Conservative media take a strong stand against ... learning?!?
Jamison Foser
2 hours and 41 minutes ago
If there is anybody out there who still doesn't believe that the conservative media will attack President Obama no matter what he does, consider this: Right-wingers are telling children to skip school as a protest against Obama's encouragement of students to stay in school.
I know, I know. You think I'm kidding. Or exaggerating. That I'm caricaturing the conservatives' position in order to make them look ridiculous.
Wrong. They defy caricature. There's nothing you can imagine that is too crazy for these people to say. They'll claim Barack Obama was secretly born in Kenya (his birth announcements in Hawaiian newspapers were just one part of an elaborate, decades-long conspiracy involving Kenyans, the media, Hawaii's Republican governor, and the Stonecutters). They'll say he has a diabolical plan to create government "death panels" to kill off the old and the young. They'll claim he is building a secret private army (consisting of -- I swear I am not making this up -- AmeriCorps and Peace Corps volunteers) that is "just as strong" as the U.S. military so that he can "seize power" and create a "thugocracy."
And when President Obama delivers the least-controversial message you could possibly imagine -- "Stay in school" -- they call it "indoctrination" and an attempt to "get 'em while they're young," warning, "They are capturing your kids" and "your republic is under attack."
That's right: "Your republic is under attack," and Barack Obama is "capturing your kids." By urging them to stay in school and ... learn. As Education Secretary Arne Duncan explained in a letter to schools:
In a recent interview with student reporter, Damon Weaver, President Obama announced that on September 8 -- the first day of school for many children across America -- he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
Well, clearly, no red-blooded American would stand idly by as the president of the United States urges children to work hard in school. That's something Adolf Hitler would do! (Oops -- I keep forgetting: Conservatives can't seem to come to a consensus about whether Hitler was bad.)
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http://mediamatters.org/columns/200909030002