Districts in six states are not allowing the President's television address to be shown to students on Sept. 8 about the need to work hard and stay in school.
Talk about censorship! Talk about ignorance! Talk about stupidity, claptrap and hogwash.
I'm not surprised that Texas is one of the six. After all, their State Board of Education is considering rewriting history by deleting any event or personality to the left of extreme right. But obviously Dunderhead Disease is becoming an epidemic spreading across Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin. Predictions are that it will afflict other areas of the country.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that conservatives are urging U.S. school systems to boycott the address. Their claim: our president is "using the opportunity to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the boundaries of federal involvement in schools."
"As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education - it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality," said Oklahoma Republican state Sen. Steve Russell. "This is something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq."
Actually, this isn't true. We are seeing it every day from the extreme right.
White House deputy policy director Heather Higginbottom said, "It's simply a plea to students to really take their learning seriously. Find out what they're good at. Set goals. And take the school year seriously." She notes that President George H. W. Bush addressed the schools via TV in 1991.
The Dallas PTA council president says Obama "is cutting out the parent" by speaking to kids during school hours. Unrealistically, she asks, "Why can't a parent be watching this with their kids in the evening?" Do you really think parents who don't want their kids to watch their president speak on TV at school are going to watch it with them at home?
Florida's GOP chairman Jim Greer released a statement saying that he was "absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology." Well, he did refer to the president as President Obama.
I don't think simply being conservative qualifies you as a lunatic extremist but where are your voices? Is there any integrity and courage left in the Republican party these days? Are all of you a bunch of wet noodles?
Not quite. Hopefully you will start a new trend: educating the uneducated - too many teachers, school boards and other servants of the people.
Even in the Lone Star State, Republican Governor Rick Perry commented that he's "certainly not going to advise anybody not to send their kids to school that day." "Hearing the president speak is always a memorable event." Such socialistic notions may cost him the next election.
Murray Dalgleish, school superintendent of Council, Idaho, urges people not to rush to judgement. "Is the president dictating to these kids? I don't think so." President Obama "is trying to get out the same message we're trying to get out, which is 'You are in charge of your education.'"
Bravo. These voices of reason give me hope that the second coming of the John Birchers may be delayed for a short time.
This whole thing has me furious!! I did a post that has caused quite a stir too! I have such empathy for President Obama, he is trying so hard to be a pleaser and do whats right, but the fuckers keep kicking him in the face. I don't know how I will endure those idiots for the next 8 years!!
ReplyDeleteBe careful to not let these neanderthals give you a heart attack. I hope I'm not wrong but I think they may be shooting themselves in their feet and that maybe, just maybe, there's a backlash in the makings. Let's hope.
ReplyDeleteYes, I saw your good piece yesterday. Then I saw a link to the AP story this morning. Decided the more people who speak against this kind of stupidity, the better.