this rebellion against Obama's speech is one of the silliest things I've heard of in this silly season. There's probably a lot of covert racism behind it. (Duh.)
On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 6:09 AM, c b<[email protected]> wrote: > Obama speech to students sparks new controversy > > By LIBBY QUAID and LINDA STEWART BALL, Associated Press Writers Libby > Quaid And Linda Stewart Ball, Associated Press Writers 2 hrs 4 mins > ago > > DALLAS – When kids all across the country return to school Tuesday, > some will see a welcoming message from President Barack Obama and some > won't. > > Obama's planned address to students has touched off yet another > confrontation with Republican critics, who have battered the White > House over health care and now accuse the president of foisting a > political agenda on children. > > The president will speak directly to students Tuesday about the need > to work hard and stay in school. His address will be shown live on the > White House Web site and on C-SPAN at noon EDT, a time when classrooms > across the country will be able to tune in. > > Schools don't have to show it. But districts across the country have > been inundated with phone calls from parents and are struggling to > address the controversy that broke out after Education Secretary Arne > Duncan sent a letter to principals urging schools to tune in. > > Districts in states including Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, > Virginia and Wisconsin have decided not to show the speech to > students. Others are still thinking it over or are letting parents > have their kids opt out. > > Some conservatives, driven by radio pundits and bloggers, are urging > schools and parents to boycott the address. They say Obama is using > the opportunity to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the > boundaries of federal involvement in schools. > > "As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education — it gives the > appearance of creating a cult of personality," said Oklahoma > Republican state Sen. Steve Russell. "This is something you'd expect > to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq." > > Arizona state schools superintendent Tom Horne, a Republican, said > lesson plans for teachers created by Obama's Education Department > "call for a worshipful rather than critical approach." > > The White House plans to release the speech online Monday so parents > can read it. The president will deliver the speech at Wakefield High > School in Arlington, Va. > > "I think it's really unfortunate that politics has been brought into > this," White House deputy policy director Heather Higginbottom said in > an interview with The Associated Press. > > "It's simply a plea to students to really take their learning > seriously. Find out what they're good at. Set goals. And take the > school year seriously." > > She noted that President George H.W. Bush made a similar address to > schools in 1991. Like Obama, Bush drew criticism, with Democrats > accusing the Republican president of making the event into a campaign > commercial. > > Critics are particularly upset about lesson plans the administration > created to accompany the speech. The lesson plans, available online, > originally recommended having students "write letters to themselves > about what they can do to help the president." > > The White House revised the plans Wednesday to say students could > "write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their > short-term and long-term education goals." > > "That was inartfully worded, and we corrected it," Higginbottom said. > > In the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, the 54,000-student school > district is not showing the 15- to 20-minute address but will make the > video available later. > > PTA council president Cara Mendelsohn said Obama is "cutting out the > parent" by speaking to kids during school hours. > > "Why can't a parent be watching this with their kid in the evening?" > Mendelsohn said. "Because that's what makes a powerful statement, when > a parent is sitting there saying, 'This is what I dream for you. This > is what I want you to achieve.'" > > Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, said in an interview with the AP > that he's "certainly not going to advise anybody not to send their > kids to school that day." > > "Hearing the president speak is always a memorable moment," he said. > > But he also said he understood where the criticism was coming from. > > "Nobody seems to know what he's going to be talking about," Perry > said. "Why didn't he spend more time talking to the local districts > and superintendents, at least give them a heads-up about it?" > > Several other Texas districts have decided not to show the speech, > although the district in Houston is leaving the decision up to > individual school principals. In suburban Houston, the > Cypress-Fairbanks district planned to show the address and has had its > social studies teachers assemble a curriculum and activities for > students. > > In Wisconsin, the Green Bay school district decided not to show the > speech live and to let teachers decide individually whether to show it > later. > > Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer said in a statement he was "absolutely > appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President > Obama's socialist ideology." Despite his rhetoric, two of the larger > Florida districts, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough, plan to have classes > watch the speech. Students whose parents object will not have to > watch. > > The Minnesota Association of School Administrators is recommending > against disrupting the first day of school to show the speech, but > Minnesota's biggest teachers' union is urging schools to show it. > > Quincy, Ill., schools decided Thursday not to show the speech. > Superintendent Lonny Lemon said phone calls "hit like a load of > bricks" on Wednesday. > > One Idaho school superintendent, Murray Dalgleish of Council, urged > people not to rush to judgment. > > "Is the president dictating to these kids? I don't think so," > Dalgleish said. "He's trying to get out the same message we're trying > to get out, which is, `You are in charge of your education.'" > > ___ > > Libby Quaid reported from Washington. Associated Press writers April > Castro, Monica Rhor, Zinie Chen Sampson, Christine Armario, Jessie > Bonner, Scott Bauer, Tim Talley, Martiga Lohn, Tammy Webber and Alan > Zagier contributed to this report. > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Jim Devine / "laugh if you want to / really is kinda funny / cause the world is a car / and you're the crash test dummy" -- Devil Makes Three. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
