[THIS JUST IN: The first video has been removed by the left-wing fascist yahoos at YouTube for what they call "terms of use violation." Uh-huh. Thankfully, no one has gotten to the Fox News Channel, so you can catch a portion of the shenanigans at 00:17 seconds into the second clip. Now, where was I? ...]
I was starting kindergarten as the 1960 Presidential elections were coming to a head. We sat with the teacher in front of a chalkboard, and were asked which of the two major candidates we wanted for President. I wouldn't say that a town founded by Methodists, whose descendants were still prominent in civic life, was rife with anti-Catholicism. But there were the occasional references to "Catlickers," and the knowledge that we were not like other Christians. So the idea that "one of our boys" was running for President was a pretty big deal; big enough that it was the only thing I knew about Kennedy. So he was my choice.
On election day, I went to class as always. I peeked out the hall during a break to see Mom coming down the hall. Our precinct used the cafeteria of that school for polling, and I asked her who she voted for. She said Nixon. I was shocked, and later found out that Dad voted for Nixon too. But, hey, I told them, Kennedy is a Catholic. Why didn't you vote for him? (I was going on six years old, remember?) In the beginning, they would only say, well we just don't agree with his policies. As I got older, I was to learn more.
It is likely a different experience for these little tykes at an elementary school in New Jersey, where they are taught (and this isn't the first time we've seen this) to sing hymns of praise for the President as though this was North Korea and he was their Dear Leader. (Notice I didn't mention the other obvious example, because that would be racist. Or something.) And it comes as no surprise to this long-time federal employee, that the teacher responsible for the shenanigans had already retired by the time things hit the fan. Wanna bet they are never called into account? Trust me, the teacher who hatched this nonsense is sitting on a beach in Florida right now, sipping on drinks with little umbrellas in them, reading about this story, and laughing her fat @$$ off.
Now, mind you, I voted for Ronald Reagan -- twice. And even I had problems with them naming Washington's National Airport, and Cincinnati's Cross County Highway, after him. He wasn't even dead yet, okay? This is a dangerous trend, elevating a President to god-like status. It is also at odds with what the Founding Fathers intended. Even Republicans forget what a bunch of suck-ups they can be if they put their minds to it.
Meanwhile, our malfeasant school district in New Jersey has gotta be really dumb to play innocent on this one. Not that they're wasting any time. The good news is, the parents are really ticked off. That might be just enough for the superintendent to sit up and take notice -- if he ever comes out from under his desk.
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3 comments:
But was not the national capital named after the first president not only while he was still alive, but even while he was still president?
Washington, embarrassed a bit by the fact, always referred to the new capital as "the Federal City."
That's right, Paul. He also voluntarily limited himself to two terms, even though he could have won a third one easily. He set a precedent that was broken by FDR in 1936. Eventually the Constitution was amended to require the term limit. Washington set an example for a President as a man of the people. Some have followed the example better than others.
Wait a minute. That wasn't 1936, that was 1940. My bad.
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