Dear Superintendent

I just sent this message to the Superintendent of our School District. I am absolutely gobsmacked that a taped message of our president encouraging young people to stay in schools was attacked as a subversive communist missive. Because of that, my daughter isn't going to see this message in her school. I'm so weary of the politics of fear. It's not about who is on what team, it's about us dropping the angry, derisive, misleading and misguided rhetoric. It's about growing up and having grown up dialogs. Sometimes it's about agreeing to disagree, graciously. I am absolutely sick of the current tone of discourse. We are all entitled to our opinions, but we don't need to shove them down each other's throats. Like it or not, Barack Obama is our president.

Sheesh.

"Dear Superintendent:

I just found out that TVSD opted out of airing our president's address to our children today. I'm greatly dismayed and disappointed. The transcript for this speech was released prior to today, therefore you had sufficient time to review it and determine if it was appropriate. I can't understand how people in this country who use falsehoods and innuendo to promote their agendas have such a profound effect on our schools. It's ludicrous and disturbing. This is a message from our president who was elected into office by a very large margin. It isn't a political message, it is a straight forward plea to children to stay in school and work hard.

President Obama is a shining example of the American Dream in action. As an adult who was also raised by a single mother, I understand implicitly the struggles he endured. He went to an Ivy League college because of his hard work and determination. He became president because of that same spirit of self belief. His story is a wonderful inspiration for young people who doubt their ability to achieve success. Our young people need all of the positivity and inspiration they can get these days.

I accept that I'm in the political minority as a liberal living in this very conservative area. That being said, based on the fact that Obama was elected our president, I'm not a political minority living in this country. If we allow the politics of fear to influence how we teach our children, we are heading down a slippery slope indeed.

Regards,
Margot Potter"