Uproar Over Obama Speech

Editor,

I was appalled to hear that the superintendent of schools and Laguna Beach school board decided not to allow students to hear President Obama's message on Tuesday. How could this happen here?

Responses from three of the five board members to whom I sent emails did not include reasoned explanations, but rather pathetic excuses: not enough time in the school day, a burden on teachers, and a plan to record the speech and show later to students whose parents had not "opted out" of hearing a message from our President. Mmmm, sounds like the way schools handle sex education. I fail to see the parallel here.

Both board members and Dr. Fraisse, our superintendent of schools, have admitted directly and indirectly that the president's address became an issue because of parents, with some threatening to keep their children home from school if the address was shown. Has Laguna really been taken over by a bunch of "Birthers," "Tea Party Goers," and people carrying guns to places visited by our president? Or, perhaps our schools are being taken over by right-wingers with deep pockets?

Whatever the reason for the school district's action, it appears to be based on ignorance and a deep sense of political polarization. Neither belongs in the schools or serves our kids very well. Are we really living in Laguna Beach or has someone played a nasty trick and transported us to Wasila, Alaska?

Lillian Reiter

Laguna Beach

After reading President Obama's speech, I am deeply concerned about the message that prevails not showing the President's speech to our kids on the first day of school. I cannot understand why our school district superintendent, Dr. Fraisse, would not allow this speech to air. This speech talks about respecting teachers and parents, working hard in school, and furthering one's education. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Why would Dr. Fraisse cower to the wide spread panic of paranoid parents. Why are those parents paranoid? Had they read the speech prior to their panic? Our president is a positive role model for our students, a person who is living the American dream, like no other president has in our country's history. We, as Americans, should be proud that he has taken the time to put our kids, our schools, and the education of Americans high on his list of his priorities.

As parents, we work hard to teach our kids to be open minded, to think for themselves, to work hard and be respectful. What message are we sending to these same kids by not showing them our president's speech? I shudder to think. Laguna Beach is known for it's unique residents who are independent thinkers. We cannot allow the superintendent to cave in to people who want to stifle our kids. Dr. Fraisse works for us, for our kids and our community. Cowering is not in the best interest of our kids, this community, or for that matter, America.

Carey Strombotne

Laguna Beach

This past weekend I was made aware that the Laguna Beach School District would not allow our students to see the message from the president to the nation's school children on the opening day of school, as a result of all the manufactured controversy surrounding it. Apparently the board and superintendent had been inundated with letters of protest from "outraged" parents, despite the fact that the president was encouraging children to aim high and take responsibility for their education.

Last week I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and was accosted by petition gatherers armed with pictures of the president defaced with a Hitler mustache and exhorted shoppers to "help stop Obama's Nazi healthcare scheme".

Last month our own congressman, John Campbell, sponsored legislation challenging Mr. Obama's legitimacy as president in the misguided insistence that he was not born in the United States and therefore was not the real president.

What is going on here?

This very dangerous trend to marginalize and de-legitimize the elected president of the United States, the leader of our country, by suggesting to school children that his message is somehow "dangerous" "socialist" or "fascist" is threatening our very democracy. We are allowing, as Michael Hiltzick in the Los Angeles Times pointed out, ideology to reign over ideas.

I have great respect for Superintendent Fraisse and I believe that, in his decision to tape the president's message, instead of showing it, and allow individual teachers to decide if they wanted to air the speech or not, he was doing what he thought was best for our children so that they would have a smooth and controversyfree commencement of the new school year.

However, I am concerned that by allowing the shrieking voices of ideology to affect school policy, we are teaching our children not only to disrespect our elected leader, but to value political ideology over thoughtful reasoned debate.

Anne Cox

Laguna Beach

It was with complete disbelief followed by great chagrin and embarrassment that I heard the news at the community pool this morning. "No," I said, "I can't believe that children in LBUSD were prevented from hearing the president's speech in school." As one older woman present in the Aqua Fit group stated, "This is about civility and respect and should not have been politicized. What a shameful development that our educators are afraid of offending some with ideas." I cannot fathom why the leadership in LBUSD flaked out on this one. I have no information about whether this decision was made by the board, the superintendent or the principals. I do, however, expect some accountability for this thinking.

Despite the warnings of rightwing radio hosts, I believe that our children could have been exposed to the risk of learning a lesson in civics. This (recovering) Republican taxpayer, for one, would have preferred that Laguna children view a televised address by the duly-elected leader of these United States, President Barack Obama, on the controversial subject of the importance of school. Instead, it appears a cowardly act to avoid controversy trumped common sense. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush addressed the nation's school without a furor. As a child from a Goldwater Republican household, I listened as President Kennedy encouraged us to become physically fit—broadcast in the schools. Although my parents considered JFK and FDR to be versions of the anti-Christ, we were taught to respect the office of President of the United States and to think critically about what its occupants said. End of story.

It is my hope that this self-imposed controversy will challenge the board to rethink its mission about education. It is my dream that your constituents will receive a collective, mea culpa. It is truly a sad day when a group of parents fears and seeks to protect their children from ideas at the expense of other children and a larger lesson.

Wow; I thought adults were in charge.

Eileen T. Walsh

Laguna Beach

This letter was also sent to the school district's board members.

I am deeply disappointed that Dr. Robert Fraisse, superintendent of the Laguna Beach Unified School District, chose to cave in to right-wing pressure and deny our students the opportunity to hear President Obama give an inspirational speech about taking personal responsibility for doing homework and for one's own educational success in general.

There are three points I want to make. First, as the manufactured controversy has swirled, a number of well-known Republicans have defended the speech, including Laura Bush, Newt Gingrich, and Bill Frist.

Second, the theme of the speech should have been music to the ears of thinking conservatives, since it consisted of an appeal for a sense of individual responsibility, as opposed to blaming society for one's own failings. It is a measure of how poisonous the attacks on President Obama have become and, sadly, how ignorant and easily led many Americans are, that so many failed to appreciate the consonance between the president's message and their own professed values. Folks, this is not a socialist message.

And finally, much of the controversy also stems from a confusion about our American system of government. In countries with a parliamentary system, the head of government and the head of state are two different people. For example, Gordon Brown is the head of government in Great Britain, and Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. In our system, our president wears two hats. He (or she someday) has both the role of advocate for policies and a ceremonial role. It is the latter role that President Obama was playing when he chose to give this speech, and as such it should have been above politics and personal attack in order to make our system work effectively.

Glenna Matthews

Laguna Beach

I respectfully disagree with carrying out any political statement for or against an issue using your public office and children as brokers for any cause.

Frankly I am disappointed, and more so, because I assume the LBUSD board should hold higher principals than to follow and participate in promoting political divisiveness, disrespect, hate and fear.

While some may feel the president's message is too narrow, or his wording poorly chosen, only individual decisions should be made for a child to participate, or not, without the school board influencing and speaking for everyone.

While parents have the right to take their children out of class or request non-participation, it is not the school board's job to do that.

Please don't do this to the children or to the community.

Leah Vasquez

Laguna Beach

This letter was also sent the school board.