Conservatives are literally up in arms over the recent discovery of a video of school children singing in celebration of the first African-American U.S. President, Barack Obama. Fox News, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and the usual band of misfits have been recently stirring the hate-pot, saying the song is brainwashing children to follow the policies of Obama, and is reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany. The video and the ensuing story has received so much media attention from Fox News lately, that the Principal of the B. Bernice Young School has received death threats, forcing the school into lockdown. Interesting!
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But what Fox News, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and the other usual band of misfits failed to mention, is that the video is nearly a year old, was made BEFORE Mr. Obama was inaugurated, was one of hundreds of celebrations by America’s children which led up to the historic Obama inauguration, and was done with the FULL CONSENT of all the parents. They also failed to mention this is not the first time school children have sung the praises of America’s Commander-In-Chief. After the Bush Administration’s failed response to the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe, children from the disaster were invited to the White House for a 2006 Easter Egg Roll, and sang a song for President Bush to the tune of “Hey Look Me Over,” which included these lyrics:
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“… Congress, Bush and FEMA
People across our land
Together have come to rebuild us
and we join them hand-in-hand!”
People across our land
Together have come to rebuild us
and we join them hand-in-hand!”
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So, that song, delivered during a national event on the White House lawn and meant to bolster Bush following his colossal failure handling Hurricane Katrina — that was OK. But a “parent-approved” song from a year ago, delivered in a mostly empty and obscure school auditorium, meant to honor the historic relevance of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States — that was NOT OK?? Hmmm…
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I've checked out 3 of the "Children Singing Praises to Obama" videos (I believe there are 6 videos posted)_and the truth is, I'm reminded of the phrase: "Two wrongs don't make a right".Let me be clear:I have absolutely NO problem with children learning and reciting historical speeches like “The Gettysburg Address” by Pres. Lincoln or the “I Have A Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King.However, when it comes to children actually being taught IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL by PUBLIC SCHOOL staff to sing the praises of ANY President based on that President’s policies and/or ideological persuasion???_well, that’s just BAD business _a “slippery slope” kind of thing IMO.It stinks to high heaven when right-wing extremists “indoctrinate” children with PRO-Dubya propaganda…which BTW still goes on all the time. A "double-standard"? You're darn skippy it is! Nevertheless, it stinks when left-wingers do the same with respect to Pres, Obama.
NOTE TO TRUTHIZ:I agree with your opinion. But I think the difference here is this event happened last fall and PRIOR to Mr. Obama's inauguration. So the children weren't singing in praise of his policies (there were none at the time). They were singing in tribute to the first African-American to be elected President and its historical significance. Had they been singing in reference to his policies AFTER his inauguration, I believe I too would have had a problem with that. And that's the point of this story. Beck, Limbaugh, and the others are creating the myth this video happened AFTER his inauguration and are in support of Mr. Obama's policies. But that's simply not true. The parents didn't have a problem here, since the school apparently obtained their permission for the song in advance. With that said, I think this has been blown up into something much bigger than it really is or should be.Thanks for your continued support and input!
Thank you for providing this site DJ!And I hope you don't mind me posting this next relate story?Thomas Friedman's recent New York Times column warned that the tenor of critical rhetoric directed at the White House was becoming disturbing:Others have already remarked on this analogy, but I want to add my voice because the parallels to Israel then and America today turn my stomach: I have no problem with any of the substantive criticism of President Obama from the right or left. But something very dangerous is happening. Criticism from the far right has begun tipping over into delegitimation and creating the same kind of climate here that existed in Israel on the eve of the Rabin assassination. What kind of madness is it that someone would create a poll on Facebook asking respondents, "Should Obama be killed?" The choices were: "No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care." The Secret Service is now investigating. I hope they put the jerk in jail and throw away the key because this is exactly what was being done to Rabin.Even if you are not worried that someone might draw from these vitriolic attacks a license to try to hurt the president, you have to be worried about what is happening to American politics more broadly.Full story: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/michael-steele-calls-thom_n_304402.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/michael-… />Generally speaking I have no stomach for neoCons_ particularly neoCons in disguise posing as intellectuals like Friedman. But as the saying goes even a broke clock is right twice a day…so I’ll give Friedman his due. His concerns are legit. However, (as usual) he’s LATE to recognize what’s been apparent to REAL intellectual heavy-hitters and um well, folks with just plain ole common sense and functioning EYES and EARS for quite some time now. Reich-wingers are dangerous nutjobs who want the President dead YESTERDAY! Steele’s predictably 3rd grader’s response to Friedman’s piece was…well, predictable…smh.