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Obama ‘Pledge’ Video Upsets Parents

From the Salt Lake Tribune:


Parents upset over ‘leftist propaganda’ video

Education » Principal apologizes for showing ‘I Pledge’ to students.

By Lisa Schencker

09/02/2009

A school principal has apologized for showing a video at an assembly that a politically conservative group leader is calling "radical, leftist propaganda."

Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world — and that’s where some say the problem lies…

"Showing the video in a public school is completely inappropriate," said Jennifer Cieslewicz, whose daughter is a first-grader at the school. "I don’t believe a video such as this that promotes certain values should be shown to elementary students, especially without parents being aware. "

Chris Williams, Davis School District spokesman, said school principal Ofelia Wade and school PTA leaders decided to show the video as part of an assembly about the school’s theme for the year, service. He said the PTA board chose the video and Wade did not see it before it was shown in the assembly.

"It got to a point where she turned to her assistant and said, ‘Oops, I wish I would have seen this before. I don’t think I would have shown it,’ " Williams said. He said Wade could see how some adults might find the video political.

"She acknowledges she was wrong and apologizes for it and says she’s sorry," Williams said. Attempts to reach school PTA leaders Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.

Williams said Wade plans to send a letter home to parents Wednesday about the issue.

Gayle Ruzicka, president of conservative Utah Eagle Forum, said the video was blatantly political. She said other offensive pledges included, "I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama," "I pledge allegiance to the funk, to the united funk of funkadelica," and pledges to not use plastic grocery bags and not flush the toilet after urinating.

"It’s very inappropriate to show a radical, leftist propaganda piece that political to children," Ruzicka said. "If parents want their children to learn about those things and do them in the home, wonderful, fine, but it’s not the place of the school to show a one-sided propaganda piece to children without parents knowing about it."

Cieslewicz said such values should be decided in the home, not at school.

"They shouldn’t be troubling our youth with the woes of the world and making them feel like we’re in slavery or they have to worry about how many times they flush the toilet or if they have a plastic water bottle," Cieslewicz said, referring to pledges in the video to "end slavery."

Ruzicka said she contacted local media about the video after receiving complaints from several parents. Ruzicka said she worried the video’s messages would confuse children whose parents might choose to use plastic bags when shopping or who want their children to flush the toilet after every use. Also she said she didn’t like a pledge "to be of service to Barack Obama" as he is here to serve Americans, not the other way around

This was the PTA’s idea. And in Salt Lake City!

And few would be the wiser if it were not for a local “a politically conservative group leader.”

Mind you, this same video is probably being shown all over the fruited plain without demure.

(Thanks to Pat for the heads up.)

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41 Responses to “Obama ‘Pledge’ Video Upsets Parents”

  1. logicrat

    It’s sad to see how easily some Americans have been duped into the same brainwashed idolatry of leaders formerly reserved for dictatorships like North Korea and Stalinist Russia. And notice how the left only starts feeling “patriotic” when there’s a leftist in office. Of course, when you hear Anthony Kiedis’ pledge to “be of service to Barack Obama”, rather than the United States of America, it’s clear the left has no clue what patriotism actually is.

  2. imnewatthis

    Really scary! As Gayle Ruzicka pointed out, Obama is here to serve us, not vice versa
    Everything has suddenly changed in the last several months; the President is to be worshipped and supported rather than opposed and reviled. My husband has told me that the anti-war protesters who have protested downtown every Saturday morning since the Afghan and Iraqi wars started have completely disappeared now that Obama is Commander-in-Chief! There were a bunch of them for years, every week when we went to the farmer’s market, and now they’ve vanished into thin air!

  3. “United we stand. Divided we fall!” We must pull together in the service of our great President. I pledge to save the planet by regularly using Beano with my Burrito to cut down on those deadly green house gas emissions…

  4. cerberus6

    I’d guess this is just part of the opening steps toward “organizing” the youth of America. Obama talking to all the young school kids is another. In many schools prior to the inauguration young children were being spun up on the magnificence of the new president. Young children who would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a President and a King, nor care.

    In all the authoritarian state past and present you always see the “youth” involved in the pageantry and show idolizing the Leader. Progressivism was in the schools but children have been passive receivers of the ideology. Now they are being brought to actively engage. Mandatory community service volunteers, national day of service and certainly more to come – Obama made that clear in speeches prior to the election.

    As for the nimrods pledging whatever – it’s all funny to mundane for the most part – hey it’s a free country , if you don’t want to flush the crapper in your house knock yourself out – but then we hear them start pledging themselves to the “cause” and Obama” in very disturbing language. It sound eerily similar to some of the prewar footage of Germans -leaders and noted citizens publicly committing themselves to Adolf Hitler, clearly with the intent of influencing others and effectively subjugating any real freedoms they had.

    I’m not saying Mr. Obama is in any way shape or form like Adolf, but I am saying we as a free society should all be calling out even the mildest patterns of authoritarianism and nation socialism because allowed to continue nothing good comes of it.

  5. canary

    Please do not forget about Sept 8, 2009 when the public schools do activities for Obama School Day, Pre-K-12. Such activities will be asking children to write a list of things they can do to help Obama.
    9th – 12th graders will becoming up to vote for the next presidential election. !!!!
    Do, not allow this president to be a political “predator” and molest our children’s minds.

    Your home taxes, sales taxes, which go to public schools should be to teach your children the basics of education, not to be used as a promotion to elect a president or any political candidate or agenda. Your taxes already pay the salaries of Union due paying school authorities and teachers, which were powerful in electing Obama. so. Enough is enough.
    So, even if you do not have children, they are the future.
    Obama would never allow something like this in his own children’s private schools,
    and children deserve the same safety and protection against such political brainwashing and campaigning by a leader who knows better.
    Call your local school’s principals, the superintendents office over district schools, and your state superintendent’s office. Demand this program be stopped. Fax or e-mail letters/
    Consider boycotting that day especially if you have a young child, who are defenseless and can not protect themselve from this abuse of authority. Use their opportunity to educate your children of the propaganda they will face as they grow up. Teach your children to take a stance. They need to learn tools for as they grow older to see that there will be occasions that those in authority have over-stepped their bounds.
    There is still time to stop Obama molestation of our children. Call other parents, form protests. Our children need our protection.

    • TwilightZoned

      Please know, there are some teachers who do not, in any way, shape or form, support left-wing garbage. Most of the teachers I hang with are conservatives to the bone. We quietly go about our business and avoid, sometimes to our own peril, spewing left-wing propaganda curriculum. On some occasions we can conveniently forget. More often, truthful supplementation is added to counter balance since students are end of course tested on adopted curriculum. (By the way, in my district, teachers have very little say in what books are adopted as I suspect is the same in most districts.)

      Conservative teachers facilitate learning so students openly question, criticize and come up with their own conclusions, not brainwash. We don’t vote for union recommended democraps. We are appalled by blatant attempts to push progressive points of view that go on in some classes. Not all us are in the tank for Barry. Unfortunately, we are far outnumbered. But make no mistake, we do try to fight the good fight.

      If I had children, you bet I’d keep them home on the 8th. My hope is that countless numbers of parents do just that as well as call/or e-mail their local school board members. Better yet, attend the next school board meeting and state your objection. Same thing at the next PTA meeting. It’s one small way to send a very big message.

  6. School teachers see their fortunes improving in Obama’s Great Socialist State. They are as in the tank for Obama as the United Auto Workers Union. I substitute teach in the public schools. The only way to save our schools is a nationwide voucher system. This would encourage diversity of education: Catholic schools, Jewish schools, Christian academies.

    The motto of the NEA could be “Diverse people, unity of thought.”

    • Eilsel

      PLEASE, don’t lump us all together. I am a school teacher and I am NOT a member of NEA for many and obvious reasons.

      I’m teaching kids how to think and analyze. I’ll show this video…then we’ll discuss it and pick it apart. I’ll show Obama’s speech…then we’ll discuss it and pick it apart. The picking apart is crucial and it is exactly what many lawmakers DON’T want…a body of people who can think for themselves.

    • canary

      “I’ll show this video…then we’ll discuss it and pick it apart.”

      I am not picking teachers apart. But, many schools are leaving this up to the teachers choice of showing the video.

      I appreciate you being conservative, but it’s the parents that should choose to watch or not watch with the students. Those who condemn the speech can be accused of racism.

      Obama should have done his speech off school hours. Of course his entire point of doing during school, was the extra activities that went along, and deceptive in parents that are not aware. This was not required for any school to do. The intent was that parents not be warned. Presently, one school, is requiring notes from parents giving permission, one school, wants a letter in writing to the principal not to watch. The secrecy in the one school, is that children and parents are not aware. The automatic phone calls, e-mails, nothing, so many will not have the “written premission” to be excused.

    • TwilightZoned

      Barry will be shown in the library only at my school which happens to be during one of the four lunches. I suspect he would, and will, be greeted by a very small audience, even if all 3,400 students were allowed to attend at the same time.

  7. proreason

    It works the same ways at both ends of the age cycle.

    The younger you get em, the more votes you acrrue. 50 years is a lot of votes. 10 years not so man.

    At the end of life, counsel em into the grave. They probably aren’t going to vote for an adolescent give-away strategy anyway. Who needs em if they won’t vote for you? Give the pills to some 20 year-old illegal alien. Then make him legal.

    The math is awesome.

  8. Let’s Recap—

    1. The American people elect a black president with a total of 142 days experience as a US Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President’s first official act is to order the close of Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violate d. (He screwed up!!!)
    2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists. (An honest mistake?)
    3. The CIA Boss appointee, Leon Panetta, has absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda, we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist and a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere. (There were socio-economic factors involved!)
    4. We got the second most corrupt American woman (Pelosi is #1) as Secretary of State; bought and paid for. (You can put lipstick on a pig, but it still stinks!
    5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who did not properly file his own taxes for 12 years. (He misspoke!)
    6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges. (Another honest mistake???)
    7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges. (Hmmm… another screw-up?)
    8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct. (Ok, maybe this person was just plain stupid.)
    9. A Secretary HHS nominee (Daschle) who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes. (I’m running out of excuses for these idiots!)
    10. Multiple appointments of former lobbyists after an absolute campaign statement that no lobbyists would be appointed. ( I need a drink!)
    11. All this occurred just during the first three weeks. . . but who’s counting?
    12. America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges; Barry, Nancy and Harry and they a re still trying to define stimulus…”it’s spending!!!”
    13. The congress passes the $800,000,000,000 (that’s $800 billion) pork-loaded spending bill where the government gives you a smidgen of your tax dollars ($13 per week), making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated], that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!
    Only in America , what a country…
    Here’s the good news though – Obama took Air Force One to Denver to sign the stimulus package, wasting as much as 10,000 gallons of fuel OR 24 JOBS FOR ONE YEAR. Don’t you just love this hypocrite?
    Obama has now been president for seven months and yet he & his wife (first lady) Michelle, the Christian family they claim to be, have not attended church since the inauguration. He must miss Reverend Wright!
    In20these times ‘I’ll keep my freedom, my gun and my money. Anyone that supports this insanity can keep “THE CHANGE”.’

    • proreason

      not to nitpick, but you omitted:

      - siezing the auto, banking, and mortgage industries and a naked attempt to sieze the Health Care industry.
      - the appointment of avowed communists and America-haters to key (but unaccountable) positions
      - at least 7 direct assaults on free speech
      - the America is Evil on-going world tour
      - quardupling the national debt in 7 months
      - partial passage of the greatest tax increase (Cap and Tax) in the history of the country
      - the realease of Black Panthers and demonization of a white police officer
      - non-stop 48×7 bald-faced, adolescent-level lying on every topic. It seems to be an addication.

      and HUNDREDS more

  9. logicrat

    I pledge to never pay to see a movie or purchase any music from any of these celebretards.

  10. VMAN

    I pledge to leave a deuce in a liberals yard and I won’t even have to flush. Yea I know that’s kinda gross.

  11. Right of the People

    “and not flush the toilet after urinating”

    WTF!!!

    That’s a great thing to teach kids, it violates basic hygiene rules and yes can help spread diseases. Nothing grosses me out more than going into a public restroom and the urinals are full and smelling to high heaven be because of pigs who don’t flush.

    I keep hoping that this is all just a nightmare caused by bad liquor and when I wake up things will be back to normal with an adult in the White House. What’s next, is Barry going to change the name of the place he lives because of racial overtones. Maybe he’ll change it to Da Hood.

    Good, it’s afternoon, time to break out the Wild Turkey and try to forget about this.

  12. Okay is there anyone more celebrity-savvy than me, who else is pledging in this propaganda? Start a boycott list!

    Eva Longoria (damn, I was looking forward to Desperate Housewives returning soon!)
    Aston Kutcher
    Demi Moore (”I’ve never had plastic surgery.”)
    Rumer Willis (bet her dad wasn’t happy about that!)
    Eva Mendes
    Mike Tyson
    Cameron Diaz (don’t like her anyway she irritates me)
    Courteney Cox
    David Arquette
    Anthony Kedis
    Dakota Fanning (WTF?? She’s not even old enough to vote, and I don’t think she will be in 2012.)
    One of the dudes from the Black Eyed Peas

    A servant to our president?

    I am going to barf now, that’s 4:14 seconds I can’t get back!

    • wardmama4

      Thanks caligirl – I too am not really up on celebs as I used to be and was going to ask for a list.

      I thought I spotted Carlos Mencia and Alyssa Milano and was that Jenna Elfman?!?

      And nice touch wasn’t it to bring up slavery – like it is such a problem here in the big ole bad US – try Afrika children that is where it is #1 problem in the World today. Maybe – just maybe cutting off all the financial aid that we pore down that cesspool might make them think twice about all that slavery dealing.

      The only I pledge I could get into was the guy pledging to call himself American not African American but I bet if Obama is ousted during his Presidency or not re-elected – he’ll go back to calling himself African American again.

      What a crock of liberal hollyweird bs. Bet that gets shown during Tuesday’s What Will You Do for Obama Day at School.

      I can’t believe that this crap is happening in the US and that no one in power is giving a damn at all to stop this tyrannical, maniacal Master of the Universe wanna be. Thanks Chief Justice Roberts – thanks Congress – thanks anyone other than Sarah Palin who has not had the backbone or guts to say not No but HELL NO to this destructive, anti-American, un-Constitutional dangerous man.

    • Wardmama, the guy who was forevermore going to call himself an “American” and not African American was Mike Tyson. Convicted felon wife-beater, ear-chewer. A great American!

      I just told my daughter I won’t go see the new “Twilight” movie because of Dakota Fanning. My soon-to-be 26-year old says Dakota is too young to know any better! LOL I guess Dakota will indeed be able to vote in 2012 (but not 2010). Hopefully she comes to her senses by then.

      I think you are correct about Carlos Mencia. Too bad. I laughed at his stuff.

    • katmeredith

      Dakota Fanning will be eligible to vote in 2012. Sadly. And thanks for the list.

      I agree, wardmama4, I could get behind the calling ourselves Americans pledge. Other than that, pure nonsense.

    • Petronius

      Caligirl, barfing ain’t in it. That was really gross. And such an abuse of wholesome American words like “patriotism,” “responsibility,” and “work.” And what was that nonsense about “slavery”? Were they talking about Nerobama’s looming enslavement of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals? And to think that all of those celebs were just a pimple on Nerobama’s face.

      Mike Tyson does not appear –– he has better sense. But to add to your boycott list (above) we should also note :
      Jaime Pressly
      Nicole Richie & husband Joel Madden
      Ashley Simpson
      Lucy Liu
      Soleil Moon Frye
      Sophia Bush
      Ioan Gruffudd
      Josh Groban
      Michelle Trachtenberg
      P. Diddy (Sean Combs)
      George Lopez
      Hayden Panettiere
      Marisa Tomei

    • Caligirl, that is actually Michael Strahan, retired defensive end of the New York Giants, not Mike Tyson. But overall, this video is pretty rediculous. As other people have said, the President should be a “servant” to us, not the other way around.

    • Liberals Demise

      Move over Jane Fonda!! (American Traitor Biatch)
      Companys’ a-coming!!

    • Ah, I saw the gapped teeth and figured it was Tyson. Forgot about his “tribal tattoos.” I watched only once, it was simply too stupid.

    • canary

      Thanks Cali girl

      Eva Longoria (her character started to be nicer)
      Aston Kutcher (alond with Demi refused surgery on Aston’s twin thandicapped brother)
      Demi Moore
      Rumer Willis (her famous mommy got her the spot; can’t act.
      Mike Tyson (feloney for rape, wife beater, ear eater)
      Dakota Fanning (she can stand up for the baby fishies, crying on the news, but does not care about the slaughter of human babies and elderly people)
      guess some careers strapped for cash. They’ll be invited to eat sludge
      vegies, cabbage and peas. lol.

    • canary

      wardmama, he didn’t just chew. Literally bit off a piece of the ear. He was convicted for rape. Obama’s idol probably.

  13. Confucius

    !! ALL PARENTS READ THIS !!

    From the National PTA (http://www.pta.org/3213.htm):

    A Call to Service | June 22-September 11, 2009

    PTA members have a strong history of volunteer leadership. As the nation’s largest, volunteer child advocacy organization, the PTA has had a significant impact on improving the education and well-being of America’s children for 113 years. …

    Now, PTA units and volunteer members have the opportunity to continue to lead the nation in volunteering this summer and year round through President Obama’s United We Serve Initiative (June 22-September 11, 2009). The President’s initiative encourages all Americans to get involved in their communities on projects focused on education, health, and serving military families. Millions of people will be introduced to volunteering throughout this summer-long initiative, becoming inspired to continue a lifetime of service to the schools and communities where we live. PTA’s leadership and involvement in the President’s call to service and beyond will further PTA’s commitment to serving all children with one voice.

    Important to these efforts is to be able to sustain the spirit of volunteering all year. Service projects have the potential to launch powerful new programs, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged communities. PTA members are encouraged to continue their volunteer efforts throughout the year in their schools, neighborhoods and communities. …

    They’re everywhere.

    (P.S. Keep this in mind when the PTA asks for donations.)

    • Colonel1961

      Commie NewSpeak: ‘culture of engaged communities’, ’sustainable service programs’, ‘all children with one voice’.

      I mean, really, WTH…

      p.s. which way to the vomitorium?

    • canary

      The PTA is all about donations. They bribe elementary school children to go door to door on constant fund raising. Charge too much for school games and food. And by volunteer work, they want children to work at businesses, in exchange for them getting money. Charging outrageous prices for dances for “6th” graders, and large amounts to attend school sports events.

  14. proreason

    So Demi and Ashton pledge to help free 1 million slaves in the next 5 years.

    I guess they must be awfully proud that our country freed 4 million slaves in the Civil War. No other country ever did anything like that.

    http://www.civilwarhome.com/population1860.htm

    • Liberals Demise

      Just to add to what you said pro………..There were more indentured servants here than were ever owned. So pull on your crack pipe Van and leave the race baiting to Al and Jesse. They are F-A-R better at it then you!!

    • Where are these 1 million slaves? Not on U.S. soil I hope … I guess the pair are going to stop human trafficking. And beat up some “coyotes” who bring illegals across the border. Wonder where their next housekeeper will come from?

  15. conservativegirl

    “Always represent my country with pride, dignity and honor”? Hey Kuthcher, you may want to run this one by Obama.

  16. Nimblicity

    I pledge…to flush what happened after I listened to this video. *gurgle*

    Both Mr. Apparently-Red/Supposedly-Hot Kiedis and the Taste-Impaired Editor of this perpetual-campaign, pseudo-patriotic propaganda give just cause for their immediate drug testing.

    And I stand corrected in my long-held opinion Justin couldn’t do worse than “Teen Wolf 2.”
    This thing puts the “cult” back in “cult of personality.”

  17. canary

    Ya suppose Obama Productions, (his own film crew made the commercial”) lettuce and peas for snacks. heh heh

    • Yeah where’d Eva Mendes get the bottled water to hold up and say “this is bad!” (I think it was her, like I said once was enough. I do try to NOT buy bottled water but I don’t want someone telling me I can’t buy it ’cause it’s un-American to buy it. Apparently it’s un-American to flush toilets too …).

      I remember seeing a list of Hollywood conservatives/libertarians. Guess I can go see/buy their stuff.

    • A listing of conservative or conservative/libertarian leaning celebrities:

      http://www.mypalal.com/aboutal.....rities.cfm

      There are a few sensible people in Hollywood, but some surprises on that list. Adam Sandler? Kid Rock? Guess I’ll go watch some Adam Sandler flicks and buy more Kid Rock (embarrassed to say I do like Kid Rock, quite entertaining live).

  18. 12 Gauge Rage

    Well, what did ya’ll expect from Hollywierd? Pearls of wisdom and sagely advice? Just because they have money and fame doesn’t make these celebrities the sharpest knives in the drawer. I could have stomached the video a lot easier if it had not ended with everyone morphing into this Stalinist artwork of Obama. The left’s worship of their Dear Leader never seems to stop.

  19. brentsedge

    What they said: “I pledge to be a servant to President Obama and to all man-king”

    What I say: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God”

    I wonder which one is better for our nation?

  20. Rusty Shackleford

    I will serve no man.

    I will serve an ideal. I will serve a concept. I will serve to protect the rights of others. I will serve to make sure my family, friends and those who cannot protect themselves are safe. I will serve to keep the notion of pride, character and dignity safe from denigration. I will serve to keep my home from invaders. I will serve below those who demonstrate the willingness, the courage and the wisdom to lead. BUT I WILL SERVE NO MAN.

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