I have two questions for you.
Question #1: Would you be offended if your child sang this at school?
Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American."
And I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the ones who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
Principal Greta Hawkins worried you might take offense. She yanked the song from her graduating kindergarten program at their Coney Island, New York school, PS 90. Her faculty reports she abruptly stopped a rehearsal upon hearing the song claiming that, "we don't want to offend other cultures." A Department of Education spokesperson states Hawkins cancelled the song because it is "too grown up" for the age group.
However, another song in the program was not questioned. Justin Bieber's "Baby."
Are we an item? Girl, quit playin'
"We're just friends," what are you sayin'?
Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes
My first love broke my heart for the first time
And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh
Like baby, baby, baby, no
Like baby, baby, baby, oh
I thought you'd always be mine, mine
Question #2: Would you object if your high school senior heard a motivational speech by the co-producer of Schindler's List?
Oscar-winner Gerald R. Molen was turned away after he arrived at a Montana high school for a scheduled speech that was weeks in the making. Molen, a sought-after speaker, accomplished producer and ex-marine, planned his presentation for weeks and drove 90 minutes to deliver it. Upon his arrival for the event, Principal Tom Stack would not allow him to deliver it because Molen is…"a right-wing conservative."
He's also a man who speaks to audiences free of charge. When compensation is offered, he instead asks that it be sent to the Shoah Foundation, Steven Spielberg's organization dedicated to the remembrance of the Holocaust. Ironically, Shoah's mission statement reads: To overcome prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry—and the suffering they cause.
My own answer to both questions is a very strong NO. When our children are learning all kinds of questionable things on a regular basis, I find it hard to believe a principal might ban a patriotic song. According to PS 90 kindergarten parent Luz Lozada, "A lot of people fought to move to America to live freely, so that song should be sung with a whole lot of pride."
Exactly, Luz.
And as for Molen, he submitted a letter to Montana's Daily Inter Lake newspaper to go on record that his speech was apolitical and was meant to be, "a cheerleading presentation that allowed me to remind them of their individual greatness. In America today, are our children taught or indoctrinated?"
I have an idea for Mr. Molen. I think he should get on a plane and come to New York. I'll pick him up at JFK and drive him to Coney Island. He can deliver his speech to the graduating kindergarten class of PS 90 and their families. When he is done, the kindergarteners can wave little American flags, just as they had planned, as they sing, "And I'm proud to be an American…God bless the USA!"
We won't even have to worry about Principal Hawkins objecting. The crowd's cheers and applause will surely drown her out.
Please visit my colleague, Amy Bradley-Hole, as she blogs about politics from a liberal point of view. Betsy Shaw wrote a compelling piece recently about censorship in school libraries that may also be of interest.
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
