In what is an unprecedented and an illegal political move as mentioned in the previous article, President will bypass parents and directly target their children in an effort to implement his political agenda. Millions of parents are justifiably outraged. Federal law expressly forbids the Secretary of Education or any officer from exercising “any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system.” 20 U.S.C. § 3403. The Liberty Counsel says the President must cease this illegal activity.
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently sent a letter to school principals encouraging them to cease academic instruction and have classes tune in to a live speech Obama will give to children during school hours on Tuesday at noon. The Department of Education (DOE) has even provided lesson plans, sample activities and questions that teachers can use to promote the event. The letter encourages teachers to “build background knowledge about the president by reading books about Barack Obama.”
Although, due to the backlash as mentioned in the previous article, some of the most offensive language has been softened, students as young as kindergarten will, nonetheless, be asked: “Why is it important that we listen to the President?” and then, initially, were to be asked to write about “what they can do to help the president.” Their writings would later be used “to make students accountable to their goals.”
DOE Secretary Duncan is no moderate. He is a former Chicago politician who chose Kevin Jennings as Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Jennings was the founder of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network), a radical group that promotes forced acceptance of homosexuality and trans-sexuality in schools to children as young as five.
Liberty Counsel urges parents to demand that schools not participate. If the school allows Obama and the DOE to indoctrinate school children, parents ought to opt their children out of this illegal program.
Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “Obama has pushed his political agenda to the extreme by forcing himself on America’s children. Obama’s political agenda on healthcare and his expansive vision for government is being rejected by the American people. Now Obama is after our children, who, like some socialist members of Congress, have not read the healthcare bill. Americans do not appreciate the President’s attempt to use our children as political pawns in his game of chess. Mr. President, you must abide by the rule of law and stop this illegal activity. Our children do not belong to you.”
Comments
I heartily support this endeavor. In fact, I suggest those children "opt out" of every school day. That way they never have to worry about being exposed to the evils of science, gays, liberals, atheists or anything else that might taint their little minds. Then the people who actually want to learn can do so in peace.
It was brought up earlier, but you never answered, Jake: Reagan did the same thing. Will you denounce him too?
Good lord Jake, give it a rest! He's not messing with the curriculum, or the school at all. He's giving the students a message to work hard and stay in school. They can ignore him if they want!
Did you tell parents to pull their kids when Reagan did the same thing?
I refuse to keep my kids home from school, but if our school district hadn't stated they would not show the speech to my kids...I would have called the district. The adults in this see this for what this really is. And it's sad that a president, leader of our nation can't speak to the children of the US. But, it's politicized and sullied.
Guess it's that old double standard rearing it's nasty head again. People forget that back in 1991 George HW Bush spoke to the schoolkids. Dick Gebhardt objected strenuously to it. Gebhardt stated: “The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students. And the president should be doing more about education than saying, ‘Lights, camera, action.’ “
and I have a prediction: How many want to take a bet that the president has AGAIN revised his speech to make it come off as completely innocent, thus making those who objected to this look stupid and for an "I told you so" moment. He's already backpedaled at is. It'd be a smart move for his otherwise stupid PR idiot Robert Gibbs to advise him to make (unless he's still stupid). Unless his TOTUS fails him and he tells the kids what he really wants them to take home and tell their parents. Also wonder if he's going to tell kids that he doesn't like the "God" reference in the pledge of allegiance either.
Again, not only did Reagan do this, but he used the opportunity to tout the virtues of his economic policies.
previous presidents did not provide lesson plans asking questions like "how can you help the president?".
Is illegal in parentheses because it's not illegal?
And can anyone who has read the speech tell me how it forces a leftist political agenda?
There's also no questions like "How can you help the president?"
@Alex, read the article again. The first paragraph explains why it's illegal. The second paragraph explains what they did to make it illegal. BHO removed "How can you help the president?" under pressure. I believe the quotes around (illegal) are to highlight the fact that it is illegal.
The first paragraph seems to explain why if he exerted “any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum” would be illegal, but given that no one is, and schools are as free to watch this or not as we are any other speech or debate, I see no problem.
Please cite sources for where Obama removed "How can you help the president?" and to the reason.
@Alex; If you Google this: "obama removes part of his speech to school kids" you will find the first and fourth resuld give you that information.
sorry for the misspelling of "result" not supposed to be "resuld"!
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