Tuesday, September 8, 2009

My two cents...or maybe more

My two cents:

What a sad day it is in America when the President is no longer respected and trusted to give a speech to our youth. How sad that some children weren't allowed to hear President Obama's speech, some didn't get the chance to be inspired by his words, encouraged by his story, his past. Shame on those naysayers. Shame, shame, shame.

I watched the speech this morning and I still don't see the problem with it. He encouraged kids to stay in school, try hard in their classes, reminded them that they won't be great at everything and that is okay, not every subject will be their best, not every teacher their favorite. And despite hardship at home, despite obstacles they must overcome, these aren't excuses to not try in school, to start fights, or argue with teachers. He told them that they will never know where their talents lie if they don't write that English paper or do that science experiment.

And his words were so true. I never would have known that I enjoyed English and grammar if I hadn't done my homework, written hundreds of papers, and worked with my teachers. I never would have known that science really isn't my thing, but math is a challenge I love to tackle if I hadn't taken those dreaded Chemistry labs or worked my way through Finite Math.

I wonder if the naysayers were disappointed that he didn't try to convert our youth to socialism or encourage our children to grow up to be left-wing liberals. Maybe next time.

A viewer of the speech in another country sent an email into the news. This person said that the people of their country respect and trust their Prime Minister and even if they don't agree with his politics, they would trust him to speak to their youth.

My sentiments exactly. I thought President Bush was wrong most of the time, not all of the time, but most of the time, and I still would not have denied my kids the right to hear him speak. A President's speech is an historical event. I wouldn't deny my children a piece of history. No one should.

That might have been more like my ten cents.

Peace out!

13 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you and I am so glad you wrote this post!
    I have never seen such blatant disrespect for a president and it is not only appalling but sad.I honestly don't believe that all the huff was really about his speech but something deeper. I refuse to believe that any one really thought the President of the United States would say anything to our children about policy, war, or any other political matter.
    Thanks for this post!

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  2. Excellent commentary... Same subject as my column for tomorrow...

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  3. Thank you for this wonderful post. I too was shocked by the hatred and disrespect shown prior to the President's speech. The explanation I got most often was that they did not agree with his policies. SO WHAT??? What does that have to do with him speaking and encouraging children? Oh well, it's done now and I'm glad my children had the opportunity to watch!

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  4. I totally agree! I was listening to callers on the radio this morning on my way to work. I just couldn't believe people were making such a big deal out of this. Pick on his health care bill, but don't make the children miss out on a wonderful speech from our President!

    New follower too ;)

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  5. Thank you so much for writing this. It has been driving me crazy. I sincerely couldn't have said it better myself. On a forum I belong to, this is a hot topic right now. It seems that most people that had a problem with the speech didn't like the way it was presented. Personally, I think that's a cop out. I don't understand what all the big huff was about. People are hung up on the word "serve." They're taking it out of context and twisting the meaning. It's really sad and quite frankly, embarrassing.

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  6. Couldn't have said it better. I'm glad you wrote about it. I can't do it. I'm too angry. It would come out too mean, and teachers should never be mean. (grrrr...)

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  7. Nice job on this post! I just don't get people sometimes...it's like, what planet do they live on?!

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  8. I agree wholeheartedly. Those parents that took their children out of school-- I guess they accomplished their goal. To teach their kids the exact the opposite of what Obama was trying to convey. That school is optional, and working hard is overrated.

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  9. I have an award for you on my blog. :)
    http://abookloversdiary.blogspot.com/2009/09/awards-superior-scribbler-and.html

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  10. I completely agree with this! Ever since the "controversy" began, I wondered exactly what it was that parents were so afraid of - since when is an inspirational speech detrimental to the youth of our nation?

    I suppose that some people will find fault in our President no matter what, but that's still no excuse to keep our children from listening to his message of motivation and perseverance.

    It's a shame that there are actually parents out there who have allowed their political affiliations to fuel their paranoia, instead of making them more understanding.

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  11. I don't know what the fuss is about. I thought it was a lovely speech and I am going to show it to my son who is having some difficulties with school and with the direction his life is taking. I'm hoping it will motivate him to buckle down and realise that the world is his oyster if he is willing to put in the time and effort.

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  12. Well said-his words were words of encouragement and truth-life is not easy. To succeed one must work hard and try.

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I love your lovely thoughts...