President Obama’s Address to Students Across America September 8, 2009
President Obama?s Address to Students Across America September 8, 2009
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities: President Obama?s Address to Students Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
Before the Speech:
? Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be President?
To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?
What do you think he will say to you?
? Teachers can ask students to imagine being the President delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States. What would you tell students? What can students do to help in our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what they would say.
? Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech:
? As the President speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note-taking graphic organizer such as a Cluster Web, or students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children can draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
What is the President trying to tell me?
What is the President asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?
? Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
go to the link for a full rundown...
All I know is Bill Ayers is smiling!
Replies
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Beach FanaticAuthor
http://cnsnews.com/news/category/politics
CNSNews.com - Obama Pitched Universal Health Care to Students in Meeting Prior to His Speech on Education
CNSNews.com
Obama Pitched Universal Health Care to Students in Meeting Prior to His Speech on Education
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer
President Barack Obama speaks to the nation's school children in a nationally broadcast speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)
(CNSNews.com) ? Prior to his nationally broadcast speech to students on Tuesday, President Barack Obama made a pitch for health care reform in a discussion with 40 freshmen at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.
The president traveled to Wakefield High to give a speech on education reform. The speech was posted in advance on the White House Web site to quell fears that the president intended to plug his political agenda to impressionable minds.
Although the president avoided controversial topics in his speech, he did promote health care reform in a face-to-face discussion at Wakefield High School. Asked by a student how he stays motivated to do his job, Obama replied that his staff gives him 10 letters every day from ?ordinary folks.?
?Some of the stories are really depressing,? Obama told the 40 freshman, who were chosen to meet with the president during freshman orientation, according to school officials.
?You hear about people who are sick but don't have health care, and suddenly they get a bill for $100,000, and there's no way they can pay for it, and they're about to lose their house. And you?re just reminded that the country is full of really good people who sometimes are going through a hard time,? Obama said.
?They just need a break. They need a little bit of help. Maybe the way things are set up right now isn't always fair for people, and that motivates you, because you say, well, I can't make everything perfect, I can't prevent somebody from getting sick, but maybe I can make sure that they've got insurance so that when they do get sick, they're going to get some help.?
Another student asked the president about health care in Iraq and Afghanistan: ?And my question is, currently 36 countries have universal health coverage, including Iraq and Afghanistan, which have it paid for by the United States. Why can't the United States have universal health coverage??
Students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., gave President Barack Obama a warm reception on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (Photo by Penny Starr/CNSNews.com)
?Well, I think that?s the question I?ve been asking Congress, because I think we need it,? Obama said. ?I think we can do it. And I'm going to be making a speech tomorrow night, talking about my plan to make sure that everybody has access to affordable health care.?
Obama told the students that in the 1940s and 50s, ?most of the wealthy countries around the world decided to set up health care systems that covered everybody. The United States -- for a number of different reasons -- organized their health care around employer-based health insurance.?
Obama noted that most Americans received health insurance through their jobs. ?And you can see some problems with that,? Obama continued: ?Number one is, if you lose your job, then you don?t have health insurance. The other thing is some employers may not want to do right by their employees by giving them health insurance, and then they're kind of out of luck.?
Obama noted that the majority of Americans still have health insurance through their jobs: ?Most of them are happy with it, but a lot of people fall through the cracks,? Obama said. ?If you?re self-employed, if you start your own business, if you are working in a job that doesn't offer health insurance, then you?re -- you have real problems.
?So what we?re trying to do is set up a system where people who have health insurance on the job, they can keep it, but if you don't have health insurance for the job, if you?re self-employed, if you?re unemployed, that you're able to get health insurance through another way,? Obama said.
?And we can afford to do it and it will actually, I think, over time save us money if we set that up.?
Third graders at Jane Addams Elementary School in Springfield, Ill., watch President Barack Obama deliver a televised address on education, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
During his nationally broadcast speech at Wakefield High School, Obama omitted any discussion of health care. Instead, he focused on personal responsibility, overcoming obstacles and never giving up.
?I get it,? Obama told the students. ?I know what it's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.
?But I was lucky,? Obama said. ?I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.?
Obama said it was up to each individual to make the most of his or her own circumstances.
?I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve,? Obama said.
?But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.,? Obama said.
?That's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.?
Students at Wakefield High School said the president gave them tips on how to be successful.
?You have to have failure before you can be successful and how you can be successful if you keep trying and keeping pushing your way in life,? sophomore Erin Kelly told CNSNews.com.
?Just never stop trying,? junior Erika Paz said. ?Don?t let anything hold you back.?
Beach Fanatic
Outrage on this for a while:
Mother mad coach took players to church; School district says trip was voluntary | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
"
The head football coach at Breckinridge County High School took about 20 players on a school bus late last month to his church, where nearly half of them were baptized, school officials say.
The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service ? and that the school district?s superintendent was there and did not object.
?Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,? said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.
"
Mother mad coach took players to church; School district says trip was voluntary | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
"
The head football coach at Breckinridge County High School took about 20 players on a school bus late last month to his church, where nearly half of them were baptized, school officials say.
The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service ? and that the school district?s superintendent was there and did not object.
?Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,? said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.
"
Beach Fanatic
Here is another "voice of reason" on the president's speech to the school children. I just wish some of this could get out in front of the next "batch" of hysteria being fomented by others.
http://www.embarqmail.com/news/read...@news.ap.org>&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS&page=2
Analysis: Obama foes contrived back-to-school fuss
By WALTER R. MEARS AP Special Correspondent The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:15 AM EDT
There were no Republican complaints in 1991 when President George H.W. Bush spoke at a Washington, D.C., school and told the students, "Write me a letter — I'm serious about this one — write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals."
Nor did Republicans claim that Ronald Reagan was trying to create a cult of personality, as some did this time, when he spoke to students at the White House in 1988, near the end of his second term. Answering questions, Reagan boasted of economic progress and a patriotic revival under his administration. He also said he opposed rigid gun controls or handgun bans.
More politics there than in Obama's school session. At a meeting with students before his speech, the president did tell a questioning youth that he favors universal health insurance and thinks it can be done. But he never mentioned his policy agenda in his speech.
President George W. Bush was at a Sarasota, Fla., school reading to pupils on Sept. 11, 2001. He was to have delivered a back-to-school talk there, but never did. The terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington intervened.
Until now presidential school speeches hadn't been treated as anything out of the ordinary. Obama's wasn't either, but right-wing activists saw an opportunity to hassle him and to stir up people who don't like the president by inventing an issue.
This wasn't really about the propriety of a president speaking at a school or about what he might say that parents claimed they had to guard their kids against. It was about opposing Obama. There's nothing wrong with opposition. That's the way politics works.
But the underlying tone of the most vehement critics goes past the traditions of politics to the idea that schoolchildren shouldn't be listening to this guy because he shouldn't be president.
The office, whoever the man in the White House, always has commanded respect. That is eroding in the era of nonstop talk shows and angry blogs.
It has been an American tradition for losing candidates in presidential elections to urge their followers to respect the outcome, to say that the winner is their president, too. Episodes like the school speech flap say something different.
———
EDITOR'S NOTE — Walter R. Mears covered government and politics for The Associated Press for more than 45 years. He is retired now and lives in Chapel Hill, N.C.
http://www.embarqmail.com/news/read...@news.ap.org>&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS&page=2
Analysis: Obama foes contrived back-to-school fuss
By WALTER R. MEARS AP Special Correspondent The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:15 AM EDT
There were no Republican complaints in 1991 when President George H.W. Bush spoke at a Washington, D.C., school and told the students, "Write me a letter — I'm serious about this one — write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals."
Nor did Republicans claim that Ronald Reagan was trying to create a cult of personality, as some did this time, when he spoke to students at the White House in 1988, near the end of his second term. Answering questions, Reagan boasted of economic progress and a patriotic revival under his administration. He also said he opposed rigid gun controls or handgun bans.
More politics there than in Obama's school session. At a meeting with students before his speech, the president did tell a questioning youth that he favors universal health insurance and thinks it can be done. But he never mentioned his policy agenda in his speech.
President George W. Bush was at a Sarasota, Fla., school reading to pupils on Sept. 11, 2001. He was to have delivered a back-to-school talk there, but never did. The terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington intervened.
Until now presidential school speeches hadn't been treated as anything out of the ordinary. Obama's wasn't either, but right-wing activists saw an opportunity to hassle him and to stir up people who don't like the president by inventing an issue.
This wasn't really about the propriety of a president speaking at a school or about what he might say that parents claimed they had to guard their kids against. It was about opposing Obama. There's nothing wrong with opposition. That's the way politics works.
But the underlying tone of the most vehement critics goes past the traditions of politics to the idea that schoolchildren shouldn't be listening to this guy because he shouldn't be president.
The office, whoever the man in the White House, always has commanded respect. That is eroding in the era of nonstop talk shows and angry blogs.
It has been an American tradition for losing candidates in presidential elections to urge their followers to respect the outcome, to say that the winner is their president, too. Episodes like the school speech flap say something different.
———
EDITOR'S NOTE — Walter R. Mears covered government and politics for The Associated Press for more than 45 years. He is retired now and lives in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Edited
SoWal Insider
Love that precious girl yawning. 
Just a natural occurrence as I am sure she wasn't bored.
Just a natural occurrence as I am sure she wasn't bored.
SoWal Insider
Outrage on this for a while:
Mother mad coach took players to church; School district says trip was voluntary | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
"
The head football coach at Breckinridge County High School took about 20 players on a school bus late last month to his church, where nearly half of them were baptized, school officials say.
The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service ? and that the school district?s superintendent was there and did not object.
?Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,? said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.
"
free steak and a kentucky dip!
margarita brocolia
My daughter attends a neighboring district which may at a later time allow Obama's speech in schools but didn't because of the stink made by some parents. The following is an interesting situation for the AISD to have gotten themselves in::roll:
Arlington ISD - NO to Obama speech, but YES to a trip to Cowboys Stadium to watch Bush. Snark Time.
by JWAdvocate
Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 08:01:19 PM PDT
After sharing this story with a friend, he said it was ridiculous, but "par for the course." While I agree, I think it is sad that school districts are now playing political games with students' participation in civics.
An exercise in snark, where plain disgust simply will not do.
JWAdvocate's diary :: ::
The Arlington ISD refused to air Obama's education speech in classrooms. (Sidenote, apparently during mock voting, AISD students voted for Obama 3-to-1.)
The AISD then plans to bus about 500 fifth-grade students to Cowboys Stadium to hear speeches from, amongst others, George W. Bush.
What's the difference? Why should k-12 students have to make their own way to listen to President Obama's speech, while AISD sends kids to hear President Bush speak at Cowboys Stadium?
(snark)
The distinction is clear, folks.
** The Obama speech was televised. Way too difficult to have students watch things on television during class! That never happens!
** Wait. Nevermind. Okay, but the Obama speech would have clearly been less exciting than going to see Bush speak at Cowboys Stadium! Nothing like shoring up some star-power to get students feeling more positive about everyone's favorite President! But seriously, this is different because the Bush event will have multiple speakers. Via USA Today:
District spokeswoman Veronica Sopher said the two events are different.
"The distinction is it?s a field trip that parents have to grant permission for students to attend," she said.
(Because AISD couldn't have done this with the Obama speech, and/or provided alternative instruction. Not possible. Wait, Fort Worth ISD did that? You bastards!)
"With parental permission, the selected classes will attend a field trip at the Cowboys Stadium, where they will hear from several different speakers."
That is why this is completely different. Because Troy Aikman is going to be there.
** Okay, not buying that one? What about all the effort necessary to show this kind of stuff? Do you know how hard it'd be to play it to all students? Talk about low returns. It's not like anyone else is doing it. Wait. Fort Worth ISD did that? You bastards!
Anyway, with the Bush speech, it's totally easy! All AISD has to do is bus 500 fifth-graders to and from an NFL stadium, making sure they don't get lost in locker rooms or have asthma attacks. Just as long as no one asks how it's being paid for, it'd be clear sailing!
Look, folks. AISD Superintendent Jerry McCullough said officials didn?t want didn't interfere with instruction already planned for that Tuesday (via Star-Telegram.) Do you know how much of a distraction Obama's speech could have been, if it were about what we thought it was originally going to be about (but turned out not to be about at all? SOCIALIST INDOCTRINATION?) Besides, the trip to Cowboys Stadium is going to be chock-full of educational instruction. Clear. Difference.
** Besides, it's clear that the majority of North Texas parents don't agree with having their kids indoctrinated. Five percent of parents at the Fort Worth ISD opted out. Five! (And so what if the majority of AISD students voted for the guy! They don't know what they want. AISD knows.)
(And they are totally not fascists.)
(end snark)
The compromise, summarized in this statement from the AISD, would be in allowing students to leave school to watch the speech then promptly return back to the classroom at the speech's conclusion. (So yeah, kids, if you want to watch the speech, go watch it somewhere else on your own time. Just make sure you get back here afterward. Can't drive? Can't find a ride? Too damn bad.) One of the sites opening it's doors to the students to watch the speech was the Cornerstone Baptist Church. From FW Weekly:
"He said things that we, parents, teachers, ministers, have been saying for years: Stay in school, respect your teachers, listen to your parents, take responsibility. Well, praise the Lord, it makes all the difference in the world for those words to come from the president of the United States."
The speaker was Vera McKissic, wife of Cornerstone Baptist Church minister Dwight McKissic, explaining why the church opened its doors to Arlington public school students so that they could hear Barack Obama?s speech to the nation?s schoolchildren on Tuesday, after the Arlington district opted to close its doors (and its students? eyes and ears) to the historic broadcast. "We knew we had to do something when we heard that the school was banning the speech," Vera said. (In an agreement negotiated with the pastor, the AISD gave excused passes to students who wanted to watch the speech at Cornerstone.)
So churches had to negotiate with AISD to even allow students to get excused to watch?
---
Every aspect of this stinks, no matter what angle you look at it. Double standards abound. The Obama speech viewed as a distracting departure from lessons and instruction. But not a trip to Cowboys Stadium to hear George and Laura, and some former Cowboys speak about the same thing.
AISD's rationale for differing treatment due to permission slips is bull****. Eloquent? No. But sometimes you have to call things what they are. It is clear, looking at how only 5% of over 1,300 students at Fort Worth ISD, that the majority of parents and students had great interest in watching the speech. To say that this is different because AISD utilized permission slips implies that permission slips could not have been utilized in allowing students to watch the speech in class, or participate in alternative instruction.
In making seeing the Obama speech far more cumbersome for students and parents, while spending taxpayer money to bus children to see Bush you, AISD, are sending negative messages, both real and reasonably perceived, about how you believe our President should be viewed and perceived by the youth, a true demonstration of how, in the name of preventing indoctrination, a school district can omit students access to the Presidential address of a President you happen not to like.
Arlington ISD - NO to Obama speech, but YES to a trip to Cowboys Stadium to watch Bush. Snark Time.
by JWAdvocate
Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 08:01:19 PM PDT
After sharing this story with a friend, he said it was ridiculous, but "par for the course." While I agree, I think it is sad that school districts are now playing political games with students' participation in civics.
An exercise in snark, where plain disgust simply will not do.
JWAdvocate's diary :: ::
The Arlington ISD refused to air Obama's education speech in classrooms. (Sidenote, apparently during mock voting, AISD students voted for Obama 3-to-1.)
The AISD then plans to bus about 500 fifth-grade students to Cowboys Stadium to hear speeches from, amongst others, George W. Bush.
What's the difference? Why should k-12 students have to make their own way to listen to President Obama's speech, while AISD sends kids to hear President Bush speak at Cowboys Stadium?
(snark)
The distinction is clear, folks.
** The Obama speech was televised. Way too difficult to have students watch things on television during class! That never happens!
** Wait. Nevermind. Okay, but the Obama speech would have clearly been less exciting than going to see Bush speak at Cowboys Stadium! Nothing like shoring up some star-power to get students feeling more positive about everyone's favorite President! But seriously, this is different because the Bush event will have multiple speakers. Via USA Today:
District spokeswoman Veronica Sopher said the two events are different.
"The distinction is it?s a field trip that parents have to grant permission for students to attend," she said.
(Because AISD couldn't have done this with the Obama speech, and/or provided alternative instruction. Not possible. Wait, Fort Worth ISD did that? You bastards!)
"With parental permission, the selected classes will attend a field trip at the Cowboys Stadium, where they will hear from several different speakers."
That is why this is completely different. Because Troy Aikman is going to be there.
** Okay, not buying that one? What about all the effort necessary to show this kind of stuff? Do you know how hard it'd be to play it to all students? Talk about low returns. It's not like anyone else is doing it. Wait. Fort Worth ISD did that? You bastards!
Anyway, with the Bush speech, it's totally easy! All AISD has to do is bus 500 fifth-graders to and from an NFL stadium, making sure they don't get lost in locker rooms or have asthma attacks. Just as long as no one asks how it's being paid for, it'd be clear sailing!
Look, folks. AISD Superintendent Jerry McCullough said officials didn?t want didn't interfere with instruction already planned for that Tuesday (via Star-Telegram.) Do you know how much of a distraction Obama's speech could have been, if it were about what we thought it was originally going to be about (but turned out not to be about at all? SOCIALIST INDOCTRINATION?) Besides, the trip to Cowboys Stadium is going to be chock-full of educational instruction. Clear. Difference.
** Besides, it's clear that the majority of North Texas parents don't agree with having their kids indoctrinated. Five percent of parents at the Fort Worth ISD opted out. Five! (And so what if the majority of AISD students voted for the guy! They don't know what they want. AISD knows.)
(And they are totally not fascists.)
(end snark)
The compromise, summarized in this statement from the AISD, would be in allowing students to leave school to watch the speech then promptly return back to the classroom at the speech's conclusion. (So yeah, kids, if you want to watch the speech, go watch it somewhere else on your own time. Just make sure you get back here afterward. Can't drive? Can't find a ride? Too damn bad.) One of the sites opening it's doors to the students to watch the speech was the Cornerstone Baptist Church. From FW Weekly:
"He said things that we, parents, teachers, ministers, have been saying for years: Stay in school, respect your teachers, listen to your parents, take responsibility. Well, praise the Lord, it makes all the difference in the world for those words to come from the president of the United States."
The speaker was Vera McKissic, wife of Cornerstone Baptist Church minister Dwight McKissic, explaining why the church opened its doors to Arlington public school students so that they could hear Barack Obama?s speech to the nation?s schoolchildren on Tuesday, after the Arlington district opted to close its doors (and its students? eyes and ears) to the historic broadcast. "We knew we had to do something when we heard that the school was banning the speech," Vera said. (In an agreement negotiated with the pastor, the AISD gave excused passes to students who wanted to watch the speech at Cornerstone.)
So churches had to negotiate with AISD to even allow students to get excused to watch?
---
Every aspect of this stinks, no matter what angle you look at it. Double standards abound. The Obama speech viewed as a distracting departure from lessons and instruction. But not a trip to Cowboys Stadium to hear George and Laura, and some former Cowboys speak about the same thing.
AISD's rationale for differing treatment due to permission slips is bull****. Eloquent? No. But sometimes you have to call things what they are. It is clear, looking at how only 5% of over 1,300 students at Fort Worth ISD, that the majority of parents and students had great interest in watching the speech. To say that this is different because AISD utilized permission slips implies that permission slips could not have been utilized in allowing students to watch the speech in class, or participate in alternative instruction.
In making seeing the Obama speech far more cumbersome for students and parents, while spending taxpayer money to bus children to see Bush you, AISD, are sending negative messages, both real and reasonably perceived, about how you believe our President should be viewed and perceived by the youth, a true demonstration of how, in the name of preventing indoctrination, a school district can omit students access to the Presidential address of a President you happen not to like.
Edited
Beach Fanatic
this is unbelievable. How do people who are supposed to be leaders in the community arrive at these decisions?
Are these school folks elected? If so, seems like a time for a new election and maybe to let the students vote!
Are these school folks elected? If so, seems like a time for a new election and maybe to let the students vote!
SoWal Expert
Outrage on this for a while:
Mother mad coach took players to church; School district says trip was voluntary | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
"
The head football coach at Breckinridge County High School took about 20 players on a school bus late last month to his church, where nearly half of them were baptized, school officials say.
The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service ? and that the school district?s superintendent was there and did not object.
?Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,? said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.
"
free steak and a kentucky dip!
I think the football players got gipped. Their coach should have taken them to the Creation Museum- now there's a field trip!!!
Fun website for ya Bob- Creation Museum - Creation, Evolution, Science, Dinosaurs, Family, Christian Worldview | Creation Museum ;-)
Beach Fanatic
WENDY VICTORA: Obama brouhaha proves it's not the message, it's the messenger | victora, obama, bothered - News - Northwest Florida Daily News
I am happy to see Wendy Victoria tell both sides of the story. I agree it's too bad we can't get people to be as passionate about actually doing something to improve the world...as they are about their particular brand of politics.
I am happy to see Wendy Victoria tell both sides of the story. I agree it's too bad we can't get people to be as passionate about actually doing something to improve the world...as they are about their particular brand of politics.
Beach Fanatic
WENDY VICTORA: Obama brouhaha proves it's not the message, it's the messenger | victora, obama, bothered - News - Northwest Florida Daily News
I am happy to see Wendy Victoria tell both sides of the story. I agree it's too bad we can't get people to be as passionate about actually doing something to improve the world...as they are about their particular brand of politics.
If we could only inspire that much passion for other issues ? like poverty, racism and finding a cure for cancer ? the world would be a better place.
I do think the President's speech should have been shown.
Wendy V. is jumping to an erroneous conclusion.
Working to end poverty, fighting racism, and finding a cure for cancer has inspired much, much more passion than President Obama's speech has. The issues are unrelated. Nobody gave up seeking a cure for cancer so they could write a letter to the school board objecting to the speech.
Beach Fanatic
Another voice of reason in the media:
"I want my country back.
The one where a message of personal responsibility and the value of a good education is celebrated, not denigrated with suspicion and hostility.
The one where the opportunity to hear from the president of the United States is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime event, not decried as propagandistic indoctrination.
The one where public debate is engaged by reasonable people concerned with solving common problems, not radical voices making stuff up to misinform, inflame and divide.
This country is called the "United" States for a reason."
Commentary: I want my country back | McClatchy
"I want my country back.
The one where a message of personal responsibility and the value of a good education is celebrated, not denigrated with suspicion and hostility.
The one where the opportunity to hear from the president of the United States is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime event, not decried as propagandistic indoctrination.
The one where public debate is engaged by reasonable people concerned with solving common problems, not radical voices making stuff up to misinform, inflame and divide.
This country is called the "United" States for a reason."
Commentary: I want my country back | McClatchy
Edited
Beach Lover
How much more official fact checking do you need since this is coming from the U. S. Department of Education web site? Assuming you are a big government lover, this should be all the info you need.
Big Fat mtlinscomb stay in Houston!
SoWal Insider
Another voice of reason in the media:
"I want my country back.
The one where a message of personal responsibility and the value of a good education is celebrated, not denigrated with suspicion and hostility.
The one where the opportunity to hear from the president of the United States is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime event, not decried as propagandistic indoctrination.
The one where public debate is engaged by reasonable people concerned with solving common problems, not radical voices making stuff up to misinform, inflame and divide.
This country is called the "United" States for a reason."
Commentary: I want my country back | McClatchy
It's because once upon a time representatives of a motley collection of colonies considered it in their best interest ? for the present and the future ? to come together under a federal government that could serve their common needs while letting them have a degree of autonomy.
That should have read, "a high degree of autonomy."
It's odd that she paints Obama and his followers as the enlightened ones and demands people treat them with a certain level of respect, and then a couple sentences down spends time denigrating the last President. This would have had more impact if she had transcended all of that and asked for respectful discourse regardless of who is making the decisions in Washington.
Meow
That should have read, "a high degree of autonomy."
It's odd that she paints Obama and his followers as the enlightened ones and demands people treat them with a certain level of respect, and then a couple sentences down spends time denigrating the last President. This would have had more impact if she had transcended all of that and asked for respectful discourse regardless of who is making the decisions in Washington.
There in lies the rub to me.
Thank you.
SoWal Insider
That should have read, "a high degree of autonomy."
It's odd that she paints Obama and his followers as the enlightened ones and demands people treat them with a certain level of respect, and then a couple sentences down spends time denigrating the last President. This would have had more impact if she had transcended all of that and asked for respectful discourse regardless of who is making the decisions in Washington.
There in lies the rub to me.
Thank you.
Agreed. What is good for the goose is evidently not good for the gander.
Beach Fanatic
That should have read, "a high degree of autonomy."
It's odd that she paints Obama and his followers as the enlightened ones and demands people treat them with a certain level of respect, and then a couple sentences down spends time denigrating the last President. This would have had more impact if she had transcended all of that and asked for respectful discourse regardless of who is making the decisions in Washington.
Maybe I am missing something that you all see, but this does not seem like denigrating to me:
"Because President George W. Bush took the country into war on false pretenses, disregarded the law on wiretapping and treatment of detainees, and damaged the Justice Department?s reputation for fairness, his most vociferous critics wrongly insisted that he could do no right."
she is saying that Bush's critics wrongly insisted that he could do no right..." how is that denigrating to Bush?
Because President Obama hasn't righted the economy, has called for health care reform that could carry a mind-boggling price tag and advocates some ideas that challenge right-wing ideology, a relentless minority stubbornly ? and wrongly ? works to caricature him as a menace to America.
and this is saying that a small minority on the right are caricaturing Obama.
Again, maybe I am missing something (it has been a long day), but I don't see that she is more negative to one than the other....
Beach Fanatic
Objectivity is sometimes difficult.
SoWal Insider
Maybe I am missing something that you all see, but this does not seem like denigrating to me:
"Because President George W. Bush took the country into war on false pretenses, disregarded the law on wiretapping and treatment of detainees, and damaged the Justice Department?s reputation for fairness, his most vociferous critics wrongly insisted that he could do no right."
she is saying that Bush's critics wrongly insisted that he could do no right..." how is that denigrating to Bush?
Because President Obama hasn't righted the economy, has called for health care reform that could carry a mind-boggling price tag and advocates some ideas that challenge right-wing ideology, a relentless minority stubbornly ? and wrongly ? works to caricature him as a menace to America.
and this is saying that a small minority on the right are caricaturing Obama.
Again, maybe I am missing something (it has been a long day), but I don't see that she is more negative to one than the other....
The above was her statement, and she commented "his most vociferous critics wrongly insisted that he could do no right." implying that Bush was capable of doing something right, but obviously not the things he did wrong she previously mentioned. At least that's the way I took it. She then goes on to defend Obama as someone who is not a "menace to America". In a round about way she is her own worst enemy! She is the one taking her country away from her!
Beach Fanatic
Big Fat mtlinscomb stay in Houston!
There must be a better way to express your opinion.
Beach Fanatic
The above was her statement, and she commented "his most vociferous critics wrongly insisted that he could do no right." implying that Bush was capable of doing something right, but obviously not the things he did wrong she previously mentioned. At least that's the way I took it. She then goes on to defend Obama as someone who is not a "menace to America". In a round about way she is her own worst enemy! She is the one taking her country away from her!
do you think that Obama is a "menace to America?"
and do you think that taking us to war under false pretenses and tampering with the constitution were okay?
certainly I am not objective about the way we went to war--my son is one who served long and well and his life was on the line more than a few times. I am supportive of the defense of our country and after 911, I supported Bush even though it meant I might lose my only child. To defend our country against the ones who attacked us was one thing; to invade a country which had nothing to do with it was completely different. I have thought it wrong from the beginning and I still do. If I had been in the Congress, I would have voted no. I believe that even Bush has come to believe that and certainly history will show what really happened.
I certainly don't agree with everything that Obama has done, or not done, but I do not believe that he is someone who is trying to destroy the very country he leads. I do not believe he is the enemy, is trying to turn the US into a socialist country, or indoctrinate the children. And I don't think you do either.
That is crazy thinking IMO. Ffor those who disagree with the way things are done, there are much more constructive ways to express their disagreement. And this is what I think she is saying. As I have said before, this is protest for no reason. During the Vietnam war we protested, but it was to end the war--everything else had been tried, finally the only thing left was to take to the streets.
the anti-Obama group has not offered an alternative...no matter how much he reaches out to them. There is a difference between just saying no and offering up some alternatives. I know there must be someone in the Republican Party who could put together a plan that is reasonable for health insurance reform and plaster it all over the airwaves and the Internet and get people to see their point of view. There must be someone somewhere, but so far I have not seen any alternative plans. Have you? Absent their alternatives, the only thing I see being played out is opposition for oppositon sake.
Edited
Beach Fanatic
the anti-Obama group has not offered an alternative...no matter how much he reaches out to them. There is a difference between just saying no and offering up some alternatives. I know there must be someone in the Republican Party who could put together a plan that is reasonable for health insurance reform and plaster it all over the airwaves and the Internet and get people to see their point of view. There must be someone somewhere, but so far I have not seen any alternative plans. Have you? Absent their alternatives, the only thing I see being played out is opposition for oppositon sake.
There is a good article about that at NewsBusters.
If you get your news from the New York Times, however, you are most likely oblivious to the many areas in which congressional Republicans and President Obama agree.Media Myth: GOP Has No Health Care Ideas | NewsBusters.org
And another here:
Democrats stifle Republican health care plans | Washington Examiner
Just for the record, in case you want to check them out, these are the bills proposed, so far, by Price and his allies in the House: H.R. 77; H.R. 109; H.R. 198; H.R. 270; H.R. 321; H.R. 464; H.R. 502; H.R. 544; H.R. 917; H.R. 1086; H.R. 1118; H.R. 1441; H.R. 1458; H.R. 1468; H.R. 1658; H.R. 1891; H.R. 2520; H.R. 2607; H.R. 2692; H.R. 2784; H.R. 2785; H.R. 2786; H.R. 2787; H.R. 3141; H.R. 3217; H.R. 3218; H.R. 3356; H.R. 3372; H.R. 3400; H.R. 3438; H.R. 3454; and H.R. 3478.
I looked up links to a few for you:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02520:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3217.IH:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:h3218:
Beach Fanatic
I did not make my point clear enough I guess.
Why are the Republicans not undertaking a political campaign to get their plan out? Where is the Insurance Reform Plan that is comparable to the Contract with America?
If they wanted to make the point that their plan is better, then why not show the people what it is they have to offer?
As far as I can tell, none of this has been given "media blitz" exposure. Why doesn't the House leader go on a media blitz to offer up these ideas? Every time I see him on television, the only thing he talks about is how bad the president's plan is, or how the Democrats won't let him talk...He could command just as much attention, maybe more, in the media right now if he would ask for the time to demonstrate why his plan is better.
Wouldn't that be more productive that supporting all the protests that have no underlying alternative?
there must be a reason why he hasn't done so...
Why are the Republicans not undertaking a political campaign to get their plan out? Where is the Insurance Reform Plan that is comparable to the Contract with America?
If they wanted to make the point that their plan is better, then why not show the people what it is they have to offer?
As far as I can tell, none of this has been given "media blitz" exposure. Why doesn't the House leader go on a media blitz to offer up these ideas? Every time I see him on television, the only thing he talks about is how bad the president's plan is, or how the Democrats won't let him talk...He could command just as much attention, maybe more, in the media right now if he would ask for the time to demonstrate why his plan is better.
Wouldn't that be more productive that supporting all the protests that have no underlying alternative?
there must be a reason why he hasn't done so...
Edited
Beach Fanatic
Well, glad this hype is over~~~~~~
LOL I haven't been to this thread for days and it is on page 3 and still going strong!
I am too pooped to read it all....
Carry on....
G
SoWal Insider
do you think that Obama is a "menace to America?"
No but I do not like his political ideology.
and do you think that taking us to war under false pretenses and tampering with the constitution were okay?
Well did Bush take us to war knowing the intelligence was flawed? What about all the democrats who authorized the war? (and do we really need to rehash this, probably not.)
Is Obama tampering with the Constitution any worse than Bush tampered with it? Does he know he is doing it? Does he care?
certainly I am not objective about the way we went to war--my son is one who served long and well and his life was on the line more than a few times. I am supportive of the defense of our country and after 911, I supported Bush even though it meant I might lose my only child. To defend our country against the ones who attacked us was one thing; to invade a country which had nothing to do with it was completely different. I have thought it wrong from the beginning and I still do. If I had been in the Congress, I would have voted no. I believe that even Bush has come to believe that and certainly history will show what really happened.
I'm still waiting for the history books to be written detailing exactly what happened.
I certainly don't agree with everything that Obama has done, or not done, but I do not believe that he is someone who is trying to destroy the very country he leads.
Nor was Bush, but clearly you felt he did. Maybe you have something in common with those folks in Washington?
I do not believe he is the enemy, is trying to turn the US into a socialist country, or indoctrinate the children. And I don't think you do either.
I just disagree with his political ideology.
That is crazy thinking IMO. Ffor those who disagree with the way things are done, there are much more constructive ways to express their disagreement. And this is what I think she is saying. As I have said before, this is protest for no reason. During the Vietnam war we protested, but it was to end the war--everything else had been tried, finally the only thing left was to take to the streets.
I think the folks protesting have put up with years of government largess, most have lived through democratic rule, and they don't like what they see coming down the pipe. If they chose to protest, more power to them IMHO.
the anti-Obama group has not offered an alternative...no matter how much he reaches out to them. There is a difference between just saying no and offering up some alternatives. I know there must be someone in the Republican Party who could put together a plan that is reasonable for health insurance reform and plaster it all over the airwaves and the Internet and get people to see their point of view. There must be someone somewhere, but so far I have not seen any alternative plans. Have you? Absent their alternatives, the only thing I see being played out is opposition for oppositon sake.
Opposition against the policies being pushed by the folks in power. Perfectly reasonable reaction in my opinion. It gets attention, and is clearly having an effect on those policies as they form.
Beach Lover
I would agree with you if Obama wasn't so........ well you fill in the blank.
Black?
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