Hey, you guys, the freepers are all up in arms over this video

[proud2BlibKansan]

and demanding the teacher be fired: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/teacher_suspended_in_obama_vid.html

It's a group of African American kids at a charter school doing a chant about Obama, how he inspires them and what his platform is.

And the freeps are going crazy because the kids are wearing uniforms with camouflage pants. (Oh the horror of young black men all dressed alike and chanting!)

The comments following the video are interesting, to say the least.

Now, to any lurking freepers, this teacher screwed up but not how you think. He is in trouble for putting his kids on youtube (privacy law violation) and was disciplined for that. But hey if you like reading about teachers who get suspended for doing stupid things concerning this election, check out this idiot:

Florida teacher suspended after racially charged Obama comments
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081004/NEWS07/81004035/1009/NEWS07

[timber84]

1. local right wing hate jock was spewing about this today.

Using words like "gangs" and such to scare people

[msallied]

Exactly. The Florida teacher thing is FAR more disturbing.

[last1standing]

2. They wanted these charter schools so fuck them.

If this were a public school I'd agree but this is the result of their hateful policies in action.

[crim son]

3. I watched for one minute and choked up.

Although the idea - the "let us sing praise to our leader" idea - is repellant, the fact that the boys are doing it with such enthusiasm is touching and to my mind, is an indication of the good that Obama has already done. Fuck the nitwits who only like white protestants to march in camo.

[LisaM]

17. I don't like to see ANYONE not in the military marching in camo

that's my only objection. Couldn't they have worn something else? I just don't like it as a fashion statement.

[crim son]

20. Fair enough, and generally speaking, I agree with you.

In fact it gives me the heebie jeebies when I see people who are obviously civilian wearing camo... especially kids. But I guess they could just be teeny little hunters. :P

[LisaM]

23. I guess I'm trying to put myself on the opposite side

what if it was a bunch of skinhead white kids at a charter school saying how Palin had inspired them? I'd be horrified. I'm not equating the kids in the video with skinheads. I like stepping, and I listened to the various things they said they were inspired to be. I just wish they'd chosen other pants!

[crim son]

31. And I believe you!

Because I'm not kidding about my dislike of camo. :hi:

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. One of the talking heads in Boston was upset over these young kids, too

Of course this particular moran is a racist jerk anyway.

[asdjrocky]

5. Funny,

when someone with even a slightly open mind views that video, they come away inspired. Guess it just goes to show ya.

[Honu one]

6. What's the big deal? The kids are stepping.

Stepping is not new. Someone needs to rent the movie Stomp The Yard or Drumline for these idiots.

[Clio the Leo]

13. exactly, you can see this on university campuses all over the country...

..... they're just doing what line brothers who are pledging a fraternity do all the time.

And ....... NEWSFLASH!!!! ...... "Alpha Omega" is code word for ......... that socialist, anti-government community organizer from WAY back ..... what's his name...... oh yeah, JESUS CHRIST!

please.

[SoonerPride]

7. I'm up in arms about tax exempt preachers blathering on about how their flock should fucking vote

Take away their tax exempt status or they can STFU.

[Doremus]

8. The racist fuckwits can shove it. Obama is an inspiration to these kids

and they have every right to speak out about it.

Now if the teacher had composed the piece and instructed them to memorize it that would be different. That isn't how it happened.

It's a beautiful thing that we FINALLY have a leader that can inspire young people (and all the rest of us too).

[DrPresident]

11. Right on

n/m

[proud patriot]

22. hear hear

agreed

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. Amen!!

[NYC_SKP]

9. Those kids were BLACK, we can't let them have hope or get excited about school!!

:sarcasm:

I loved seeing them engaged and informed.
A teacher somewhere else might have gotten a different set of kids chanting McCain things, and that would have upset me, but I don't care.

It would be a hell of a lot harder for THAT teacher to find anything worth chanting about with McCain's policies.

I was uplifted by the video, cheers to the teacher and the students there in Kansas City. :toast:

[seabeyond]

10. dress up day at a fundamentalist christian school, these little bodies in camouflage

i HATED it. i couldnt believe when i picked up my 5 and 7 yr old all the little bodies looking army

i have always just said no

but it isnt just little black kids wearing it, that is for sure.

big sale item in texas panhandle and white kids are the ones buying it.

[Curtland1015]

12. So what's the fear? That he's militarizing black children?

...and an army of little black kids are going to cruise the towns stealing bubble gum and beating white kids at four square?

[Number23]

14. If they spent one MILISECOND away from their lily-white enclaves

.. they would realize this ain't nothing new.

By the gold boots, it's obvious that the teacher is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity which always steps in gold boots. Here are a few clips from a 2-second Google search -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqPYcvWKCI

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=813898

Stepping is something black folks have done for the last 40 years. It is a fun, energetic tradition that highlights our pride in our respective sororities and frats.

I will never understand why is it that ANYTIME black people do something different from white folks, why Freepers IMMEDIATELY see it as "sinister" and "un-American." They are about the dumbest bunch of folks on the planet.

[MadrasT]

15. IMHO, there's nothing funnier than freepers in a panic.

Let 'em sweat.

[truthisfreedom]

16. Especially a racially-motivated panic.

I hope they have nightmares.

[Raschel]

19. Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

They'll all be sleepless in Freeperville after Obama wins. He he.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Sale on Depends!!

:rofl:

[Raschel]

18. Freepers are scared of Black people. What is the name of that phobia?

I swear they're skeered of their own shadow. They won't be able to sleep at night with a Black man in charge. It's funny entertaining that delicious thought.

[knixphan]

32. that thought makes me smile.

[Peacetrain]

21. Folks don't you remember three or four years ago, the kids praying to a picture of bush

Just saying if in freeperland, they are upset about chanting, I was a whole lot more upset about kids praying to a picture of bush..now that was frightening

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0929-08.htm

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. How about that scene in Jesus Camp

where the kids laid hands on an effigy of Bush?!

[Peacetrain]

29. I know, I just put a thread up about it.. It makes me so mad

that those people in freeperville, with their self righteous points of view would have the nerve to criticize others after what they have done for the last 7 years

[Demi_Babe]

24. folks are comparing the kids to "Hitler Youth"...just repulsive

[Catherine Vincent]

28. This looks like typical ROTC stuff, imo. nt

[political_Dem]

30. To be honest, no one actually listened to what the kids were saying.

The students were:

1)describing what they would like to do with their lives and that Obama's run inspired them to do so.

2)mentioning Obama's health care policies and how they would help everyday folk.

Furthermore, the kids were putting on a step show while chanting the above concepts.


I think the outrage from the conservatives is based on nothing but fear and subtle racism which was probably magnified by Klondike Sarah's comments while on the stump.

Even more, the outcry is a statement that we're not more culturally knowledgable as a country. In fact, because people take dominant culture for granted, they do not want to explore anything and feel rather perturbed when asked to do so.

That's why we get utter stupidly like this.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. More press:

Video of students praising Obama gets teacher suspended

By JOE ROBERTSON

The Kansas City Star

A teacher at a Kansas City charter school was suspended Monday after video of his public school students chanting in praise of Barack Obama became a national sensation on YouTube.

In the video, boys from the Urban Community Leadership Academy, wearing T-shirts and camouflage pants, march in formation and shout out how Obama has sparked the middle school students’ aspirations to be architects, lawyers and entrepreneurs.

The video was the subject of the most read and most e-mailed story on Fox News’ Election Headquarters Web page Monday.The school’s director, Joyce McGautha, said she had been advised by legal counsel to make no more comments about the video while the school investigates.

The video — created in May while Obama and Hillary Clinton were competing for the Democratic nomination, but apparently not posted until recently — brought a wave of complaints on blogs of a public school being much too partisan.

http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/14852

[amandabeech]

34. I don't like the idea of publicly funded elementary and secondary schools

getting involved in politics during the school day. Even as an after class school activity, I'm uncomfortable. As someone posted on this thread or another, what if the students copied some Aryan Nation ritual and lauded David Duke? You allow one, you have a harder time keeping out the other.

If the local dems want to start a Youth for Obama club outside the public school system, or if this were taking place in a privately funded school, I would have no problem. In fact it's good to see kids have a positive view of their future, and for these young men, Obama is a terrific role model.

But for publicly funded schools, I think that this is on a really slippery slope.