Jun 11, 2012
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The New York City Board of Education is defending a principal who banned the song “God Bless the USA” from being performed at a kindergarten graduation ceremony reportedly because it might offend other cultures.
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Greta Hawkins, the principal of the Edna Cohen School in Coney Island, came under fire from parents after she instructed teachers to remove the song from the upcoming program. Staffers at the school told the New York Post that Hawkins was afraid the song might “offend other cultures.”
A spokesperson for the Dept. of Education released a statement to Fox News Radio indicating the song was pulled because “the principal felt the lyrics were not age appropriate for a kindergarten moving up ceremony.”
The spokesperson also noted that students recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing “America the Beautiful” at the start of every school day.
Instead of performing “God Bless the USA,” students will be performing “Baby,” a Justin Bieber song about teenage romance.
Parents and teachers are furious – and some have launched a Facebook page demanding that Hawkins be removed as principal.
“A lot of people fought to move to America to live freely, so that song should be sung with a whole lot of pride,” parent Luz Lozada told the Post.
But Dennis Walcott, the chancellor of NYC schools, defended Hawkins.
“It’s her judgment to make that decision,” he told the Post. “You have to really wonder about some of the lyrics in the song, so I have to rely on the principal’s judgment along that line.
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) issued a blistering statement condemning the principal’s actions.
“I have just one question for this principal – who exactly are we offending?” he asked. “The only thing offensive about any of this is the anti-American message being engrained in our youth. We all should be proud to be American and we should never ever apologize for it.”
“It’s time we stop letting our political correctness destroy our values and American traditions, and start embracing the exceptional people and cultures that make our country great,” he added.
Lee Greenwood, who wrote the popular patriotic anthem, told television station WNYW that he was troubled by the principal’s actions.
“I take exception that she said they lyrics are not age appropriate,” he said. “If my lyrics aren’t appropriate, then what is?”
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Hawkins has been unfairly attacked for banning the song.
“The song, which isn’t even very good, talks about not forgetting those who died preserving freedom for Americans,” Lynn wrote in a statement. “I like that sentiment personally, but the concept might be a little over the head of your average elementary schooler.”
But the biggest problem Lynn had with the song was the idea of God blessing the United States.
“It’s right there in the title, and it’s constitutionally problematic because public schools aren’t supposed to be in the business of promoting religion, even if it’s not a specific religion,” he wrote. “Honestly, the idea that God favors one country is fraught with all kinds of theological subtexts that are best left to parents and clergy to discuss with children if they believe it necessary.”
He said it’s understandable how some cultures might take offense to “God Bless the USA.”
“Asking God to bless America could certainly be offensive or alienating to humanists, atheists, Buddhists, Hindus or anyone who values church-state separation,” he wrote. “It was absolutely the correct decision.”
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Barry Linn, the moronic leader of the unconstitutional "Freedom From Religion Foundation" had the nerve to make a smart-alec remark about the song "which isn’t even very good". That just goes to show he also has zero musical ability or taste….especially since he seems to have no problem with Ms. Bieber's song.
If you compare musical ability and talent to money….Lee Greenwood would be a millionaire and Justin Bieber would be out on the sidewalk looking for a lost penny…….
….and Barry Lynn would be HELPING him look for the penny….not knowing, of course, what a penny looks like!
Read the lyrics to the song they propose instead by Justin Bieber. Teen romance, more like subtle messages of teen sex. This is age appropriate for kindergartners? How so because I sure would like to hear the defense on that. Since they admit they sing America the Beautiful at the start of each school day how about that song instead? Instead you are going to have 5 and 6 year olds singing about something they should not know anything about, teen romance or teen sex.
Read the lyrics to the song they propose instead by Justin Bieber. Teen romance, more like subtle messages of teen sex. This is age appropriate for kindergartners? How so because I sure would like to hear the defense on that. Since they admit they sing America the Beautiful at the start of each school day how about that song instead? Instead you are going to have 5 and 6 year olds singing about something they should not know anything about, teen romance or teen sex.
Barry Lynn shows his ignorance in the comments he made. First, he sets himself up as a music expert (without any information that establishes that fact by stating, "it's not a very good song, anyway". Then it becomes clear that he's never really read the song because nowhere does the song suggest that God should bless the USA more than any other country. Obviously, he's offended by the concept of God so he doesn't need any facts to go with his ignorance.
Principal.. you can kiss my fat AMERICAN ass. I'll bleed the red, white, and blue till I die. F__ You and your political correctness. I'm offended that you're afraid to offend others. Grow a pair ya weak skinned, spineless liberal hack. I swear some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them….
Real Christian sentiments there, David. And some people are free to walk the streets only because it's illegal to detain them on suspicion of dangerous sociopathic mental illness, apparently?
I am curious, where were you born? You seem to be down on America & Christians. Perhaps you would be more comfortable living somewhere else, Zizzer.
No way, Betty. I LOVE America, and used to be a Christian myself. But I"m "down on" the way that the people who call themselves "Christians" today have ruined MY America and think that they have some sort of privileged existence and special rights that don't extend to others, and NEVER extended to themselves in the FIRST place.
I'm comfortable RIGHT HERE, Betty. I"d be happy if all these goofy so-called "Christians" who want to kill everyone not like them would go live somewhere else.
The public schools have been taken over by progressive fascists who abuse their positions to inflict their values on the students. This is an example of that and the principle should be fired for abuse of power. Just as we wouldn't tolerate a teacher recruiting Nazi's or their religion we shouldn't tolerate those speading progressive fascism.
Progressive fascism is a religion. The followers worship the government and it's power to inforce their will on society. They try to destroy everything that stands in their way of creating a progressive fascist state like the USSR, Nazi Germany and Cuba. Religion is an obstical to progressive fascism.
its only offensive to HER because she is a Jehovah Witness and they do not believe in national sovereignty, so where is the separation of church and state people about THAT? She's using her religion as the basis for this. She's also in hot water (and has been for awhile) with the local teachers union for firing teachers who disagree with her, misusing funds, threatening parents of misbehaving children with reporting them to social services, closing the library and selling the books for a quarter, closing the computer lab, trying to get rid of the music classes, and trying to get rid of the Pledge of Allegiance in her school…. so she needs to go.
And why is she still there?
The lyrics to Justin Beiber's "Baby". Honestly, people–there's NOTHING about teenaged pregnancy, fornication, immorality, or anything that your Conservative Masters of Propaganda would want you to believe. Read it and educate yourselves out of your paranoid paroxysms. It's just the pangs of puppy love.
You know you love me, I know you care.
Just shout whenever, and I'll be there.
You are my love, you are my heart.
And we will never, ever, ever be apart.
Are we an item? Girl, quit playin'.
"We're just friends," what are you sayin'?
Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes.
My first love broke my heart for the first time.
And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh.
Like baby, baby, baby, no.
Like baby, baby, baby, oh.
I thought you'd always be mine, mine.
For you, I would have done whatever.
And I just can't believe we're here together.
And I want to play it cool, but I'm losin' you.
I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring.
And I'm in pieces, baby fix me.
And just shake me 'til you wake me from this bad dream.
I'm goin' down, down, down, down.
And I just can't believe my first love won't be around.
And I'm like baby, baby, baby, oh, ETC….
When I was 13, I had my first love.
There was nobody that compared to my baby.
And nobody came between us who could ever come above.
She had me going crazy, oh I was starstruck.
She woke me up daily, don't need no Starbucks.
She made my heart pound.
I skip a beat when I see her in the street.
And at school on the playground.
But I really want to see her on a weekend.
She know she got me dazin' 'cause she was so amazin'.
And now my heart is breakin' but I just keep on sayin'.
Baby, baby, baby, oh, blah, blah, blah…
Political Correctness needs to Eradicated and put in the Grave before there is no such thing as America!
That is messed up, this AMERICA and GOD does bless us everyday… If someone is offended by such they should report to the border immediatly and deport there ass back to where they came from….And the principal needs to be removed from her position as well that is teaching the children that we should not be proud of where we come from…. I FOR ONE AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN…GOD BLESS THE USA…..
Real American's Love Jesus…………………………………………..
Jesus is cool, god is imaginary….
Surely, you're joking? Real AMericans love Clint Eastwood.
Howard Aubrey Isn't it funny how much of a religious fetish object "Jesus" has become in Christianity today?
Jesus is a relationship,not a religion ,may you know Him.
I know him for the rhetorical literary creation that he is, Tom. Just an invented character to tell a story. You Christians have literalized that which was never meant to be taken literally. It's like believing in Little Red Riding Hood, while completely missing the message of not talking to strangers. Jesus, in fact, is a myth.