I got these letters to the Editor from my local newspaper. And you can see a common theme is being portrayed. While many of these letters do not actually say the exact phrase, they imply that the neocons are disrespecting the Presidency in not wanting school children to hear the Presidents message.

It seems that the neocons over reacted to the Presidents message before actually hearing it. They got emotional like neocons like to do, and cried out that the President was trying to indoctrinate our young.

Personally you should be crying about more important things, like for instance Obama's health care program. Leave his message to the children to stay in school were it belongs, in the schools. This is one case where the neocons got emotional and cried wolf, over something so innocent. Do that often enough and people will not listen to the neocons, oh that is right, no one does now-a-days.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/letters/story/900175.html
Letters to the Editor: Obama's speech to schoolchildren
- Idaho Statesman
Published: 09/15/09
Show respect for the office
When I was a kid in the '50s, we would listen to every word Ike said. He was president. We listened to Kennedy; he was president. We might have been disappointed in Carter, but he was respected. He was president. Reagan was president, and my kids heard him in school. I didn't agree with him much, but he was president. Bushes I and II spoke to classrooms, and no one objected. They were presidents. Obama addressed our children and there was an uproar. But isn't he president? Or is it because he is a black president?
Come on, people. You don't have to like Obama, but respect the office of the presidency. He wants to keep your kids in school, not brainwash them. We are going to lose this great country of ours if people don't quit the hyperbole and work together. Quit listening to talk radio and think for yourselves. Aren't we all Americans?
BILLY BAIR, Boise
Don't listen to extremists
There is a certain faction in this country - aka the extreme right (religious and not so religious) - that will do or say anything to discredit the president. To deny schoolchildren the opportunity of hearing an inspirational speech from the president of the United States is to do them a huge injustice. I cannot believe there are some parents and school districts in this state who believed that the motivation for the speech was political.
We all need to stop listening to these extremists and examine the issues ourselves.
PAT DUNCAN, Nampa
Why were people afraid?
Since when has a president speaking to schoolchildren become such a controversial issue? Many former presidents have spoken to schoolchildren, and it was business as usual.
What were people afraid of? Perhaps they were concerned that the president's message to stay in school and take responsibility for oneself will actually come to fruition?
The comments heard on talk radio were spun into the notion that the president was somehow going to "indoctrinate" any children listening. Nonsense!
Maybe we should be more concerned about our children losing their lives in the endless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq instead of a positive message from our president.
This leaves me baffled.
EVE PALMER, Boise
A missed opportunity
I sit here pondering how I can explain my shock and dismay at learning that some school districts did not allow the president's message to be viewed by students or allowed parents to keep their children from seeing the broadcast. Other folks encouraged parents to keep their children home the day of the broadcast.
How sad and needless. President Obama is not the first United States president to address children in school. I do not recall any such uproar and dismay expressed when previous presidents spoke to the children of America. What a missed opportunity to display courtesy and respect for democracy and the office of president of the United States. What a missed opportunity to encourage discussion of the merits of the president's presentation and ideas.
The only ones I know who used his presentation politically are those who seem unable to listen with respect to others' viewpoints.
MARYEVELYN SMITH, Boise
There's no hidden agenda
President Obama delivered a "Back to School" speech Sept. 7 to children all across the country. He talked about the importance of a good education, encouraged kids to not give up on themselves, and reminded them that they are responsible for their own success. He also told children that there is no excuse for not doing their homework and to always do their best. These are important messages that children need to hear. Kids need to hear these messages from their parents, teachers, principals, community leaders, and even from their president.
Barack Obama is an excellent example of what hard work and dedication to your studies can help you accomplish. There was no hidden agenda in his message. The president simply wanted to inspire and encourage our children. With so few positive role models for our kids today, I don't understand why parents would be alarmed and upset that our nation's leader wanted to talk to our kids about doing well in school. What's political about that?
KELLEY TAGG, Boise
Why are people paranoid?
I agree with Jim Weatherby that people responding negatively to the talk by President Obama to students "speaks volumes about the highly polarized political climate and lack of respect for the office of president" ("Obama address to students irks some parents," Sept. 4).
My first question to those who don't think their children should be subjected to listening to the president of the United States is: From where is this paranoia coming? My second question to them is: Do you know the driving force of your paranoia source(s)?
In my view, they are victims of a growing group of individuals whose sole purpose is to frighten U.S. citizens to act in ways that divert attention from the real problems facing our nation. Time after time, actions and reactions of people continue to convince me that there is very little common sense left among many individuals who walk among us. This negative reaction to an address to students by the president is a phenomenon that strongly reinforces my belief.
EVEE KILER, Boise
I'm disappointed in Idaho
I am appalled that my high school freshman was not allowed to watch President Obama's speech about staying in school and working and studying hard. When did we begin censoring presidential speeches? I can't even imagine the uproar that would occur in Idaho if anyone suggested that a speech by President Bush should be "filtered" for appropriateness before children could hear it.
I am gravely disappointed in Idaho schools and Idaho parents and the culture of fear that is permeating the great state of Idaho.
LORI FASCILLA, Boise
Option sent wrong message
Allowing parents to opt out of the president's speech to school kids caters to the lowest base. It is unpatriotic and is teaching kids that the president is "bad" and should be censored like X-rated programs. What a rotten decision!
Let those parents dissent, but the schools should have done the right thing and had all the kids listen. If parents want censorship, let them home-school their kids. Then they can control the total environment.
EUGENE SEDLEWICZ, Boise
Respect even if you disagree
This is regarding the article in the Sept. 4 paper concerning our United States president's address to our country's students. I was appalled to think that our elected president would be chastised to that degree for wanting to inform our youth how important their education and their participation in it is to their success in life. Comparing his speech to "the indoctrination of Hitler's youth" is absolutely obscene! We do not always agree with our president, and other leaders as well, but we were taught to respect them!
I would be delighted if everyone my grandchildren come in contact with would encourage them about education. Children should learn this first from their parents, along with honesty, integrity, good citizenship, patriotism, loyalty, compassion and care for others, sound morals and values, love for God and country, and respect for themselves, for our leaders, for their elders, for our environment, etc.
By the way, where were these "irked parents" when Madalyn Murray O'Hair managed to take God out of our schools?
BEVERLY TAYLOR-WEATHERSPOON, Meridian

I can't speak for everyone, but personally the only problem I ever had with any of it was the curriculum suggestion to have kids write "what they do could do to help the president."  That was eventually removed.  I thought Obama's speech was a good one.  The only problem I had with it was the length.

 

Did you lefties show respect for the office when GW was the POTUS........NO

********************************************

"Coincidence is a God scheduled opportunity."
Scott Hamilton

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." --Robert Schuller

Did you lefties show respect for the office when GW was the POTUS........NO

******************************************************

Actually, I did.  Had I been a Representative, I would never have engaged in the sort of lowbrow "shoutout" that Joe
Wilson did.  [I did denigrate his policies, and I suspect I said some questionable things... but, when MoveOn had that contest where somebody portrayed Bush as Hitler, I condemned it, and they pulled that down within minutes of it being posted... please contrast that with what you tolerate regarding how President Obama is being portrayed publically]

Totally low class.

Jim..

What Joe did was wrong and he realized it right away and apologized to the president.

I can easily forgive someone like him because it was a spontaeous remark blurted out because of the passion he had on the topic.  The language in the bill may say illegals will not be covered, but as Joe has since stated, he had just been in committee meetings where Dems would not agree to any enforcement of the language.  Without enforcement, the words have no value.

 

Oh, like the respect that you neocons gave Clinton? you neocons was all over Clinton since he was elected.

Now in the case of Bush, in some cases respect has to be earned. Unfortunetly Bush had lost his respect early on. For example his so-called "Free Speech Zone". Not only did that gather up all of the moonbats, but it also caught up a few of his supporters who disagreed with one of his issues. When you prevent one of your own from seeing you during a personal visit with the public, you loose your right for respect quickly.

Since you weren't the original poster that question wasn't directed at you Jim; you tend to forget not everything is about you.

********************************************

"Coincidence is a God scheduled opportunity."
Scott Hamilton

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." --Robert Schuller

That's a pretty poor excuse fisc.

The point is if you haven't respected the office of previous adminastrations, regardless of party, then you have no right to demand it of others.

BTW I'm not a neocon...but I don't expect you to accept that fact, you'll continue with your false premise......it makes it easier for you to live with your unfounded hatred of anybody that doesn't fall inline with your political philosophy.

********************************************

"Coincidence is a God scheduled opportunity."
Scott Hamilton

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." --Robert Schuller

No it was not a poor excuse, in that Bush showed poor judgement on our right to assemble as well as freedom of speech. Both are Constitutional rights that Bush disregarded. Now I could go into a whole laundry list of examples on how Bush disregarded our Constitutional rights. But I will this time do what Jim likes to do and say that I have aired this laundry list many times before.

The point is if you haven't respected the office of previous adminastrations, regardless of party, then you have no right to demand it of others.

Then you neocons had no right to demand respect for DUHbya, since all of you were top rate Clinton bashers.

Also like I said in different words at the start of this thread that showing respect does not mean you have to agree with this President's policies. In fact when you disagree with our POTUS's Policies, pointing out your disagreement is the very patriotic thing to do.

Something that AB and Gus needs to learn. You can show your respect without agreeing with his policies.

 got these letters to the Editor from my local newspaper. And you can see a common theme is being portrayed. While many of these letters do not actually say the exact phrase, they imply that the neocons are disrespecting the Presidency in not wanting school children to hear the Presidents message. 

 If he feels it is disrepectful, it makes me wonder even more who he thinks he is......that he thinks questions are disrespectful to him.
That is not disrespect,  That is letting him know we still control our children and our families, and that he is crossing the line. 

 IT WAS extremely disrespectful to be called a liar.  That was unquestionable. 

~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~

Just as it was for BO to be pointing fingers and calling those who disagree with his healthcare reform liars.

It works both ways......if he wants to be shown respect he needs to show respect.

********************************************

"Coincidence is a God scheduled opportunity."
Scott Hamilton

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." --Robert Schuller

And Janie pulls another of her fantasies out of the hat by saying: "Then you neocons had no right to demand respect for DUHbya, since all of you were top rate Clinton bashers."


I paid little if any attention to President Clinton or his First Lady (other than the fact that she openly lied when discussing the senior partners' role in billing) and I supported his move into Kosovo, only "bashing" him when it lasted more than a year, as he promised. Otherwise, this "neocon." as Janie has referred to me more than once, did not do any "bashing" of President Clinton.

I did, however, refer to Hillary Clinton as "thunder thighs" which anyone in his right mind would not call "bashing" but "calling a spade a spade!" LOL




Take care.
Blessed Be.
Alice

"Politicians are like diapers. They should be changed frequently and for the same reason." From the movie, "Man of the Year"

....I wasn't talking to you, Alice.

Alice has the right to respond to any posts she wants too.

You demand that right for yourself so you are required, by all that is fair and decent, to give that same right to everyone.

********************************************

"Coincidence is a God scheduled opportunity."
Scott Hamilton

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." --Robert Schuller

Jo you say Aice had the right to respond to any post she wanted to and yet you just criticized Jim for responding to another poster on the grounds that the question wasn't aimed at him. You've been accused of "stalking" many times and now I'm beginning to believe it!

I am a Bushbasher and I always will be .  I hold that position because in 2000 I expected the Rep party with which I was registered to nominate a qualified candidate,  but they nominated the totally incompetent GWB and then a court gave him the election and we had eight years of incompetence.

Having said that,  if I were in a audience and GWB was speaking I would not shout out "liar".

Whenever I read that he was addressing school children I never even thought about that he might be trying to indoctrinate them with some slanted poltical agenda.

If the children had been asked "How can I help my president"  I would not see anything wrong with that.

The same crowd that thought it was okay to include a curriculum assignment for kids to write how they could help Obama, are the same ones to object to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Go figure.

 

Does showing respect mean that you must agree? Does it mean that if you don't agree, you just keep silent? Is that what the Democrats did in the Bush State of the Union message?

=================================

Glenn Beck hates 9/11 survivors. Shocking as Glenn Beck claimed that he hates 9/11 survivors. The Fox news personality and media clown has always been an outrageous demagogue, a pied piper to the illiterate, unwashed masses that make up the Fox news audience. Michael Stone,Examoner.com

The same people never give up with the false information.

Carolyn.

There was no "curriculum" There was no assignment. There was a suggested list of follow up questions. That is all.

Now

Who is "the same crowd" who is objecting to the pledge of allegiance?   I must have missed that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children are not poltical pawns.

The same crowd that thought it was okay to include a curriculum assignment for kids to write how they could help Obama, are the same ones to object to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Go figure.

The list of possible questions (curriculum) did not say "how they could help Obama" it said "how they could help the president" IMO Big difference. IMO to state that the wording was "Obama" when it clearly did not say "Obama" is a lie.  

For the record, the people who are against forcing young children to say "The pledge of allegiance" were clearly stating they did not want children to be forced to repeat daily the "newer" pledge that includes "under God." That is seen as a separation of Church and State issue. Also note that there are Christians who stand firmly against forcing children to parrot "The Pledge of Allegiance" as they believe that the pledge goes against the teachings of Jesus Christ and against God.

Yes, the Department of Education removed a lesson plan that involved students writing a paper on how they could help the president.

If kids don't want to recite the pledge, show them this video and follow up with 5 minutes of silence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPbIls0iOnI

 

If kids don't want to recite the pledge, show them this video and follow up with 5 minutes of silence.

It isn't the kids, it's the adults (Christian) who don't want their children forced into reciting a pledge to a flag or a Nation and for other adults (non-Christian) they don't want their children to be put into a situation where they are forced to recite a pledge that includes "under God." I'm sure you are aware of the fact that the pledge as originally written did not include the part, "Under God." Why not remove the "Under God" and put the pledge back as it was originally written?

 

Yes, the Department of Education removed a lesson plan that involved students writing a paper on how they could help the president.

**********************

How exactly would that be a bad thing?

Jim...

 got these letters to the Editor from my local newspaper. And you can see a common theme is being portrayed. While many of these letters do not actually say the exact phrase, they imply that the neocons are disrespecting the Presidency in not wanting school children to hear the Presidents message.

Respect is a two way street....maybe the "NEOCONS" are just not feelin' the love...ever think of that?

It seems that the neocons over reacted to the Presidents message before actually hearing it. They got emotional like neocons like to do, and cried out that the President was trying to indoctrinate our young.

Once again, (after this has been explained like TWO HUNDRED TIMES) **sigh**  all anyone asked for was a preview of what it said...nothing that would have been giving away state secrets...

Personally you should be crying about more important things, like for instance Obama's health care program. L

OMG give me a friggin break!!!  Are you serious?   Or would you like to save that for the "why do they not want health care thread"?????bwwaahhhhhaaaa.

eave his message to the children to stay in school were it belongs, in the schools. This is one case where the neocons got emotional and cried wolf, over something so innocent. Do that often enough and people will not listen to the neocons, oh that is right, no one does now-a-days.

Crying wolf you say????  You mean like claiming racism when there is NONE???? THAT KIND of wolf?  The kind where doing it often enough will keep people from listening to the REAL thing???  yeah, okay

~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~

Once again, (after this has been explained like TWO HUNDRED TIMES) **sigh**  all anyone asked for was a preview of what it said...nothing that would have been giving away state secrets...

ummmmm no..........from the beginning you were screaming about the lesson plan, not the opportunity for pre screening which was made available. 

Once again, (after this has been explained like TWO HUNDRED TIMES) **sigh**  all anyone asked for was a preview of what it said...nothing that would have been giving away state secrets...

ummmmm no..........from the beginning you were screaming about the lesson plan, not the opportunity for pre screening which was made available. 

UMMMMMMMMM EXACTLY.  And you notice they pulled the pre-speech information.  Then they re-wrote the speech itself and released it one day before the 17 minute speech that was originally almost an hour....THEN they changed the AFTER speech worksheet that asked how they could help the president to write an essay on their OWN hopes and plans for staying in school and their future....WHY IS THAT? 


~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~

....PROOF for your silly allegations, sue.....or admit you just pulled that out of your ass.

.....or admit you just pulled that out of your ass.

Janie you are what I would pull out of my ass.

~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~

You sure have sunk even lower than pond scum lately sue....but then most Okies are inbred cretins like you.

It isn't the kids, it's the adults (Christian)

and you can email cj at

CJ@blamechristiansfirst.com

 

~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~

I am just curious if we have set a precedent. Has any other president been asked to have his speech pre-screened? Was the same demands placed on prior presidents to put forth before the American public a speech so innocuous to America's children that it has caused such a stir? Anyone? Is this a first?? I myself don't recall any other presidency having to do the same.

****************************************************
Repetition is the indicator that the insane and unenlightened have lost the argument

I am just curious if we have set a precedent. Has any other president been asked to have his speech pre-screened?

Yes and no.....  Unfortunately no other president has made it about themselves...and asked for questions about how the kids could best help the president.  They also made comments available before the speeches, and to my knowledge they were pre-recorded. 

AND...let's not forget that even when past presidents did give speeches to school kids, they were roundly criticized by the opposing party...that's life in the fast lane. 

~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~

UMMMMMMMMM EXACTLY.  And you notice they pulled the pre-speech information.  Then they re-wrote the speech itself and released it one day before the 17 minute speech that was originally almost an hour....THEN they changed the AFTER speech worksheet that asked how they could help the president to write an essay on their OWN hopes and plans for staying in school and their future....WHY IS THAT? 


for the 200th time. You are making that all up (or drinking FOXaid) The speech was planned for 15 to 18 min from day one. There never was any statement that anything in the speech was rewritten. There was no "after speech worksheet" There was a  list of suggested questions. They pulled only one question "How can you help the president?"

Why is that???/ Because idiot right wingers went as far as talking about boycots because they called it indoctrination.

.........and you were screaming "it's the lesson plans" from day one and now you are trying to say it was the need for a preview.   Any school knew they could preview simply by not showing it live, but showing it after they previewed as much as they wanted to.

..............and you thought it was perfectly fine for students to listen to Bush and a bunch of football players and businessmen without any preview at all.

for the 200th time. You are making that all up (or drinking FOXaid)

Sandee, give it up. She has had her mind made up for her. She will not listen to the facts for the facts do not represent the evil that she has been made to believe Obama is.