WHAT.
Apparently President Obama has decided to address the nation's schoolchildren.
President Obama announced that on September 8 - the first day of school for many children across America - he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
Awesome! Isn't that great? Regardless of one's personal politics, whether or not one agrees with Obama's policies, isn't it great that he's dedicated enough to education to directly engage young people and try to get them interested in and devoted to their educations? After all, education not only helps the child in question, but ends up making us a stronger and better nation overall. Right? There's nothing controversial here! The President's stated purpose for his address is unambiguously, undisputably good, regardless of political affiliation, right? Right?!?!
Hahahahahahahhahahahahah.
As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power.
- Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer
Wait, what? Seriously?
Well, regardless of what rumors are going around, parents will be able to hear directly from their kids what the president really said, right?
Hahahahahahahahahahahah.
Word is traveling fast on the internet, between bloggers and twitter, the choice is clear : No school for kids on September 8th due to the beginning of Socialist Indoctrination of Americas children. Keep your kids home September 8th...Take a day of vacation. Go to the zoo. Anything that would save your offspring from what I will bluntly say is just the quasi-fellating the executive branch. That cackling over a bubbling cauldron you hear is the NEA rejoicing.
-Chain e-mail encouraging parents to keep their children home the day of President Obama's address
WHAT.
What the fuck?! What in the goddamn mother-fucking fuck's name is going on here?!?!
Are people so deeply entrenched in their ZOMG SOCIALISM persecution fantasies that they can't even conceive of their president having good and noble things to say to children?!
Are they so angry and terrified and paranoid that they see anything and everything as part of The Evil Socialist Plot?!
And, most importantly, is there any way to communicate effectively with these people?!
When people hear "Hey, I think everyone should have health care," or "I want to give the kids a pep talk to get them excited about school," and think "OMG, YOU'RE WORSE THAN HITLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" how can one respond? How can one reach these people? How do you talk to someone who hears "Everyone deserves be healthy and educated," as "I'm going to brainwash and murder you!!!"
Are there people who believe this stuff? Are there really people who believe that a Kenyan-born secret Muslim who inexplicably pals around with aging infidel hippie domestic terrorists has seized the American presidency in order to mass-murder senior citizens, confiscate firearms, and take over the nation with an Evil Socialist Plot? That a giant homosexual conspiracy is seeking to destroy the concepts of "marriage" and family" and brainwash and recruit innocent children? That schoolchildren are being indoctrinated into the Evil, Satanic, Atheistic Religion of "Evolution"? That wicked feminists are deadset on brutally murdering as many unborn babies as possible?
If someone believed that all of these things are true, I can see why they'd be this angry and hysterical. That, I feel, is a reasonable response to the nightmare scenario outlined above. If anything, they're reacting too mildly. But here's the thing: The above paragraph is 110% Bugshit Wackiness. I honestly can't understand how a reasonable, sane person could believe all this.
I understand (hope) that this is a (very vocal) minority. But they carry a lot of influence. B.S. about birth certificates and Death Panels have saturated the news cycles and the national dialog for months, for no reason other than that crazy people are worried about them. Why?! When some crazy homeless dude stands on the street corner with an "End is Nigh" sign, the rest of the city doesn't start running and rioting through the streets. They just say, "Whoah! Crazy Guy!" and maybe cross to the other side of the street. This, I feel, is how the political left handles its fringe elements. Yet conservatives seem to be both pandering to and encouraging the craziest aspects of their base. Maybe that's all that's left after you alienate blacks, gays, women, intellectuals, non-Christians, and the young. Maybe somebody, somewhere made a conscious yet short-sighted decision to gamble their political future on the stupidity and anger of the American people and are now pot-comitted, as it were.
Whatever the reason, it now looks like American politics are essentially a screaming contest between mild-mannered, moderate, well-intentioned folks and the craziest crazies who ever crazied. Guess which side is better at screaming. Go on, guess.
I'm going to go on record as saying that the differences are irreconclieable at this point, and that America should just split in two.
One, a nation of reasonable people with common goals, even if there are differences of opinion as to how these goals are best achieved.
The other: A country where Sarah Palin is President, where the government fanatically protects fetuses from abortion and the elderly from euthenasia, but sees no need to help anyone earn the privelege of health care any time in between. Where Creationism is Science and Evolution is a Religion. Where schoolchildren are never indoctrinated in anything and are lead in school-sponsored prayer thrice daily. Where the American people's Freedoms are never even slightly infringed upon, except when it comes to smoking pot, watching porn, or advertising atheist organizations on buses. Where Larry the Cable Guy is the funniest man alive and the radio plays both kinds of music: Country and Western.
Seriously. I'm tired of crazy people interfering with the capacity of our government to function as so many of us want it to. I'm all for different political philosophies and opinions co-existing and compromising and what-have-you, but this can't be done with people who are operating from an entirely different fact set and striving for an entirely different objective.
They shouldn't be able to interfere with our efforts to to have a rational, progressive 21st century society, and we shouldn't be able to interfere with their efforts to found the Great nation of Wackistan. Let's just agree to disagree and go our separate ways.
President Obama announced that on September 8 - the first day of school for many children across America - he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
Awesome! Isn't that great? Regardless of one's personal politics, whether or not one agrees with Obama's policies, isn't it great that he's dedicated enough to education to directly engage young people and try to get them interested in and devoted to their educations? After all, education not only helps the child in question, but ends up making us a stronger and better nation overall. Right? There's nothing controversial here! The President's stated purpose for his address is unambiguously, undisputably good, regardless of political affiliation, right? Right?!?!
Hahahahahahahhahahahahah.
As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power.
- Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer
Wait, what? Seriously?
Well, regardless of what rumors are going around, parents will be able to hear directly from their kids what the president really said, right?
Hahahahahahahahahahahah.
Word is traveling fast on the internet, between bloggers and twitter, the choice is clear : No school for kids on September 8th due to the beginning of Socialist Indoctrination of Americas children. Keep your kids home September 8th...Take a day of vacation. Go to the zoo. Anything that would save your offspring from what I will bluntly say is just the quasi-fellating the executive branch. That cackling over a bubbling cauldron you hear is the NEA rejoicing.
-Chain e-mail encouraging parents to keep their children home the day of President Obama's address
WHAT.
What the fuck?! What in the goddamn mother-fucking fuck's name is going on here?!?!
Are people so deeply entrenched in their ZOMG SOCIALISM persecution fantasies that they can't even conceive of their president having good and noble things to say to children?!
Are they so angry and terrified and paranoid that they see anything and everything as part of The Evil Socialist Plot?!
And, most importantly, is there any way to communicate effectively with these people?!
When people hear "Hey, I think everyone should have health care," or "I want to give the kids a pep talk to get them excited about school," and think "OMG, YOU'RE WORSE THAN HITLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" how can one respond? How can one reach these people? How do you talk to someone who hears "Everyone deserves be healthy and educated," as "I'm going to brainwash and murder you!!!"
Are there people who believe this stuff? Are there really people who believe that a Kenyan-born secret Muslim who inexplicably pals around with aging infidel hippie domestic terrorists has seized the American presidency in order to mass-murder senior citizens, confiscate firearms, and take over the nation with an Evil Socialist Plot? That a giant homosexual conspiracy is seeking to destroy the concepts of "marriage" and family" and brainwash and recruit innocent children? That schoolchildren are being indoctrinated into the Evil, Satanic, Atheistic Religion of "Evolution"? That wicked feminists are deadset on brutally murdering as many unborn babies as possible?
If someone believed that all of these things are true, I can see why they'd be this angry and hysterical. That, I feel, is a reasonable response to the nightmare scenario outlined above. If anything, they're reacting too mildly. But here's the thing: The above paragraph is 110% Bugshit Wackiness. I honestly can't understand how a reasonable, sane person could believe all this.
I understand (hope) that this is a (very vocal) minority. But they carry a lot of influence. B.S. about birth certificates and Death Panels have saturated the news cycles and the national dialog for months, for no reason other than that crazy people are worried about them. Why?! When some crazy homeless dude stands on the street corner with an "End is Nigh" sign, the rest of the city doesn't start running and rioting through the streets. They just say, "Whoah! Crazy Guy!" and maybe cross to the other side of the street. This, I feel, is how the political left handles its fringe elements. Yet conservatives seem to be both pandering to and encouraging the craziest aspects of their base. Maybe that's all that's left after you alienate blacks, gays, women, intellectuals, non-Christians, and the young. Maybe somebody, somewhere made a conscious yet short-sighted decision to gamble their political future on the stupidity and anger of the American people and are now pot-comitted, as it were.
Whatever the reason, it now looks like American politics are essentially a screaming contest between mild-mannered, moderate, well-intentioned folks and the craziest crazies who ever crazied. Guess which side is better at screaming. Go on, guess.
I'm going to go on record as saying that the differences are irreconclieable at this point, and that America should just split in two.
One, a nation of reasonable people with common goals, even if there are differences of opinion as to how these goals are best achieved.
The other: A country where Sarah Palin is President, where the government fanatically protects fetuses from abortion and the elderly from euthenasia, but sees no need to help anyone earn the privelege of health care any time in between. Where Creationism is Science and Evolution is a Religion. Where schoolchildren are never indoctrinated in anything and are lead in school-sponsored prayer thrice daily. Where the American people's Freedoms are never even slightly infringed upon, except when it comes to smoking pot, watching porn, or advertising atheist organizations on buses. Where Larry the Cable Guy is the funniest man alive and the radio plays both kinds of music: Country and Western.
Seriously. I'm tired of crazy people interfering with the capacity of our government to function as so many of us want it to. I'm all for different political philosophies and opinions co-existing and compromising and what-have-you, but this can't be done with people who are operating from an entirely different fact set and striving for an entirely different objective.
They shouldn't be able to interfere with our efforts to to have a rational, progressive 21st century society, and we shouldn't be able to interfere with their efforts to found the Great nation of Wackistan. Let's just agree to disagree and go our separate ways.