The President's "Lesson Plan"...

Sometimes I think this nation is comprised of... well, idiots.

On the chilly morning of Jan 20, 1961, we heard the last great Democratic President of the United States say, during his Inaugural Address, that we should "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Now, we see the White House planning an address that will will focus on school children and how they can "help the President" reach his goals in education and national reform. This address will be pumped into classrooms across this nation, from pre-kindergarten to the high school level, and will be accompanied by a "lesson plan" appropriate for the ages involved. This plan includes having the younger children write letters to themselves pledging to "help" the President, and outlining how they will do that, to having the older children study the background and history of our President and his rise to the highest office in the land.

The "liberal Left" in this country does not seem to see a difference between the two calls. They see Obama's address as a logical continuation of the Kennedy call made 48 years ago... something they seem to feel has been forgotten (this according to the First Lady herself).

In 1961, Kennedy called for a renewed sense of patriotic and civic duty. His call was to give notice that the incoming Democratic administration would NOT continue the "New Deal" policies of either the outgoing Republican administration or the previous Democratic plans of FDR and Truman. The message was that the Federal Government was NOT there to support and determine the "general welfare" of the society, but that IT depended on the support of the people. Kennedy understood that a society without the incentive to contribute voluntarily would necessarily be forced to make contributions to the society compulsory, and that such compulsory actions detract from our personal freedoms and liberties as defined by our Constitution.

Obama's plans seem to remove the focus from the "country" and move that focus to the "President" himself. Aside from the superficial and narcissistic nature of such a request, I am afraid that this would send a dangerous message to future generations. In a society such as ours, where we routinely refer to the men that helped found our Republic as the Founding Fathers, and we point to these men as role models for today's youth. These men fought (and some died) for the defense of the inherent right to disagree with authority, to dissent and voice a contrary opinion to stated policy. Obama himself made many allusions to the "patriotic" nature of the dissenter's voice in American politics, repeatedly saying that opposition to Administration policy DID NOT equal "un-American" or unpatriotic actions... on the contrary, he led us to believe it was the height of patriotism and a yardstick for American diversity in politics.

Should a child of mine voice a dissenting opinion to the policies and agendas laid out in this upcoming speech to the children of our nation, can Obama guaranty that they won't be marginalized? Can he show me that the "lesson plan" he is proposing will not make support and adherence to the Obama administration seem "mainstream"... if not compulsory... to our students? Would I be wrong in urging my kids to write a letter to themselves stating that they will openly, and with enthusiasm, oppose any stated policy or position taken by the Administration that they feel is outside the scope of Federal government as defined by our Constitution... especially if the schools and teachers couldn't guaranty objective and open environments for such lessons? I think not...

In 1961, the torch did, indeed, pass to a new generation. The Obama White House, however, is trying its damnedest to pass on a "new torch" rather than show the world what the "next generation" is capable of with the torch we have held for more than 225 years. That isn't simply partisan in its nature... it is criminal, in my opinion.