Obama Pushed on Our Kids in Grade School Lit Textbook

publiusforum.com ^ | 10/14/08 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

Over at RealDebateWisconsin Fred Dooley was contacted by the mother of a Racine Unified School District 8th grade student in Wisconsin public schools about an outrageous thing she found in her son's school textbook. Apparently, in this textbook supposedly teaching about literature, one of the books being pushed as a perfect example of that subject is Barack Obama's memoir Dreams from my Father. That's right, a book by a current political candidate for president is being pushed on our children as "literature." It also seems probable from campaign donation records that a principle member of the publishing company is a large Obama donor.

One would think that focusing on the ideology of a politician currently running for president would be a bit over-the-top even for our extreme left leaning system of education in this country. But there it is anyway. The book even presents a photo of the Senator at a campaign rally with signs advertising his campaign website address to help better indoctrinate the kids.

Of course, the very first question that comes to mind is this: how wide spread would this story have become if it were a Republican featured in a kid's textbook? Would the left-o-sphere stand silent as John McCain appeared in school textbooks? Would the Old Media ignore such a story? Somehow, I doubt it. Who can doubt that the story would be such big news that the school district would have been shamed into taking such propaganda out of their school rooms apologizing for their lack of judgment as they do so. A book like this with McCain included would never even have made it out of the publishing house before stories would have been leaked to the press. Certainly it would be national news. But, in this case, the textbook is manufactured without opposition and is passed out to kids without a peep from the usual suspects.

The mother and her child have asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from the school. So, their names are withheld to protect the innocent family from any possible harm that might come to this boy or his grades in an apparently ideologically extreme school system. However, we have plenty of scans of the book to prove the case isn't just unsubstantiated claims.

On one page, for instance, the kids are urged to discuss what makes them "proud" before they read Dreams from my Father. The message here is that an Obama candidacy is supposed to make everyone "proud" apparently. If you stand against Obama, I guess you stand against pride, huh?

A few photos from Obama's childhood are also included, showing that a simple discussion of the literary worth of Obama's book is not all the textbook is interested in.

The Wisconsin Mother wrote the following:

My 8th grade son is in an advanced English class at a public middle school here in Racine, Wisconsin. I just found out that my son's new (copyright 2008) Wisconsin - McDougal Littell Literature book has 15 pages covering Barack Obama.

I was shocked - No John McCain, no Hillary Clinton, no George Bush - Just Barack Obama. I'm wondering how it is that Obama's story gets put into an 8th grade literature book? It would be one thing, if it was just the tidbit about his boyhood days, but 15 pages, and they talk about his "Life of Service". Honestly, what has Obama really done to be included in this book? Not only that, but on page 847 there is a photo of Obama at the 2004 Democratic Convention with at least 8 Obama signs in the background! Front & center is an www.obama2004.com sign.

Now I understand that many teachers are liberals, but does the school have the right to shove Obama down our kid's throats? All the kids grouped together and read the story. After that, they discussed it... I guess it appears that Obama is planning ahead. If he doesn't get his coveted Presidency, Obama is going to make sure, that the younger generations know all about him, and his "life of service".

If you would like to see the 15 page story on Obama, it appears that you can order this book online. There is a note in the book that says, For more on Barack Obama, visit the Literature Center at www.ClassZone.com The book is: Wisconsin - 8th grade - McDougal Littell Literature - copyright 2008. The Obama story starts on page 830. I hope you will take the time to look at this book. I'm really angry about this - In fact, I would love to rip the pages right out of this book.

By the way, you might find this interesting: I did a little checking on McDougal Littell, and it appears that MCDOUGAL, ALFRED L CHICAGO , IL 60611 - N/A/RETIRED has been making contributions to Barack Obama's campaign!

I found that information on this website. http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=IL&last=MCDOUGAL&first=ALFRED Now I'm not an expert at these things (just a PTA mom), but It looks to me like Alfred McDougal is connected to McDougal Littell the same company that publishes the 8th grade textbook that has 15 pages on Obama. Like I said, I'm not an expert, but I'm sure you have someone who can delve into the dirty little details.

I guess my question is: Is it ethical for an Obama supporter to publish an educational book which has a 15 page Barrack Obama story in it? If the tax payers are paying for these books, why is it okay for McDougal Littell to promote Obama? This really bothers me. I would have no problem with it, if Obama had actually done something important. Why is Obama being put up on a pedestal, before he actually wins the pedestal? All I can say, is we can thank the liberal media, and now the liberal book publishers. Thanks to them, I'm sure there are probably thousands of these books all across the United States.

That's quite an upset mother... and rightfully so. This sort of partisanship on the part of the textbook publisher is amazing, to say the least.

Far from simple discussing the supposed literary value of Obama's book, there's all sort of things about Obama in this textbook.

  One page also urges the kids to go on-line and look up more info about Barack Obama.

It's all pretty amazing to see a current candidate for high office pushed in our schools like this, isn't it? Can you imagine the schools having John McCain's campaign biography in them? And, what exactly is it that makes this particular tome great literature? Oh, sure, it's an acclaimed book, though one that suspicions of ghostwriting are beginning to emerge. But, is it of high enough caliber to be considered fodder for a literature class?

Of all the great books in history, is this one so exemplar that it should be a subject in an 8th grader's class? Have we by 8th grade already familiarized a student with the full cannon of great American literature that we can lower ourselves to campaign biographies? Did this school balance this lesson with a section on Barry Goldwater's Conscience of a Conservative? Why not? After all, Goldwater's campaign book inspired pride in several generations of conservatives and helped lead to the election of one of our greatest presidents, Ronald Wilson Reagan.

And let's not even mention the fact that these textbooks are wholly empty of the great religious works of literature in the history of the western world. In fact, the entire American religious tradition has been excised from our schools.

Yet we do see Barack Obama pushed on our children in their textbooks. The indoctrination of our children by issuing paeans to the messiah is now complete. Even in 8th grade, the kids are now told for whom to vote.

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

[Mobile Vulgus]

Shameless indoctrination of our kids for the Obamessiah! We have failed our kids BIG TIME!!!

[wk4bush2004]

This is just plain wrong! I am terrified at what they would further do to our children if Obama is elected....

[IbJensen]

Our ways to stop this communist propaganda, along with the sycophantic propaganda about homosexuals, are few.

If this election goes the way the polls are indicating there will only be one path.

[IbJensen]

I am terrified at what they would further do to our children if Obama is elected....

You comrades fail to understand. The Agenda isn't about you older ones...it's all about the children.

[smartymarty]

It is way past time for concerned parents to get their children out of government schools.

[Tax-chick]

If these parents continue to have their son attend a school that is blatantly indoctrinating him in ways they (apparently) don't support, then they have indeed failed him.

[She hits a grand slam tonight]

after they outlaw home schooling, i guess all our kids will be brown shirts

[Scutter]

The Libs have been doing this for decades. In fact, I think what we are witnessing in this election is the result of a concerted, long-term plan to create an entire generation of people brainwashed with liberalism. Ayers has been quoted to the effect that the engine of revolution is education. Now their plan comes to fruition as they run a candidate specifically chosen to appeal to this generation.

[Sisku Hanne]

Unbelievable! Most of those kids just accept whatever is placed in front of them as matter of fact and course. Only by drawing immediate attention to this will the kids even learn the lesson that this is blatant bias and propaganda. I know this mother doesn’t want to raise a fuss, but she needs to take this to the school board ASAP and shine some light on it. Make it, as educators are so fond of saying, “a teachable moment”.

[Sisku Hanne]

As a side note, that little blond girl sure looks like Hillary Clinton!

[swatbuznik]

My kids get the lousy “Times for Kids” mini-mags, which I instruct them to throw away immediately, but this is beyond horrific!!

[polymuser]

We have failed our kids BIG TIME!!!

The 'greatest generation' has. They got home from the war, got college, a job, a house, a car, goodies -- the good life, and didn't care much at all about what the long-hairs, feminists and college professors were up to. They thought the communists disappeared after McCarthy. The believed Walter Cronkite and Dr. Spock. They drank the koolaid.

[polymuser]

In fact, I think what we are witnessing in this election is the result of a concerted, long-term plan to create an entire generation of people brainwashed with liberalism.

Yes, yes, YES! I keep bringing this up here as often as I can:

Go search on "The Frankfurt School" of the mid-1900's for the genesis of this plan. The chain is Frankfurt-Columbia U.-professors-N.E.A.-public schools-children.

They brought us things like 'consensus building' and 'sensitivity training'. They scrapped the book 'The American Citizens Handbook', first published in 1941 to coincide with National Citizenship Day and lasting until 1968 when thousands of remaining copies were buried. The book had sections of historical U.S. documents, American writers and biblical passages, and it revered God. It was published by the N.E.A.

America contracted cancer in the 1960's.

[itsthejourney]

I have a theory that’s likely to send the “Secret Service” to my doorstep. Someone very powerful is the puppet master in this and I suspect it may be coming from Leonore Annenberg. Granted, she’s up in years so it may be someone close to her but hear me out. The short version - amazing how often Annenberg keeps popping up. Walter and Leonore Annenberg had enough money to buy them onto any board or position they wished and they flung money around like it was confetti. They’ve been named to powerful US government positions since the 1960s and have hob-nobbed with foreign dignitaries. Everywhere you turn in this campaign we learn of Annenberg links. Annenberg dollars have gone to Harvard University, Chicago rackteers and thugs, the known terrorist Ayers, the potential POTUS Hussein and fraudulent votes, the ever biased Factcheck.com and Factchecked.org, and African warlords.

The book company couldn’t/wouldn’t have just out of the blue put Hussein in the text books unless someone ordered them to. I wonder if enough digging would turn up another Annenberg connection. It takes more than a few weeks to get school textbooks researched, compiled, copies sent to and approved by school boards, purchased, and published in mass quantities, and shipped out to the schools. Sorry, but this was in the works a long, long time before all the Clinton’s good buddies gave Hillary the boot. Someone knew a long time ago who the delegates were going to rally behind.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I feel the need to padlock my doors and get out the tin foil.

[Momto2]

Who were the people in Texas who used to analyze history textbooks? I remember they were successful in getting enough schools to not order/change orders that the textbook companies “hated” them.... if they are retired (this was years ago) we need someone like them to take up the cause...I heard over the weekend that they had a “reunion” of the weather underground group in the late 80’s and 90 percent of them were in “EDUCATION”....

[itsthejourney]

Do a search for “Obama” on the book's publisher's website and you find a cd that accompanies their government text and speech text. The cd (9th, 10th, and 14th editions) has speeches from the 2004 political conventions. Excuse me, but why does a textbook think so highly of an unknown from 4 years ago?

[itsthejourney]

Link to #16:

http://search.hmco.com/mcd/query.html?charset=iso-8859-1&col=mcd&ht=0&qp=&qs=&qc=&pw=100%25&ws=0&la=en&qm=0&st=1&nh=25&lk=1&rf=0&oq=&rq=0&si=0&qt=obama

[itsthejourney]

Who were the people in Texas who used to analyze history textbooks?

I used to know but don't recall now. I remember they were a husband and wife. Here's what a quick search found but I don't know if these were them or not - http://atheism.about.com/b/2007/08/03/norma-gabler-textbook-censor-1923-2007.htm

I heard over the weekend that they had a “reunion” of the weather underground group in the late 80’s and 90 percent of them were in “EDUCATION”

I hadn't heard of the reunion but I bet a gay time was had by all. I have started a list of undesireable college professors who signed the petition in support of Ayers and informed my kids they will not be taking those classes. Granted, many more didn't sign it but at least it's a start. Ya know, the more and more that I see coming out in this race for world domination (yes, my tin foil hat collection is growing) the more Annenberg keeps popping up. As you say many of the group are now educators... the campaign is working on the children... now this textbook company pulling his name out of thin air...

[Revel]

This thread made into a WND article.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=77957

[Mobile Vulgus]

Cool, thanks for the link.