Socialist School Speech?

rlrose328 · September 05, 2009, 04:59:27 AM

The conservatives are all up in arms about Obama's speech to the school kids on Tuesday, saying he's trying to indoctrinate kids with his socialist agenda.

I'm so sick of this country. I've really had it. Up. To. Here.

If it were Bush, they'd be bending over backwards to keep the liberals and Dems from stomping around with pitchforks. But let it be Obama... and a quote in there from someone saying she's scared for the way our country is right now. I'll be she's not even half as scared as I am... her and her ilk are out to destroy the freedoms we all enjoy.

Obama wants to do a "stay in school" message with a lesson that DID have kids write letters saying what they could do to help the president but that's what set the idiots off in the first place. The goal was to give the letters back to the kids later in the school year to see how they are meeting the goals they set. I remember doing something like that when I was a kid and no one batted a freakin' eyelash!!

So the president's staff apologized, said it was the wrong thing for them to do (!?!?!), and now, it's just a letter with their goals for the school year. But the damage is done. The conservatives are crying ANTICHRIST, saying he's trying to push his socialist agenda, brainwash the kids in school, never should this ever be done, the president should not be allowed to speak to impressionable minds.

I HATE THIS COUNTRY... or more appropriate, I HATE THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY. I've had it.

Whitney · September 05, 2009, 02:46:15 PM

Quote from: "rlrose328"never should this ever be done, the president should not be allowed to speak to impressionable minds.

While I was apparently a bit too young to remember, both Regan and Bush Sr. gave similar speeches to the school children and both speeches were aired to schools across the nation. It did not cause an uproar.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5738-Politica ... -addresses

and
[youtube:ye8j2ykp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQheP7Bp-zc[/youtube:ye8j2ykp]

Btw, Regan's speech DID include a political message.

For anyone that wants to learn more about the intent of Obama's speech visit: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html

Ultima22689 · September 05, 2009, 03:22:53 PM

Yeah, this doesn't apply to all conservatives and republicans but their anti-intellectual attitude, their us vs. them and definition of bipartisanship is terribly skewed and they're destroying the country like this. I too have become incredibly fed up with republicans as a party. The few conservative friends I know are great people and they see the stupidity in what their party and their majority is doing but it's not enough. The republicans have no realistic leader at the moment, or at least none that i'm aware of that might get elected come 2012. Despite being the "moral" party the way they slander the president is wrong, regardless of if they like him or not and I think part of it for a lot of them is racism. Come on, birthers? Really? Guns at presidential events that have nothing to do with the 2nd amendment? SERIOUSLY? People are carrying signs speaking of the liberty tree and while it's incredibly unlikely a state is talking about secession, I think the reason the republican party has become so counter productive to the country, like some sort of tumor or something is because the party is about to cease to exist as we know it. Not necessarily disappear but the republican party looks even more nuts every week. Is it even realistic to think the party might make a comeback by 2012?

I know I'm ranting now but it's even worse with their news. Has anyone ever tried watching Fox news for more than an hour without being filled with disgust? I know Keith Olberman is a douche through and through but compared to O'Reilly or Glenn Beck he's an angel. At least CNN and MSNBC don't blatantly doctor their news. I'm so sick of the right that I'm losing hope that this country will survive as we know it in the next 10 or 15 years because ever since I got to the south a year ago I've had several rocks thrown at me and been called terrible things dozens of times. Every time I've had a rock thrown at me there was a bush/cheney or McCain/palin sticker on the bumper followed by racial expletives, dirty hippie, socialist, god hater, you name it. The right has become so insane, illogical and for alot of them anti-logic has swept through them like a plague. Anytime one of them speaks out with a far more sane and reasonable voice, like Megan McCain she gets alienated by the party. It's nuts, they need more Megans to get all the crazies to shut up. I don't know what to say anymore, it's really hard to try to respect most of the right when they continue to say more blatantly backward things and demand more silliness.

Excuse the rant, i'm not a democrat btw, i'm an independent.

Reginus · September 05, 2009, 06:21:12 PM

Meh, one extra reason to move out of the U.S. sometime after I turn 18.

I personaly think CNN is the only news network that is politicaly balanced. MSNBC is liberal junk, but Fox is even worse.

Kylyssa · September 05, 2009, 07:40:29 PM

I remember the Reagan speeches. They were awesome! We got to watch television and write about the President and talk about his speech instead of doing classwork . I sincerely doubt it impacted my political views at all.

Kylyssa · September 05, 2009, 07:55:14 PM

I've read a couple of hundred comments on several articles about the Obama speech to be directed at America's youth. People are comparing the idea to Hitler youth. They are calling it brainwashing. They are keeping their kids home from school. They are claiming the speech will incite children to anti-conservative violence against schoolmates. They are terrified that the speech will turn their children into socialists - or Nazis. They are suggesting armed revolution! They are asking why Obama is giving a speech instead of solving the health care crisis, the national debt, and the economic problems of the nation during the time he's taking to give the speech.

Are they completely out of their minds? The suggested lesson to go with the speech doesn't include sleep deprivation, exposure to prolonged loud noises, dousings with icy water and withholding food. That would be brainwashing instructions. Instead it's suggestions such as writing a statement on "how you think you can help the President with the goal of keeping kids in school" and similar. It's not mandatory. It's not mandatory that the kids even watch it.

It's no more villainous than the Reagan speeches telling us to stay in school and stay off the weed.

rlrose328 · September 05, 2009, 09:03:16 PM

Yes, they ARE completely out of their minds... COMPLETELY. A few times I've mentioned this type of thing to my mom, she's like, "Well, what about what YOU PEOPLE did while BUSH was president?"

Well, I can tell you what we DIDN'T do... we didn't storm town hall meetings and disrupt their freedom of speech. We didn't threaten lawsuits if he spoke to our children. I KNOW we wouldn't have responded this way if the president just wanted to say "hey kids, school is important so leave off the drugs and stay in school." We never threatened an armed evolution.

We hated the president, yes. We spoke out against policies. We wrote songs and held sit-ins.

I'm nearly at the "just let them have the country until they destroy it" phase, even if I have to live in a hole somewhere else, at least I'll feel safe. I sure as HELL don't feel safe in this country. Not with the conservative religious whackos in this country.

Kylyssa · September 06, 2009, 02:24:34 AM

Quote from: "rlrose328"I'm nearly at the "just let them have the country until they destroy it" phase, even if I have to live in a hole somewhere else, at least I'll feel safe. I sure as HELL don't feel safe in this country. Not with the conservative religious whackos in this country.

Don't leave now, the whining, bitching, and screaming are signs that stuff is happening. If the neo-cons didn't think the winds of change were picking up they'd be quiet as mice.

Ultima22689 · September 06, 2009, 03:38:55 PM

Quote from: "Kylyssa"
Quote from: "rlrose328"I'm nearly at the "just let them have the country until they destroy it" phase, even if I have to live in a hole somewhere else, at least I'll feel safe. I sure as HELL don't feel safe in this country. Not with the conservative religious whackos in this country.

Don't leave now, the whining, bitching, and screaming are signs that stuff is happening. If the neo-cons didn't think the winds of change were picking up they'd be quiet as mice.

This is true, I'm considering GTFO as well however the nutjobs are loud for a reason.

Also, someone mentioned that MSNBC is just liberal junk, while they are definitely biased to the left do they doctor news or anything of the sort? Sure , the recommended dose is a healthy side of CNN and your own research but i've yet to find MSNBC do nothing but tell the truth. Keith is a douchenozzle but he seems to know what to say and what no to say opposed to his O'Reilly counterpart. I've never heard any reviews of the channel except from neo-cons who think Fox news is the best station so anyone want to offered a somewhat detailed analysis of MSNBC?

iNow · September 07, 2009, 03:34:04 PM

I think that perhaps one of the funniest things about this whole issue (or, perhaps the most illuminating of these peoples ignorance) is the fact that the public school system in the United States is a socialist system (as are our public highways, our water treatment plants and distribution, etc.).

andrewclunn · September 08, 2009, 06:23:47 PM

Might this thread have a bit of a left-leaning tinge to it? I would have an issue with my child being taught what morality is and that altruism is a virtue by the President, and I would think that those of the political left would have a problem with their children being taught political messages from President Reagan. As to Obama indoctrinating kids, I think this video says everything that I'd want to say.

[youtube:1mbw9dak]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtGrp5MbzAI[/youtube:1mbw9dak]

iNow · September 08, 2009, 08:16:35 PM

Quote from: "andrewclunn"I would have an issue with my child being taught what morality is and that altruism is a virtue by the President, and I would think that those of the political left would have a problem with their children being taught political messages from President Reagan.

Yeah, but that's not AT ALL what happened. It was basically, "Rah rah, try hard, do well in school kids. Work hard." And yet, people got all apoplectic. Give me a break. Talk about the hypocrisy.

In fact, I watched Reagan's 1988 speech to kids this morning on C-SPAN, and he was VERY political. I also watched George HW Bushs speech to children in 1991. Obamas speech today was nothing. He was stepping up in support of teachers, and trying motivate kids to do well. It's not unprecedented, and it was not some attempt "to spread his socialist agenda." Seriously. The stupid... It burns!

These conservative right wing people just hate the president, and it doesn't matter what he does. It's a witch burning mentality, and they lose all credibility. As for your video, be mad at the silly teachers who organized it, don't pretend this is some ploy by the administration.

andrewclunn · September 08, 2009, 08:24:54 PM

Quote from: "iNow"
Quote from: "andrewclunn"I would have an issue with my child being taught what morality is and that altruism is a virtue by the President, and I would think that those of the political left would have a problem with their children being taught political messages from President Reagan.
Yeah, but that's not AT ALL what happened. It was basically, "Rah rah, try hard, do well in school kids. Work hard." And yet, people got all apoplectic. Give me a break. Talk about the hypocrisy.

In fact, I watched Reagan's 1988 speech to kids this morning on C-SPAN, and he was VERY political. I also watched George HW Bushs speech to children in 1991. Obamas speech today was nothing. He was stepping up in support of teachers, and trying motivate kids to do well. It's not unprecedented, and it was not some attempt "to spread his socialist agenda." Seriously. The stupid... It burns!

These conservative right wing people just hate the president, and it doesn't matter what he does. It's a witch burning mentality, and they lose all credibility. As for your video, be mad at the silly teachers who organized it, don't pretend this is some ploy by the administration.

First of all, didn't I say that Liberals should have raised issues with Reagan's speech? And the biggest problem came from the stuff in the lesson plan that was to lead up to the speech. It's the same old argument from authority / poisoning the well that always happens. Sometimes 'right-wing' wackos talk out there ass. So when they have a legitimate criticism (like now) any media outlet that is left-leaning will attempt to discredit them by calling them 'right-wing' wackos (The same thing happens on the other side.) You need to look at each issue individually, and not get suckered in by any kind of heuristic that thinks that there are only two positions on an issue, or that one side is more reasonable than the other. And on this issue, the 'right-wing' was justified.

Arctonyx · September 08, 2009, 08:54:38 PM

Quote from: "andrewclunn"First of all, didn't I say that Liberals should have raised issues with Reagan's speech? And the biggest problem came from the stuff in the lesson plan that was to lead up to the speech. It's the same old argument from authority / poisoning the well that always happens. Sometimes 'right-wing' wackos talk out there ass. So when they have a legitimate criticism (like now) any media outlet that is left-leaning will attempt to discredit them by calling them 'right-wing' wackos (The same thing happens on the other side.) You need to look at each issue individually, and not get suckered in by any kind of heuristic that thinks that there are only two positions on an issue, or that one side is more reasonable than the other. And on this issue, the 'right-wing' was justified.

They attacked a speech with no political agenda for having a political agenda, by saying that it encouraged socialism and was used to further the 'Obamacare' plans, when it made no references to healthcare. Personally I wouldn't agree that having the president telling kids what to do is a good idea (I'm from the UK, guess it's just a different mentality here as no one would ever dare listen to Gordon Brown), but instead of basing their claims in rational reasoning they've jumped on the socialist and hitler-youth bandwagon. That's not justified or constructive, all they're doing by jumping on that bandwagon is drowning out the rational people who can make their point without arguments from adverse consequences.

andrewclunn · September 08, 2009, 09:01:44 PM

Who is this 'they?' I don't agree that Obama should be teaching children his politcial ideology (And I don't agree with him politically or philosophically either.) So I must be one of those 'they.' If you're going to judge any position by its representation on television media (especially in the US), then your view of political debates will be that of the KKK and "The Moral Majority" vs. unemployed hippies and Code Pink.

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Socialist School Speech?