MORE ON DEAR LEADER'S ADDRESS TO THE FLOWER OF OUR YOUTH - AT 8:49 A.M. ET:  We've gotten a flood of e-mails over the announcement from the Information and Enlightenment Ministry in Washington that President Obama will take a giant leap in saving our children by addressing all American students, via TV, on September 8th.

Conservative commentator Michael Medved has some thoughts on that:

To prepare for this great event, the Department of Education orders teachers in Grades 7 to 12 to ask their students: Why does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us? How will he challenge us? After the great event, the department suggests that teachers of younger students (Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6) should instruct their students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These should be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.

For those who consider this an appropriate use of classroom time at the very beginning of the school year, ask yourself the question: how would you respond had President Bush ordered teachers to get students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president?

Inevitably, the brilliant minds behind this magnificent event will say that they're just echoing John F. Kennedy's call to "ask what you can do for your country."  But serving the country, and serving a political leader, are two entirely different things.  We don't serve presidents.  Presidents serve us.   This is the United States, the last time I looked.

A number of teachers have reacted with appropriate indignation to the misuse of public resources and precious school time to encourage the cult of Obama worship. Carole (not her real name), a gutsy middle school teacher in the Midwest, discussed the upcoming speech on my radio show on Monday. Teachers from four different states called in to say that they would follow her example and refuse to devote class hours to watching and discussing the presidential address.

I wonder if the thought police will come after these teachers, and insist that they be sent back to school for "reeducation."

Challenges from parents and taxpayers everywhere could force a change in White House plans. The idea of using government schools to force students to bond with the maximum leader might seem appropriate for Cuba or North Korea, but it’s clearly out of place in a Constitutional republic.

It's time for a protest, a big one.

And it's time for national Republican leaders, and moderate Democrats, to speak out and stop this misuse of children.

September 2, 2009