A big part of what we do at Central Dallas Ministries involves children, families and educational achievement.
For the past fifteen years we've supported, developed, nurtured and promoted numerous opportunities for children to improve their educational experiences. We done everything possible to encourage children to value education, to stay in school, to work hard and to achieve. After school programs, summer learning experiences, homework labs, SAT prep courses, college tours, learning camps, technology seminars, work options rooted in education--all have played a part in our efforts to keep children and youth engaged in the pursuit of education.
At CDM we believe that a job that pays a livable wage is the key to overcoming poverty and the urban decay that destroys our neighborhoods.
Therefore, we promote educational opportunities in as many ways as are possible because we also know education is the key to landing the kind of employment that can sustain a life and a family.
We care about education.
We care about children.
Next week, President Obama plans an address to American students about the importance of education and of staying in school through graduation and beyond.
What a great idea!
We love it!
We also recognize and applaud the fact that it has become a national tradition over the past three decades.
President Reagan delivered such an address to our students.
President George H. W. Bush continued the positive practice.
Who among us will ever forget that President George W. Bush was reading to elementary school students on that fateful morning of September 11?
Now comes President Obama. . .our President.
He wants to continue to reinforce the national expectation for our children. He brings a very unique perspective to the task. As a person who had every reason not to achieve, I expect that his own experience with education, its benefits and its importance should be a big encouragement to our students here in Dallas and across the state.
But, a number of people don't agree. They are protesting to area and state school districts to ban the President's speech from our schools.
What's worse, school boards and school leaders are paying attention to the objections. In many schools, listening to the speech will be "optional" for students. In other districts the speech will not be aired to students.
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
What's really going on here?
16 comments:
Perhaps parents don't trust a man who has radical advisors and a self proclaimed communist as his closest advisors. So Larry, what do you think of Van Jones?b
On vacation, doing this on Iphone--please excuse typos.
nothing every changes with you, Chris. Always the same partisan lies...
Chris, my message was about education and the President's commitment to seeing our students stay in school. If that is radical and unacceptable to Americans, then possibly we've discovered much of our problem.
As to Van Jones, I've made my appreciation clear. I regard his emphasis on living wage jobs for inner city workers as a wonderful thing. If you are referring to Glen Beck and others here, I'll just pass on any comment.
Lots of people move through various stages during a lifetime, especially if they are continually confronted with racism, discrimination, unemployment and poverty. One thing that would help our national spirit and capactity for meaningful debate and conversation would be the recognition that not everyone in this country has enjoyed the same positive experiences as some of us have. There is this matter of white privilege, an advantage both of us have enjoyed, as has Mr. Beck.
I'd love to see Jones and T. Boone Pickens on the same stage to talk about our energy future and the renewal of urban communities, both issues about which Mr. Pickens and Mr. Jones have proven that they care.
If you kept up with the news you would know they are not lies. Do you realize what some of the advisors have said?
Larry, I admire your persistent tolerance of people like Chris who insist on taking discussions off-topic and cloaking the truth.
Larry knows I'm telling the truth, IMHO
From what I can tell from friends and family who called into their districts to complain about the address....people are deeply scared and suspicious of Obama and what they believe he believe in/stands for.
It also seems that this group of people are unwilling to accept that anything he may do is good or at least not conspiratorial or malicious.
Now as far as where this fear comes from, that is more complicated....although I'm certain that many on Fox News, ultra conservative radio, and sadly some republican leaders are not helping the situation.
wow, Chris... the heights of delusion...
I'm no fan of Mr. Obama, and I strongly oppose most of his agenda.
But I don't understand the uproar about this speech (especially since no one knows exactly what he's going to say). I think it's a good idea for the President to speak to America's school children.
I'm surprised that, after the American public finally had the good sense to elect an brilliant, moral and extremely well-educated president -- Mr. Obama -- once again, so quickly, ignorance prevails.
Chris represents the easily deluded quite perfectly, but she is obviously not the only one.
I tend to think that the ugliness and hatred of the far right -- and the tenacity of the lies they propagate -- is just too attractive to resist for those who don't really want to deeply understand the issues. They seemed to be ruled by extremes of anger and vindictiveness; anyone who is nuanced is simply too complicated for them.
And they know that the 'Chris's' out there will bite and hang on like bulldogs.
The last I heard is that the White House is releasing the text of the speech on Monday. I will reserve judgement until then. Right now I do not trust the administration of President Obama, and I am greatly concerned with some individuals that surround him and Van Jones is just one example. I was not aware that Regan and Bush spoke to students in the same manner as President Obama intends to speak. I would love to know the occasions just so I can see what they said and if this was something that was heard in classrooms all over the country. One more thing, if it were not for 9/11 I doubt that the press would have even covered what Bush 2 was doing that day. From Rev. Wright to Van Jones, Larry I sometimes think that you defend them as much because of who attacks them as any other motivation. Thanks as always for allowing your blog to be a free for all.
My post was about the President's concern for and desire to lift our children and encourage them all to stay in school.
As for people like Van Jones, I think a little humility and an open willingness to understand him might be in order just here. I expect all of us go through various changes and commitments as we make our way through life. Surely that is true if we are awake and thinking at all.
That said, those of us who are white would do well to learn to listen. Our amazing privilege blinds us to the realities facing others. Racism, discrimination, Jim Crow, unjust economic policies that shut out the poor, etc., etc., etc. force other options and considerations on people, especially people of color in this nation.
All I know about Van Jones is that today he is working hard to help create living wage jobs for people who need them and he is doing so in a manner that serves the entire nation and our national security. I believe that if I sat down with him (something I hope I can do at some point) and listened to the story of his journey, I'd understand where he was coming from even if I didn't agree with every single thing that he believes or understands.
And, again, none of this is relevant to the President's goal of urging children to stay in school.
Van Jones resigned today.
Get ready for CNN, MSNBC, ABC/CBS/NBC, the New York Times, and the Washington Post to declare him a martyr.
He's no martyr -- just a victim of his own foolish statements and actions.
Now, perhaps it's time to take a closer look at the rest of Obama's "Czars."
I agree. Obama has chosen radicals for friends all hia adult life. I'm not even sure is is in charge. Perhaps he is just the spokesman because of his supposed communication skills, at least with a Teleprompter.
Anon 5:18, not sure how you can say such a thing with a straight face after two terms of Bush-Cheney or should I say Cheney-Bush? Being "radical" in this climate is like being a labor union member or an actor in 1946. No one seems to realize just how radically concervative and reactionary this nation has become since 1980.
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