for my children to go to the local zoo to see Libby the lion, yet I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of parents know nothing about the President of the United States trying to indoctrinate our children. It does not matter what political party the President is from it is not his job to raise my children and tell them what it means to be a good American, it is MY JOB!!! I am their father and I don’t need, nor did I ask, for his help raising my children. This sounds eerily reminiscent of the youth SS that Hitler cultivated across Germany. That turned our really well didn’t it? Spread the word this can not be allowed to happen. One would think that the President would have more pressing matters on his plate, than trying to replace millions of parents all by himself. Mr. President do your job and leave my children alone.

My local TV stations here in Columbus, Ohio have had stories about the speech to Congress, but not the school speech. This morning finally there was a runner at the bottom with a mention of it, but no “story” and certainly nothing about the growing protests about it.

What is everyone seeing in their areas?

Drudge called such a speech “unprecedented” but whether it is or not, it should warrant media attention.

But we know why it does not!

I was an elected school board member for 12 years and the hardest part was getting parents to pay attention. They all love their child’s teacher (leftist or not). They want the district to spend more money on their child, but don’t pay attention to how the money is spent. They want pretty buildings and small classes, but don’t realize phonics and avoiding fuzzy math are much more important. It was very hard to get people to run for school board. Only parents of small children were willing to run and too often they ran to get favors for their children.

But from the posts on facebook from teachers wondering what the fuss is about - don’t have a clue - or they are very good actors:

Here are a few responses:

“Let your voice be heard, but, while you’re at it, listen to others. We must engage softly and kindly yet actively with one another if we truly believe in democracy.”

“if you’re concerned about what the President will say, record the address and watch it later. But please, watch it with your children.

Stop the recording if you feel that the President has made a political statement and tell your children WHY you believe this is a political statement. Explain to them your political opinion, which differs from his. And then ASK them what they think. Do they agree or disagree with you? Why? In other words, start to engage them in the political conversation of this nation.

In other words, use this address to the children of America as your own teaching moment with your kids. And while you’re at it, use it as a learning moment to find out something about how your kid thinks. You might be surprised.

If you’re concerned about the contents of the message, take action. But please don’t tell your children NOT to listen to the U.S. President. That strategy may come back to haunt you when your political party is in power again.”

“until someone can show me reliable communication backing up the claims that children are supposed to write letters supporting the president, I have to go with what has been published. I think that inferring nefarious or underhanded intent in this manner undermines the credibility of those who are spreading it.”

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I called my daughter’s Catholic school. They aren’t planning on showing anything next week. Any “programming notes” would come from the Archdiocese. They don’t give a rip what the Dept of Education says.

and I got it. I’ve been calling since Tuesday to find out if our school district was participating in the televised event and at 10:30 this morning was notified that they were but the students could opt out. How was an ‘opt out’ going to work? I’d been very patient and respectful with everyone in the administration that I spoke with and was frustrated with the final result. So I sent an email to the school board with some liable concerns facing the district should they participate and in less then two hours they had reversed their decision. I encourage everyone in every school distrcit to call and email because we can make a difference. This is a school district with over 15,000 students, the 9th largest in the state of Ohio.

Letter:
I am asking you to reconsider showing the scheduled speech from President Obama to the Hilliard City School District. I think there is a high liability factor involved to the school and wish to prevent that from occurring. In addition, many are planning on holding their kids home from school that day should it be shown and I don’t think that is a wise option either. I don’t want to read too much into the intent of the President, but I think it is fair to say that many will not support such action and see it at a means of propganda and in the best interest of education our children I think we need to find an acceptable solution.

While the President engages in educational discussions with students, I can’t help but ask the intent of this lesson. The details can be found at the following link: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10582301/President-Obama%E2%80%99s-Address-to-Students-Across-America-September-8-2009

This “lesson” includes (PREK-6th):

The students are to answer of the following questions while watching:
-What is the President trying to tell me?
-What is the President asking me to do?
-What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?

Remember, in a free society, we should not be in fear of what someone might say, however PREK-6th grade is no place for a political stump speech. I believe it is within our right to request the transcript and the intent of the lesson from our eduction board/teachers prior to the event. Or at the very least require permission from the parents of these children to participate or decline participation if the details are not available for review. A simple solution would be to broadcast an email to the parents that include a transcript of the speech to aleviate unnecessasry concerns on behalf of the hesitant parents as offering an opt out class option could lead to children being ostracized for not participating or even at this young age a feeling of being left out.

Because no matter how you feel during the current political environment, I think we can all agree that we do not want to federalize/nationalize the schools. I do not want the local power to be stripped from our school board where we can make a difference to the powers that be in Washington.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Local talk radio here in the San Antonio area is announcing that two San Antonio school districts aren’t airing The Dear Leader’s speech. We live in a small town north of San Antonio and our school district isn’t airing it either.

I’ll be interested to find out how many school districts across fly-over country do the same. I bet it will be more than the 5% that E Pluribus predicts.

The only way to protect children from political indoctrination in the schools in the long run is to privatize the entire school system, in as many states as you possibly can. Sell the schools to private parties, then use the money to give vouchers to parents with kids currently enrolled until the money runs out. From that point on, all parents would be responsible for their own kids’ education bills. There would have been years of no property tax by that point, so this is not an unreasonable burden for something they should be willing to do as parents anyway. I shouldn’t have to pay property taxes so some little gangbanger gets glorified babysitting services all day and Obama Youth can “learn” all about the dire emergency of global warming and how evil Pilgrims and pioneers slaughtered the hapless, darling little native “Americans.”

Trying to halfway privatize schools isn’t working. The left sabotages every effort and reasserts control. So it is necessary to stop half-axing our efforts, create a movement (to go with everything else on the Tea Party list, LOL) and go all in. That is the long-term solution.

from Team Obama. Failed to consult school calendars around the country. Schools in the large metro areas (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago) will not yet have started. His biggest (and most receptive) audience will not even be in attendance.

Waking the Ents…. yeah, it will be like that, if this continues….

If you are a concerned parent in Austin, KXAN wants to interview you now (by 7pm) for the 10pm story.

It’s getting legs.

Mr Cult-of-personality disorders talks to kids
http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/09/mr-cult-of-personality-disorder-talks.html

What’s the big deal with Obama’s speech?
http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/09/whats-big-deal-with-obamas-speech-to.html

has no problems inserting itself into the classroom and using the entire school system to promote it’s agenda. I wonder if anyone remembers, the reports of Pres. Bush’s picture or comments related to his faith or even the posting about the Founding Fathers faith have been disallowed by these ‘wonderful’ government schools?

Remember the story of the policeman (retired military) who entered a classroom to take down a defamed picture of Pres. Bush that the teacher had allowed as art.

http://www.progressive.org/mag_mcteacher510 or this one:

http://www.callingfortruth.org/cft/content/view/54/1/

this one was about taking down the picture of George Washington praying at Valley Forge, in a government school classroom. Maybe people will remember other incidents as we fight to keep leftist propaganda out of the classroom.

Oh yes EPU, I loved the Lord of the Rings reference.

On our website…:
The President of the United States will air a live national address for students Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 on the importance of education.
Friendswood ISD is unable to accommodate the showing of this to all students on campuses at one time. We encourage parents to tape this speech if they choose and watch it at a later time with their children.
Teachers will have the option to have their classes air the speech. Any teachers who plan to show the special presentation will notify parents and students and under Friendswood ISD policy, will allow students to opt out of watching it. Parent or student notification to opt out will be followed.

I too love the Ents reference….very nice.

This from the Prescott Unified School District web site:

The President’s speech next week is a perfect example of “A good idea gone astray.”
After reviewing the materials associated with the speech PUSD will not televise the speech or broadcast it via computers.
If parents want their children to see the speech, parents can record it and watch the speech at home with their children.
As the superintendent of schools, I am not comfortable with school district resources being used for this purpose; therefore Prescott Unified School District will not carry the speech either via television or via computers in our schools.

Thank you.
Kevin J. Kapp, Superintendent
Prescott Unified School District
Prescott, Arizona

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My brother works in the IT department for Clear Creek Independent School District, southeast of Houston. They will not be airing Obama’s speech.

Both President Reagan and Bush 41 spoke live to classrooms nationwide. October 1, 1991 President George H. W. Bush pitched his education plan in a speech broadcast live to school classrooms nationwide. On November 14, 1988 President Reagan spoke to students that was broadcast live and rebroadcast by C-Span and Instructional Television Network. President George W. Bush wanted to speak but was persuaded not to because he could no speak the English language properly.

I understand Comrade Obama is going to teach the school kids some slogans updated from the recent past:

1. Obama is always right!
2. Obama, we stand with you!
3. One Nation! One People! One Messiah!

E Pluribus Unum,
Well written!!! A substantial portion of the points you have made are the same I’ve had stirring in my head as we deal with the rising tyranny of democrats and their ilk. Their arrogance is expected yet their ignorance of Americans is completely fascinating. They truly think that all should be their minions.
FREEDOM!!! We Americans demand, expect freedom. Not the so-called freedom of the left which twist it into the freedom of amoral selfishness. Yet freedom to live, enjoy liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without the burden of tyranny to threaten, manipulate, intimidate, or more importantly, not to take from the people these God given rights.

Thank You!

See: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_SPEECH_SCHOOLS?SITE=ILROR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.

Talk about stirring up the hornets’ nest, Barry. Parents, grandparents and just plain freedom-loving citizens of the good ole U S of A are rejecting what they know to be a stupid beyond words propaganda campaign. I find it incredible the administration would go forward with this in light of the discontent and activism current all over our fair land.

Monumental stupidity. Monumental arrogance. I’m spitting mad!

I think he should lead them in the Pledge of Alligiance.

That should leave him speechless.

Can’t add anything beyond what you originally said and most of the comments here, but I did submit it to digg.

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“No. You can’t” -Moe Lane

Not just here… but did anyone notice the facebook poll - 65% against, yet I’d say more than 65% of the comments are in favor.

Leftists seem to be surprised by the pushback, not expecting it. Remember this leftists:

When Bush was in office: every (non) vacation. Every (non) golf outing. Every door in China (all one of them). Every last detail of that administration was nuked 24/7. So….. GET USED TO IT.

On the other hand, we actually have substantive arguments for opposing the president. So go scream racism, overreaction, etc, and watch your movement circle the drain.

http://apps.facebook.com/realpolls/results/wj5wgz4j0

Someone in the administration should have seen this coming. The Either that, or no one had the guts to say shut this down.

The schools have decided for an “opt in” but that’s not the disturbing thing. It’s the comments section where neither side can argue their points without name calling and mud slinging.

I don’t think any of them get it either. It’s not the speech in and of itself which will likely be innocuous (at least on the surface). It’s the force fed curriculum that will follow that is disturbing.

I’m troubled by the name calling, to be honest. Just as our reactions have dulled to the accusations of racism every time we criticize the left, so has the left dulled to accusations of communism and socialism. Someone even invoked Hitler and while it fits in a lot of ways, it doesn’t do much for an argument.

What that says to me is we need to find some other way to fight the socialist/communist takeover without using the words. Those words have ceased to have power except to those who truly understand what they mean.

Perry ‘troubled’ by rollout of Obama school speech

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2009/09/03/perry_troubled_by_rollout_of_o.html

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/09/rrisd-says-no-thanks-to-obamas-kiddie.html

The point on parental rights and failure to involve school boards is well taken. Showing the Obama speech in Texas classrooms without giving parents notice and opportunity to opt out is a violation of Texas law. A helpful school board member directed me here:

TX Education Code - Chapter 26 deals with parental rights.

26.001 - Parents are PARTNERS in their education and should be encouraged to actively participate in creating and implementing programs for their children. No opportunity for parental involvement has been offered.

26.006 - Access to teaching materials - parents haven’t been given access to this speech to review it to determine if it’s appropriate for their child. Teaching unreviewed materials is likely a violation of Texas law. Subsection (b) provides that the district must make the materials available for your review. Ask them to provide you with an advance copy of the speech! Make this request IN WRITING!

26.010 - Exemption from Instruction - parents must be given an opportunity to opt-out of any school activity that conflicts with the parent’s religious or moral beliefs. You need to deliver a written statement — and they’ll have to pull your kid out of class. Suggest that they offer an alternative, like studying the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution!

As for RRISD, policy EMB - instruction of controversial issues - teachers must be well-informed of the areas being taught. Since the speech isn’t available for teacher review, how can they be well-informed? Also requires that they are CERTAIN (emphasis on that word) that the material is appropriate. Again - how can they be CERTAIN?

The bottom line is this: Given the logistics involved of handling parental requests on such short notice, and the failure of the Obama administration to provide text of the speech prior to ensure it is not controversial, it is likely that any school district that puts this speech in their classrooms without giving ample opportunity for parents to opt out will be violating Texas law!

Government funded schools have zero reasons to present any notion that does not support big government or big labor.

They may not overtly teach leftist propaganda in any one session, but look at the body of work! Look at the text books! Listen to the pro obamacare ad paid for by NEA!

‘I pledge to do my part to reduce the federal payroll (excluding military) to 20 non union part-time employees’.