Was the reaction to next Tuesday's school address by Obama 'Astroturf?'
That's one of the questions being posed at present. The Whitehouse is treating this as a tempest in a teapot, but it was severe enough to cause them to re-write their lesson plans and re-think the president's speech. Another question being posed, by ridiculous leftists and their shills, is whether this opposition is motivated by Mr. Obama's race. I consider the source, and suggest strongly to fellow right-wingers that while they should keep the bulk of their political powder dry for bigger targets, they must nevertheless expend a little ammo where needed. This is such a case, and a perfect target.
Today's educational establishment is dominated by leftists, both at the state and federal levels. It is dominated by the teachers' unions, which have been quite supportive and sympathetic to the cause of Obama and the leftist agenda. To pretend otherwise is to ignore all facts, but what is more stunning is that most American parents, busy with earning a paycheck, and leading their lives, have essentially surrendered this ground to the left.
As in virtually every issue, the left becomes arrogant when they control an institution, branch of government, or agency. This is equally true of the education establishment. From the time Jimmy Carter and his hacks conceived the Department of Education, the federal government has taken an increasingly dominant role in education, yet I cannot find that spot in the Constitution that enables the federal government to spend a single dime in that endeavor.
Many parents, particularly those on the right, have justly become concerned at the direction of the schools. After more than a generation of federal domination, the schools increasingly resemble self-propagating institutions that wield too much power in their communities, frequently dominating smaller and even larger municipalities and counties. In many cases, the budgets of school districts far outstrip the local city governments, and are the ever-growing 800 pound gorillas in their communities. Watching the growth, one parent commented to me recently after a school board meeting in our local district: "They used to say you can't fight city hall, but hell, they're a push-over compared to the school board. They do anything they want, usually out of sight, and out of mind."
So it was that this notion of an address to all school children by Obama was hatched, and since there's some precedent, what with George Bush reading books to children, and his father having tried to pull off a similar thing(to raucous cat-calls from the left) in October 1991, it really isn't a surprise that this would be tried again. What was a little more than stunning to the administrations of schools around the country was the violence of the reaction against it by an enraged or at least concerned outcry from parents.
Parents did not want their children subjected to propaganda. Imagine that! That the reaction was more uproarious in so-called 'red states' really isn't a surprise, since they didn't vote for this President, but a little more surprising was the reaction in states that voted for Obama in 2008.
Parents were unaware of what Obama might say, but they had the package of exercises and questions pushed out by the Department of Education as a follow-up guide to the President's speech. That was enough.
Now, the funny thing, the odd thing about this whole story, is not what has been written or reported, but what has not been mentioned at all. The left, along with the President's spokepersons, dismissed the whole thing as some form of 'silly season' or 'astroturf.' Yet what had they not been able to say? Over the healthcare bill, they pointed to talk radio, and to Rush Limbaugh, as their arch enemies, simply out to taunt them any way he (and they)could. In this case, however, Rush was on vacation. The alleged leader of the 'vast right-wing conspiracy' was absent from behind the golden microphone. His substitute hosts really hadn't wanted to talk about it, but they were left with no choice: Callers made it the issue. This was repeated throughout the country, on local and national talkshows, in the blogosphere, and on message boards and forums. The reaction was viral, and it had not been manufactured at EIB or in the GOP headquarters. Conservative Americans didn't like it.
In the end, most school districts relented, particularly in 'red states.' The speech would be recorded, or viewing and participation optional, or other solutions. You might wonder why the schools, havens of leftist thought, would so easily capitulate. I am here to tell you the answers to that question:
1.) The immediate effect would have been that hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions of parents would have withheld their kids from school next Tuesday. Remember, public schools are the recipients of federal funds, based on daily attendance that amounts to roughly $35 per head. This would have made a serious dent in their budgets directly in the beginning of the school year. In a year in which tax revenues have been down, and passage of local bond elections more difficult owing to higher unemployment, they couldn't risk alienating any parents.
2.) It won't matter anyway. Whether Barack Obama speaks directly to your children on Tuesday, or the educational establishment merely speaks on his behalf for the remainder of the school year, and ever after, they will have their say. They will make their best attempt at indoctrinating your children, whether or not President Obama's ever given access directly to their young minds.
This is why I would personally urge conservative and libertarian parents alike to pull their kids on Tuesday anyway, and any other day they think the schools have gone too far. The penalty the school will pay in lost headcount dollars is worth the lesson they will learn. Schools have increasingly become populated by a faculty that views parents and parental authority with contempt. They now routinely refer to the children entrusted to them as 'their kids.' Many of them feel that this is their special calling, to step into the legal role, acting in loco parentis, and have their ways with the minds of your children, through ways large and small, 'making the world a better place' by indoctrinating your children with their moral standards.
There are a great number of very good, sincere and dedicated teachers, and not a few conservatives among their number, but the overwhelming majority are of a leftward tilt, and their bureaucracy is constructed to strict leftwing standards. It is inevitable that too much political indoctrination, and even moral indoctrination in contradiction to parental wishes goes on in public schools. Take this opportunity to send them a message, and don't be afraid to change direction, get involved with your kids' schools, and even enter the field of teaching. Conservatives have yielded this ground for too long, and it's time we begin to think about taking it back. Show them that there's nothing silly about this season.
side-bar to editors: Is there some reason comments posted to an earlier entry might have disappeared? THANKS!
