Principal in Utah Apologizes for Showing Children Obama's "I Pledge" Video
Posted: Friday, September 04, 2009
by Danny Davids
Thanks to a public school principal in Utah, a video released in January supporting Barack Obama is resurfacing again as opponents claim more proof of our President's anti-American agenda.
Produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, the video shows celebrities from film and television, sports, the arts, and other areas pledging to do their part to change the world. Many of the suggestions are decent ones. "I pledge to smile more...to laugh more...to love more." "I pledge to be a great mother...to be a great father." "I pledge to always represent my country with pride, dignity, and honesty." Particularly noteworthy is Jason Bateman's promise to help the environment; his method will be "to flush only after a deuce and never after a single" (a little TMI there, Jase...and I won't be using the facilities immediately after you do). There are promises to volunteer, to fight for worthy causes, and to support our children and seniors. The vignettes are meant to be heartwarming and inspirational, and most of the ideas proposed are not bad in and of themselves.
It appears there are two issues with the video. The first is that some of the causes these celebrities pledge to support, like stem cell research, are "hot button" issues that already cause concern among a significant portion of the American population. The second is two statements made towards the end of the video. The first is issued by Anthony Kiedis of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. As he kisses his tattooed biceps, he says, "I pledge to be of service [kiss] to Barack Obama [kiss]." Later as Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher stand side by side, they say, "I pledge to be a servant to our president and all mankind." It's the idea promoted in this video that the people of the United States should pledge to be a servant to the President, rather than the President being the servant of the people, that has opponents so upset.
The video was brought back into the spotlight after the principal of Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington, Utah, showed it during a student assembly without first obtaining parental consent. Gayle Ruzicka, president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, states the video is left-wing propaganda and political in nature. "If parents want their children to learn about those things and do them in the home, wonderful, fine, but it's not the place of the school to show a one-sided propaganda piece to children without parents knowing about it." The principal has apologized for the incident, and has ditched plans to show the video to parents at the school's "Back to School" night, feeling it might be too controversial.
The video, which can still be seen on YouTube, has generated a wide range of responses from viewers. One poster writes, "I pledge to not stop here, but to continue to engage the community in making my community, this state, this nation and this world a better, more beautiful place." Another comments, "I pledge to keep treating the President of the United States of America as the public servant that he is supposed to be. I pledge to attempt to correct anyone who thinks that we owe some allegiance to Barack Obama the man, rather than the country he is supposed to represent." Another posted, "JFK didn't say, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for John F. Kennedy.' "
If we as American citizens are going to promise to make our country, and through it the world, a better place, maybe we should stop focusing on the individual and concentrate on the well-being of our own citizens first. Or, as somebody so eloquently worded it: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, the video shows celebrities from film and television, sports, the arts, and other areas pledging to do their part to change the world. Many of the suggestions are decent ones. "I pledge to smile more...to laugh more...to love more." "I pledge to be a great mother...to be a great father." "I pledge to always represent my country with pride, dignity, and honesty." Particularly noteworthy is Jason Bateman's promise to help the environment; his method will be "to flush only after a deuce and never after a single" (a little TMI there, Jase...and I won't be using the facilities immediately after you do). There are promises to volunteer, to fight for worthy causes, and to support our children and seniors. The vignettes are meant to be heartwarming and inspirational, and most of the ideas proposed are not bad in and of themselves.
The video was brought back into the spotlight after the principal of Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington, Utah, showed it during a student assembly without first obtaining parental consent. Gayle Ruzicka, president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, states the video is left-wing propaganda and political in nature. "If parents want their children to learn about those things and do them in the home, wonderful, fine, but it's not the place of the school to show a one-sided propaganda piece to children without parents knowing about it." The principal has apologized for the incident, and has ditched plans to show the video to parents at the school's "Back to School" night, feeling it might be too controversial.
The video, which can still be seen on YouTube, has generated a wide range of responses from viewers. One poster writes, "I pledge to not stop here, but to continue to engage the community in making my community, this state, this nation and this world a better, more beautiful place." Another comments, "I pledge to keep treating the President of the United States of America as the public servant that he is supposed to be. I pledge to attempt to correct anyone who thinks that we owe some allegiance to Barack Obama the man, rather than the country he is supposed to represent." Another posted, "JFK didn't say, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for John F. Kennedy.' "
If we as American citizens are going to promise to make our country, and through it the world, a better place, maybe we should stop focusing on the individual and concentrate on the well-being of our own citizens first. Or, as somebody so eloquently worded it: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Danny,
You are nit picking! Generally the thoughts expressed were trying to elevate the pledger rather than elevate the President. Most people would go along with the thoughts expressed. I think that you are seeing shadows around every corner. That's the kind of thinking that I worry about. No one is looking to make anyone something that they don't want to be. It's time to get rid of these radical ideas from the left and the right. Do you remember being propagandized in school? It goes on all the time, decade after decade. The United States is still a great country, and will always be, unless we let the extremists rule us as they would like to do. type="text/javascript">_popupControl();
Exactly right. That's why they call it public service. I pledge to do all I can for this country, yet I'm not about to raise the president to the level of king. Thanks for a great read.
very clever. They put so many good things in the video that if someone protestsit would seem they are protesting the good things. lets not watch harpostuff..... we are collapsing morally. pledge to our country and not to eitherperson known by "O"
It always troubles me to see someone elevate a leader to a "holy" status, be it JFK, or Joel Osteen, or Barack Obama.The problem with videos like the one in your piece is the little "tags" stuck in them. It's like subliminal messaging, but for real, and in your face, and the audience will likely NOT pick up on it.
Bravo Danny!I wanted to write an article on this but you beat me to it. And, you did a better job than I would have. This was so well-written.The fellow with the tattoos is not the role model I had in mind for children and of course, the promise to be a servant to the President was so offensive, so wrong, and so misguided. It is frightening.Your closing line was the clincher however! I wish more people would remember those words. Thanks for a job well-done.Nancy
President Obama had nothing to do with this video, and he has never ask Americans to serve him. Why hold him responsible for the actions of others? And do not those who appear in the video have a right to express their views without being called names? This post-election expression of excitement was made months ago and it now old news. The right wing should stop deceitfully exploiting it for their own partisan purposes.
» left by Robert Bregman from York, ME 2 years 243 days ago.
22 fans. Follow Robert Bregman on twitter!Right on Ind think! "King", Baloney! Obama is a regular guy, please don't anyone try to make him into something else. Where do these ideas come from?
The principle should have never apologized for showing a video like this to his students, there is nothing wrong with this video. Now if it was a video of water boarding or some other breaking of the law that would be something to be upset about.
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