Republicans don't want Obama talking to children?

[JasonF]

Originally Posted by General Zod

Like I said had they been more detailed about what he was going to say (like release a transcript) it would probably make those that were concerned about what he was going to say feel more at ease.

He's the President of the United States. What do people really think he's going to say to a bunch of school kids that could possibly be objectionable to any reasonable person?

[sracer]

Originally Posted by JasonF

He's the President of the United States. What do people really think he's going to say to a bunch of school kids that could possibly be objectionable to any reasonable person?

"We need healthcare reform in this country so that your mommy and daddy won't die."

[kvrdave]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Do people not understand just how horrific the Nazis were? Lately -- the past decade or so -- it seems like people throw around comparisons to Hitler as if the Holocaust were just something mildly bad, and not evil on an unprecedented scale. I mean, I get that people want to paint the other side as bad, but there's regular bad and there's genocide bad, and the two are nowhere near the same league.

Bah. Ignore me. I'm just pissy that we live in a world where Pat Buchanan can write a column blaming Poland for forcing Hitler to invade them without any repercussions to his media job.

I agree and have had that same pet peeve. I was just trying to be purposely over the top.

[Brack]

Originally Posted by kvrdave

I agree and have had that same pet peeve. I was just trying to be purposely over the top.

leave that to cable news talking heads, there's no room for that here.

[BKenn01]

Nazi's would have been proud of this one. Great propoganda piece.



Perhaps the fine parents in Utah have good reason to be upset...

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_132491...uestid=5883011

Education » Principal apologizes for showing 'I Pledge' to students.

By Lisa Schencker

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 09/02/2009 10:07:30 AM MDT

A school principal has apologized for showing a video at an assembly that a politically conservative group leader is calling "radical, leftist propaganda."

Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world -- and that's where some say the problem lies.

[General Zod]

Originally Posted by JasonF

He's the President of the United States. What do people really think he's going to say to a bunch of school kids that could possibly be objectionable to any reasonable person?

Like I said before it's the extremists that think he's going to do it. And I wouldn't call the extremists "reasonable people" would you?

[Baron Of Hell]

Originally Posted by dork

Oddly, the following part seems to be missing from the helpful link above:


http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...ntroversy.html

The problem with this is that there is nothing wrong with asking people for help. Heck it could be taken as way to tell him what he is doing wrong. I already know the statement was reworded for the people that want to make a big ado about nothing.

Another problem is that most of the people complaining would probably be upset if the pledge of allegiance was eliminated from schools but would have a fit if Obama lead the pledge of allegiance before his speech.

[Hank Ringworm]

Fucking demagogue.

[Thor Simpson]

I pledge... "so that we are on this planet forever?"

How does that work exactly?

[Hank Ringworm]

Originally Posted by Thor Simpson

I pledge... "so that we are on this planet forever?"

How does that work exactly?

It involves investing in Obama's soul. Check out Scottrade if you haven't yet.

[Hank Ringworm]

Originally Posted by JasonF

He's the President of the United States. What do people really think he's going to say to a bunch of school kids that could possibly be objectionable to any reasonable person?

Really? I could come up with a long list.

[TheBigDave]

Originally Posted by JasonF

What do people really think he's going to say to a bunch of school kids that could possibly be objectionable to any reasonable person?

"And here's a few words from my buddy, Van Jones."

[dork]

Originally Posted by Baron Of Hell

The problem with this is that there is nothing wrong with asking people for help. Heck it could be taken as way to tell him what he is doing wrong. I already know the statement was reworded for the people that want to make a big ado about nothing.

That's not the point. The point is that this was a detail that was maybe worth knowing, since it makes those who initially objected seem a bit less like paranoid loons. Which is of course why Media Matters left it out.

Originally Posted by Baron Of Hell

Another problem is that most of the people complaining would probably be upset if the pledge of allegiance was eliminated from schools but would have a fit if Obama lead the pledge of allegiance before his speech.

As long as we're imputing risible inconsistency to theoretical hypocrites: Most of the people who have no problem with this would probably be howling with outrage if that smirking bastard Dubya did something similar to try to convert impressionable young minds to his imperialist neocon agenda. And there are people who are against the pledge of allegiance but have no problem with children pledging allegiance to Obama.

Which proves... what?

[Dimension X]

Originally Posted by JasonF

He's a churchgoing black man.

Other than campaign stops and a couple of funerals, when was the last time he went to a church?

[hahn]

Originally Posted by BKenn01

Nazi's would have been proud of this one. Great propoganda piece.

Perhaps the fine parents in Utah have good reason to be upset...

How screwed up is our society that some people actually think it's "radical leftist propaganda" to encourage people to take care of the environment, be kinder to each other, and to laugh more often. Oo...they have evil plans to make people die of laughter and kill each other with kindness. Yeah, I totally see the Nazi connection. What the hell went wrong in your childhood?

What's the message that conservatives want to put out there? "Don't give a shit about anyone else but yourself and if someone gets all up in your face, tell them to go fuck themselves."? Clearly, the "leftists" are more dangerous.

[crazyronin]

Originally Posted by Baron Of Hell

Another problem is that most of the people complaining would probably be upset if the pledge of allegiance was eliminated from schools but would have a fit if Obama lead the pledge of allegiance before his speech.

You would have a better chance of seeing God appear in the sky to lead the pledge while it rained unicorns and lollipops.

Just sayin'.

[Ky-Fi]

Originally Posted by BKenn01

Nazi's would have been proud of this one. Great propoganda piece.



Perhaps the fine parents in Utah have good reason to be upset...

Sure, a lot of their pledges were positive or at least innocuous, but the last, climactic line that they recite is "I pledge to be a servant to our president." , morphing into a giant soviet art-style portrait of Obama's head?! WTF??!!! And you guys on the left don't see how some might find that troubling?

I hope the left-leaning members of this forum are representative of the left in general, and that Obama keeps putting out stuff just like this. It'll seal his political fate.

And also, there's the fact that most of these celebrities wouldn't be caught dead reciting the actual Pledge of Allegiance on camera, yet they're pledging to be a servant to Obama.

[crazyronin]

Taking bets right now as to whether one of those brain dead pledgers could actually state the preamble to the Constitution, let alone the Bill of Rights.

"Servant to the President." Jesus Fucking, Bald, Blue Headed Christ, there isn't a facepalm pic epic enough.

[mosquitobite]

Originally Posted by BKenn01

Great propoganda piece.



Perhaps the fine parents in Utah have good reason to be upset...

That just has me speechless.

Puts the whole thing in perspective.

[sracer]

Originally Posted by hahn

How screwed up is our society that some people actually think it's "radical leftist propaganda" to encourage people to take care of the environment, be kinder to each other, and to laugh more often. Oo...they have evil plans to make people die of laughter and kill each other with kindness. Yeah, I totally see the Nazi connection. What the hell went wrong in your childhood?

The pledges in that video are about as meaningful and will be as effective as "Just say no" was for drugs, or "abstinence only" for premarital sex. What they all have in common is the mistaken belief that people are basically good.

Pledge allegiance to the president?! President Kennedy called for people to the greater vision of doing good for the country. Obama's followers make it about the man, Obama himself. But that difference is lost on his supporters.

When Bush supporters claimed that supporting the war in Iraq was patriotic, detractors cried "Fascism"... many still hold to that claim. And THAT was simply because of a call to rally around a cause. What do you call it when the rallying cry is for a particular individual?

[mhg83]

Originally Posted by Brack

It seems to be the right doing it almost every time (accusing someone else of doing the same thing), whether it be about racism, protesting, etc.

I could recall dozens of times when members of this forum would bring up "Well when Bush did this" The left does this more than the right.

[BKenn01]

Originally posted by Hahn: Yeah, I totally see the Nazi connection. What the hell went wrong in your childhood?

How about first you keep the personal attacks out of it.

The Nazi connection is that it is a propoganda piece. I didnt say they were Nazis. They are using Nazi tactics.

Did you happen to watch the whole video. If you dont see the problem with "I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama" I obviously cant explain it to you.

[Cheato]

I gotta say, I support like 95% of the "I Pledge" thing. The "to be of service to Barack *kiss* Obama *kiss*" and "servant to Obama" parts are absolutely ridiculous, of course, along with a strange thing in there about slavery that I didn't really understand (around 3:00)(*), and the goofy stuff, like "on the planet forever" and instructions of when to flush.

(*) Is that some kind of rallying call to invade some foreign country to free some people from tyranny and rebuild their society in our image? If so, I guess I support that, too.

[jfoobar]

I guess I don't have much to add to this other than to say that when I heard about it the other day, I immediately found the whole notion of the President giving a speech to children, in their schools across the nation, creepy.

These are extremely divisive political times we are living in, and they should know that this was a bad idea...or at least planned poorly. Yes, Obama is almost certainly not going to say anything that is off message from what any reasonable parent should be telling their children, and if that wasn't true last week it is certainly true now. I don't think that is the point.

The point is that we live in political divisive times, with images of the left and the right clashing (sometimes violently) at town hall meetings fresh in everyone's minds. The point is that there is controversial legislation on the table right now, legislation that potentially forces some people to redefine what our nation is. The point is that state-sponsored propaganda aimed at children has an extremely dubious history, to say the least. Is it unfair to call what President Obama is going to say "propaganda?" Yes, probably, but the learning materials and posters and activities that were originally going to be included sure gave me pause.

Ideologues are gunshy about their kids, just like everyone else. No one should be surprised at the controversy about this. It was a bad idea to even try this now. Obama and his staff should have waited for some calmer political waters.

[Sean O'Hara]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Bah. Ignore me. I'm just pissy that we live in a world where Pat Buchanan can write a column blaming Poland for forcing Hitler to invade them without any repercussions to his media job.

But it's MSNBC. It's not like anyone is watching him.