Have you seen it? The Obama “I Pledge” video? Well, elementary age kids in Utah saw the “I Pledge” video recently at a school assembly. Now, a politically conservative group believes the showing of that brief video is simply more radical, leftist propaganda and the continued indoctrination of school kids. You can read more about it below and watch the “I Pledge” video yourself.
Would you pledge allegiance to this man?
Kids at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington, Utah were shown a short video called “I Pledge” recently during a start-of-school assembly. 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 Obama “I Pledge” video then features a bunch of Hollywood celebutards like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore making pledges about how they will help The One and the world — and that’s the problem says some in the community. It’s indoctrinating school kids.
I remember seeing the video right after the election and thinking not only was it boring and too long, but it was stupid too. Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks, smiling more, and caring for the elderly are really quite noncontroversial and even appropriate.
But other pledges, such as: “to never give anyone the finger when I’m driving again,” “to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid”, “I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama,” “I pledge allegiance to the funk, to the united funk of funkadelica,” as well as pledges to not use plastic grocery bags, not flush the toilet after urinating, and to advance stem cell research seemed just way too much liberal-ese for me and apparently for this community as well. Considering the impressionable young crowd of elementary kids and the fears of indoctrination during this Age of Obama, parents of school kids are concerned.
“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 Eagle Bay Elementary school principal Ofelia Wade and school PTA leaders decided to show the I Pledge video as part of an assembly about the school’s theme for the year, which is “Service”. He said the PTA board chose the video and Principal Wade did not see it before it was shown in the assembly.
Oopsie.
So now, and only because of vigilant parents who spoke out loudly, has the school principal Ofelia Wade apologized for showing the Obama “I Pledge” video and plans to also send a letter home to parents to alleviate any fears of indoctrination of school kids there at Eagle Bay Elementary. No word yet on when the de-programming assembly will be held.
Obama I Pledge Video
Photos: www.wenn.com; White House Official Photographer
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:59 am
Wow! Demi is going to stamp out slavery but become a servant. Great!
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:56 am
This sounds stupid and silly, and I can see why it might be viewed as an implication that kids should develop certain political viewpoints. Of course, the first quoted passage above sounds almost exactly like JFK’s “Ask Not” speech, but that wasn’t directed at children specifically. Although there probably is a good chance that JFK speech was broadcast in plenty of public schools.
At any rate, there have been much more egregious attempts at indoctrination in schools. Artificially adding “Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance during the Cold War is probably one of the worst, but my guess is that plenty on this site would defend that move. Which makes me think this is more an objection to a specific viewpoint, not to the general idea of passing on political (or, even worse, religious) philosophies to our country’s kids.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:57 am
They want my kids to pledge to this, but they are not allowed to say the Pledge of Aligence in school!
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:09 am
they are not allowed to say the Pledge of Aligence in school!
Huh? In what state? What law?
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:14 am
Just ask our founding fathers if a nation “Under GOD” is artificial. They wrote the Constitution with GOD as their foundation from several different religious viewpoints. Acknowledging GOD as our creator is definitely not artificial. What is scary is how all these liberals try to shove their liberal agendas down everyone’s throats. Like the Disabled Marine Vet David Hedrick said to U.S. Rep. Brian Baird at a townhall meeting about trying to indoctrinate our children “STAY AWAY FROM MY KIDS”!
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 am
By “artificial” I meant that it was a phrase inserted into the Pledge long after the Pledge itself had been written. The original author of the Pledge, Francis Bellamy — who was himself a Christian — did not include it. The phrase “Under God” was first inserted in 1954, 62 years after it was first written, and by someone other than the original author. That’s pretty much the definition of artificial.
Of course, even if it had been an original and authentic part of the pledge — which it clearly wasn’t — its use in public schools would have been an obvious violation of the Constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
Personally, I think “The Pledge of Allegiance” is one of the best examples of indoctrinating children you could hope for. Honestly, doesn’t it really promote blind obedience to country?
It’s interesting to note that its author, Francis Bellamy, was a man with very “socialist” leanings. How ironic is that?
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:29 am
i pledge today to go and fill up my very large SUV with gas, eat some BEEF, and shop at WALMART.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 am
Since when it promising to help each other “indoctrination”?
Wow, the right wing has really sunk to an all new, and dangerous, low.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:39 am
Since when it promising to help each other “indoctrination”?
You obviously didn’t check out the thread yesterday about Obama’s pro-education speech to school children. People don’t just dislike this guy, they are genuinely scared of him.
Personally, I’m not threatened by him, just disappointed.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:45 am
“Since when it promising to help each other “indoctrination”?”
luis its not the helping pledges, as the article points out, that are at issue. its the other left-wing mantra in the pledge that makes the other half of America want to puke.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:47 am
11 - Yes, the speech is a problem, but for many people it is the after speech “activities” that are the bigger problem. lisab is not the most conservative person on this site, and as a teacher she is seeing real issues.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:47 am
There is alot of positive ideas about how I might change and do better however the video portays our current sitting president as some higher being and asking my children to pledge anything to him is not okay. I give myself to the Lord and pledge allegiance to the U.S.. I took an oath to the U.S. constitution. Anything other than that I will not do nor will I promote to my kids that they do.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 am
I was good with the video until the “I pledge to help Obama” part. Helping each other and the nation is great but, it shouldn’t be directed to helping him or any other politician specifically….
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 am
I just think that if we’re going to consider Obama’s pro-education speech — and related activities — such a problem, we really need to look back at what we were all taught back in the day.
I know while I was in school — Bush, Clinton, Bush 2 — support for the President was an assumption almost always made when presenting materials to us. Was that as egregious a problem?
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:57 am
Guy - i agree with that. issue ads are fine. i just hate this whole cult of obama stuff.
“I know while I was in school — Bush, Clinton, Bush 2 — support for the President was an assumption almost always made when presenting materials to us.”
rhayader i know. same here. this time, with this guy, its just so different.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
14 - Respect (though not necessarily support) for the office of the Presidency is one thing. With the I pledge video, the issue becomes, not so much one of respecting the Presidency, but a certain cult of personality thing.
As citizens we have a right and obligation to question our government, seeing that it has the ability to give as well as take away our rights. When a politician transcends, merely the political, to a sort of deification by large swaths of the population, they need to be questioned even more.
Trueman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II never reached that “transcendental” status. Only JFK and FDR came close.
Obama does not scare me, as I believe that anyone as tone deaf and incompetent as he is can’t do anything to us, beyond the mistakes that will keep our economy from going forward. It is his followers who think that somehow he is different than any other politician that I worry about.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
rhayader i know. same here. this time, with this guy, its just so different.
I mean, you can say that, but I really don’t understand why. If it simply boils down to the fact that you don’t like Obama, then fine. But in that case, all we’re really talking about is personal preference, and not a fundamentally different place the President is taking in society.
@ghost: Only JFK and FDR came close.
OK, and what about JFK, now that you mention it? Our culture looks back on his administration with nostalgia and reverence, almost without exception. Why is that OK, but this isn’t?
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:20 am
“He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future!”
-Adolf Hilter, speech at the Reichsparteitag, 1935
Nobody realized 5 days before the 2008 presidential election what obama meant by this statement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cqN4NIEtOY
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 am
sorry man, but the pledge to be the presidents servant is just way over the top. I dont care how you frame it
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 am
The attacks on Obama are different from the attacks on Clinton. There was an attempt to ground the attacks on Clinton in reality. The incessant attacks upon Obama are pure fantasy, e.g., giving an address to children to encourage them to study hard and get good grades, the exact same thing that Geo. Bush did, turns into liberal indoctrination of our youth, or worse.
I have thought a lot about this. I feel it is based upon an appeal to racism. Obama is black, and even though he became President, let’s face it, racism is alive and well in our society, and politicians know this and realize that due to this, crazy, outlandish attacks upon Obama might gain some traction. I am not foolish enough to believe that any of this is happening without a lot of forethought and consideration. There are a lot of people working overtime trying to figure out the best way to attack Obama, and this is what they are coming up with. You cannot out and out attack Obama’s race, so you have to do it in some sort of veiled fashion. There is a lot of name calling. He’s a socialist. He’s a fascist. Whatever. Rush called him an angry black man. Glenn Beck, in a wonderful example of reverse psychology, called Obama a racist. Just substitute the n-word, and you can easily see what is going on.
Politics is a dirty game, and we are seeing politics at its worst. I am believing that no one would even be interested in a real scandal involving Obama, even if there were one. The imaginary stuff works much, much better, on him.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:46 am
“OK, and what about JFK, now that you mention it? Our culture looks back on his administration with nostalgia and reverence, almost without exception. Why is that OK, but this isn’t?”
Beats me. I am not defending it just stating it. I am not sure why the Kennedy’s are royalty.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 am
Fair enough ghost. If we want to criticize this on principle — and not just based on personal preference against Obama — we need to be consistent.
Ron you win the Godwin award. I wonder if his thesis would call for an acceleration of reductio ad Hitlerum on posts about Obama.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 am
I am a Cable Television Service Technician by profession. I go into many homes through out my work week. I did this while Pres. Bush was in office and I do this now while Pres. Obama is in officer. I just wanted to add to that whole Obama Cult thing, is that through out the many homes I see, I have seen alot of murals and posters on numerous peoples walls. Its like they are worshiping this guy. It really reminds me of a middle eastern country where they paint pictures of their dictator all over buildings and in their homes. Its really frightening to see so many people motivated for a “Man”. // End Rant on that subject.
Next for the Video, All these people are pledging that they are going to commit to change, but how come I did not see Obama saying on the video that he is pledging to change his wife’s outrageous spending habits? $400 tennis shoes, $1k purses, **PRIVATE SCHOOL** for their children, expensive air fare for vacation to other countries paid for by the American People. If change is good for the people, its good for the president. I for one do not pledge to any of that bullcrap. I plan on driving my large truck, and I do not plan on selling my wife’s large SUV. I like to keep the lights on for security reasons, I like to flush toilets to keep the smell down, I do not volunteer my abilities for the community. I do pledge to do my part as a citizen and pay taxes. I pledge that I will fight, for the liberty and pursuit of happiness for myself and my family. There is not a thing in this world that I have not done for myself, I work, I buy food, I pay rent, I pay car payments, and I pay my utilities. I do not want to do this for anyone that is not in my family nor should I be force to do so. I was a young father, No I was not a dead beat, when my now wife told me she was pregnant, I got us a house and did everything to the best of my abilities to make sure my family had everything it needed. Did I make sacrifices? Yes, I stopped being a kid, and became an adult very quickly. This is something I don’t see a lot of. As I said before I am in a lot of people’s homes. While in these homes, I notice un-wed mothers, dead beat fathers, and I see my tax dollars going to waste to a crack head sh*t bag that lays up on his azz all day, while I work for my living. I should only be force to do for myself and for my country. I shouldn’t be forced to shelter the sick, the hungry, and the abused. Its not my damn problem. My advise for these people is “You Control Your Own Destiny. You have made your own damn bed, NOW SLEEP IN IT”.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 am
Woah, got moderated for some reason. No clue why — H*tler was referenced directly in quote 19 as well. Let’s try this again:
—————————————-
Fair enough ghost. If we want to criticize this on principle — and not just based on personal preference against Obama — we need to be consistent.
Ron you win the Godwin award. I wonder if his thesis would call for an acceleration of reductio ad H*tlerum on posts about Obama.