The Presidential Address... Not Suitable for Children?

OK, you and me, we're still 'dating'. You know what I mean... I'm a new blogger, most of my readers are still friends and family (thanks, guys!), and I'm trying to find a voice here. So, like any good relationship, it should start out with honesty. So I'll come clean about a dirty little secret:

I never get my news from Fox News. It's not in my Favorites, it's not bookmarked, and I have no idea what channel it's on.

There. I've said it.

But, if I'm gonna provide political commentary, I have to get info from all sides. Even the Dark Side. And that brings me to today's comment. I was having lunch with Sugar (Mrs. Griffin), wondering what news would jump up and beg to be commented upon. The TV set in the restaurant was on Fox News, and the BIG STORY was that parents are apparently in an uproar over the fact that President Obama will be addressing school-kids next Tuesday. I knew about the school-day address, but outrage? What?!

I get online every day at about 9:00 a.m. Any earlier than that, and nothing's happened yet, and any later, I feel guilty. My homepage is MSNBC. I also check CNN, Newsweek, Slate, and the Huffington Post. So I got back online to see if I'd missed this pivotal story. Of all those sources, only the Huffington Post made mention of this, uhm, phenomenon. So, I went straight to the source, Fox.com.

First, you need to understand why I rarely go to Fox. Whenever I read it, I feel, well, dirty. Like I've been reading something, well, dirty. Today was no exception. 3 minutes into reading the story and the comments, and I was furtively looking over my shoulder, hoping Sugar didn't come in and catch me reading such filth. Sure enough, smack in the middle of the page was...

Parents Outraged At Obama "Lesson"

Here's the gist: Many parents are angered that this guy has the gall to want to talk to their precious children during school time, without first telling the parents what it is he'll be telling them, so they can decide if it's acceptable. Like he can just break in on the internet and talk to every child in America at the same time! And he's got this cockamamie scheme about 'Do well' and 'study hard' and 'write a letter to yourself about how you can help the country'. Who the hell does he think he is... the President?! Oh, wait...

What exactly do these parents think a sitting President will say to their kids? The man is the Leader Of Our Country, for crying out loud! I mean, if a President can't get a little airtime between recess and lunch, who can? Some of the folks commented that, just like having to sign a permission slip for their kid to be allowed to watch a PG13 movie in school, they want to be able to opt out. Most of the folks on the comment board swear that they'll keep their kids at home rather than allow them to subjected to such an atrocity. And that is their right.

So, if you really feel that way, tell me this... Does your child have an Xbox? A PS3? Do you know what games he or she plays, and what's on every level? What TV shows does he watch, and what are the lyrics to her favorite song, and what do those lyrics mean? What websites are in his favorites? Who are all their My Space Friends? What goes on in each and every class every day? What does he talk about with his friends on the school bus every day? Who's that boy whose name is on all her book covers?

Don't get me wrong, I know that no parent can possibly know all that, even if they foolishly believe that they do. I'm just saying that, of all the dangers that are out there, seen and unseen, threatening out precious children, do you really think that a Presidential Address, live, on the internet, streamed to every school in America, and received in the classroom, is really a threat to your kids? I mean, aren't there other things to worry about? Look, I don't agree with everything that the President does or says, but surely a Presidential Address, to the children of America, at school... honestly, is this where you start caring what little Johnny sees?