Make September 8 a Family Day! Stay Home from School! (Say NO to Obama)

[FrankRep]

Make September 8 a Family Day! (http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5307)


Linda Schrock Taylor | John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/)
02 September 2009


I wouldn't send my child to school on September 8, unless I had a strong death wish for America. On September 8, President Obama will be broadcasting a prepared speech to every school child, grades K-12, in America. On September 8, Obama the Change Agent begins his takeover of the schools…but not with my child, and hopefully not with yours.

Consider the implications of his grand plan. In a style typical of dictators (http://media.bonnint.net/seattle/1/169/16947.jpg), he is preempting the communications into every school in the nation. He has not sought the permission of parents or local school boards. He will not sign in at the office to get clearance and a visitor badge as everyone else must do.

As a parent, I expect the schools to notify me in writing if a controversial person or group would be making any kind of presentation. I could then decide whether to keep my child home, or ask that he be sent to the library to read during that time. But Barack Obama, with one huge broadcast, will dismiss the rights of everyone, ignore laws, and kick dust on the Constitution.

Parents will not be warned — except by a few like myself, Jeff Bennett at the Federal Observer (http://www.federalobserver.com/), and others who stumbled upon the information that was sent to schools and teachers in advance of this controversial speech. The State will attempt to defend itself by pointing out that Obama will be encouraging children to work hard in school and learn all they can for a global economy. (He will cross his fingers behind his back and then tell how he approves of citizens being well informed, better educated, and more active, but Acorn thugs at health care town halls have already proven such talk to be a travesty, at best.)

The problem with the usurpation of nationwide instructional time on September 8 is not so much the message, but the manner. What gives Obama the legal right to trod upon the Constitution in this, and other matters? Nothing gives him the right. But this time, his timing is excellent because….

There is no time like September 8, 2009, to begin homeschooling your children. There are a multitude of successful examples to follow. There are books to guide parents. There are web sites offering help, lesson plans, and worksheets. At Exodus Mandate (http://www.exodusmandate.org/), Ray Moore and his group encourage every Christian to remove their children from secular schools. I agree with them. Why should parents be expected to enroll their children in today’s unholy schools … schools run by people who deeply disapprove of students being taught that ethics, morals, and religion will be their personal, safe anchors in a frightening and deceitful world?

Other resources include the Home School Legal Defense Association (http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1). Visit their site to learn the homeschooling laws for your state. For suggestions on curriculum, teaching methods and more, visit my archives (http://www.lewrockwell.com/taylor/taylor-arch.html). Beware of reading programs that are as ineffective as the public schools and look into The Spalding Method (http://www.spalding.org/). Learn how fuzzy progressive math is destroying the mathematical potential of millions of children and learn which books NOT to buy. Visit sites like The Well-Trained Mind (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/) for suggestions and support. Scour the Internet! The lives and educations of your children are worth every effort, every sacrifice, on your part.

Do not say, “We would like to but simply cannot.” Make the commitment and you will find a way. Look about you as you put together a homeschooling plan. Can grandparents give some or even much of the instruction? What about other relatives? Would neighbors be interested in forming a homeschooling co-op? Could members of your church work together to school the children of the congregation? How much instruction could be done in the evenings after work days? Bing the topic! Google the topic! Visit the library! Put an ad in the paper asking if there are others seeking to accomplish the same thing.

On September 8, keep your children out of school and take the whole family out for a great day of adventure and real learning. Better yet, on September 8, keep your children out of school and homeschool them for at least kindergarten through grade 12.


Linda Schrock Taylor is a reading specialist and former public school teacher. She teaches English composition at a state university.


SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5307

[penguin]

My kid will be home as well, we should plan something instead. JBS does have some good videos so maybe a 1 day home school marathon is needed.

[FrankRep]

Overview of America is an awesome choice for a video.

Overview of America
Overview of America - Public Service - DVD (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6732659166933078950)

[penguin]

That is an excellent choice! We should probably include a few simpler ones from Misses as well.

[Dianne]

Mine will be home as well. Are we sure it is K thru 12?

[penguin]

Mine will be home as well. Are we sure it is K thru 12?

Yes -> http://redmassgroup.com/diary/5154/indoctrination-obama-to-address-all-public-school-students

[Kludge]

Interesting. I'll be speaking at my old high school for a completely unrelated matter on that day, which is their first day of school (always the day after labor day). I'll make sure to see whether or not the teachers show it and how students react.

[Light]

I keep saying that public schools are the worst enemy of the liberty movement. By controlling the education and information children receive, you control their beliefs and political ideology, and essentially control an entire generation.

Is it any wonder why young adults are the demographic that supports Obama the most outside of racial lines?

If the people here are ever going to defeat big government or the "state", public education needs to be at the very least decentralized.

Obama's administration seems to acknowledge the role the schools play in creating new followers. We can probably expect more from this administration on ways to further indoctrinate the children and my generation.

[FrankRep]

I keep saying that public schools are the worst enemy of the liberty movement.


Government Education: Enemy of a Free Society
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=206933

Are Public Schools Harming Your Kids? - Samuel L. Blumenfeld
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=174151

[IPSecure]

Was wondering if we might be able to use this to our advantage...

How many chapters of Young Americans For Liberty can we have the kids setup?

Apply for the YAL Activism Kit Today!

http://www.yaliberty.org/posts/apply-for-constitutions-and-activism-kit (http://www.yaliberty.org/posts/apply-for-constitutions-and-activism-kit)

[/URL][url]www.yaliberty.org/ (http://www.yaliberty.org/)

[dannno]

I would keep my child home from school and have them watch the speech so I could put it into context for them.

[MelissaWV]

I would keep my child home from school and have them watch the speech so I could put it into context for them.

The best idea I've heard.

It isn't necessary to entirely block the President out, but just as the State of the Union has a counterpoint (though usually a pretty awful and equally ridiculous one), this should have the context and age-appropriate response of the parent to help the child/young adult spot the flaws in the cookie-cutter language.

That the President lumps people aged 4 to 18 in one bracket and thinks his speech is equally appropriate for all of them, regardless of background and age and experience, should be a red flag to any rational thinker.

[extrmmxer]

Overview of America is an awesome choice for a video.

Overview of America
Overview of America - Public Service - DVD (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6732659166933078950)

This is a great idea. All parents should make it a family day. I would not allow a child to be subjected to Obama's Fascist speech.

The video from JBS is awesome.

[Son of Detroit]

I'm not staying home the first day of school, that's the 2nd best school day of the year. Not gonna miss it.

I do plan on just catching up on some sleep while he gives his speech. Even if those questions and activities are turned in for a grade, it's not worth it to me to give in to what the DoE and Obama want.

[amy31416]

If the kids are old enough, watch it with them and dissect it with them, make it a lesson on propaganda to help prepare them for the "real" world.

Edit: I see Dannno had a similar suggestion! Nevermind!

[dannno]

I'm not staying home the first day of school, that's the 2nd best school day of the year. Not gonna miss it.

I do plan on just catching up on some sleep while he gives his speech. Even if those questions and activities are turned in for a grade, it's not worth it to me to give in to what the DoE and Obama want.


Pay attention so you know the agenda ;)

[Freedom 4 all]

Hmm, that doesn't sound at all like something that someone with a serious narcissistic personality disorder would do. Keep in mind though, that if you keep your kids home from school you are a RACIST. I'm not sure why, but that's just the way things seem to work nowadays.

[torchbearer]

The best idea I've heard.

It isn't necessary to entirely block the President out, but just as the State of the Union has a counterpoint (though usually a pretty awful and equally ridiculous one), this should have the context and age-appropriate response of the parent to help the child/young adult spot the flaws in the cookie-cutter language.

That the President lumps people aged 4 to 18 in one bracket and thinks his speech is equally appropriate for all of them, regardless of background and age and experience, should be a red flag to any rational thinker.

excellent idea. it works even better if you have a dvr/tivo, so you can pause and review.

[ronpaulfollower999]

Wonder if my private school will do this. They did show his inauguration.

[disorderlyvision]

..

[max]

this shit needs to backfire on O...

we need to get the word out...keep your kids home

[Standing Like A Rock]

I am a senior in Highschool so I guess I will be watching it. Does anyone know at what time it will be shown and how long it will be? I am not sure how my school would coordinate everybody watching it at the same time.

[FrankRep]

Right blasts Obama speech to students

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26711.html

[mommaliberty]

and yet another reason to home school :)

[DapperDan]

I'm wondering if I should go contact my old HS which is literally down the road from me and protest that I don't want my community to watch this drivel.

[Dianne]

Going to have daughter find out today if this is mandatory. Here is another article on the subject which explains educators have been instructed to create assignments and discussion around the President's speech:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26711.html

President Barack Obama's plans for a televised back-to-school address to students next week are drawing fire from some conservatives, who say he's just trying to indoctrinate them to his political beliefs.


In the Sept. 8 speech, Obama will challenge students to work hard, set goals for their education and take responsibility for their learning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a letter to principals.


The Education Department is encouraging teachers to create lesson plans around the speech, using materials provided on the department website, that urge students to learn about Obama and other presidents.


"He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens," Duncan said in a press release.


But already, some conservatives are crying foul. The chairman of the Florida Republican Party is condemning Obama's speech as an attempt to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."

"The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power," Chairman Jim Greer said in a press release.


Added conservative talk show host Tammy Bruce, in a Twitter feed: "Make September 8 Parentally Approved Skip Day. You are your child's moral tutor, not that shady lawyer from Chicago." And conservative author Michelle Malkin said the lesson plans have a "heavy activist bent."


Texas school districts are discussing whether the president's speech will be shown — some districts are leaving it up to individual teachers with an opt out parents who don't want their children to view the speech, according to the Houston Chronicle.


In his letter to principals, Duncan said viewing of the speech is encouraged, not mandatory. It's the first time a president has ever given a speech addressed directly to students.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26711.html#ixzz0Q2Qn2ATF

[FrankRep]

Some Texas parents ask schools to excuse kids from Obama speech

Houston Chronicle
Sept. 2, 2009

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6599457.html

[FrankRep]

White House Withdraws Call for Students to 'Help' Obama...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/03/white-house-withdraws-students-help-obama/

[FrankRep]

"I Pledge to be a Servant to our President" Celebrity Propaganda Video

YouTube - I Pledge! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA1ysSbw)

[SevenEyedJeff]

I'm sure someone out there will be recording the video so we can see for ourselves the type of indoctrination the kids are getting. However, this might just be an innocent looking introduction to this type of thing, with the real craziness being saved for later.

[haaaylee]

Why not go to the school with your child and have an opposing view and voice?

i otherwise completely support home schooling.

[Son of Detroit]

Why not go to the school with your child and have an opposing view and voice?


No parent should ever do that to their kid. That's just downright child abuse right there. :o

[max]

I'm sure someone out there will be recording the video so we can see for ourselves the type of indoctrination the kids are getting. However, this might just be an innocent looking introduction to this type of thing, with the real craziness being saved for later.

Obama wouldnt be so blatantly stupid as to attempt propaganda. He'll just talk about generalities.

The real danger here is in the Godlike way he is putting himself in front of impressionable young minds like some statue or huge painting of a dictator you'd recognize from some third world banana regime.....all the High School kids will be voting age by the time O seeks reelection

[disorderlyvision]

....

[tropicangela]

i homeschooled for 3 years, but just put my 6th grader back into public school this year for a few personal reasons (not my first choice,) however I called the school today and talked to the principal about this. she said the speech will be taped and the teachers will obtain permission slips from the parents before allowing them to watch it. thankfully.

[jclay2]

Obama wouldnt be so blatantly stupid as to attempt propaganda. He'll just talk about generalities.

The real danger here is in the Godlike way he is putting himself in front of impressionable young minds like some statue or huge painting of a dictator you'd recognize from some third world banana regime.....all the High School kids will be voting age by the time O seeks reelection

I am with you max. Obama is not going to outright state his position. However, I do think he will slide a few controversial themes: mainly stating that america needs to address the government incurred problems and fix them with with more government.

[amy31416]

I am with you max. Obama is not going to outright state his position. However, I do think he will slide a few controversial themes: mainly stating that america needs to address the government incurred problems and fix them with with more government.

That, and there very well may be some pimping of his Americorp stuff to try to draw them in by bribing with money for college. That will make it easier to eventually slide through he and Emanuel's dream of "mandatory voluntarism" in the military and other government-approved/funded youth programs.

Bag 'em and tag 'em while they're young. That's what animal researchers strive to do to in order to keep tabs on animal populations.

[extrmmxer]

"I Pledge to be a Servant to our President" Celebrity Propaganda Video

YouTube - I Pledge! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA1ysSbw)

This cracks me up. Idiot entertainers. "I pledge to make 40 million a year on movies so Obama can tax me on it, then give it to Goldman Sachs, GM, Citi, etc."

Freakin morons. They are going to love the new tax bracket that will be enforced under Obama's regime.

[dannno]

With all this hype somebody better post a tube of the speech on this thread.

[Reason]

Barack Obama is not the first president to address school children.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=208680 (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=208680)

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

Interesting. I'll be speaking at my old high school for a completely unrelated matter on that day, which is their first day of school (always the day after labor day). I'll make sure to see whether or not the teachers show it and how students react.

ohhh what are you speaking about?

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

I think I am going to find out if my kids school is partaking in this nonsense but I can guess from the Obama crap all over the walls that it will be. If so than I will have my kids home and who knows I may even protest outside of the school... this garbage has to stop!

[FrankRep]

North Texas schools won't carry speech...
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Schools-Ponder-Showing-Obamas-Education-Speech-56742732.html

Backlash builds... (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26744.html)

PARENTS REVOLT OVER PLANNED OBAMA LECTURE TO STUDENTS... (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090904/D9AGF8L80.html)

[tangent4ronpaul]

http://news.aol.com/article/obama-school-speech-controversy/655701

Poll on this site:
What do you think of Obama's plan to address the nation's students?
Inappropriate 61%
Appropriate 39%
Total Votes: 118,789


Obama School Speech Sparks Controversy
By LIBBY QUAID and LINDA STEWART BALL
,
AP
posted: 1 HOUR 12 MINUTES AGO
comments: 3777 <== Hot topic, ya think?
filed under: National News, Political News, The Obama Presidency

DALLAS (Sept. 4) - When kids all across the country return to school Tuesday, some will see a welcoming message from President Barack Obama and some won't.
Obama's planned address to students has touched off yet another confrontation with Republican critics, who have battered the White House over health care and now accuse the president of foisting a political agenda on children.

The president will speak directly to students Tuesday about the need to work hard and stay in school. His address will be shown live on the White House Web site and on C-SPAN at noon EDT, a time when classrooms across the country will be able to tune in.
Schools don't have to show it. But districts across the country have been inundated with phone calls from parents and are struggling to address the controversy that broke out after Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter to principals urging schools to tune in.
Districts in states including Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin have decided not to show the speech to students. Others are still thinking it over or are letting parents have their kids opt out.
Some conservatives, driven by radio pundits and bloggers, are urging schools and parents to boycott the address. They say Obama is using the opportunity to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the boundaries of federal involvement in schools.
"As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education — it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality," said Oklahoma Republican state Sen. Steve Russell. "This is something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq."
Arizona state schools superintendent Tom Horne, a Republican, said lesson plans for teachers created by Obama's Education Department "call for a worshipful rather than critical approach."
The White House plans to release the speech online Monday so parents can read it. The president will deliver the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.
"I think it's really unfortunate that politics has been brought into this," White House deputy policy director Heather Higginbottom said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"It's simply a plea to students to really take their learning seriously. Find out what they're good at. Set goals. And take the school year seriously."
She noted that President George H.W. Bush made a similar address to schools in 1991. Like Obama, Bush drew criticism, with Democrats accusing the Republican president of making the event into a campaign commercial.
Critics are particularly upset about lesson plans the administration created to accompany the speech. The lesson plans, available online, originally recommended having students "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president."
The White House revised the plans Wednesday to say students could "write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals."
"That was inartfully worded, and we corrected it," Higginbottom said.
In the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, the 54,000-student school district is not showing the 15- to 20-minute address but will make the video available later.
PTA council president Cara Mendelsohn said Obama is "cutting out the parent" by speaking to kids during school hours.
"Why can't a parent be watching this with their kid in the evening?" Mendelsohn said. "Because that's what makes a powerful statement, when a parent is sitting there saying, 'This is what I dream for you. This is what I want you to achieve.'"
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, said in an interview with the AP that he's "certainly not going to advise anybody not to send their kids to school that day."
"Hearing the president speak is always a memorable moment," he said.
But he also said he understood where the criticism was coming from.
"Nobody seems to know what he's going to be talking about," Perry said. "Why didn't he spend more time talking to the local districts and superintendents, at least give them a heads-up about it?"
Several other Texas districts have decided not to show the speech, although the district in Houston is leaving the decision up to individual school principals. In suburban Houston, the Cypress-Fairbanks district planned to show the address and has had its social studies teachers assemble a curriculum and activities for students.
In Wisconsin, the Green Bay school district decided not to show the speech live and to let teachers decide individually whether to show it later.
Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer said in a statement he was "absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology." Despite his rhetoric, two of the larger Florida districts, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough, plan to have classes watch the speech. Students whose parents object will not have to watch.
The Minnesota Association of School Administrators is recommending against disrupting the first day of school to show the speech, but Minnesota's biggest teachers' union is urging schools to show it.
Quincy, Ill., schools decided Thursday not to show the speech. Superintendent Lonny Lemon said phone calls "hit like a load of bricks" on Wednesday.
One Idaho school superintendent, Murray Dalgleish of Council, urged people not to rush to judgment.
"Is the president dictating to these kids? I don't think so," Dalgleish said. "He's trying to get out the same message we're trying to get out, which is, `You are in charge of your education.'"

[MsDoodahs]

The Greatest Mistake in American History: Letting Government Educate our Children - speech by the late Harry Browne, December, 2004

http://www.fcpconline.org/2003forms/pdfforms/Greatest_MistakePublic.pdf

:)

[itshappening]

JBS.org is down?!?! :(

[FrankRep]

JBS.org is down?!?! :(

It's up now.

http://www.jbs.org/
http://www.thenewamerican.com/

[ShowMeLiberty]

The real problem with this is the materials distributed by the Dept. of Ed. to go along with the speech, something that has NOT been done before. Anyone who cannot see the underlying message of subservience to / worship of the State and the President is either naive or being obtuse.

Is it even legal for the Dept. of Ed. to distribute instructional materials?


Christina Erland Culver, former deputy assistant secretary for education, said presidents have traditionally addressed classrooms on the first day of school, but the problem with the event was the accompanying materials from the Department of Education.

"That's where they kind of got into a slippery spot. Federal statute denies any authority to the Department of Education to provide any kind of curriculum or anything that can be passed down to the state, and that's part of the statute forming the Department of Education. So they kinda got themselves into this mess because they didn't really understand some of the key legal roles or the dos and don'ts at the federal Department of Ed," she said.

source link (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/03/white-house-withdraws-students-help-obama/)


Here's a scanned copy of the statute: Department of Education Organization Act (http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/33/08/c6). It says:


Sec. 103 (b) No provision of a program administered by the Secretary or by any other officer of the Department shall be construed to authorize the Secretary or any such officer to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system, over any accrediting agency or association, or over the selection or content of library resources, textbooks, or other instructional materials by any educational institution or school system, except to the extent authorized by law.

I've been hunting and can't find anything that gives ED the authority to do this. Not within the above statute, not in any other legislation including No Child Left Behind.

Does anybody know of such a law?

[FrankRep]

Barack Obama: President of All Classrooms (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/1828)


Jack Kenny | The New American (http://www.thenewamerican.com/)
07 September 2009


"This isn't a policy speech. It's a speech designed to encourage kids to stay in school," an Obama administration spokesman told the Cable News Network in response to the uproar over the president's planned webcast and TV speech to the nation's schoolchildren on September 8. "The goal of the speech and the lesson plans is to challenge students to work hard, stay in school and dramatically reduce the dropout rate."

But many parents have denounced the planned speech as an exercise in propaganda and "brain washing" and some have said they will keep their children out of school that day. Conservative talk-show hosts have also weighed in with charges of "indoctrination." School districts in some states have decided either not to air the speech at all or to schedule a time later in the day when students may view it on a voluntary basis. Leading Republicans have also joined the controversy. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty , considered a potential candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, is among those objecting.

"At a minimum it's disruptive, number two, it's uninvited and number three, if people would like to hear his message they can, on a voluntary basis, go to YouTube or some other source and get it. I don't think he needs to force it upon the nation's school children," Pawlenty said.

The President will "challenge students to work hard, set education goals, and take responsibility for their learning," according to the U.S. Department of Education website. Surely most parents would welcome that. So what is all the furor about?

"There's nothing wrong with the president speaking with school kids," said Kevin Sullivan, a White House communications director for George W. Bush. "The heat over this is all about the health care debate." But Sullivan added that the suggested lesson plan and changes in curriculum sent out by the department of education was fuel for controversy. "The Department of Education is prohibited from doing anything with curriculum," he said.

One of the exercises suggested in the department's lesson plans was to have the students write letters to themselves about "what they can do to help the president." The letters would be "collected and redistributed at a later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals." Negative reaction prompted the department to rewrite that part of the plan, suggesting instead that the students write letters about how they can "achieve their short-term and long-term education goals."

The original proposal, however, indicates there are more subtle ways to direct young minds than talk of policies or programs. The underlying assumption is that the students will be impressed by the fact that it is the president who will be speaking to them. They are expected to react favorably to what he says. They should assume that he is on their side and they should be on his. It apparently hadn't occurred to anyone in the Department of Education that a great many students might feel rightly opposed or just downright indifferent to efforts to "help the president."

Indeed the very tone of the "Menu of Activities" sent out from the department implies that the president is watching over every school child and that every child has a duty to live up to the president's expectations. Here, for example, are a few suggested questions students in pre-kindergarten through grade 6 to ponder after hearing the president speak.

• "What is the president trying to tell me?"

• "What is the president asking me to do?

• "What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about? "

The fact that officials in the nation's Department of Education wish to focus the minds of schoolchildren, beginning at "pre-kindergarten," on the president and his expectations of them is more than a little disturbing. Why should five-year-olds or even 12-year-olds have at the forefront of their thoughts and concerns what the president is trying to tell them, what the president is asking of them, even what the president wants them to think about? That attributes to the president a power over the minds of youngsters more fitting of a national deity than an elected chief executive.

But if the education "czars" in Washington encourage an exalted view of the presidency that borders on the worshipful, so does much of the American public. Whether we are for or against whoever is in the White House at any given time, much of the nation looks to the president to solve every problem and set every goal. He can do all things and without him we can achieve nothing.

"The bottom line is we need the president of the United States of America to use his bully pulpit to talk to kids about the importance of education and to inspire kids," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. But do we? Or is that not a job better suited to parents and teachers? Otherwise, we might wonder how "The Greatest Generation" managed to overcome the hardships of the Depression and win World War II without having President Roosevelt's fireside chats piped into their classrooms at school.

The duties of the president, as enumerated in the Constitution, are a good deal more modest than the expectations we have for presidents today. Reflecting on some of the claims made by candidates in the 2008 presidential race, Gene Healy, author of The Cult of the Presidency, made the following assessment:



The chief executive of the United States is no longer a mere constitutional officer charged with faithful execution of the laws. He is a soul nourisher, a hope giver, a living American talisman against hurricanes, terrorism, economic downturns, and spiritual malaise. He — or she — is the one who answers the phone at 3 a.m. to keep our children safe from harm. The modern president is America's shrink, a social worker, our very own national talk show host. He's also the Supreme Warlord of the Earth. This messianic campaign rhetoric merely reflects what the office has evolved into after decades of public clamoring.


For all of his powers, both real and imagined, the president of the United States cannot "rid the world of evildoers," a goal proclaimed by George W. Bush. Nor does he have it in his power to "transform the world" as Obama told campaign crowds he and they could ("Yes, we can!"). No doubt he hopes to inspire the students to become engaged at some point in working for a cleaner, greener, more peaceful world with reduced carbon emissions and guaranteed healthcare for all. At least they should know what their president expects of them.

"And Barack Obama will require you to work," Michelle Obama told thousands of cheering college students at a rally at UCLA in February of 2008. "He is going to demand that you come out of your isolation. That you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved and uninformed."

So if we didn't know before, at least we know now why students should learn and why they must not drop out.

"Barack will never allow" it.


SOURCE:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/1828

[Anti Federalist]

and yet another reason to home school :)

How anyone can claim to be a committed patriot and still subject their children (if they have any) to the indoctrination of state schools is beyond me.

Before anything else happens, before any other purchase is made, before any other family decisions are made, you must make provisions to home school, tutor or private school your children.