote for Barack Obama. I need you to do this for me!”
This is just a sample script. You know what it takes to get to them.
People who would like to utilize many kids for Sen. Obama’s promotion can find a handy “Kids for Obama Starter Kit”. The kit opens with a scientific claim: “Studies have shown that kids can affect their parents and their siblings’ opinions and even change the opinions of older family members . . . including those of voting age”. Having set the tone, the kit offers simple guidelines for setting up a “Kids for Obama” event, covering such as aspects as invitations, broad advertising and planning. Its pragmatic advice is hard to misinterpret: “Ask kids to draw a picture of Barack Obama or what America means to them. These pictures could be used on campaign buttons and/or bumper stickers. It’s a great way to get kids involved!” A video shows a successful adult-led event and happy children who share their perspectives: “I want to vote for Barack Obama because he is cool!”
A report from a successful event says: “Yesterday, nearly 100 kids gathered in Pullen Park in Raleigh with their family and friends to show their support for Barack Obama. Children painted t-shirts, colored portraits of Barack, shot hoops for prizes and made American flags that they paraded around the park holding while cheering “Obama.”
Finally, young U.S. citizens can fully participate in political process. How young? You’ll be the judge. The site features letters from young supporters to Sen. Obama, such as this:
Dear Senator Obama,
I want you to be presadint because you are great for the economy. You have a great forin policy. We do not need a third term.
Hope you make it to the White house!
Your very yung suportar,
Ava A.
Age 8
But don’t think 8 years is the limit. You can love Sen. Obama even if you’re 3 and you still can be used for propaganda. A proud parent shares the story (along with a picture):
“My kids love Obama! My son is 3…he spells OBAMA and yells for President!”
Older generation also contributes its astute observations of political maturity of their grandchildren:
My six year old grand daughter picked up a newspaper section that had pictures of Hillary and McCain in it.
She looked at each page, turning it twice, and then looked again.
She breathed a deep sigh and tossed the newspaper down. She looked at me and said, “Grandma, that paper is no good!”
When I asked her why, she replied, “Because they left out Obama!”
Such a politically conscious observation from a six year old girl could only have been inspired by a man who reaches the hearts of everyone who come into contact with him, wether it be his voice, his pictures, or the spirit of love and positive hopeful energy he evokes in people of all ages! GRANDCHILDREN FOR OBAMA!
Now let’s wrap up the tour and put this into perspective. Is this all so bad? Is it bad at all? Shouldn’t kids be involved? Aren’t they entitled to their opinions? Is it wrong to reach out to them to open their eyes, so that they could change opinions of their parents? There are two way to answer these questions. One is simple ethics. Make no mistake: this is not about reaching out to the supporters. Sen. Obama openly goes after the kids of people who don’t plan to vote for him. He and his staff see the minds of children as a backdoor to get to the voting parents and grandparents. So, yes, it is bad. It is wrong. It is despicable. And there’s no excuse for this.
There’s another way to answer the question. What does our government think about this? Are they ok with targeting children with propaganda? As it turns out, they are not. When it comes to commercial advertisement, government bodies such as FDC and FDA have been going after marketers who target children age 12 and under. Yes, it’s exactly the same age group that Sen. Obama targets so explicitly. Just last year FDC along with its European counterpart pushed Masterfoods to stop marketing of its products (e.g. Snickers, Milky Way and Twix) to kids. Apparently, from the government’s perspective, kids age 12 and under are not mature enough to figure out whether Snickers are good or bad for their health, and thus can be misled by advertising. But of course, figuring out where a presidential candidate stands on taxes, abortion, education and national security is much easier. So why would the government have any problem with that?
I don’t know whether our government has a problem with that, but I sure do. Neither voting fraud nor accepting donations from untraceable foreign donors is as low as using kids to get to their parents. And the obsession that’s been sweeping the nation has gone too far if most adults in America don’t see it this way. But then again, these days adults in America proudly form groups called “Babies for Obama” where they exchange photos of infants wearing shirts covered with Obama propaganda.
The future is here. But with our votes and by sharing this information with others we can still prevent it from becoming a long-lasting dark reality, where kids are made into “very yung suportars” by pragmatic adults.
P.S. Sen. Obama’s site has a long history of silently removing materials that American public finds too disturbing (such as openly antisemetic musings of Sen. Obama’s supporters). Just in case the same sad fate awaits its “Kids” section, the snapshots of the site have been captured.

Indi…for one, Obama was raised a communist. His mother a “fellow traveler” is a communist. His grandparents were members of the red church…aka communists. And his mentor, Uncle Frank, that Obama writes of in his book was not only an outspoken bisexual child molestor but full fledge communist.

“Indi…for one, Obama was raised a communist. His mother a “fellow traveler” is a communist. His grandparents were members of the red church…aka communists. And his mentor, Uncle Frank, that Obama writes of in his book was not only an outspoken bisexual child molestor but full fledge communist.”………..source please…I have read his books, and there is no such thing in either book…I ask for sources and for you to outline a single communist policy the President supports or has implemented…if you cannot back it up, you should logoff.

Give me a break…people..parents..are not upset about this cause of racial nor political agendas. Everytime someone disagrees with Obama you people start screaming..oh its racial or those republicans. No my friends its just “people” not caring very much for the sneaky tactics that the Obama administration uses to push toward his agenda. It reminds me alot of Sadam Hussein. He did that very trick…television to praise him and etc. I dont care if someone is black white green nor yellow…and the majority doesnt either. I have not heard so much about race ever..since Obama has been President..you people scream that ALL the time…How come when people slurred Condalezza Rice you never took up for her saying it was race…hmmm I know cause she was a black “republican” not a black democrat…LOL

This is beyond BIZARRE. I can’t fathom what is wrong with the President of the United States addressing citizens. You rightwingers DEMANDED that we support Bush in his Iraq War, or we were supposed to leave the country. Now Obama wants to tell kids to stay in school, and you are claiming this is all politics? Very strange..
Ok republicans, pass a law stating that no elected official, governors, senators, etc, may visit any school in this country. Arrest any State Governor who wants to visit a local school to give kids encouragement. (you wont do it, unless somehow you can make the law apply only to elected democrats)

I think: 1) The Office of the President of the United States and the person who occupies it deserves respect by the citizens and the children of the United States. 2) A president should encourage and motivate our youth to education and achievment. 3) Political content or social doctrine have no place in speeches to children, and of course 4) if… Read More a president shuts a group of citizens and their representatives out of the major debates of our nation, he should expect resistence when he wants to address their children.

You’re too easy Indi, perhaps you would prefer a play by play comparison of Obama with other communist dictators and what they started off doing—its identical to how Obama is starting out. As I said many are seeing the communist/marxist ways in Obama…including Bloomberg
Throughout history Communist leaders have seized power by promoting themselves as populists, and often completely hiding their own ideology. Indeed in a poll taken after Communist Hugo Chavez’ first election victory in Venezuela, only 3% of the electors believed Chavez to be a Socialist, let alone a Communist. Currently 32% of Americans believe Obama to be a Socialist.
The initial stages of Communization of a country invariably begin with seven basic steps:
Seizing Control Over The Free Flow Of The Nation’s Money
Obama has stated that he wants to convert the stock the US government now owns in the nation’s banks from preferred stock, which is the case currently, to common stock. This modification in type of stock may seem irrelevant at first glance, but under further analysis it is the single greatest communist policy the US government has ever adopted: It means that the federal government will control all of the currently publicly traded major banks and financial institutions in the nation which are currently in the hands of individual shareholders. Not only will the current shareholders’ rights be trampled, but the control of the nation’s flow of money is the first keystone of communism.
Stripping Capitalists Of Their Assets
According to US bankruptcy code, secured creditors such as the ones who have outstanding debt against Chrysler and GM, have to be paid before unsecured creditors. That is the law. Obama has ignored this law, and seized the vast majority (89% in GM’s case) of all “asset value” of the automakers and taken direct control or given it away for free to the unions. Karl Marx’s theses were all based on the workers owning the means of production, and thus communism takes hold in America.
Changing The Structures Of Government To Suit
Obama has given the GOP until October to approve his health care plan which many experts have shown, would be as socialized as Cuba’s. If the Republican Party does not meet his demands, the Democratic Party will simply change the very rules of the United States Senate to pass their legislation through simple majority, instead of the 60% which has been required by the Senate through history. Changing legislation to suit the leader is another common tactic of communist leaders from Chavez to Castro.
Taking Advantage Of A Crisis To Impose Communism
Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel published a book entitled The Plan which would require (yes, require) young Americans regardless of their political stripe to serve in a direct copy of Hugo Chavez’ red-beret local militias. The Plan also promotes massive taxpayer funded programs as universally free university tuition and health care as well as a tax reform to ensure that the middle and upper classes are crushed by the enormous new government expenditures. Obama has already admitted such a “soak anyone making over $250,000/year” punitive tax policy. Emanuel is famous for his quote “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste…(it’s) an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before,” which is the prototypical process whereby communists seize power, witness Lenin, Mao, Castro, Tito, et al.
Controlling Higher Education
Obama has already launched legislation to remove private lenders from student loans which would now all be provided by the federal government directly, so that it could choose in a totalitarian manner who receives the loans and who doesn’t. Many educational institutions are up in arms over this legislation as it essentially shifts admissions policy from the colleges and universities to the federal government. Control of higher education as in Obama’s Pell Grant entitlement is an universal characteristic of communism to ensure that the young are properly ideologically indoctrinated.
Punishing Residential Property Owners
Obama’s enormous mortgage bailout legislation is little more than a full blown entitlement program. The plan forces the 92 percent of responsible home owners to heavily subsidize the irresponsible “ARM-ATM” mortgage holders who didn’t read their ARM mortgages and used their home equity like ATMs. These taxes would be so overwhelming that many of the “responsible” majority of mortgage holders could lose their homes. The punishment leading to the elimination of property owners in favor of the state is a fundamental tenet of Marxism, as Karl wrote “the middle-class owner of property: This person must indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible.”
Demolishing The Economy To Replace It With State Control
Obama has:
Handicapped American multinationals by denying them tax deferral, placing them at an enormous competitive disadvantage against corporations based anywhere else.
Launched entitlement programs which punish innovation and dry up funds for entrepreneurial start ups.
Stopped the Treasury from implementing any real recovery plans, discouraging private capital flow into the financial sector.
Stated “we have to spread the wealth around, we have to redistribute the wealth of this country through taxation,” which is a paraphrasing of Marx’s “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
Declared a “War On Business” as shown by his legislation that pharmaceutical corporations pay high rebate fees to Medicaid and promoting the importation of foreign drugs which could include low potency or outright counterfeit drugs into the nation. The financial outlook for US pharmaceutical companies has been decimated.
Placed nearly two thirds of a trillion dollars into a health reform reserve fund, which is the tip of the iceberg in the expectations of the cost of fully socialized medicine in America. USA Today has stated that every household in the United States would be on the hook for over half a million dollars.
All of these policies represent time-honored Communist policies specifically designed to devastate the free market economy as well as impoverish and punish the upper and middle classes leading to their elimination so that the Communist “Dictatorship Of The Proletariat” can be introduced. It is important to note that in each and every historical instance Communism has been introduced into democratic countries and they were all swiftly changed to totalitarian dictatorships of a single leader benefiting from a “Cult Of Personality.”
Policies virtually identical to these were implemented by:
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in 1917 Russia
Josip Broz Tito in 1945 Yugoslavia
Mao Zedong (Tse-tung) in 1949 China
Fidel Castro in 1959 Cuba
Hugo Chavez in 1999 Venezuela
and now they are being implemented by
Barack Hussein Obama in 2009 United States of America.
That is why Bloomberg.com has called Obama a “Manchurian Candidate” set to destroy the US economy once elected.

When a far right wacko or two goes completely off the deep end and guns down or blows up innocent people, the following Pants-on-Fire liars should be held criminally and civilly accountable for helping to incite the perpetrators.
Limbaugh: “President Obama . . . wants to mandate circumcision.”
Michael Steele: The VA has manual encouraging vets “to commit suicide.”
Orly Taitz: Birthers have obtained a copy of Obama’s Kenyan birth certificate.
Roy Blunt: “I’m 59. In either Canada or Great Britain, if I broke my hip, I couldn’t get it replaced.”
Sara Palin: “Death Panels”
Liberty Counsel: “Your children will be indoctrinated and your grandchildren may be aborted!”
Glenn Beck: John Holdren “has proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population.”
Betsy McCaughey: Mandatory counseling sessions telling seniors how to end their life sooner.
Investor’s Business Daily: The health care reform bill outlaws private insurance

What kind of world have we become when we don’t want the President of the United States to encourage our childeren to stay in school? I think the children should learn to write letters on how to help the President, people grow up, I would be honored to have President Obama speak to my children. I’m one of those parents where thier child dropped out of High School any encouragement would help, and what better then coming from the President of the United States.

Potatoe….I dont need and econimics lesson as I am an economist, but thanks …all you are doing is cutting and pasting from dubious sources…anyone can do that…and btw, the Bloomberg article was an “hypothetical”….do you know what that is…? anyway, so lets just assume you are right, that the President is not a socialist at all, but actually a flaming communist manchurian candidate (as it seems this is now where you and FoxNews are going – right over the edge together)…what next..? given we have THREE branches of government, and it is highly unlikely that the military is going to back Mr Obama’s “communist coup”…where does this all lead…please educate us in detail about how the country will have become a communist dicatatorship by end of 2012….LOL

Potato – No, I mean exactly what I said.
Conservatives have their eye on the mid-term elections and the White House in just over three years’ time. They have already been whipped into a frenzy by right-wing radio and commentators.
They will do whatever it takes even if it means undermining a message with which they agree just because it is a Democrat President delivering it to the country’s 13 to 17 year olds.

This is just plain wrong holding back students from the President of the US of talking to the youth in America about education and making the world a better place. Reagen did and Bush the 1st did it also.This is not a election year and this about who to vote for,but to show our youth that education is the key to a stronger America.
When in 4 or 8 yrs. when maybe a new GOP President is in office,would you them want your children held back from listening to the President then? Its disrespectful ,it more right wing radical trash that doesn’t need to be taught to our children.If your unhappy with our President,then vote him out in 2012 ,but lets not let our children be taught to be disrespectful towards the Commander in Chief !It just isn’t right!!!

This is nothing but manufactured hysteria from wacked-out radical right-wingnuts.

“Limbaugh: “President Obama . . . wants to mandate circumcision.”
Now why don’t you tell the truth?? Limbaugh was commenting on an article in the NEW YORK TIMES (hardly a right-wing rag, right?).
Since you want to spew lies, here’s the direct quote from the article:
“Public health officials are considering promoting routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the United States to reduce the spread of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.
The topic is a delicate one that has already generated controversy, even though a formal draft of the proposed recommendations, due out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by the end of the year, has yet to be released.”
Check out that VA handbook, by the way. Instead of listening to your left wing nutcase talking points, why don’t you actually do some research on some of this drivel you’ve been posting ad nauseum for hours?

Let’s be honest with ourselves folks…we have been giving the wingnuts the benefit of the doubt for months, just gently patting them on the head and saying “there, there, it will be alright” and laughing at them….but it is now clear that FoxNews(who have dropped all references to “fair and balanced” recently), WND, and other right wing outlets are deadly serious about undermining this President to hound him out of office…they cannot tolerate a mixed race, progressive minded person in the WH. They are going to keep going furhter over the edge (birth conspiracies, socialists (now Communist, death panel lies…this is dangerous and is going to lead to tragedy…we must challenge these lies and not let the zealots undermine our country.

potatoe – “You mean you haven’t heard about Obama circumventing the Check and balance system with all his CZARS? Or that Congress is overloaded with crooks like pelosi/reid/franks?”…..so where do I start? Presidents back to Nixon have had “Czars”….so was that wrong? second, where are your sources that Mrs Pelosi, Mr Reid, or Mr Frank have committed crimes, please source the charges or convictions…they have.

“This Obama Administration is not to be trusted.”
________________________________
What government is? The Republicans? Hahahahaha.

If nothing else, this controversy shows just how crazy and intolerant the GOP has become.

its amazing to watch the far right moving from meme, to meme…..the “socialist” tag was getting tired and not working so well, then there was the so called “missing birth certificate” and the President was not eligible to be in the WH, so they have moved onto the full-on “the President and his advisors are Communists” FoxNews meme….where does it all end…? President Obama is an Alien supreme leader…he is actually not human but android…LOL!

“If nothing else, this controversy shows just how crazy and intolerant the GOP has become.”
______________________________________
I tend to agree. This issue is showing all of America just how idiotic the remnants of the fanatical Republican right have become.
I think this issue brings a lot of people back in full support of the President against the whackos.

“Changing it would only give more control to the Obama Administration on your health, your life and your checkbook.” ….. sources please, where in HR3200 or any other bill for that matter, does it propose the governemnt running healthare….? this is a FoxNews meme that is blatantly false….the repeat over and over through out the day this idea the Health Insurance Reform is a “goverment run healthcare” system…this is a LIE, it is BLATANTLY FALSE….how can a serious journalistic org repeat this over and over again? guesss I answered my own question.

Obama is surrounding himself with radicals and communists to run the government. It is very, very strange that he won’t release his professional, educational or birth records.
Now we have a real mess going on and it is ripping our United States apart. Both parties are to blame, neither gave us decent, honest candidates in 2008. I literally wouldn’t trust Obama for the time of day. I am not a racist.
If you voted for him, recognize you have been conned and that there is something really wrong and unAmerican about this man, his background, and associates.

“Obama is surrounding himself with radicals and communists to run the government. It is very, very strange that he won’t release his professional, educational or birth records.”……so, let’s give you the benefit of the doubt and say, yes Van Jones is a potential radical….who are all the other communists?…..and you can find President Obama’s birth certificate online…he submitted in June 2008 and it has been there ever since..its a hi res picture…look it up….

“Over 82% of the people like the insurance/health care they have and that is the majority.”…………great, and under the current proposals, the 82% can keep their plans…the only change will their plans will become cheaper…and the other 18% can get improved coverage as well…what is wrong with this, exactly?

BO and his administration overreaches to the point of unconstitutional absurdity, seizes control of private businesses, stuffs the executive branch with lunatic “czars” and other self-professed Communists, spirals national spending and the deficit to unimaginable heights, and you lefties think don’t think parents should be concerned about him instructing their children how they can “help the president”?
Van Jones, the so called “Green Jobs Czar” signed on to the 9/11 “Truthers” – you know, the “Truthers” who believe George Bush and his administration either caused 9/11 or let it happen. And you people think right wingers are paranoid?

Ryan there are lots of racists on the extreme right. Don’t kid yourself. And they are the ones trying to stir stuff up.

This is America. I’ll defend to the death the right of every democrat to speak their mind and protest policies against a republican administration that they dislike or detest. I would like to see that same reciprocation from democrats regarding the right of every republican and right-leaning independent to speak their minds and to protest policies against a democratic administration that they dislike or detest. Far from being bad for this nation, this type of point-counterpoint, even when it’s hostile to the point of being downright hateful is the cornerstone of American democracy and freedom and as loony as this may sound right now to everyone, I rejoice in our intrinsic and fundamental rights to disagree to keep democracy alive and well in this land, because out of our controversy is born change, and that change has been pretty good for us in the past 50-60 years, both as democrats and as republicans and as independents. Just look at where we were in 1950 compared to today. Steady, progressive growth of individual freedom with the pendulum swinging left to right and right to left to keep us centrist for each generational change. Ours is a beautiful system as long as we allow and even encourage dissent that’ll keep us strong and free and a land where the majority viewpoint rules with respect to minority viewpoint rights.

indithinker said “under the current proposals, the 82% can keep their plans.” Only until the federal government decides that those plans don’t meet the “standards” they determine.

re: “”Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.” Where have we heard this before — wait — I know that would be on January 20, 1961 in front of the nation — when JFK asked us to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” In those days the schools in Michigan didn’t have a problem with broadcasting the President’s speech in classrooms. Today, I suppose,this speech would have been co-written by the citizens via ichat, or skyp — as twitter is a bit cumbersome for co-editing. Everybody wants to be a White House Speech writer.

re: “”Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.” Where have we heard this before — wait — I know that would be on January 20, 1961 in front of the nation — when JFK asked us to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” In those days the schools in Michigan didn’t have a problem with broadcasting the President’s speech in classrooms. Today, I suppose,this speech would have been co-written by the citizens via ichat, or skyp — as twitter is a bit cumbersome for co-editing. Everybody wants to be a White House Speech writer. In hindsight, Kennedy said it better.

“when do you hear the (extreme) right screaming racism??”
____________________________________
Ryan, they’ve been screaming racism every chance they get. Have you not been following these abc blogs?

The schools can link the speech to their websites and the parents can watch it with their children if they desire but it should not be mandatory viewing for any child.
_____
You tell em! I sayed it before and I’ll say it agin, we’s a gotta keep a close eye on them types and what theys saying to our impreshunable kids. These speaches should be rated R….nobody under 18 aloud to here em unless a company with a parent or gardyun. It ain’t like this boy is jest bustin’ up an old chifforobe, these is our younguns!

Keep Politics out of the Schools! It has nothing to do with race. If Obama wants to give encouragement to students, he can do it through Public Service announcements on TV. There is enough on these kid’s plates already, they don’t need to get involved in politics so early in their lifes. Why not invest more in the programs already there like D.A.R.E. or maybe create a Presidential Reading Program or Physical Fitness program.

I still would like to know why this speech was not approved by school boards before going to the principals. Sounds to me like they are trying to dictate what our children are exposed to.

yeh, lets just follow the trajectory of he far right memes that FoxNews and WND and others put out there…..
so first he was a muslim, and then arab muslim, then he was a socialist, then he was a Kenyan not eligible for the WH, then the socialist one came back, now they moved on to the flaming communist one (socialist has lost its meaning from being used too much)……
suppose if we follow the Fox meme trajectory to 2012 – at that point they will be saying he was born on a faraway planet and is actually half silicon and half vegetable, and has had torrid ongoing affairs with underage cucumbers in the private Oval office bathroom…..
impeachment proceedings wil be started by Lindsay Graham……as result of the vegetable love affairs…
so by the time 2012 comes around, they will have gone so far over the edge, that the GOP will be totally discredited and revelaed to have been takenover by unhinged zealots, and the President wins a landslide of over 400 electoral votes….so from the immortal film The Truman Show ….”where does it all end”

“JULIETERRA, I have not seen one person say that Obama hates whites. I HAVE seen about 2,504,328 posts saying Whites hate Obama.”
____________________________________
Ryan you haven’t been paying attention. Obama has been called a racist many a time in these postings.

It would seem the issue is the “live feed.” Why not post it on you tube? Then parents can fast forward through the parts they don’t like?
Where I used to live — if teachers/faculty did not like a student taking responsibility for her own education — the teachers/faculty threatened to murder students — one of them called it “a preemptive strike.” And get this, if you report it to someone who allegedly has the authority to keep you out of harms way — the Office of the Vice President of General Counsel interferes and accuses you — the student — of making veiled threats against them.
If the parents don’t like what the president’s remarks — then why don’t they teach their children how to do a critical analysis about the pro’s and con’s of what the Presidents speech writer means?
Maybe the speech writer and media should get together and skip the Presidential broadcast completely. Or maybe the President should do a internet town hall meeting — and skip the speech all together. Q & A has it’s own rewards. We get to see the President think on his feet (or on his seat presuming the link up would come from the Oval Office)? The first President to speak directly to school children — wouldn’t that be George Washington? Back to basics would be an in person “meet and greet and Q & A.”

“Obama has many Communist in Office at the White House. Obama surrounds himself with Bill Ayer Types”…..ok, so lets fire Van Jones….so who are all the other “communists” and can you source this?…..man-up

This is the last straw for me. The Republican Party has been taken over by radical nuts that are starting to put the Taliban to shame. I’ve been a member of the Republican Party for 25 years, but as of today, they are history. Wish I had all the money back that I had contributed through the years.

Classic GOP. Instead of exposing their children to another point of view, critically thinking, and discussing, the response is to censor. It is bad precedent. The problem is that most of the parents aren’t sure why they don’t like Obama, ‘cept that he’s a colored and has a “D” after his name. And he’s a Nazi and a Socialist.
Critical analysis is the only thing that can save this ignorant nation.

It shouldn’t be a tool for the right wing, but it’s OK to turn it into a tool for the left?

It is truly amazing that this has turned into such a political issues. It is my understanding this is a speech about trying to encourage kids to stay in school and do well. What political issues will the President be discussing in the speech. For all those who say the President should stay out of schools, what about past Presidents? Why was it ok for them to actually go into schools? Wasn’t Bush actually in a school when 9/11 happended? Didn’t Regan go to schools to encourage kids? Why now is it such and issue?
It is sad to see people jump to conclusion about what the President is going to say to the kids? How many have actually hear or read the speech?
I am truly sadden by the lack of respect people have for this President? We are still sending soldiers (my son included) into a war started by Bush, yet people continue to defind him. Bush started the bail out of companies, I beleive we lost 5 millions jobs under his administration but this in now forgotten and the current President of 9 whole months gets blamed for EVERYTHING.

I wonder why ABC has latched on to this typical Fox story like it is really news. A small segment of the population thinks everything President Obama offers is subversive to their ideals. I think his taking the time to challenge our children to work hard and make this a
good school year, is commendable.
Patricia

So Cav16…care to weigh in….? Where is the trajectory of conspiracy theory going on the POTUS…? from Arab Muslim, to Socialist, to Kenyan, to Nazim to Socialist again (till that got tired), and now on to Communist …what’s next once this one gets disproved as well? cmon and man-up…

“Obama wants to brainwash these children to accept his death panels”…..uh hate to inform you …the “endo fo life counselling” proposal (aka by Mrs Palin) as “death panels, was put in the bill by Republicans….doh!

You’ve got a President that surrounds himself with advisors and Czars which lean toward the far Left, are radicals, and admitted Communists. Why wouldn’t parents be suspicious of anything he wants to say through the schools?

You know the kids in Michigan who are in jail for murder — the Detroit Free Press mentioned they have diagnoses of Attention Deficit Disorder. That happened to me to –in my 40′s because I was suffering from hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and I was hemmorhaging internally — so the doctor prescribed Straterra and my medical record looks like I have a psychiatric disorder – so now I have to go back and change all of the medical records. As for “pressured speech” I was unable to eat normally because nothing would go through — so I managed to eat a fig newton — and my blood sugar shot up — and then i spoke rapidly because of all the sugar in my system — and then the call it rapid speech and all of a sudden someone wanted to give me a pill for bi polar — only I said no — and then what happened — I ended up in emergency 1/2 dozen more times — before someone cut out 4 inches of my intestine — because the student who repaired my hernia (without my permission) entrapped my nerves and twisted my intestines and created the bowel obstruction that nearly killed me — only it’s not over yet — I do not believe those students have ADHD or are bipolar — I think the food they eat is causing the problem. There’s arsenic in Washtenaw County water — and that’s just for starters — because if you don’t use faucet filters in South Eastern Michigan — the likelihood you will lose your physical health is higher than you can possibly imagine — and that is how “psychiatric diagnoses” happen. The biological corridor ought to be shut down and those who invented the drugs and the psychiatric diagnoses ought to be in prison instead of earning a living causing problems for the students so their lawyers will pretend to earn a living. The educational system in Michigan is a travesty. It’s place where students learn to be cruel by watching what faculty do enforced by lawyers who violate the constitution. This is not the United States of America that we knew. The first step — is get a change of venue. if the President wants to speak to kids — do it after school — he doesn’t need the class room.

As much as we liberals hated Bush, we NEVER said Bush shouldn’t talk to children. You rightwingers have some issues.

It’s all pretty incredible. It all boils down to 2 ways of looking at the universe…it’s the problem that has always existed. There have always been ‘Democrats’ and ‘Republicans’ (all over the world, at all times) When the revolution was fought, Republican types joined the Tories, when the Civil War was fought, the South behaved pretty much the way it is behaving now. You people who hate Obama don’t want to come to terms with what you are. But if you stop watching Fox News for just one day…it might dawn on you. It’s not a pretty picture.

Who in the world comes up with this stuff?

I can’t believe the ignorance of some parents. They choose to keep there kids out of school because of a speech. That’s why this country will never move in a positive direction.There’s too much hate in this country. This is not about the kids,this is about some of you hating Barack obama. Some of you want things to stay the way they are that’s why everything obama does and says is cut down by some of you. So selfish, so ignorant and so hateful

Let me begin by saying that I sense I great deal of media irresponsibility. Why are you guys wasting our time igniting sentiments of hate and lies from some who simply refuse to do some research for the truth? Health Care Reform town hall meeting disruptions; now President Obama’s simple education speech viewed by some as a violation of the Constitution, brain washing, indoctrination and all that nonsense. Give me a break! It is nothing but hate and the fact is for those who care and should care, women will outnumber men in the work force and perhaps lead this country in the very near future(Economix NY Times Aug 10 2009); blacks are making great progress in higher education (US department of Education statistics for 2007) and the population of the minority will become the majority in the next 20 years (US Census Bureau). So, if there is any fear by those who still refuse to accept the truth, perhaps the above will awaken their senses.
I wonder what happened in 2001 when these very people supported a President who by my account cost this nation more harm in every avenue you could think of. We now have a leader who is working just as hard to correct all of the wrongs inflicted upon, the rich, the middle class, the poor and violated the Constitution, wrecked our economy for which I’m a victim of unemployment for 8 months and counting.
“Wake up America!” as Senator Kerry warned you in the months leading to the 2004 election. Change is coming and it is real. This nation’s demographics are changing and everyone needs to pay attention including the media.

I’ve heard they won’t show it in Shelby County Tennessee but will in the Memphis City Schools.

123avs – the guys in the white coats are on their way…. get ready!

The right-wight wing hysteria is trying to control a country, even though they lost the last election. They have been so successful at screeching whatever political epithet that they can – accusing Obama of being extreme right-wing (fascist) or extreme left-wing communist. They just can’t seem to make up their minds.
We have entered the age of American Unreason, where discourse is replaced by the absurdly politically correct notion that %60 of the electorate are cultists to Obama, and their Children Must Be Protected.
And the school districts and the media are pandering to their loudness as if they represent any sort of legitimate point of view.
It’s time for a revolution, all right, but instead of slitting our wrists, we should actually try to understand and study the issues. And teach our children to be able listen and learn for themselves.

Hugo Chavez style indoctrination! we should stop it now!

Idiots! I’m so sick of the lying GOP talking about socialism all the time, and the moronic American public swallows it whole..gee, nobody bitched a fit when Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” The GOP is a disgrace..they keep disseminating lies to try to destroy anything that needs to be accomplished.

for those who say it’s all about republican v. democrat, you couldn’t be more wrong. there are many moderate, independents who simply don’t want any politician beaming into classrooms. and as far as the “positive” educational message, how is asking children to write missives about how they can help the president an educational message? and why would the white house change the lesson to something completely different… “how to achieve your educational goals” if the original plan was about the same thing? can anyone explain to me how a letter about helping the president is the same as achieving personal goals in education? and i just love the attack from some about parents being the problem, and if they’d simply talk to their children then the president wouldn’t have to. so, obama’s a surrogate mom and dad now? give me a break. i’m neither a dem or rep, but i’m not thrilled with the president using school time to advance himself…and that’s what this is about. dude is trying to make himself a 24/7/365 media presence. if he had his way, his photo would be mandatory wallpaper on everyone’s computer.

“On a couple of the pages (7-12th grades), every other word is ‘Obama.’”
For the record, the classroom activities document contains 1,240 words. The name “Obama” appears 9 times in the body and once in the header.
Man, when these right wingers tell a lie, they really do it up good!

What will be done with said “letters”? Will they be turned over to the school counselor? Is there red flag criteria? Will the “letters” subsequently be reviewed by a panel? What if the “letters” do not meet the goals and agenda of the party and it’s “ruler”? No child is the property of a school, DHS, doctor, or any other state sponsored entity including the president. I do not want to see children used as political pawns in an attempt to subvert the family unit. They are not to be used to inculcate contempt for any person who does not go along with a socialist agenda. Given obama’s past “friends”, I would not allow him to communicate anything to my child unless I were present.

The real shame here is that everybody, both supporter and critics, believe in their hearts that the President of the United States would (or should) use this speech to pitch a political agenda to school children.
Has the office been debased that much in a mere 7 months ?

This is outrageous. Have these parents lost their minds or are they so brainwashed by the previous administration and current republican lies and scare tactics that they can not think for themselves! This makes me sick!

Obama is a joke and not a very funny one

Wow! Now I know why Michael Savage calls Liberalism a mental disorder. I thought after all the facts were shown about what this hopey changey is really all about, people would get it. A lot did, but there are still the brain dead lurking around. A big gathering right here. Our “ruler”, WHAT? Yeah, it’s cause he’s black, not because he’s a marxist. WOW! You people will be the death of this country.

The county I work in has left showing this speech up to the individual teachers. Most teachers are opting out of showing this speech becasue of the attitudes of parents in the communtiy. The teachers are not sure if the county office will back them or stab them in the back if parents complain about the speech. I have 100 students and have had 76 emails from parents telling me they do not wish thier child to view this speech while at school. The entire speech is being released to schools to preview, so I do not see what the big deal is.

jmb and others, you need to brush up on your reading comprehension skills before attacking parents for wanting to control what their children are exposed to.
It’s not all conservatives, believe me. It is independents and moderates who don’t like the lesson plan. Remember, people aren’t objecting to the president telling kids to study hard and stay in school. That would be fine.
Stick with me here. The problem was the original lesson plan that the DoE produced to structure instruction before, during and after the speech. These were the questions:
Why is it important that we listen to the president and elected officials?
Why is what they say important?
What is the president trying to tell me? What is he asking me to do?
What new ideas is he challenging me to think about?
What specific jobs is he asking me to do?
Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers, parents, principals?
What does the president want us to do?
Does the speech make you want to do anything?
Are we able to do what the president is asking of us?
The above was the original lesson plan. Nothing about how we the people are the government. Nothing about how individual citizen choice is the key feature of free American democratic society.
Nothing about how the president serves at the pleasure of the people, not the other way around.
The kids are not supposed to see themselves as in service to the desires of the president. They’re supposed to learn the civic responsibility they have to remain vigilant on government, and make sure it adheres to the it’s constitutional strictures.
You don’t want all these ideas put in terms of this president, but in general terms of the country and government as a whole. They’re not supposed to feel they’re supposed to serve and obey the president.
Yes, some of the above were changed due to pressure. But the fact remains, that was the original intent of this exercise. That’s why people don’t trust him.

As a retired school teacher my question is, if there are so many “smart” people in D.C. why can’t they write a plan, any plan , and get it right? Why do they have to rewrite it again and again?Talking about lesson plans. So don’t tell me it’s not about “HIM”
And while we’re on the subject of race, I believe there is such a thing as reverse racism. But we are too scared to bring that up. Just because we disgree on policies does not mean we are
racists.
I guess if Hillary had won and we didn’t like her policies, we would be called” Woman Haters?

Anon, again, you all are deliberately “misunderstanding” the source of the discontent. What you read is the NEW lesson plan after the original one that caused the furor. That original version is posted below.
This is an effort to make anyone who disagrees with this administration out to be crazy, wacky and extreme. It’s also an effort to belittle and mock the authority parents are supposed to have over their own children.
People aren’t buying it, and this has cost Obama trust. The original intent was obvious in that first lesson plan. It was way out of line as far as an in-school lesson plan, exhorting students to direct action to “help” the president. That’s not civics, that’s giving instructions.

As I said earlier, Lee Chen, I would never pull my kids out of school because Bush was addressing them. I would tell them that I think he’s a total idiot and then I would send them to school as usual to listen to… what an hour?… of speech and then continue their school day as usual.

I live in Houston. I called my children’s school district to find out if they were going to allow the students to hear the speech. I was told that they were leaving it up to the campuses. I called each school. The first said they were holding tests that day. Which had not been scheduled by the way its not on their own calendar. But that the speech would be recorded and IF the teacher wanted to play it at a later date the teacher would have to send out permission slips. The second school said it was up to the teacher. When I asked to speak to the teacher to find out if she would be playing it the principal said no. Teachers did not have to explain their position. I have a problem with that explanation when these very teachers talk to my children about VERY personal issues. (drug addiction, sexual encounters, etc.) I will be doing my research to see if these campuses held other “political activities”. I am sick and tired of this double standard. I don’t have a problem with the oposition speaking up that is their right but let me exercise mine as well. Everybody is walking around angry and feel that they are not being heard. If everybody would just stop and ask questions and actually listen to the response you can then take a stand. WE ALL NEED TO LISTEN or we will ALL pay the price.

How do you know I saw a “second” lesson plan?
When you are asking questions about a particular speech, it is common to include the name of the specific speaker.
And whether you like it or not, the election of the first non-white president of the U.S. is a major event in history, so it is worth discussion when that president speaks to a group of Americans.
“This is an effort to make anyone who disagrees with this administration out to be crazy, wacky and extreme.”
I honestly don’t care if you disagree with this administration. What I do disagree with is this outrageous, insane attempt to make this speech into something malicious, evil, and evidence of some sort of fascist plot. That is the precise definition of crazy, wacky and extreme. There have been instances of presidents addressing children in schools before, including St. Ronnie the Reagan.
“It’s also an effort to belittle and mock the authority parents are supposed to have over their own children.”
Only when those parents teach their children hate for the occupant of the legitimately elected leader of the nation. (or, for that matter, those gross displays of childish behavior during the recent town hall meetings toward elected officials and people with different viewpoints).
You can disagree with the president all you want, but this is the government we have.

Les Chen: You people are seriously out of your mind. He’s just talking to kids about bettering their education. Pres. Bush did it Pres Reagan did it so the only reason I can think of is the white people are scared again so they are making a fuss about nothing. I am white and I can totally see through all your lies because I know people in my personal life who have the same reaction to this and I know why they do it.

You can add school districts in Pennsylvania too. Our school district has a best practice policy to review all material before it is used in the classroom. The WH is releasing the speech on Monday, which in case someone forgot, is a holiday. The teachers won’t be in school to “review” the speech. There is a difference between a President speaking at one school and having it nationally televised, and having a President speak with the intention of EVERY school hearing it. This also, once again, points to incompetence in certain areas of the President’s administration that half of the schools have already started, and many more don’t start until September 9th. Not exactly well prepared.

The Republicans are now in their “silly season.” Now, they just look petty and small. They don’t want the President talking to their children about studying, making good grades and going on to possibly attaining your goals in life. What a bad thing that would be.
Yet, these same people want Creationism taught in the schools. Well I for one do not want anyone talking to my children about anything concerning religious belief without me being present. The only person I want communicating with my children concerning anything on religion is myself, my husband or our priest. I don’t want some teacher of who knows what denomination indoctinating my child with their religous concepts without me being present. In the states where this teaching of Creationism is part of the school curriculum parents need to step up and demand that it be optional or that they the parents be present in the classroon when it is being taught. And yes I would be there because my child’s religious upbringing is my responsibility not the public schools. So, if you don’t want the President to speak to your children just keep in mind that many of us do not want your religious beliefs being taught in a public school setting where all are required to participate whether they agree of not.

Teachers in the county I work in just received a lesson plan check list that we have to complete prior to showing this speech in class. Basically we have to show how the speech relates to the standards that we MUST teach. If we can not relate the speech to the standards we can not show the speech in class. We also revieved permission forms that we must have parents sign if we wish to show the speech. Like I stated eariler most are not planning to show the speech due to backlash that will come from parents.

I mean, seriously, disagree with the President’s policies all you want (when you really do), but to pimp the paranoia? Don’t write to the president, because then, he’ll have your name? Seriously? Skip school because the president says to get an education? Are you kidding me? These are not true conservative values. This is idiocy.

As a child I often had assignments that took the form of “what would I do to help the president run the country” or “what would I help the president do if I had the chance.” The idea is that there is a President in the U.S. and as a schoolchild you learn that they run the country and so you think about just what that job is and what would be most important to you if you were in their position.
Now as a very young kid, when Bush Sr. was in office I wanted to tell him all about how recess should be longer and lunch should be better tasting. And when I was older and Clinton was in office I wrote about longer recesses so I could burn off extra energy and pay attention in class. By the time Bush Jr. was in office and I was more politically aware, THEN I started in on my actual opinions with regards to foreign policy, education, etc.
This is a lesson aimed at SCHOOL CHILDREN. It’s harmless.

As responsible parents, it is our obligation to ensure our kids get properly educated by a State Certified, Trained Educator…and not by a politician, Repub or Dem or other, looking to make his mark in history…As educators, we are required, by State Standards, to devote a set amount of time to particular subjects per day. Setting aside an hour , minimum, to a politicians’ speeches, well I believe the thinking person understands what I am suggesting …Do we take out of Math time or perhaps Language Arts time???? Yes, an hour out of ONE day sets back lesson plans for a week or perhaps a month…Not too mention that other politicians may feel that they are owed the opportunity to “sound off” as well..DO TEACHERS A FAVOR AND DON’T SET UP A PRECEDENCE FOR THIS AGENDA, AS IT JUST TAKES TOO MUCH PRECIOUS TEACHING TIME OUT OF AN ALREADY IMPACTED DAY…Our job is too teach your kids how to read, write, do math, open up the world of art, music, history… it is your job to teach your children your standards of life and how to formulate opinions on social issues..political issues…religious issues…I DON’T WANT THAT JOB…..and I believe most teachers would agree..

Barrack Obama said: ” We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national securtity objectives we’ve set. Everybody somewhere between the ages of 18 and 25 will serve three months of ‘basic’ training…We’ve got a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong…”
…remember the Obama Youth Brigade and its chant?

I have a question for Jake to answer: can you tell us whether the former presidents’ speeches were given with the administration’s expressed intent of being shown in schools? The implication in this article is that the format is the same…and I don’t believe it was. There is a difference.
It does seem strange to alot of us that the President would want to speak to children at school, rather than directly including their parents in the exhortation to pursue education.

“I’ve had it”, what are you talking about? This has nothing to do with creationism. How did that even get inserted in there?
You people are making alot of assumptions about what belief system people have if they opposed the original lesson plan of the speech. It’s not just bible belters but middle American moderates and independents that opposed the first lesson plan.
I also didn’t see anyone protest that they didn’t want the president to talk to their children about studying hard? Huh? Never heard that one before.
Please stop mischaracterizing the opposing view, and then arguing against it in an effort to make it appear more extremist and crazy, and bringing all kinds of other issues into it. That’s dishonest.
And characterizing any opposition to the president’s actions as racial or hateful is not what tolerant liberalism and democracy is all about. You are allowed to disagree and debate with any administration, as Hillary once reminded us. That’s not a “Mary Poppins” view of race. Believe me I’m quite familiar with racial hate from both ends of the spectrum, and this ain’t it.
It’s a very serious charge, and the more frivolously it is thrown around, the more it loses it’s legitimate profundity and credibility.

What is the drop-out rate in this country? Where do American students rank worldwide with other industrialized countries in mathmetics and science? We need all the help that we can muster expecially coming for the President of the United States, the most prestigious position in the world. Is the rejection another case of “cutting off your nose to spite your face”? We should welcome any opportunity to advance our students educationally. What a rightwing cope out!!!!

And characterizing any opposition to the president’s actions as racial or hateful is not what tolerant liberalism and democracy is all about. You are allowed to disagree and debate with any administration, as Hillary once reminded us. That’s not a “Mary Poppins” view of race. Believe me I’m quite familiar with racial hate from both ends of the spectrum, and this ain’t it.
It’s a very serious charge, and the more frivolously it is thrown around, the more it loses it’s legitimate profundity and credibility.
Posted by: mr | Sep 4, 2009 12:58:24 PM
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Then why are the people who call him a Marxist/Socialist and claiming he’s dangerous and “different” than any politician in our American history predominantly one race in our society?
I wouldn’t be doubting your claim if only you had a significant number of minorities agreeing with your side. Can someone please explain how only one segment of society see’s something that all the others do not see?

So John, are you a racist because you didn’t voted for Bush?

Maybe they’re worried Obama will be as ideological as Reagan was. He might even talk about helping community service and other radical liberal ideas. Will be interesting to compare their speeches and see.
Reagan to schoolkids:
“Because you see, the taxes can be such a penalty on people that there’s no incentive for them to prosper and to earn more and so forth because they have to give so much to the government …
There was talk about having a gun ban in California. It didn’t go through. But I got a letter from a man in San Quentin Prison. And from the prison he wrote me the letter to tell me he was in there for burglary, he was a burglar. And he said, “I just want you to know that if that law goes through, here in San Quentin there will be celebrating throughout the day and night by all the burglars who are in prison.” ”
Remember all the liberal outrage over this “indoctrination?” Oh, right, me neither. Liberals understood that no kids actually paid attention.

The United States of America is almost $12 trillion in debt, and much of that money is owed to foreign nations like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. And in the next decade our debt is set to double, to a massive $24 trillion in 2019.
Like teenagers with their first credit cards, Congress and the White House are burning through money with absolutely no thought for the consequences – but the bill for this spending spree is going to come due, soon.

mr wrote: “Stick with me here. The problem was the original lesson plan that the DoE produced to structure instruction before, during and after the speech. These were the questions:”
I just double checked the lesson plan to see which of the questions you listed were still in it. Here’s what I found:
Why is it important that we listen to the president and elected officials? [still there]
Why is what they say important? [still there]
What is the president trying to tell me? What is he asking me to do? [still there]
What new ideas is he challenging me to think about? [still there]
What specific jobs is he asking me to do? [still there]
Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers, parents, principals? [still there]
What does the president want us to do? [still there]
Does the speech make you want to do anything? [still there]
Are we able to do what the president is asking of us? [still there]
mr wrote: “Yes, some of the above were changed due to pressure. But the fact remains, that was the original intent of this exercise. That’s why people don’t trust him.”
mr, none of the questions you listed have changed. Where are you getting your information?

TO: DeanBOB,
Lets talk about burning through money.
Have you forgot that a self proclaimed christian president by the name of GEORGE W BUSH started a bogus war that has cost the tax payer over $12 billion a month? None of that is even remotely Obama’s fault?

To Paralexview: Your view is a warped one. The president is the best person to speak to children regarding education as he is a prime example of what you can achieve with a good education. He did not come from money and yet he studied thanks to his Mom who woke him up at 5a.m. to study> Do you do this…I think not. All he wants to do is to get some kids off the streets and not into gangs. This is is hope to help them find themselves not get into trouble. What a narrow minded person you are and you are depriving your child of a great lesson. If anyone is spreading communism or socialism it is the ones who say if he does not think like me he is wrong.

Mark | Sep 4, 2009 1:06:29 PM…..Can you cite your source for your (“different” than any politician in our American history….”)?
Posted by: deanbob | Sep 4, 2009 1:43:20 PM
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Huh? I don’t think he’s any different than any politician in history. I was insinuating that it freaks “some” white people out that we have a black President. By different…I meant not white…not what they are used to etc.

$12 billion a month!

You should have been asking George W Bush before the christian started a bogus war. Afganistan is the only place we should have ever targeted.

i think that parents dont want there kids watching it because the are racist it has nothin to do with being in debt

i would love to her wat he has to say

Anyone read Peter and the Wolf?

Mark, I’m not naive enough to say there are none who care about color; but, the very largest majority of conservatives I have run across care about what the president believes and does – not his color. So, when so cries racism, I disagree.
Posted by: deanbob | Sep 4, 2009 2:05:36 PM
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ah, you obviously don’t read the right wing blogs. Read their comments sometime and come back and see if you still stand by what you’re saying.
My own parents who are Christian conservatives, claim they don’t care he’s black (around others)…but used the “N” word my entire youth and now only use it when they get angry at one of them. Luckily, I rejected what they “tried” to instill in me and grew up totally opposite of them. I live in SC and I’m surrounded by these types of people.

I am appauled by the behavior of my fellow Americans.We behave either like uneducated fools or like functional iliterates Why are we assuming that the president wants to indoctrinate the children by offering to give an address prior to the opening of school? Interest groups and bigotry is really destroying this nation. I happen to be a Republican who has gone Democrat. Republicans are self centered, Godless bigots who are like sheep in wolves clothing. Give the president a chance. America profess to be a wealthy nation, yes,but there remains a segment [white, blacks, and hispanics alike]who have been oppressed by the few.

Problem for Obama and what has caused such a stir is that the original “lesson plans” and information on the speech were all about Obama. How children can serve him and listen to him. It was all about him, as usual. This is the first instinct of the Obots and it is truly their motive. To create a “leader” who supercedes the constitution and all that is America. Instead of profession loyalty to the country, its about profession loyalty and service to Obama. Look at the celebrity video with all the pledging to serve Obama. Even Obama’s logo, the giant O with the fruited plane enclosed within himself is a symbol of this movement. Why doesn’t he use the presidential seal for his correspondence like all other presidents. Why is it alway the O, and usually with the O standing out and superceding other symbols of America, which are shown scanned back in the background, with the Great Obama taking over all. It’s truly creepy all around and unAmerican. And when you look at the history of Bill Ayers and people Obama surrounds himself with and how they have moved to using the educational system to advance their Marxists notions, its not much of a leap to assume Obama will continue this. It’s also a principle tool of Karl Marx. Read his manifesto. Look at Mao in China. In Marxist societies it always becomes about the leader. That dear ones is the problem. Not Obamas color. He is frightening in his Marxism and his approach and his self-aggandizement. Our leaders in America serve the people. We don’t serve them. We pledge to serve our country, made up of fellow citizens. We don’t pledge to serve a single leader like Obama. He is not to be trusted.

Before entering politics, George H.W. Bush was a World War II hero, a pilot and Ronald Reagam was a radio reporter, a movie star. Obama was a community organizer and a Chicago politican. Parents are fearful because they smell too much politics in him.

This is PURE propaganda! Shame on the president for this underhanded tactic. If he were to just talk about studying and working hard, but talking about controversial subjects such as stem cell research is unacceptable. My kids will not be in school that day. Also, my second grader does not even know the middle finger is bad. I am dumbfounded by the infomercial put out saying these things by Hollywood actors. ABC, I hope you speak the TRUTH about what the president is doing. This is not about republicans or democrats. It’s about AMERICA and our freedoms which are being violated. I am sure Germany did not see the propaganda put out by the Nazis, but hindsight it seems so obvious. He is no better by going through the back door indoctrinating our kids. Most of us Americans do not agree with the president’s views on controversial issues such as UNICEF and stem cell research.

I do not care who will not show President Obama’s next news release.
He is a blessing and he is doing a marvelous job. He has done more for the people in the short 7 1/2 months he has been in office, than the 8 years of the Bush joke and rich Madoff scams and toxic assets Banks scamming each other. This man is helping America and Republicans cannot stop him from doing the right thing for America. The republicans are doing whatever they can my lies, manipulation and deception to undermine President Obama, but it will not work. Everyone is not stupid enough to believe those lies. I know he will be successful with this new healthcare plan. We need it. Senator Kennedy wanted it before he passed away and it will be done.

People who matter do trust Obama. It is not a matter of trust, it is a matter of hate and racism which is what alot of this is about.
Anything, no matter how stupid it is, you label as a huge contraversy and conflict for Obama when the conflict was originated by the media, FOX (the joke), CNN(joke also). Some on CNN do appreciate Obama, but some of these shows like Dobbs leads me to believe anyone can get a show.

Sorry, we are not selfish for not wanting Obama’s kind of change. Far from it. It’s Obama who is hurting our kids and our country and all change is not good change. Also why should we trust our kids to a man who has a track record of setting up web sites and asking people to snitch to the White House on people who voice disagreement with his policies? Can’t you Obots see how unAmerican and how totalitarian that is becoming? Also I just learned that he has involved the NEA and local arts communities and marketers to help get his message out. That, my friend, is blatant propaganda. What will we see next — huge murals with the great and mighty supreme leader Obama’s image on every building wall and street corner? That ugly and scary “O” logo everywhere we look? Also the NEA is tax payer funded. It is supposed to foster art for arts sake and for the culture. It is not supposed to be an arm of the White House’s communications department. He’s using our own dime to propagandize us. The people involved in that initiative know it’s wrong and likely illegal. They said in their conference call with the White House that they’d have to figure out the legalities of how they would speak to each other about what they were doing. This just adds to the distrust of the president and why people what to keep him out of the classroom. There is nothing that Obama is doing that is American. Why, why are there so many Americans who can’t see the path he is taking us down?

I say we give the students a CHOICE. Those who don’t want to hear more socialistic marketing MUST be given the opportunity to listen to another POLITICAL speech, say from NEWT GINGRICH or JOHN MCCAIN and learn about school VOUCHERS instead !!!!

You know there are unstable people in this country and many of them are on this blog, from reading some of these crazy comments. They need to grow up and get a life.

The next time that I hear the word “racism” just because I don’t agree with the policies of President Obama, I think I’m going to puke.

Obama wants to form a cilvilian army Hitler started with young also. when Reagan and Bush televised to children it was not piped into all classrooms. This should not happen

I do not want my child listening to Obama demanding of them to write letters to state how they will help him period. I don’t not want my child for to help Obama with anything nor do I want my child used as a tool by Obama to force his political agenda upon the American public—such as his plan for stem cells (which is planned for this speech btw.) I do not want Obama brainwashing my minor in hopes that later my minor child will vote for his socialist nonsense. I do not Obama using and brainwashing anybody’s child. This whole thing is morally wrong.

“This is PURE propaganda! Shame on the president for this underhanded tactic. If he were to just talk about studying and working hard, but talking about controversial subjects such as stem cell research is unacceptable.”
It’s pure propaganda alright, and you’re spreading it, Denise Gray. A brief summary of what Obama’s speech will cover has been posted at the Dept. of Education’s web site for some time: “During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.”
It was the dirty Republican Party of Florida that started spreading lies when they issued a statement claiming Obama was going to “indoctrinate America’s children to his socialist agenda,” and force children to watch him “justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president…”
And the stem cell lie came from madman Glenn Beck
Why do you people fall for every morsel of garbage that filthy right wing leaders and entertainers feed you?

Have you ever seen America this divided in the last 50 years? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Or, is this what politics is really about? I do believe this will help America rediscover itself.
We don’t hate the left, we feel you are just confused and tricked by the spin masters, but you seem to have a hate for us and we are around half the population also. Let’s both look for the truth together. Maybe together we will find it.

I am furious at the people of this country not supporting the President. Our President wants to address the children of our nation. The same children that will one day have their own voice in our society. Yes, their own voice and mind. Imagine that! You are all worried that the President is going to “brainwash” when you are all doing that for them already, by telling them they can’t listen to it and that you won’t send them to school. Shame on you .

YOU are one of the problems with this country and this administration. You could dish out criticism during the Bush years but you can’t take it when the shoe is on the other foot!
Posted by: MikeG | Sep 4, 2009 3:23:32 PM
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Oh brother. And let me guess. YOU fought back against the criticism of Bush, but want Obama supporters to roll over??? What a fricking hypocrite.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
I love this country and I support this President and I will never roll over for the anti-science, anti-education, anti-big city, anti-equal rights, anti-civil rights, anti- progress, anti-innovation, anti-artist, anti-small business, anti-worker, anti-rule of law, pro-torture party, of noise and no, who nearly destroyed the economy while insisting the fundamentals were still strong and tarnished our reputation around the world.

Come on republicans is there anything you are not afraid of? I mean seriously. I’ve seen school children with better coping skills than you. I though the republican party was supposed to be the tough party and the dems were supposed to be the wimps. Maybe it’s better to keep your kids home during his speech. I don’t want your frightened kids anywhere near mine.

Scott maybe we should have different schools, maybe with vouchers. Yours could worship Obama and ours could raise children to keep America strong. We can agree to disagree. Separately!

Hey Old1 -
Now you are talking segrigation. Spoken like a true republican. Let’s take away a womans right to vote too. Ooooh those scary women voters.

Great post from another site “It is just horrible that the President of the United States takes an interest in the well being and education of our children. It was so much better to watch as our children’s education continued to falter insuring our kids can no longer compete. That will result in the decline of the American way of life which the GOP now thinks is the only way to regain political power. I never thought I would see a major political party stoop to such fear mongering tactics in my lifetime. The party of no is really good at saying no, I will give them that.” – Thanks Jeff
Posted by: the_peoples_prez | Sep 4, 2009 3:48:47 PM
Nice post. Thanks for sharing.
And btw, skidmark. Your post was a little jumbled but I do have kids, they love the president and they look forward to hearing his speech though they sincerely hope they still get to play on the playground for as long as usual (young boyz will be young boyz.) They, like I, would laugh at the notion of a socialist takeover of the country, or that anyone would be afraid to the point of nonsensical hysteria by “socialists”. In the past our mayor has also visited the school as has the police chief and our state representative. Nobody flipped out. Imagine that.
Much. Ado. About. Nothing.

Scott, should they teach Saul Alinski in your school?

Old1 – they should be taught not to fear anything and everything that’s different than what they are. They should be taught that being different is just plain different not something to fear. That is called maturity.
Sorry, I’m not up on my Saul to have a better convo on that one buddy.

Alyson, Who did he dedicate Rules For Radicals to?

OK George – this time please don’t delete my post. I find it quite interesting that most of these comments are pro-Obama, on a supposedly un-biased news station’s blog. My comments a couple weeks ago wondering why it was OK to bash Bush but not Obama disappeared within minutes. It’s all about CONTROLLING YOU, Obama supporters – I beg you to open your eyes. Does the Oval Office really have time to be preparing lesson plans?? We “accidentally” suggested to ask students to write letters on how they could help the President???? Quit insulting my intelligence. There was once a time when students would actually dress up and look forward to going to school to hear the president speak just out of respect for the office. Wonder when that respect went away . . . ? Dems please don’t answer it for me, I already know in my mind and WON’T change it!

I knew it would reveal itself sooner or later…..”PotatoeGater22″, in fact Bush 1 and Reagan both gave similar speaches to school children. Reagan even discussed policies. I have no problem with people having disagreements with the President; I am an independent myself. What I do have a problem with is hypocricy, lies and subterfuge. This is not knew so why the newly found reason to be outraged, like I said I have a feeling that your motives are more nefarious than you let, on much more.

Obama will speak to some kids next week, but I am so damned proud that folks on the grassroots level put their foot down if that is what they chose to do………better let the Administration know WHO RUNS THE SCHOOLS…regardless of a few bucks for No Child Left Behind……WE DO, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS DO, NOT ARNE…NOT BARACK.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, when someone writes the history of this one term President, it will clearly point out that any President needs the TRUST of the voters, otherwise it all crumbles….and when you have objections …not to a speech…but to the proposed Teacher Aids which in and of themselves were somewhat repugnant, all you do is breed more mistrust……and then along came Czar Von Jones….like Press Secretary Gibbs said…it’s the silly season…and hearing all about Von, it sure in hell is…………..

The “parents” crying out with outrage about having their children watch the President of the United States of America present to them a request to better themselves are the same people known as the birthers, the Palineese, the Medicare entitled who don’t want government health care et. al. who most likely force their chfildren to watch the Fox News Channel or “Jesus Camp” at night rather than study for the next day’s test at school!

It’s not about CHANGE, it’s about CONTROL!!
Think about that – and then you’ll know why some are worried. As Americans we ALL want freedom, right? If someone is controlling you – you don’t have freedom. I decide what values to instill in my children, not politicians that I didn’t vote for. Even if my elected official was in office – I’m not a hypocrite – I would say don’t show his speech either.

Who’s in a better position to speak to our children concerning short- term-long term education goals than a man who is a product of that educational system and a true success story who became the leader of the free world, a family man, a man with integrity and a father himself of two, who better qualify than President Barack Obama, maybe the Republican would prefer Sarah Palin ( a parent who’s teenage had a baby out of wed lock or John McClain ( Who been Marry several times, who also left his first sick wife for a rich airess), Governor Sanford of Virginia ( who left his duties of Governing to cheat on his wife and the citizens of Virginia, I could go on but I won’t, This President is by far more qualify than most to give that pep talk to our children and future leaders.

Wow! I am 47, white, female and live in Wyoming, born and raised in Montana. We had to respect the President (Nixon) when I was in school. We were not allowed to talk bad about any of our elders and we actually wrote letters to the President as part of our curriculum. We have fallen apart in the educating of our children and are losing ground in the world everyday. Check the trib.com site and see how Senator John Barrasso visited a fifth grade class in Casper, Wyoming today and no one whined about that. Sorry to say I am a registered republican after seeing how divided we have become because we have a Black Democrat President. I would be honored to have the President speak to one of my children. Call it what it is, racism.

WHY DO YOU NEED SOMEONE ELSE TO TELL YOUR CHILD TO DO WELL IN SCHOOL? Do it yourself! As a teacher I can tell you that the students who do the best work in schools are the ones who have families at home who support and encourage them.
Every year I offer my Government classes the opportunity to watch the State of the Union address for extra credit, regardless of the party affiliation of the president. But I would never show it in class.
I love the idea of encouraging education but I am suspicious of the motives in this case.
Please save the “racist” accusations for when there is actual racist activity. You’re belittling the word to the point where it won’t have meaning. Almost half of Americans did not vote for the man and his approval numbers are dropping quickly. Its not about a black man. Its about the wrong black man. If Thomas Sowell or Walter Williams had run, they would have won by a landslide and the country would be on the upswing.

It is a terrible thing when American children in PUBLIC schools are denied the opportunity to listen to the President of the United States providing a positive message to them. This country has become so divided because of the hate and religious fanaticism which was encouraged in the eight years of the Bush-Cheney administration. It makes me so sad to see where this country is today! I keep hoping that the U.S. will show signs of improvement, but the conservatives seem to be hell-bent on destroying this country.

The Party of Duh does it again. The very thought of the President saying something to impressionable young students must be terrifying to the parents who can’t read. They only know what they’re told by Rush and the other saviors of America. Heaven help the kids if they should find encouragement from that nasty Democrat.

Given the national school drop-out rates, teen pregancy issues, teen gang violence and crimes, etc, we should be supportiing our President as he reaches out to our youths to let them know that they are a valuable part of our society and to reinforce the value of their education. Good grief people, why does EVERYTHING President Obama does have to be so maliced? Whether you voted for him or not, there is a point when we as citizens should be able to look at an issue objectively instead of always posing Dems vs Repubs. I’m sure if Sarah Palin rambled off her thoughts to our youths, the same people opposing Obama’s speech would be front and center when she spoke non-sense about how it’s ok for teens to have babies cause her child did, or how it’s ok to carry rifles because she does, etc. Since the election, it has been PROVEN that certain people will continue to bash ANY and ALL efforts of this administration. Why is that? Ask yourself that question because many of us I already know the answer to it.

Good thing the Party of “Duh” won’t let the students hear him… He’ll probably tell them they’ll face a death panel if they don’t stay in school…

“Obama is down to 42% according to the poll I last read—“
42% was the Zogby poll from 8/28-31. The daily polls have him at 48% (Rasmussen) and 55% (Gallup).

The “duh” party has a higher percentage of college graduates than the other party.

Most of these parents are extreme conservatives who would never vote for any Democrat and who would never approve anything President Obama did or didn’t do, under any and all circumstances.
They hate Barack Obama because he is black and liberal; two things they despise.
What they fear is that their children might learn to like and respect this president. Better to fill their minds with hatred and fear. That will help with their development, no doubt.

“The ‘duh’ party has a higher percentage of college graduates than the other party.”
Elitists!

“Polls numbers are not accurate and are irrelevent. But if it makes you feel better to quote percentage numbers, go right ahead and you would probably be about 3% correct.”
Are you saying that the pollsters were 97% incorrect in predicting the outcome of the 2008 election?

indithinker said “..ah here we go, “the government takeover” ”
Have you read HR3200? It says “SEC. 122. ESSENTIAL BENEFITS PACKAGE DEFINED.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In this division, the term ‘‘essential benefits package’’ means health benefits coverage,
consistent with standards adopted under section 124 ” All they have to do is change section 124 & your employer based plan no longer a qualified plan.
By the way, I don’t watch Fox news. I mostly watch ABC & MSNBC.

Instead of listening to drivel from a politician, students should be studing mathematics,chemistry, physics and biology.They should be studing those subjects that will enable them to compete with their well-educated foreign peers.This presidential exercise is nothing but pap.

jmb said ” the President of the United States providing a positive message to them” How do you know it is a positive message? Have you seen the text yet? It is MY job as a parent to encourage my children to stay in school & do their best. It is not anyone else’s place to do so.

JAB said “A vote for the GOP is a vote for Glenn Beck ” Have you ever actually listened to Glenn Beck? He bashes Republicans as much as he bashes Democrats. Neither party is following the Constitution and that needs to stop.

“How do you know it is a positive message? Have you seen the text yet?”
From the Department of Education:
“During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.”
Yet the all-knowing Republican Party of Florida with a wave of their magic political wand pulled this out of their… er, hat:
“The idea that schoolchildren across our nation will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power,”
ellsbells930, do you think the DOE is trying to lure America’s children into the den of the evil Obamamonster where he can sink his fangs into their young minds and indoctrinate them? Or are you just trying to stir up a little trouble with your questions?

Reading these comments, it’s always easy to pick out the educators and the like who have lived out of the public trough all their lives.

WWW – that still is not the TEXT of the speech. It is only what the White House has told them it is about. So until I can actually read what he is going to say, I can’t support it. This administration, time & time again, says or writes something & then scurries to say “that isn’t what we meant” or “we didn’t word that the best way”. We hear it over & over again – so how are we supposed to trust that what they told the DOE is what they are going to do?

“The biggest problem I have with the speech is that it includes curriculum. And the curriculum is wrong. We don’t serve the president, he serves us. He made the speech about him and not about the kids. A simple ‘Do well in school’ and then a class discussion would have sufficed. Now that its been ‘corrected, I don’t think its too bad, but the damage has been done.”
The document is still chock-full of curriculum, Jones. And there wasn’t anything in there about serving the president. “Helping” is not the same as “serving.” And you seriously believe the entire tone is somehow changed by rewriting a single line?

Has anything done better with Obama in it? The educational foundations=NO, Senate-NO, Presidency-NO, attorney-NO. And yet their are bots who think we should sit back and watch things to continue to get worse under Obama? I don’t think so.

I am an old, old schoolteacher. I am absolutely delighted at all of this fuss over the President’s speech to the schoolkids. It is the very best advertising he could possibly get.
I remember when the librarian used to go through the books (even the encyclopedias!) and cut out the nude pictures, but especailly the magazines. That really helped magazines sell. Do you think we did not notice the missing pictures and make notes about the book, page number etc.?
The children’s curiosity will guarantee that they hear the speech, but some may not hear it at school. Were any of you adults ever young? You sound like you are raising a bunch of really mindless robots. I actually heard a woman say on TV yesterday that the kids don’t pay attention to things like this that they have their own little things to think about. How dumb can a parent get?
Oh well, go to it, wear yourselves out.
If your kid is forbidden to hear the speech, ask him/her again in about 3 to 6 months. And watch the eyes closely.
Of course you could just listen yourself and critique it, with your child, on your own, without taking the sopinion of any political party as your own, like sheep.
I

WWW – No, I am going by all the mis-steps this administration has taken in their words. Don’t just pick out one little phrase out of context & make assumptions. The rest of my post makes clear why I have reservations about this.

Apparently there are still people in this country who can’t get over the fact that the President is black.

JimmyTMac – No – there are many of us who can’t get past the fact that he had the most liberal voting record of all the senators – that he leans so far to the left that it is a wonder he doesn’t fall over. It has nothing to do with his skin color, it has to do with his policies.

Politicizing children to the point of establishing a cult of personality is a crime in my eyes. It would be better if the time taken for this address could be better spent providing valuable classroom instruction

Daniel West, it seems the conservative talk is politicizing the children. The President of the United States has two roles: ceremonial and political.
The address to the children is more ceremonial. It is intended to be a pep talk, an encouragement, a support. This is much like how the monarch in the UK functions.
But in the good old USA the President is also political, like the Prime Minister of the UK, proposing an agenda that he believes will be in the best interest of our nation.
Would you suggest amending the Constitution to separate the two? I hope not. It has served us well for over 200 years.
Let the President speak, let him be heard, let the children discuss, let the teachers teach, let the children learn.
I hear from students periodically who think Obama is bad because he supports a longer school day and a longer school year. Adults have told them this and they don’t want to discuss it. End of story.
The tourist industry lobbied Texas to get the legislature to change the start date for school—why?—the early start date interfered with their bottom line. The children did not enter the equation.
I call this a tempest in a teapot or much ado about nothing. The rancor about the President’s speech has nothing to do with the welfare of the children, but everything to do with conservative agenda to bring this president to his “Waterloo”.

President Obama will not hurt your “precious” little children, but you protesters sure don’t mind hurting his children. Wonder what your kids think? Try asking them, you might be shocked.

It always amazes me how people worry about the wrong things in life. Parents are afraid that the president of THE United States of America is going to brainwash their kids with a 20min speech. He must be one heck of a speaker with super powers. Next thing you know, he’s going to start sending subliminal messages while everyone sleeps…’WORSHIP ME, I AM THE ALMIGHTY, BRING ME YOUR FIRST BORN CHILD,’ etc. People are so scared and paranoid that they are willing to forgo their children education so they won’t have to listen the president speech. If you are so afraid that Barack Hussein Obama can change your child mindset in 20min, YOU must have done a terrible job as a parent. No one is going to remember this speech by the next election because their leaders will have something else for them to focus on. Remember, China, Korea, India are hiring our own teachers go teach English overseas. They obviously know something many Americans choose to ignore. I will let you figure this one out. Hopefully, it will not be too late.

At least two recent Republican presidents have done something similar so I don’t understand the controversy. What’s wrong with encouraging the next generation to be prepared to take on the responsibilities of the future. Is it a Democratic/Republican thing …. Republicans or conservative Republicans can send a message to the American youth but less conservative Republicans or Democrats can’t?

I respect the office of the President of these United States of America. I respect President Obama, and am look- ing forward to listening to his speech. I expect it to be encouraging, enlightning and uplifting!!! He’s too smart and too well intentioned to do anything other than to ask our young people to do their best in school and be ready to face a future of doing all they can to make America continue to be a place where freedom is important, and hard work encourages success.

It doesn’t matter what Presidents have given speeches in the past. The real problem here is that there has never been so much controversy with a President in our history concerning all the unanswered questions about his background, his old friends, his birth origin, his “closed” college information/thesis, his 20+ years of religious teachings with Wright, etc. THAT’S THE PROBLEM. People do not trust him…..especially with our children. The line is drawn when it comes to our children. Period. Let him try to deal with adults…..like an adult, but leave our chilren alone.

All of this talk about the President “indoctrinating” children with a socialist message, and questioning his “shady” background reminds me of the rumours spread by schoolgirls in the 7th grade.
When I was in the 7th grade, my classmates were convinced that Jimmy Carter was the AntiChrist because his initials were “JC” and he was a farmer.
I guess alot of you have never advanced past the 7th grade.

I think that the Rightwing in this country has gone overboard on this issue. All American children should have the freedom to listen to the President Of The United States of America. The last time I checked, the schools in the United States are in the United States so what’s the problem. We let Republican presidents come to schools and that was acceptable. Barack Obama is a good role model for all students. For Obama, going to Harvord Law School to get his education way before becoming President, isn’t that a “Good Thing” for young people to look up to? I think so.
Scott

I can honestly say that I’m as close to being ashamed of being American as one can get. What should have, and actually is a historical, landmark achievement that proves the American Dream a reality, has turned into a sideshow freak circus.
The hypocrisy has reached the point that it should choke any sane individual. yet we see said individuals buying into the same scare tactics that they succumbed to during the presidential race and again when Health Care Reform was intruduced
I pose this. Until the people that are screaming and crying about the sky falling actually come up with something better, we all should follow the Golden Rule. Do (or say) unto others as you would have them do (or say) unto you.

This President should be concerned with failing domestic and international policies. Let the true professionals educate or children

What failing domestic and international policies? The economy is growing, Terrorist Leaders are being captured and Killed on a monthly basis, and he is taking the fight to the Taliban that killed 3,000 Americans…..Iraq was a failure and a lie, and wasn’t worth the 4,600 Americans that died there. And whether you LIKE it or not…..HE CAN speak to the American people at anything or place……got a problem with that….sure, he’s Black right.

“The real problem here is that there has never been so much controversy with a President in our history concerning all the unanswered questions about his background, his old friends, his birth origin, his “closed” college information/thesis, his 20+ years of religious teachings with Wright, etc. THAT’S THE PROBLEM. People do not trust him…..especially with our children.”
Carole, obviously the background of a politician is very important to you, so I’m sure you’ve done a lot of research. Can you tell me where you have found information (grades/gpa/class rankings/birth certificates, etc.) for Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin? I’ll tell you what I have so far.
I’ve seen Obama’s birth certificate (short form), and know he went to Occidental College, Columbia University, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a Juris Doctor.
Biden graduated from the University of Delaware ranked 506th in his class of 688. He then earned a Juris Doctor from Syracuse. I haven’t seen a birth certificate.
I have seen a copy of McCain’s Panamanian birth certificate (short form) and a mostly illegible copy of the long form. He earned a bachelor’s from Annapolis, graduating 5th from the bottom in his class of 899.
Palin attended the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific College, North Idaho College, University of Idaho, Matanuska Susitna Community College, and back to University of Idaho where she earned a BS. I haven’t seen a birth certificate.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Denise,
I can understand your frustration with others that disagree with your position. However, your approach doesn’t match the ‘tolerance’ message Obama speaks of. Just because others disagree with you does not make them ‘bigots’, ‘racist’ or ‘republicans’, it makes them Americans. That is the really cool thing about this country, we can think, write and say whats on our mind without fear from our government to silence us…..oh wait, scratch that…
What HAS BEEN really cool about this country is we used to be able to think, write and say whats on our mind.
But guess what, the government is still ALL the people, not just a few, so the ‘fat lady has yet to sing’. My dad always said, don’t poke a sleeping bear, well too late the bear is awake and is NOT happy.

I think this is just another example of how partisian the republicans have become. Trying to scare the public into not listening to the president of the USA is about as low as you can get. When you think about it how unpatriotic can they get? bush did the very same thing and they were all googled eyed with joy. It is pretty apparent to me that the gop is doing everything they can to make our president look bad with total disregard for real Americans.

Now those that oppose the president have been labeled American Taliban? WOW!!!

Parents, provide your children questions to take to school to be answered:
1) When I grow up, will I have to pay taxes? If not, would you hire me in your administration? If so, why is it fair that I have to pay taxes and the people you hire do not? A…re you a good role model for other employers?
2) Should I learn how to balance a checkbook or should I spend money that I don’t have….spending IS fun…….

Survivor53 Said: “My dad always said, don’t poke a sleeping bear, well too late the bear is awake and is NOT happy.”
=====================
LOL ….. No “Survivor”, the bear actually woke up in November 2006 and November 2008… that bear is called, “the majority vote”.

Laurel1181 said ” A “back to school” adress of encouragement from the President of the US is now, somehow, sinister?” The original focus of the speech was different from what is now supposed to occur.

This is know-nothingism taken to a whole new level.
OBAMA: Stay in school.
WINGNUT: Skip school.
Great message machine there, GOP>

I say again (since the moderators had a problem with MY using the word idiotic):
It’s now idiotic to say “I’m American”? What are you, then?

There will be a direct positive correlation between socialist expansion and the “drop out rate”. Socialist programs are largely responsible for the “drop out rate” to begin with. No incentive to stay in school when a person can feed off of another and the government.

You know, you could call the right’s collective tantrum about the the speech what it is – a lie. like the death panels, the FEMA camps, and on and on – these people are nuts.

This is know-nothingism taken to a whole new level.
OBAMA: Stay in school.
WINGNUT: Skip school.
Great message machine there, GOP>
Posted by: Flash Override | Sep 5, 2009 11:49:02 AM
***
Seriously!

Why are people saying it’s the Right Wing who is upset with this??? I’m not part of the Right Wing and may of my co-workers and neighbors who don’t like list aren’t either.
This administration is dividing the country. People make assumptions that if you don’t agree it is because of what “Party” you are from. This has gotten people who have never affiliated themselves with a part involved.
It is nonsense to point the finger at a Party that is upset.
AMERICA is upset Damn#t

He simply wants to address our children about education. Deal with it!! Or are you afraid our children would gain RESPECT for our President?
Stop making something out of nothing. Focus on the real issues. Hey, the United States is NOT what it was a year ago, and it probably will never be the same again. Deal with it!

Michelle the more of a spotlight we can cast on Obama’s doings, the less abuse of the kids he will be able to do. Impeach Obama.

Alyson,
Obama: “How can you help me?”
Parents: “Hitler said the same things to children trying to Indoctrine them”

Guys…get a GRIP! What is so wrong with having the kids write an essay about what they can do for their president? He works for us, for our country, no matter what political line he falls under. Have we stopped encouraging our children to reach for what seems impossible? Has the American Dream truly died?
Back when I was a kid, we were encouraged to write to the president, ask questions, learn more about how our government was run because it was out LEGACY. Everyone of us knew that if we worked hard that some day, there was a real chance we too could be called Mister or Madam president.
Now that we have just such a success story in the white house, we’re running scared, screaming SOCIALIST AGENDA, LIBERAL PLOT. GET.A.GRIP.
We’ve had good presidents and bad presidents, but to be honest, this guy hasn’t been able to sneeze and say bless me without some right wing nut or left wing liberals saying he’s doing something wrong, that he didn’t cross his toes, blink twice and say God Bless America before blessing hiomself. GET.A.GRIP. and either put up, or shut up.

“Obama is up to something different—–his questions about his royal egoness such how can the kids help Obama, indicates a man entralled with his own own self.”
Obama didn’t come up with those questions, at least not according to the DOE:
“The Department of Education offers educators a menu of classroom activities—created by its teachers-in-residence, the Teaching Ambassador Fellows—to help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions.”
“…he bragged on his website of using children as political tools.”
Shyeah, right. Quote please.

ellsbells930 said “The original focus of the speech was different from what is now supposed to occur.”
The focus looks exactly the same to me. “President Obama will deliver a national address to students on September 8 at noon ET. He will challenge students to work hard, set education goals, and take responsibility for their learning.”
What are you claiming is different?

TAP TAP TAP
Is this thing on?
TAP TAP TAP

Jax said “What is so wrong with having the kids write an essay about what they can do for their president? He works for us, for our country, no matter what political line he falls under.” Right there is the problem – he works for US, not the other way around. His intention was to ask for help in pushing through HIS agenda.

Archie Bunker – How dare you tell me to leave this country that I love. The last time I looked, we still had freedom of speech – guaranteed by the Constitution. You are the one whining, not me.

ellsbells930 claimed “The original focus of the speech was different from what is now supposed to occur.”
I found no changes to the description of the speech and asked ellsbells930 what had changed.
ellsbells930 did not answer that question, and now claims instead that the lesson plan has changed: “The original lesson plan included specific questions related to policy issues and how the students could help the President achieve those goals.”
Only one line in the lesson plan has been changed – “Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president,” became “Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short–term and long–term education goals.”
What other changes have been made? What policy issues were or are contained in the lesson plan? Please be specific.

“His intention was to ask for help in pushing through HIS agenda.”
Says which psychic in the GOP?

WWW – It was in the original lesson plans on the DOE website.

And what happened to my Obama statements showing even before the election he was targeting children to be indoctrinated to be his tools “to help” him push his socialist Agenda? “Kids for Obama’s starter kit” ringing any bells? Completely disgusting…whay type of lowlife uses kids for his politial purposes…OH yeah, Hitler and Obama.

If President Obama suggested that children should be sure to brush their teeth a couple of times a day, Republicans would throw away their kids’ toothbrushes and proudly let their teeth rot in their heads.
Go ahead and keep your kids home from school — the world will always need ditch diggers and burger flippers.

Once again the American people are acting like idiots. President Obama is the perfect person to encourage our kids to do better in school. He comes from a broken home, raised partially by a mother on welfare and doting grandparents, excelled academically, and became the first African-American president. So many of our students’ lives mirror his. I’m afraid that the lunatic fringe is growing exponentially.

“There is a difference between asking kids to do their best in school (what the summary now says the speech is about)”
I almost missed that one. So you ARE claiming the speech summary has changed. WHAT DID THE SUMMARY SAY BEFORE? PLEASE PROVIDE SPECIFIC TEXT.

Jess Askin IX – I can’t provide the summary because the Dept. of Ed changed it on their website. You cannot access it any longer.

This issue indicates the sad state the Republican party has sunk to. Instead of acting like responsible adults by disassociating the party from such absurdity as calling the President’s speaking to students as “Marxism”, the leadership supports this ignorance or stays silent. It appears that Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and other extremists really are the substitute leaders of the party. Push the right buttons and the mob flies into action. While accusing the President of being a Marxist among other things, they trample the rights of others to free speech in their town halls by shouting them down. They intimidate others at presidential events by carrying assault weapons. Just because they can doesn’t mean they have to. Seems to me, these people representing the Grand Old Party have more in common with authoritarianism than President Obama or the Democratic Party.
Thinking Republicans should be embarassed that these people represent their party unchallenged. Presidents Bush and Reagan both spoke to the students and there is nothing different about President Obama doing it except that the extreme right simply doesn’t like him and is throwing a national tantrum like some two year old at the Walmart.
I don’t expect more from this kind of rabble but I do or better said….I did…from the leadership of the Republican Party that I always supported. Not any more however.
It is very sad to see this happen to the Grand Old Party.

How dare you tell me to leave this country that I love. The last time I looked, we still had freedom of speech – guaranteed by the Constitution. You are the one whining, not me.
Ellsbells930…we all have it and that is what the President is using “freedome of speech”. The irony is that when speech is not in your favor you want this “administration” to be impeached, silence, shouted out. Too bad YOU DIDNT REALIZE that this is a democracy and the majority voted this administration om. Thanks for DISRESPECTING our democracy! You do not always have to agree with anyone or statement but decency is what separates a child from an adult. Which one are you?

If this were George Bush, the media and all the little liberals out there would not think twice about states/districts not tuning in…but since it is the ANOINTED ONE…THAT is a different story. I don’t see anything wrong with the President trying to encourage and give ambition to kids….but Bush Sr did something like this about 20 yrs ago, and the Dems made the same rukus.
Posted by: Bill | Sep 5, 2009 6:38:07 PM
****************************************
This has NEVER happened in my country. If anybody fussed before it might have been some partisan politicians trying to score some points. Never before have “citizens” behaved like this. Never. I loathed Bush. However, had he spoken and people behaved like this? I’d have said they were wrong them too. At the most I’d find out what was said and maybe talk to my kid about it if it bothered me. So, um, NO. If you guys are going to behave this absurdly? You will own it. Because this is a new one and you’re out of line. I can’t believe this comes from the same group that accused me of being unpatriotic if I fussed about a war.

So now the Republican party is against education because it’s communism to tell students to work hard in school.
These people are so racist I can’t believe they didn’t become athetists when they learned Obama was a Christian.
The real question is, “Why is the Obama administration pandering to these morons?”

Jess Askin X – I can’t find it. And I HAVE answered your questions, you just refuse to accept it.

I left out “as a cabinet level position”

I guess the lesson plan was too long to post. (sigh)
ellsbells930, the original plan is available at the Chicago Tribune’s website. Please look at it, compare it to the new version (one sentence changed) and tell me which “questions” (plural) have been changed and what “policy issues” are contained in either version.

What does this say to the world about democracy as a principal when a democratically elected President is not allowed to address the nations children? We need to all stand up and say this is ludicrous!

thank you Mona Benge!

“Americans do not trust Obama to speak to our children.”
Not all Americans. Not even the majority of Americans. Obama’s unfavorable rating is 33% – and of those 33%, even fewer believe that the White House is home to a child-eating monster.
“Obama has proven himself to be a lying, racist, communist who works tirelessly to divide and destroy America.”
It’s the right wing politicians and commentators who are out to frighten, divide, and destroy America with outrageous lies:
•Obama was born in Kenya
•Obama wants to mandate circumcision
•Children will be indoctrinated and grandchildren may be aborted
•Forced abortions plus sterilants in drinking water to control population
•Mandatory euthanasia counseling sessions
•A VA manual encouraging vets to commit suicide
•Death Panels

Here is a thought…. Air it on primetime so the parents can sit and watch it with their children. So the parents can ask them questions and encourage them. Shouldn’t we a parents be doing this, what a perfect opurtunity to visit and dicuss with your child. Don’t go into the schools and try this. Not a good

With all that is going on in this world I cannot beleive there is controversy over our President speaking to children. I am a senior citizen and this world just gets more ridiculous. These protestors banned the President speech in Il without even knowing what the content is. And I am sick of this communist and socialism stuff they are laying on Obama….read the newspaper instead of blindly listening to your preacher. Bush bailed out the banks and Bush took over GM…yeah this was all done before Obama. Children need to be taught respect for adults and their President. How about after the speech at dinner you can discuss,you can find the speech content online. I am really sick and tired of these Republican religious nuts effecting my rights. If I wrote this when Bush was in office I would probably be arrested. I for one am hoping my president succeeds and will do whatever I can and certainly give him some time to correct all the wrongs from the past 8 years..no small task.

All,
Keep your kids home. Do not let this administration ruin the minds of free thinking children. We are not a Socialist country and the speech had to be re-written because it stated just that. I was born a Free American and have served 30 years in the Military. I will this countries right to free religon, FREE SPEECH, and Right to Bear Arms. GOD BLESS THE CHRISTIAN Country of our. KEEP YOUR Children Home during the brain washing speech that had to be re-written. Enough of the LIES. ENOUGH!!

what would jesus do?

I cannot believe the ediots in this country not letting their children watch this speech. It’s not hard to see why this country is so screwed up when kids can’t hear the president on just good common sense. Maybe its because so many have none.

The lesson plans were probably trying to satisfy the schools, because since
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (alias, ALL kids LEFT BEHIND WITH NO-FUNDED POLICY) every little thing has to have a curriculum standard. For instnce, children can’t go see the symphony on a field trip without elaborate “curriculum standards” written in the lesson plan. The speech was not re-written, the original version is posted online. The rude screaming minority seems to be sorry losers. Obama did win the election, HE IS OUR PRESIDENT!! The speech encouraged children to do their best, set goals… if that’s socialism…..go figure.
Our country is in real trouble when ignorant, prejudiced, religious zealots are given so much press and news attention. Yes they have a right to their opinion, but they do not have a right to control schools. The fanatical Republicans claim to love their country more than the liberals, yet they hate the government??? go figure

It is interesting how quickly we forget. When President Bush (the first) gave a speech to Junior High students, the Democrats (with a majority in Congress) denounced the speech. Not only that but they had the GAO investigate and held hearings questioning administration officials. When Democrats do it, it is proper however if a Republican does it we need to oppose it. This is hypocritical, and worse the news media is mum about this.

“Greer said “this administration has been very aggressive and very vocal of their vision of what America should look like in the future and that is not my and my wife’s vision of what America should look like..”
I was not aware that Jim Greer and his wife could use the chairmanship of the florida gop as a platform to espouse their personal views on national television. Florida needs new republican leadership.