An Unjustified Uproar

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Millie the dog! She is one of the most loved faculty members at WCA!

Conservatives throughout the country are again in uproar over the actions of President Barack Obama, and not because of anything to do with health care. On September 8 at eleven AM, Obama addressed students ranging in ages from first to twelfth grade in a nationwide speech. In schools and communities across the country, intense debates raged over whether or not to show the speech, and some conservative parents kept their children home from school in an effort to avoid even the slightest detrimental indoctrination.
It would seem that in order to justify such conflict, the President must have touched on some controversial issues, or at least attempted to advance his democratic agenda with the youth of America. Neither of those is the case. After reading the speech, we have concluded that the apparent purpose of the speech was to encourage kids to stay in and work hard at school, and to remind them that unfortunate circumstances can be overcome and “do not determine where you end up.” Obama implores students to “not let their failures define them,” and to “never be afraid to ask questions.” Granted, some of what Obama stated in his address, was, at times, obviously cliché. However, the unoriginal nature of his words had nothing to do with the conflict. And that is what we are here to argue; that the uproar resulting from the President’s address to students is a complete overreaction from “Obama-phobic” conservatives. By no means does that mean we agree with every political view of our President. However, we feel that opposing words not because of their content, but simply because they are coming out of Obama’s mouth, is a problem.
Although some may argue that this was nothing more than an attempt at self-promotion, we feel the content of Obama’s message on Tuesday is laudable. Reminding American students about the importance of education and hard work in a nationwide speech, although perhaps ineffective, is by no means detrimental. We would encourage conservatives to think first before causing immense controversy where it is uncalled for and perhaps direct their energy where it is more justified; towards one of the far more pressing issues present in our current society.