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AP Photo/Alex Brandon
A Utah elementary school principal is having to apologize to outraged parents for crossing a disturbing line and showing their children an Obama-worshipping indoctrination video in which celebrities pledge themselves to Barack Obama and his leftist agenda...
There is a widespread backlash over this. Somebody seriously needs to explain to Barack Obama that while this bizarre, cult-like dictator worship might go over well in places like Venezuela, in this country, it merely makes a politician seem hostile and tyrannical. Has this guy never met a single regular American? People find this kind of propagandistic intrusion into the educational system creepy, inappropriate, and offensive.
So the question is...
Comments
Your claim of "widespread backlash" over the Obama video and his upcoming address to the nation's students is hyperbolic. There has only been criticism from the likes of Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, and their devoted viewership/readership. The fears of political indoctrination and hidden agendas are a bit overblown, particularly since he'll only be speaking briefly about the importance of education and working diligently in the classroom.
This attempt to marginalize mainstream outrage and paint any acknowledgement of it as mere hyperbole (notably without any evidence whatsoever) ignores not only the engrained hostility the American people have to creepy big government intrusions,, but also the obvious reality that a similar video of conservatives pledging to serve Bush, for instance, would be met with far more indignant furor.
You decry a lack of evidence condemning your hyperbolic language (which, by the way, is difficult to refute--"widespread" would indicate a substantial amount of anger from coast to coast and not simply a story citing one tiny classroom in relatively conservative Utah) and then contend that the media would be up in arms if Bush did the same? That's merely speculation, albeit a tried and true straw man argument.
While the "celebrity pledge" video is pretty stupid, and I wouldn't let my kid watch it just cuz I don't want his IQ to drop; it doesn't mean that there isn't some decent intent behind it. It is so bad to think about what you as an individual can do to make the world a better place?
And just to be clear, all of the recent presidents, except Clinton, addressed school children at some point during their presidency. Where was the outrage over Reagan pushing his political agenda on school kids? mediamatters.org/blog/200909030020
The Dept. of Education's fact sheet & activities are awful and look a lot like indoctrination. If my kid's school was going to participate in those activities, I would pull him out of class. However, if they are only going to watch the address, and discuss staying in school and staying off drugs, reaching your goals, then fine. It's important to be a contributing citizen of this country and have respect for (if not agreement with) our leaders.
Don't you think the kids could get confused about the pledge to end slavery? Didn't the message about the Civil War get west of the Mississippi?
Pledge to serve Obama? This has a very cultlike feel and it scares me. The government's role is to serve the people and not the other way around.
Yeah,
The video gets a bit weird toward the end but it doesn't mean we are all being indoctrinated into communism for the love of God... ...Unless you live in the Glenn Beck Universe.
The text of the speech to students was released today. While it didn't have any references to healthcare reform or transitioning to green economy, it did have some insidious, liberal rhetoric about hard work and personal responsibility. Can't wait to see how Obama critics spin this one.
That is just plain creepy.
Ryan H,
What about the "homework" to be done by the students afterward? Conveniently leaving that out eh?
Why was this video removed?
It happened on You Tube's end. Fixed.
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