At 11:00 a.m. EDT, today—September 08, 2009— President Barack Obama is to address our children in the Public Schools systems.  This action has created a major controversy in our midst.  Parents, School Districts and School Principals or administrators, as well as, teachers are in the middle of it all.  A lot parents, as well as, school principals or school administrators have reacted negatively to the idea of having the President of the United States addressing their kids in the classrooms today.  On the other hand, many others don’t see what the harm or the big deal is, given the fact that the message has been disclosed and there is nothing within the content of the message that would reflect a political agenda or anything inappropriate that our kids couldn’t handle or hear.

Such controversy forced The White House to provide a copy of the full text of The President’s message before its day of delivery—being that day today—to news authorities and schools districts in attempts to put parents and all others involved at ease, and to clear up any concerns they may have about the intentions or motives behind this—The President’s decision of addressing the school children of our nation.

Parents who have read— or heard in the news— what the message it’s all about, learned that they have been given the option to either opt-in or opt-out of having their child attend this event at their local public schools today. But it is not the content of the message…the message itself is good—an encouragement to our children to stay in school and do well— but it’s the decision itself made by President Barack Obama—of addressing our children— that still have some parents wondering, some puzzled, and some others angry.  For these parents, the issue in question is not whether the president’s message in and of itself may include content not suitable for the young children,  we should attribute him a little more common sense than that, but for them, what’s at stake here is the issue of authority over their children— whose authority is higher, whose authority takes precedence.  And so, from their perspective, there is a boundary that has been violated, where these parents feel that their authority over their children has been undermined and basically dismissed due to the fact that prior parental consent was not requested of them, thus, creating uneasiness among such parents about this event taking place.

For these—disapproving— parents, President Barack Obama considers himself which such authority over his people, or over his people’s children, that he doesn’t deem it necessary to ask parents permission before attempting such a thing—of addressing their children publicly and directly in their classroom at school.  These parents are viewing The President as someone who is utilizing or taking advantage of his power or position of authority to influence their children in their school environment.

Obviously, they have drawn this conclusion from the fact that President Barack Obama omitted to request parents’ permission or consent prior to attempting the delivery of his message to the children in the public schools today.  And so, the struggle taking place is about whose authority is greater over the children in the nation, the parents’ or that of the President of the United States? Sure, the message is positive and The President means well, but some argue: “Isn’t that the parents’ responsibility to ensure that their kids stay and do well in school?  Or is it that the President believes that parents aren’t doing their job?”

The second issue at stake is the establishment of a pattern, which could be seen as socialistic and dictatorial in nature.  Sure, The President’s address to the kids today is focused on something positive and harmless— on encouraging them to stay and do well in school— but what would future addresses be about? If parents so decide to relinquish such authority to the President over their kids?  Authority, which he assumes, he already possess.  And so, the question arises:  Does the President of the United States have the right to address—at any given time— the people’s children in their public school environment without prior parental consent?

On the other hand, those who are in favor of The President’s speech to our school children argue that there is nothing strange or suspicious about The Presidents decision to address the children in the public schools—that they don’t see it any different than when former presidents Bush and Regan did the same thing.

So, what is different this time around?  Why Obama’s address to our school children has not been seen in the same way as those made by former presidents?  Why has it not been as well received or accepted?

What is your opinion?

Attached bellow is the text of Obama’s speech to our schoolchildren, which by the way, I think one will find it to be very positive and encouraging…

Text of Obama’s speech to Schoolchildren
(http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090907_tnt_text-obama-kid-speech.158f4d00a.html)

01:23 PM CDT on Monday, September 7, 2009

WFAA.com Staff

The White House has provided this text of a speech that President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver at a back-to-school event in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday. Schools around the nation have been invited to let students view a broadcast of the president’s address.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book.

Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.

Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090907_tnt_text-obama-kid-speech.158f4d00a.html

What is your opinion?

I don’t know if I’m the only one who has noticed that the world has become a more dangerous place for our children to live in. This is the last thing a parent wants to hear, believe me, I know.  No one wants to add any more anxiety to the already long list of worries a parent has while rearing their children. However, I must say this because I care. I wish I could say that the world is becoming a much safer place for our children to live in, but I can’t, because just the opposite is happening.

So, the information I’m about to share is intended to make us aware of the dangers raising up out there, so that as parents we can all make informed decisions when it comes to keeping our children safe—completely out of harm’s way. Well, maybe not completely out of harm’s way—that might not be humanly possible, but at least, to do all that we can possibly do to keep them out of harm’s way. So, here we go:

Parents Beware Alert

The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and ‘transgender’) movement wants our children, and President Obama is backing them up every step of the way. They want access to our children to twist their minds and to persuade them into thinking that maybe, just maybe they might be gay, and thus persuade them into trying the homosexual lifestyle. They want to convince every man, woman and child that deep down they’re all homosexuals–they just don’t know it yet because they haven’t tried it.

In the fall, Obama told the Washington Blade what gay activists could expect under an Obama presidency. “I will continue to do what I’ve done throughout my career and in this campaign,” he said, “speak out on behalf of the cause for … for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and ‘transgender’) Americans.”

In April 2008, Obama told a gay-activist magazine: “I for a very long time have been interested in repeal of DOMA” (the Defense of Marriage Act, which is the only thing preventing same-sex “marriage” from spreading across the U.S.). http://www.citizenlink.org

Ever since elected, this group’s ambitious agenda seems to be in the president’s highest-of-priorities-list, and it is taking priority over our children safety. How?

SB 200: The Bathroom Bill… sexual predators could take advantage of the confusion caused by this law — and endanger women and children in public bathrooms.

Colorado recently enacted SB 200, a law that opens “public accommodations” — including public restrooms — to members of the opposite sex. In other words, men who consider themselves to be women, may go in the “women” labeled restrooms and vise versa. In the name of protecting transgendered individuals from discrimination, Colorado has paved the way for sexual predators to take advantage of the confusion caused by this law — and endanger women and children.

H.R. 1913: Hate-Crimes Legislation (“hate-crimes” laws S.909) Could offer protection to pedophiles????

By a 249-175 vote, the liberal leadership delivered on its promise to create special protections for people based on their sexual behavior, gender identity, or disabilities. In addition to whom the bill would protect, it also adjusts where the victims are eligible for protection. In its current form, H.R. 1913 would overturn a prior rule that the victim of a hate crime had to be attacked while they were “engaged in a federally protected activity.” Under the new language, Washington can intervene in just about any local or state crime. Because the bill doesn’t define the term “sexual orientation,” some fear that pedophiles and practitioners of other bizarre sexual fetishes would try to claim protection under it.

S.B. 572: The California State Senate is poised to vote on a bill making an official “homosexual day” in every public school.

It would be called “Harvey Milk Day” in honor of the openly homosexual San Francisco Board of Supervisors member who was shot and killed in 1978 along with the city’s mayor, George Moscone. S.B. 572, which was approved 7-to-2 out of committee last week, says observances conducted on May 22 should recognize Milk’s “accomplishments as well as the contributions he made to this state” — and that “all public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe…and…conduct suitable commemorative exercises.”

Randy Thomasson of SaveCalifornia.com says the legislation designates just another day to indoctrinate children in the tenets of homosexuality.

According to Thomasson, parental permission for children to participate in any related activities would not be required under S.B. 572, effectively trampling on parents’ rights. He also contends the measure would “encourage public schools to positively portray to children any and all facets of homosexuality, bisexuality, and trans-sexuality — and anything else that’s ‘in the closet.’“ By Charlie Butts and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - http://www.onenewsnow.com

How Does Gay ‘Marriage’ Affect Education?
by Jennifer Mesko, editor, http://www.citizenlink.org

‘The Supreme Court has made it clear that once a state orders gay…

Marriage advocates in California are rolling out a second television ad showing how same-sex “marriage” would change what’s taught in the classroom.

Gay activists, in their effort to defeat California’s marriage amendment (Prop. 8), are claiming homosexual “marriage” has no effect on education.

Yet, in the only other state that has legalized gay “marriage” — Massachusetts — schoolchildren are seeing some of the most egregious effects following the 2003 court decision.

In 2006, a Massachusetts teacher read the gay-friendly book “King and King” to her first-grade class, which included Joey Wirthlin. His parents, Robert and Robin Wirthlin, met with the school principal to request they be given advance notice before such material was taught to their son.

Two courts decided schools are not required to inform parents in advance of teaching about same-sex relationships. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that once a state orders gay ‘marriage,’ public schools are going to be teaching about gay ‘marriage,’ ” said Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage “There is no parental opt-out.”

Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Spreads through Northeast
by Jennifer Mesko, editor, http://www.citizenlink.org

‘This is a divisive and polarizing effort driven by the need to play to the Democrats’ donor base.’

The New York State Assembly voted Tuesday to legalize same-sex “marriage.” Thankfully, the legislation faces an uphill battle in the state Senate.

In New Hampshire, the Legislature has sent a similar bill to Gov. John Lynch, despite a recent state survey that found 64 percent of respondents agreed that “marriage between one man and one woman should be the only legal definition of marriage.”

Brian Brown, executive director for the National Organization for Marriage, said it’s clear the people of New Hampshire are not clamoring for same-sex “marriage.”

“This is a divisive and polarizing effort driven by the need to play to the Democrats’ donor base, not the will of the people,” he said. “How much of a role did out-of-state money, and national pressure, play in getting New Hampshire politicians to ignore the voters? It’s a legitimate question.”

Last week, Maine Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation making the state the fifth to allow same-sex “marriage.”

A “people’s veto” is in the works in Maine; it allows voters to place an issue on the ballot.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa also allow homosexual “marriage.” The California Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on that state’s marriage-protection amendment, which was approved by voters in November.

Jenny Tyree, marriage analyst at Focus on the Family Action, said too many lawmakers are ignoring the needs of the current and future citizens of their states.

“The purpose of marriage — attaching men and women to each other and to children — may sound old-fashioned to modern ears, but societies cannot thrive by undermining the best family structure for raising the next generation.

“The definition of marriage is most secure in the hands of the voters.”

Gay Activist Tim Gill and Friends Claim Victory in 106 Races
by Jennifer Mesko, editor

For years, homosexual multi-millionaire Tim Gill and his like-minded friends have shrewdly targeted key legislative races to defeat candidates who support traditional marriage and family values.

In 2004, Gill and his friends poured millions into Gill’s home state of Colorado and gave control of the Legislature to those favoring the homosexual agenda. In 2006, they expanded, targeting 70 key races in Colorado and other states and winning an astonishing 50.This year was no different.

In addition to investing millions to — unsuccessfully — fight marriage amendments in Arizona, California and Florida, Gill and like-minded contributors supported candidates in at least 147 state races and won 106 of them. Having personally poured more than $150 million into homosexual advocacy, Gill has said his mission is to “punish the wicked” — those who stand in the way of his gay agenda.

Protecting Marriage to Protect Children
by David Blankenhorn

Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving. But in all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood.

Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving, and many of its features vary across groups and cultures. But there is one constant. In all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood. Among us humans, the scholars report, marriage is not primarily a license to have sex. Nor is it primarily a license to receive benefits or social recognition. It is primarily a license to have children.

In this sense, marriage is a gift that society bestows on its next generation. Marriage (and only marriage) unites the three core dimensions of parenthood — biological, social and legal — into one pro-child form: the married couple. Marriage says to a child: The man and the woman whose sexual union made you will also be there to love and raise you. Marriage says to society as a whole: For every child born, there is a recognized mother and a father, accountable to the child and to each other.

These days, because of the gay marriage debate, one can be sent to bed without supper for saying such things. But until very recently, almost no one denied this core fact about marriage. Summing up the cross-cultural evidence, the anthropologist Helen Fisher in 1992 put it simply: “People wed primarily to reproduce.” The philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell, certainly no friend of conventional sexual morality, was only repeating the obvious a few decades earlier when he concluded that “it is through children alone that sexual relations become important to society, and worthy to be taken cognizance of by a legal institution.”

Marriage is society’s most pro-child institution. In 2002 — just moments before it became highly unfashionable to say so — a team of researchers from Child Trends, a nonpartisan research center, reported that “family structure clearly matters for children, and the family structure that helps children the most is a family headed by two biological parents in a low-conflict marriage.”

All our scholarly instruments seem to agree: For healthy development, what a child needs more than anything else is the mother and father who together made the child, who love the child and love each other.

For these reasons, children have the right, insofar as society can make it possible, to know and to be cared for by the two parents who brought them into this world. The foundational human rights document in the world today regarding children, the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically guarantees children this right. The last time I checked, liberals like me were supposed to be in favor of internationally recognized human rights, particularly concerning children, who are typically society’s most voiceless and vulnerable group. Or have I now said something I shouldn’t?

Every child being raised by gay or lesbian couples will be denied his birthright to both parents who made him. Every single one. Moreover, losing that right will not be a consequence of something that at least most of us view as tragic, such as a marriage that didn’t last, or an unexpected pregnancy where the father-to-be has no intention of sticking around. On the contrary, in the case of same-sex marriage and the children of those unions, it will be explained to everyone, including the children, that something wonderful has happened!

For me, what we are encouraged or permitted to say, or not say, to one another about what our society owes its children is crucially important in the debate over initiatives like California’s Proposition 8, which would reinstate marriage’s customary man-woman form. Do you think that every child deserves his mother and father, with adoption available for those children whose natural parents cannot care for them? Do you suspect that fathers and mothers are different from one another? Do you imagine that biological ties matter to children? How many parents per child is best? Do you think that “two” is a better answer than one, three, four or whatever? If you do, be careful. In making the case for same-sex marriage, more than a few grown-ups will be quite willing to question your integrity and goodwill. Children, of course, are rarely consulted.

The liberal philosopher Isaiah Berlin famously argued that, in many cases, the real conflict we face is not good versus bad but good versus good. Reducing homophobia is good. Protecting the birthright of the child is good. How should we reason together as a society when these two good things conflict?

Here is my reasoning. I reject homophobia and believe in the equal dignity of gay and lesbian love. Because I also believe with all my heart in the right of the child to the mother and father who made her, I believe that we as a society should seek to maintain and to strengthen the only human institution — marriage — that is specifically intended to safeguard that right and make it real for our children.

Legalized same-sex marriage almost certainly benefits those same-sex couples who choose to marry, as well as the children being raised in those homes. But changing the meaning of marriage to accommodate homosexual orientation further and perhaps definitively undermines for all of us the very thing — the gift, the birthright — that is marriage’s most distinctive contribution to human society. That’s a change that, in the final analysis, I cannot support. David Blankenhorn is president of the New York-based Institute for American Values and the author of The Future of Marriage.

Parents, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and ‘transgender’) movement is out to recruit our children. They are out to brain wash the vulnerable minds of our young people and convincing them into experimenting, and trying “to see if you like it” kind of a thing, in a very subtle, but manipulative and calculated way. The government is backing them up and the media is supporting them a 100%.

The media is bombarding our kids with homosexual vibes. America’s major broadcast networks are upping their promotion of the homosexual movement, doubling the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual scripted characters for the 2008-2009 broadcast schedule since last year. There are numerous shows on MTV, VH1 & other Cable TV channels with lots and lots of homosexual & bisexual content aimed at our young people. I would suggest keeping a close watch at what our kids are looking at on TV these days. And I would personally prohibit any shows with this type of content from being watched in my house. Let’s bring their ratings down, and make them go off the air.

The media is trying to create this positive outlook on homosexuality–trying to shove their sexual orientation down our throats–to convince us to accept their sexual orientation as normal and allow them all kinds of privileges and access to our children. We have all these gay Hollywood personalities in California, with lots of money, funding all kinds of efforts to support the gay agenda, and all the gays in government doing all they can to push legislations that would allow them more and more power to influence our children. We need to take a stand. And let these people know that we are not letting them have our children. We do not want our children involved in their homosexual lifestyle.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a daughter of mine singing “I kissed a girl and I liked it”. And can you believe that this song, “I Kissed a Girl” was the No. 1 best-selling pop track on iTunes (& the #2 best-selling track overall on iTunes) and the #1 most-downloaded iTunes Ringtone. And was also the No. 1 most-requested song at multiple Top 40 stations nationwide? This experimenting thing with homosexuality is really getting to our young people, wouldn’t you say?

And I don’t know about you, but I carried my children in the womb for 9 long months each. I have nurtured them, cared for them, fed them, clothed them, and protected them, from the moment they were born to now–they are mine! And no one, no government, no school system, no group of people, no individual has the right to indoctrinate them on sexual orientation, period.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited children put together this child safety list. It contains very valuable information on what to do to keep our kids safe, worth sharing with everyone.

Once kids are able to talk, you can begin teaching them some basic safety essentials.

At Home

1. Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number. Make sure they know your full name.
2. Make sure your children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone.
3. Teach your children how and when to use 911 and make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
4. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone.
5. Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends, and neighbors. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask children how the experience with the caregiver was and listen carefully to their responses.

On the Net

1. Learn about the Internet. The more you know about how the Web works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about potential risks. Visit www.NetSmartz.org for more information about Internet safety.
2. Place the family computer in a common area, rather than a child’s bedroom. Also, monitor their time spent online and the websites they’ve visited and establish rules for Internet use.
3. Know what other access your child may have to the Internet at school, libraries, or friends’ homes.
4. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users and make sure screen names don’t reveal too much about your children.
5. Encourage your children to tell you if anything they encounter online makes them feel sad, scared, or confused.
6. Caution children not to post revealing information or inappropriate photos of themselves or their friends online.

At School

1. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. If your children ride a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.
2. Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school. Remind them to stay with a group if they’re waiting at the bus stop.
3. Caution children never to accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.

Out and About

1. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood and tell them whose homes they may visit without you.
2. Remind your children it’s OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and teach your children to tell you if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.
3. Teach your children to ask permission before leaving home.
4. Remind your children not to walk or play alone outside.
5. Teach your children to never approach a vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult.
6. Practice “what if” situations and ask your children how they would respond. “What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Who would you ask?”
7. Teach your children to check in with you if there is a change of plans.
8. During family outings, establish a central, easy-to-locate spot to meet for check-ins or should you get separated.
9. Teach your children how to locate help at theme parks, sports stadiums, shopping malls, and other public places. Also, identify those people who they can ask for help, such as uniformed law enforcement, security guards and store clerks with nametags.
10. Help your children learn to recognize and avoid potential risks, so that they can deal with them if they happen.
11. Teach your children that if anyone tries to grab them, they should make a scene and make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.

Your child is going to school for the first time. What an emotional time this is! There is so much on your mind. How he or she will adapt? How he or she will be treated? Will he or she eat or drink enough? All these questions can be summed up in one: How do I find the right preschool or child care for my child?

What kind of child care is there available?

Home-based care:

Listed family homes: People who must list with the division are those who are compensated to provide regular child care (at least four hours per day, three or more days a week, for more than nine consecutive weeks) in their own homes for 1-3 unrelated children.

Registered Child Care Homes: Registered Child Care Homes provide care in the caregiver’s home for up to six children under age 14; they may also take in up to six more school-age children. The number of children allowed in a home is determined by the ages of the children. No more than 12 children can be in care at any time, including children of the caregiver.

Licensed Child Care Homes: Provide care for less than 24 hours per day for 7-12 children under 14 years old. All types of licensed facilities have published standards they are required to follow and are routinely monitored and inspected.

Center-based care:

Licensed Child Care Centers & preschools: are any operation that cares for 13 or more children under 14 years old for less than 24 hours.

Do not make the mistake to choose a facility based on proximity or cost alone. The closest school to your home might not necessarily be the right choice for your child. Also, keep in mind that the highest cost doesn’t always guarantee the best teacher and facility. Likewise, the least expensive rates do not necessarily mean poor teachers and facilities.

Since I’m a former preschool teacher, I thought I knew exactly what to look for when I had to make this decision, and even for me it was a little tricky. I visited a few preschools that were the closest to my home with the hopes of finding the right one for my son among those. I decided to try one that presented itself very attractive, even though I was a little uneasy about this one school: It was so close to home and it look so good as far as appearance goes, that I decided to give it a chance. To make a long story short, I was right about “my gut feeling” I had about this school. My son only lasted there two weeks, and he was miserably unhappy for the whole time.

And that is why I think “your gut feeling” is so important, and the first thing I would recommend when looking for the right school for your child is to pay attention to your instincts.

1. Pay attention to your instincts

You know your child best. Pay attention to any feelings of uneasiness you may have experienced during site visits or interviews. Could you picture your child in this setting? Were the toys and activities you observed the kinds your child would enjoy?

2. Look and listen

You can tell a great deal by observing and listening to what is going on in the classroom. Did the children seem happy and were they enjoying activities? Did the teachers seem to be loving, nurturing and responsive to all children in their care? Were problems handled promptly and appropriately? Did the teacher seem like the kind of people you can trust with the health, happiness and well being of your child? Is this a place where you would feel good about your child spending many hours each day?

3. Professional Qualifications

What is the lead teacher’s level of education? Research shows that children whose teachers have more education have better outcomes. Increased education and specialized training in early childhood education produces higher quality programs and positive child outcomes. Formal education plus annual in-service training equals higher quality levels.

Every state has mandatory hours of training required for childcare givers to attend, for teachers and helpers as well. For instance, in Florida, there is a 30-hour-childcare training that is mandatory for all childcare workers, teachers and helpers to attend, and then a 10-hour-Age appropriate-training thereafter. You may inquire whether your child’s teacher and/or helper have completed this mandatory training. The number of hours varies from state to state. To find out more about this you may visit your state’s DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY & PROCTETIVE SERVICES or CHILDREN’S SERVICES Website.

4. Curriculum & Daily Routines

Do they use a curriculum? What curriculum do they use?

A curriculum based on developmentally appropriate practices should be utilized and teaching staff should have been trained in implementing this curriculum. This is extremely important if you are interested in your child being educated and not just being watched. Implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum is a strong predictor of children’s success in school.

Not only that, you don’t want your child in an environment where there is nothing planned to do. He or she is going to be bored out of his or her mind after he or she is done playing with toys, and most likely will engage in misbehavior and disorderly conduct due to lack of organized and planned activities. This is when children begin to hit and push each other and become aggressive to one another due to lack of planned activities. The day has many hours. We can not expect children just to play for 8 hours. And I’m a teacher, I know all about children learning by playing, but even play needs to be planned and guided by the teacher.

The following is what Broward County in the State of Florida requires on this aspect:

DAILY ROUTINES and PROGRAMS

1) Infants:
Infants shall have planned activity periods of play suitable to stimulate their interest, opportunities for talking and cuddling with staff members and ample opportunities for exercise outside their cribs on mats or on a clean floor surface. All infants should have a daily outdoor period, weather permitting.

2) Other Age Groups:
The facility shall have a daily schedule of activities posted in a place accessible to the parents. The activities shall be appropriate to the developmental age of the child. The daily schedule shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
• Broad blocks of time for activities in art, language development, music, block building, creative and dramatic play, science, manipulative play, active play, indoor and outdoor play periods
• Time period for providing meals and snacks
• Quiet time or nap period
Activities for both indoors and outdoors shall be provided by a flexible daily schedule of regular routines in order to give the children the sense of security they need to help them become self directing and independent, and to develop a positive self image. There shall be a sufficient amount of play equipment and materials available for the licensed capacity of the facility.

3) Each child three years of age or under shall have a daily rest period of at least one hour on a cot, mat, crib, bed or playpen.

5. Ratio and Group Size – research strongly suggests that smaller group sizes and more staff with children lead to better outcomes for children. Lower ratios and smaller group sizes allow teachers to give children more individual attention, a key to success.

I think this is the same for all the states, but again, you should check your state’s Children Services Website to be sure. Bellow is Broward County’s, Florida, student/teacher ratio rules. And I using Florida as an example because I completed my Early Childhood Education/Child Development studies there and I’m must familiar with the rules and regulations of this particular state pertaining to this subject.

RATIOS OF PERSONNEL TO CHILDREN

6. Family Engagement: The program recognizes that children’s chances for success increase when families get involved in their child’s early care and education program. The program promotes ongoing family participation in a variety of ways.

7. Program Administration: A strong set of management practices including record-keeping, financial management, staff hiring and retention practices, and emergency planning are key to a successful program.

Signs to look for:

What to look for:

Do the children look happy, involved in activities and well-cared for?

Do teachers get on the child’s level to listen, talk and play with children?

Do teachers give individual attention to each child?

Are teachers warm, kind, calm and patient?

What is your child’s reaction when he first sees his teacher in the morning?

Are there sufficient materials such as blocks, books, puzzles, art supplies and toys for all the children and are they available throughout the day?

Are well planned activities such as music, painting and dress-up play provided for children?

Does the facility seem cheerful, clean and safe with equipment in good repair?

Is hand washing and diaper changing done frequently?

Is there adequate indoor space for play, naps, meals, belongings?

Is the outdoor play are fenced, safe, well-equipped and supervised at all times?

Questions to ask

(You will probably receive an information packet that will answer some of these questions for you, but if you don’t, here are some important questions to ask)

Is the program licensed? Accredited?

Private accrediting agencies perform an important quality assurance function by accrediting or certifying early care and education programs that meet their standards. Accredited child care programs have a strong interest in quality and have met a set of standards higher than licensing standards set forth by the particular Early Childhood Agency or Association they have cared to join. Some of the well known National Early Childhood Associations are: NAEYC, ACEI and NAFCC, and there are many others.

Are references and background checks conducted on staff?

How many of the teaching staff has been employed in this facility or home for more than one year?

Does the person who will be teaching your child have training in early childhood education, First Aid and CPR?

How many children are there for each adult? (adult to child ratio)

How many children are in your child’s group? (smaller group size is a quality indicator)

Are there written policies/information regarding: philosophy of education for young children; discipline; on-going staff education/training; illness and injuries, napping; and toileting habits?

AND ALL OTHER QUESTIONS YOU FEEL THE NEED TO ASK. DON’T HESITATE…

Once you have made a choice. It doesn’t all end there. You will want to talk to your new teacher often and make occasional visits to ensure that your child is safe and happy– that your decision was the right one.

I sincerely hope this information was helpful to you and that you find the right Preschool or Child Care setting for your bundle of joy like I finally did for mine. When one’s child is excited and looking forward to going to school every time, one realizes that making the right choice makes a whole world of difference, and it will show…

If you would like to add your own thoughts or comments to this post, please feel free to do so bellow.

Okay, when you think you’ve heard it all. A bill to approve a “Gay Day” celebration in Public Schools? What? are the gay people heroes now? I believe in equal treatment for all, but this is going well beyond equal treatment. This is forcing the world to pay recognition to a group of people that have done nothing remarkable to earn it. And force it upon our children in the Public schools? The first thing that comes to mind is who in the world is proposing this kind of nonsense? And don’t they have anything better to do in the Senate than to come up with these ridiculous ideas? Well, I did a little research as follows:

Lead Author of AB 2567 : Assemblymember Mark Leno. Bio:

Elected to the Assembly in 2002, Assemblyman Mark Leno represents the 13th District, which encompasses the eastern portion of San Francisco. He is one of the first openly gay men ever elected to the Assembly.

He currently chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which oversees all bills with a fiscal impact on the state. He also serves on the Election & Redistricting and Labor Committees, as well as the Public Safety Committee, which he chaired through 2006. Prior to his election to the Assembly, Leno served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from April 1998 to November 2002.

In 2007, Leno is continuing his pioneering battle for equal rights for LGBT couples and their families by introducing AB 43, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. This historic civil rights legislation would allow same sex couples to marry in California. In 2005, Leno’s nearly identical AB 849 was the first marriage equality bill in United States history to be approved by both houses of a state legislature.

Sponsor: Equality California (EQCA)

Co-Authors: Senators Kehoe, Kuehl and Migden; Assemblymember Laird and Speaker Núñez

This legislation only proves one thing; that the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) movement is not seeking equal treatment as they claim. They are seeking superior treatment, a special kind of treatment. There is no “Straight Day” celebration in the schools. Why there should be a “Gay Day” celebration?

Do you think our children should be celebrating a “Gay Day” at school? And how would you like to have to explain this “Gay Day” celebration to a Kindergartener? Well, if you live in the state of California and Governor Schwarzenegger does not veto this legislation, you just might have to. And look out everyone, legislations often voted for in California tend to spread out throughout the nation.

CALL TO ACTION: You can let Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger know how you feel about this issue:
Contact the Governor

Governor’s Office

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633

To send an Electronic Mail please visit:
http://www.govmail.ca.gov