*Image courtesy of AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais.
In the Obama administration's most recent foray into another field of potentially dramatic and undoubtedly disastrous societal reform, school kids are being instructed to write letters as a homework assignment to determine just "what they can do to help the president." Or at least this was the line until the administration was challenged on what many parents are terming plain indoctrination.
Though not actually an overt attempt at brainwashing children, this retracted lesson plan does represent an unexpected insight into the administration's thinking--namely, that the new American culture will be one in which the President commands full support for his personal agenda from every corner of society, including from those unable to comprehend fully the national debate and still coming up through their own very impressionable years.
And while this event may ultimately prove to be a factor of the administration's arrogance more than anything else, entrenchment at the most tender levels of education is most decidedly not. Since at least the 1960s, higher education has largely been the domain of the Left for both administrative work and classroom instruction. And if government influence is to become as comprehensive as deemed necessary--in fact, the dominant force from birth to death--then education from kindergarten to the last year of high school becomes the next logical step. The only reason the administration has shown any surprise over parent reaction to their intrusion comes simply because they mistakenly believe that government sway in individual lives is actually innocuous.
In addition to this growing sense of entitlement to determine what is best in all stages of life, there is the recent and troubling production of a celebrity laden video offering undying devotion to the President's reform agenda and even the individual himself. The footage has already stirred up complaints from parents in Farmington, Utah where it was not screened before hapless elementary students were forced to view it. And there can be no doubt that it is the propaganda piece parents are alleging it is--in a bizarre reversal of roles for the People and the Government of our representative republic, there is an oath to "be of service to Barack Obama" and even outright pledges to "be a servant to our president." Did everyone suddenly forget that an elected agent of the government works for the citizens of America, even if that individual is overwhelmingly charismatic and happens to hold as much power as the President?
Strangely enough, supporters of the President may argue that such shameless shilling for the White House has not been promoted or distributed by the administration, that the production is not associated with Barack Obama in any meaningful way. But such an argument is inaccurate at best. The administration has certainly had a tremendously influential voice in this film, along with the bonus of being able to deny the work as the misguided but harmless efforts of well meaning supporters should there be public outcry.
Altogether--given both the speech and video--it seems clear that President Obama continues to cling to his undeniably successful presidential campaign, if only for an inability to face the specter of personal failure. And this makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that he lacks the real capacity to lead, especially after dramatic political losses involving both a very difficult fight over healthcare reform and an obstinate economic recovery.
It could be that the President views education as familiar ground for his associates in the party, even a safe political point in what has been an undeniably exasperating summer. But if the initial reaction from parents with school aged children is any indication, he'll have to demonstrate far more than crafty campaigning to enact his ambitious agenda. In fact, he'll need to show consistent leadership that values the individual--both parents and children.
IN OTHER NEWS: Forget the separation of Church and State. How about the separation of taxpayer money and simple partisan campaigning? To the point, the National Endowment for the Arts is now a propaganda machine for the Obama administration.
As with so many other issues under our monstrously self-involved leader, all interests must seemingly be subsumed to his agenda of radical reform. Unfortunately, the only fresh detail here is the unabashed vigor with which this agency of supposedly independent artists has embraced the opportunity to become a political player.
