PrintSeptember 8, 2009
Obama's school speech and the reaction.
Many journalists, politicians and regular folks have been whining about those "intolerant" parents who hate President Obama so much that they did not send their kids to school Tuesday in order to avoid the broadcast of the president's "historic" speech. Others bemoaned why those "reactionary" schools elsewhere, likely "stirred up by conservative commentators," did not show his 20 minute address at high noon eastern to their classes.
Unsurprisingly, these people missed the entire reason for the public uproar, even if that uproar was rather tepid by noon eastern when the president took the stage in Arlington, Virginia.
The speech itself -- its text, that is -- was not a huge deal. I could complain about a line or two, but mostly I found it fine and dandy: unmemorable, unnecessarily authoritative and riddled with ancient clichés like any pre-written speech penned by historically-challenged neophytes that The One reads from his teleprompter.
Indeed, the only Marxist line I found sneaked in was, "You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair..."
That's really all history is about, Mr. President?
But truly, those schools not showing Obama's speech (many in major cities are not yet even in session either), and those parents who don't wish their children to view it, are not hate-filled, intolerant or, as the left often says, "racist." Rather the idea of such an unprecedented speech was again redolent of more indoctrination of impressionable youths into the dreaded cult of personality. Other "great" orators were very adept at this, and our current Statist-in-Chief is hardly different.
As usual, Obama's narcissism has begun a bad precedent. Adding to the fire, as hotair.com pointed out, in the speech, he used an iteration of "I" 56 times.
Aren't our schools are bad enough as left-wing PC factories with error-laden textbooks? This will just continue disaster and, as importantly, wastes valuable time.
There's thus a reason, on the first day no less, many schools like one I know in South Carolina, opted out with fair reasons:
"The school is going to record it, and if segments or the entire speech correlate with our studies, we may use it in the future," the principal noted. "If we use it, I will communicate to you ahead of time, and your child will have the opportunity to opt out and have an alternate assignment. It will be airing on C-SPAN, and you may record it and watch it with your child when they come home from school."
No racism, no intolerance, no hatred. I read the same type of sound rationale from schools in Medina, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado, among others.
And it goes without saying in the world of Statist hypocrisy, when Bush the Elder spoke to students 18 years ago, panicked Democrats investigated and held hearings.
