Letters To The Editor: Ignoring School Speech Sends Wrong Message

Ignoring School Speech Sends Wrong Message
Editor, Times-Dispatch: The decision made by several school districts and many parents not to listen to the president's address to schoolchildren sends the wrong message. The take-away message is likely to be that listening to individuals in authority is not always required or even warranted. Imagine the outcome of this lesson. Students being specifically addressed by persons in authority -- including teachers, parents, or police officers -- could simply opt not to listen.

The school-age kids of today, given this misguided encouragement, could be the future tuning-out, switching-off, mute-button generation. These kids may revel in the whole concept of ignoring a specific address from the president the United States of America -- or air traffic controller -- thinking it cool and empowering. Sadly, the new mute generation would miss the real message about the importance of higher education in the world marketplace.

The decision to screen these kids from an edifying presidential message based on some bizarre notion that President Obama has a political indoctrination agenda is disgustingly un-American.

Elliott Skorupa.
Glen Allen.

The Chesterfield system has, in part, acknowledged this and taped the president's address, but it has left the decision to air the speech up to the individual classroom teachers.

This is a missed opportunity for thousands of county students who may never realize that the president gave a speech just for them about the importance of their education. I am baffled that the speech was deemed brainwashing by political extremists before it was even delivered.

What truly haunts me are the students who desperately need positive, male role models talking to them about education; they are the ones being overlooked by this short-sighted decision. These students do not have parents to record the speech and talk about it over dinner. They need motivational encouragement the most during the first days of school. I commend Richmond schools -- the only system to televise Barack Obama's speech live -- for recognizing the long-term benefits of the president's message over scheduling headaches and political grumbling.

I hope Chesterfield and other local school districts will reconsider their decision and air Obama's speech to their entire student population at some point during the opening weeks of school. Of course parents should have the right to opt-out on behalf of their children, but if all children had strong parental advocates, such a message would not be so urgently needed from our president.

Jenn Hart.
Midlothian.

Ken Cuccinelli, who is running for attorney general, is the only candidate with the voting record to prove it. As a state senator he has successfully stopped legislation that would compromise citizens' rights to keep and bear arms, and has advanced his own bills to protect these rights.

Cuccinelli has fought unceasingly to protect Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens and will continue to do so as attorney general. He has also worked to protect property rights in Virginia, passing legislation to prevent government from using eminent domain power to force people to sell their property below market value. His legislative efforts stopped government from using eminent domain laws simply for the benefit of private contractors and big developers.

Virginia property rights, which were some of the worst in the nation, are now some of the best,mainly because of Cuccinelli's work in the Senate. As a state senator, Cuccinelli has worked to protect the basic rights of all Virginians, and as our attorney general he will continue to fight for these rights by reviewing proposed legislation and advising government officials.

Cuccinelli's experience in government and his strong defense of our fundamental rights make him the best candidate for attorney general.

Dana Allison MacDermid.
Richmond.