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Video: Childrens' Obama Song Draws Protest Outside School
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 13, 2009
Modified Oct 13, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 13, 2009
Modified Oct 13, 2009
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Toward the end of last month, a video appeared on YouTube showing schoolchildren at Bernice Young Elementary School in Jersey chanting two songs in praise of President Obama. It was immediately pounced upon by the embittered demagogues-in-exile at Fox News, and their coverage of this important issue finally bore indignant fruit yesterday, when dozens of protesters recited their own chant outside the school: "Educate, don't indoctrinate; Educate don't indoctrinate."
The children performed the songs last March, and it's kind of hard to tell from this video (below) exactly what they're singing. But what is clear is that their love for our most awesomest president is sooo cuuuuute! The complete lyrics are on the YouTube post, but they include lines such as "Mm, mmm, mm! Barack Hussein Obama / He said that all must lend a hand, to make this country strong again. / He said we must be fair today, equal work means equal pay." It would be outrageous if they were singing about President Bush, but this is Nobel laureate and unicorn-tamer Barack Ohhhhbama we're talking about!
But dozens of New Jersey adults are angry, and a couple of them even have children enrolled at the school. Parent Gina Altokova tells WCBS, "I came from former Soviet Union as a kid. I was singing songs to the leader Brezhnev and all the others. They were bigger than God. Millions of us were singing songs to Great leaders. This is a shame. This must stop." School officials say the song was not intended to make a political statement or promote a political agenda, and the teacher who was in charge of the class has since retired.
The school also says they sent the lyrics home to parents for them to review. But mother Gina Pronchick says, "These words never came home. Obama. Say yes to Obama. Find your inner Obama. That's brainwashing. This is not America. This is a communist country." It's believed that all the protesting parents were immediately rounded up and sent to reeducation labor camps in northern Minnesota as punishment for their disloyalty. Below, the indoctrination video.
Tagged
elementary school
new jersey
obama song
protest
video
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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