Televised school messages that 'glorify' president called indoctrination
By Chelsea Schilling
WorldNetDaily
Parents are outraged after a Utah elementary school showed a video to schoolchildren about pledging to "to be of service to Barack Obama," "to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem-cell research.
The video, titled "I Pledge" and produced by Demi Moore, features more than 50 Hollywood celebrities who offer their support for President Obama's policies. The film was played for Obama during his inaugural celebration.
But school administrators at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington, Utah, showed the video to young students at an Aug 28 school assembly, sparking outrage from parents and conservative groups who called the film "radical, leftist propaganda," the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
The video can be seen below:
"I Pledge" opens with a popular depiction of Obama. The president states, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."
The following are some of the more controversial pledges:
- I pledge allegiance to the funk of the united funk of funkadelica.
- I pledge to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again
- I pledge to advance stem-cell research
- To reduce my use of plastic … use less bottled water … plant 500 trees this year … to be more green … to no longer use plastic bags at the grocery store
- For the environment, I plan to flush only after deuce, never a single
- I pledge to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid
- I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama
The video asks viewers to visit Serve.gov and sign up for a community service project.
Jennifer Cieslewicz has a daughter who is in first-grade at Eagle Bay Elementary.
"Showing the video in a public school is completely inappropriate," Cieslewicz told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I don't believe a video such as this that promotes certain values should be shown to elementary students, especially without parents being aware. "
Following negative reactions from parents, school principal Ofelia Wade has apologized for showing the video.
Chris Williams, Davis School District spokesman, told the Tribune that Wade and school PTA leaders chose to play the video during its assembly about the school theme this year – service. He said Wade hadn't viewed the film before it was played for the children.
"It got to a point where she turned to her assistant and said, 'Oops, I wish I would have seen this before. I don't think I would have shown it,' " Williams said. "She acknowledges she was wrong and apologizes for it and says she's sorry."
According to the report, the principal plans to send letters to parents about the film on Wednesday.
Gayle Ruzicka, president of Utah Eagle Forum, told the newspaper the video was blatantly political.
"It's very inappropriate to show a radical, leftist propaganda piece that political to children," Ruzicka said. "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."
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