Posted on 06/10/2012 5:59:35 PM PDT by Kaslin
America really is fading away before our very eyes.
A public school principal in New York City has banned kindergartners from singing "God Bless the USA" at their graduation, but according to the New York Post, is allowing them to perform Justin Bieber's "Baby":
Her refusal to let students sing “God Bless the USA” at their graduation has sparked fireworks at a school filled with proud immigrants.
Greta Hawkins, principal of PS 90, the Edna Cohen School, won’t allow kindergartners to belt out the beloved Lee Greenwood ballad, also known as “Proud to be an American,” at their moving-up ceremony.
Five classes spent months learning the patriotic song, which skyrocketed in popularity after the 9/11 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
It was to be the rousing finale of their musical show at the June 20 commencement. The kids, dressed up for their big day, would wave tiny American flags — which, as the lyrics proclaim, “still stand for freedom.”
But Hawkins marched in on a recent rehearsal and ordered a CD playing the anthem to be shut off, staffers said.
She told the teachers to drop the song from the program.
“We don’t want to offend other cultures,” they quoted her as explaining.
Catch your breath - there's more:
Department of Education spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti gave The Post an explanation staffers said they never heard — that Hawkins found the lyrics “too grown up” for 5-year-olds.
The song starts: “If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife, I’d thank my lucky stars, to be livin’ here today.”
Scaperotti said the department supports the principal’s decision. “The lyrics are not age-appropriate,” she said.
But Justin Bieber’s flirty song about teen romance, “Baby,” was deemed a fine selection for the show. Hawkins had no problem with 5-year-olds singing lines such as, “Are we an item? Girl, quit playing.
Here are the full lyrics to the Bieber song in question:
You know you love me, I know you care
Just shout whenever, and I'll be there
You are my love, you are my heart
And we will never, ever, ever be apart
Are we an item? Girl, quit playin'
"We're just friends," what are you sayin'?
Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes
My first love broke my heart for the first time
(Chorus)
And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh
Like baby, baby, baby, no
Like baby, baby, baby, oh
I thought you'd always be mine, mine
Baby, baby, baby, oh
Like baby, baby, baby, no
Like baby, baby, baby, oh
I thought you'd always be mine, mine
For you, I would have done whatever
And I just can't believe we're here together
And I wanna play it cool, but I'm losin' you
I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring
And I'm in pieces, baby fix me
And just shake me 'til you wake me from this bad dream
I'm goin' down, down, down, down
And I just can't believe my first love won't be around
(Chorus)
When I was 13, I had my first love
There was nobody that compared to my baby
And nobody came between us who could ever come above
She had me going crazy, oh I was starstruck
She woke me up daily, don't need no Starbucks
She made my heart pound
I skip a beat when I see her in the street
And at school on the playground
But I really wanna see her on a weekend
She know she got me dazin' 'cause she was so amazin'
And now my heart is breakin' but I just keep on sayin'
(Chorus)
And these are the lyrics to "God Bless the USA":
Lee Greenwood - God Bless the USA (Live in 1985)
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I'd thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up next to you
And defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart
And it's time we stand and say
That I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up next to you
And defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up next to you
And defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
And these are unacceptable, but "Baby" is fine for kindergartners.
You gotta be kidding me!
Apparently the song offends her “culture”.
They learned more about USA Geography from the lyrics of God Bless the USA than they did all year in Kindergarten.
That is the grade school my father went to starting in the 4th grade in 1921. If he were alive today, he would not believe it.
“Greenwood’s is banal to the point of inducing vomit.”
It’s personal and heart-feld for Greenwood — written about what his grandparents dealt with to pick themselves up after losing everything. And I think the chorus is more pithy than “God Bless America” — which is a wonderful song, too.
The best, IMHO, are the last verse of the “Star Spangled Banner” and this verse from “America The Beautiful”.
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!
I think this bitch principal is a racist before she’s a JW. I’ve worked with Jehovah’s Witnesses before. They’ve always stuck with their beliefs, but were subtle about it, not preachy, and respectful of others’ beliefs. This woman needs to get a dose of reality — maybe standing in an unemployment line.
Not amazing. Either 1's or 10's, not much in-between. In other words, if you're part of her clique, she's golden. If you're not in her group, she's poison. I can guess the criteria for being part of her in-group.
Not a country fan, but my dislike is simply because I think its rubbish. The lyrics would embarrass a 14 year old trying to write their first pop song, the tune is bland.
Listen to Ray Charles or Kathleen Smith, then listen to Greenwood. Sorry, but I think its pablum. And that you have great tunes a million miles better. Simply because its patriotic dosent make it great or even good.
(I KNOW, our modern national anthem in Scotland as opposed to Scotland the Brave is a second rate folk tune that I detest)
As to the Springsteen track, I am not a huge fan of his either (although I think his early albums are great), and I do like the track. The problem, rather famously, was and is that the air-pumping nature of the tune obscures the famously cynical lyrics. There was bemusement in the UK when it became a national anthem for the US circa 1984.
Typical leftist aka progressive god hater BS!
I rather imagine the admin higher-ups are on this problem by now for a year or more, given the sharp cleavage apparent in the teacher ranks. Time they found out what is really going on here.
Complete disconnect between the lyrics and the tune, the former as you say are reflections of a young man who's sorry for himself and his dead friends, whereas the music is uplifting, even triumphant. Split personality, perhaps, in the composer who, if he intended to counterpoint his tune with his down lyrics, misjudged the times and his audience.
Just changed my ringback to that song.....sounds great!!!!
Which one? “God bless the USA”, or Bieber’s “Baby”?
GB the USA of course(:
You can not compare Ray Charles with Lee Greenwood. They are both completely different singers. It’s like you are comparing Apples to Oranges. I am not familiar with Kathleen Smith, I thought at first you meant Kate Smith, but I don’t think so
In their Sept. 8, 2010, findings, the investigators concluded: “By deliberately differentiating herself, a black Jehovah’s Witness, and the previous principal, white and Jewish, in the context of a mandatory staff meeting addressing rumors and discussing hiring and upcoming changes in the school, Principal Hawkins offended multiple staff members.”
One, why is this still going on almost two years later? There was an investigation after her first year as principal, and they found against her.
Two, this "sensitivity training" is PC bulltwaddle no matter who gets "sent" ...... and judging by results, it did damn-all to get to and fix the real problem(s).
Three, note that this woman became principal in the year The Won took office ... <speculating> perhaps her much-testified-to big, fat attitude had something to do with that wondrous, unifying, post-racial event. </spec>
This quote in your source article by a complaining teacher was rather curious, and I wonder what the hell could be behind that? Keeping in mind that the speaker is a) a degreed female New York teacher, and therefore almost certifiably a hardcore Dim, and b) on top of that, a lower-level union official, which doubles-down the probability of her Dimliness.
It sounds as if certain people she's referring to in the educracy have a case of good-school envy and are out to "prove" something, by levelling the field through positive (not to say "affirmative") action:
Still, Giasemis doesn’t heap all the blame on Hawkins. “It’s the DOE’s doing,” said Giasemis. “They want to break the schools one school at a time.”
Now, what did she mean by that?
<OT>Just btw, chase a link and see what one rating teacher had to say about the principal of the Abraham Lincoln H.S. in the same district. Edna Cohen isn't the only school with a problem. </OT>
1—I was talking about the passion and beauty of someone like a Ray Charles or a Kate Smith signing a great patriotic song, as opposed to someone like Greenwood, who frankly sounds like a standard singer. Perhaps because he is singing lyrics that that are imo as trite, banal as they come.
When a Charles or a Smith sings, you hear the beauty of the song and the lyrics magnified. Greenwood signing cant disguise the trite lyrics and workmanlike nature of the song. I just dont ‘get’ the love for it. I get the love of country, but you have so much better in terms of songs.
Its like us having Scotland the Brave or Amazing Grace, but preferring ‘Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?’. Or the English having Elgar’s Nimrod or Land of Hope and Glory, but preferring ‘Knees Up Mother Brown’....
2-I was. I got her name wrong.
As I said, sorry, but I think its a mediocre song. And that being patriotic dosent make it good. And it isnt unpatriotic to think so. If that were the case, God Save The Queen and Flower of Scotland wouldnt be the dirges they are. And thinking so dosent make me any less of a Scottish/British patriot. If anything, it makes me MORE.
As blind patriotism is no patriotism at all.
That kid’s face is everywhere. And he’s not much of a singer,either.
‘God Bless the USA’ makes me cry whenever I hear it.
Our Founding Fathers would be disgusted with the way things are going. :(
There is no need to be embarrassed when you get chocked up. It shows that you love the country
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