Obama speech to school children: "You make your own future"

[last_texas_dem]

Source: CNN Political Ticker

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

>>>>>The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.>>>>

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/07/obama-speech-to-school-children-you-make-your-own-future/

---

Ooh, look at all the scary socialism on display here! :sarcasm: I am so pissed off at the right-wingers for pulling the shit they've pulled about this speech I don't even know what to say...

[oct2010]

1. ask not what your country can do for you

[mbperrin]

2. I know! Look at this scary anti-American thought toward the end of the speech:

Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

ASKING FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT!!!??? OMFG! THIS IS PURE COMMUNISM AND MUSLIM THINKING!! OMG! OMG!

If you think I need a sarcasm tag, you should not be by yourself out here on the Internets....

Speech also here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

[Lost-in-FL]

3. I am afraid for out kids now. We are screwed!!

:sarcasm:

[droidamus2]

4. Are people really that dumb

Okay that is probably not a good question to ask. Can't they see the Republicans have a set pattern on how they push their rhetoric. Let's us take this speech as an example. First, knowing that no text of the speech had been released, they start out by making up what is going to be in the speech a la 'he is going to use the kids to influence their parents on health care and his agenda'. When Obama announces he is going to release the speech 24 hours before he is to give it, at this point the Republicans know and knew that there wasn't anything to get pissed off about the speech, so they switch to 'oh it isn't the speech it's this one sentence in the guidelines'. The Department of Education changes the guidelines to address their so called concerns. So then they switch to 'it should be up to the parents' which totally gets away from the claim that there is anything objectionable and just gives a general 'I don't like him giving a speech to the kids'. It's the old chuck and jive, keep moving and the ever changing argument. You can't nail them down because if you ask for a reasoned answer to reasonable question they just spout talking points.

[MaineDem]

5. Yes

And it's frightening.

[bemildred]

6. The Pubbies are deeply afraid that the President might succeed in wising up the Rubes.

And rightly so. And THAT is what all the noise is all about.

[Beartracks]

21. They also cooked up the "issue" about Obama not having the right...

... to talk to the kids without parents' permission. :eyes:

One of my friends how holds that position, even though he does agree with me that all the rest of the stuff is just Republicans using "the children" as proxies to re-fight the 2008 election.

I cannot believe that so many Americans are acting like their President is a creepy stranger offering candy at a schoolyard.

[Cass]

7. The RW nuts who oppose this speech look like monumental assholes today.

This is a great speech for students hear. Not one scintilla of a controversy in it, as we all figured. The RW nuts should be ashamed of themselves for using their children as political pawns.

[tanyev]

8. Ack! He mentioned Indonesia!!!!1!

[LibDemAlways]

28. I noticed that too. Freepers will take that as absolute proof that he

is a Muslim born outside the US. Obama sometimes overestimates the intelligence of certain segments of the American public. He is potentially adding fuel to the fire with that line.

[MidwestTransplant]

9. SOCIALISM! HE IS INDOCTRINATING OUR CHILDREN

[Joe Bacon]

10. And what is FUCKS NEWS saying about this?

"Only because of pressure from concerned citizens, the portions of the speech promoting same sex marriage and socialized medicine were removed"

[humbled_opinion]

11. What they are saying is this...

Cult of Personality, Cult of Worship the most used word in the speech is "I" used 56 times.

Just saying.

[Deja Q]

34. True. I thought that I referred to "I" too many times, said I...

Brought to you by the letter "I" and the number 42... only because 69 is too lofty...

:D

[NoodleyAppendage]

12. "You make your own future" will piss off the Repukes who value unquestioning lockstep thinking. n/t

J

[Screwball]

13. From another message board - not surprised

The text of the speech was released, and soon after we had this from Politico;
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26823.html

President Barack Obama gives the nation's pupils a fatherly talking-to about goals, responsibility and hand-washing in the text of remarks that are to be piped into classrooms on Tuesday, a plan that drew vocal opposition from some conservatives.

"Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn," Obama says in his prepared text. "And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter. Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. "

The critics will find little to object to, and Obama makes no reference to the fracas. The White House posted his text at lunchtime Monday so parents and school administrators could evaluate the content in advance.

"I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them," the president says. "Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.

"Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn."

With a touch of tough love, he continues: "I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

"But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try."

The president includes with an allusion to his economic recovery plan: "I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America."

Here is the prepared text of the president's remarks, "Back to School Event," scheduled for delivery Tuesday in Arlington, Va.:


Read more: Obama talks hard work, hand-washing - Politico Staff - POLITICO.com

Bold was added by poster; who then added;

Sounds a lot like a political agenda to me. Let the brainwashing of our children begin

Typical, run to Politico, WorldNutDaily, OxyRush, Limpballs to get the message - WHEN THE WHOLE FUCKING SPEECH CAN BE READ JUST AS EASY. But no, that would require two things - work, and thought. Can't have that can we.

No wonder this country is so fucked up. The dipshits can't even form their own opinions, they have to be spoon fed by the likes of those clowns. Incredible, just incredible.

[mnhtnbb]

16. I suppose the Repubs would rather the President say

"I could care less whether you have decent classrooms and the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. After all, I'm too busy making sure rich people get richer and the poor stay poorer. This country isn't about equal opportunity you know, it's about making sure that them that's got get more."

If the Republicans can't support the political agenda of supporting schools--all public schools--
let them say so and then the Dems should pound them into the ground about it.

[Mr Generic Other]

14. the speech is fine.

this is the kind of advice that a politician or any adult speaking to school aged children ought to offer. its realistic, speaks to the concerns of his audience and the concerns of the establishment.
it sounds like it could have been penned by a new england, protestant minister.
hardly socialist in nature.
the right wing is foolish in their attempts to style obama as a radical. don't they know that any black man who makes it out of the fields and into the big house did so without frightening those who stand guard at the doors?
the message in this speech is positive, students need to know that they can develop the knowledge base and the skills they require to achieve the goals they have in their lives.
it is honest and realistic for obama to tell children that it takes effort and time to attain one's goals and, i believe, its correct to suggest that the way they live their own lives will determine the quality of the communities in which they live.
i just hope mr obama remembers his own words later this week when he addresses congress and the nation on the health care coverage crisis we are experiencing. the choices he makes will determine what kind of communities we live in.
i will not hate mr obama if he doesn't insist that america provide single-payer, universal health care coverage for its citizens. i don't even expect that he will come close to advocating the fix that is needed, but that is what we need, and can best afford, and it would improve many aspects of community life (beyond just access to medical care)in america.
this really is a defining moment in our history. for nearly half a century the uber-rich and their corporate entities have been waging war on working america. they are ready for any assault on their growing power. we can't expect those interests to give up easily after all that investment.
america needs a leader who will do what is right for its citizens, a leader who understands how economic and social policies set by the government determine conditions on the street, a leader who promotes excellence - through the example of his own life - but understands that everyone can not be a "winner" in a culture and economy that requires most to be losers. america needs a leader who, at great peril to himself, will do what he was elected to do, another lincoln, but who would want to be that person?

[Igel]

47. The speech isn't differentiated by age group or language proficiency.

It's a big drawback. It means that the teachers in lower grades are going to spend time expounding its meaning.

For the first day of school, that's a big expenditure in time. (For LA schools not in session, of course, it's no waste of time.)

For lower bilingual and all elementary English immersion classes, it should have been dubbed with a narrator's voice, if Obama can't pull off a convincing delivery without knowing the meaning of each word and sentence he reads in an L2.

Even for lower grades, it vitiates the speech's effectiveness. Miss Marple, the teacher, gets to say what the face on the tv monitor or computer screen meant--so do the kids associate the content with the teacher or the face? For some kids, he's an icon; for others, he's just the president, little different from Bush II.

I couldn't imagine trying to write a single speech for K and 12.

[Mr Generic Other]

59. i have taught students in grades 6 to 12

and the language used in this speech was not beyond the comprehension level of children in this age group. i suspect that the vocabulary was not too difficult for those in lower grades either though i haven't experienced evaluating students that age.
mr obama did not attempt to explain difficult concepts, he used himself as an example and he used the skills he has developed as a father of school-aged children to encourage (using positive and hopeful language) children to work hard to prepare for their futures.
students in the other categories you have noted for concern are accommodated in various ways according to circumstances (some better than others in a system with many flaws) and can gain from seeing a face they recognize show concern for them as individuals.
children need to be treated as fellow human beings. they need to be included in formulating the decisions that structure their lives. they need to be told the truth so they can prepare themselves as best they can for when they are adults.
children need as many decent, honest, and trustworthy adults in their lives as they can get.

[treestar]

15. I read the whole thing

What a beautiful speech. And what idiots the Repukes who keep their kids home are!

[MaineDem]

18. I'd give a pop quiz that day

Those not there miss out. Too bad.

[peaches2003]

20. Absolutely a pop test tomorrow

And then the voters need to start a petition to fire the administrators who caved and refused to broadcast the speech before they even knew what Obama would say.

[LibDemAlways]

27. I received a recorded call this afternoon from the Vice Principal of my

daughter's high school. He said he read the speech and could find no "political content." Nevertheless, he is still giving students the option of "opting out," which I think is total bullshit.

If the chimp had made such a speech, you can bet there would have been no talk of "opting out." Attendance would have been mandatory.

[tomm2thumbs]

17. will be interesting to see what the freepers say

but we all pretty much know what they say about anything. they are all members of the bitter club, no denying that

will be great to see how it sounds - reading it is one thing

[MaineDem]

19. They're taking credit for "changes" in the speech

Saying this wasn't what he was going to say before all the criticism.

:eyes:

[tomg]

24. Right. Until Glenn Beck got on it

he was really going to talk about how to score crack, to plagiarize papers, and to sleep through class because with his socialist agenda, no one would every have to work again, except the rich. Oh, and then he was going to give instructions on how to start a "Kids for Killing Grandma" club at their middle school.

Those fuckers are so batshit.

[mbperrin]

38. Damn! Now I'll NEVER find out how to get a supplier for crack!

Why don't the pubs mind their own business????

[robo50]

26. Is there ANY real evidence that a word of the speech was changed?

I haven't been following the right wing lies close enough, or the truth which they seldom speak.

Just wanted an honest answer.

[LibDemAlways]

29. Freeper comments on the CNN site are focused on

Obama's supposedly evil lesson plan - the imaginary one in which students are required to praise him and pledge their loyalty.

These people are off the deep end.

[varelse]

22. Obama was home-schooled?

I thought that would be a hit with the fundies, why are they so hysterical?

[JDPriestly]

41. He wasn't home-schooled. His mother supplemented his

education in Indonesia with an English education. That is why she made him get up so early in the morning. He learned English on top of the work he did in the Indonesian school. English is a very difficult language for children to learn when they don't live in the U.S.

[tomg]

23. I am a teacher and I come from a family

of teachers. That is a really good talk. The tone is right. The personal honesty is spot on. I hope he speaks to the adults on Wednesday as well as he will to the kids tomorrow. I think he will. There is nothing anyone could object to. He sounds like a really well liked uncle - the adult when you are fourteen or so who you just might listen to because he sort of but not seriously screwed around and screwed up a little and pulled it together. Good talk.

Rw nutters are such shit heads. To oppose this speech is like opposing apple pie, baseball and motherhood.

edit: typo

[Xenotime]

25. i'm angry that the speech was changed because of the right

the president should be free to speak his mind.

[humbled_opinion]

32. Who said the speech was changed?

The only thing I saw was that the dept of education dropped off a lesson plan in that it had orginally asked students to write a letter to themselves saying how they could help President Obama achieve his goals. Now they changed it to how to help themselves achieve thier goals.

The Right Wing fundies will find a problem with anything now they are saying there are 56 inidcations of the word "I" in the speech and suggesting narcissism and some are saying there is a certain darkness in the speech because he used the words AIDS and Cancer and talked about people in their familes not working so they don't have things they could and the H1N1 virus etc....

I just find them cuckoo....

[and-justice-for-all]

30. "You make your own future"!!?? what a commie basterd!!

:sarcasm:

[windoe]

31. It is such a skill to relate to people of all ages

and be able to empower them to be better people. He is really making fools of the so called adults who are attempting to prevent them from seeing it.

[Deja Q]

33. Yet oligarchic companies seem to be making choices that the rest of us would never make.

Ask 48 million people who are out of work...

[laconicsax]

35. Would it kill him to leave his ancient superstition out of it?

The speech ends, "Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America."

Are those last seven words really necessary? What purpose do they serve other than to invoke 5000 year old superstitious beliefs that 15% of the country doesn't share? What's the danger in leaving "Thank you" as the end of the speech?

[humbled_opinion]

36. Becasue silly

You will piss off the people that already don't like you....


giggle...

[Deja Q]

37. Because 97% of US citizens believe in God. I'm agnostic, but I'm not closed-minded to the notion;

please forgive my closed-mindedness toward atheists who are closed-minded about the notion.

97% vs 2%; strictly based on numbers, the situation is crystal clear.

And isn't it closer to 6,000 years? Oh well...

[laconicsax]

53. Argumentum ad populum

The United States government is secular. Its official position must never endorse one religion over another or religion to irreligion. SCOTUS has already decided that if a state action involves a wholly religious component, such action is unconstitutional because an objective observer would likely perceive it as a state endorsement of religion over irreligion or endorsing one religion over another.

Open-minded doesn't mean you just accept everything as potentially true, it means that you're willing to evaluate everything and accept new ideas. I have, and continue to on a frequent basis, evaluate the notion that magical beings exist and every time I do so, I find no good evidence to support the claim that they exist. As a direct result, I don't believe magical beings to exist.

If in the future I come across some new evidence that strongly indicates the existence of a magical being, I will gladly revise my position. That is not being closed-minded.

Here's a nice video on open-mindedness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI you might learn something from it.

[Mr Generic Other]

62. actually, in recent polls 15% of americans indicated they did not believe in god

while 78% of them indicated that they did suggesting that at least 3% of them don't know what they are talking about.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

39. I know how you feel...

Like Deja Q, I'm open to possibilities, and like you, I see no place for gods in government.

However, as much as we'd like to think this is only about encouraging kids to stay in school, it's also about politics; and sadly, gods do play a role in politics whether we like it or not.

For decades now, the thuglicans have billed their party as the "morality" party..."morality" meaning Christianity. The crap that these morons are brainwashed with via the pulpit extends far beyond ancient superstition. They're creating new superstitions every day.

If there is no god, we cannot possibly hope to evolve beyond that belief until people turn from the right wing wacko fundy religions and head toward those with more reasonable views.
Obama is trying to put an end to the notion that Democrats are godless.

Now if we could only have a president who could convince people that godlessness is not equivalent to evil. But I'm not holding my breath waiting...

[mamaleah]

42. Because the President is not an atheist?

Nor is the vast majority of America. So he should ignore his beliefs and the beliefs of most to keep a small percentage from getting their panties bunched?

[Javaman]

46. My panties demand resolve!!! nt

[mamaleah]

52. The panty de-bunching squad is being dispatched to you immediately!

Fret no more! :D

[Javaman]

55. Whew!! that was a close one!

:rofl:

[laconicsax]

56. Argumentum ad populum

The vast majority of Americans are white. Maybe the President could conclude speeches with "white power" to reflect this. Should he avoid saying this to keep a small percentage from getting their panties bunched?

The vast majority of Americans are heterosexual. Maybe the President could conclude speeches with "straight pride" to reflect this. Should he avoid saying this to keep a small percentage from getting their panties bunched?

Maybe he could get all three by saying "Thank you, God bless, white power, straight pride." Heterosexual white theists are the vast majority of Americas after all.

Look at O'Connor's "endorsement test" from Lynch v. Donnelly (465 U.S. 668) and Kennedy's "coercion test" from Lee v. Weisman (505 U.S. 577).

[Mr Generic Other]

60. i agree with you , laconicsax.

regardless of the president's own beliefs and the beliefs of the majority in this, or any, secular state, reference to a deity in official speech and documents is inappropriate.
for those outside of the judeo-christian-islamic tradition the blessings of the deity are a verbal slap in the face, a public reminder that you are not among the elect, an outsider.
there is no place in a democratic, secular state for language that excludes citizens of minority status.

[mamaleah]

70. Yes we are so secular

That's why there are Christmas trees and decorations all over every city square every year. And why Christmas Day is a Federal holiday.

Good luck on getting a God-free state.

[Mr Generic Other]

72. i do not expect a "god free" state.

citizens of america are free to express any religious affiliation they desire. but the state should not implicitly or openly support one set of beliefs over any other.
it doesn't matter what the majority is comfortable with it is a matter of ethics, morals and law.
the law state that the government shall not endorse any religion and those with ethics would not use language that singles out their minority status peers as being different (less that a full member of society).
the sloppy or arbitrary application of law is elemental in promoting inequality.
why do i detect an almost taunting voice over this? like, sure you're right but don't expect anyone to care because most of us are christians and therefore non-christains need to grow thick skin.
this is the attitude on a liberal/progressive site?

[mamaleah]

73. I'm not Christian.

One would think the Magen David avatar would clue you in.

That said, I do support Christians to be able to openly celebrate and display their religious beliefs because when the majority cannot express their beliefs openly, then the minority is absolutely screwed.

And I always chuckle over yearly spleen-splitting over Christmas displays on public land because it's a reminder that someone somewhere must always be offended about something.

[Psephos]

48. The large majority of American citizens are believers, so the real question is:

Would it kill you to accept that mention of God by the President is possibly a political, rather than religious, action?

Probably not. ;)

[laconicsax]

57. Argumentum ad populum

I'm feeling like a broken record here. Three responses so far supporting "God bless you and God bless America" and each one relying on the same fallacy.

The 'endorsement test' from Lynch v. Donnelly (465 U.S. 668), emphasis mine

The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community. Government can run afoul of that prohibition in two principal ways. One is excessive entanglement with religious institutions, which may interfere with the independence of the institutions, give the institutions access to government or governmental powers not fully shared by nonadherents of the religion, and foster the creation of political constituencies defined along religious lines. E.g., Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc., 459 U. S. 116 (1982). The second and more direct infringement is government endorsement or disapproval of religion. Endorsement sends a message to nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community. Disapproval sends the opposite message.

"God bless you and God bless America" is a clear endorsement of religion. Omitting it would remedy the problem without signaling disapproval.

[Psephos]

66. You think that presidential decisions are based on the classical rules of logic?

If you re-read what I said, I neither endorsed nor criticized the idea that a President should make mention of God. What I said was that, given the overwhelming majority of believers among the US citizenry, the mention is more likely due to political than religious sensibilities.

So the real fallacy is the idea that logical fallacy analysis can be applied to political behaviors.

Personally, I greatly prefer that religion and politics be kept separate, but minor violations are hardly worth the kind of fanatical - one might even say "religious" - antipathy such indiscretions generate among some atheists.

My guess is that you are at this very second conjuring a fallacy of your own - that I am a devout believer, and already you're discounting what I say based on who you think I am. Which means you are committing your own elementary fallacy, the Circumstantial Ad Hominem.

Actually, though, I haven't seen the inside of a church in 20 years. I am a devout agnostic.

Here's something worth pondering:

"Atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers - call them whatever they prefer, virtually all of them share one very large blind spot: they are almost all ex-Christians, and therefore they measure their shiny new non-belief not against belief in general, but against Christianity in particular. It is thus ex-Christians who write the literature that, to the world at large, represents the views of non-believers. Literature that is specifically intended to present the arguments against religious belief tends in fact to present the arguments against Christian belief."
- from "Why I Am Not A Jew" by David Dvorkin

[laconicsax]

68. He has omitted it before.

In the speech he gave in Cincinnati yesterday, he concluded the speech without invoking God and deviated from the script to do so. Clearly, he has no problem with doing so.

Flawed reasoning is flawed reasoning regardless of whether it is political or not.

You mistake passion for religious fervor, deliberately it would seem. I care deeply about separation of church and state and have since before I was an atheist.

I never assumed that you were a devout believer, just ill-informed on the subject. Had I thought you to be a deluded idiot devout believer, I would not have been so kind.

I am not an ex-Christian and therefore do not approach my non-belief from that angle.

Invoking God as a political tool is endorsing religion. Plain and simple. The President of the United States should not engage in behavior that endorses religion.

[Psephos]

69. Well, we agree fully on the idea that...

...the President of the United States should not engage in behavior that endorses religion. I further agree that Obama invoking God in a Presidential speech is, as you describe, a (subtle) endorsement of religion. (I suspect it was decided by the inner circle.)

Generally, especially with Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff, Obama tends to be an ends-justifies-the-means type of politician, and is willing to do/say things that advance his agenda if they don't cause undue blowback. As we've all seen, he is quite sensitive to blowback.

Religious fervor is a flavor of passion, although the reverse is not necessarily true. However, they both arise in the same emotional cortices and are by definition (like all emotions) irrational. I often see in militant atheism behaviors and emotions that mirror those seen in militant religion.

It seems there's no escape from the ideologies and ideologues of this world....

(*that's not a reference to you, btw)

[LanternWaste]

50. I doubt it would...

I doubt it would kill him to leave it out, or kill you to see it in.

"What's the danger in leaving "Thank you" as the end of the speech?"
It does seem to beg the question, what's the danger in leaving it in?

[TCJ70]

58. Given the state of the economy and job market...

...I think we could use a blessing at the moment. Even if it is from an "ancient superstition".

[kwassa]

64. Would it kill you if he left his belief in God in?

I think you are still alive, aren't you?

The speech is really all about you, isn't it?

Sorry you are dissatisfied with it. Obama should have run it by you first.

[laconicsax]

65. Yes, it must be all about me. What other possible issue could I have with the POTUS invoking God?

Couldn't be a Constitutional one...nah that pesky Establishment Clause has never been interpreted in a way that could have anything to do with this.

The President of the United States, being the head of a secular government has no business endorsing religion in official speeches.

Invoking a specific god is an endorsement of religion--something repeatedly held as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Obama's god has no place in the government of the United States.

[JDPriestly]

40. Great speech! I hope the speech Wednesday night will be just as good.

[mamaleah]

43. beautiful!!!

This is what children need to hear now more than ever!

[steven johnson]

44. NY Times: "In School Speech Obama Avoids Political Issues"

President Obama plans to urge America's schoolchildren on Tuesday to dream big dreams and respect their teachers, to study hard and learn from failure.

His NAACP speech made a big point avout personal responsibility.

Having seen very little personal responsibility among conservatives, I can see their apprehension about President Obama's speech.

Nora K. Carr, chief of staff to the superintendent of the Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, was among the many educators who reviewed the text of the speech after it was posted on the White House Web site, www.whitehouse.gov.
"Its refreshing, frankly, to see a leader talk about the need for students to take personal responsibility," Ms. Carr said. "It makes you wonder what all the fuss was about."
Last week many Guilford County parents called schools in anger, many after hearing conservative radio attacks on the planned speech. By week's end, other parents were expressing anger at the district's intention to allow parents to opt out, she said.
"It's getting increasingly difficult to find common ground, even for something as simple as a speech by the sitting president," Ms. Carr said.
In New York, where the first day of school is Wednesday, students who want to watch the speech live will need to take their own initiative by visiting the White House Web site or tuning in to C-Span. Most schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District also resume on Wednesday, but about 90 are already open and the speech will be shown to students who want to watch, officials said.
"The students of Los Angeles Unified have been provided with an extraordinary opportunity to engage in a teachable moment by watching President Obama speak to our youth," Ramon Cortines, the superintendent, told administrators on Monday.


In School Speech Obama Avoids Political Issues

[pyoom]

45. I read the speech.

It was good.

[Crunchy Frog]

49. That COMMEE!!!!1

I'm just so indignant that he was able to say such horrible, horrible things to our innocent children. :cry:

[mvd]

51. Very good speech

Kids who didn't watch because of adults' spite were missing out on an inspiring message.

[Zorra]

54. The racist conservatives that railed against this speech almost made me ashamed to

be an American.

As much as conservatives will deny it, their protestations against this speech were the result of racism.

If conservatives had any inkling of how childishly transparent they are to the rest of the world, they would be totally humiliated.

It's a sad thing for someone to be so deluded that they cannot come to terms with the unhealthy motivations and circular logic that causes them to live life in a state of permanent self-deception.

I sincerely hope that the positive message of President Obama's speech caused conservatives to reflect on their foolishness, and that this will ultimately lead them to a clearer state of being.

[bikebloke]

61. Hey, that was my high school!

And I'm a commie heathen. There's your proof.:evilgrin:

[Lagomorph]

63. Oh, and by the way...

here's a bill for eleven trillion dollars...

[Psephos]

67. He seemed to have left that part out...

...although it's what those kids will remember as adults, long after the speech has been forgotten.

[alarimer]

71. Meaningless platitudes, nothing more.

"Make your own future" is just so much bullshit.

Yes, if Mommy and Daddy buy you a place at Harvard, you might be able to "make your own future".

Most people need a leg up. It's all very well to get good grades but if you can't afford college, well, you are shit out of luck of a decent future. Especially since his corporate buddies have stolen all the decent jobs and sent them to China.

It is so not a level playing field and he should really know better than to suggest all someone has to do is work hard.

The American Dream is fucked all to hell. It never really existed in the first place. The only ones who succeed are those who suck up and sleep their way to the top. It's just whose palms you happen to grease that makes the difference.

Be compliant, be "nice" and by all means do not ever be an individual who rocks the boat. Be a good little cog in the machine that will fuck you over like it did you parents.

[Name removed]

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