There you go missing the point and criticizing the previous administration and suggesting I am personally seeking some right week influence, incorrect on all accounts...Can you understand, it is NOT about what party you are with?...This President, nor any other President, should not be talking directly to our kids in the schools. It is not the role of the Presidency and if you think there is not an underlying message behind what will be said, do some research on how this message was originally going to be sent, with an instructional 60 minute post Q&A for the teachers to discuss with the students why the President is doing a great job, how he motivates them, why they are proud of him, what quote they liked most from his previous speeches, how they can help him, etc...somehow I think you might have a problem if a right wing gov't official, or Bush, tried to do the same thing. I would be outraged with any republican doing this in our schools and at least I have the integrity and honesty to say that instead of blinding following party lines. This is not political, it is about unprecedented gov't intrusion into our lives, and now our kids lives, where it has no business. Did you even watch the video? I noticed you had no comment on that or maybe you think that was acceptable behavior by a grade school teacher. The same thing happens regularly in the grade schools of South, FL where I live. I consistently see material that comes home with the kids and it is shocking the political agendas being vomited all over our kids at an alarmingly young age. Example, one homework assignment of the 3rd grade was to come up with 10 reasons why the IRAQ war was wrong and should end immediately and then another assignment was to write a poem about Obama, but it had to include 10 words from the teacher, which were all glowing positive words. If that kind of brainwashing does not scare you, it should, just think it might someday happen to your kids from the radical right. A frightening precedent to set. I agree with you in one area, most parents do a piss poor job of raising their kids these days and helping them get ahead in school, but that is not the government's job to fix, that should be fixed in the home and in conjunction with the school.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO LINK FROM YOUTUBE FROM A TEACHER IN ASHEVILLE, NC SPEAKING TO HER CLASS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LAST FALL, THEN READ THE ARTICLE BELOW FROM YAHOO NEWS TODAY...

(note this video was not shown by our media in the USA it was aired in Sweden, thus the weird start and the subtitles)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyRWcnElKo0

YAHOO HEADLINE NEWS...

On September 8, in what the Department of Education is touting as a "historic" speech, President Obamawill be talking directly to students across the U.S., live on the White Housewebsite. But some parents and conservatives are blasting the president, calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children.

Last month, in an interview with 11-year-old student reporter Damon Weaver, the president announced his big back-to-school plan:

"I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education; about the importance of staying in school; how we want to improve our education system and why it’s so important for the country. So I hope everybody tunes in."

Secretary of Education Arne Duncansent a letter to the nation's principals, inviting schools to watch the speech and included suggested classroom activities. But Jim Greer, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, came out swinging against the planned speech. An excerpt from his statement :

"The address scheduled for September 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the President's agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our President's initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates."

NBC spoke with Katie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Florida Republican Party, who said the party's "beef" is with the accompanying lesson plans. The guide for pre-K through grade 6 suggests questions students think about during the speech, such as "What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do?"

The plan for grades 7-12 includes a "guided discussion," with suggested topics: "What resonated with you from President Obama's speech? What is President Obama inspiring you to do?"

The Cato Institute, a public-policy research foundation, issued a press release entitled "Hey Obama, Leave Those Kids Alone," criticizing the "troubling buzzwords" in the lesson plans:

"It's one thing for a president to encourage all kids to work hard and stay in school – that's a reasonable use of the bully pulpit. It's another thing entirely, however, to have the U.S. Department of Educationsend detailed instructions to public schools nationwide on how to glorify the president and the presidency, and push them to drive social change."

Across the blogosphere, comments covered the spectrum, from critical to supportive, and from one student, a little anger:

" I sent my children to school to be educated NOT indoctrinated."— justamom

"The fact that people want to keep their kids from hearing the President of the United Statesencourage them to do well in school shows a true level of ignorance." — Firefey

"As an [sic] 9th grade student, I'd like to say that 1. I'm not sure why everyone is so scared that we'll all be brainwashed by the President ... 2. My school is one that is not allowing us to watch the speech, and quite frankly, I'm pissed." — Willbw

Both Presidents George Bushand Ronald Reaganboth gave speeches aimed specifically at students that were nationally televised. In 1989, Bush delivered a televised anti-drug speech, and Reagan's 1986 commencement speech and Q&A session was "beamed over public television into 171 school districts," according to the L.A. Times.

It's worth noting that schools are, encouraged, not required, to air the speech. The Houston Chronicle reports that one Dallas school districtis leaving the decision to individual teachers. Susan Dacus, spokeswoman for the Wylie school district, says parents who don't want their children to see it can opt out.

In an ironic twist, one Missouri school won't be airing the speech because of a lack of funding. Michelle Baumstark, spokeswoman for Columbia public schools, told the Columbia Daily Tribune , "We don’t have the funding or the equipment to support that type of broadcasting.”