I've been around for a long time as a lurker and occasional commenter, but this is my first diary. I won't go into my reasons for that right now, but I will say that the fact that I've come out of lurkdom at this moment means that what I have to say is very important to me.
For several days I have been trying to get the word out that the Hawaii Superintendent of Education, Patricia Hamamoto, blocked the President's back to school message from being shown in Hawaii schools on Tuesday.
And in his birth state, no less!
My letter to The Honorable Mazie K. Hirono is below the fold.
The Honorable Mazie K. Hirono
5-104 Prince Kuhio Bldg.
300 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96850
Dear Representative Hirono:
For several days I've been trying to get the word out that the Hawaii Superintendent of Education, Patricia Hamamoto, blocked the President's back to school message from being shown in Hawaii schools on Tuesday.
My son’s teacher at [name of school] recorded the President’s message on DVD, and had lessons planned, and the principal wanted the students to see the speech. She was instructed in an email from the superintendent, after school started Tuesday morning, that the teachers were not to show it. An announcement was made on the loudspeaker at that time, and she specifically stated that the speech was being blocked due to protests by parents on the mainland.
I've contacted State Senators & Representatives, as well as local media, and the excuse I've been given (when I get an answer at all) is that prior to the speech, the DOE said that because of the timing (6 a.m. Hawaii time) they had no plans to tape it for the schools to play later. There was no mention of the protests at that time.
That's all well and good, but my issue is with the fact that the superintendent explicitly forbid a school that wanted to play it from doing so. My son heard the announcement with his own ears, and the mainland protests were the reason given.
I’m having a difficult time believing it wasn’t a politically motivated decision that trickled down from Governor Lingle. The decision was conveniently handed down at the last minute to prevent parents from having any input until after the fact.
I'm flabbergasted that I'm the only person who seems to be outraged by the fact that Hawaii's children have been taught a lesson of intolerance and disrespect for the President from our local educational leaders. Since when do American children have to be protected from the duly elected President of the United States? And in his birth state, no less!
If there is anything you can do about this I would greatly appreciate your assistance. If you have any questions, or need further information, please contact me anytime at the address or phone numbers above.
I guess the most interesting thing about this to me, is the fact that the legislators and news media I contacted immediately assumed I must be making it up, because the reason they were given by the DOE ahead of time doesn't mesh with what I am reporting. People in Hawaii are notoriously apathetic about political issues, with the exception of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement. Very few of us vote. I truly believe that our Republican Governor Lingle expected that she could get away with this for that very reason, and she just might be right if I can't find anyone else to join me.
I can be reached at the email address on my Dkos user page, and I welcome contact from anyone who is interested in proving Governor Lingle wrong.
Update: I edited the diary title to more specifically reflect the issue I'm writing about.