Cristina Corbin, Joshua Rhett Miller and Michael Sorrentino, Fox News, Sept. 24, 2009
The commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Education ordered a review on Friday following the posting of a video depicting school children singing the praises of President Obama.
In a statement to FOXNews.com, Education Department spokeswoman Beth Auerswald said the commissioner has directed the school’s superintendent to review the matter. Auerswald said the commissioner wants to ensure that students can celebrate Black History Month without “inappropriate partisan politics in the classroom.”
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As critics of the video claimed it amounted to “indoctrination,” the tension at B. Bernice Young Elementary School escalated to such a degree Thursday that the school was placed temporarily on lockdown after its principal received death threats over a YouTube video that showed nearly 20 children being taught songs lauding the president, though back-to-school night events continuing as planned Thursday night at the school.
Video of the students at the Burlington, N.J., school shows them singing songs seemingly overflowing with campaign slogans and praise for “Barack Hussein Obama,” repeatedly chanting the president’s name and celebrating his accomplishments, including his “great plans” to “make this country’s economy No. 1 again.”
One song that the children were taught quotes directly from the spiritual “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” though Jesus’ name is replaced with Obama’s: “He said red, yellow, black or white/All are equal in his sight. Barack Hussein Obama.”
The video has set off some families in Burlington, who said they were horrified that their children at the being “indoctrinated” to view the president like a cult figure.
“I’m stunned—I can’t believe it’s our school,” said Jim Pronchik, who told FOXNews.com his 8-year-old son Jimmy was one of the 18 students in the video. “We don’t want to praise this guy like he’s a god or an idol or a king or anything like that. That’s the wrong message to be sending.”
Pronchik said he and his wife were never informed about the lesson, which the superintendent of Burlington Township schools says was held in February as part of Black History Month “to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country.”
But Andrea Ciemnolonski, the parent of another one of the students in the video, said the song was part of a second-grade project on a variety of topics related to the month of February, such as Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day.
“They did songs about President Washington, Lincoln, and they did do one about President Obama,” Ciemnolonski said. “My daughter was in the class that did the songs about Obama. It was black history month… . It was something for the kids to celebrate.”
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Superintendent Christopher Manno said in a written statement Thursday that the taping itself was out of order, but failed to address whether the lesson was approved. “The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized,” he wrote in a note to parents and the media.
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Parents said the songs were performed in Elvira James’ second grade class. James, who refused to comment to FOXNews.com, retired at the end of the previous school year on a full pension in New Jersey.
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“This video is disturbing,” said a grandparent named Sandy, who spoke on the condition that her last name not be included. “We don’t teach politics in pre-school—or kindergarten or first grade.”
“This has no place in the classroom,” said Sandy, added Sandy, who told FOXNews.com she has two grandchildren attending Bernice Young Elementary. “It may have been the opinion of one or two, and someone should pay the consequences for it.”
The author of the songs is unknown, but a woman—possibly a teacher—can be heard in the beginning of the video correcting and helping a student who has forgotten the words. Another woman, the person holding the camera, cheers the students on: “All right,” she says. “I like that.”
“Alteredbeat,” the YouTube user who posted the video on the Internet, told FOXNews.com that the video was first put online by Charisse Carney-Nunes, an activist and author of the children’s book “I Am Barack Obama,” which her website says “allows children to see themselves through the inspirational story of President Obama.” Carney-Nunes has been promoting the book during visits to schools on the east coast.
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“Alteredbeat” told FOXNews.com that he reached out to Carney-Nunes, who insisted that the program had been filmed in June as part of a Father’s Day tribute to President Obama. “The kids made up the songs on their own,” she wrote, according to the YouTube user.
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[Ed Note: Click here to see the video and lyrics
Original article
(Posted on September 25, 2009)
Comments
Does anyone recall the scene in doctor Zhivago where the little daughter of Lara shows the Doctor some of her civic instruction lessons. How the Czar was the enemy of the people. It seems the black lady who teaches this class feels that now that Barack is president she can do whatever she wants with our children. Recently I made a comment about a picture of Malia Obama and her thugish looking boy friend. I was admonished that I should leave his children alone. Well Barack why dont you leave our children alone. Now you know why people are homeschooling their children.
Yep, That’s New Jersey for you. We’re in your face with our idiocy. We don’t do anything by halves here. Whether it be politicians stealing everything that isn’t nailed down or trying to brainwash a bunch of kids that a black guy is God.
Tom Iron…
One song that the children were taught quotes directly from the spiritual “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” though Jesus’ name is replaced with Obama’s: “He said red, yellow, black or white/All are equal in his sight. Barack Hussein Obama.”
It isn’t just brainwashing, portraying Barack Hussein Obama as God makes this a cult movement. BTW, wasn’t his middle name off limits?
I understand that the teacher has very close links to Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign.
A public school should not be allowed to engage in such overtly biased propaganda. They should be punished for making a video like that and then distributing it publicly to accomplish political objectives using public tax dollars.
Or we should change the laws back to before Lyndon Johnson’s administration (Lyndon Johnson encoutered stiff opposition from Christians when running for office in Texas and when he became President implemented measures to restrict the ability of non-profits) so that non-profits like churchs can produce biased overtly political propaganda in the exact same manner. And they won’t even be using public tax dollars to do it.
So does this seem fair? A public school can use public tax dollars to produce overt biased political propaganda for public release but a church can’t using their member’s donations?
The correct answer is: no it does not.
Well, am I the only one who sees the parallel between this video and countless other videos of the same stripe showing grade-schoolers being indoctrinated into worship of Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin, Castro, and a host of other Socialist, Marxist, Communist hard-liners?
I watched the video and I must say it would be humorous if it weren’t so disturbing.
The first black American to lead this great nation!
Notice the logical jump there? It requires a “black American” to make the economy number one. So now he’s an effective leader not in spite of being “black” but because of it! There’s some magical juju that Obama as a “black” man has that a white man doesn’t! (I’m not the one who injected race into it, they did.)
For all your great accomplishments, we all doth say “hooray!”
“We all doth say “hooray?” No one’s going to tell me children wrote this on their own.
I do notice a political faux pas in the refrain, “Barack Hussein Obama” however. No one’s supposed to pronounce his middle name! (Didn’t Ann Coulter get in hot water for doing this?) We’re not supposed to say anything that emphasizes the foreignness and alienness of our great leader!
I saw this on Glenn Beck last night. I was both horrified, and at the same time, absolutely livid. This is nothing more than Hitler-type youth indoctrination. Praise your country, certainly, but such overt worship and praise of an individual elected official is nothing but obscene. The teacher of the class was, of course, black, but that does not excuse her lesson plans either being approved or being ignored by the school administration. I would be like white on rice with the local school board, THEN I would yank my children from the public school system (thus removing the federal dollars paid for each of their bodies in the seats). My second step would be to take out ads in the local papers, post fliers everywhere possible informing my town of this disgusting socialist, even communist tactic.
The more I hear, the more I realize that the money and power behind this so-called administration isn’t going to give up easily.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Just imagine if blacks were in control. They would ignorantly disarm the country, leaving it vulnerable for attack; they would install Obama as dictator for life, with surveillance cameras everywhere, and the entire country would be a complete mess. And I can guarantee they would never admit to their stupidity if sanity returned with a white leader. They would still be voting black above all else.
These people give us all the examples we need in Africa, Detroit, N.O., L.A., Atlanta, and from reading their failed history where their accomplishments were at or near zero.
But, if you think THIS indoctrination is bad, take a look at these videos, especially the Muslim one where they praise Obama and declare he will deliver “The Great Satan” into their hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08iomNFrzU4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BAfKCfu74&NR=1
Question Diversity wrote: It isn’t just brainwashing, portraying Barack Hussein Obama as God makes this a cult movement. BTW, wasn’t his middle name off limits?
It was racist to mention Barack “The Almighty” Obama’s middle name during the presidential campaign. Five minutes after he was elected, we are now given his middle name at every opportunity, so that we learn the virtues of diversity and the religion of peace.
Some are pointing out that Bush had the same sort of policy pushing antics going on in schools too. But I don’t think children were being made to sing a praise song to Bush to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
People are refusing to recognize the “black superman” personality cult that has existed since the campaign. It was fashioned by a high school style hero worshipping adolescent following and has continued. Meanwhile, this truly sneaky man is appointing non-whites to every office he that exists or he can create and does things like cut funding for the US Border Patrol.
“They did songs about President Washington, Lincoln, and they did do one about President Obama,” Ciemnolonski said. “My daughter was in the class that did the songs about Obama. It was black history month… . It was something for the kids to celebrate.”
Something they have ALL failed to address: why there should be a Black History Month in the first place. It seem that that is now simply accepted and taken for granted; it’s no longer controversial.
For all your great accomplishments, we all doth say “hooray!”
“We all doth say “hooray?” No one’s going to tell me children wrote this on their own.
They centainly didn’t. Nor was it written by a very educated “educator” either. Doth is the third person singular, not the first person plural; so “We doth” is gramatically wrong and absurd as well.
This goes way beyond political indoctrination : it is an exercise in cult worship of a man, and is absolutely revolting.
Second point : “make our economy #1 again” ?
A point that stands out about this video is that the White boy featured in the beginning of the video seems to be head and shoulders above the students in the background in every way. His body English is far superior to the others, who appear to be very immature compared to him. His gestures are also quite mature for his age. Also, his speech patterns are quite precise, excellent.
Of course, the “teacher” didn’t understand what she was doing when she brought him up front and center, but that’s the impression I got by watching him. I’m sure she wanted to use him for her propaganda purposes, but somehow, I get a different feel for the whole thing when I see that boy. They better keep their eye on him. I don’t think anyone is going to be able to bamboozle him. He’s just way too sharp for them.
Did anyone else get the impression I got?
Tom Iron…
This kind of stuff is going to continue from the lousy education that our children get to this kind of indoctrination until parents, who unfortunately have to send their kids to government run schools, finally say enough is enough and take control back from the brainwashed idiots that are running them.
This is far cry from when I attended school just 30 years ago. I can’t believe how far the communist/socialist minded have come.
When I was in high school in the early 70’s, they started black history week and without consulting our parents we had to attend an assembly that first Monday morning. When I told my parents, my father went to the school the very next day and along with many, many, many other parents, informed the Principal and Vice Principals that their children were not going to be attending anymore black history week activities. And we didn’t. The school administrators didn’t try to indoctrinate our parents and their was no big ideological discussion. Our parents just wouldn’t allow it.
Not today. Why, because a lot of government schools today are simply being used as a baby sitting service and nothing more and the parents of those kids just don’t care.
What no one is noticing is this is not just mere Marxism.
In other words, a RELIGION.
And the man who sat for twenty years under Rev. Wright’s ‘teaching’ is NOT SAYING A THING.
In a Muslim country, he would be beheaded for daring to pretend to be equal to ‘Allah.’
Oh wait, we’re talking about Barack HUSSEIN Obama.
Now it all is clear.
Ann Coulter started calling him “B. Hussein Obama” to imitate the media calling Dan Quayle “J. Danforth Quayle” in 1988. Bill Cunningham, the Cincinnati-based talk host who took Matt Drudge’s place on Sunday nights, used “Barack Hussein Obama” at a McCain campaign rally in Cincy late last summer, and McLame threw Cunningham under the bus.
Whiteplight: I would be just as offended if teachers crammed the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” down kids’ throats. All the BHotR is about is that God ordains you should destroy, demolish and lay waste to people and property (some thought it was an independent country) because of racial equality. I know you’re not much into faith, but even you would agree that this is blasphemy to the power of blasphemy.
You are all wrong, Hussein is worshipped Mugabe style, this is not about fascism or communism, it is islamic afrocommunism.
Young Americans are at the level of Africans now, Hussein will be the Mugabe of America.
America, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Obama, Zuma, Mugabe analogy looks truer than ever.
This is the path the young white Americans chose.
It’s weird enough that the left keeps reminding us of how great he is, but I for one would like someone to tell me just what the guy has done except write two books on his favorite subject—himself. As for having adolescents sing his praises, that’s just down right creepy.
Hello, Mr. President we honor you today!
Accomplishments? What accomplishments? Other than writing two books about himself, the list is pretty slim. As for the “accomplishment” of getting elected, a rock can do that if it has the right marketing campaign (just look at our last 4 presidents).
Hooray, Mr. President! You’re number one!
When these tykes get a little older, I do hope they watch this tape and reflect on just how well that’s worked out for D.C., Baltimore, Detroit, every black-run city, state or neighborhood ever in the history of the planet, etc..
Hooray, Mr. President we honor your great plans
Word of advice for all aspiring indoctrinators: when you make a bunch of 5 year-olds recite lines about things like economics, you just come off as silly.
Seriously though, this stuff is twisted. Several posters here have it right: this is way beyond indoctrination, this is worship. It’s no different then when I was a little boy in Sunday School. The only difference is who was being worshiped.
Ranger-
I saw the second video you linked to, back during the campaign. Thought it was twisted back then and still do. Perhaps even more disturbing than the mindlessly sieg-heiling…er, I mean, singing…children is the swooning teacher leading them. A true believer in the cult of Obama, to be sure.
As for the muslim video, what’s your source? The subtitles don’t seem particularly surprising, but can we be sure they’re accurate? Some of the wording seems a little too western to me.
21 — BW Sam wrote at 5:50 PM on September 26:
I don’t know who the contributor is, but I’m inclined to believe its authenticity, especially since such a large number of the world’s Muslims are Obama advocates.
If I had to, however, I couldn’t prove in any way it is genuine.
I’d like to see a translator scour the Arabic, Somalian, MiddleEast web sites to see what they might be saying about the messiah, concentrating on anything that might be said regarding help to Muslims from “inside.”
We might all be a lot more shocked than we are with this one.
Superintendent Christopher Manno said in a written statement Thursday that the taping itself was out of order, but failed to address whether the lesson was approved. “The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized,” he wrote in a note to parents and the media.
This is the main point to this guy; that it became so public. He is like the criminal who feels remorse only because he got caught. The performance was authorized, but not the taping. And these are the people to whom we entrust our children? If I lived in that city or state I would be calling for his resignation.
““I’m stunned—I can’t believe it’s our school,”said Jim Pronchik”
Interesting. When Barach HUSSEIN Obama was running, any mention of his middle name by rightists was deemed “racist.” Now they’re writing songs about it. Go figure.
ER is right: this is nothing less than Islamic Afro-marxism masquerading as “progressivism.” Keep in mind one thing, folks: it wasn’t blacks who put this character in power; it was your fellow dopey Whites.
Walt Kelly of “Pogo” fame was right: “We have met the enemy, and they are us.”
Careful My Children, Glorious Leader is watching and he has his finger on the internet cutoff button. He could cut us off in mid senten…
Whiteplight: “Meanwhile, this truly sneaky man is appointing non-whites to every office he that exists or he can create and does things like cut funding for the US Border Patrol.”
If we are going to point out so much of the gross black inaccuracies and ineptness, surely we can take a minute or two to clean up our own obviously incorrect comments.
This is happening all too often.
I’m sure the black women who forced their pupils to sing this hymn of praise to the Great Leader got a real kick out of it. Especially focing all the little white kids to sing this drivel, with that idiotic “mmmm, mmmm, mmmm” refrain - as if they were black church ladies singing in a Gospel choir.
I find this event to be particularly revulsing. All the parents of those white kids should pull them out of that school, and educate them privately. Let blacks have their own schools, with their own childish and backward African ways. And let them, and them alone, pay for them.
I don’t know why anyone is surprised by this. When we deride Obama supporters for having a religious zeal about them it isn’t an exaggeration. White leftists and Blacks really do see him as nothing short of a messiah, not unlike their first messiah MLK. I can understand and almost sympathize with the Blacks who, with their limited understanding of politics and economics, feel that having one of “their own” in the white house will improve their horrid conditions. There is no excuse for the White fools who worship Obama. None. Expect to see more of this.
