I'M GOING OFF THE RAILS....

The crazy train rolls on
By Kelvin Wade September 16, 2010

While the start of the NFL season, a mosque near Ground Zero, Quran burnings and Lady GaGa's meat dress distracted the nation, an insidious plot was launched across this nation this week that hardly anyone noticed. Yes, the president of the United States addressed returning school children across the country.

Before you scoff, remember last year this address caused a War of the Worlds-style panic with terrified parents pulling their children from schools lest their little minds be liquefied by the slickly packaged socialism, communism and other isms being peddled by the undocumented Kenyan in the White House.

This year, for reasons unknown, the alarm wasn't sounded. Maybe Glenn Beck is on vacation or Dr. Laura really has lost her First Amendment rights after her N-word rant. For some reason, the terror level wasn't raised and our children sat defenseless before television screens across the nation while Barack the Magic Negro worked his mojo.

He had the nerve to say things like, '. . . excelling in school or in life isn't mainly about being smarter than everybody else. It's about working harder than everybody else.' Sounds like fancy Ivy League liberal-speak for 'Workers of the world unite!'

He went on to talk about how difficult life is as a teenager and how his biracial background caused him struggles. 'Some of you may be working through your own questions right now, and coming to terms with what makes you different.' If that's not a veiled gay indoctrination, I don't know what is.

'A lot of you are having to act a lot older than you are . . . to look after younger siblings while your mom works that second shift; to take on a part-time job while your dad is out of work.' In other words, Dad is out of work now so he's pretty much expendable. Soon he might find himself before a death panel.

The secret Muslim president went on to say, 'In this country, we not only reach for our own dreams, we help others do the same.' You know what that means. Hold onto your lunch money, kids. 'That one' wants to take it, pool it together and redistribute it.

While I haven't heard of students marching in lockstep carrying hammers and sickles or joining the Obama Youth movement, who knows what the future holds?

In all seriousness, I'd like to believe the lack of uproar this year was due to a maturing public. It would be a positive development to think the president's detractors understand that they simply disagree on policy matters. It would be heartening to think all Americans would agree with a president who tells students: 'Your life is what you make of it. And nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is beyond your reach. So long as you're willing to dream big. So long as you're willing to work hard.'

But then you see a 9/12 Teabagger march with the same absurd signs, and a recent Newsweek poll that says 52 percent of Republicans suspect that the president of the United States wants to impose Islamic law on America. Fifty-two percent of Republicans?

That tells me they just weren't aware of the speech and the crazy train is still chugging along. Peace.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES: Crazy / But that's how it goes / Millions of people living as foes / Maybe it's not too late / To learn how to love / and forget how to hate ----"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne

I seriously thought that the lack of outrage this year marked a maturation of the public. Of the right wing public. I don't know why I would think such a thing. Maybe temporary insanity. It's clear that the far right fringe is as nutty as ever. They still believe the National Socialist meme. They believe in death panels. They believe that the President of the United States is a secret Muslim who wasn't born here and is working for the terrorists.

This is nonsense that was started back during the campaign. It was dangerous to whip up right wing elements with talk that an American President could be a terrorist mole. There should be some things that are beyond the pale. Disagree vehemently with someone's politics but to foment the level of distrust and hatred that many did in 2008 has left us with the mouth-breathers who buy into this nonsense today. To his credit, John McCain saw where this was headed and tried belatedly to head it off: CLICK HERE.

But this uproar last year over the President addressing school kids was asinine. And I'm convinced that we would've seen the same thing this year had it been more widely known that Obama was going to do it. This type of craziness has to be scoffed at. It should be made fun of. It should be knocked down. No one who believes the President is going to impose Sharia law on America should be taken seriously. We used to lock these people away or put them on medication. They'd be the ones in society on the street wearing tin foil hats. Now they have TV and radio shows.

The former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer, one of the leading voices against the President's speech last year, spoke out this week:

"In the year since I issued a prepared statement regarding President Obama speaking to the nation's school children, I have learned a great deal about the party I so deeply loved and served....Unfortunately, I found that many within the GOP have racist views and I apologize to the President for my opposition to his speech last year and my efforts to placate the extremists who dominate our Party today. My children and I look forward to the President's speech."

Our kids can use all the encouragement they can get from whoever. If someone wants to do or say something to motivate students to do their best, I'm behind him. This isn't a matter of politics. Especially minority students who have high drop out rates. That doesn't benefit them and it doesn't benefit society. Everyone should be on board to motivate kids and help them achieve.