Rant-n-rave #1: Obama's Speech to America's Children

I'm more than a little annoyed with people griping over the president addressing our kids tomorrow. This comment from a blog reveals the kind of ignorance that makes me wonder if this country has a chance to reach the 22nd century: "if church and state are to be separate so should politics and school."

That's right - no more history classes, no more politics in America, no more social studies, no more citizenship classes. Teach our kids to distrust the president and liken him to Hitler programming his Youth (no kidding - I have heard this comparison). I am here to tell you that this approach will not foster a stronger nation. Keeping kids from discussing the very issues that will affect their future is rather like keeping them in a bubble, insulated and powerless. (Incidentally, the people whining about Obama talking to our kids are the same ones who complain that parents aren't taking enough responsibility these days, and that kids are coddled and not encouraged to think for themselves. Does anyone else see the irony here?) The transcript will be up today, for pity's sake. READ THE DAMN THING if you're so frightened of it, and then talk to your kids!

Believe me, I have my issues with President Obama, but he is our president and he is trying to do what is best for this country. Let's at least try to help him by educating our children, rather than teaching them the hallmarks of the last administration: mistrust and ignorance. I have a feeling that if George W. Bush had wanted to address our school children, the same people blustering about Obama's socialist-fascist-regime-machine would have been just fine letting W talk to our kids about WMDs in Iraq and the need for vigilant mistrust in a war on terror.

Obama's speech is meant to inspire our kids to stay in school and work hard for the future of this country. America has gotten fat and lazy. Hell we don't even remember why Labor Day was created - not to have end of summer BBQs and chill out with a beer in the hammock, but to remind us that the vacation season is over and it's time to get back to work. I'm teaching college freshmen who cannot write a paragraph and whose reading level is below that of a 9th grader. Come on, people, wake up! We have a problem right here in River City and its full name is Ignorance Sloth Apathy. If our president is taking time out of his busy schedule to inspire our youth to take their education seriously, I think the least we can do for our kids is try to support that message, even if we disagree with other areas of his policy and politics.

For those who feel strongly that Obama is out to brainwash our kids, you might be interested to know that indoctrination usually doesn't work if it's an optional program. Schools are not required to air Obama's speech. So that teachers who are already bursting at the seams don't have to run around the day before with a transcript to create a new lesson plan, talking points will accompany this speech, which again teachers are free to use, amend, or ignore. This is not an episode of Doctor Who, people. These children are not being programmed, used as talking pieces for an invading alien force, or brainwashed into being Democrats. And by the way, Obama isn't the only president to address America's children. Presidents Reagan and Bush both addressed our nation's youth during their terms in the Oval Office.

Once upon a time, there was a certain respect afforded the office of President of the United States. If the man in the chair proved himself unworthy of that respect, the nation reacted accordingly. This man is trying to inspire us and fix what's wrong. He has done nothing wrong, nothing illegal, immoral or otherwise earning this kind of mistrust. You might not agree with his methods or his politics, but to liken him to Hitler is, to my mind, un-American. Who needs terrorists to split us apart when we're doing the job ourselves by teaching our kids to mistrust the president who we elected into office, thereby subverting the American democracy that everyone claims to hold dear?

White House site with info on the Obama's speech to students.

Inquiring minds want to know...

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -- Ronald Reagan


Thoughts? Comments? Reactions? Don't hold back on us, now....

Ostrich Feathers

As we are all painfully aware, the election season is in full swing with the Democratic National Concruption and Republican National Confuscation. I choose to stick my head in the sand. I choose, instead, to think about blather like The Paranormal Research Society.

These guys have it made - college kids with digital equipment and a keen interest in the paranormal who go to people's homes to research their potentially paranormal problems and come up with possible solutions. Although Ryan Buell is cute and seems to have his heart in the right place - I wonder if it's A&E's programming people who are controlling the type of stories that are included - there seems to be a predominance of evil/demonic spirit stories lately.

I watch it every week because 1. I'm interested in the paranormal, 2. I love the idea of a student group doing this kind of work and 3. Chip Coffey ROCKS. His antics are very entertaining. Supposably (that's a nod to rival paranormal researcher Jason Hawes' terrible grammar, as heard on GhostHunters), Ryan B. doesn't believe in mediums/psychics and is not one to take Chip's word (or any medium's) at face value. That might explain why he often wears a quizzical expression for most of the episode. Hell, he doesn't even seem to believe his own staff when they go to the library and turn up research that supports a medium's claims. I have a feeling that A&E doesn't allow a lot of his skepticism to come through because it wouldn't be as exciting to the audience (and they might tune out).

These ghosthunting groups like TAPS and PRS get picked up by cable TV and turned into a commodity like everything else, though, complete with formulaic programs and cheap knock-offs and "if you like X, you LOVE Y" from lesser networks' daytime programming (I'm thinking here of "A Haunting" which has to be the MOST ridiculous piece of shit I've ever seen glowing out of my cathode ray tube).

(Edited for snark-rant content on 9/3.)

Leaf Turning

In my last post I presented my intention to not speak negative, harmful or meaningless thoughts. In service of this, I have discontinued my association with my brother's chat site. There's nothing wrong with the site or the people on it (hell, two of my closest blood relatives are on there). However, I continually end up in combative situations with people who have different (often opposite) ideas and world views as I do.

Recently I made the comment that I was sick of liberal-bashing and conservative-bashing from anyone (I see the liberal-bashing on the site, and I hear and read conservative-bashing in the town in which I live). To my mind, it gets nothing done and it only furthers the intelluctual divide in this society. Anyway, my comments to this affect were met with paragraphs of rationalization about how the conservatives have come under heavy fire from the liberal elite (media, academia and politicos) since the middle of the last century, so why should they hold back? If someone on that board talks about McCain or Obama, they are jumped on about how liberal both candidates are, and there is a CLEAR undercurrent that liberal = evil.

Now, I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. I don't agree with Democrats on all issues, nor do I agree with Republicans. I try to vote my conscience and I try to remain informed. But what I really can't stand are the tactics of BOTH sides of the proverbial and literal aisle who are so entrenched in the Us vs. Them paradigm that they can't get to work for this country.

Okay, so that's my soapbox and I'm going to let it end here. Getting back to my original point for this post -- I am no longer going to put myself in an environment (physical or cyber) that leads to hard feelings, mistrust or other harmful thoughts and words. I can't change their minds, and they can't change mine. There's no sense going around and around on these issues, and I sure has hell have better things to do with my time.

He's got MY vote:

I Got What America Needs Right Here

Thanks to SMJ for the link!

Darth Carpet Bagger