Home schooled kids hit campaign trail for GOP (AJC)

[bunkerbuster1]

It's a stomach-turner, especially the platitudes about how hard-slavin' these kids are in the service of their lord Jesus Ralph, but it's also a must-read if we're ever to understand how insideous Fascism has become in the Red State South.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0714methomekids.html

For the final days leading up to Tuesday's primary, Tim Echols has his eye on a particular intersection outside the Mall of Georgia in Buford.

"Our kids will be there every day. We'll have 20 kids out there every rush hour, every afternoon," Echols said of the site near I-85. All decked out in the same bright T-shirts, all waving signs at commuters.

His "kids" are a small army of 76 home schooled students from 10 states, ages 14 to 20, who assembled in Alpharetta this week to help Ralph Reed try to win the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

<...>

Because many of these home schooled volunteers are raised as socially conservative Christians, typically they support candidates who side with them in opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage and on other volatile issues.

I should add--all along my commute home, I see signs posted for a local state legislator who is running on the twin issues of "school choice" and "fair tax." Be prepared to see a lot more of this crap in the years ahead.

ON EDIT--this is NOT intended as a slam against home schooling; I am well aware that there are DUers who feel this is the best choice for their children, and I would consider it myself if my own school district grew any more ideologically right-wing than it already is.

[achtung_circus]

1. Well, thats neat.

small army of 76 home schooled students from 10 states, ages 14 to 20

Just your typical, home-schooled 6th grade class.

[mitchum]

51. LMAO!

[rosesaylavee]

2. Just one question...

will the t-shirts they be 'brown'? Sheesh.

[bunkerbuster1]

5. Ein volk, ein reich, ein Ralf!

Naw, they're not brown, usually the T-shirts are more like this...

[Richard Steele]

9. Notice that the INVERTED "shadow" cross is both larger and CLOSER.

SYMBOLS are the language of the subconscious.

[MGD]

3. If your political views are swayed by a group of children holding signs

on a street corner, you're an idiot who shouldn't be voting in the first place.

[bunkerbuster1]

6. But what about the CHILDREN?

Ralf Reed is "pro-family!" it says so on his direct mailers!

BTW, I received a recorded telephone call from Rudy Guiliani the other evening, asking me to vote for Herr Ralfie. As a northeastern transplant it was... um... I can't really describe it.

[HockeyMom]

43. I got one, too, from Rudy last election

asking me to vote for George W. Bush. That was funny, but the 5 x 7 authographed photo of George and Laura, asking for a campaign contribution, beat it.

I am an Independent, soon to be Democrat. I guess that will end all the Republican campaign calls and mail?

:cry: :sarcasm:

[Roy]

13. you just described the typical right wingnut N/T

[MGD]

29. I suppose I did at that. n/t

[saigon68]

52. They are appealing to BRAINLESS SHEEP who vote for Repukes

Apparently there must be a lot of these types in this venue, because if they weren't these "children" would be doing something else---(like shoplifting for god)

[Kutjara]

4. These little BushJugend are some scary monsters.

They could so easily be turned into the sort of deadeyed murderers for the State that typify repressive regimes the world over.

'Home schooling': there's an oxymoron. I wonder if these children learn anything except how to hate.

[izzie]

7. I have run into a little of this stuff.

Some of my grandchildren were being used in the abortion fight in their church school and the parents went after the school and got it stopped. I also worked off and on with home school families and I must say they were really far right. The kids were right into it also. They seemed to think that the decline in schools were because of Dem. but I never got much more then that. Bible out and sex education was what the yelled about the most. Hard to even talk to them as they turned a deaf ear to anything but what they thought was going on. I frankly do not think these parents are fit to teach their children about such things as our Constitutions as they them self know so little about such things. Some I do not think even read a paper. It was almost like it was a keeping up with Jones thing. How we will home school. Yes I do know some of these kids are doing very well or so I read but in the group I saw they were not in turned kids at all.

[bunkerbuster1]

10. Most anyone in a Red county runs into this stuff.

There's a nasty strain of neo-libertarianism (driven in part by the fascist radio personality Neal Boortz) that never miss an opportunity to urinate on what they always refer to as "Government Schools."

This use of language speaks volumes--it reveals a loathing for community and support for tribalism.

[izzie]

41. Well I am from the NE and it is here also.

You get these zealot every place.

[gully]

8. Reminder our own "Ava" of Peace Takes Courage is homeschooled.

Lest we not forget. ;)

http://www.peacetakescourage.com/page-home.htm

[bunkerbuster1]

12. Yes, and DU's PacifistPatriot, who ROCKS!

...and I love her to death and I've told her as much.

[gully]

16. Good to know!

:hi:

[LynneSin]

20. Nothing personal - would you want to send your kid to an Alabama

public school?

:shrug:

[bunkerbuster1]

25. It's a big state.

Not every school board has been infiltrated by the folks who want to call dinosaurs "Jesus Horsies." But your point is well taken.

[LynneSin]

27. Greater chance to find that in Alabama then say Massachusetts

I'd say Delaware but we have those holyroller freaks terrorising jewish families in the southern part of the state. But then again anything south of Delaware is pretty much like Alabama

[Pacifist Patriot]

30. I'm a product of Alabama public schooling...

and Georgia and U.S. Army in Germany. Cobb County, Georgia as a matter of fact. Escape is possible!

Cheers!

P.S. Notice I'm homeschooling. ;)

[LynneSin]

32. If I was still living back in rural Perry County PA

I would home school my kids first before sending them back to the same high school I went to. Perhaps our parents didn't know any better or perhaps the school boards weren't overrun with activist school board members intent on pushing their ideologies into the agenda. But the school systems have overall taken a giant step over to the right. This is mainly because the GOP & Fundamentalists started targeting school board races and getting their ilk on the boards because what better way to start indoctoring our children then by taking control of their agenda.

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. I barely recognize the high school I attended back in the 80s.

The building is still there, but the content and the administration went way east.

[Igel]

33. Our homeschooled kids who reflect our opinions and

do political work are free-thinking independent folk with a good attitude. Ours put in hours of time and walk precincts and hold up signs, that's a good thing, social activism, leaders.

Their homeschooled kids who reflect their opinions and do political work are enslaved captive subhumans corrupted into the service of evil. Theirs put in hours of time and walk precincts and hold up signs, it's child abuse.

[onehandle]

11. Swell.

I'm staying indoors until this primary is over.

"Crazy" For Reed, 2006.

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. Perhaps this won't be appreciated, but...

our homeschool group involves the children in political activities. We've included them as a group at a peace rally, written a petition to our U.S. Congressman and presented it as a group to his local office, given them a seminar on how to write effective letters to editors. Consequently, as they've become teenagers some have become heavily involved in politics. A group of 7 of the kids are knocking themselves out working for the democratic candidate for County Commission. They did sign waving on a major intersection this past Saturday.

Frankly, the age of the homeschooled children being 14-20 doesn't particularly raise any alarm bells for me.

I'm raising my children to share my liberal views (which of course means think for yourself), but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be devastated if my child grew up to be ideologically right-wing. I suspect these parents feel the same way. They are raising their children to share their own values. Those values differ from mine and I hope one day my children can exert what I consider positive influence against political and social positions with which I disagree. But that will be their discussions to have.

I realize my views on this are probably unpopular, but any parent who raises a child with no moral, ethical, social or political compass whatsoever is not parenting. Is it really surprising to anyone that socially and politically conservative parents who are active in their causes are going to raise children who feel and act the same?

I have a suspicion (and an optimistic faith) that a greater percentage of those 76 homeschoolers gathered in Alpharetta will eventually become liberal than the liberal kids in my homeschool group will become right-wing ideologues.

My disgust is rooted in whom they are supporting and the causes it represents, not the fact that homeschooled teenagers are involved in the process.

[bunkerbuster1]

15. Goddamned UUs!

Y'all are so fuckin' fair minded it makes me puke...

up the potluck from last night's get-together with my local congregation. Hi, PP! Love ya!

And yeah, per usual you're doing a wonderful job of seeing the big picture here. Thanks.

[Pacifist Patriot]

18. ROTFL!!!

Thanks!

[bunkerbuster1]

22. You might appreciate this blog entry

...about a sneakily subversive UU who contributes to my daily hillbilly newspaper's "Family and Spirit" section.

http://hillbillyragger.blogspot.com/2005/12/staff-subversive.html

She recently did a pro-Gore column that's probably got a fair number of locals hoppin' mad.

http://gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=63&url_article_id=16996&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2

A new superhero is flashing across the silver screen.

By day, he’s a mild-mannered businessman. But at night, he rips off his tie, rolls up his sleeves and hunches over his laptop clicking away as he single-mindedly tracks the movements of his longtime nemesis.

His dark hair stays perfectly plastered in place as he whizzes around the globe fighting the greatest evil known to man.

His name is Al Gore, and his enemy is global warming.

[rodeodance]

23. I appreciate your post. And it is on the mark (even as I do not like to

hear/see it).

[mopinko]

31. i share your suspicion, pp

i think these kids have a lot better chance of stepping away from the koolaid at some point than the kids who attend the "christian" schools that are proliferating everywhere. they have a smaller peer group, that is at least diverse in age. i think they cannot help but have a little more understanding of individuality.
they will get an up close look at who some of these politicians are. i think that a 14 year old will be able to see what hypocrites they are.
i think this is a good thing.

[BR_Parkway]

38. I suspect the difference is that you (and Ava's folks) are teaching your

children to think for themselves, develop critical thinking skills and to examine why they prioritize the values that they do (which means they'll grow up to be fine lefties!).

The ReedBots are unlikely to have been taught or even encouraged towards anything similar - in their world it's all about control and authority. I'd be willing to bet that one of their 20 year olds could stand up to one of your 14 year olds in any sort of debate to defend what they each believe in and why they think like they do.

[progressivebydesign]

45. it's not the political stuff.. but the fact they're supporting a crook.

A crook who shrouds himself in Jesus' light. That's the issue.. a kid, over 14, should be able to make those decisions.. as long as they truly do it under their own power. But c'mon. we all know that kids simply parrot whatever they hear at home politically... until they get to maybe high school.. then they parrot their friends.. then eventually they make up their own mind. Kids make political decision based upon the biases at their own home... it's the filter thru which they interpret things.

The fact they are supporting the likes of Reed.. that is disturbing.

[Pacifist Patriot]

46. Yes they do. I'm just wondering if a group of 14-20 year olds....

had been out there campaigning for a "good guy" if they'd have been getting slaps on the back and all sorts of approval for getting involved in the process. They're assumed to be free thinkers if they support democrats and other liberal candidates but not if they work for right wing ideologues. I too have a bias that thinks this likely to be the case but I find it to be an interesting double standard.

Most of the responses I've seen to this story (not just here) have been all up in arms because it's exploitation of children. And I'd be willing to bet these same people would be cheering a group of teenagers if they were backing the "right guy." Just seems a wee bit hypocritical to me.

Your last two sentences sum up exactly what I said in my post.

[Missy Vixen]

50. We have a fifteen-year-old friend

>But c'mon. we all know that kids simply parrot whatever they hear at home politically<

whose parents encourage her to listen to RW radio, to call in, and will not allow her to have any input or discussion involving the Democratic side of any issue. Let's put it this way: Her dad took her to Washington, DC recently. He was there on business, and they thought it would be a good chance for her to visit the nation's capital. He would not allow her to visit any monuments honoring Democratic presidents. Even scarier, he bragged about it.

I wish I were kidding. I also wonder how long our friendship will survive. The last time we visited them in their home, they had other guests there who launched into a long diatribe re: "snowflake babies" and anti-stem cell research. We purposely don't talk about politics with them or in their home. He can't seem to resist it.

Julie

[tanyev]

17. Hey kids! How about a field trip to an Indian casino?

Yeah, Brother Ralphie's campaign funds are running a little low and he needs somebody to go pick up a few suitcases. C'mon! It'll be fun!

[LynneSin]

19. WooHoo - I know I want a Lt. Gov who wants to Mortage Old Black People

to his financial gain!!!

:sarcasm:

[crikkett]

21. I wonder how these kids rebel.

you know, teenagers strive to be the opposite of what their parents wish for them. etc.

sorry, not enough coffee for eloquence this am.

[LynneSin]

28. They go to PG rated movies

:eyes:

[wakeme2008]

24. And the reason the over 18s are not in Bush's Army

is ?

[bunkerbuster1]

26. Here is one "Chickenhawk Excuses" page that turned up...

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0434,robbins,56166,1.html

To which was appended this:

http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2004/08/chickenhawk-excuse-roll-call.html

Quoting:

1) I just don't want to go
2) The Vietnamese have bad drugs
3) Hard to prepare for world domination while getting your ass shot off
4) Multiple dental appointments
5) Did not want to miss my favorite TV shows
6) It is too hot over there
7) The jungle will mess with my allergies
8) Too hard to exploit tax loop holes while in the jungle
9) I am too busy
10) Are you kidding?
11) I am too important
12) Don't believe everything you read, I am not that patriotic!
13) Do as I say, not as I do

[LynneSin]

34. They're in GOD'S ARMY

:eyes:

[Acadia Blue]

35. Figures. Mom and Dad were sure to keep them as ignorant as possible

so they will never go through all the stages that most should go through in developemental psychology. They will become just like mom and dad without a mind of their own.

[FormerDem06]

39. This is true for the hardcore folks

so they will never go through all the stages that most should go through in developmental psychology.

=================================================================================

We pulled my son out for home school this coming year. He was a kindergartner who learned the n word (from a little guy who watches rap videos with his dad) and the f-bomb from his little friends whose parents have so obviously failed at their jobs it was sickening. The fighting and disrespect I saw when volunteering in the classroom was absolutely unbelievable for a group of 5 year olds.

We're not religious freaks, but we firmly believe that kids should not be exposed to certain words and behaviors at age 5! Our son may go back to a public school when he's older, but right now that won't happen.

Talk about not allowing a kid to go through all of those stages in developmental psychology at an appropriate time!!! Kids aren't equipped to handle foul language, violence and sexual conduct at 5, it's not natural but it's being allowed at home at this early of an age. Talk about raising a group of messed up kids!!! This will definately do it.

[Igel]

37. So that's 7 or 8 kids per state,

with some of the kids being old enough to vote.

Assume two hours' coverage at any location. 20 kids x 7 days x 2 hours/day = 280 hours. We're talking four hours/week. Truly hard-slavin.

I spent more than that per week during the school year, and much more than that per week during the summers, volunteering for that hard-slavin' Head Start.

[Terran1212]

40. I KNOW one of those kids

A long-time GOPer and a budding Ayn Rand fan.

Not incredibly bright but smarter than your average person, so a good manipulator.

[stanwyck]

42. The parents believe their children are possessions

not humans with their own brains. They want to control their lives to the extent of the children having no other adults in authority. Only Mom and Dad (and more Dad than Mom...)get to pull the puppet strings.
Like these kids really choose this activity. As much as JonBenet got to "choose" being a living doll in baby beauty pageants.
Oh, yes, the parents will tell you "they LOVE being home schooled. They LOVE campaigning for Ralph Reed."
No, they don't. But they don't get the love they crave unless they do exactly what the only people in their lives tell them to do.
They love what their owners tell them they love. Like pets.
Without the outside stimulas of people with differing views, they're programmed from birth. They have Mom and Dad and the inner circle who only believes what they believe. No freaky art teacher who's been to Europe and shows slides. No literature teacher who introduces inquiring minds to Milton and Kafka. No classmates with their own varied stories, hopes, and dreams.
These are small lives, like calves kept in the dark in tiny pens in order to produce tasty flesh.
This isn't life. It's Mom and Dad's lab - and the glass lid is kept very tightly clamped down on the specimens.
Sure there are home-schooled kids whose parents aren't fundamentalist control freaks.
But the ones out campaigning for Ralph Reed? Let's find out. Ask those kids about Reed's emails about laundering the Abramnoff money. They won't know. They won't have read the newspapers. There aren't any newspapers in their home. And they won't know who Abramnoff is.
They're lab rats. And their parents are so puffed up with their own egos they'll sacrifice their children in order to feed their own sense of self-worth.
I wish these kids had parents who loved them as much as they love themselves.

[Pacifist Patriot]

47. A lot of assumptions there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2388517&mesg_id=2388554

[progressivebydesign]

44. I thought people swore that home schooled kids were smarter?

What exactly explains the brain disconnect here? These religious types are just unbelievably in denial, aren't they? Are they mentall ill? I mean that seriously.. . they take their kids out of public schools because of GOD.. but they thow unwavering support liars and thieves like Bush and Reed. Is that some sort of mental illness that they become total fanatics like that? Any reasonably intelligent, aware, healthy, human being can easily find out what Reed and Bush have been doing.

[VegasWolf]

48. Just shows to go ya!!! They spent all day pouring over the Holy Babble! n

[stanwyck]

53. Statistics don't bear out homeschoolers doing better

Yes, there are high profile home schoolers who win national spelling bees. But the same percentage of home-schoolers go on to college as public school students. And when home schoolers attend college, they're at the middle of the pack.
If the public schools are so rotten, why do so many children from other countries arrive in America with their parents, learn a new language, and then graduate at the top of their class and go on to an Ivy League school? It's the motivation and desire. School is what you make it. And parents have to be attentive, whether their child is at home learning or at a public school.

[mzteris]

54. I'd like to see those stats

you're referencing.

[SoCalDem]

49. Reminds me of those phony "magazine sales" gangs

sad..

Those kids should be playing ball,hanging out with their friends....not preaching for corrupt ,i;;ionaires running for office

[mzteris]

55. Ok - I admit it -

During the 04 election - my homeschooled son spent the entire "school day" doing "Get Out The Vote".

Should I hang my head in shame? (It WAS for KERRY, you know!)

Do you think that counts as an "educational experience?"

Maybe we could just call it a "field trip"?

How about CIVICS 101?

Perserverance?

Public relations?

Persuasive argument?

Ya gotta give him - map reading, at the very least!