Who’s Indoctrinating Who?

(And I also posted here – sort of.)

For anyone wondering about the aftermath of Obama’s speech to the kids yesterday, here are some updates:

If Obama was really trying to indoctrinate the kids, at least in New York City, then his timing was lousy, since NYC public schools didn’t open until today (as noted here).

This tells us that parts of Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota didn’t show the speech also (and the Omaha, Nebraska public school district decided “not to require teachers to show the speech to classes,” as noted here).

As noted here (closer to home), the North Penn and Central Bucks school districts didn’t carry the speech, and Pennsbury and Council Rock said the kids “wouldn’t view the speech live.”

And this tells us the following:

Two House committees, the House Education and Labor Committee and the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families demanded that the (education) department explain the use of its funds for the speech. The Select Committee chairwoman said it was outrageous for the White House to “start using precious dollars for campaigns” when “we are struggling for every silly dime we can get” for education programs.

Of course these congressional critics weren’t talking about President Obama. They were blasting George H. W. Bush for his 1991 speech to school kids. The House Majority Leader was Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and the House Committee chairs were Rep. William D. Ford (D-Mich.) and Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) so said the Washington Post on October 3, 1991.

And of course, that doesn’t even take Poppy’s predecessor into consideration (here...that "horse dookey" piled up pretty quickly from "The Gipper" on this one - probably could have looked for his "pony" in it).

Another thing...contrary to typical Fix Noise BS (about Obama allegedly saying that he wanted the kids to help him with his agenda, or something), Obama spokesman Bill Burton said that the speech was not altered (here - I would have had no problem with wording like that from Obama, given the past craven appeals by other Repug presidents).

Also, can you say “double standard,” kids? The Arlington, Texas (of course) school district didn’t allow its students to hear the Obama speech, but they’re going to bus their kids to hear Obama’s predecessor speak, as noted here (I've got some ideas as to what you can do with your "yellow rose," but I try to keep this site as G-rated as I can, so I'll keep them to myself).

As the story tells us…

Arlington school district spokeswoman Veronica Sopher tells the newspaper that the two events are different.

Riiiight (kudos, though, to Dwight McKissic Sr., the senior pastor of Arlington's Cornerstone Baptist Church, who said “I do not understand the duplicity in this situation.”)

Let’s just say that I do and I don’t and leave it at that.

Update 9/14/09: Wow, common sense prevails here - shocking!

And by the way, this Daily Kos post by diarist KathyinBlacksburg tells us about some indoctrination for real through our movies (I’d noticed some of this too when taking the young one to the flicks, but I’d never read it described so well, and she captures my sentiments pretty well also).

Finally, I give you the diarist Rayne at firedoglake here, who also communicates sentiments I whole heartedly endorse directed at a certain political party, as follows…

Over the past week you've managed to label encouragement to be responsible and completely prepared to compete for future jobs as socialist. What are you telling children about capitalism?

You've had your chance for the last decade-plus, between your former majority in Congress and your two terms in the White House. You've bankrupted us by lying us into an illegal war, by allowing greed to eat away at solid legislative protections and eventually eat away our nation's personal savings, too. You've dumbed us down with your ownership stranglehold on media, so that blabber-mouth cry-babies like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are seen as the benchmark of media success.

And now you want kids to avoid hearing a speech encouraging their personal responsibility to obtain a good education?

Just stop.

And stay the hell away from my kids, you frightened, bigoted, crazy freaks.

To paraphrase Kid Rock as quoted by KathyinBlacksburg, “If you ain’t gonna think or educate yourself, get out of the way” (doesn’t fit too neatly into the lyrics some “thrash” rock tune or whatever, but it still works for me).

And as far as I'm concerned, this is all the more reason for Obama to "take the Repugs to the woodshed" tonight in his speech (would go against character, I realize, but boy, it sure would be neat to see).

Besides, this is what they do when your approval rating is still above 50 percent (in the polls I read, anyway). Imagine what they'll do if it goes below that.