Pres. Obama's speech to kids next week
I weighed in on a friend's FB page but decided to go longer since FB doesn't give you many characters so ...
Much brou-ha-ha over the planned speech to kids next week (Tuesday) that will be streamed over the internet and part of the day's curriculum for kids across the country.
I'll be quick to say I'm not happy about many policies, actions, etc. that the President is enacting or trying to get in place but ...
I don't understand the gnashing of teeth by conservatives over this.
First this: "The first President George Bush, a Republican, made a similar nationally broadcast speech from a Washington high school in 1991, urging students to study hard, avoid drugs and to ignore peers “who think it’s not cool to be smart.” Democrats in Congress accused him of using taxpayer money — $27,000 to produce the broadcast — for “paid political advertising.”" NY TIMES Sept. 3, 2009
Second: I went to the website where all the stuff is posted re the speech. Granted we can't know every word to be spoken yet but this seems like pretty tame stuff.
Third: Even if some of the fears are well-founded, I can't imagine Pres. Obama would be foolish enough to use the classroom bully-pulpit inappropriately when everyone in the country is on tenterhooks waiting for him to say the "S" word (and it doesn't have four letters!) or something equally bad.
Finally: just as I went to the website to read what my kids (I"ll have three who can watch) will be exposed to, I also plan to watch the speech. That way I won't be dependent on anyone else to tell me the horrible/wonderful things he said. If he steps over some imaginary line, I'll be able to talk with my kids about it and set them straight by golly! And if he plays nice, then I can still talk to them and see what it made them think.
I'd encourage others to do the same.
Much brou-ha-ha over the planned speech to kids next week (Tuesday) that will be streamed over the internet and part of the day's curriculum for kids across the country.
I'll be quick to say I'm not happy about many policies, actions, etc. that the President is enacting or trying to get in place but ...
I don't understand the gnashing of teeth by conservatives over this.
First this: "The first President George Bush, a Republican, made a similar nationally broadcast speech from a Washington high school in 1991, urging students to study hard, avoid drugs and to ignore peers “who think it’s not cool to be smart.” Democrats in Congress accused him of using taxpayer money — $27,000 to produce the broadcast — for “paid political advertising.”" NY TIMES Sept. 3, 2009
Second: I went to the website where all the stuff is posted re the speech. Granted we can't know every word to be spoken yet but this seems like pretty tame stuff.
Third: Even if some of the fears are well-founded, I can't imagine Pres. Obama would be foolish enough to use the classroom bully-pulpit inappropriately when everyone in the country is on tenterhooks waiting for him to say the "S" word (and it doesn't have four letters!) or something equally bad.
Finally: just as I went to the website to read what my kids (I"ll have three who can watch) will be exposed to, I also plan to watch the speech. That way I won't be dependent on anyone else to tell me the horrible/wonderful things he said. If he steps over some imaginary line, I'll be able to talk with my kids about it and set them straight by golly! And if he plays nice, then I can still talk to them and see what it made them think.
I'd encourage others to do the same.
Comments
Post a Comment