My Pledge

I've had loads of emails and calls regarding the Pledge video made by "stars" in Hollywood. (See posts from yesterday morning on a couple of my blogs below, plus I'm including the actual video for those who haven't watched it yet). The video hit the news big time last night and I'd guess it will get more play today, despite the fact that it's a holiday weekend and a light news time.

The video of Hollywood stars pledging to Obama, to be his servant, to serve him, really creeped me out, and angered me. As a friend of mine said this morning, it's Hitleresque (new word for the dictionary maybe, but a perfect description). These are adults, or maybe just spoiled children in grown-up, worked on, bodies... saying they will be a servant to Obama. It's propaganda, indoctrination, and just plain old weird and wacky. Not to mention controversial.

We're just at the beginning of Obama's presidency, where are we headed??? Couple that video with the lesson plan sent to the schools to go along with Obama's speech on Tuesday to ALL of our school children and we're getting a taste of how vigilant we're going to need to be in protecting the young impressionable minds of our children.

The sad thing about all of us talking and writing about the video is that it's going to have more susceptible kids and students watching the video. It's going to go ballistic. The video I grabbed yesterday to post (below) had about 4,000 hits when I pulled it. Just took a look and it's up to 50,000... and it's only one of about 6 or 7 identical videos I easily found out on YouTube.

Side note: While looking, I also found a sorta-funny counter video that ended with a guy holding up a can of Pledge... I think, but am not sure, that it's Patrick Courrielche in the video. He's the guy who was on the conference call where the White House and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is asking artists to use their talents to make posters and use their art to promote Obama and his health care plan (some posters have already being spotted in classrooms).

There are going to be kids who buy into what they're selling on the Pledge video. The bigger the stink by "adults" and "the establishment", the more enticing it will become to high school and college kids. It'll be "cool".

I would encourage you to do what my sister is doing and what at least one of my friends did: watch the video and then TALK with your children. Share your beliefs, explain the problems with being a servant to any man, talk about dictators, hero worship, weak minds, what can happen when people aren't paying attention, the importance of being involved, and yes, talk to them about the good stuff on the video, too. Nothing in the world wrong with smiling and getting to know your neighbor...

It's maybe a good time to share your thoughts on stem cell research which is included in the midst of the pledges. There are any number of things in this 4 minute video that will push your buttons and make good topics to re-emphasize your values.

The video is way, way over the top. I won't wax eloquent about what I think about Hollywood stars, comedians, musicians and sports types as idols, but it's tempting! However, I will pledge...

I pledge not to watch any movie which stars anyone of those in the video.
I pledge not to buy any of the music produced by anyone in the video.
I pledge to flip the channel if I see or hear any of them.
I pledge to speak up about my beliefs.
I pledge to do everything I can in my power to support and promote the values that are truly important.
I pledge to work my tush off to protect our American values and the precepts the country was founded upon.
I pledge to be a better American. Period.
I pledge to get more involved.

Hey kiddies, let's pledge to serve Obama...
This is a very balanced story via video: http://connect2utah.com/content/video/?cid=48702. Maybe too balanced, maybe even a bit over the top balanced... As a parent I would be completely bent out of shape to learn that my children were encouraged to pledge to Obama at school. In one part of the video the students watched during assembly Hollywood "stars" "pledge to be a servant to President Obama", in another a guy pledges to be of service to Obama as he kisses his upraised arms (huh? what's that all about... must be some message in the tattoos on his biceps...).

Pledging Allegiance to Obama
I wrote about this one in my Read My Lipstick Network blog so I won't repeat myself... but I did want to share this with my readers on this blog. This link is to a news story about a pledge to Obama video shown to public school children in a school assembly: http://connect2utah.com/content/video/?cid=48702