The President’s “Indoctrination” Speech

Don’t misinterpret this posting; I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS SPEECH IS STUPID, I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLING THIS “INDOCTRINATION ARE STUPID. Now, I know that many people who are reading this are going to be saying to themselves either,

a.) I’m not stupid for thinking this is stupid; I believe the President to be a closet socialist who is going to brainwash my child with this speech

or

b.) Anyone who would believe this speech to be a way to brainwash children into thinking that socialism is “cool” needs to be checked into a rubber room.

I belong to the group who believes choice (b). If you think that your kids are going to be “indoctrinated” into the “new socialist United States”, you may as well go check yourself into a mental hospital, you’re clearly unfit for everyday life; either that or your tin-foil hat is on WAY too tight. But as I said, that’s my opinion, and after reading the text of the speech on the White House’s website, I stick by it even more so.

BUT, it’s also a free country, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and thought process, no matter how stupid I think their point of view is, or how stupid they think mine is. So here it is, the full text of the speech. Read it, think about it, and most importantly, share your thoughts about it. I look forward to hearing them.

———————

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.

Our Children are Going to be Indoctrinated!!!

The video above really should be able to speak for itself for itself, but I really feel like I need to make a few points here, that Glenn Beck seems to have forgotten:

1.) President Obama is NOT the first President to speak to kids in classrooms. Ronald Reagan dared to make a speech to children on November 14, 1988 also. Somehow, he did this, without managing to come under fire for “indoctrinating” our children.

2.) Would we be hearing ANY of this conversation out of the Conservative media if they still didn’t have some hurt feelings over Dick Cheney and Governor Bush out of the White House? Or, and I’m gonna come out and say it, if President Obama was not a black man? Once again, the man who seems to say what most of the Republican party seems to think, Glenn Beck, came out not so long ago saying the President was a racist.

3.) All of this seems to be the Conservative right trying to “Harry Houdini” the public. They try to “misdirect” us with, what amounts to a bunch of stupid bullshit, whether it be “death panels”, or “indoctrination” while they pretend to “negotiate in good faith” . Bush and Cheney may be gone, but they Republican party still seems hell bent to try to screw every American out of every right they have, or should have.

Are our children being “indoctrinated” because the President wants to talk to school children about staying in school? NO. Is the Republican Party and the Conservative media hell bent to scare anyone out of thinking any sort of reform to the crash course this country has been on for the past 8 years is a bad thing? YES. And why is that? Simple, it all comes back to a few things; fear-mongering, racism, and, of course, stupidity, which seem to be the core values of the Republican platform these days.

The “Real America” in Their Own Words

I posted this on my Facebook a month or so ago, and feel that it’s something that really needs to be exposed for what it is. I’ll let my Facebook posting speak for itself.

I know a lot of you on here are tired of people getting on their soap box and preaching their political beliefs on Facebook, and I agree with you, for the most part. However, the current climate in this country has the underdog party preaching hate veiled in a mask of religion, by comparing our President with some sort of Messiah, as if those of us on the left wing worship him as such.

To get to the point though, I wanted you guys to see the right wing for what it is, and be able to draw your own conclusions. This isn’t me trying to sway anyone’s political beliefs, you’re entitled to think what you think, it is a free country after all. But those of you who aren’t Democrats, and those of you who didn’t vote for our President, should be able to lay down your differences and at least support the man, he is after all the leader of this great nation of ours, and that should be done whether you agree with the man’s views or not. That being said, here is the “Real America” in their own words. If this makes you feel Patriotic, then I think there is more wrong with this country than any of us could ever know. Read it. Think about it. Respond if you feel the need. I’d love to hear all of your thoughts.

—————————————-

> THE HORRIBLE TRUTH
>
>
>
> Pastor’s wife’s letter
>
>
> How’s this for apocalyptic literature.  This was written by a
> pastor’s wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current
> events.  It is Brilliant.
>
>
>  ~~~~~~~~~~
>
> And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of
> the land called America , having lost their morals, their initiative,
> and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme
> Leader that person known as “The One”.
>
>
>
> He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but
> He hypnotized the people telling them, “I am sent to save you.
> My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego,
> and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. For I
> shall save you with Hope and Change.
>
>
> Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who
> preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he
> has built must be destroyed.”  And the people rejoiced, for even
> though they knew not what “The One” would do, he had promised
> that it was good; and they believed.
> And “The One” said “We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me
> change everything about it!”
> And the people said, “Hallelujah!  Change is good!”
>
> Then He said, “We are going to tax the rich fat-cats.” And the
> people said “Sock it to them!”
> “And redistribute their wealth.”
> And the people said, “Show us the money!”
> And then He said, “Redistribution of wealth is good for
> everybody”
>
>
>
>
>
> And Joe the plumber asked, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??”
>
> And “The One” ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe’s personal records were hacked and publicized.
>
> One lone reporter asked, “Isn’t that Marxist policy?”
> And she was banished from the kingdom!
>
> Then a citizen asked, “With no foreign relations experience and
> having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with
> radical terrorists?” And “The One” said, “Simple. I shall sit with
> them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and
> they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!” And the
> people said, “Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our
> weapons into free cars for the people!”
>
> Then “The One” said, “I shall give 95% of you lower taxes.” And
> one, lone voice said, “But 40% of us don’t pay ANY taxes.”  So “The
> One” said, “Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats
> pay!”  And the people said, “Hallelujah!! Show us the money!”
>
> Then “The One” said, “I shall tax your Capital Gains when you
> sell your homes!”    And the people yawned and the slumping housing
> market collapsed. And He said, “I shall mandate employer- funded health care for
> EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage.. And I shall give every
> person unlimited healthcare and medicine and transportation to the
> clinics.”  And the people said, “Give me some of that!”
>
> Then he said, “I shall penalize employers who ship jobs
> overseas..”  And the people said, “Where’s my rebate check?”
>
> Then “The One” said, “I shall bankrupt the coal industry and
> electricity rates will skyrocket!”  And the people said, “Coal is
> dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don’t care for that part
> about higher electric rates.” So “The One” said, “Not to worry. If
> your rebate isn’t enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you
> out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!”
>
> Then He said, “Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted
> Let’s grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free
> lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed
> housing…”  And the people said, “Hallelujah!!” And they made
> him King!
>
> And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs
> and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers.
> Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank
> like unto a rock dropped from a cliff.
> The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a
> crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support.
>
> Then “The One” said, “I am the “The One” – The Messiah – and I’m
> here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will
> have enough!”  But our foreign trading partners said unto Him, “Wait
> a minute… Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will
> have to pay more…”  And the people said, “Wait a minute. That is
> unfair!!”  And the world said, “Neither are these other idiotic
> programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state
> and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!”
>
> And the people cried out, “Alas, alas!! What have we done?”  But
> yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon “The One” and spat
> upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. And the once mighty
> nation was no more; and the once proud people were without
> sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change “The
> One” had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed
> them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.
> And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish,
> “Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!”  But it was
> too late, and their homeland was no more.
>
> You may think this is a fairy tale, but it’s not…
>
>
> It’s happening RIGHT NOW !!!

FWD: Stupidity in Email – Part One

Have you ever taken the time to read one of the myriad of idiotic email forwards that you receive on a daily basis?

Every now and again, while I’m at work, I get the privilege of reading some really fantastically awfully ones. There is a person, who I will not name out of courtesy, that feels it necessary to send on every piece of anti-Obama and/or birther drivel that happens to come into his inbox, and they usually wear a mask, a religous mask. Religion seems to be the choice way for people to mask stupidity these days. If you’re stupid in every day life, people will call you an idiot, if you’re stupid over “God” you’re “devout”. But what happens when you marry politics and religion? And what if you throw just a little racism and religious intolerance into the mix while you’re at it? Sounds fun right? I thought so…

As time marches on, this blog will show me to be two things; a Liberal, and an Atheist, I make neither of those facts a secret. But there comes a point when even those of you who might lean to the right, or claim to be “centrist”, or go to church every Sunday, will agree, that enough is enough. Whoever wrote this cowpie, found that point. I copied the email verbatim, only changing the formatting so it didn’t become a scrolling bananza for you, the reader. Enjoy this entry in email stupidity, and of course, feel free to comment.

———————————-

2 Chron 7:14
When I first got this e-mail, my thoughts were….no way.  We are speeding towards one world government and the second coming at a rapid pace.  Then I remembered  reading about the children of Israel who turned from God time and time again,  only to realize their mistake and pray for forgiveness.  Each time, God  would forgive them and they would walk with him for a time.  So, I am going to ask you to join me in praying for our nation every day.  God is in control!!!
I also heard on the news this morning our president is not encouraging participation in the National Day of Prayer.  He is calling it an event. He thinks it should be private prayer instead of Public Prayer.
May God Have Mercy On America & Protect Our Troops!
When we were in Texarkana last week, there were signs in people’s yards that said, ” America , prayer our only hope” with 2 Chron. 7:14 underneath. We certainly need God’s help!
I have no idea who started this, but I certainly agree with this e-mail. I heard a preacher on TV tonight who said if we pray for our nation that things will turn around. After a day of contemplation and soul searching, I have decided to reach out to my friends and relatives and ask you to do something that has been troubling me for a long time.
Our nation is/has been on the slippery slope for a long time. If you look around you will find corruption,  greed, moral decay, and a steady move away from the things that made us great. The principles upon which this nation was founded are no longer our backbone. However, we can reverse this trend.
2 Chron. 7:14 in God’s word he states, “If my people who are called by my name will humble  themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
I am convinced that we must pray for our nation and its leaders and ask for forgiveness. So I ask you to join me in this plea to our Lord.
Would you please send this to people in your address book (send it to all of them); ask them to pray EVERYDAY… (25 to the only the 5th power is 9,765,625 people.) IMAGINE if each person reaches TEN others…or all TWENTY FIVE!
If you do and they comply, we will lift up millions and millions of prayers a day to our Creator. He will hear us and in faith will answer.
Let me just add a quote from Ronald Reagan “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape we are in today. Most people have forgotten that we are one nation under God! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this!!

Welcome to “Popular Stupidity”

So if you’ve happened to wander to this corner of the internet, you’re probably wondering what a site called “Popular Stupidity” could possibly offer.

It couldn’t be more simple, the title is self-explanatory. There is stupidity EVERYWHERE, on a daily basis. Forwarded emails, commercials, celebrities, and, of course, Republicans. Stupid things surround us all, and we just kind of shrug them off. But why? Why do we just take stupidity as an every day fact of life? Why doesn’t someone point more of this crap out so we can all ridicule it on a massive scale?

That’s what I wanna change. I wanna let the idiots of our world have their well-deserved 15 minutes of fame, after all, they worked hard to get our attention, shouldn’t we give it to them?