I think anytime you have a faction of people in a nation that wishes to effectively censor the President, you have much larger societal problems than not liking the President. If a parent wishes to take their kid out of school for this, then so be it. Good thing that in America we are free to be as stupid as we want to be. Anybody that takes their kid out of school because they would hear the President talk is a complete r****d. If a parent really cares that much about what the President is going to say, then they should probably spend enough time with their kids that their kids will be instilled with the values they hold dear. The problem is that we have so many parents these days that abdicate that responsibility in favor of acquiring more material goods. This really is not a difficult concept.
I suggest that the school should supply blindfolds and earplugs to all students who's parents are afraid of Obama-exposure. Problem solved.
p.s. I know your heart's in the right place on this, Ref. I just don't think that's ever appropriate even if I may have done it myself at some point (if I did, I regret it and apologize). Also, I'm Jewish for what that's worth.
I'm Jewish as well and can say that some of my hardline right-winged Israeli friends used this insane comparison as well. Needless to say, I can't talk politics with them anymore without wanting to hurt them physically.
Our local school Supt. apparently made the decision to not show the address a few days ago, but had the courage to wait until late Friday to make the announcement. So, if you want to protest the cancellation, you're out of luck because all the offices are closed until Tuesday morning. What a clever little tool we have as school superintendent.
I think he's responding to me posting that it's stupid to think the leader of one's own country would be engaged in brainwashing the citizenry. It's a fair point; I just think it's silly and lazy and inappropriate to use Hitler to make it. Especially with all the ridiculous Obama=Hitler stuff the r****ded right is peddling these days.
He's been good on this stupid flap since it started, so I really doubt he meant anything sinister by it. In other news, Perry and Hutchison have joined the ranks of the r****ded: Gov. Perry: "I hope schools will provide a suitable alternative for students not participating in this event. I also hope that this is not an indication of the federal government further encroaching on states' authority over education" [Austin American-Statesman, 9/3/09]. Sen. Hutchison: "I share the concerns of many parents about the President addressing schools in a way that leaves little choice for parents if the speech includes a political agenda. The original worksheet put out by the Department of Education raised this possibility and caused a legitimate public outcry" [Austin American-Statesman, 9/3/09].
I understand what he's saying. Batman made a general comment that's its dumb for parents to be afraid of "the President of their own country" poisoning their children's mind. But history abounds with examples of it, Hitler and Nazi Germany being a famous one. There's nothing wrong with being concerned over ideological propaganda poisoning a child's mind, and it could just as well come straight from elected officials as from talk radio or the television. But propaganda is also unavoidable, and children should be trained to think critically about what they hear, regardless of who/where it comes from.
I seriously apologize if my post offended you. I certainly mean nothing anti-Semitic, being that I was married to a Jewish woman for 4 years. I was making the point that history abounds with the leader of a nation poisoning the minds of the youth. As for the Obama=Hitler nonsense, those that are truly making those comparisons need to reserve those comparisons for a leader that send millions to concentration camps and rolls across Europe taking over everything. These are things that Obama has not and will not and does not want to do. Anybody who actually thinks that Obama is another Hitler needs to go visit a little place I like to call reality. It is ok to disagree with the President. It is decidedly not ok to assume that he is evil and the next antichrist.
