Upcoming Obama speech to students angers some parents

ABC Action News ^ | 9/2/2009 | FloridaGuy81

[floridaguy81]

Some parents are concerned about a speech President Barack Obama plans to make to students across the country on Tuesday.

The White House says the speech is mainly intended to be motivational, telling children about the benefits of education and inspiring them to be good students.

[Hodar]

typo, typo, typo

I say ‘pick a standard, and stick to it’ - so at least I’m consistent, stable, etc, etc, etc. :-P

[scoobysnak71]

[wmileo]

"My daughter will be sick that day.

I don't have a child of school age anymore (they grow up and faster than you think), but I respect your position on this.

I would communicate with her the way that a good parent warns their child about drugs, drinking and driving, associating with bad crowds, etc.

This could be a watershed event in forming the opinions of young people against the type of propaganda being attempted here.

[Red_Devil 232]

Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall

[Sig Sauer P220]

Its like Michelle Malkin said, the speech itself won’t be telling, its the crap the union teachers feed the kids afterwards that will be harmful.

[traumer]

I feel sick already...

[An American!]

Don't just protect your daughter, encourage the school and school board to record and make it available for home viewing via the district web page.
I sent a lengthy email to board, principals etc asking them to reconsider.
Consider something along the lines of below to the school board etc:
1. Does the federal government exercise control over the local public elementary and other schools? That is, can the President of the United States dictate the timing and subject matter of presentations to OUR school students? Does the School Board have a choice concerning whether to broadcast President Obama’s speech?

2. If the school board has a choice, when will the school board meet to decide its course of action? If there is no special or regular meeting to make the decision, when and how will that decision be made?

3. Do school principals have a choice concerning whether to broadcast President Obama’s speech to all of its students? Do teachers have a choice concerning whether or when to broadcast the speech? Will all teachers be required to broadcast the speech and conduct the federal government’s recommended pre-speech activities and follow up discussions as an addition to the regular school day curriculum?

4. If the decision is made to broadcast the President’s speech in the classroom, will parents be offered a choice to exempt their children from this broadcast and its attendant activities without a marked absence or other penalty?

In summary I am very concerned after reviewing the federal lesson plans sent out by the Dept of Education that the format doesn't promote healthy debate. It assumes the student will agree with the speaker.

My suggestion is for my local School District to broadcast a message to all parents along the lines of: "In order to not interrupt scheduled instructional learning and lessons, the District will not be participating in President Obama’s live broadcast on Sept. 8. However, the speech will be recorded and archived, a link will be provided on the District Web site to allow students and their families to access the speech at home."

[radioone]

The NEA would have been in open revolution had GW Bush asked to do this.

Remember at all the “sneering” and “yipping” from the Liberals when he continued to read to kids in school on 9/11 and didn’t panic and bolt to the door?

[thefactor]

anyone know how they will transmit this speech? what time?

[esoxmagnum]

What many fail to realize, is that they are not targeting OUR kids. That is to say, they are not targeting the kids whose parents are involved in their lives. No, they are targeting those kids who have no fathers or home life to speak of (80% of America’s children?)

This used to be the “inner city” kids, but now, that lifestyle is all to common everywhere.

They are tossing out a large net (a very large net), to see what fish they can catch.

I’ve already heard the lefts talking points “well, you have nothing to worry about... do you think Obama is going to change your kid into a radical in one speach?” Of course the answer is no, the idea is not to change OUR kids, the idea is to impregnate an idea, a thought, a broad paintstroke to show how Obama is a hero, and the new JFK to these impressionable minds who have no other father figures and their only known heroes play sports or compose Rap Music.

This is “community organizing”.

While you may think your kid is safe because he’s staying home, millions of other mushy headed children will NOT be safe, and that is the greatest danger, and that is what we should all be riled up about.

Especially when you start seeing the reading material that will be assigned by teachers, it makes my blood boil.

My kids WILL be going to school that day, we’ve already discussed it, and they will be there to ridicule Obozo and his policies. I think this is a more effective way to fight back, at least for us.

[Miss Didi]

Megyn Kelly just said that G.H.W. Bush and Reagan both spoke to school kids.

[Miss Didi]

Megyn just asked Juan Williams—what if W spoke to kids during the Iraq War and then kids were asked to read a book about him???

[Jack Bull]

PTA meetings just became the next Town Hells. Pass the word.

[ETL]

Check out these Amazon reviews for one of the books students were apparently asked to read in order to prepare for the Dear Leader's upcoming speech. These are the first 4 reviews...

Barack by Jonah Winter (Hardcover - October 1, 2008)

$17.99 $12.23

8 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

MISLEADING, December 26, 2008

By	SKEEZIX "SKEE" (USA) - See all my reviews

ONE OF MY GRANDCHILDREN RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR CHRISTMAS. AS WE WERE READING IT, I NOTICED NUMEROUS OMISSIONS AND HAZY SUPPOSED FACTS. "WHEN BARACK WAS JUST A TODDLER, HIS FATHER MOVED FAR AWAY". THE QUESTIONS WERE SWIFT AND MANY: "WHERE DID HE MOVE? WHY DID HE MOVE? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?" KIDS ARE NOT STUPID. BARACK MOVED TO INDONESIA WHEN HE WAS SIX WITH HER NEW HUSBAND. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HER OLD HUSBAND? DID THEY GET DIVORCED?" HOW WOULD A SIX YEAR OLD KNOW ABOUT EXTREME POVERTY??? "WHY DID HE MOVE TO HAWAII? WHY DID HE LIVE WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS MOTHER? DIDN'T SHE WANT HIM?" DITTO THE SUDDEN ARRIVAL AND SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF HIS AFRICAN FATHER! MORE QUESTIONS: "HOW DID HE PAY FOR COLLEGE? WERE HIS GRANDPARENTS RICH?"

I RE-READ THE BOOK AND HAVE TONS OF QUESTIONS ALSO: HE "FOUND" HIMSELF AT TRINITY CHURCH? THAT'S SCARY IN VIEW OF THE REV. WRIGHT'S EXTREME VIEWS ON AMERICA! THE AUTHOR HAS PAINTED A SKEWED AND FANTASY PORTRAIT OF OBAMA, WHILE IGNORING DETAILS.......LIKE FACTS. TRUTH BE TOLD, THIS BOOK READS LIKE AN INDOCTRINATION PRIMER FOR CHILDREN. ALSO, THE ILLUSTRATIONS WERE WONDERFUL BUT, AGAIN, NOT TRUTHFUL. MY GRANDSON IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT OBAMA'S WHITE MOTHER LOOKED VERY "BROWN" TO HIM. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink  Comments (3)

10 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

Let's indoctrinate them early, December 1, 2008

By	T. Mitchell - See all my reviews

You sure that this book wasn't written by William Ayers? It sounds like a book from his education reform program. Get to the youth as early as possible - indoctrinate them quickly before anything resembling reality gets to them.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink  Comments (3)

9 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

sycophantic propaganda, December 1, 2008

By	Diane (Folsom, CA United States) - See all my reviews

If you want your child to fall in love with the "lovable" Barack, buy this book. If you are indifferent about subjecting your child to political propaganda (of the subtlest and gentlest kind), buy this book. If it is of no consequence to you to see your child subjected to political deception, buy this book. If truth is utterly beside the point in presenting historical narrative to your child, buy this book.

But if you love your child and you love truth, please don't buy this book. May I suggest "A Patriot Primer" by Lynn Cheney instead. Teach your child to love his country, not Barack Obama.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink  Comments (4)

14 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

Textbook example of propaganda, October 26, 2008

By	J. Tant (Under the cultural penumbra of Washington DC) - See all my reviews

If Kim Jong-Il had a children's book written about him, I doubt it would look much different than this piece of...work.

I flipped through it at my local Target and was struck by all the adulation about how Obama came along at such a "dark time" in our history to rescue us. Claims like this with nothing in context (why did his association with Bill Ayers, who wanted to kill 25 million Americans, not make the book...?) left me shaking my head in wonder and dismay. Wonder at the naked manipulation the book's author is trying to achieve, and dismay that apparently, there is a market out there eager to lap it up.

Seriously...leader as cult figure, which this book unarguably enables, is not only creepy but has no place in American politics.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink  Comments (16) http://www.amazon.com/Barack-Jonah-Winter/dp/0061703923/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i

[Sursam Abordine]

Tuesday is the first day of school in VA. My wife is a Kindergarten teacher and will spend most of the day dealing with 5 year olds crying for their Mommy and trying to figure out how to go to the bathroom by themselves. Just where do they think she has time for this? Also, in the higher grades, this takes away instruction time that these kids could otherwise use to become "good students"

[VastRWCon]

My daughter is a senior in HS (Private Catholic HS), I emailed them yesterday afternoon. I am still waiting a response...

[workerbee]

I don’t think most of us would have a problem with a President addressing the nations school children at the beginning of the year, and talk about how great this Nation is, and how much better it can be if they study hard, challenge them selves in school, at home, in their place of worship, and in the community.

Well, I have a problem with it, and I don't care who the president is.

It's one thing to go on TV and do it. It's one thing for him to read a story. But when you use the classroom for the purpose of "listen to me and believe what I say is true" , the implicit message to children is that This Person Is Right and To Be Followed. So not only does Dear Leader want me to study hard and stay in school.... well, somewhere else I heard him say all rich people should pay the bills for poor people. Since he is someone To Be Followed, I am a good person if I believe him.

The precedent being set with this "inspirational speech" is not a good one.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Megyn Kelly just said that G.H.W. Bush and Reagan both spoke to school kids.

Really? En masse? To every schoolchild in America at the same time? With community-organizer-style talking points homework and essays to follow?

I don’t think so.

[Colonel_Flagg]

The White House says the speech is mainly intended to be motivational,

Mainly? MAINLY? MAINLY?

[kevao]

Megyn Kelly just said that G.H.W. Bush and Reagan both spoke to school kids.

Well, the schools I went to never got that memo. And no teacher ever tasked me with writing a letter about how I could help President Reagan or President Bush.