Repubs save schoolchildren

[G-spotter]

Looks like the White House released the text of their socialist propaganda:

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

 

Yup, sure makes sense that all the true red-blooded American families out there are protecting their precious children from the message of staying in school, just like the White House said it would be about.

 

The thing that struck me about the content of this speech was the overwhelming emphasis on going to university and higher education. The trades were completely left out.

I don't know if this was on purpose

 

It was a "Fuck You" to Joe the Plumber.

[Fairweather]

Shouldn't you be out walking a picket line or somethin'?

[tvashtarkatena]

if the effect of a "law and order" fellow's agenda is to lock up a particular "race" of people, it doesn't follow that said fellow is a racist.

 

(the notion of "race" is to me rather offensive in itself.)

 

 

and i also wonder how many of you who are so concerned about matters of "ethnic difference" find yourselves in the company of, say, african americans, and then would use terms like "spear-chucker" to make a point?

 

Because you're too much of a moron to get the point that was made, perhaps?

[j_b]

There is a strange silence regarding my accurate assessment of the Fairweatherian conservative racist agenda regarding prison populations...as there always is.

 

Resume the important debate over who's called who a spearchucker....

 

 

Don't expect an answer from Fairweather. His MO is to make outlandishingly ridiculous statements that only the far-right could think of, then ignore salient responses, issue a couple of would-be trenchant one-liners to pare off dismissive jabs, and behave as if nothing else happened. He will only answer to you when he can insult or denigrate you without it being blatantly obvious he is not answering your comments.

[j_b]

Not at all. Show me the racist posts that emanate here from conservatives. Well?

 

it's not because you finally learned that you couldn't call people 'towel head' or whatever without sounding like a neanderthal, that what you say isn't racist. You have learned about plausible deniability but who could flaunt Rush Limbaugh and not be a racist scumbag?

 

My point is that KK is largely correct: there is, in fact, a deep undercurrent of haughty racism amongst liberals in this country.

 

laughable. as if you or KKK had provided any evidence of it.

 

The fact that they refuse to acknowledge it isn't nearly as disturbing as their efforts to obfuscate vis a vis the occasional loudmouth Confederate battle flag waving yahoo.

 

because racists like Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, Dobbs and many others are just loudmouth yahoos and not on TV almost every day.

[Fairweather]

Not at all. Show me the racist posts that emanate here from conservatives. Well?

 

it's not because you finally learned that you couldn't call people 'towel head' or whatever without sounding like a neanderthal, that what you say isn't racist. You have learned about plausible deniability but who could flaunt Rush Limbaugh and not be a racist scumbag?

 

My point is that KK is largely correct: there is, in fact, a deep undercurrent of haughty racism amongst liberals in this country.

 

laughable. as if you or KKK had provided any evidence of it.

 

The fact that they refuse to acknowledge it isn't nearly as disturbing as their efforts to obfuscate vis a vis the occasional loudmouth Confederate battle flag waving yahoo.

 

because racists like Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, Dobbs and many others are just loudmouth yahoos and not on TV almost every day.

 

Show me where I've ever used "towel head" or any other/similar insults. Then look at your liberal pals on this site and marvel at the frequency with which they use such words for "illustrative purposes". I think you're confusing me with your worldview. It's a common flaw with short-educated fools like yourself.

[Choada_Boy]

Looks like the White House released the text of their socialist propaganda:

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

 

Yup, sure makes sense that all the true red-blooded American families out there are protecting their precious children from the message of staying in school, just like the White House said it would be about.

 

The thing that struck me about the content of this speech was the overwhelming emphasis on going to university and higher education. The trades were completely left out. I don't know if this was on purpose or an oversight but I believe it detracts from the message.

 

I would probably feel left out if I were a senior who intended to train as an electrician, for example. I'm not sure that the target at risk group of the speech, the potential dropouts, will feel inspired by the examples and may even feel further alienation by the education system.

 

The examples are all of people at the extremes of changing society. He doesn't talk about the small contributions that are necessary for a healthy society, like social work or teaching, but focuses on the big paradigm shifts. Those are going to come from very few people and they don't need speeches from the president to be inspired IMO. They will get there on their own.

 

I'm not sure what the political motivations were for this speech and I'm not sure that it will have any kind of effect on the drop out rate. Overall it was a disappointing read. Maybe it would have been more inspiring in the presentation.

 

Clearly, Obama thinks becoming an electrician requires no "higher education". Clearly, Obama thinks becoming an electrician is easy and that any idiot can do it without trying very hard in school or washing their hands. Clearly.

 

Does he explicitly have to refer to every trade or career path to justify himself to you morons?

[Fairweather]

There is a strange silence regarding my accurate assessment of the Fairweatherian conservative racist agenda regarding prison populations...as there always is.

 

Resume the important debate over who's called who a spearchucker....

 

 

Don't expect an answer from Fairweather. His MO is to make outlandishingly ridiculous statements that only the far-right could think of, then ignore salient responses, issue a couple of would-be trenchant one-liners to pare off dismissive jabs, and behave as if nothing else happened. He will only answer to you when he can insult or denigrate you without it being blatantly obvious he is not answering your comments.

 

 

 

Those spics, niggers, commies and ragheads don't belong here anyway. Us white people do.

 

Why would I respond to someone who once posted the above? Why would you ally yourself with the same?

[Kimmo]

if the effect of a "law and order" fellow's agenda is to lock up a particular "race" of people, it doesn't follow that said fellow is a racist.

 

(the notion of "race" is to me rather offensive in itself.)

 

 

and i also wonder how many of you who are so concerned about matters of "ethnic difference" find yourselves in the company of, say, african americans, and then would use terms like "spear-chucker" to make a point?

 

Because you're too much of a moron to get the point that was made, perhaps?

 

i'd suggest it's the other way around, but photographing bees seems to be your forte, not logical discourse, so what can be expected?

[Kimmo]

hover flies! shit!

 

(see how good they are at foolin' ya?)

[j_b]

Show me where I've ever used "towel head" or any other/similar insults.

 

as if it were the test of whether you systematically supported racist and xenophobic policies.

 

Then look at your liberal pals on this site and marvel at the frequency with which they use such words for "illustrative purposes".

 

I don't know what you are talking about. I know that you periodically go into a rant about how so and so is racist, but I don't recall any time your rant was justified. Right wing talking heads have started accusing minorities and liberal of racism because it sustains the silly notion that "not-lazy white folks will end up paying for it"

 

I think you're confusing me with your worldview. It's a common flaw with short-educated fools like yourself.

 

as if you knew anything about me beside what I write here and you have yet to provide a cogent answer to any of it.

[j_b]

There is a strange silence regarding my accurate assessment of the Fairweatherian conservative racist agenda regarding prison populations...as there always is.

 

Resume the important debate over who's called who a spearchucker....

 

 

Don't expect an answer from Fairweather. His MO is to make outlandishingly ridiculous statements that only the far-right could think of, then ignore salient responses, issue a couple of would-be trenchant one-liners to pare off dismissive jabs, and behave as if nothing else happened. He will only answer to you when he can insult or denigrate you without it being blatantly obvious he is not answering your comments.

 

 

 

Those spics, niggers, commies and ragheads don't belong here anyway. Us white people do.

 

Why would I respond to someone who once posted the above? Why would you ally yourself with the same?

 

it is called lampooning of the logic (and often terminology) leading to the adoption of the policies you advocate. Demonization, by yourself and others who certainly used that kind of rhetoric, of iraqis (and muslims) and of those who opposed invading Iraq (and opposed torture, etc ..) was a very good illustration of what Tvash was lampooning. It is far from being the only example because fear mongering about foreigners, brown people, etc is constantly used by conservatives to frighten the elderly (or other isolated folks) and the feeble minded.

 

The hypocrytical aspect of your comment is that you and your type usually rant against political correctness until you use it in the most inappropriate fashion such as now.

[Choada_Boy]

Yes. One cannot use the word "*" in a sentence without being a racist, in the world of a right-wing racist. When he uses the word, he means it!

[pigchampion]

Yes. One cannot use the word "*" in a sentence without being a racist, in the world of a right-wing racist. When he uses the word, he means it!

[hafilax]

Looks like the White House released the text of their socialist propaganda:

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

 

Yup, sure makes sense that all the true red-blooded American families out there are protecting their precious children from the message of staying in school, just like the White House said it would be about.

 

The thing that struck me about the content of this speech was the overwhelming emphasis on going to university and higher education. The trades were completely left out. I don't know if this was on purpose or an oversight but I believe it detracts from the message.

 

I would probably feel left out if I were a senior who intended to train as an electrician, for example. I'm not sure that the target at risk group of the speech, the potential dropouts, will feel inspired by the examples and may even feel further alienation by the education system.

 

The examples are all of people at the extremes of changing society. He doesn't talk about the small contributions that are necessary for a healthy society, like social work or teaching, but focuses on the big paradigm shifts. Those are going to come from very few people and they don't need speeches from the president to be inspired IMO. They will get there on their own.

 

I'm not sure what the political motivations were for this speech and I'm not sure that it will have any kind of effect on the drop out rate. Overall it was a disappointing read. Maybe it would have been more inspiring in the presentation.

 

Clearly, Obama thinks becoming an electrician requires no "higher education". Clearly, Obama thinks becoming an electrician is easy and that any idiot can do it without trying very hard in school or washing their hands. Clearly.

 

Does he explicitly have to refer to every trade or career path to justify himself to you morons?

You've got some serious reading comprehension issues. I said nothing of the sort. I simply believe that the people that he is attempting to reach out to may not be very inspired by this speech.

 

I read it again and he does touch on community workers, police, military and teachers. I also admit that as a Canadian, I may be misinterpreting the US collegiate system. Are trades taught at colleges? In Canada we have separate trade schools. I understand that the most inspiring stories are usually at the extremes and a few of his stories were of people overcoming adversity to get to college so it's not as biased as my first impression.

 

I still think it was an exercise of questionable value. How much did this thing cost anyway? I can't find it with a quick googling.

[billcoe]

How could any kid not be inspired by the President? P.L.E.A.S.E E E! Some excerpts, but every one of us should read the full text and see if there is anything to disagree with.

 

"And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

 

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. "

 

 

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. "

 

The petty arguing on this site only ignores what an amazing and inspiring writer and speaker the President is. Great stuff there and long overdue.

[j_b]

hafilax: I am not sure the concerns you raised could be all addressed in a talk to kids, except about having some examples that featured a skilled trade. I only scanned it and thought it read somewhat like an admission that the social safety net was broken because of the emphasis on kids being responsible for wanting to learn no matter their circumstances.

[j_b]

The petty arguing on this site only ignores what an amazing and inspiring writer and speaker the President is. Great stuff there and long overdue.

 

the petty arguing is on right wing cable, is televised nation wide, and ends here. I seriously doubt Obama writes his own speeches (including during the campaign), although he may contrbute ideas.

[pigchampion]

spray=repubs save schoolchildren

[billcoe]

Based on what I read and how I respond to the president, on an emotional level, this speech is long over due to our kids. When Kennedy spoke "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." there was a visceral, gut level reaction that millions our fellow citizens responded to in a great way back then.

 

When I see stories like this one at the bottom from the Financial Times, it makes me wonder why the republicans are whining about this (and it's not all of them). What are really thinking? That pissing and moaning for no reason will garner our respect? That we will be suspicios of BArak? Hey, I distrust politicians as much as the next person, but in this case, I'm distrusting the republicans. In fact, for myself, I think "what a bunch of counterproductive A-HOLES!!!" This had been needed to be said and encouraged for years and years as we see the emphasis on education slide to be replaced by this "me first screw you I don't need to be responsible" attitude: big-time bravo on Barak for stepping up to address this plate.

 

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4e4823a-9b1c-11de-a3a1-00144feabdc0.html

 

 

"Obama speech to pupils riles Republicans

 

By Anna Fifield in Washington

 

 

Encouraging children to work hard at school and set goals for themselves would hardly appear to be an incendiary message.

 

But the plans of Barack Obama, US president, to address students across the country on Tuesday have set off a political firestorm – the fiercest of his critics are comparing him to communist leaders Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong-il, and are accusing him of trying to indoctrinate children with “socialist” ideas.

 

The angry reaction is a sign of how fractious the US political scene has become after an August break characterised by debates over health reform at townhalls and on the airwaves .

 

It does not augur well for Mr Obama’s address to the joint Congress on Wednesday, in which he will appeal for fresh efforts to formulate a healthcare reform bill that both the Democrat and Republican parties can support. The Democrats will push ahead with their own bill if no agreement is reached by September 15.

 

“It shows the level of paranoia that something as innocuous as the president telling children to work hard has sparked this kind of response,” said Matthew Yglesias from the Centre for American Progress, a left-leaning think-tank."

 

 

[Buckaroo]

Having the President address the children (as a captive audience) in this manner is highly disturbing - reminiscent of the worst totalitarian regimes.

 

So then why don't you tell us EXACTLY what's wrong with this speech?

 

other than the fact that it's being given by a black president with a Muslim name, and that it's about 5 grade level above our last "president".

 

 

 

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.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. 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. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. 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.

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.

That’s OK. 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.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. 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.

[olyclimber]

well...maybe that it wasn't a speech given by that totalitarian Ronnie Raygun.

 

[video:youtube]8xgGe9v8Hvc

[Fairweather]

Yes. One cannot use the word "*" in a sentence without being a racist, in the world of a right-wing racist. When he uses the word, he means it!

 

Umm, OK; except no one on this site but you and your fellow libtards uses it. But thanks again for "illustrating". I can't help but think you enjoy doing it a little too much.

[olyclimber]

[video:youtube]gWHNA_j7h5A

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Yes. One cannot use the word "*" in a sentence without being a racist, in the world of a right-wing racist. When he uses the word, he means it!

 

Umm, OK; except no one on this site but you and your fellow libtards uses it. But thanks again for "illustrating". I can't help but think you enjoy doing it a little too much.

 

These libtard racist fucks keep proving my point over and over again. Thanks, Chode_boy and TTK!

 

Pete_H - wanna drop some more n-bombs too?