In Texas district, Obama just an interruption
In Arlington, Texas, the local school superintendent barred the live broadcast of President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren Tuesday on grounds it would interrupt classes.
I think that ’s a defensible position; I wouldn’t agree with it, but it’s defensible. I certainly don’t think every school district around the country should have been required to show the speech.
However, given the reluctance to interrupt classtime, the “compromise” the superintendent offered did seem a little strange. Parents who wanted their children to see the speech could pull their kids out of school for half a day so they could watch it off school grounds.
Things got even stranger when it was learned that the school district had previously agreed to bus — at taxpayer’s expense — 500 fifth graders to Cowboy Stadium to an event where former President George W. Bush is scheduled to speak.
All of a sudden that talk about not wanting to interrupt class time seemed pretty pathetic.
The superintendent has now apologized for that decision.
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241 comments Add your comment
joe matarotz
September 12th, 2009
9:02 am
I guess the argument can be made that the children would have been bussed to Cowboy Stadium if Obama had been speaking there (yeah, right). And the argument could be made that a live broadcast by Bush would have been barred in the schools. But somehow this one doesn’t pass the sniff test. No matter how hard you try, you can’t fix stupid.
jconservative
September 12th, 2009
9:05 am
Anyone but me noticing the large number of apologies floating around the country these days? People keep saying & doing stoopid things. Is it something “they” are putting in that bottled water everyone is drinking now?
Where I come from if a school superintendent took hard earned tax payers money & bussed our kids to hear a speech by a political hack, be it Bush or Obama, that superintendent would be looking for work that week.
Besides, I thought we had passed beyond government ordered school busing.
jt
September 12th, 2009
9:05 am
For President Bush or President Obama to EVEN MENTION responsibility to any school kid is ludacrous
The older kids know this.
jt
September 12th, 2009
9:07 am
In second grade at George Walton Academy, Lestor Maddox visited us.
I swear.
My have times changed.
TaxPayer
September 12th, 2009
9:13 am
Whatever could have possessed those folks. Political persuasion? Color? Both? Nah!!!!! I hope they remembered to fill out the long request form for attending that Bush indoctrination camp. Did Dusty or @@ or others of the right wing faith have any children that watched a Bushcast in school but not an Obamacast. No way. Not our fairly unbalanced tight wound nutter butters. What about appearances by Laura Bush versus Michelle Obama. How would these fairly unbalanced nutter butters react to those two choices. How ’bout now that Michelle is promoting home grown gardening, will the right wingers insist on eating only foreign grown foods or become carinovores and swear off veges. Come on, show us what you’re made of.
Paul
September 12th, 2009
9:30 am
It’s amazing some things get to the point of requiring an apology. But it is good when an apology is offered.
True, the topic for the Pres Bush event was different – but the same concerns for ‘ideological indoctrination’ people had for Pres Obama’s “stay in school, study, succeed” speech should still apply.
Consistency, consistency –
And good on that retired Air Force general. I particularly liked the part where he referred to Gov Perry’s secession talk and said “He’s Air Force – he should be ashamed.”
Lots of people are not what they should be, unfortunately.
jokerman
September 12th, 2009
9:39 am
Is our children learning…..
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=841489
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
9:43 am
As most of the posters hereabouts know, I’m an outspoken and unrepentent liberal who can’t abide Ole Jug Ears’ handlers’ trotting him out for a periodic drag show. But when it comes to his speech to the schoolchildren they made one BIG mistake. They didn’t release the speech early enough. Of course the children should have watched it. For G-d’s sake, I may not like him worth a d*mn myself, but that’s ME and it is for MY issues, he IS the President and for the President of the United States to take the time to address the school children of America is a change I, as a teacher and as a citizen, can believe it. If he is going to be head cheerleader for anything, there is nothing more important than education and there is no one more important there than the students. My kids watched it. Their essay topic was “What did President Obama say to you and what is your opinion?” The more interested wrote some really good commentaries, but most had spent the time in front of the telly picking their noses, pulling Maria’s hair, chunking spit balls, fidgeting and chatting with their buddies when the teacher wasn’t looking…pretty much what they were supposed to be doing given the nature of schoolchildren and exhibiting as they did the qualities of future leaders!
DoggoneGA
September 12th, 2009
9:46 am
So far, the only reason I’ve heard for a school district to not allow their children to watch the live broadcast was one that said they don’t allow ANYTHING to be shown to the children until it’s screened first. If they really do stick to that…no problem.
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
9:51 am
Doggone–the APS (gasp!) does have such a policy and it was applied to Jug Ears’ address. Had the speech been released earlier, it would have made it a lot easier for us to have developed better lesson plans and would have defused the political grand standing. Live and learn. Hopefully in his next address that will not be a factor and I, for one, do want him to make this a tradition.
Bruno
September 12th, 2009
9:59 am
Prior to last November’s election, I took a lot of flack from the liberals for not putting any faith in Obama’s promises. And, as I predicted, Obama has subsequently gone back on nearly every one of them.
My biggest gripe, of course, is his proposed mandatory purchase of health insurance. During his last primary debate with Hillary, Obama SPECIFICALLY criticized the Massachusetts plan on which this one os modeled, noting the insanity and unfairness of fining those without insurance. Somehow, the fact that the Massachusetts model has failed miserably doesn’t seem to matter to the geniuses in the Democratic Party who are running the show now.
TaxPayer
September 12th, 2009
10:04 am
Our school system spokesperson[s] claimed that they had calls from several persons that expressed concern about having their child involved with activities involving the president’s speech and not as many parents called in to support it. They did not air the speech but did not say why specifically. I have not checked to see if they ever aired speeches in school from other presidents or elected officials or spouses of elected officials but I do hope that they are at the least remaining consistent. I’ll have to look into that.
Yankee
September 12th, 2009
10:08 am
Answer me this. Why is it majority White people that are the TEA BAGGERS, BIRTHERS and OBAMA-HEALTHSCARERS. Uhmm something is not adding up here.
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
10:11 am
Yankee
“Answer me this. Why is it majority White people…”
You answered your own question…
Soothsayer
September 12th, 2009
10:14 am
One year removed from a catastrophic, global, economic meltdown, and 26 months removed from the start of the credit crisis, our political establishment is either unwilling or unable to reform the system and punish the perpetrators of this debacle. The situation is so far beyond the pale that it makes one wonder if another catastrophe is even avoidable.
“And the banks — hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created — are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place.”
– Sen. Dick Durbin
Yankee
September 12th, 2009
10:18 am
Until we take off the blinders and admit that these TEA BAGGERS, BIRTHERS and OBAMA-HEALTHSCARERS are all RACIST trying to conceal their true intention we are just wasting our time here. None of these MORONS were TEA-BAGGING when Bush lied and took us into an unjust WAR that will be costing us well over $3 TRILLION ( where were these NIT-WITS protesting and asking to GET THEIR COUNTRY BACK ?) I see these IDIOTS on TV and I immediately change the channel and tune them out. I just remember what my old Drill Sergeant always told us that “WE SERVE AND PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE TO GIVE THESE IDIOTS THESE RIGHTS THEY HOLD SO DEARLY”
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator :-) You Whine :-(
September 12th, 2009
10:20 am
Maybe the guy doesn’t like extreme left wing socialists, you know?
This is a free country, last time I checked.
NRB
September 12th, 2009
10:25 am
I dunno if I’d call him an “interruption”…..Oblahma is more like an illegal alien, socialist liar FREAKSHOW. Him and his ugly ass wife.
Yankee
September 12th, 2009
10:32 am
NRB you may not like the man and his policies but leave his wife out of it. Where is you wife? Modeling on the cover of this month’s EQUESTRIAN MONTHLY.
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
10:34 am
Bruno:
“Prior to last November’s election, I took a lot of flack from the liberals for not putting any faith in Obama’s promises. And, as I predicted, Obama has subsequently gone back on nearly every one of them.”
This is one liberal you’d have gotten no flack from…
TaxPayer
September 12th, 2009
10:34 am
Come on, Andy and NRB. Those were really lame. Even Yankee would not fall for that crap.
RW-(the original)
September 12th, 2009
10:35 am
Had the speech been released earlier, it would have made it a lot easier for us to have developed better lesson plans and would have defused the political grand standing. Live and learn.
josef,
You’re overlooking the bare political calculation in this. Of course they could have released the speech early, but they wanted to get Republicans in an uproar over something that was always going to be innocuous. Now they sit back and say that Republicans were just complaining because it was Obama all the while ignoring the original lesson plan suggestion saying the kids should write an essay on how they could help and support the President. That part they did release early and then quietly removed. It certainly has worked well with all their media lapdogs barking in unison. Isn’t this about the 700th item Jay B has posted on the non-issue?
Never overlook what prize a politician has his eyes on. It’s not us.
TaxPayer
September 12th, 2009
10:38 am
Actually, it’s the 701st, but who’s counting.
Bruno
September 12th, 2009
10:38 am
Do you feel better now, Yankee?
catlady
September 12th, 2009
10:38 am
The old “do as I say, not as I do” program from the Republican-leaning leaders.
Sort of like this (now discredited) Reading First thing (that made friends of Bush a great deal of money)(that somehow our system is still using, although the postive effect was so limited, or nonexistent, that it has been ended). One of the rules was that the 2 hours and 40 minutes of reading time could NOT EVER be compromised. No bathroom breaks, no intercom announcements, no fire drills. YET, we are interrrupted almost EVERY DAY by administrators, visitors, etc. checking up on us, which disrupts the class, especially the lower level classes populated with kids who are distractable and unmotivated.
Kamchak
September 12th, 2009
10:40 am
In retrospect, I can see how the district’s decision concerning these two events could be seen as favoring one event over the other.
“Could be seen”? That is an attempt to place the onus on the observer.
“district’s decision”? A geographical area doesn’t make decisions, people do.
I apologize that my decisions on behalf of the district have disappointed or hurt people.
Well at least with that statement he does acknowledge that he made a choice. The wording, however, seems as if he is seeking to put a layer of after-thought defense between him and in criticism. The condescension comes from his “I did it for your own good” demeanor. All of his decisions should be for the good of the district–that’s why he’s got the job–but to throw it up as a layer of defense suggests to me he knew/knows that he was dealing with politics.
But in the end it’s their kids, so if they want to use them politically—well it ain’t got nuthin’ to do with me but I find it distasteful. Just sayin’.
Bruno
September 12th, 2009
10:42 am
“This is one liberal you’d have gotten no flack from…”
I appreciate that, josef. Obama, unfortunately, is taking a page from Bush’s playbook by simultaneously alienating his core base by reneging on his “liberal” promises (Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, warrantless wiretapping, etc.) while doing nothing to please the opposition (mandatory purchase of health insurance).
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
10:44 am
I kind of like what Bill Maher had to say last night – show the speech or we yank all your federal school funds. Hehehehehehe.
And I totally agree with what he said last night – 70% of the country is sane, but Obama is letting the 30% of the insane people dictate what he does. Man up Obama.
mm
September 12th, 2009
10:45 am
Obama is schooling the wingnuts and they ae too stupid and self-absorbed to notice.
jt
September 12th, 2009
10:45 am
Price for Listening to President Obama’s address to the nations school children——Free
Price for Listening to President Bush’s last speech in Canada———350.00 Dollars.
Price for Listening to Jay Bookman howl in 2012 when President Wilson wants to adress the nation’s schoolchildren———Priceless
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
10:46 am
Paul,
Good point about the apologies, but I think more people do stupid things knowing their stupid and ideological all the while thinking, “Oh, I can just apologize later and be forgiven.”
@@
September 12th, 2009
10:47 am
I’d like to congratulate jay on his steadfast commitment to recycling……topics.
I had no objection to Obama’s address once the assignment “What can you do to help the president? assignment was put aside. That was just too weird.
The funniest part about the whole thing was Arne Duncan’s lack of knowledge. He’s Obama’s Secretary of Education for crying out loud.
In a letter to the principals he (Duncan) said this:
A scheduled speech by President Barack Obama will be “the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school.”
WRONG!
George Herbert Walker Bush AND Ronald Reagan addressed America’s students. In the instance of GHWB, the democrats’ response was:
“The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students,” said Rep. Richard Gephardt, then the Democratic majority leader in the House of Representatives.”And the president should be doing more about education than saying, ‘Lights, camera, action.’”
Patricia Schroeder, then a Democratic member of Congress from Colorado, said the speech showed “the arrogance of power,” and that the White House should not be “using precious dollars for campaigns” when “we are struggling for every silly dime we can get” for education.
Too funny, all this back and forth.
We didn’t watch it at our school for obvious reasons — the kids are special.
For the record…..I’m not a big advocate of field trips either. If the methods of teaching in the classrooms aren’t enough to inspire and motivate, there’s something wrong with our teachers.
Paul
September 12th, 2009
10:49 am
Bosch
Yeah. When my kids pulled that stunt we were far from over with the character-building lessons.
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
10:49 am
jt,
President Wilson. Funny. Maybe the treasonous wretch who refused to go to Afghanistan because she claims Obama isn’t the legitimate POTUS can run as VP.
Bruno
September 12th, 2009
10:49 am
“You’re overlooking the bare political calculation in this.”
I have to agree with you on that one, RW, and it’s sickening that all of this shenanigans is overshadowing critical analysis of how Obama’s policies are going to F up our country for many generations to come.
Kamchak
September 12th, 2009
10:49 am
Bosch
Off topic—Liverpool v. Burnley live on ESPN2. Liverpool 2 Burnley 0 at the half.
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
10:49 am
RW–sadly, I have to agree with you on the calculated aspect which is why I laid the real blame on Jug Ears’ handlers.
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
10:50 am
Paul,
Yeah, I remember those days – if I had a dollar for every time I said, “Good, I’m glad your sorry, but right now I don’t give a crap.”
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
10:51 am
joseph,
Now what in the world is wrong with you this morning? Jug Ears?
GEORGE AMERICAN
September 12th, 2009
10:51 am
SMART MOVE SUPERINTENDENT!!!
GIVE THAT MAN A PROMOTION FOR HELPING FIGHT AGAINST THE ANTI-AMERICAN INDOCTRINATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT-SHOOL SOCIALIST TEACHERS AND THE SOCIALIST PRESIDENT!!!
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
10:52 am
Kamchak,
Thanks for the heads up!
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
10:55 am
BRUNO–I think NRB and Yankee are Siamese twins joined at the posterieur!
Soothsayer
September 12th, 2009
10:56 am
Cheng Siwei, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and now head of China’s green energy drive, said Beijing was dismayed by the Fed’s recourse to “credit easing”.
“We hope there will be a change in monetary policy as soon as they have positive growth again,” he said at the Ambrosetti Workshop, a policy gathering on Lake Como.
“If they keep printing money to buy bonds it will lead to inflation, and after a year or two the dollar will fall hard. Most of our foreign reserves are in US bonds and this is very difficult to change, so we will diversify incremental reserves into euros, yen, and other currencies,” he said.
China’s reserves are more than – $2 trillion, the world’s largest.
“Gold is definitely an alternative, but when we buy, the price goes up. We have to do it carefully so as not to stimulate the markets,” he added.
The comments suggest that China has become the driving force in the gold market and can be counted on to buy whenever there is a price dip, putting a floor under any correction.
Mr Cheng said the Fed’s loose monetary policy was stoking an unstable asset boom in China. “If we raise interest rates, we will be flooded with hot money. We have to wait for them. If they raise, we raise.
“Credit in China is too loose. We have a bubble in the housing market and in stocks so we have to be very careful, because this could fall down.”
Mr Cheng said China had learned from the West that it is a mistake for central banks to target retail price inflation and take their eye off assets.
“This is where Greenspan went wrong from 2000 to 2004,” he said. “He thought everything was alright because inflation was low, but assets absorbed the liquidity.”
Bruno
September 12th, 2009
10:57 am
“but Obama is letting the 30% of the insane people dictate what he does.”
Pretty close estimation, Bosch, since polls have shown that a high percentage of people are happy with their current health care and don’t want government involvement. And I would guess that at least 70% of people would agree that fining those who can’t/don’t purchase health insurance is unfair. In reading the thread from yesterday, it seems there was some confusion regarding the consequences of not purchasing a government-approved plan. If you read the House bill, it calls for a 2.5% fine of your income.
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
10:59 am
Bosch–Jug Ears? Well, I’ve been chastized hereabouts for calling him Fierce Advocate, and I DO want to follow the Bookman Blog stylebook of name calling on people you don’t agree with. I thought of calling him Alfred E. Neuman…
Jack
September 12th, 2009
10:59 am
Third graders throwing water-filled balloons make about as much sense as the exchanges in this forum(?).
Bruno
September 12th, 2009
10:59 am
And the reaaaally insane part, Bosch, is that Massachusetts ALREADY has a plan in place that Obama is proposing for the entire country. If you’re curious as to why it’s not being discussed much, it’s because it’s a TOTAL FAILURE. None of the imagined benefits have materialized, including the reduction of ER visits.
Bosch
September 12th, 2009
11:03 am
Bruno,
Is it the doctors they are happy with or their insurance company? Insurance companies are middle men who don’t actually contribute to actual health care at all. I shouldn’t have watched Maher last night – I feel so indoctrinated now.
If insurance companies were smart – they’d start building nursing homes. Learn to adapt with the times – like the smart recording companies did after Napster came on the grid.
josef nix
September 12th, 2009
11:05 am
@@
on field trips…it depends on where and for what…I will say this, though, it gives me a good opportunity to teach proper public behavior. I give my students a chocolate for each compliment I get from the general public on their behavior. It gets expensive but it’s worth it.
jack'n
September 12th, 2009
11:06 am
Jack, “forum” that’s a fancy word for a third grader/