Polk County school leader says if Obama were talking about the moon it would be okay.

[madfloridian]

This county in Central Florida's I-4 Corridor just keeps digging the hole deeper and making it wider every time they try to explain why they caved to the fundamentalists/racists/bigots who called to complain that the president wanted to talk to their children.

They reacted in fear of the right wing, not with intelligence and common sense. They were scared out of their wits at the Confederate flag wavers coming out of the woodwork.

I talked to the office of one of the people mentioned in the article yesterday. I told one person they were caving in to racists and bigots....she said she would hate to think that. Another came close to agreeing with me. The second seemed sheepish a little.

The words about the moon shot came from Bruce Tonjes, associate superintendent of school-based operations.

Fire from all sides

Polk School Superintendent Gail McKinzie said it's become such a polarizing issue that the district decided it's best to accommodate parents who don't want their children exposed to the president without their permission. She said she's surprised at the degree of parental angst over what's purported to be an innocuous presidential address.

"Perhaps they're trying to read more into it than what it will be," McKinzie said.

"It's become more of a distraction than what I can imagine it was set up to be."

Tonjes said he fielded a constant flood of calls Friday, from parents adamant that the district not telecast Obama's speech, and just as many parents who felt the president shouldn't be censored. Even though politicians routinely visit Polk classrooms to address children on a variety of issues, Tonjes said the hubbub surrounding Tuesday's speech was reason to formulate a special directive that gives parents the option of not exposing their children to the presidential message.

"If it was a moon shot and he (Obama) were going to be talking about the moon, that would be different," Tonjes said.

Tonjes goes on to say that that they don't normally ask parents to give permission for politicians to talk to their childen.

He admits they caved in to the phone calls.

the hubbub surrounding Tuesday's speech was reason to formulate a special directive that gives parents the option of not exposing their children to the presidential message.

I have a secret to share with them. There are at least three bible colleges and one very large religious university nearby. They are well funded by the right. They have well-organized ways of getting out any message they want to share.

There are lots of everyday average people who would love to hear the President of the United States speak.

But they caved in to the screamers out of fear. All they had to do was just tell them no, that the President of the United States is NOT going to warp the minds of your children.

Tonjes admitted yesterday that there were about an equal number of calls from those supporting the president's right to speak to the children.

They did not listen to the saner voices. They caved to the right out of fear.

[Name removed]

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[jaysunb]

6. maybe they shouldn't be parents....

I went to school in the 50s and 60s and if the POTUS was speaking everybody listened,no matter what their political bent.

My niece had an opportnity to visit the White House and meet GHWB in the late 80s, and while no one in our family cared for him, we were incredibly happy and excited for our family member to have such an experience.

This whole thing is pure racism and hate.
Nothing more and nothing less.

[treestar]

2. We used to have to watch the rockets take off

And the splash downs, on TV in school.

In those days, not a word was said about that. I suppose every American was proud of it at the time.

The President was elected, so there is no way he can be so extreme that children can't hear what he might have to say, even if it were political.

[11 Bravo]

25. Have to!? Shit, I loved it! My Dad and Al Shepard were test pilots together ...

at Pax River, MD, and I was a NASA nut growing up.

[Diamonique]

3. What's the difference?

"If it was a moon shot and he (Obama) were going to be talking about the moon, that would be different," Tonjes said."


It's the first day of school, and he'll be talking about education. Seems quite appropriate to me.

These people are nuckin' futs!

[pauldg0]

16. Great point........

...Glenn Beck putting the fear into uneducated people....kind of an oxymoron isn't it.

The dems should have brainstorm sessions and try to counter these traitors.

[madrchsod]

4. the hometown of ronny raygun is`t going to subject the kids to obama`s talk...

sort of ironic that his hometown does`t want obama to speak to the kids but next year they`ll be subjected to all things reagan. the irony of it all is that ronny was`t that all racist and he was pissed when other schools would`t play football because the team had black players. so a black man from in illinois becomes a state senator,then a senator,and then the president of the usa but our kids won`t hear him.....

times like this makes me wonder why i staid in his stupid fucking town.

[gatorboy]

5. Apparently, the only thing a President should do in front of school children is read My Pet Goat

while quietly pissing himself.

[renate]

7. that is perfect

:thumbsup:

[EndersDame]

15. They would say that he is promoting beastiality

[wolfgangmo]

21. I remember the video and stills from that moment.

I don't think he was pissing himself. I think he was clenched so tight he didn't piss or shit for the next few weeks until his next bender/"vacation."

[rpannier]

27. If he were doing that we'd hear about his anti-cow bias nt

[Nikki Stone1]

8. If Obama were talking about the Moon, the RW would claim that he had a "moon agenda"

It's a personal reaction to a President they don't like.

[madfloridian]

9. Very true.

I think the whole thing was ridiculous and overwrought....and they caved.

[Nikki Stone1]

24. The reaction is odd

and getting tiresome.

[madfloridian]

10. If only it had not been the president.

Politicians in that county visit schools all the time. No problem.

But the president decided to speak to the students....big problem.

I wonder how loudly the world is laughing.

[madfloridian]

11. More...school leaders just sounding ignorant now. They flat out caved.

and now they are trying to sound like it was a good decision all along.

http://www.newschief.com/article/20090905/NEWS/909055025/1021?Title=Polk-Schools-officials-field-hundreds-of-calls-on-Obama-speech

"Tonjes said families are worried Obama could influence their children's beliefs.

"Dozens have threatened to keep their kids out of school, and we don't want that," Tonjes said.

He said others have called to argue that refusing to air the speech would constitute censorship.

"Choose your poison. We're kind of caught here," Tonjes said."

Choose your poison?

Tonjes is an otherwise intelligent man. Shame on him and Gail McKenzie for caving to the idiots.

[PSzymeczek]

13. If one 15-minute speech

can sway the kids from their parent's beliefs, those beliefs aren't worth very much, are they?

[pauldg0]

17. Families of future drop-outs.....

...creating more ilk like themselves.

Send them all out to Texas and push them out to sea.

[pauldg0]

12. I used to work for that district......

.....it is run by the far right. I mean there are good people but their leadership puts the fear into their employees.

Non-union and under the thumb of the white masters. They are 1950 style hypocrits.....I am white and I see it....sorry, but true. They are the most backward and one of the biggest districts in the United States.

[madfloridian]

26. Yes, it is.

And they cater to the bigots.

I thought it might get better after Bush was out of office, but I think it is worse.

[pauldg0]

28. I've heard that it is worse also....

[BobTheSubgenius]

14. Pitiful.

This whole exercise is just f'ing pitiful. And outrageous.

[pauldg0]

18. You know...the Wingnuts ....

....are afraid their leadership has been shown up by a more responsible leader in the White House....who happens to be black.

[madfloridian]

19. I see the unrecs have started.

Maybe they did not like my tone. Well, I am embarrassed by the counties in my state. They had not enough courage to stand up to the right wing.

[704wipes]

20. Well here is a moon shot

maybe BO should tell them to tune in for the moonshot and then tell them they can kiss his black ass?

[Telly Savalas]

22. That's odd. I don't believe the charter school where my kid goes is doing this.

[madfloridian]

23. I see Bok Academy is showing it to all, but later.

I looked up Lake Wales charters and that was all I found.

"http://www.lakewalesnews.com/articles/2009/09/05/opinion/our_viewpoint/doc4aa15ffdb1939643178944.txt

"At the moment, the only Lake Wales area school that plans to show the speech
to all of its students is Bok Academy, a middle school and part of the Lake
Wales Charter Schools system.

In Bok's case, they plan on downloading the speech and showing it to all of
their students at the end of the day.

In virtually all other instances, local principals say they will view the
speech and then decide if and when and how many of their students will see
it. We hope they make their decision on the content of the speech, not the
poltical noise we heard last week."

I looked up Seth McKeel schools, and can't find anything about it. Knowing McKeel's strong right leanings...hard to guess.

I don't know for sure which charters are showing it and which are not.