http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200909060005

Thank you also for standing up for your thread. It is difficult for me to tell who authors which threads on this site since there are no attributions. It seems sort of like the editorial page of a newspaper. My attack was snarky and meant to cause a reaction, but was not directed toward anyone as a personal attack because I didn’t see anyone in particular as the author. I am sorry. As usual such statements simply take focus away from real issues.

Dale, I was not referring to the CNN report on “My Pet Goat.” That was not a televised address to students, just a televised photo op on a very bad day. I was referring to the fact that the Bush’s speech after 9/11 was shown to many schools (mostly high schools because the speech was too graphic and abstract for younger children) and it was given with curriculum ideas that were emailed from the Dept. of Ed. Obviously these were not pre-planned at the time, and I don’t have copies of them anymore, but a list of curricula and lesson plans based upon 9/11 and asking students to discuss issues and what they feel they can do to help can be found on this site:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/socialStd/9_11_Bookmarks.html

It is current education theory to always ask students to brainstorm things that they can do as a means of empowering themselves so as not to feel they are powerless. This may seem weird, but apathy is seen as one result of students not being asked to engage and express a respected opinion.

The Bush 41 clip that I remembered was simultcasted on a semi-national education network and back then depended upon dedicated hardware at the school building level. I don’t know if the CNN piece that you saw got into that much detail.

foxfier, I guess you admit you aimed those terms at me, but still I didn’t throw stones at you. I do not have fear or anger in my posts and I admit to ignorance when I am corrected and I try to give the facts and resources as I see them. As for hubris, that is a difficult nuance to filter or discern on a blog thread, but I think I have indicated that I don’t know everything, that I believe in being skeptical and thanked others for showing my mistakes.

I still believe that those are four difficult mental states to overcome and that the video clip at embedded in the article (I don’t know if you produced it Donald) seems to take a black humor (an effective and admirable technique of propaganda) to impart fear and anger in its viewers. Am I wrong? It takes relatively benign questions from the lesson plans and contorts them into commands “dictated by our president.” Turning ideas about “sticky notes” and videos on the importance of education are then juxtaposed to a mesmerizing pattern on a screen with the word “obey” on it. Funny to be sure, but of course it is an example of the exact kind of propaganda that it pretends to be against. A common enough technique – “Let me show you how manipulative Mr. A is by manipulating you even more!”

If you would like to add to the discussion by actually bringing up a particular fact or issue that either I made or that you have, that would be great. Dale actually took a topic and enlightened me on an example pertaining to something brought up in this discussion and he did so very well – not that he needs or wants my approval.

For example do you think parents should be in the classroom when they see a speech by or discuss the words of any president?

Do you think asking students to write about the importance of education is a liberal-biased topic? I don’t think they are being asked to say public education is best or necessary and I’m sure few teachers will bring up John Dewey.

Would you have the same concerns with a President McCain or Bush? As I indicated Obama definitely has to be more careful about coming across as a cult of personality figure, so that is an appropriate issue.

Is this really about Obama or is this as much about the immediacy of the Twitter age and perhaps students seeing the first president who actually used to text message as much as they do might be one who could relate to them about basic things like civics and responsibility?

Is it really a step toward fascism or is it mostly a politically dumb thing to do as Donald wrote?

Hm, why would I have done that…. oh, because of this:
Fear, anger, ignorance and hubris are the four worst mental states for honest discussions and for making good choices. I see these demonstrated on … this blog.

Perhaps you should not so readily demonstrate the things you criticize if you are going to throw stones.

I saw the same report, and it was a masterpiece of rhetorical misdirection. As to the 43rd President, Bush II was simply filmed while speaking to students in a particular class room. He never made a speech to all students generally, like the current President is proposing.

Oh, and it was the 9/11 reading to the elementary students footage, which is apropos of nothing, except to take a cheap shot at Bush II.

That said, I don’t have any problem with what President Obama is proposing, so long as there is no politicking whatsoever.

One warning MacGregor. Engage in a personal attack against me again and you will be banned from posting on my threads. Anyone reading my post will realize that I mentioned a Rove mole because I view this nation-wide address to students to be such a foolish move on the part of the Obama administration.