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The President, Our Children and September 8

I know that I'm probably going to get some negative comments for this post, but I blog to let others know how I think and feel about all things important to me. It's about knowing me as a person not just knowing me as the home inspector. All I ask is that you keep it civil, bashing is not an option, and disagreement is always welcomed.

I've heard, read and seen a lot of outrage over the President's intentions to address our children Tuesday. I understand that some schools are outright banning the speech and some states have said they would not allow their schools to participate. I've also heard the outrage expressed by some teachers over not being allowed to air the speech.

I also understand that most of these people say that it's not the President's speech per say, it's the fact that he submitted a lesson plan, a list of questions and activities for teachers to use before and after the speech. Okay, I get it. These people don't want the President brainwashing our children and making them into little brown shirt cult followers.

Is that really what you think is going to happen as the result of one day? If so ask yourself this, why send your child to public school at all? Once the child is in school you no longer have control over what children hear. You're trusting the your child's teacher with your child's safety and education, but you won't trust your child's teacher with this. I don't get it.

Sure I understand and agree with you that brain washing shouldn't start in Pre-K, but is this really brainwashing. Stay in school, get an education, serve your country, look out for you classmate and help him out if he needs a little extra help. Is that really brainwashing? If it is, I was brain washed first by my parents, then by Catholic school, then by Military school and finally ROTC. Since that's how I learned about God, Honor, Country and Family.

BTW ... if you're really worried about the President's address to our children, just keep them home that day. I personally will be sending my grandchildren to school and will be waiting to discuss the speech with them. I think I'm far more influential in my children and grandchildren's life than any teacher or even the President of the United States.

I hope you enjoyed my blog. If you are looking to purchase a home in Northeastern Pa. and are planning on having an inspection or simply have questions regarding home inspections, please don't hesitate to give me a call.

Suesan Jenifer Therriault

JTHIS - Professional Home Inspection Team
PO Box 357
Blakeslee, Pa 18610

(570) 262-7551

Posted by Suesan Jenifer Therriault on 09/06/2009 08:51 AM

Comments (62)

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62 Comments on The President, Our Children and September 8

SEP

I'm going to listen and form my opinion then. I thought it was a wonderful idea the the president of our country would address the next generation of voters.

Seusan,

The President has every right to address our school children. As a result of the discussion, his speechwriters did amend some of his comments that could have been construed as controversial and partisan.

Rich

Seusan,

President Obama has the right to speak to our children, just as past presidents have done.

Seusan, I have not read or heard the actual briefing of this event. I have heard the uproar. I will watch on Tuesday. I do not know if my kids school will be offer. I will make up my mind after hearing the speech. If I feel something is not right I will talk with my kids about the issue at that point.

I am with you on this Suesan!! Heaven forbid a parent having to actually parent their children!! Heaven forbid a parent actually sitting down and listening to the speech and discuss it with their children around the dinner table while the family is eating together (does that happen anymore?) Heaven forbid our chidren from formulating their own opinions on something! I think I know you well enough to be pretty sure that you did not raise, or are raising, a bunch of zombies like a lot of parents are doing.

Susan I posted about this on a blog earlier. I am with you. What a great opportunity for school children . No matter who the President is.

Suesan, I asked the same question in one of my blogs. "If you don't want your kids brainwashed by public education, why don't you send them elsewhere?" It was never answered because this "brain washing" fear mongering tact the "others" are taking, doesn't hold water even for them. Its just another attempt to thwart anything good that Obama is trying to do. As an aside, the Department of Education sent out those guidelines, not Obama. Thanks for making people think and expressing your views!

Suesan - I seem to remember a day in early September 2001 when a certain president was reading with school children in a classroom when planes flew into the WTC buildings in NYC. No big deal unless the entourage also includes your senior political adviser, Karl Rove and your chief of staff and your Secretary of education. Seems that president sat dazed and perplexed for a few moments before he eventually went to work, almost and hour after being told the country was under attack. But I digress, that wasn't indoctrination at all.

But why consider historical context for Obama's so called socialist indoctrination being schemed upon naive American school children. It should be obvious to anyone drinking patriotic tea that telling children to stay in school and asking them to take responsibility for thier own education and future actually carries a far more sinister democratic message that is lost on those of us drinking the kool-ade.

Sue - I'm ambivalent on the whole concept, and really see little benefit or potential harm to the children. Knowing children as I do--I was once a child myself--I doubt that most children will think it's nearly as important as either the supporters or opponents. But, let's let him do it without uproar; why add to the confusion and noise? If parents are fearful that one talk from the President will "brainwash" their child, then those parents haven't been sufficiently involved in their child's education.

Thanks for a sane and thoughtful post.

It's pretty sad when so many distrust the President. He has no on to blame for this but himself. He chose his friends and he himself "suggested" we look at who he surrounds himself with. It's understandable that some may consider his tactics questionable. Once he gets his foot in the door, what's to stop a "weekly address" from happening?

I agree with you Bob - it's not what he's going to say, it's the mere fact that he wanted to address every kid in the country at the same moment and from a man that fewer and fewer would now trust to walk their dog. Has anyone actually ever read 1984? Just curious.

Suesan - I hope that his address does ring a bell with some students, specifically those that could benefit the most from a message of staying in school is cool. However, I am concerned with lesson plans being sent out, either by the white house or by the department of education, especially the initial plans, which were, by the way, on the whitehouse.gov web site, being distributed by the white house.

BTW - when Bush I made a speech about drugs to high school children, there was a huge outcry, especially by democratic politicians. It probably was not any larger because very few people had the internet and cable news (other than CNN) and talk radio had not yet become relevant.

Simon, are you referring to 1984 by George Orwell? If so, yes I read it. I'm also Cuban born, should I see a Communist behind every rock? I for one refuse to live my life in constant fear that the boggy man is coming. I prefer to live in the present. If the boggy man does show himself ... well, I deal him then.

I happen to trust the President to walk my dog and I'm okay with him talking to my kids. I'm okay with him sitting at my dinner table and I'm okay with him using my guns too. I'd be more afraid to be out hunting with our former VP. Do I have blind faith and trust in his judgment and wisdom? Of course not, he's a politician who's agenda is not yet clear to me.

I understand what you're saying ... I just think it's an over reaction.
Reagan and Bush Sr. addressed school kids, so what? I raised 7 of my own. Some are Republicans, some are Democrats and some are Independents. All believe in serving their community and their country, but not a one has chosen to wear the uniform. So much for brainwashing, after all if I follow your theory they should be just like me. Right?

Sue - guard those guns because they are coming for them. You are correct about previous Presidents addressing kids, although not in this way. You do however neglect to mention the Liberal outcry when they did.

This President told us to judge him by the people he surrounds himself with. You really don't have to go very deep to find some pretty disturbing people.

Mike, I think plenty of good will come out of this. I did read the plans or at least what was up there by the time I got to it. I'm not happy that they did it, but I didn't see anything there that worried me. As for what the future might bring, I suggest we keep our eye on what happens. I do understand what many fear, but we can't act out of fear. So I for one will watch, listen and respond accordingly.

I'm sure your statement about Bush Sr. is correct. I suppose neither side can do anything without the other side looking for a hidden agenda. Life was certainly less complicated before the Internet and before the media created the News to favor their ratings.

Nice talking with you Mike

Simon my guns are safe, I'm not the least bit worried about it. Pray for the best, bur prepare for the worst. I learn the meaning of those words very early in life and I've always lived by them. I know Liberals complained when Bush spoke to those kids. Liberals spend their lives complaining about the Conservatives and the Conservatives about the Liberals. What I'll find shocking is when and if they stop fighting.

He is surrounding by some pretty disturbing people and some the same people that former President G. W. Bush appointed also surround him today. Simon I have friends or acquaintances if you wish from many different walks of the political spectrum. They don't define who I am or what I believe. Would it be right for me to deny the President the same courtesy?

Bob you are right when you say that it's sad so many have mo trust in the President and you're right when you say he has no one to blame but himself. I'll even give that his tactics are questionable, does that somehow diminish that by the choice of the majority of the people he is our President? I don't think so. As I said to Simon, but you know this as well as I do... Pray for the best and prepare for the worst.

As for this address turning into a weekly thing, a call to arms sort of say ... we'll stop it when and if it happens. Remember Sir our oath was sworn to the Constitution, not to any one office or any one man. However unless it is proven that his action are in violation that Constitution we owe him the respect his office entitles him to. Like it or not he is our President.

The difference is Sue, that you have never told anyone to judge you by the people you surround yourself with. He did. I take him at his word and I am shocked to see who is there. Sure there are some good people too, but there are far too many marxists and radicals for me personally to be comfortable.

A better discription would be that I don't hold the President to higher standard than I hold myself. Having said that I'll share this with you:

I once stated that I don't associate with crooks, my kids quickly pointed out a family relative with a shady past. Distant relative, but relative nonetheless. They also pointed out how I helped him when no one else would give him the time of day. Today that same guy repaid his debt to society and is a productive member of his community. He hasn't been in trouble I over 15 years. The point is that I said I didn't associate with crooks, is a felon a crook? So now that I told you this am I a liar whose word you now shouldn't trust?

Simon, maybe he's just keeping his friends close and his enemies even closer. Maybe you're right and his is a left wing radical, but don't we owe him the chance to show us which one of those he is? Look, I'm not a Liberal or a Democrat; I'm a moderate Republican. I'm just saying lets see what he's really about before we decide we need bring on the artillery. We have plenty of time to derail him if we need to.

I'm glad you posted this. I think it's ridiculous that there is ANY controversy about our kids hearing a Presidential speech. That said- I heard more about the lesson plan (our state education head was on a tv show talking about it), and it was really bad.

It had stuff like "put up Pres. Obama's former quotes in large print, ask how he has inspired you, what can you do to help him" and other stuff that really didn't belong. The focus was all on the President- not on why the kids should get an education. I'm an Obama supporter, but I'm also a former teacher. And that was one bad lesson plan. I don't know who wrote it- but I really hope the President doesn't depend on him/her again to write anything important.

Thank you for sharing that information with us, disturbing as it is. I'm not a supporter, but I'm not against him either. Let's just say that for the time being I am undecided. By the time I got to the White House website there wasn't anything on there worth getting worked up about. I wonder who wrote the original plan and what the motivation was behind it. Let's be honest, regardless of whether one likes him or not, he does seem to have a few narcissistic tendencies. I would be inclined to believe that if he was aware of the original plan and went along with it, it was more a matter of conceit than deceit.

John M. - I agree with you. I don't see what harm can come from this. He might motivate a few, he might turn a few off, but for the most part I think the majority of students will go back to what's really on their minds. Knowing today's kids as I do something tells me that politics or public service is not what they're thinking about.

We're planning to let this all play out and then listen to what the kids have to say. If there's need for further conversation we'll follow through, if we feel there's no need for it then we'll just give the President some praise for having taken the time to talk to them. It'll make for some interesting dinner conversation.

The President of the United States needs to start thinking like a President and not a community organizer. He also needs to get his people in line with that. Stop the campaigning and start acting Presidential. I can name a dozen more important Presidential items (i.e. the Economy, the Budget, Health Care, Security, Wars, Homeless, Unemployed, his Advisors, and on and on) he needs to spend time with before taking all the time required to get ready for the "live" speech to school kids "nationwide" just to tell them to stay in school and get a good education. A taped 2 min speech would have been more appropriate and less controversial. Not to mention the kids can't comprehend much longer than that. No one complained when He and Michelle read a children's book to kids. It's not the same when he's doing it live (and originally they didn't want to release what he was going to speak about). One hidden agenda pops, and this will blow up in his face worse than anything he's dealt with yet.

John S. - I maybe the product of patriotic tea mixed with kool-aide and let me tell you that it's not half bad. Allows for cooler heads to prevail if I may borrow the President line for a moment. The problem is that people get too darn wrapped up in their personal agenda to think clearly after a while. I really think Obama talking to our children amounts to just that and nothing more.

9/11 - I remember that day well and I do remember the expression on his face. I'm not sure that him running out of the classroom an hour earlier would have changed a dam thing. I'm not sure I would have reacted any different at that particular moment. What the heck, no one had a clue as to what was going on.

Bush indoctrination, that's kind of funny in and of itself. What would that consists of? That's almost crazier than thinking Barack is out to brainwash our children this Tuesday. You know John, sometimes talking or reading to kids is just talking or reading to kids. No more and no less. Some folk need to get a grip.

Nice talking with you today John, thanks for dropping by and commenting.

Lovely! Thank you! Well put.

Now featured on the Optimist group.

Bob, maybe this particular President doesn't think that there's much difference between being President and being a good community organizer. I don't know, since I know very little about the man. I agree, he has a lot of other things on his plate he needs to be dealing with. Maybe things wouldn't be as messed up if Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid realized they're not the President and Vice President. Is this really going to take all that much time out of his agenda? I don't suspect he's spending any where near as much time on this new debate as are. Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know am I?

Mirela, thank you both for the feature and a comment that I can respond to without have to engage in deep thought. Sometimes it feels as though optimism is all we have left since common sense seems to have gone out the door.

Suesan: I love that:

Sometimes it feels as though optimism is all we have left since common sense seems to have gone out the door.

Well put!

I just think that many people have bought into some outlandish propaganda that has nothing to do with reality. Good folks have been swayed by these extraordinary claims. It's mind boggling how intelligent people can actually believe such tall tales... I try to stay away from politics. I just urge everyone to dig deeper, that's all.

Terry it seems to me like a lot of hype over nothing. Thank you for coming by and commenting.
You are always welcomed here and you comment is appreciated.

Charles I'm glad to see that there are many of us like minded folk still left out here. Politics aside ... I see no harm in this and some possible good.

Dan I hear a lot of my frustrations in your comment. It's good to see that their are still some parents who feel that we, not the schools or the government are the ones directly responsible for how our children are raised. In my house there is no subject that's unacceptable for discussion. If one of our kids wants to talk about something, whether it's something we agree with or not, we discuss it. You're right, there are no zombie children to grandchildren in my bunch. Great to see you and thanks for your comment.

Frank I basically feel the same way. Unless they change their minds my grandkids will be listening. I will follow up with the kids when they get home, something tell me there's not going to be a whole lot to follow up on, but who knows.

Barbara and Rich I'm not sure he has the right. As far as I'm concern when it comes to our children he has whatever right we as parent wish to grant him. I just don't understand the reason to deny him the opportunity to address our kids or to deny our kids the opportunity to hear the President. I will be listening to his speech, but I'm not expecting to hear any improprieties from our President.

Carol it all seems pretty harmless to me as well. I think it's kind a cool from the kids point of view.

Mirela, it certainly has gotten out of control. President Nixon saw a Communist behind every rock, President Bush happen to be the sitting President on 9/11. He allowed thing to get away from him and we found ourselves chasing terrorist around every corner. Now we have President Obama and we see a combination of terrorist and communist behavior behind his ever move. I don't think this is any way to live. Afraid of you own President who till now has done nothing to deserve it ... come on now. I'm just for a little common sense.

Suesan,

Thank you for posting your opinion on this topic. I usually avoid controversia topics, but I, too, want to express my opinion. I agree with you and many others who commented here. Let the President speak then discuss his speech with your children when they come home. I would wager a bet that the majority of those parents making the ruckus about his speech rarely discuss much with their children. Enough from me. I will listen or read his speech later and form my opinion which will probably be favorable.

Mary

Mary, thank you for commenting on this topic. I really debated writing the post since I expected a lot of angry comments, but I felt I'd be taking the easy way out if I avoided an issue that I feel strongly about. I'll read the text of his speech, which they claim will be available prior to airing. I will also be talking with my grandchildren about it, but I'm not expecting any upsets coming out of his speech.
Sue

Sue - I wish people would form opinions on something AFTER they actually read it. This "talk" is supposed to be published on Monday. I intend to read it and THEN formulate an opinion. I do wonder if he sticks to what the published talk is supposed to say. If the tele-prompter breaks the talk could go on for days...

This whole thing, in planning, announcement, topic and delivery has no resemblance to Reagan's or Bush's speaking to the school kids. It is entirely different. And the uproar by Democrats about those former school talks was that they "cost too much." Laughable.

Fortunately, Virginia opted out of the talk. But I am still going to read it.

Angry with you? C'mon! But, Sue, my friend, you come from Cuba and do come off a bit naive... (;>)

Is this brainwashing? No, but it does start somewhere.

Suesan, I don't think anyone really objects to the President encouraging children to study and stay in school. I think Clinton should have done it too. Why not Hillary, Sandra Day O'Connor or Condoleezza Rice? Get some successful female representation too.

The objection is the lesson plans. Too much focus on Obama. Scrap the lesson plans and I think the furor would be quelled.

To me this all sounds like a bunch of hoopla about nothing. Typical partisan politics. If you don't want your kids to listen to his speech, I am sure you could pull your kids out of school temporarily for a few hours. If it is brainwashing people are afraid of, just think about all the other stuff your kid is learning in the government run school system. In all honesty, most kids in grade school or younger probably won't remember anything the President said by the time they get home from school - can you say "boring."

SEP

Suesan, I for one, believe that this is all being used as a vehicle by the extreme right wing and it's followers to capitalize on a hair trigger button - one's children - to propel their movement against the current administration. I don't really buy it that these concerned parents are taking their children out of school because they truly fear their offspring will be brainwashed by this one speech, or that the accompanying lessons will undo their family's prescribed theory of mind with regards to political and social matters. Or that these speeches will become weekly sessions of indoctrination,..please.

I believe this is simply an organized way to express solidarity with each other against the president, period. It is a way to demonstrate, in a widespread fashion, their desire for him to fail and an attempt to publically hinder positive traction of this administration.

Suesan & Michelle--I definitely feel that Michelle analyzed the tactics of the extreme right opposition very well. One word at the end of her first paragraph speaks volume...'please.'

Hi Mary, I am so surprised to see you on a political thread! It can be scary out here...cooler heads rarely prevail. Love your new picture, by the way. Suesan's threads are very civil, most likely and hopefully out of respect for her.

Sue,

You pushed a hot button here; good post and thought provoking.

Wow, I just got back from spending the day with the grandchildren ... aka...baby sitting so a my kids could go to work and get double time. LOL I'll try to response to as many of your comments as I can before going down to make dinner.

Hi Jay, my curiosity isn't over the speech, it's about the outrage that this speech is causing. I feel the same way you do, why form opinions before you have something to form an opinion about, but I've had so many people bending my ears that I wanted to hear what people outside my area thought.

I'm going to resist the teleprompter joke since my last President couldn't deliver a speech to save his life. :) Why open up that can of worms? LOL

As you stated I'm Cuban ... actually I'm Cuban born and American raised. I came to the states when I was 18 months old. What may at times come across as naiveté on my part is more a combination of tolerance and curiosity towards the motive behind the actions. When it comes to politics, being of Cuban decent is going to make question what I see and what I hear, but it's not going to make me fearful of political views that differ from my own.

BTW, I read the text to the speech and found nothing in it that gave my cause to worry. Does that mean that if he decides to have another one of these "talks" I'm not going to follow up on it? Of course not, I believe in being an active parent and grandparent.

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I was having way too much fun with the family.

Bonnie, I agree wholeheartedly with your comment. It would be nice to have one of these fine women address school aged children, especially the girls. A little encouragement from those who seem to be successful certainly wouldn't hurt.

I also agree that if he had kept the "lesson plan" out of the mix the debate would have been less, but it would still have been there. It's a Republican vs. Liberal Democrat thing that's been going on since the beginning and will probably never end.

Rob, agreed and very much on the mark.

Michelle, I think it's very easy to prey on people's fears and as a rule fear of intrusion on one's person family values is a big one. I am a Republican but the only extreme I can be accused of might be open mindedness. I try to keep everything in perspective when ever possible.

I read it. Like everything else he speaks on, this is way, way, way too LOOOOOONG to keep any kid's attention for longer than a couple of minutes. They will be texting through the whole thing! The last presidential speech to the schools lasted 7 minutes. And that talk wasn't about him (Bush or Reagan). This talk is ALL about him (NObama). He uses the word "I" more than anyone in history. If he thinks he will make an impact with this long-and-winding-road thing he should think again... Oh well, the kids need a nap.

Mary and Michelle, as a rule my posts stay on a civil if not friendly tone. I don't think it's necessarily out of respect. I'm not owed any more respect than any other member here on AR. I think it more the tone I maintain while interacting with others. If my responses remain civil then so will the person I'm interacting with. I do try to measure the meaning of my words and not to offend anyone. Seems to be work so far. :)

Terry, a little thinking is good for the soul, is it not?

Jay, I agree with you, the speech is way to long to be effective. Especially if he pauses as often as he usually does. Then again I have to ask: Are these speeches really anything more than a photo opt? I mean really, isn't this more just of a way to get the attention of future voters (the high school kids) who otherwise would not sit through a political speech? That would also explain why the speech has a lot to do with him.

The other side of the coin is how a good education helped a black kid, from a poor home, raised without a father, by his grandparent to become the President of the United States ... so stay in school. Seems like he's shooting two birds with one shot. Pretty clever move if you ask me :)

I got to go make dinner otherwise even a Presidential pardon won't get me out of the doghouse. Mike made dinner last night so I can't even tease him about making dinner once in a while.

Suesan--I like your approach. I wish many of the 'talking heads' and hosts of talk shows would take note.

Were I the cynic, I would say that you start a precedent with something innocuous and go from there.

His problem with this isn't what he says, it is the trust (lack thereof) factor that precedes the idea of speaking to school kids on the first day of school. He has a BIG trust problem. Surrounded by so many yes men, as many leaders are, they become oblivious to what is thought about them.

Suesan - I've been astounded by the hystrionics surrounding the President speaking with the children about the importance of staying in school. Ultra conservatives need to get a grip, they are becoming a little transparent with their agendas.

Afterall, it isn't the first time a President has spoken with school children. Even President George W. Bush read to young children at a Sarasota, Florida school when he was in office. . .When was that you ask - It was September 11, 2001, while terrorists were flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and into the ground in Virginia.

SEP

Myrl, in all fairness President Obama has bought a portion of this on himself. He has some very interesting characters around him, we know very little about him and face it, a poor kid whose family at times were living on welfare somehow goes to Harvard Law.

I tell you what; I had a 4.0 GPA, got scholarships for school, took loans and held a full time job. I couldn't afford Harvard Law if I had wanted to. So right there his story becomes a little hard to swallow. Add his very progressive and Liberal plans that will either make us very competitive or completely bankrupt us as a nation, and I can see were people might not be so willing to trust him.

Depends on the point of view you want to apply to the situation. Should we be optimistic and place our trust in him? Or should we be pragmatic and question his motives? Either way, I can easily see both sides of this book.

Jay I don't think you're a cynic in the least; I think you're a pragmatist and theirs is nothing wrong with that. For the moment I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Do I believe and support everything he says? Most definitely not, but then again I didn't support or believe everything Bush said.

Mary, thank you. I wish the talk heads would stick to the facts and stop trying to scare people into thinking the same way they do. Truth is if the President is as bad as some say he is it's only a matter of time before the truth is out.

SEP

If President Kennedy, Johnson, or Nixon had spoken to the nation's school children, perhaps I would not have wound up as one of the greatest juvenile delinquents in the history of Texas and Utah.

The news cameras were rolling in the classrooms here, at least the classrooms where the President of the United States was provided the respect he deserves, agree or disagree with him. Every picture we saw showed the children intensely engrossed in what the President was saying. That's the power of speech, especially when one knows how to speak, use tonal inflections, personal stories, etc., something King Bush I and King Bush II didn't know how to do.

SEP

I love having a President who is accessible and visible and not hiding behind the White House walls doing things in secret.

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