Kids say the darnest things
What a shock, another example from Florida that America as an idea is fading. A 10-year-old Coral Springs girl won't be allowed to sing a song that criticizes President Bush at her school talent show after her principal deemed it inappropriate and too political. The song, Dear Mr. President, (probably should be called "Dear Leader") written by the singer Pink, criticizes the president for the war in Iraq and other policies, including his stance on gay rights.
Nancy Shoul says of her daughter Molly that she should be lauded for choosing a song that has substance rather than the typical mindless pop music fluff. She also sums up why the idea of America is flickering like a flame - "If this was a student singing a pro-administration song, no one would quibble with it." Amen. This is the state of the state. Criticizing the President, mind you only this one, is considered treason, is deemed unpatriotic, is regarded as not supporting the troops or the war on terrorism, is grounds for firing or suspension or investigation or indictment or being labeled an enemy combatant and disappeared from the planet.
The school district spokeswoman Nadine Drew, who obviously went to the Scott McClellan School of Lying said, "this is a fifth-grade student that wants to perform a song filled with lyrics about drug use, war, abortion, gay rights and profanity." The song does not mention abortion, and the profanity mentioned is the word "hell." The drug use refers to Bush's alleged conduct before he became president.
Molly, the 10-year-old said of the President, "He should try to listen to what other people say, not just himself." Art Linkletter would be proud of Molly. Too bad Molly's principal isn't. In George Bush's world Molly is a Liberal who hates America and is on the side of the terrorists. And you thought I was kidding when I said the idea of America is fading?
Nancy Shoul says of her daughter Molly that she should be lauded for choosing a song that has substance rather than the typical mindless pop music fluff. She also sums up why the idea of America is flickering like a flame - "If this was a student singing a pro-administration song, no one would quibble with it." Amen. This is the state of the state. Criticizing the President, mind you only this one, is considered treason, is deemed unpatriotic, is regarded as not supporting the troops or the war on terrorism, is grounds for firing or suspension or investigation or indictment or being labeled an enemy combatant and disappeared from the planet.
The school district spokeswoman Nadine Drew, who obviously went to the Scott McClellan School of Lying said, "this is a fifth-grade student that wants to perform a song filled with lyrics about drug use, war, abortion, gay rights and profanity." The song does not mention abortion, and the profanity mentioned is the word "hell." The drug use refers to Bush's alleged conduct before he became president.
Molly, the 10-year-old said of the President, "He should try to listen to what other people say, not just himself." Art Linkletter would be proud of Molly. Too bad Molly's principal isn't. In George Bush's world Molly is a Liberal who hates America and is on the side of the terrorists. And you thought I was kidding when I said the idea of America is fading?
posted by Crankyboy at 10:59 AM
15 Comments:
I think it isn't a bad thing to limit children's expression at school to ordinary political expressions rather than partisan disrespectful personal attacks that their parents probably put them up to.
Your comment is not as catchy as "Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech."
I would post anonymously too, if I hated kids for their freedom. You think wrong, or at least you think the way corrupt, tyrannical governments want people to think
True, the US has never given much more than lip service to the freedom it brags about, but that's no excuse for continuing to tell people what to think and what not to think.
Personal attacks, partisan attacks and any othr non-violent attack on a corrupt, disrespectful government that breaks the law with arrogant impunity needs to be encouraged, and cowardly running dogs of tyranny need to be exposed for what they are.
So who put you up to this? Stalin? Lenin? Mao?
The idea of America has always been an idea. The reality is that we've never been able to overcome conservative authoritarianism's peculiar hold on America. What we really want is a government that leaves us entirely alone and yet uses all its might to punish everyone else.
There has never been a time when free speech was not seen by conservatives as an inconvenience at best and sedition at worst. Conservatives have outlawed protest many times and have even outlawed certain languages, lest secret displeasures with the government be secretly expressed.
It was Stalin, in a vivid dream. Are you getting me back? I am very hurt. You were anticipated.
Fogg, you say I think wrong or imply I think think this way b/c the government wants me to; is it possible it is simply my independant opinion? I am not too bothered by the song itself but rather the motivation and whether a parent is just trying to create a situation. I do cringe when I hear children use the word hell out of its literal meaning. It doesn't bother me as much as hearing lids say fuck whore bitch and so on. It is just a matter of of being civilized or at least how I perceive it from my culture.
What's interesting Anon is that you claim as fact the the parents "put her up to it." What evidence do have for this other than pulling the info out of your ass? And even if her parents put her up to it who gives a crap? Is the principle of free speech dependent on whether the parents put them up it? Is that what's in the First Amendment? Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech...*
*Unless their parents put them up to it.
Typical argument by people like you. You can't argue the facts or the law or the principle so you make up "facts" to smear the motives of the people involved. Gleen Greenwald at Unclaimed Terrority sums your arguing style up well here.
Hell is a word invented to scare children. Why wince when they use it?
Nobody ever had an independent opinion. We are all influenced. If we were not, we would have no language.
This country was founded on the idea of no censorship - censorship started immediately and it has been a constant struggle ever since, so I have become very intolerant of censors and their excuses which all deconstruct to "I don't like it so nobody should do it"
Any government that is hurt by free speech deserves to be hurt and as I live I will assert that my freedom is more important than your ideas. How can I deny that right to someone else? If you ask someone else to give up their freedom, you ask me to give up mine - and I will not do so without a fight.
Gosh, I didn't mean to get you guys all upset. I did use the word probably and I'm at least possibly correct that the parent(s) put the kid up to it and I think it matters. It appears that we have a difference of opinion and my opinions are unwelcome here. Ok.
Personally I have to agree she should not be allowed to sing the song.. keep our kids out of this dirty politics..
but ya can't blame her parents (who obviously put her up to it), when you have someone like kathern Harris in your own state flaunting her boobs.. the ones on her chest and the one in her head...
Anon -- your comments are welcome (to speak for crankyboy) ... Sometimes everyone gets fired-up.
"There has never been a time when free speech was not seen by conservatives as an inconvenience at best and sedition at worst. " -- a great observation Fogg. And it’s the crux of the conservative movement. Their adherence to dogma above reasoned/rational thought is antithetical to progress. If they had their way, women wouldn't be in the workplace or voting...
All comments are welcome. I don't delete anything that isn't spam or such. I believe in freedom of speech. The more the better. The answer to speech that you disagree with or a song's lyric's you disagree with is to debate it. Through such debate, hopefully based on facts and logic and reason and some passion things get the best result. At least in theory. Saying I don't like her criticizing the President, whether it's W or Bill, and thus she must be silenced is the beginning of the end for true freedom of speech which I fear we passed a long time ago.
BJ-
I don't live in Florida. Thank God.
Yeah, you live in El-Annoy. Something to be very proud of.
It's just such a shame, seeing our young people such as this little darling, being rendered for torture or going to some gulag just because they don't agree with Der Deciderer.
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