On Tuesday, September 8, President Obama, yes PRESIDENT Obama, not that "black guy occupying the White House," is giving a speech to elementary school students nationwide.
The subject? "The goal of the speech is to encourage students to set goals for themselves." This according to Heather Higginbottom, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. In addition, according to Higginbottom, "The whole lesson plan speaks to setting goals in increasing their educational achievement."
There IS "right." But it's clearly NOT the "right" of the Right. If this nation cannot rediscover its soul, if it cannot even make room for the President of the United States to have an inspiring conversation with elementary school children about their education, for cryin' out loud! What have we come to?
On Tuesday, September 8, President Obama, yes PRESIDENT Obama, not that "black guy occupying the White House," is giving a speech to elementary school students nationwide.
The subject? "The goal of the speech is to encourage students to set goals for themselves." This according to Heather Higginbottom, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. In addition, according to Higginbottom, "The whole lesson plan speaks to setting goals in increasing their educational achievement."
So while the United States faces something like a thirty percent dropout rate and we continue to fall behind developing countries, such as China and India, in academic achievement, Right Wing Republicans have their panties burning up.
School districts in at least six states are declining to show the President's speech. Even school districts in a relatively highly educated state like mine, Colorado, are inundating school administrators with phone calls and emails demanding that the speech not be broadcast or parents will keep their children home on Tuesday.
Presidential addresses to school children are far from unprecedented. Gosh golly, even Republican presidents, including George H. W. Bush - the only truly elected Bush - gave speeches to school children, yes broadcast nationwide, encouraging to set goals, to achieve.
So what's different this time around? Must be that damned black man in the White House and all that socialist indoctrination stuff he be indoctrinatin' our keeds wit.
If the "Birthers" didn't get to all "true, white Americans" and the "killin' grandma Deathers" crowd and the "tax the middle class" crowd and the "takin' away our precious guns" crowd and whomever I've missed hasn't "done the job," well let's just put it on our kids. "We gotta protect our precious Right Wing white kids from the evil socialist black man that is livin' in da White House."
Sadly for America, the Republican Party has been more than gleeful to stand back while they allow the organization of every hate group among us to work to destroy this nation's duly elected President.
Wackos, even wackos over the age of 65, do not understand that Medicare is a government program. But Republican cowards have encouraged people to believe that if Obama takes control of health care in the United States, Medicare will be lost.
Yes, even actual members of Congress are spewing daily diatribes of misinformation and lies about the President's agenda and programs. You can't go anywhere on the "Internets" without being bombarded with phony, but really good looking lists of items in the Democrats' health care bills that are, well, phony and non-existent.
The Republicans actually use misinformation from a wholly-owned subsidiary of the second largest health insurance company, United Health Group, aka the Lewin Group, to support and promote false claims about a) what health care reform is all about and b) how beneficial and altruistic the existing system is.
But back to education. Seems like dem same white folk, the macho gun-totin' to political events, the Deathers and Birthers, the Nazis that simultaneously seem to claim that Obama is a Nazi and that is bad and that Obama is a socialist and THAT is bad, not to mention the millions of blue collar, middle-class Americans that have lost their jobs and, at the same time, believe that government should do nothing to restore the economy, now do not care about their children's education and future in a rapidly changing world.
And of course, all of these folks seem to claim to be Christians on top of it all. Yes, I am quite sure that Jesus, not to mention his Father, would be quite happy to support hatred, racism, health care only for the shrinking few that can afford it, and gun rights above anything else. I am pretty sure that I read all of that in the Bible. In fact, I must be certain of it. In fact, for two centuries or more (I am trying to be conservative, hahah), self-described MEN of faith have stood before their congregations and preached hatred and segregation of blacks and whites, support for immoral wars, hatred of the dreaded Muslim hoards that are out to wipe us all out, all the while leaving out Jesus' principle teachings for people that believed in him and his mission - as a Jew, I might add - that we should take care of the poor, feed the hungry, and behaved towards others as we would have others behave towards us, etc. etc.
What drives the "Joe the Plumber" and "Sarah Palin" mentalities in our nation? Really. What drives it? Is it only about Republicans battling Democrats? That has been going on for decades upon decades. But truly, we have never seen such hatred and falsehoods spewing forth from this day's "loyal opposition" party. Elected representatives threatening secession from the country, even threatening revolution. What is this all about? And it is supported by "pulpit occupiers", many of whom are more interested in selling books and DVDs, and raising money each Sunday to support their lavish lifestyles and palace-like mega-places of prayer.
Yes, I am fearful that we may face losing America, not the whites only America, not the gun totin' America, not the tax breaks for the wealthiest America, but the America where opportunities are available for everyone, where education in schools is valued and encouraged, where religious freedom is honored and respected and not institutionalized as part of a government philosophy, as Bush II attempted.
George W. Bush was a major proponent of "looking into a person's eyes and seeing their soul," albeit he obviously needed new prescription glasses. Maybe each of us needs to look into our own soul - if we can.
There IS "right." But it's clearly NOT the "right" of the Right. If this nation cannot rediscover its soul, if it cannot even make room for the President of the United States to have an inspiring conversation with elementary school children about their education, for cryin' out loud! What have we come to?
Cary J. Polevoy
www.clearthemist.blogspot.com