OMGz Prez is gonna Brainwash our Kidz!!!!

[Sonic Glitch]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20090903/ ... ws_pl888_1

President Obama plans to make a speech directed at students in school sometime next week. Apparently it is going to be an attempt to brainwash/indoctrinate our kids into his insane, leftist anti-American agenda. Really?

[Tyyr]

From what I've heard it's going to be a "Stay in school, education will help you go far," kind of pep talk and so long as that's all it is I say go for it.

[Lazar]

Old George Bush talked to school kids as well.

[Mikey]

about the importance of education; about the importance of staying in school; how we want to improve our education system and why it's so important for the country.

*gasp* Thank the Lord that my daughter's only in kindergarten - I couldn't have her exposed to that sort of shadow conspiracy! [/sarcasm]

The address scheduled for September 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the President's agenda

So, now encouraging kids to apply themselves in school is an "agenda?"

[Tsukiyumi]

So, now encouraging kids to apply themselves in school is an "agenda?"

Well, yeah, man. Only Socialist European countries have high standards in education.

[Teaos]

The last president was reading with Kids while 9/11 happened...

[Tyyr]

Obviously he was indoctrinating the next generation of troops for the war on terror.

[Tsukiyumi]

[sunnyside]

At first I thought this was a total non-story, right up there with other important stories on Yahoo news such as whatever Lindsey Lohan is up to.

However now I'm starting to see this crop up in other areas. I guess in part because of the "activites" schools are suggested to have the students do, apparently for a while there was a suggestion to have an activity for older students where they "write essays on how they could help the president achieve his goals for America".

In any case I guess we'll see how it goes, but I think most likely it's just a waste of time except for maybe as a way for Obama to increase his popularity, or to sneak in a chance with a captive audience to make them hear his side to the exclusion of the other, if he chooses to go that route.

By "waste of time" I mean we've all experienced high school here, did any of you study twice as hard after some motivational speech?

Obama can't even take the possibly effective "van down by the river" or "drugs totally screwed up my life and are no fun" angles since he was never is such a position and his agenda is generally designed so that if they play video games or do some drugs instead of studying than they aren't going to end up in a van down by the river unable to afford food or health care. A Donald Trumpish "study hard and you'll have the great things in life" type pitch doesn't really fit either.

I suppose he's in a unique position to address issues surounding race and some things like that. But I doubt he'll go there. I'm guessing it'll just be some trite stuff, with maybe a hair or politics and a few bits designed to make himself look cool or otherwise awesome.

[Mikey]

The point isn't that this is a purely academic excercis (no pun intended.) The point is rather that people are screaming about this being a plot to further some agenda. I repeat; what agenda is furthered by encouraging kids to stay in school?

[Sionnach Glic]

Hm. The only government officials that ever bother coming to schools in this country is when the Reserve Army forces turn up on their annual recruitment efforts.

[Sionnach Glic]

[Sonic Glitch]

How dare he encourage them to stay in school and learn to accomplish their dreams! Link

WASHINGTON - In a speech that drew fire even before he delivered it, President Barack Obama is telling the nation's schoolchildren he "expects great things from each of you."

"At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world," Obama said. "And none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities."

The White House posted Obama's remarks on its Web site at midday Monday. He's scheduled to deliver the talk from Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., Tuesday. It will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and on the White House Web site.

Obama's planned talk has proven controversial, with several conservative organizations and individuals accusing him of trying to pitch his arguments too aggressively in a local-education setting. White House officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, have said the allegations are silly.

In a Labor Day speech in Cincinnati, Obama mentioned his upcoming address. "I'm going to have something to say tomorrow to our children telling them to stay in school and work hard 'cause that's the right message to send."

"It's a sad state of affairs that many in this country politically would rather start an "Animal House" food fight rather than inspire kids to stay in school, to work hard, to engage parents to stay involved, and to ensure that the millions of teachers that are making great sacrifices continue to be the best in the world," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. "It's a sad state of affairs."

In the prepared remarks, Obama tells young people that all the work of parents, educators and others won't matter "unless you show up to those schools, pay attention to those teachers."

Obama made no reference in his prepared remarks to the uproar surrounding his speech. Nor did he make an appeal for support of tough causes like health care reform. He used the talk to tell kids about his at-times clumsy ways as a child and to urge them to identify an area of interest, set goals and work hard to achieve them.

The president also warned students that if they quit on school, "you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country."

Obama acknowledged that "being successful is hard," but told the students the country badly needs their best effort to cope in an increasingly competitive global economy.

"What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country," Obama says. "What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future."

The president noted that he was raised by a single mother, who made him buckle down and work harder at times. He said he's glad she did.

Some conservatives have urged schools and parents to boycott the address. They say Obama is using the opportunity to promote a political agenda.

Schools don't have to show the speech. And some districts have decided not to, partly in response to concerns from parents.

Duncan's department has also taken heat for proposed lesson plans distributed to accompany the speech.

On Sunday, the secretary acknowledged that a section about writing to the president on how students can help him meet education goals was poorly worded. It has been changed.

"We just clarified that to say write a letter about your own goals and what you're going to do to achieve those goals," Duncan said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Former Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush delivered similar speeches to students, the White House has said.

[Tsukiyumi]

Seriously, this just looks desperate.

"We've got nothing negative to say except 'Socialism!' We need to find something else, quick!"

What, he asked the kids to "write letters with ways to help the President", and that's some kind of problem? Sounds like encouraging patriotism to me.

[Aaron]

GOP MO=scream that the exact same shit you pulled when in power is bad when Dems are in.