why i watched obama with my kids

when my kids got home from school today, my mother and i watched obama's speech to schoolchildren with them.

i felt two strong emotions while watching it. extreme pride to be an american. to live in a country that could elect a black president, who rose above all odds to win the presidency. and deep shame, that for veiled reasons and beliefs, so many schools here in texas - including ours - chose not to show it.

it was a wonderful speech. and i kept thinking, how sad that some of these young boys (and girls) in my sons' school, who do not have a good role model or father to look up to have missed out on this most simple and important of messages: stay in school. work hard. study.

i read some remarks written by "christians" online, suspicious of his intents. citing propaganda. quoting the bible. making comparisons to hitler. i wish i was kidding. one said, "when i heard it (the speech) i laughed since it's obvious that he doesn't believe a word of it!" in response i could only write one word. WOW. and not wow in a good way.

the simple truth is that it freaks a lot of people out that he is black. they hide it behind other words like "muslim" or "socialist," because you can not very well say, "i don't like having a black president."

but the truth is, more people than not voted for him. my mother, for the first time in maybe her whole adult life, voted democrat. and as i have become fond of saying, you can't hand obama the ingredients for shit soup and expect filet mignon.

the fear-mongerers will continue to scream and yell. the extreme right wing will keep trying to discredit this president, no matter what he does.

one of my facebook friends posted this, and i wholeheartedly agree: "it is a dark day for democracy when schools charged with instilling patriotism in our children tell them that they can decide to turn a deaf ear to a message of hope from our president. to every administrator who allowed an opt out: take down the flags in front of your schools and burn them, you have disgraced their meaning. hang your heads in shame."

we are all american. but it sure doesn't feel like it today.