Absent the transcript from the original Bush speech, it's difficult to make that call. And I'm not prepared to condemn Mr. Obama before he gives his speech. But it does smell of the same brand of contrived political stunt. Again, though - we'll see.

9/3/2009 8:20:40 PM

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be angry about here. That the president is talking to students, that he's preaching personal responsibility, or that he has handouts and work sheets to go along with his pontificating? I mean, don't get me wrong, I really don't like listening to him speak, but a bunch of highschool kids getting the chance to see the president speak is hardly the worst thing they can be exposed to.

Quote :

"It is when the assignments revolve around maximizing the area of your garden with a given length of animal-friendly fencing around it, so you can grow the greatest number of organic vegetables to sell at your local farmer's market. Or when, in the example for converting unit measurements, it specifies that the coffee is 16 oz. of fair trade Indonesian coffee. Or when my student has to ignore her math homework so she can make a video for science class to explain one action she is taking to stop global warming. The examples are endless. Doesn't matter where you come from, the overall tone of the education and assignments given are 100% slanted toward collectivist, hippie-thinking. You may think that's good. Fine. But don't deny it's true. I haven't seen one problem, despite ample opportunity, describing how you may need to maximize profit given certain cost and revenue functions....or any other skill that might actually be useful. It's not taught for the other courses, either. I've tutored through all of them. "

While I would much prefer if schools and text books would stick to the basics and stop filling out their pages with overly flowery examples and catch phrases (i.e. it's just as effective to have a kid calculate the fence area for a generic garden rather than have them calculate the amount of eco fence for an organic garden), I don't recall much of my middle school math courses being filled with maximizing profit on cost and revenue curves. That was mostly left to the economics classes (if any)

9/3/2009 8:39:45 PM

Let's give the prez a chance here.

If he tells the kids to stay in school, take responsibility for their own lives and stay off the drugs...then I'm in full support.

I think he's astute enough not to use the occasion to stump for the democrat political agenda.

9/3/2009 9:48:07 PM

Quote :

" How long did it take the right to go from: "if you criticize the President you are a traitor" to "School children should not trust the President.""

ha

9/4/2009 2:13:26 PM

Tom Fetzer, head of the NC GOP who is not gay btw (see http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=567053 ), is against the President speaking to schools saying instead the time should be spent on improving test scores. No test score left behind!

9/4/2009 2:30:39 PM

I saw Jim Greer on CNN earlier, and he outright said, "I do not want my children exposed to these ideas."

Not "I don't want my children force-fed these ideas," nor "I don't want my children indoctrinated with these ideas," but "I do not want my children to even be aware that these ideas exist."

And I wept.

9/4/2009 3:02:37 PM

Quote :

"I think he's astute enough not to use the occasion to appear to stump for the democrat political agenda."

[Edited on September 4, 2009 at 4:06 PM. Reason : []]

9/4/2009 4:06:15 PM

Ok, seriously, who stole Grumpy's password? I'm loving you lately, man.

9/4/2009 5:07:28 PM

Quote :

"The North Carolina Democratic Party could not be reached for comment Friday. In New Hanover County, schools were informed of the broadcast and the support of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, but left to make their own decision. At Noble Middle School, Principal Wade Smith said the broadcast isn’t mandated, but that a handful of teachers are planning on showing it, with students allowed to opt out with a written note from a parent. Ashley High School took the same route, but as of Friday morning, only the JROTC program was planning on showing the broadcast out of respect for the Commander in Chief. The school has gotten calls from parents supporting the broadcast as well as from those against it, Principal James McAdams said. "

Quote :

"Many others, both inside and outside the school system, are shaken, upset and offended by the loud, widespread objections to the president’s broadcast. Some see it as a sign of racism. A tearful phone call from a parishioner first alerted Rev. William Johnson to the New Hanover school system’s decision about President Obama’s message. Johnson, pastor at St. Luke A.M.E. Zion Church, said he was offended. “I can’t see another reason why they wouldn’t want the president to encourage children to do their best in school unless they don’t support him because he’s an African-American president,” he said. "

Quote :

"Rev. D.K. Ferguson plans to encourage his parishioners at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday to make sure their children are at school to watch the president’s message. “We’ve been taught as children to respect the president, no matter who it is,” Ferguson said. “President Bush spoke to many schoolchildren in the past. Why not allow the current sitting president to speak to schoolchildren at this time?” Johnson worried that the decision sends the wrong message to black youth. “When so many African American children aren’t graduating high school,” he said, “we need that message from the president like we need air.” "

- http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090904/ARTICLES/909049978/1155?Title=Parents-allowed-to-have-students-skip-Obama-speech-at-local-schools

9/5/2009 10:16:46 AM

hot damn, it didn't take long for the race-card to get played

9/5/2009 4:20:06 PM

Such bullshit. Blatant political partisanship, absolutely. Obnoxious over the top scare mongering, without a doubt. Idiotic parents who apparently don't trust their ability to properly educate their own kids, and don't trust their own kids to be able to tell bullshit when they hear it, no question about it.

But racism? Really? These people really can't think of another reason why some people wouldn't want their kids being required to watch a speech by yet another controversial politician other than racism?

9/5/2009 4:53:01 PM

Where was the Republican outrage when Reagan spoke to 6th Graders when he was President?

9/5/2009 5:28:16 PM

^^ the president of the US isn’t "just another politician.”


lol:
http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002101/

Quote :

"f you believe that it’s somehow unhealthy for kids, for the president to say "work hard and stay in school," you’re stupid..."

[Edited on September 5, 2009 at 5:41 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2009 5:31:52 PM

^Just to make it easier to see:

9/5/2009 6:16:21 PM

Quote :

""What's so fun about working for the president is this is so personal for him. He did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father wasn't around much….And here he is, the president of our country, the leader of the free world, because he received a great education and worked so hard.He's challenging all of us, but he is absolutely going to challenge students and parents to take their education seriously, to really have personal responsibility." "

-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mona-gable/obama-going-to-talk-to-ki_b_278215.html

oh noes! we can’t have kids hearing this message!!

[Edited on September 5, 2009 at 6:20 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2009 6:19:54 PM

Quote :

"he president of the US isn’t "just another politician.”"

He absolutely is. Just because you happen to like this president, doesn't make him any less of a politician than any other. And lets not delude ourselves here, the president speaking to a bunch of high school kids isn't going to dramatically alter their lives to the point that all of a sudden all the poor under privileged children will rise up to become valedictorians any more than this speech will drive them all to become care carrying communists.

And just for the record, in case it wasn't clear from my original post, I think the idiots working themselves into a tizzy about this are just that, idiots.

9/5/2009 6:48:09 PM

Quote :

"He absolutely is. Just because you happen to like this president, doesn't make him any less of a politician than any other."

I don’t think anyone would argue that Bush was just another politician.

The POTUS is the elected representative (usually) of the American people, and affects the flow of things around the world. No single other politician can make the same claim.

[Edited on September 5, 2009 at 6:58 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2009 6:52:52 PM

^ They do indeed affect the flow of events around the world. But they don't do that by making generic "Be cool, stay in school" speeches at high schools. Within the scope of this thread, Obama is nothing more than another politician trying to inspire people to do something. This speech will not change the world, nor will it set world changing events into motion. It might as well be Paris Hilton giving the speech for all the weight this will cary. That's why all the people so up in arms about this are retards, because there's nothing here to be up in arms about.

9/5/2009 8:25:53 PM

Quote :

"And lets not delude ourselves here, the president speaking to a bunch of high school kids isn't going to dramatically alter their lives to the point that all of a sudden all the poor under privileged children will rise up to become valedictorians any more than this speech will drive them all to become care carrying communists."

It's not going to change the world, but it has impact potential - particularly for a certain demographic of disadvantaged youngsters who could benefit from a "work hard, be responsible" message; a certain subgroup of this population with whom this president could have a special resonance..

9/5/2009 10:11:16 PM

Perhaps, but every politician's pandering has the potential to impact a certain subset of society, and we don't say these people aren't "just another politician". Unfortunately, the subset your referring to has bigger problems than whether the president is black or white. The few individuals who might find a stirring message that they haven't heard before in this speech are the individuals that would succeed even without flowery speeches. Again, I'm not saying the president shouldn't speak, or that students shouldn't be afforded the opportunity to listen, but to suggest that a "be cool, stay in school" speech from him will have any major impact on students is as ridiculous as the people who think he's trying to brainwash their kids into socialism.

Let's call a spade a spade and call this speech exactly what it is: a feel good photo opportunity designed to engender good will, nothing more, nothing less.

9/5/2009 11:37:41 PM

Quote :

" Unlike the Reagan speech I heard as a child, where he spoke of cutting taxes--the same taxes that supported valued programs in my community--President Obama's speech has been sanitized for any trace of politics. Stay in school. Study hard. Why is this speech all of a sudden a problem? … The Birthers, the Deathers, and now the Schoolers all have one thing in common. They have found ways to undermine the President, creating an alternate universe where Obama is not the Commander in Chief. These anti-Obama groups know that they will not be taken seriously if they discredit President Obama merely because of his race. Instead, they mask their antagonism toward America's first Black President as partisan differences. They have not accepted that President Obama is our President. "

- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-holderwinfield/todays-lesson-undermining_b_278103.html

It’s a huffpo blog, but I feel there is more than a grain of truth to this

Quote :

"Yet, we have always disagreed with Presidents and their politics without completely discrediting their presidency. When have we ever questioned the citizenship of a President? When have we ever carried guns to town hall meetings--especially meetings where the President would be in attendance? When have we ever preferred that our children opt for truancy than to hear a speech from the President? Not even Bill Clinton, who also pushed for overhauling the healthcare system and was impeached by the House, was delegitimized as our President. The one thing that makes Barak Obama different from every other U.S. President is that he is Black. "

[Edited on September 6, 2009 at 11:18 AM. Reason : ]

9/6/2009 11:15:55 AM

Quote :

"I was intrigued by the links to a Washington Post story about George H.W. Bush speaking to school children on October 1, 1991. My daughter was in school then and I didn’t remember hearing about her watching any such event. On WESTLAW, I looked up other news stories about the speech. It was reported as 10 minutes in some reports and 12 minutes in others. It was carried live on CNN, PBS, and [the NBC] and Mutual radio [networks]. The Secretary of Education sent a letter urging schools to have their students watch, but I didn’t find any evidence of how many schools followed that recommendation. And most striking: Bush laid out goals — to increase the graduation rate, improve student competency and better prepare students for entering school — and said, “Let me know how you’re doing. Write me a letter. I’m serious about this one. Write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals.”"

9/6/2009 11:28:02 AM

^^ what a fucking crock of shit. let's play the race card some more! woooo!

Citizenship: when have we had reason to even raise an eyebrow at a President's citizenship before? When has a president refused to release his college records and medical records before?

Guns: when have we not carried guns to town hall meetings? There's this thing called "concealed carry." Get the fuck over it.

9/6/2009 11:46:25 AM

Quote :

"Citizenship: when have we had reason to even raise an eyebrow at a President's citizenship before?"

because no one ever took the time to manufacture allegations that the pres wasn’t a citizen. The ONLY reason this caught on is because Obama is not fully white.

And there is clearly a LOT of unfounded seemingly personal anger towards Obama that wasn’t there before for other presidents. Where is this coming from?

It can’t be any policies he put into place, because none of his major initiatives have made it through congress yet. Everything else he’s done has been run-of-the-mill as far as presidencies are concerned.

[Edited on September 6, 2009 at 12:03 PM. Reason : ]

9/6/2009 12:00:24 PM

Quote :

"And there is clearly a LOT of unfounded seemingly personal anger towards Obama that wasn’t there before for other presidents. Where is this coming from? "

Please. Angry, personal politics has been the way of things since at least Clinton. Back then, the Republicans used to count the days of Clinton's presidency as "america held hostage". And let's not forget the "vast right wing conspiracy". Bush was, for a good chunk of his presidency, called everything from Hitler to the devil himself. And let's not forget the "he's not my president" bullshit over the 2000 election. Just because you're enamored with this president doesn't mean everyone else is, and it doesn't mean that the people who aren't are just pissed because the president is half black.

RE: Citizenship

Obama wasn't the only one to have his citizenship examined:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11mccain.html

Quote :

"In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain’s eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain’s birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that the president must be a “natural-born citizen.” ... In April, the Senate approved a nonbinding resolution declaring that Mr. McCain is eligible to be president. Its sponsors said the nation’s founders would have never intended to deny the presidency to the offspring of military personnel stationed out of the country. A lawsuit challenging Mr. McCain’s qualifications is pending in the Federal District Court in Concord, N.H. "

As for guns to town hall, people do it all the time, as pointed out, most states have this thing called concealed carry, and many also allow for open carry. It's not all the uncommon is more free states. Also, it's happened before. Like in 1993 (http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D3BA5D17F6C7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date&s_trackval=GooglePM)

Sometimes even politicians do it (http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4473055)

So please, let's not pretend that the world of politics has suddenly changed because a half black man is president.

9/6/2009 1:10:37 PM

^ Things are definitely different now than with other presidents. You also seem to forget that when Bush was first elected, it wasn’t by the popular vote (but claimed he had a mandate from god…). That is pretty meaningfully different than the situation with Obama, who has almost done nothing “big” yet, but has as much anger if not more directed towards him than Bush did after several years of unpopular war and economic downturn.

And no one, liberals or anyone else, really latched on to the idea that mcCain wasn’t valid to be president. You didn’t have mainstream anchors like you saw on Fox News or other networks supporting the idea that McCain wasn’t qualified to be president. There is clearly something different now.

There are only a handful of factors that explain the extra disgust, I think, which are his race, the Internet, or Fox News.

[Edited on September 6, 2009 at 3:02 PM. Reason : ]

9/6/2009 3:01:48 PM

The more things change… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I

9/6/2009 3:37:43 PM

why the fuck is this rube still campaigning

9/6/2009 6:11:53 PM

anytime the president speaks to the people of the united states, he's campaigning

that's a new one. gg right wing

9/6/2009 7:03:41 PM

Quote :

"^ Things are definitely different now than with other presidents."

How so?

Quote :

"Obama, who has almost done nothing “big” yet, but has as much anger if not more directed towards him than Bush did after several years of unpopular war and economic downturn."

Nothing except spend more money in his first 6 months, on extremely unpopular things, than Bush spent in the entire Iraq war. I'd say that's pretty big. Never mind that he was elected on the "hope and change" rhetoric and nothing has changed, and people are starting to run out of hope.

Quote :

"And no one, liberals or anyone else, really latched on to the idea that mcCain wasn’t valid to be president. You didn’t have mainstream anchors like you saw on Fox News or other networks supporting the idea that McCain wasn’t qualified to be president. There is clearly something different now."

Yes, something is different, namely Obama is president and McCain is not. I assure you if McCain had been elected, we would have heard a whole lot more about his birth, just like we heard endlessly about his age.

Quote :

"There are only a handful of factors that explain the extra disgust, I think, which are his race, the Internet, or Fox News."

And the fact that he's gone on a massive spending binge (hope and change), continued a number of unpopular Bush policies (hope and change!), failed to follow up on a number of campaign promises (Hope and Change!!), ran a very polarizing campaign to begin with (need I remind you how the battle between Hillary and Obama went?) and oh, did I also mention is trying to ram legislation through congress as quickly as possible and without reading them, or even having the full official text posted online for the public to see for 3 days as he promised in his campaigns, doing exactly the same thing that Bush did when he crammed the PATRIOT ACT down the throat of the american people, the very same act he later voted to renew. Never mind he has appointed and continued to take council from the very same people who drove us into this financial disaster.

Nope, there's not a thing I can think of that would make people angry at and highly distrustful of Obama except his race and the "vast right wing conspiracy". Nothing at all.

Look, it's OK for you to admit that you like Obama and you can't imagine why anyone else wouldn't. But just because you can't imagine people disliking his politics doesn't mean people don't have legitimate reasons. It is possible to dislike our half-white president without being a racist.

9/6/2009 7:44:36 PM

Shut up you racist. You clearly don't like him because he's black and you're a racist, so just cut the bullshit.

IT'S THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR ANTI-OBAMA RHETORIC

9/6/2009 11:29:05 PM

Quote :

"And the fact that he's gone on a massive spending binge (hope and change), continued a number of unpopular Bush policies (hope and change!), failed to follow up on a number of campaign promises (Hope and Change!!), ran a very polarizing campaign to begin with (need I remind you how the battle between Hillary and Obama went?) and oh, did I also mention is trying to ram legislation through congress as quickly as possible and without reading them, or even having the full official text posted online for the public to see for 3 days as he promised in his campaigns, doing exactly the same thing that Bush did when he crammed the PATRIOT ACT down the throat of the american people, the very same act he later voted to renew. Never mind he has appointed and continued to take council from the very same people who drove us into this financial disaster. Nope, there's not a thing I can think of that would make people angry at and highly distrustful of Obama except his race and the "vast right wing conspiracy". Nothing at all. "

You proved my point. He’s, at worst, not doing anything people before him didn’t do, yet people are going completely nuts when he wants to tell kids to work hard in school and be responsible. Does that make any sense?

Quote :

"Look, it's OK for you to admit that you like Obama and you can't imagine why anyone else wouldn't. But just because you can't imagine people disliking his politics doesn't mean people don't have legitimate reasons. It is possible to dislike our half-white president without being a racist. "

It’s plainly obvious that this is more than about his politics. If it was, protesters would actually have rational complaints about his positions, but instead, they are afraid Obama is going to indoctrinate their public-school attending children with communist ideals.

And do you disagree that racism can play any factor? Do you not recall the campaign Mcain/palin campaign rallies throughout the south and midwest? You are either very forgetful or very delusional if you choose to dismiss the possibility of racial motivations. Besides, i’m not completely convinced, as I plainly stated in my previous post, that it IS racially motivated, but judging by how you and aimorris latched on to that one particular portion, i’m going to go out on a limb and say race might be a bigger factor than I thought.

9/7/2009 12:10:30 AM

playing the race card makes the supporters of Obama's sham of a presidency look even more desperate. people are finally seeing him for the socialist joke that he is. he's starting to make Bush look like a great statesman.

9/7/2009 12:36:37 AM

YEAH!

9/7/2009 12:40:10 AM

-when did the first soviet election take place?

when god put eve in front of adam, and said, "choose yourself a wife"


-what did the soviets use before they had candles?

electricity.




those are socialist jokes.

[Edited on September 7, 2009 at 2:14 AM. Reason : ]

9/7/2009 2:13:48 AM

Quote :

"did I also mention is trying to ram legislation through congress as quickly as possible and without reading them, or even having the full official text posted online for the public to see for 3 days as he promised in his campaigns"

Are you referring to the health care legislation or a prior bill?

I honestly don't know whether prior bills have kept within those guidelines.

References would be nice.

9/7/2009 2:39:30 AM

Quote :

"A sense of loss fills my heart as I read about the controversy surrounding our President's upcoming address to schoolchildren. Here is a man who overcame great odds through education and hard work, and who wants to speak to children about doing their best in school. Awful? Evil? Hardly. Inspirational is the word I would choose. The politicization of this address is further evidence of the lengths some will go to smear our President. God forbid he encourage students about the rewards of hard work and applying themselves. Where were the permission slips when Presidents Bush and Regan addressed schoolchildren? President Obama is our rightfully elected President and Commander-in-Chief. How sad that we have sunk so low. "

9/7/2009 9:02:56 AM

Quote :

"He’s, at worst, not doing anything people before him didn’t do, yet people are going completely nuts when he wants to tell kids to work hard in school and be responsible. Does that make any sense?"

You tell me:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/31/AR2008053102422_pf.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-20-731419749_x.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=digest&contentId=A57583-2001May21

Bush tells people work hard, be responsible, and people walk out of graduation.

Also, Bush Sr.:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/03/2051165.aspx

My point is, as has been, that Obama isn't facing anything more than presidents before him. The difference is, you don't remember the past as clearly as you see the present, and the intarwebs make it that much easier for any fool with a loud mouth to be heard.

Quote :

"It’s plainly obvious that this is more than about his politics. If it was, protesters would actually have rational complaints about his positions, but instead, they are afraid Obama is going to indoctrinate their public-school attending children with communist ideals. "

That's like saying that the anti-war protests were about more than Bush's politics because a bunch of nut bags did stuff like this:











Or are those rational complaints about Bush's positions to you?

Quote :

"And do you disagree that racism can play any factor? Do you not recall the campaign Mcain/palin campaign rallies throughout the south and midwest? You are either very forgetful or very delusional if you choose to dismiss the possibility of racial motivations. "

Absolutely not. I am well aware that racism plays a part in some people's motivations, just as it played a part in some people's motivations to elect Obama. It also played a part in some of the aforementioned protesters. But just because racism plays a part in some people's motivations neither makes the arguments against the president any less valid, nor does it mean that all people are motivated by racism. And to ascribe racism to the motivation of everyone who dislikes the president and his policies is entirely dishonest, yet that seems to be a primary tactic of many Obama supporters.

Quote :

"Are you referring to the health care legislation or a prior bill? "

Both actually.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/234/allow-five-days-of-public-comment-before-signing-b/

[Edited on September 7, 2009 at 9:17 AM. Reason : asdf]

9/7/2009 9:10:51 AM

Quote :

"Several dozen protesters greeted Bush's arrival outside the stadium Saturday, and a group of 14 faculty members stood during Bush's speech while wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase "WE OBJECT." "

Not several dozen and 14 faculty!!! they really put a damper on Bush’s message...

Quote :

"More than 500 members of the Furman community signed a letter released Monday asking that administrators refuse to allow faculty members to skip ceremonies in protest of the Bush visit. … Judy Grisel, a neuroscience professor who signed the petition opposing Bush's visit, said she and other faculty members were merely exercising what they see as their obligation to share their viewpoints and ideas. "At a liberal arts college, we really try to train people to think critically and respect other peoples views," said Grisel. "And we have been expressing our views in very civil ways." "

Wow, 500 people signing a PRO-Bush petition, and an opponent of Bush noting the importance of listening to other views. How HARD things were for Bush in his first 8 months…

Quote :

""And to the C students, I say, you, too, can be president of the United States." In a reference to Vice President Cheney, a Yale dropout, Bush continued: "So now we know: If you graduate from Yale, you become president. If you drop out, you get to be vice president.""

What an inspiring message

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/03/2051165.aspx
I note that his speech was still aired, and no one required permissions slips to see it.

Quote :

"My point is, as has been, that Obama isn't facing anything more than presidents before him. "

That’s funny, because your links proved the opposite, and you tried to bury it in pictures.

[Edited on September 7, 2009 at 10:16 AM. Reason : ]

9/7/2009 10:14:31 AM

Quote :

"I note that his speech was still aired, and no one required permissions slips to see it. "

No one needs permission slips to see Obama's speech either. But never let facts get in the way of a good play of the racism card.

And once again, I feel the need to point out that the people making a big deal out of this, on both sides, are fucking morons.

9/7/2009 10:33:49 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksv9bq0xN1s

Reagan's speech to da kids.

9/7/2009 3:34:18 PM

^^ it must be hard for you see reality some times. That post kind of proves it

9/7/2009 4:46:05 PM

i just read his planned speech and see nothing but positive enforcement on students. i think nothing bad can come from this

its not a big deal, and previous presidents have done the same

9/7/2009 6:06:44 PM

^agreed

9/7/2009 6:55:07 PM

holy shit, dnl, you agree with me??

9/7/2009 7:18:36 PM

Quote :

"Hello everyone - how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I'm glad you all could join us today. I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning. I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday - at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster." So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year. Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility. I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox. I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities they deserve. But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world - and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. 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. Maybe you could be a good writer - maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper - but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor - maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine - but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team. Story continues below And no matter what you want to do with your life - I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it. And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. 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 and more free. You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that - if you quit on school - you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country. Now I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. I get it. I know what that's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn't fit in. So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country. Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right. But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life - what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home - that's no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That's no excuse for not trying."

9/7/2009 9:54:22 PM

Quote :

"Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez. I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer - hundreds of extra hours - to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he's headed to college this fall. And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college. Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. That's why today, I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education - and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter. Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things. But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try. That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you - you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying. No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust - a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor - and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals. And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you - don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other. So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country? Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down - don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America."

9/7/2009 9:55:05 PM

wow i was not aware of the backlash against republicans for this. sunday shows are talking about how the end of the world must be coming if ppl are going crazy over a president saying like stay in school etc

9/8/2009 2:20:22 AM

Requoting myself from the second post in this thread:

Quote :

"Surprise! Republicans are fucking insane."

9/8/2009 8:21:58 AM

TULIPlovr

Quote :

"I tutor a middle-school girl most evenings during the week, and it is downright scary to see the liberal messiah-worship drummed into her day in and day out through various assignments. But they walk the rhetorical line just fine enough to escape charges of open political indoctrination. But it's real."

No its not real, and essentially you’re delusional if you think it is a liberal indoctrination that is happening. I acknowledge that schools do promote admiration for the president, but this is done during every administration. Schools, in general, promote nationalism often under the guise of patriotism and the political party in office is of no consequence of this endeavor.

Quote :

" I haven't seen one problem, despite ample opportunity, describing how you may need to maximize profit given certain cost and revenue functions"

I’m calling bullshit on this because the majority of our questions in school were just like this. I also tutor a 9th grade child (for free as part of an charity thing for my synagogue) and his questions are just like the ones above that you say you haven’t seen. I’ve never seen any of the type you’ve described. Perhaps your situation is more incidental than conspiratorial.

If you really think there is some thinly veiled liberal conspiracy brainwashing kids then maybe you should take off your tin foil hat and walk out of your basement for a moment to see the world as it actually is.

hooksaw

There you go with your ubiquitous hyperbolic imagery. Sharp and drastic imagery can be useful in making a point through extracting radical emotion out of being already predisposed to a train of thought, but only well performed structured rhetoric can actually reach people to change their point of view. What has Obama done to make you obey more than any other president?

Furthermore the article you posted from the Washington Post is incredibly loaded and even more incorrect. Read what is written in the article. The writer states they “that the supporting activities will be”. The author(s) didn’t even read the supporting activities and composed the article on sheer assumption, hardly an indication of truth or accuracy.


1337 b4k4

Quote :

" Perhaps, but every politician's pandering has the potential to impact a certain subset of society, and we don't say these people aren't "just another politician". Unfortunately, the subset your referring to has bigger problems than whether the president is black or white."

I agree with you in part. The president is a politician and should be seen as much, but the president is a politician with greater reach and influence due to the position he holds, and the respect and admiration associated with that position. On that same note, the subset (black kids, that wasn’t hard to say was it?) often has an innate distrust, whether justified or unjustified, of white people, especially those in authority, and hearing this message from a black man would have a much better chance of reaching them.

Quote :

" Nothing except spend more money in his first 6 months, on extremely unpopular things, than Bush spent in the entire Iraq war. I'd say that's pretty big."

Now that is entirely disingenuous, and you know it. The Iraq war will cost us (over time) much more than the aggregate of policies implemented by Obama alone. As far as unpopular, the majority of policies implemented were policies on which he campaigned. People voted for him based on these policies, and as such I would hardly label them unpopular.

Quote :

" assure you if McCain had been elected, we would have heard a whole lot more about his birth"

Bullshit and you know it. The Obama wasn’t born here nonsense had steam to it far before he was elected president, while the McCain notion was largely dismissed by the opposing party. The likelihood of that rumor picking up steam following a McCain election would have been nil.

9/8/2009 10:43:27 AM