Oops. Texas Principal Blocked Obama's Speech, But Is Busing Students to Hear Bush Speech. Gee, I Wonder Why?
Even understanding that anything even remotely related to football in Texas takes on quasi-religious overtones, this might seem rather remarkably tone-deaf. But see, one involved a Texan and former president asking children to volunteer and the other involved a sitting president asking children to study hard and stay in school.
Get the difference? Nah, me neither. Unless it's because one of them is a colored fella?
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington Superintendent Jerry McCullough issued a statement Friday apologizing for how the district handled President Obama's live speech on Tuesday.
The decision not to show the speech live to school children became particularly controversial after it became known that the district had previous plans to bus about 500 fifth-graders to attend an event with former President George W. Bush. The event, which is scheduled later this month at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, will be an announcement about a volunteer initiative for the 2011 Super Bowl.
"In retrospect, I can see how the district's decisions concerning these two events could be seen as favoring one event over another," McCullough said in his written statement. He later said, "I apologize that my decisions on behalf of the district have disappointed or hurt people."
The district allowed students to miss half a day of school on Tuesday if they wanted to watch the event live elsewhere and recorded the speech for later use. McCullough noted that he is encouraging teachers to use Obama's speech in their classrooms when and how they deem appropriate.
Nice treat on the Downfall mashup. Great movie and a funny series of interpretive videos it has spawned.
How partisan. People need to look at who the real partisans are.
with Texas, it can't get anymore messed.
It's not all or nothing.
Texas is a BIG state filled with lots of Bush sycophants (I know; I live here). Trust me, the sycophants have lots of opportunities to mess up--and they don't even have to fall all over themselves to do it.
the ability of stupid people to fuck things up
jmccullo@aisd.net
this is his school email. Tell him to show some respect to the office of the presidency.
... about 'non-apologies'.
"I apologize that my decisions on behalf of the district have disappointed or hurt people" is NOT an apology.
"I apologize that my decisions on behalf of the district were wrong and stupid and ill-conceived and completely my own fault" is an apology.
One says - it's your problem if you reacted badly to my completely excuseable behaviour.
The other says 'I screwed up and I'm sorry'.
See the difference?
Have some respect for not only the office of the presidency, but for the intelligence of the people you've insulted and hurt with your biased and unjustifiable decision.
That was funny. The movie of which this was taken from, Downfall (Der Untergang) was full of good performances. Bruno Ganz was especially good as Hitler.
I'm sure Faux news will be reporting about this major double standard every hour...NOT!
This is depressing. McCullough should be called out on this hypocrisy on every major network, but he won't due to the RIGHTWING MEDIA.
Hey Jerry, it's all WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE now... right? That's how you bushies operate. You crap on people and THEN apologize and say DON'T LOOK BACK, MOVE FORWARD....
Why am I not surprised our beloved chimp would be endorsing a program to get volunteers for the Superbowl? After all, it's only one of the most profitable sporting events on the planet, why should they pay their help?
Regardless, Laura better start brewing some coffee...
can Neil Bush be far behind peddling his worthless school program?
in making sure that there are enough new laborers in place for the have mores of this society to use and then discard. There is something sick about offering up school kids to work for the uber rich.
Geez, I was posting links to this story last week.
One newspaper site reported 70% disapproval for the school.
But they only had about five comments, and mine was deleted, where I suggested the Arlington School District be investigated to make sure no federal funds are helping to pay for this trip, since it appears to have a partisan purpose.
I mean, the trip will likely take most of the day, while President Obama's speech will be what, an hour?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
But they only had about five comments, and mine was deleted, where I suggested the Arlington School District be investigated to make sure no federal funds are helping to pay for this trip, since it appears to have a partisan purpose
They don't want smart intelligent comments like that getting out.
actually think.
Besides that, I believe the trip was going to be used to get school children to volunteer their time at the opening of the new football stadium so that rich owner, Jerry Jones, didn't have to actually PAY people to help out...
And since Republicans really hated the idea of 9/11 being turned into a National Day of Service (ooh, volunteerism, shudder), this might show more hypocrisy from these buffoons.
Volunteering for the Nation, bad. Volunteering for a commercial venture, good. Got it.
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
"for the 2011 Super Bowl"
Corporate profits for Republican campaign donors is at stake in the Bush speech.
Lets face it, if clinton had won, these people would be complaining about her 'time of the month'. if richardson had won (course, there was no way the media would let THAT happen) it would be because he's trying to help his friends across the border. if edwards had won, you hear the word 'elitist' like it was a heartbeat on an EKG.
This is about strong and severe hatred of democrats. do you really want to know why these people hate obama with such vitrol? it's not because he's black...that's just icing on the cake.
It's because he won.
will mostly agree with that, I still believe that they "teabaggers" etc. are lying to themselves, to me and to the world just why they are so angry. Yes, they would be harranging any Dem as potus but is multifold because of his ethnicity.
Just once I'd like to be addressed as Sir. Without the "You are creating a scene"
(Seriously I'm asking because I'm Canadian and I just don't know.)
What I do know is that if they ARE federally funding they are under the purview of the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits spending on political activities. Couldn't this guy be charged under the act?
"In theory theory and practice are alike. In practice they are very different."
Have you tried turning your speakers on? I've got sound.
The Mc Henry (IL) High School Board refused to allow the students to listen to President Obama's talk so they held a respectful protest in the morning before classes started. And then promptly walked out of the school at 9am. Some listened to it on their car radios, some watched on their lap tops. After it ended, they went back to school.
The School Board threatened to suspend them all for unauthorized leave and stealing WiFi, but after the parents complained they decided to only give the kids detention.
Mc Henry County used to be a bastion ot Republicanism, but like most other Chicago collar Counties is slowly but surely turning blue. I guess the old guard GOP who were used to getting their own way all the time got an education themselves that day.
"Stealing WiFi"
That is so stupid.
Wheaton Illnois did the same thing. They refused to show the speech but let the kids who wanted to go to a local theater and watch the speech. No detentions but that could be because the parents went to the theater also. I live in Itasca, IL and the schools were open here.
this district wasn't the only one in Texas that opted to block Obama's address...
My district refused to allow the broadcast to any of our students, and our superintendent capped his decision with the assertion that he was getting a 'migraine' from all the controversy about the address.
Afterward, we were told that we could let our students watch the address if we thought it would "contribute to their education."
None of this surprises me, as I was told by my last administrator that I'm "too intelligent to teach these kids." I still don't know if she meant that my predominantly Latino students are too stupid to learn, or that my peers (mostly veteran teachers) are 'stupid' enough to teach them...
A number of years ago, since I was the only employee in a wheelchair, I got to coach the "able-bodied" team of coworkers against the Pittsburgh Steel Wheeler (wheelchair BBALL) at the nearest High School. (the most I could tell them was how not to fall over backwards or break toes, elbows, knees and faces when they hit the ground. yeah, it's a rough game.)
Well the Principal of the high school we went to only let one year of HS in to see the game and even then, grudgingly. Afterward, he said he regretted not letting the entire school see it. He raved about the game. He was dumb and he knew it, after the fact.
educate the educators.
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
when they can provide backdrops like this or for Kay Bailey Hutchinson to announce her run governor for Texas. It was hysterical watching KBH and her white followers at La Marque HS where she graduated about a half century ago. That area is now a lower middle class African-American neighborhood and to say they stood out is a major understatement.
Arlington Texas is one of the most bigoted and homophobia cities in Texas and that is saying something.
I grew up in a city next to Arlington and the N word is more apt to be used than colered fella.
This azzwipe is just giving some lip service.
Yuh see, down in Texas they drag peepul the same colur as dat Presdint.
Sounds like Jerry needs sum noo crayns.
As Ron White said, "You CAN'T FIX STUPID!!"
of subtitling is one of the best.So true and funny to boot.
heh "get me Bachman"
Just once I'd like to be addressed as Sir. Without the "You are creating a scene"
I wonder how many of these schools have football pep rallys on the taxpayer's dime?
University of Minnesota had its first game ever in the new 1/2 billion dollar stadium on Saturday. Same day Obama gave a free public speech on health care in downtown Minneapolis. Really bad timing. One guess which story the local news lead with and which story got _way_ more air time.
Whenever the U of M alumni association calls now, I have one question: "How big is the sports stadium at Johns Hopkins (worked there), or Columbia, or the Sorbonne, Oxford or Cambridge? Now tell me again why a contribution to the University of Minnesota is my best utilization of charitable funds." Really, it is _way_ past time this country got serious instead of playing "games."
I think that's it. Hell, it isn't racism. If Obama had been encouraging kids to play more sports and participate as volunteers in more professional sports events instead of that commie studying hard stuff, he would have been _way_ less controversial.
White Bush Good, Black Obama Bad
all together now Children!
here and risk being called a racist myself.
Yeah.
Black Obama good in my book!
I march to a different tune!
Biased.
To them Bush is still President. Obama is just some guy who is pretending to be President.
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