President Obama’s On TV! Hide the Children!

"What the right wing is fighting [...] is essentially "modernity" -- that complex of attitudes that might be defined most simply as the belief in the rational assessment, rather than established custom, for the evaluation of social change -- and what it seeks to defend is its fading dominance, exercised once through the institutions of small town America over the control of social change. But is precisely these established ways that a modernist America has been forced to call into question."

"The Dispossessed" by Daniel Bell, 1962

bob,, dont forget that the dems had such a problem with pres bush sr's school speech in 1991 to kids that they initiated an investigation by the then dem congress. they pounded their fists and ranted and railed.
try rereading your article and substituting conservative for liberal,,, and bush for clinton,,, beck for olberman,,, yadda yadda.

its all the same

Did the Democrats act like horses' asses over the Bush speech almost 20 years ago? Yes, it appears so. They were protesting the fact that Bush was willing to spend $26,000 to stage his speech, while at the same time he was actually cutting the education budget. A valid complaint, but not worthy of more wastefulness, i.e., an investigation.

That doesn't change the fact that the behavior of the right wing over yesterday's speech is deplorable and embarrassing for them. I feel sorry for their kids.

Good point Dave, and it makes me sad to admit that it is entirely true.

Though your point does not refute the thrust of Bob's commentary: That the far right (led by Fox News and Right wing radical politicians that are sadly the current Republican establishment) is leading this current nonsense.

We can argue about whether the Left ever cleaned up its act in/after 1991 (I believe there is good evidence on both sides of the argument), but it should be irrefutable that the Right needs to clean house now.

bob,, you dont think obama spent any money on his speech?

conservatives barely have a voice anymore since obama has the major networks and 99% of all news outlets in his pocket. you should be thankful for fox news so there is a voice for the other side.

Okay Dave, got it, you're one of the right wing crowd. no point in trying to have a discussion then, check. conversation over.

dave, I never said the administration didn't spend any money for President Obama's speech. But thanks for helping prove my point.

"Paranoia will destroy ya." ~Ray Davies

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." ~Mark Twain

By the way, dave, are you punctuationally challenged?

After a day of information warfare attacks on Obama by Fox and AM radio, the "mainstream" media jumped on this non-story last Thursday, not because it was justifiably news, but because the conflict builds ratings -- just like their coverage the crazy teabaggers, which ignoring the majority of those at health care town meetings who asked serious questions.
The ABC evening news made it the lead story last Thursday, citing a Colorado school district of 5,000 students that received 50 complaints about the upcoming Obama speech. That, ABC judged, was the most important story of the day -- the one percent of parents who gripe. And ABC never even mentioned the propaganda crap spouted all day long by Rush and Beck and Co.
I don't mean to argue that the far right wingnuts should not be covered, but some perspective would be welcome -- and more honest.
As it stands, about 20 percent of the population is shaping the national debate. Just look at health care reform and how the lies of the far right have shifted public sentiment.

bob and robert,, yes i a m punctuationally challenged.

but reread my comments,, then explain the hyperjump to both your petty comments and qoutes from davies and twain.

i think my comments were respectful,,, didnt attack anyone.

i think you in particular bob, dont like anyone commenting on the other side.

robert,,, how do you get to the " no point in trying comment" ????

I always expect comments from the other side, dave, and just to be clear, I do appreciate you taking the time to express your opinion.

I just don't like having words put in my mouth, as so often happens in the comments.

When you make a statement like "obama has the major networks and 99% of all news outlets in his pocket" without offering anything to back it up, that lets all the air out of your credibility. It's the kind of hyperbolic crap that they spew on hate, uh, I mean, talk radio all day long.

Flashback 1991: Gephardt Called Bush's Speech to Students 'Paid Political Advertising'

In fact, the House Majority leader at the time, Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), said "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students."

Hey Bob, imagine that, a Democrat who thinks the Department of Education shouldn't be a front operation for the President's PR department. WOW! Democratic "raging paranoia and delusional ranting"

Guess you missed that one.

Yeah, like I said above, I know about that episode from three presidents ago. Were people keeping their kids home from school so they wouldn't be exposed to the speech? I think nowadays the opposition is much more over the top, and it has less to do with partisan politics than it does with Republican fear-mongering.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Never heard of Democratic Fear Mongering (Ha, can you say Pelosi, the chicken little of the current crop).

It's the National Blood Sport passing for political debate these days, a plague on both their houses. Neither party is worthy of the rabid support each side's supporters give them.

Back off and get a new perspective and make them earn your support.

The outrage is in response to the original lesson plan (which has been since canned) that included among others:

Students in grades pre-K-6, should be encouraged to "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.”

These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.

Why not just sign them up as Acorn volunteers too?

I can't believe that NewWest ignored the actual argument in favor of their own straw man, because you never see that happen here...ever, really.

Seems the author wants to equate a bunch of talking heads who make their living improving their ratings among a small group of people to the leaders of Congress. Go there if you must, but at your own risk.

Not only did Rep. Ford (D) call for an investigation the liberals in Congress made White House staff come to hill to testify before their committees, but the GAO told them to back off everything was on the up and up.

YOU LIE!

Well, that certainly clears things up.

Perhaps the parents of the students in Rexburg, ID (who are schooled in Obama chants) would be more comfortable with Rush Limbaugh discussing the evils of the misuse of prescription drugs, Glen Beck speaking about the ills of alcoholism, or Rex Rammel promoting Obama hunting tags.

Funny how asking students what they could do for their country now is considered communist or socialist, yet one of the famous quotes of our previous leader, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country" is considered inspirational. Obama has made it NO SECRET that he is service driven and part of his agenda is to get us out into our communities giving back. Reach out, give each other a hand, make something better. It's been a long time since a president has had that kind of message. "W's" claim to fame was to have us all run out and spend our money at Walmart. Grand vision.

Is the United States a country anymore? I'm beginning to have my doubts.

I am perplexed that some are unable to recognize a distinction between asking students what they can do to help the president and asking what they can do to help the country.

The former presumes that all students are in perfect agreement with the president's policies and THAT is the crux of the matter. DISTINCTIONS MATTER!

bird you're being ridiculous. I don't care what you use, google, snopes, doesn't matter. They'll all tell you the same thing. there were a few words changed in one sentence. No biggy. You're trying to create a conspiracy where there was none, and your looking much too much like the birthers, tea baggers, etc. and quoting proven misinformation.

You're right Mitch, changing a few words here really is not a huge deal, distorting the argument to suit your needs is however. The left loves the straw man.

As a retired educator at all levels for over 30 years, I always felt that these kinds of speeches by politicians were most valuable for classroom discussion. The kinds of arguments presented in this thread should best be happening in schools, "umpired" by educators who show no bias one way or the other. It presents a wonderful teaching tool for use IN CLASSROOMS, and not here.

Sadly, our local Superintendent has stated that kids will not be "allowed" to see the speech until he checks it out for its appropriateness...whatever that means. [see "Banned Books", etc., etc.]. It MIGHT then be available for viewing by students PROVIDED THEIR PARENTS GIVE SIGNED PERMISSION.

All of this rhetoric does nothing to further the learning of democracy in our children. Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech? And perhaps we should think a bit about Voltaire's quote: "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Beau - "Freedom of Speech" is now being allowed to have time for a one way conversation in every classroom of America???? (Rush Limbaugh will love you)

What exactly do you teach???

ps - Side wager - wanna bet $100 bucks I can tell you who you voted for?

Watching paranoid nitwits protest Obama care and Obama speech to school kids reminds me that the human race isn't getting any smarter and makes me grateful that these obstructionist morons aren't running the country.

Dana...Perhaps you missed what I said. I did not advocate a "...one way conversation..." Quite the contrary. I suggested a multi-faceted DIALOGUE among the students on what the President of the United States had to say.

The one way conversation is exactly what this Superintendent advocated. His way or the highway. No discussion, no "exposure" to controversy, NO dialogue. "Educate" for a nation of sheep.

As for Rush, I think it would be just fine for him to address the students of America...once he's won that office that Barack Obama won.

[Bet a $1000 I can predict who you'll vote for when the next Republican ticket is RUSH/PALIN. [Please, please Lord, let that happen!]

Beau - I missed it, what did you say you taught?

My point, that you miss and possibly cannot comprehend, is that the classrooms of America do not need to be a PR and propaganda front for the powerful, even one you worship. This may not be the position of the NEA or your local teacher's union but morally, philosophically, politically it is the correct position. Especially Obama, Rush and Palin. (Bush, Chaney, Gore, Kerry, Franken, et. al and etc etc etc ad extreme nauseum)

ps- I am registered Libertarian "Free Minds, Free Markets" and will not be caught dead voting for any of the aforementioned, please send me a receipt for $1,100 for the donation to the Libertarian Party in my name for the two bets I won.

"Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide."

Yeah, Dana, we certainly can't have our kids being exposed to that kind of propaganda.

Congratulations on being a Libertarian. Who is your President?

Bob - You are aware of the DOE's plans prior to the protest putting them on ice. If you have or have had kids in school you must certainly know that Beau's "educators who show no bias one way or the other" is a fantasy (as evidenced by Beau's words themselves)

All of this is truly simple, a Presidential Speech is by it's very nature a PR event, warm feelings, great guy, etc etc (your own comment also) In a Democracy, with respect to the minority, the powerful should not be using our children in their political chess machinations (even warm fuzzy wonderful protest changed speeches) I am truly sorry you all can not understand this concept, for me it's foundational; the public square is where National Debates need to be, if the President wants to generate a public affairs message encouraging children (and this President's story is second to none in history) he should do so and send it to every school to use in a time, place and class as they choose. I personally think his message should be put out there, especially to children in difficult situations. But, having said that, he should not be allowed to do his messages in classrooms whenever he says, preempting whatever for his agenda is not compatible with a Democracy that respects the minority but is more in line with one that worships their King or obeys their dictator.

You, I and Beau (and all U.S. Citizens) do not worship a King nor bow to any Dictator and WE should not graze even on the sunniest part of that slippery slope.

My PRESIDENT, as well as yours (assuming you are a citizen of the United States of America), is Barack Obama, your point?

My point, Dana, the point of this entire blog, is that it's ludicrous that people are actually opposed to having the leader of our country address our children in the public school system even with an innocuous pep talk. It wasn't a National Debate, for crying out loud, it was a "study hard to get ahead" talk. The politics of fear and division are the enemy of this democracy.

My point is that it is truly sad that what was an exciting event a generation ago is twisted into some kind of nefarious political PR move by small but vocal fringe factions.

My point is that President Obama was elected by your countrymen in a free, democratic election. Of course you don't have to join his Facebook page or put up an Obama poster in your window. But this country has only one leader at a time. He is it. You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, but you should not paint everyone who voted for Obama with the same broad brush.

Finally, disagreeing with your concept or even finding it specious is not the same as not understanding it.

Hide the Kids!! The Socialist N-Bleep is on T.V.!!! Strap on your explosive vest and blow yourself up!! The infidels are coming!!

Nice bs speech, Nuff said.

56 iterations of “I”
* 19 iterations of “school”
* 10 iterations of “education”
* 8 iterations of “responsibility”
* 7 iterations of “country”
* 5 iterations each of “parents”, “teachers”
* 3 iterations of “nation”

The amount of totally misinformed and indoctrinated people in this Provincial Empire ruling over these Provinces is stifling to say the least, mechanisms of familiar schooling which cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a by-product of rote-memorization drills. We have been watching a demonstration of the harm the government controlled public school inflicts and it is quite rational and deliberate, following high level political theories constructed by Plato, Calvin, Spinoza, Fichte, Darwin, Wundt, and others, which contend the term "education" is meaningless because humanity is strictly limited by necessities of biology, psychology, and theology. The real function of pedagogy is to render the common population manageable. Realizing that goal demands the young be conditioned to rely upon experts, conditioned to remain divided from natural alliances, conditioned to accept disconnections from the experiences, which create self-reliance and independence, the very core fundamentals of the Founders intentions, Constitution, Bill Of Rights, and Declaration of Independence, quite the opposite has been instilled into today's populance via academia, grade schools through University's nation wide, the results are Marxism: The political and economic ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as developed into a system of thought that gives class struggle a primary role in leading society from bourgeois democracy under capitalism to a socialist society and thence to Communism. Communism: A theory or system of government in communal ownership as in goods and property are distributed for all, except those at the top who control the masses, the elites, who never surrender their own lust for true freedom yet they enforce Fascism: A philosophy or system of government that is marked by stringent social and economic control, a strong centralized government usually headed by a dictator, and often a policy of belligerent nationalism; oppressive or dictatorial control. Any anti thoughts to this communitarianism group think is looked upon as hatred. Unfortunately national suicide is always the final outcome. Welcome to serfdum.

Hey Bob - On a lighter note, loved your column on Mormons, Summer Vacation and Crochet and overall, you may be surprised to hear, your writing style is an easy read.

How DARE the president spread a socialist message via a totally NON-socialist government run organization called the American public school syste...oh, wait a minute.

What makes this country so great is we have the freedom to act "stupidly". That's right folks, you have the right to say, act or look "stupidly" infront of our peers. Don't believe me, just ask Bob. Bob is Missoula's resident opinion writer and you can't argue with Bob's opinion because it's Bob's opinion. If the opinion is short on fact and long on opinion, how do you argue with that? It's Bob's opinion; it is the world according to Bob.

Bob sucks you in with a catchy title, the attention getter (Speech 101), then beats you about the head and shoulders with his latest rant. Once in awhile Bob does get off a good one. but most of the time it is just another subject Bob wants to rant about in that special Bob way.

As far as President Oboma's school speech goes I'll leave it to the experts of his audience:

"I like that he talked about some of the struggles he went through when he was younger, just like many of us," said Brandon Walker, 17 a junior.

My parents don't have a problem and I don't care either," said sophomore Seth Fowler, 15 "I'm just not interested in politics"

There was no question that sophomore Erin O'Grady, 15 would opt out. As soon as she walked into Pelaez-Perez's room she asked to leave. "I don't think we should be required to watch anything," Erin said. "I didn't talk to my parents about it and don't think they care one wat or the other. I just don't want to have to do something."

Paige Napier, 16, said she iddn't understand why there was so much controversy. "He said pretty much the same things I've heard from counselors, teachers and my parents," the junior said.

There you have it folks the opinions of those who should know. I wouldn't argue with them anymore than I would argu with Bob.

So at the end of the day, humans fight about public policy because politics is war by other means, and humans were born to squabble and fight, with conviction and passion occasionally based on evidence, but most of the time making stuff up to selectively support their feelings while ignoring real evidence.

Garcia,

You're one of the best at ignoring real evidence and making stuff up or using policy made up by others while selectively supporting your feelings while ignoring real evidence because you are glued to surface policy's while continually ignoring underlying causes behind those policy's.

I am rubber. You are glue. Everything that you say bounces back to you.

what about the glue part?

That would be the cognitive dissonance part, glued to two party lines filled with lies, liberal or conservative demo-repubs and party blindness syndrome. Don't look beyond your puppets ever, and continue the stupid in fighting over a broken financially-morally bankrupt political system.