Anyways, it turns out some parents aren't digging the Barack-trination: "Parents Upset Over 'Leftist Propaganda' Video: Principal Apologizes for Showing 'I Pledge' to Students":
A school principal has apologized for showing a video at an assembly that a politically conservative group leader is calling "radical, leftist propaganda."Read the whole thing.
Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world -- and that's where some say the problem lies.
Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks, smiling more, and caring for the elderly are noncontroversial. But other pledges, such as "to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem cell research cross the line, some say.
"Showing the video in a public school is completely inappropriate," said Jennifer Cieslewicz, whose daughter is a first-grader at the school. "I don't believe a video such as this that promotes certain values should be shown to elementary students, especially without parents being aware. "
Chris Williams, Davis School District spokesman, said school principal Ofelia Wade and school PTA leaders decided to show the video as part of an assembly about the school's theme for the year, service. He said the PTA board chose the video and Wade did not see it before it was shown in the assembly.
"It got to a point where she turned to her assistant and said, 'Oops, I wish I would have seen this before. I don't think I would have shown it,' " Williams said. He said Wade could see how some adults might find the video political.
"She acknowledges she was wrong and apologizes for it and says she's sorry," Williams said. Attempts to reach school PTA leaders Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.
I just love the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it bums me that Anthony Kiedis is at the video pushing the Obama-Kool Aid on this one - although I'm not suprised. (His line would be funny if it wasn't offered in the context of Obamania: "I pledge allegiance to the funk, to the united funk of funkadelica.")
Anyway, this isn't some fringe group trying to ram this crap down people's throats (what that freak Repsac3 would say). This is more hard-left ideological programming straight from the mainstream Democratic Party establishment - and it is not okay.
See also Michelle Malkin, "'I Pledge to Be of Service to Barack Obama'," and "Obama’s Classroom Campaign: No Junior Lobbyist Left Behind." (Via Memeorandum.)
For the benefit of the historically illiterate Obama supporters we are no doubt going to be hearing from, all members of the Wehrmacht were required to swear an oath of loyalty.
ReplyDeleteThis oath was not sworn to Germany itself, its "constitution," or even the German people-it was sworn to Adolf Hitler.
Just sayin.'
-Dave
"Showing the video in a public school is completely inappropriate," said Jennifer Cieslewicz, whose daughter is a first-grader at the school. "I don't believe a video such as this that promotes certain values should be shown to elementary students, especially without parents being aware. "
ReplyDeleteThen get your kid the hell out of that government school.
-Dave
Awful. Absolutely awful. Do you see what they do? That principal didn't even THINK before she did it - but guess what? It's done. Those kids saw it, too late.
ReplyDeleteI spoke with my kids' principal today to inquire as to whether they were going to be showing Obama's speech to the kids. I told her that I had some concerns about it (I know it's not the same video as that horrible advertisement in your post - but I think it's bad enough...) and let her know that I didn't want my kids to have any part of it. I followed up with an email to her listing out some of my concerns. I posted it on my blog. I heard back from her later - they are not showing the speech.
In the first few chapters of his wonderful book, Liberal Fascism, Jonah Goldberg goes into much detail as to the Italian Blackshirt Brigades in the '20s marching on Rome and pledging their personal loyalty to Benito Mussolini.
ReplyDeleteLike Marx said, what goes around, comes around, only the Liberal Fascists nowadays forget they're fascists and stress the "liberal" part.
Just a marketing ploy, but the same old totalitarian personalism that banana republic caciques employ throughout the Southern Half of the Western Hemisphere.
Now Chiquita Obama is trying to move the caudillo politics of Latinos into the Anglosphere part of North America!!
I that freak Repsac3 would say
ReplyDeleteAll your freak are belong to Dr Don. (Obviously.)
No, it wasn't appropriate for elementary school kids, but with a few (3? 4?) exceptions, there aren't that many controversial or politically partisan suggestions in there for anyone over the age of 15 or so.
Besides, it's about defining your own goals. You don't approve of stem cell use? Fine. Don't make that pledge. Instead, pledge to do what you can to see that adult cells or placental cells become the medical standard. Or pledge to be of service to this country doing whatever it is you believe really needs doing. Get people back to church. Collect toys for kids in the hospital. Check in on the cranky old guy down the block. Hell, even finding a few politically apathetic Americans and getting them involved in the process--even on the wingnut side--would be a step in the right direction.
If you hate all service except military service, join up, or make sure that all the kids you run across in your life understand the value of doing so.
Or if you prefer, just keep bitchin' about those who ARE doing something they believe will make this country a better place, and continue cowering behind your keyboards in mortal fear of everyone and anyone who doesn't share your peculiar political & social views. For some of you (and you more'n'likely know who you are), Glenn Beck-style paranoia about fascism & naziism suits you, and no one expects anything more than that from you.
In any case, the choice is yours.
Thanks for the link, Dr Douglas, even though it was pretty meaningless, both verbally (I what?), and to the point of your post, such as it was. (You really did miss me, didn't you? I comment on one post yesterday, after ignoring you & yours for the last few months, and you're already baiting me with gratuitous and unnecessary links to my blog.)
Donald,
ReplyDeleteDon't you realize that you need to STFU and STFD because old Reppy is your better and so understands things that he even knows what you are thinking.
Military service is a function of the federal government. Most other service needs to be outside the realm of government precisely because government abuse power so easily as demonstrated by history.
We the people will determine what service is appropriate, not the president of the United States.
Never liked the Czars when they were first used and think they have far exceeded their use now. A rather neat way to bypass Congress and have no oversight of unelected power sources in the Executive branch answerable to no countervailing force.
Let me pull a Reppy here and state that he just loves Czars because it fits with his political philosophy. Those damn old people and people in flyover country just do not know what is good for them. We need Reppy and his ilk to show us the way NOT.
Gosh this is fun acting the better. I have to say I just love it when Reppy is mad because the curtain begins to fall and you see the real person behind the facade.
Reppy you can now tell me what I think and what an awful person I must be seeing that you know all there is to know about everyone who might disagree with you. As if i really care about Reppy's opinion.
Repsac - the speech is only being recommended for grades K-6.
ReplyDeleteDennis: I've no idea what you're on about, but I never said or suggested I could read anyone's mind, and your thinkin' otherwise is pretty silly. To the extent that I know what some folks here might say in future, it's based on their saying it in the past, in their own words, pecked out with their own fingers.
ReplyDelete"We the people will determine what service is appropriate"
Yeah, that's what I said too (& also what Obama said in the speech, if you listened), when I said "it's about defining your own goals."
"I just love it when Reppy is mad"
Sorry to disappoint there, Dennis, but "Reppy" wasn't the least bit mad when he made his previous comment. He's having a pretty good day in general, and reading/commenting on one of Donald's screeds makes me feel a little bad for he & his minions, but pretty happy not to have so miserable a life as to feel the need to be on constant attack like he is. (judging by his past writing, not by reading his tea leaves, or whatever.)
Czars? I always thought it was a pretty stupid term to use here in America, no matter which party's president was doing so. Like you (again, this is based on what you wrote, and not those "mind reading abilities" you ascribe to me), I prefer officials over which we have congressional or electoral oversight. Good try, though...
Grizzly Mama: I didn't say a word about the speech Obama's going to give to kids. I was only talking about the "service" video that Dr Douglas' post was discussing.
That said, I'm not all that worried about his talking to kids. Whatever you think of the guy politically, he is the President, and like it or not, he is a role model that kids look up to. I had no issue when Bush 41 spoke to school kids in a very similar address back in '91, and I have no issue now.
If (or, for the benefit of some here "when") Obama says something you don't like in the speech to the kids, complain. But preemptively bitching about what he might say seems a bit over the top, to me, anyway.
Of course, as a parent, you have every right to protect your kids from whatever you think are bad influences, so by all means shield them from Obama if you think it's necessary.
My view is, as long as it's not needlessly sexual or violent beyond their years (which is pretty unlikely, in this case), I say let 'em see it, and then add your own views as to why you don't agree. It's a big, diverse world, and one way or another, bad influences--including political/social/religious views with which you as a parent do not agree--are going to find your children. Better to teach them why they're wrong, so that THEY'LL guard themselves against them, rather than covering their eyes and ears, so that they're only exposed to your "good" views. To my way of thinkin' that's just askin' for trouble. Better to let 'em see what's out there, and to simultaneously teach them how to avoid temptation & stay on the straight & narrow.
Of course, your milage may vary, and God bless you & yours if it does.
What the hell is wrong with People? I'm sorry but how could any person with half a brian take umbridge with such a positive statement? Be aware of your place in the world and help others...clearly a bad message to expose our children to.
ReplyDeleteDo we teach our kids to respect police officers? Yes. Do we teach our kids to respect their teachers? Yes. Do we teach our children to respect the President whom ever that happens to be? Yes!
As much as I disagreed with the former President Bush, I still respected the man if only for the position that the people of the United States elected him to!
It just fills me with anger, that if this video had been released in the 80s and the bastian of consvertism Ronald Regan were the president refrenced then it would be regarded as a beautiful sentiment. I guess though that it probably wouldn't be recomending hope, love, and service...more likely it would have been recomending greed, homophobia, Zenophobia etc...
This would have been a wonderful video if the pledge had been to the United States of America. Who in the world does Obama think he is? The man is an absolute fool.
ReplyDeleteIn my post naming Obama a fool, I failed to name all the "stars". They too are fools.
ReplyDeleteSeig Heil! Seig Heil! Seig Heil!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteIn my post naming Obama a fool, I failed to name all the "stars". They too are fools.
September 3, 2009 2:34 PM
Anonymous said...
Seig Heil! Seig Heil! Seig Heil!
September 3, 2009 3:30 PM
Dude, Seriously?
Grow up.
@Dave: I couldn't agree more.
Interesting: One was "I pledge to be a voice for those that have none" ... except for the unheard voice of the unborn where I will champion their tortue in the womb by abortionists, from their conception until they're dragged from the womb in partial birth abortions. I pledge to slice them up and suck them out of the womb. I pledge never to hear their cries. I pledge to throw their dismembered bodies in the trash. I pledge, I pledge...
ReplyDeleteIt's great that they're pledging to end slavery.
ReplyDeleteWhat in the world are they talking about?
I have pledged to put an end to using 8-Track tapes.
So, what's the big deal? I worked for a public school district in CA and the Superintendent made all us administrators swear a loyality oath to him.
ReplyDeleteInstead of focusing on the negative parts of the video, what I saw was people making pledges to do things that will help our environment in some small way, practice acts of kindness, and cultivate peace in our country. Yes, those messages could have been conveyed differently, but I think those are basic wishes that any political party would desire for our country. I believe so many people read WAY into things sometimes and take them WAY to literally. Obama is our President now, and he was handed a very messy plate when he took office. Let's all just hope he "shows up" and does some cleaning. At least he's trying. EVERY president has had their failures - NO President has ever been able to make the entire country equally happy. At least in my generation. If anyone thinks they can do better, then clean up your act and run for office!
ReplyDeleteI pledge...to never vote democratic
ReplyDeleteYou people are batshit insane.
ReplyDelete