-By Warner Todd Huston
Welcome to PS 90, Coney Island, New York, where grade school Principal Greta Hawkins says the patriotic and popular song Proud to be an America by Lee Greenwood is verboten, but the teen sex song Baby by Justin Bieber is perfectly alright for Kindergartners to sing at their graduation celebration.
Kindergarteners at PS90 have spent weeks practicing the popular patriotic country song made a national hit after the attacks on 9/11. It was to be the finale of their “moving-up” ceremony at the end of the school year on June 20.
But school Principal Greta “the Grinch” Hawkins had other ideas. According to the New York Post, during a recent rehearsal, Hawkins stomped into the class room and ripped the Lee Greenwood CD out of the music player proclaiming the song unfit for little ears to hear.
The Greenwood song has such unfit lyrics as, “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.” Such a bad influence on the kiddies, no?
By contrast, Hawkins seemed to have no problem with the Justin Bieber song that has such scintillating lyrics as, “For you, I would have done whatever. And I just can’t believe we ain’t together,” and, “Are we an item? Girl quit playin.'”
So, what reason did Principal “Red, White and Boo-hiss” give for nixing the patriotism this year? Sayeth the guardian of our children, “We don’t want to offend other cultures.”
You know, because the Lee Greenwood song is so focused on attacking other cultures, and all, while the Bieber song is a veritable celebration of “culture.”
This isn’t the first time Principal Hawkins tried to eliminate expressions of patriotism in her school, either. The Post reports that not long ago she tried to put a halt to recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of America the Beautiful but her effort failed due to a revolt by her own teachers and staff. At least there are still some public employees still out there that aren’t ashamed of American patriotism.
One has to wonder in how many other countries expressions of pride of country is so hated by an employee whose entire living is made off the backs of the very citizens she denigrates so much?
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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