I just can’t believe it’s going on in America

Principal King- I have been given this e-mail in good faith, believing that it belongs to the principal in charge of the school, whose youtube video I viewed today, wherein a teacher was teaching a class of children to sing a song praising President Barack Obama.

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If you are this individual, I have a few things to say to you. If you are not, pardon me for intruding on your day. First of all, I am absolutely appalled that children of the age depicted on the video shown are being inculcated with such obscene "praise the leader" claptrap. As a German historian with a specialty in the Nazi era, I have seen my fill of many similar batches of cinematic hooey produced by Mr. Goebbels. Sadly, it was from seemingly innocent songs such a yours that we saw the rise of the Hitler Youth. Secondly, if I am correct in assuming that you are a public school, you are utilizing tax dollars in the completion of this shabby and tawdry affair. Thirdly, while hero worship is fine, and we have over the years given high and unique praise to such notables as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and others, like General Douglas MacArthur and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, it strikes me that historically, after a mere nine months in office, with growing concerns about Mr. Obama's fiscal policies growing by the week, that it might be a bit premature to rank him with our founding fathers and our greatest military heroes. After all, he did not serve in the military, and ACORN, the key accomplishment from his early years, now appears to be under some circumspection by the US Treasury, 14 states, and have had their funding cut by both houses of congress for manifold illegal activities. Lastly, the idea that a sitting American president of whatever ilk is being praised in lockstep song by our most vulnerable youth is abhorrent by its very nature and is, at best, decidedly creepy. Please feel free to contact me at any time should you care to with any remarks. John Burtis Derry, NH