Who are these unpatriotic bastards

[smoogatz]

who won't let their kids listen to a speech made by the President of the United States? Freaking commies. Not only do they hate America, they're raising their stupid kids to hate America, too.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Rec'd because if it were a Repig POTUS...

...they's be extolling the virtues of the POTUS reaching out to schoolchildren.:eyes:

[xxqqqzme]

141. It would have to be a white repig POTUS nt

[HughMoran]

2. "Patriotic" Republicans are traitors to the flag and should be thought of as traitors

The "hypocrite" party is what they are. Ass holes.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

3. The same as the unpatriotic bastards here who didn't support President Bush.

[emilyg]

6. Bingo.

[quiet.american]

7. Really? How many liberal parents pulled their kids out of the class to which he "read" My Pet Goat?

That's right -- zero.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

11. Bush read My Pet Goat to every kid in school in America? When was that?

[quiet.american]

15. If Obama were reading to one class, we'd still have this same deranged nonsense.

If McCain were president, and proposed this idea, I guarantee you, you would NOT see any liberal mother bursting into tears over some delusional idea that McCain was going to "indoctrinate" her children.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

17. Possibly, that misses the point though.

[quiet.american]

19. I don't see how. Bush did real damage to this country. That's why he was reviled.

The birthers, the deathers, re-education camps, "the Obama is a Nazi'ers" -- this is ugliness based on racism, yes, racism, and/or general hatred of liberals, progressives, Democrats and anyone who is not right-wing.

Bush was protested against because his administration time and again blatantly broke the laws of this country, made it clear that they were only interested in serving the right-wing of the citizenry and Bush in general represented us before the rest of the world as, at best, nothing more than a bully, and at best, as a shameful buffoon.

Pres. Obama campaigned on a platform of re-engaging the United States of America, regardless of red and blue, and his policies are initiated with the benefit of all Americans in mind, and yes, that is true -- yet the right-wing hysteria against him marches on.

That's my point.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

20. Interesting.

So you don't see that calling someone unpatriotic because of their political beliefs is idiotic regardless of which side is doing it? In that case we will just have to disagree. I thought it was stupid when they said it about us and I think it's stupid to stoop to their level now.

[quiet.american]

24. That's not what it's about. Why pretend it is.

"Political beliefs" have nothing to do with it. I wish it was just a matter of political beliefs, because then, perhaps there could actually be real conversations over policy.

However:

WHY DOESN'T HE PRODUCE HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE?

Here's his birth certificate.

WHY DOESN'T HE PRODUCE HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE?

-- is not "political beliefs."

Neither is, "the President of the United States plans to give a talk to students to encourage them to study hard and stay in school" turned into:

(Tears) OBAMA IS GOING TO INDOCTRINATE MY CHILD INTO SOCIALISM!!!!!!!!!

That's something else. Not a "political belief."

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

28. You are the one pretending. To some how end up at BCs is just silly.

If you honestly believe that at the height of the decision making about going to war in Iraq, that Bush had said I'm going to talk to all the kids across the country at school, that some liberals wouldn't have questioned what he was going to talk about and threatened to pull their kids out of school until they found out what the speech was going to be about specifically, then you have a short memory.

[quiet.american]

31. There is a fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives.

(Or rather, the face of today's conservatives).

Liberals, in general, want to know the facts of the matter before deciding whether we're for it or against it. If anyone were to pull their kids out of school, it would be specifically based on what Bush actually planned to say and you simply would not see this level of hysteria around it. I would go so far as to say you would also not see letters written to schools over it, because though we would loathe his policies, we would recognize that to children, he's the President.

Today's conservatives make stuff up, declare it fact, throw in a dash of hypocrisy, call it "political beliefs" and freak out over it The hypocrisy part comes in where you couldn't say boo about Bush without being accused of undermining his status as Commander-in-Chief, yet, conservatives couldn't wait to start in with their wholly-made-up nonsense over our current Commander-in-Chief, because... well, that's different.

Also, comparing this situation to what liberals would have done re: Bush is not apples to apples. If McCain were the president, you would not see this level of nonsense over a speech to schoolchildren.

Today's conservatives, or the face of today's conservatism, wear their flag pins and gauge the patriotism of everyone around them, yet refuse to acknowledge in any way, the rightfully-elected President of the United States, and go so far as to come to tears over their children being encouraged to do well in school by him -- NO, this is not the way liberals/progressives would behave had it been President McCain.

By conservatives own standards, they are acting unpatriotically (which is neither here nor there as far as I'm concerned), but the hypocrisy reeks.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

34. What percentage of conservatives will pull their kids out of school? I'm guessing 1% maybe.

I think it's foolish to categorize any group based on the behavior of a small cross section of their members.

[quiet.american]

37. That's why I refer to them as "the face of the conservatives"- they may be 1% but --

They are practically 100% of what's interviewed and shown to be the face of the conservatives.

I've not heard from one conservative, not even prominent conservatives, denouncing the hysteria surrounding this. It would be nice if they came forward.

These folks may be 1%, but they seem to be representing 100% of conservatives.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

38. That's the medias fault they love controversy. It bleeds it leads and all that.

[quiet.american]

40. I can agree, that's true. But conservative leadership also seems okay with the 1% .

Maybe it's just a political reality they feel have to face. But it would be nice to see the calmer side of conservatism prevailing once in a while! :)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

42. Those conservatives don't have the ratings of Beck, Buchanan, etc.

[quiet.american]

44. It also seems they must defer to Beck, Buchanan, Limbaugh et al.

They're not even "allowed" to criticize them. When they do, sure as we're born, their apology arrives the next day.

What's up with that?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

46. Very rare for any politician to have a spine. It is quite bizarre.

It is as if compromise is the goal whatever the cost.

[newspeak]

125. actually, no

and believe me I'm one that still questions what happened on 9/11 and cried when we dropped the bombs in Iraq. I've allowed my children to attend fundy churches with their friends and we've discussed what was said afterwards. My children have learned to reason-I don't want them to come to my conclusions, I want them to discuss the facts.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

132. What makes you think I was talking about you?

[newspeak]

123. however, poppy gave his drug speech to children

and there was no big controversy of pulling kids out. There was a poster on one of the threads that said there were * speeches given at schools to kids. Because he was in school a couple of years ago and remembered them.

This is a manufactured controversy fueled by the hate spewers on MSM. If my children were in school and I'm sure the school districts would have had no problem of showing a * speech to children as apparently it's okay to have a president that has implemented subterfuge to start a bogus war, I'd have no problem of them listening to the speech, as long as we have a discussion afterwards as to what was said. If it was a positive speech about staying in school and inspiring them to do better, there's no problem. However, if that speech included bits about how great it is in the military or politicizing said speech, we'd be discussing those points.

[fascisthunter]

12. let me guess... ignored is defending the right winger

again

[quiet.american]

16. Yep. nt

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

18. Ignore-the last bastion of the small minded.

[Doctor_J]

96. How did you guess?

:eyes:

H even called Too Stupid To Be President "President Bush", as if Smirk was actually elected at some point.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

102. Please stop stalking me.

I know Firemen are hard to resist for some guys but you don't need to follow me thread to thread.

[Forkboy]

127. Stalking charges - the last bastion of the small minded.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

133. No that's definitely the ignore function. Nice try though.

[Doctor_J]

142. Plase stop cross-posting freperville talking points

there are dozens of internet sites dedicated to singing the praises of George Bush and the rest of the 4th Reich. You shouldn't do it here (note the name of the site).

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

149. Where did I praise Bush? I'd love to see a link.

[JonQ]

75. One classroom, the entire nation

no difference really.

:sarcasm:

[quiet.american]

134. Lame. nt

[JonQ]

137. Accurate. nt

[krabigirl]

25. Really? Um, I wouldn't have pulled my kids out of school if he'd done the same.

However, I was reported to HR for mentioning that I didn't agree with Bush back in 2003. Yep, I am serious.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

29. Most people here are pretty rational.

If Bush had suddenly wanted to broadcast a speech to all the school kids at the height of the decision making for the Iraq war, I suspect some liberals would have questioned him and threatened to pull kids out of school till they knew what it was about.

[treestar]

33. This is different

Liberals wouldn't have insisted their kids not hear it. They would not have made such a big deal about it. As they did not when GHWB and Reagan did it. They might have grumbled. But the hysteria wouldn't have been there.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

35. I appreciate your honesty.

I believe some liberals would have kept them home sick and not made a big deal of it. However, I believe calling it unpatriotic just contributes to the hysteria and just lowers us to their level.

[smoogatz]

48. Oh, right.

I'm contributing to the hysteria. Hilarious.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

52. So were you pointing out the double standard or are they unpatriotic? You can't have it both ways.

[smoogatz]

54. Of course I can have it both ways.

By their standard, they're unpatriotic.

On edit: they're the ones who said dissent was treason, not me.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

58. So you like to live by their standards. Got it. Thanks.

[smoogatz]

62. When did I say that?

Try to make a coherent argument, if you're going to argue.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

64. You are behaving as they do, according to their standards. It's not complicated.

[smoogatz]

66. Did you find the Republican talk of Texas secession patriotic?

I'm just curious.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

70. What a small minority of any party does, doesn't concern me in the least.

It's petty posturing. Kind of like the liberals who said they were moving when Bush was elected.

[smoogatz]

73. So the Republican Governor of Texas

is a member of an insignificant party minority? Is that what you're saying?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

74. I believe he is one man.

Calling the actions of those threatening secession unpatriotic would actually make sense quite unlike the suggestion in the OP.

[smoogatz]

77. Boy, I really got under your skin with that one.

Why so sensitive?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

82. That doesn't make sense. I haven't been to Texas in 20 years.

Although I do want to play Colonial.

[smoogatz]

88. The whole wingnut situational patriotism thing.

It seemed to get your goat. How come?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

89. Because it's stupid to act like them.

[smoogatz]

90. Who's acting like them?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

91. Put your husband, wife or kid back on the computer. Whoever I was talking to before.

[smoogatz]

94. I thought I explained that I was pointing out the double standard.

Pointing out double standard isn't the same as embracing one. It's kind of the opposite.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

97. That is what made your post continuing to call them unpatriotic down thread so confusing.

[smoogatz]

99. Secessionists are unpatriotic by definition.

You can't be a secessionist and still claim to love your country unless you're psychotic.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

103. I already said that.

You referred to them as unpatriotic before the secessionist conversation started.

[smoogatz]

93. According to you, he runs the Texas Republican party.

Consistency, please.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

98. I'm sure he is one of the leaders of the Republican Party in Texas.

Although I'm not very educated on their State Constitution and Government.

[smoogatz]

101. You just said that Boehner and that little weasel what's his name--

the House and Senate minority leaders--ran the Republican party because they're the highest Republican elected officials in the country. If thaat's the standard, then Rick Perry is the leader of the Texas Republican party. You can't have it both ways.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

104. That's what I just said.

[smoogatz]

106. So it's disingenuous to say that the secessionist Perry is "just one man."

He's one man who happens to speak for millions of Texas Republicans.

[Tejas]

115. If all else fails, make generalizations

He's one man who happens to speak for millions of Texas Republicans.

Where are these "millions of Texas Republicans"? Are they in my Texas county (of over 250,000) that went Kerry? Are they cheering for Perry's land grab/toll roads?

WTF, over?

[smoogatz]

116. Try to follow the discussion.

[Tejas]

126. I'll take that as an "I don't know".

Thank you.

[smoogatz]

146. You can take it any way you like.

But that's not how it was intended.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

131. So Obama speaks for all Democrats in supporting the continued war in Iraq?

[smoogatz]

144. That's your position, evidently.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

148. You said it was true about Texas so you must agree. Be consistent now.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

105. I believe Obama, Reid and Pelosi are some of the leaders of the Democratic Party.

[smoogatz]

114. Obama's the nominal party leader.

As any sitting president would be. But there's always a lot of factional infighting for control of the party agenda, and Reid and Pelosi are only occasionally major players in that struggle. But you probably already know this.

[smoogatz]

43. That would be a reasonable observation

if it wasn't for the fact that wingnuts only care about patriotism when one of theirs is running the show. Which was my point, obviously.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

47. and some here only care about it when we are running the show.

[smoogatz]

50. I was pointing out the obvious double standard.

It's not my standard; I'm not required to live by it. I don't believe that disliking the president is unpatriotic, but that's what we were told during the Bush presidency, remember?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

51. That's what I have been saying the whole time.

[smoogatz]

56. Yet I still had to explain it to you.

Weird.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

59. You repeated what I said about an hour ago. Not sure who you think you explained it to.

[Octafish]

60. Bush was ''elected''?

Call me an "unpatriotic bastard," I don't care. It seems like I remember the GOP-packed Supreme Court voted 5-4 to make Bush "president." The fellow had 8 years to act like a president, yet, apart from leaving on Jan. 20, 2009, I can't name one good thing he did his entire time in office.

[Pangolin2]

68. Gotta love those double standards.

:shrug:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

72. Hypocrites everywhere. What do you do?

[Pangolin2]

85. If every Democrat in the USA had to pass DU's purity test

there would be about half a million.
:shrug:

[Doctor_J]

95. Holy shit Dave

Why are you here?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

100. To hang around with people who believe the same way I do.

[TicketyBoo]

147. I rather resent that.

Even though I didn't vote for him, I supported President Bush, and most certainly after 9/11, until we got led down the garden path by so many lies and so much corruption and such things came to light..

For certain sure, I didn't jump all over President Bush immediately after he took office the way the right-wingers have been after Obama even BEFORE inauguration day.

Get real.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

150. Why would you resent something that obviously isn't referring to you in any way?

[panader0]

4. Obama is half black---that's all there is to it.

That's the main reason for all the BS, the health care protests, the main reason for the party of NO and their bigoted base.

[philly_bob]

8. Sad but true. n/t

[treestar]

36. Exactly, President Bill Clinton was the target of a lot of their BS

But it nothing like this.

[JonQ]

78. Are you kidding?

Clinton was ripped to shreds.

And he had a good economy, surplus, and no major wars going in his favor.

I'm getting kind of sick of the mentality that any criticism of a politician who happens to be black simply *must* be racism. There's no other reason.

Prior to obama republicans and democrats got along, never resorted to insults or even *gasp* criticism of their opponents, and that all changed november 2008 because of skin color. Yeah right.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

84. Exactly.

[treestar]

121. He got ripped to shreds, but not this much

It was not nearly as intense or hysterical.

[JonQ]

136. I think time has mellowed

your memories of the reality.

Throw in the fact that the internet was still in its infancy then and as such common nut bags had far fewer opportunities to get their voices out there and it would appear to some that clinton got a free ride. I remember it well though, and that was far from the reality.

[sabrina 1]

138. Clinton was the first 'black president'

and the same haters who hate Obama hated Clinton. Only the vitriol is more transparent this time.

Like the woman who claimed that a big, scary black guy assaulted her and he was an Obama supporter. She turned out to be lying, and she also turned out to be a Young Republican! She learned her lessons well. How to dredge up that old racist image of a black man assaulting your women and children.

Sure, it's not about race. I could go on, lots of blatant examples. But they are what they are. Interesting to see anyone, considering the evidence, even try to deny it. The same rabble that delights in referring to Muslims and Arabs as 'ragheads' and 'camel jockeys'. 9/11 gave them permission to be openly racist once again. They've been around the internet screaming their racism for years now. Now they're on the streets.

The 'birthers' another racist 'movement' ~ tell me you don't think that was about anything other than racism.

Fortunately they are a dying breed. The country elected Obama something that couldn't, shamefully, have happened not so long ago. But the election of a black man scared them to death and brought them out in the open. And imho, that's a good thing. We know who they are and while not all Republicans are racists, most racists are Republicans.

[JonQ]

151. Right

people hated clinton because he was so obviously black.

Straight from the heart of africa he was.

[lpbk2713]

5. They're following their orders.

Issued to them by their lying RW Media Hatemongers leaders. Assholes like Limbaugh,
Hannity & Beck tell them what they expect of them and they respond without question.

[Caliman73]

10. If only.

It is not only the far right media that is encouraging this behavior. The major networks and cable news fuels the fire by giving this crap legitimacy. They frame the situation as "critics" who have "concerns" rather than portraying them as people who are reacting to everything the first president from an ethnic minority group does. I seem to remember that the MSM covered protests from the left against Bush as "protests from opponents" or "protests from the left". The language is important because when you characterize people as "opponents" or "the left" you are already setting the conflict up as a "group of people who will never be happy" rather than what they are doing now. By calling the protesters "critic" and "concerned" they are saying that there is something to be critical or concerned about, pointing to the message rather than to the agenda of the protesters like they did with us during the Bush fiasco.

[treestar]

122. They don't even look beyond what Beck and Limbo say

They just swallow it word for word. Then they won't listen to the speech and will only know Beck's version of it, which will of course be false.

[Tejas]

9. Have you read the text?

Got a link?

I don't care if it's Mother Teresa, I care about what is taught or spoken to children.

[Ron Green]

13. Hmmm.....

How are you going to enforce your care all over the country?

[Tejas]

111. well, duh!

Wouldn't you think other adults across this country are asking the same question I did?

[Ron Green]

119. You mean, "Have you read the text?"

That's a question I imagine some people are asking, but if the President of the United States wants to address American school children I give him the benefit of any doubt that the message will be appropriate. If it's something moronic, such as what Bush might have produced, it will have no long-term harm. If it's something smart and inspiring, which is what I'd expect from Obama, then it's a benefit. For parents to try to micro-manage all the messages in all the public schools is just crap.

[Tejas]

124. Responsible parenting is not "crap".

Good luck with letting the public schools raise your children.

[Ron Green]

143. The public schools DID raise my children, along with me and our family and several other

groups of people. These right-wing talking points that seek to undermine the institution of public education are not helpful. Responsible parenting includes not only being involved in the education process through PTA and other alliances, but also through support of and trust in what teachers doing. For an individual parent to demand to see the President's speech before his child hears it is not feasible, sensible or social. It's crap.

[G_j]

14. they are distributing the text in advance.. nt

[Tejas]

110. they are distributing it less than 24hrs in advance. nt

[newspeak]

128. why are you so worried about the text

starting to believe that the big O is going to turn your child to a (gasp) socialist? This controversy is bogus and "is much to do about nothing."

[Tejas]

159. So, "caring" = "worried" in your world?

Is that all you have?

[Texasgal]

21. What could Obama possibly say

that is freaking out people so much?

He's not a freaking rapist, killer or criminal for christ sakes!

Really, I wanna know what he could possibly say that would scar a child for life. :shrug:

[quiet.american]

27. And he *is* a former college professor, let's not forget. nt

[JonQ]

79. Would you be ok with bill oreilly

doing an announcement to every school kid in the nation? What about hannity? They are rapists, killers or criminals either. And yet I think some might have issues with that.

It is possible to simply not want to have your kid proselytized to without being racist. I don't know what his speech is going to be, but I can understand the trepidation some parents have.

[Texasgal]

92. That's the thing

He is NOT O'reilly or some talking head news jerkoff.

This is the President and I still haven't had my question answered.

Just what could he say to scar these children for life?

[JonQ]

107. You stated that since he wasn't a rapist

or other criminal that they shouldn't be concerned by what said. I refuted that.

He certainly is biased.

As to scarring these kids, unlikely but wouldn't that apply for oreilly as well? Kids aren't that easily traumatized by speeches. So I doubt either would lead to permanent damage.

The fact that he is the president is good enough reason to listen to him, but I can understand why some people would be weary of having their kids forced to listen to a partisan speech.

[newspeak]

130. so, when poppy gave that great "war on drug" speech

to the kids and told them in so many words to be informants to the good, even if you have to rat on your parents or friends-it was okay. I mean, I remember all of those concerned parents rushing to take their kids out and not be exposed to his damaging rhetoric.

I don't know where some of you are coming from, but it seems to be out there with the rest of the totally frightened clueless. What in the hell do you think he's going to give his speech about to children? All bow down to Allah? Welcome, I'm your new overlord?

[JonQ]

135. Had the parents wished to take their kids out of school

I would have supported their right to do so.

No doubt there was outrage, but the lack of a world wide web muted much of it.

[bear425]

22. Do you ask your children's teachers to submit their lesson plans

to you in advance?

Also, did you review the text of previous Presidents' speeches?

[Tejas]

112. Have you ever even seen your children's teacher in person?

"Also, did you review the text of previous Presidents' speeches?"

Beg your pardon, feel free to list the last few times the POTUS addressed school children nationally.

[bear425]

118. I don't have to - I AM a teacher.

Also, here are some links regarding previous presidential addresses to school children.

http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/111488c.htm

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/03/arne-duncan/barack-obama-not-first-president-address-school-ch/

http://www.examiner.com/x-5738-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m9d4-Video-Outrage-over-Obama-school-speech-was-missing-during-Bush-and-Reagan-school-addresses




I beg your pardon, Tejas, but next time use the google...

I'm still trying to figure out your motivation, if you are indeed sincere

edit: next time you should just answer questions that are posed intead of obfuscating.

[Tejas]

160. Your children are taught in school by you?

If so, then great. If not, then who knows what your point was.

[HughMoran]

23. So you don't trust President Obama?

How on earth did you last for 1000+ posts?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

30. I have never known any President well enough to trust them.

I have no problem with the speech though.

[Tejas]

109. Sure, I'll just loan him all credit cards and

full access to my hardrive.

How on earth did you last for more than 20 years in the real world? Are you THAT trusting of everyone that comes along?

[HughMoran]

113. Snarky pissant response

You're just being a jerk today.

[Tejas]

117. I asked a fair question, leave your doors unlocked at night?

Thank you for playing.

[krabigirl]

26. LOL

[Kadie]

83. We all care. The thing is...

our permission is not asked before everything that is presented to our children. Our President wants to encourage kids to learn, and people are having a fit. Does not make sense.

[treestar]

32. Yet in 2001-2008 they thought it the "greatest country in the world"

and insisted that the "office of the Presidency" deserved so much respect!

Hypocrites.

Though I have to admit I would have opposed Bushie doing this. But mostly because he would have brought up terra and said something unfriendly to the U.S. constitution in the process.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

39. Refreshing bit of honesty.

I suspect that conservatives trust Obama about as much as you trusted Bush.

[treestar]

45. But then my reasons were because Bush's Administration

Was a constitution-hating, autocratic-wannabe, incompetent mess.

It wasn't just because he was white, or from Texas, or even just Republican.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

49. That's what many of them say about Obama.

The ones I talk to don't mention race, etc. Sometimes you just have to roll your eyes and walk away.

[smoogatz]

53. But they've got no actual facts to back it up.

Bush was clearly and obviously a serial abuser of power who took the country to war on pretenses he knew to be false. What has Obama done that's in any way equivalent? All they have is wingnut rage and race hate.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

57. I'm sure there aren't any posts here that don't deal in facts.

Like Bush planting explosives in the WTC towers, etc. A small minority of each party don't like to deal in facts of any kind.

[smoogatz]

61. Other anonymous posters on DU aren't my problem.

They're not running the Democratic party. Unfortunately for the Republicans, and the country, the inmates have taken over the conservative asylum--or at least the money boyz who really run things are giving them free reign for the time being.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

63. I missed the minority leaders encouraging people to keep their kids home. Do you have a link?

[smoogatz]

65. What makes you think the minority leaders run the Republican party?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

67. The Constitution and the rules of the House and Senate.

[smoogatz]

69. The Constitution makes no mention of the Republican party.

Neither do the rules of the House and Senate. Care to try again?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

71. I never said the Republican Party was mentioned. Try again.

[smoogatz]

76. Me: "What makes you think the minority leaders run the Repuke party?"

You: "The Constitution and the rules of the House and Senate."

Maybe you could point out where, in any of those documents, it tells us who runs the Republican party--or any political party.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

80. They define the majority and minority leaders and whips.

In the case of the minority leader and whips, they are the highest ranking elected leaders in their party. I hope that clears it up.

[smoogatz]

86. And my question was, what makes you think those schmucks

run the party? Does anyone even know who they are or what they look like?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

87. Already answered.

[JonQ]

158. Oh the irony

I'm sure many are saying they oppose obama doing this because he is an america-hating, autocratic, incompetent mess.

And it was just disgusting that those people hated on bush in the same way simply because he was a white, texas republican, and for no good reason.

But of course they are deluded and you are right, that's what makes it different . . . The fact that they would make the exact same argument in defense of their claims just proves how deluded they are (or how righty ou are).

If that logic fails to impress them just shout them down.

[RagAss]

41. Racists pieces of shit....and daddy beat them as kids.

[JonQ]

81. Yeah, that's the only possible reason to dislike obama

racism.

Just like everyone who didn't like bush did so because they were pot smoking hippies who hated america.

I think stereotyping millions of people with the most horrible claims because they have differing beliefs is a good way to advance nation discourse on this issue and bring us all together. So long as they shut the hell up and accept whatever label I assign to them and back my ideas without question that is.

[quiet.american]

108. Why do the justifiers of this behavior keep insisting it's about "differing beliefs"?

I'm about to go out, so I won't be here to go back-and-forth, but this is not about "differing beliefs." It simply is not.

We know there are Republicans who even voted for Obama, BUT, their voices are not heard.

The Republican leadership in Washington, and in seats of government across the nation have responded to the plethora of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh wannabees out there with either silence or implicit/explicit approval. Glenn Beck, a wild-eyed racist if ever I did see one, has seen his audience numbers go through the roof. Who's watching, people with simply "differing views"? No.

Why tip-toe around it? It is racism. And if the majority of Republicans don't approve of these folks who are in the news representing the Republican Party as a whole, maybe their focus should be on taking their party back first. Because right now, the town hall'ers et al. who are daily viewed holding racist signs, talking racist trash and distributing racist email are branding the Republican Party. As racists.

[JonQ]

153. Sigh

and this is why the accusation "racism" carries little weight these days among the general populace.

It's been thrown around too much when it is not justified and now most people simply roll their eyes and ignore such accusations.

You don't like obamas stimulus plan? Sure you say it's because it gives too much money to wallstreet with no strings attached but actually it's because you're racist! Not a huge fan of the cash for clunkers program? Racist!

[JonQ]

154. dupe

[JonQ]

155. dupe

[RagAss]

120. Some of us just know.....we lived with it...give us that much anyway !

[smoogatz]

145. Fire_Medic_Dave--is that you?

What other possible reason could they have for not wanting their kids to hear the President of the United States tell them to work hard and stay in school? Differing opinions like what? They want their kids to sit around jerking off and NOT stay in school?

[JonQ]

152. You're right, how could anyone in this country

not agree with everything obama says on every subject? I mean, he's obviously right all the time so the only reason any adult could disagree with him on anything is racism.

Just like these same people disagreed with clinton on many subjects because clinton was a very dark skinned individual of nigerian descent.

[RidinMyDonkey]

55. I feel the same way

If Bush wanted to speak to our kids, I probably would still have sent them to listen. Even if I don't agree with his politics, I don't think it's fair to the kid who will never get a chance like this again.

[windoe]

129. So tenuous a 'faith' that they are afraid of being exposed to different points of view.

The only method of teaching is to force one point of view (if it can be called that) while shutting out the rest of the world. I would call THIS brainwashing.

They literally project onto others what they are doing themselves. I wish there were ways to deprogram them of their cult conditioning. Normal methods of reason are not working.

[Raine]

139. WHY ... do they hate America ...

it's very sad they hate their own country so much, tsk, tsk, tsk. :cry:

[zonkers]

140. Kick.

[laylah]

156. I just spoke with a friend from

Highlands Ranch (south of Denver) and she said the Douglas County schools aren't broadcasting the President's speech to the kiddos because a lot of parents called in and said they would keep their kids home, which would result in no funding for the day. What a crock!

[Overseas]

157. Right wingers were so successful with diverting the health care dialogue

away from discussing the miserable failure our private insurance system has been since last defeating national health insurance, why should they stop now?

The professional bullying private insurers did, paying amoral right wing PR firms to stir up dangerous fear and hatred in vulnerable populations-- to the point of getting Medicare recipients to storm town hall meetings against government interference in healthcare-- getting the whole August discussion to move into kookville-- death panels and gun toting -- was very successful.

If those amoral right wing PR firms had not "supported genuine grass roots groups" (just coincidentally silent during the Bush Gang's rampant war profiteering and tax cuts for the rich during a time of war), we might have spent August talking about how deeply the Pay-to-Play privatized healthcare system has failed.

We might have been looking at statistics of countries that have national health coverage-- they pay less and have better outcomes and COVER EVERYONE.

But with a few million in the right places, the cruel Pay-to-Play health insurance companies were able to divert the national dialogue into death panels and free abortions and toting guns to town hall meetings.

So why should they stop now? President Obama is popular and very inspiring. He wants students to feel like a part of their country, to be inspired to become citizen activists, participants in a Democracy. He wanted to convey the message --

ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU. ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY.

Good gracious!

The right wing would prefer the message to be--

Ask not what your country can do for you. Government can do nothing. You are on your own and that is as it should be. Those Christ has chosen to be successful will succeed. Pray for guidance. Let them lead you. It's all about personal responsibility. You are on your own.