Posted on 05/05/2006 1:23:42 PM PDT by gwb43_2004
A 10-year-old girl was barred from singing a President George W. Bush-bashing ballad at her elementary school talent show because her principal deemed the song inappropriate and too political.
"Dear Mr. President," performed and co-written by pop star Pink, criticizes Bush for the war in Iraq and policies including his stance on gay rights. Nancy Shoul said her daughter Molly should be lauded for choosing lyrics that are full of substance and that the ban violates her daughter's right to free speech.
"If this was a student singing a pro-administration song, no one would quibble with it," Shoul said Thursday. "The principal is just running scared and doesn't want to upset any parents."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We're not dumb and we're not blind
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell
What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine
She probably thinks Shakespeare is the guy who invented fishing.
Well, it was a talent show and the proper way to handle it would be to nix it for the lack of talent [thus for having nothing to show], in content and in delivery.
Good. This kid's (teacher) mother should know better.
No dought the words are the childs mothers. When she is 21 she can voice her own words.
As if a 10 year old understood the meaning of the song. I doubt, as with any song, that any of her little classmates understand any of it either, nor even know 95% of the words outside the chorus. I say let her sing it. It's more likely the principal was more worried about parents twisting it around and getting in an uproar. That said, I'm also betting it was mommy dearest who suggested the song.
If she were older, you can bet she'd hear about it from her classmates. A know-it-all twerp wrote an editorial (taking the opposite side from someone, cough, whom he wanted to get back at) in the middle school newspaper here and you wouldn't believe how quickly the students put him in his place. Kids aren't dumb. Once they're old enough, they know what's what in the world and will stand up for what's right.
Sorry to the posters who think this is appropriate. After reading the lyrics, no way should a 10 year old sing this in a school sponosored activity.
It is a hateful, disrespectful ad-hominem attack on the President. "...whiskey and cocaine..." indeed.
If it were something along the lines of "you have made the wrong choices" or "as an American I expect something different" maybe, but "pave the road to Hell"?
If I said Hell at the age of 10, my mom or dad would have smacked me on the cheek and told me to watch my language.
By the way, thanks for posting the lyrics, Dead.
well there were no keywords
Hello, buy a clue.
Your daughter does not have a right to free speech. Only adults do and it is limited.
Gee whiz. This girl is 10 years old and she already knows all.
I didn't know everything until I was at least 17.
And as far as my first amendment rats those many years ago in our grade, junior or senior high schools,
Forget it.
Yes and a little girl singing about liquor and illegal drugs
While free speech is extremely important in a free society, our right to free speech does not guarantee us the right to a captive audience of other people's children who are being required to be there by law.
The lyrics are written for shock value rather than to inform.
The lyrics also attack using innuendo rather than facts.
If the young girl wants to take a political position, she should be encouraged to learn more about the facts of these topics and about how our system of government operates. Some of that may be beyond the capabilities of most ten year olds to really comprehend.
If she can't understand the issues the song is talking about, then she isn't exercising her free speech, she's be used as a pawn by others.
This girls mother is a complete wench. How can you train your little kid to hate so early? She belongs in the middle east with the rest of them.
Right on .
As if this little girl knows politics drugs and other things.
Why can't she be like the other kids and sing twinkle twinkle little star
"pro-admin" song? Nothing at Amazon.
So the song DOES mention drug use, war, gay rights, and profanity, even if the profanity is a little weak by modern standards. The principal is within her rights to bar the song from the presentation simply for the drugs and homosexuality, as far as I'm concerned. If this student wants to express her First Amemdment rights outside the classroom, get a website at myspace.com, write a newsletter, or stand outside her house and shout to the moon.
The state of Florida needs to check out this dippy mother who lets her child listen to pornographic music and repeat cuss words from songs, etc. Might be child abuse here and mom needs to get set straight on what being a parent really means. Probably just another dimwit lib who doesn't have the sense God gave a day old chicken! Good on the school principal for telling the child "no". I'll bet that is the 1st time the little girl ever heard no from a grownup, as it is obvious mom isn't an adult, or certainly doesn't know how to be one.
If my father catches me listening to Pink or any other weirdo he will throw me out of the house.
"A school is not a democracy."
I agree. In CA schools are considered a business and, as such, are listed in the phone book under the business section.
He won't throw you out, maybe just a strong "one way discussion" will do. (That's how I handled my children when I had to!) :0 )
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