LA Times: Calls to boycott Obama's speech to kids offer a disturbing lesson in paranoia

Los Angeles Times ^ | 9/5/2009 | Tim Rutten

[SeekAndFind]

Those who are whipping up hysteria over the president's address are playing a dangerous game with an unhinged segment of public opinion.

While it long ago crossed the borders of reason and civility, the hysteria over healthcare reform is -- at some level -- understandable, because wellness and infirmity are really just stand-ins for those most terrifying of issues, life and death.

But there is no similar way to rationalize the bizarre controversy now raging over President Obama's plan to deliver a brief televised address on Tuesday to the nation's grammar school children.

According to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Obama will "challenge students to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens."

Sounds innocuous. Who, after all, could be against good study habits, personal responsibility and productive lives? As it turns out, quite a number of people who seem to believe that Obama intends to induct their children into -- well, it's not quite clear what they're afraid of. The Web and talk radio are abuzz with various attempts to organize a boycott of Tuesday's speech. One group is urging parents to demand that their children be excused from watching the president and be sent instead to the school library to read the Founding Fathers. (The theory, one supposes, is that a good dose of the Federalist Papers will inoculate the young against Obama's attempts to subvert the republic through good grades.)

[bigtoona]

This is WHY everyone is upset about Obama talking to our students: It’s the lesson plans and the possibility of teachers using this as an opportunity to indoctrinate them! Case in point:

Grade school teacher in North Carolina Teacher asks the students who they are voting for? McCain or Obama?
She then tells a student that if she Votes for McCain, her father will have to stay in Iraq for another hundred years. This was a foreign documentary filming in the classroom..

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/31838_Obama-Supporting_Teacher_Bullies_Student

[Americanchild]

My question is why are KINDERGARTEN children being forced to watch this thing? Is there a large drop-out problem there? Do they really have a choice whether they go to school or not, and what do they really have to study? Seriously...kindergarten? And what 5 or 6 year old is actually going to sit still and listen to some man going blah,blah,blah for 15 to-20 minutes? And then remember the "important" parts! Does this age group even know or care what a president is?

Even considering the first- the sixth grades is a little creepy. Come on, this is GRADE school! Mommy and Daddy take you to school and then they come and get you. Or are the little tykes cruising the streets AWOL every day?!

[Fester Chugabrew]

BUMP! Great post.

[presently no screen name]

I say NO speech and then next month another one - don’t give these commies one inch! We know what they are up to, why act otherwise?

[Nighttime in America]

No. It shows a healthy mistrust of the empty suit who is now occupying the Oval Office, and a correct one too.

Exactly. After what we've seen since January, we don't trust him. End of story.

The media will never grasp that.

[FormerACLUmember]

Liberalese: Calls to boycott Obama’s speech to kids offer a disturbing lesson in paranoia

English translation: Calls to allowt Obama’s speech to kids offer a disturbing lesson in Marxist Indoctrination

[socialismislost]

Presidents have addressed students in the past before. Obama is not trying to address. He is trying to indoctrinate with marxist crap. I guarantee he will spin healthcare into this, or the economy and how evil Republicans are holding back his “progressive” plans. I wonder what Obama’s idea is of a “good citizen”? hmm.

[presently no screen name]

It’s all about indoctrination - they starting repeating what he says, and the teacher will keep it all alive. Just NO to any speech, ever.

[Cicero]

I didn’t realize that Tim Rutten was a psychologist with expertise on paranoia.

[popdonnelly]

“Those who are whipping up hysteria over the president’s address are playing a dangerous game”

Now the people who don’t want their kids to hear Obama’s speech are dangerous. How so? What irreparable harm is going to be done if they don’t hear the speech? What’s the big deal?

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

So you posted this article in SUPPORT of it

[Rashputin]

It's tough to imagine how anyone could write this article and ever again call themselves an unbiased journalist. This has almost ever buzz word and catch phrase the Obama thugs have used about their opposition. In spite of their own obvious bias dripping off of this story, they act like it's amazing that anyone would think that Obama might put some biased politics in his speech to school kids.

What a bunch of self-rightous, pompous, asses.

Regards

[presently no screen name]

That’s why they have teachers and guidance counselors in schools. And their parents after wards. They’ll learn by their mistakes like we all did. Trouble is - you are taking BO at his word and that’s scary!

[Jmouse007]

Obamessiah has told us he wants to totally "change" the system. He has surrounded himself with avowed communists, anti-Americans, anti-capitalists and Marxists, people who want to destroy America and remake it in their own perverted image. Obama has stated he wants to create a national army made up of young servant Obamabots that is on par with the U.S. military. Now he wants to address every child in America and the NEA has produced propaganda literature that is going to be used to help perpetuate the cult of Obamessiah and the L.A. Times has the unmitigated gaull to call concerned parents paranoid!

Hey guys over at the L.A. Times, it is about time that YOU woke up, smelled the coffee and DID YOUR DARNED JOB for a change. IF you were to honestly INVESTIGATE Obamessiah and his minions a tenth as well as Glenn Beck has, and reported the facts for a change, you would understand WHY American parents want their children to have nothing to do with viewing Obmamessiah or even listening to him at all.

[stinkerpot65]

Lastest tac: Obama critics are “dangerous”.

[aruanan]

Presidents have addressed students in the past before.

I don't think any president in the U.S. has tried such a thing as is planned for the 8th.

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

Most Freepers who would post articles like this, which mock concerned parents as unhinged, paranoid, and playing a dangerous game, would find fault with that slander.

Yet you agree with it.

Do you think we are racists as well?

[Jmouse007]

You wonder why? = Obamessiah has told us he wants to totally “change” the system. He has surrounded himself with avowed communists, anti-Americans, anti-capitalists and Marxists, people who want to destroy America and remake it in their own perverted image. Obama has stated he wants to create a national army made up of young servant Obamabots that is on par with the U.S. military. Now he wants to address every child in America and the NEA has produced propaganda literature that is going to be used to help perpetuate the cult of Obamessiah and the L.A. Times has the unmitigated gaul to call concerned parents paranoid! President BUSH never did anything remotely like this and if he had he would have been impeached! This is why the American people want this so-called president to have NOTHING to do with indoctrinating their children.

[Candor7]

Who, after all, could be against good study habits, personal responsibility and productive lives? As it turns out, quite a number of people who seem to believe that Obama intends to induct their children into -- well, it's not quite clear what they're afraid of.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yawn, shuck and jive.

Spin, spin, spin.

A look at the lesson plan on follow up after the speech makes it very clear that loyalty is invoked, to Obama personally, not to the nation.

That's the problem, and it is nefarious indoctrination into the community organizing that will get high schoolers to vote for Obama in 2012, when many will be old enough to vote.

Apparatchik upchuck does not belong in the schools. STAY AWAY FROM MY KIDS!!!!!!!

[Eagles6]

‘Zactly.