As a bright and shining example of the outright lies and blatant hypocrisy coming from the far-right over what they have concocted in their tiny, narrow minds as what is going to be President Obama's "indoctrination" of schoolchildren in his remarks next week, I give you the Michael Savage show from yesterday:
"The first president in American history who is going to force children to listen to a speech he's going to give."
"No American president in history has ever addressed schoolchildren. It's a tradition of Hitler, of Raul and Fidel Castro. Every dictator usually addresses schoolchildren."
Now let's go back to November 14,1988. That famous American dictator, Ronald Reagan, from the White House State Dining Room, in an address broadcast nationwide by C-SPAN:
"You know, this is a real treat for me -- having you here and to have, in a little while, the chance to answer some of your questions. Let me also offer a special hello to those of you who are watching on C-SPAN and -- or the Instructional Television Network. Thank you for inviting us into your home or your school today.
This marks the beginning of American Education Week, and I'm particularly pleased to be talking to American students in this, the first in a series of speeches that I'll be giving before I leave office."
During his opening remarks President Reagan said this:
"America's world leadership goes well beyond the tide toward democracy. We also find that more countries than ever before are following America's revolutionary economic message of free enterprise, low taxes, and open world trade. These days, whenever I see foreign leaders, they tell me about their plans for reducing taxes and other economic reforms that they're using, copying what we have done here in our country."
Sounds to me like Dictator Reagan was "indoctrinating" impressionable young schoolchildren with the virtues of "trickle down" economics. Just imagine the uproar if President Obama talked about the ever- growing disparity of wealth in this country caused by that economic policy. Savage and his fellow hatemongers would be screaming "Socialism" from the rooftops.
Reagan went on to say this:
"And, again, I would say that the most important thing you can do is to ground yourself in the ideas and values of the American Revolution. And that is a vision that goes beyond economics and politics. It's also a moral vision, grounded in the reverence and faith of those who believed that with God's help they could create a free and democratic nation. They designed a system of limited government that, in John Adams' words, was suited only to a religious people such as ours."
Religious "indoctrination" perhaps?
During the question and answer period which followed, President Reagan was asked by a student if he thought it was possible to decrease the national debt without raising taxes. Reagan's answer:
"I do...one of the principal reasons that we were able to get the economy back on track and create those new jobs and all was we cut the taxes... And what we have found is that at the lower rates the Government gets more revenue."
More supply side "indoctrination."
Looks like it all depends on who is doing the "indoctrinating" as to whether the extremists are outraged or not. And in the case of Savage and his fellow purveyors of fear and hate, I suspect it has a lot to do with the pigmentation of the person doing the "indoctrinating."
"The first president in American history who is going to force children to listen to a speech he's going to give."
"No American president in history has ever addressed schoolchildren. It's a tradition of Hitler, of Raul and Fidel Castro. Every dictator usually addresses schoolchildren."
Now let's go back to November 14,1988. That famous American dictator, Ronald Reagan, from the White House State Dining Room, in an address broadcast nationwide by C-SPAN:
"You know, this is a real treat for me -- having you here and to have, in a little while, the chance to answer some of your questions. Let me also offer a special hello to those of you who are watching on C-SPAN and -- or the Instructional Television Network. Thank you for inviting us into your home or your school today.
This marks the beginning of American Education Week, and I'm particularly pleased to be talking to American students in this, the first in a series of speeches that I'll be giving before I leave office."
During his opening remarks President Reagan said this:
"America's world leadership goes well beyond the tide toward democracy. We also find that more countries than ever before are following America's revolutionary economic message of free enterprise, low taxes, and open world trade. These days, whenever I see foreign leaders, they tell me about their plans for reducing taxes and other economic reforms that they're using, copying what we have done here in our country."
Sounds to me like Dictator Reagan was "indoctrinating" impressionable young schoolchildren with the virtues of "trickle down" economics. Just imagine the uproar if President Obama talked about the ever- growing disparity of wealth in this country caused by that economic policy. Savage and his fellow hatemongers would be screaming "Socialism" from the rooftops.
Reagan went on to say this:
"And, again, I would say that the most important thing you can do is to ground yourself in the ideas and values of the American Revolution. And that is a vision that goes beyond economics and politics. It's also a moral vision, grounded in the reverence and faith of those who believed that with God's help they could create a free and democratic nation. They designed a system of limited government that, in John Adams' words, was suited only to a religious people such as ours."
Religious "indoctrination" perhaps?
During the question and answer period which followed, President Reagan was asked by a student if he thought it was possible to decrease the national debt without raising taxes. Reagan's answer:
"I do...one of the principal reasons that we were able to get the economy back on track and create those new jobs and all was we cut the taxes... And what we have found is that at the lower rates the Government gets more revenue."
More supply side "indoctrination."
Looks like it all depends on who is doing the "indoctrinating" as to whether the extremists are outraged or not. And in the case of Savage and his fellow purveyors of fear and hate, I suspect it has a lot to do with the pigmentation of the person doing the "indoctrinating."
Y'all go check out margaretandhelen. They have a blog up about this too.
I'll say this: those ladies can still spell bullshit and they recognize it when they see it!
Ummm, we had television in school during the 1960's. Remember very well Channel 8 broadcasts.
Damn, some folks are unbelievably ignorant.
I honestly don't remember an address by Reagan in school. Yet clear creek was always in the stone age as far as technology was concerned. Just remember though, if someone says something they agree with it isn't indoctrination, it's the truth. A lot of this (in addition to racism) is projection. They would indoctrinate so therefore Obama must too.
Forrest Gump's mama was right.
Stupid is as stupid does. And there's a heapin' bunch of stupid in this country.
My kids stood silent but respectful when the Texas Pledge was said when they were in school (at least I think they did). It was our belief that we pledge allegiance to the country, not to just one state. I always thought that Texas pledge was such an embarrassment, as if our lege had nothing better to do than dream that bit of nonsense up.
But they stood there. They didn't "opt out" no matter HOW much I disagreed with it. And they may have even recited it even though we had discussions about it at home.
As I told the public relations person at my local school district, I don't remember parents being given any "opt out" option when former presidents spoke. There were no "opt out" letters when students were going to participate in lessons from space (which, sadly, didn't happen because the Challenger exploded in 1986.) So therefore, I can only conclude that it's because President Obama is black. And I am ashamed of the district. This is a man who should be held up as a frickin' ROLE MODEL to poor/underprivileged students. A message that yes, in America, hard work does pay off. That all men ARE created equal. Instead, they are getting the - unspoken but clear - message that even if a black man does work hard, stay in school and make it all the way to the White House, the whites will still disrespect him.
I am furious. And Fort Bend ISD sucks in their decision making.
Just another episode where Mr. Jenney shows he still needs to grow a pair. Or go back to Virginia from whence he came.
Yes, I read that comment. Didn't that person also claim that the Challenger explosion happened in "2001 or something?"
Bunch of idiots over at the chron, for sure.
I find myself simply not engaging with the people who post stuff like that. I've little patience for people who are either that dense or who are willing to tell outright lies trying to back up their point.
Miemaw, to be fair, I don't think the teachers get to make ANY of the decisions around this. I think the schools THINK they have to answer to their boards and "conservative" parents. The notes that come home are constructed to make the least people angry, as with sex education. The teacher's hands are tied.
It is ironic that these parents demand the opportunity to opt out, but when a student wants to opt out from saying a pledge that has a god that they don't believe in in it, they are verbally harassed by those same parents.
On the Chron today, one commenter asserted that no former president possibly could have addressed children in school because "televisions weren't introduced into schools until around 2003". I was called a liar for stating that my school had a television in 1986! When dealing with the knock-you-on-your-ass faulty memory of those who make up history as they go, I'm almost speechless. To quote a certain film, "Is being stupid like being high all the time?"
We got an email from our principal that there have been a lot of protesting in Galveston, so we will be "taping" the message and showing it in social studies classes. Meanwhile, a note will be going home and parents can choose to remove their kids from class. This is absolutely nuts. Maybe I should come to school wearing some aluminum foil on my head Tuesday.
Living out here in rightwing lala land, I not only left a very blunt message with the school district, I sent them an email. And got a response saying that I had "gotten some wrong information".
That's so interesting. Considering that the information came straight from the district's own website.
As I told the representative, "Wrong. Nice try though."
Idiots. All of them.
I asked them, how could they not see the President as being a wonderful ROLE MODEL for students who are struggling?
Or is it that they just prefer to IGNORE the ones who aren't students at the "top" school?
I'm thoroughly disgusted with them.
Anyone want to join me in a picket line? I'm only half-way kidding.
Reading the comments,(on a story about this) in the local paper yesterday, I totally used up my daily quota of "Patience for the Ignorant Among Us."
Ft. Bend ISD, as well as Humble ISD, won't air the address, on "Stay in School" "Study Hard" "Take Personal Responsibility" and "Set Realistic Goals" by The President of the United States.
Don't know what the so-called "educators" (what a wonderful oxymoron in this case) fear, from letting their students hear a Presidential Address on Education.
Could be, as the lady who authors the www.kissmybigbluebutt.com website surmises. Maybe they worry that the kids might want to do all of the above, and apply to Harvard.
Most likely, it has more to do with keeping the political landscape at the status quo.
"Keep 'em barefoot, Keep 'em stupid, Keep 'em at home."