View Full Version : NYC school principal pulls plug on "God Bless the USA"
Why does this not surprise me? :rolleyes:
A controversial Coney Island principal has pulled the plug on patriotism.
Her refusal to let students sing “God Bless the USA” at their graduation has sparked fireworks at a school filled with proud immigrants.
Greta Hawkins, principal of PS 90, the Edna Cohen School, won’t allow kindergartners to belt out the beloved Lee Greenwood ballad, also known as “Proud to be an American,” at their moving-up ceremony.
Five classes spent months learning the patriotic song, which skyrocketed in popularity after the 9/11 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
It was to be the rousing finale of their musical show at the June 20 commencement. The kids, dressed up for their big day, would wave tiny American flags — which, as the lyrics proclaim, “still stand for freedom.”
But Hawkins marched in on a recent rehearsal and ordered a CD playing the anthem to be shut off, staffers said.
She told the teachers to drop the song from the program.
“We don’t want to offend other cultures,” they quoted her as explaining.
The curt edict stunned both staff and parents.
“A lot of people fought to move to America to live freely, so that song should be sung with a whole lot of pride,” said mom Luz Lozada, whose son, Daniel, is in kindergarten.
The song has been sung at previous school events. Last year’s fifth-graders, including another Lozada child, performed it at graduation.
“Everybody applauded and whistled,” the mom said. “They gave it a standing ovation.”
Parents — many immigrants from Pakistan, Mexico and Ecuador — “love it,” Lozada said.
A teacher agreed: “It makes them a little goosebumpy and teary-eyed. I’ve never come across anyone who felt it insulted their culture.”
Department of Education spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti gave The Post an explanation staffers said they never heard — that Hawkins found the lyrics “too grown up” for 5-year-olds.
The song starts: “If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife, I’d thank my lucky stars, to be livin’ here today.”
Scaperotti said the department supports the principal’s decision. “The lyrics are not age-appropriate,” she said.
But Justin Bieber’s flirty song about teen romance, “Baby,” was deemed a fine selection for the show. Hawkins had no problem with 5-year-olds singing lines such as, “Are we an item? Girl, quit playing.”
The other songs: “We’re All Together Again,” popular at Scout campfires; “The World is a Rainbow,” which celebrates diversity; “Shake Your Sillies Out” by Raffi; and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story.”
Scaperotti noted PS 90 kids recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing “America the Beautiful” each morning. Insiders say Hawkins tried to end that tradition a couple years ago but staff objected.
The principal, a Jehovah’s Witness, does not recite the pledge because her religion forbids followers to salute any nation’s flag. Staffers gripe she doesn’t stand in respect during the school-wide ritual.
The song uproar comes amid tensions. Hawkins has been called a tyrant and bully by some staffers.
The DOE reprimanded her in 2010 after teachers complained she called the school “racist” and declared: “I’m black. Your previous principal was white and Jewish. More of us are coming.”
Scaperotti said Hawkins is being targeted by the teachers union and has received hate mail, which is under investigation by the NYPD
So she doesn't want to offend other cultures? :rolleyes: Sorry, but I'm getting sick of seeing that excuse as a reason to ban everything American in America! If other cultures don't like America, then don't ****ing come here or ****ing leave! Simple as that. Even more sickening is government officials let shit like this fly. But this bitch thinks its okay for a song by Justin Bieber to be played instead. Give me a break.
montanadave
06-10-12, 09:50
Sounds like she's played the race card, played the religion card, now she's playing the multi-cultural card. Maybe she needs to hear that commencement address from the English teacher up in Wellesley.
"You ain't special."
Truthfully, I never really liked that song.
"And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free"
?
Really? Free? Are you kidding?
Have you ever tried to open a business? Deal with compliance regulation? Deal with TSA? Guns? Cars? Property of most any type?Almost every aspect of American life is regulated and controlled by some sort of law. Our entire economic system is based on Crony Capitalism.
From buying a cell phone, to buying music to trying to buy a car, the govt tells you what you can buy and the manner in which you can buy it. The law is written by the Cony Capitalists and their stooges in Congress to protect their market share. This is not Capitalism.
In a free country I could buy a 3.0L Diesel Hi-Lux direct from Toyota over the internet and have it delivered to my front door.
The sad fact of the matter is that most Middle Eastern and Asian counties enjoy more economic freedom.
The lady is all over the place and a bit of a nut-job it seems. But that song is obnoxious...(Waiting for somebody to equate patriotism with liking some over the top musical circle-jerk)
I can only hope that the parents of these children stand up together at the ceremony and start singing "God Bless The U.S.A" with their children joining in. That would truly be a moment to remember.
GeorgiaBoy
06-10-12, 18:52
Truthfully, I never really liked that song.
"And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free"
?
Really? Free? Are you kidding?
Yeah, and there are a LOT of other countries that are just as, if not more free, than the United States.
I'd nix playing that song just because it sucks.
The Anthem or America the Beautiful are plenty pretty songs that I feel thoroughly encapsulate in musical form what is quintessentially American, but God Bless The USA....... Ugh.
For some damned reason every Navy ceremony I ever attended they played this pile of shit. One of these days I'm going to find Lee Greenwood and sack sock him for every time I was forced to listen to his shitty little song.
/rant
But yeah, the principal is a PC-fied whackadoodle.
theblackknight
06-10-12, 20:43
Yeah, and there are a LOT of other countries that are just as, if not more free, than the United States.
Really? You guys huffing paint again?
USA, we have the most total individual and collective freedoms of anywhere. Complete freedom is lawlessness. No rights or laws saying you can or cant.
The lady is all over the place and a bit of a nut-job it seems. But that song is obnoxious...(Waiting for somebody to equate patriotism with liking some over the top musical circle-jerk)
Something tells me that this principle would object to any song that promotes a sense of American Exceptionalism, or honors the influence of Judeo-Christian values on our culture. That is the topic of the thread - should we celebrate these ideas in our schools (not whether a particular song strikes our fancy).
QuietShootr
06-10-12, 22:05
Really? You guys huffing paint again?
USA, we have the most total individual and collective freedoms of anywhere. Complete freedom is lawlessness. No rights or laws saying you can or cant.
Must be a yearning deep in human heart to stop other people from doing as they please. Rules, laws — always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up. Because not one of those people said: Please pass this so that I won't be able to do something I know I should stop. Nyet, tovarishchee, was always something they hated to see neighbors doing. Stop them for their own good. -- Robert A. Heinlein
Funny, I got that tune in only two notes!
Something tells me that this principle would object to any song that promotes a sense of American Exceptionalism, or honors the influence of Judeo-Christian values on our culture. That is the topic of the thread - should we celebrate these ideas in our schools (not whether a particular song strikes our fancy).
You're asking loaded questions. "American Exceptionalism" was a term first coined by Joseph Stalin, referencing the nation's inherent resistance to and apparent defiance of Marxist axioms and economic theories. So I'm not quite sure where you're going with that. A more contemporary understanding of the term is the notion of a modern sort of "manifest-destiny" on an international scale...that we are somehow divinely ordained to intervene in world affairs. I really don't think either of these definitions are relevant to what we're talking about and deal with much more complex issues. So some clarification is needed.
But if you're asking if I think that educators should impart onto children the importance of the predominantly American ideals of liberty, individualism, and democratic principles, then the answer is yes, absolutely. The "idea" of the USA as a shining light, a "city on the hill," so to speak, is a noble one, despite how our nation has gone astray in many ways - hijacked by people who have taken us off course. So clearly preserving and perpetuating these ideals in our children is important.
I also think that striving to be well educated is a patriotic duty. The US is falling behind in most major technical fields. Kids (and adults) are more concerned with football and American Idol than mathematics, science, and philosophy, and it shows, as major achievements in these fields are coming less and less from within our borders.
So finally, to address your question of whether I would resist ANY song that encompasses the above notions, the answer is no.
I really DGAF if they do or don't play some annoying song at a Kindergarten graduation, to be honest. Music is highly emotional; once the endorphins recede and people get in their cars and drive away, they'll go right back to watching American Idol and texting "omg" on their cell-phones. Appreciation for patriotic duty at a more central level is more important to me, but I've never been one for tradition, rituals, or patriotic songs. I think they are largely empty gestures that promote superficial dedication to ideas and ideals, which should be believed and practiced in more tangible ways.
Stop the ride, I want to get off.
To think I used to complain about the things that happened in the 80s.
I am so sick of this multi cultural, everyone is special and all things must be respected bullshit I can't stand it.
Good thing I don't live in NY, I bet I'd know where all the bell towers are.
CarlosDJackal
06-11-12, 09:18
Truthfully, I never really liked that song.
"And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free"
?
Really? Free? Are you kidding?...
I guess to lowly immigrants like me that line actually rings true because I grew up in a third-world country where tens-of-thousands of individuals who dared to speak out against the government were either executed or just outright disappeared.
It didn't even matter if you were a well-known artist, a politician, or just another nobody. My uncle and a a half-dozen of his fellow opposition candidates were blown up on live television during a political rally. He was one of the lucky survivors. All he received was a busted eardrum, were some shrapnel wounds, and two broken legs.
Let's face it, "FREEDOM" is just another word for someone who has never lost it. You people just don't know how good you have things here in the US.
QuietShootr
06-11-12, 09:27
I guess to lowly immigrants like me that line actually rings true because I grew up in a third-world country where tens-of-thousands of individuals who dared to speak out against the government were either executed or just outright disappeared.
It didn't even matter if you were a well-known artist, a politician, or just another nobody. My uncle and a a half-dozen of his fellow opposition candidates were blown up on live television during a political rally. He was one of the lucky survivors. All he received was a busted eardrum, were some shrapnel wounds, and two broken legs.
Let's face it, "FREEDOM" is just another word for someone who has never lost it. You people just don't know how good you have things here in the US.
Yeah, but dudes like half the guys on my ignore list (funny, this thread is 50% blank to me :haha:) are perfectly okay with stuff like the OP happening, because they either a) don't know that allowing shit like this to creep in ends with having your very own Stasi or b) they would be happy having a Stasi watching everyone and ready to descend with the dental drills and drugs.
Now, let me predict what the invisible dudes above are going to say. Please choose any of the following:
1) You're paranoid
2) Did you lose your tinfoil?
3) it's all Bush's fault
4) Conspiracy theorist!!
5) If you don't have anything to hide, you don't have anything to worry about
6) How did you extrapolate this from the OP?? You must be crazy.
7) add a snarky :haha: or :sarcastic: to the end of the post
Yeah, well... Good For You. I lived in East Germany. I've seen how this show ends.
montanadave
06-11-12, 09:50
For a dude that brags about ignoring those who hold differing viewpoints, you're still wasting your time thinking about what we're thinking.
Oh! I almost forgot. :sarcastic:
Yeah, well... Good For You.
Go F yourself?
Dude, that's hilarious. I may not be 100% with you on the rest of the post, but god damn that's clever.
Ok you all know I am pretty die hard about keeping any kind of religion out of the schools. But I don't see this as religion in schools. I see this as a song about our country. So yeah. I am going to have to side with the "this is pretty F-ed up" group this time.
Looks like Bieber got his song pulled now after the principal got some heat from the public.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012...-song/#ixzz1xZLzDHE3
NEW YORK – The controversial elementary school principal that nixed a patriotic anthem in favor of a Justin Bieber song at kindergarten graduation ceremony has decided to not allow the pop star's ballad either, The New York Post reports.
New York City Mayor Bloomberg along with Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced at a Monday press conference that PS 90 in Brooklyn will no longer sing Justin Bieber's "Baby" at the school’s June 20 kindergarten graduation ceremony.
School Principal Greta Hawkins raised outrage after The New York Post reported Sunday that she had decided Lee Greenwood’s patriotic “God Bless the USA," was inappropriate for the ceremony, but was allowing the pop star's flirty song about teenage romance.
However, Walcott says Hawkins has decided not to allow the Bieber song either, though he says no city officials pressured her to do so.
“Now as far as Justin Bieber, I understand some of the issues people raised," he said, according to The New York Post. "It’s my understanding that song will not be part of the ‘moving up’ ceremony as well . . . I support our principals along that line.
However, the officials made no indication Hawkins planned on reinstating the Greenwood song, which Hawkins nixed because she reportedly "did not want to offend other cultures."
Her decision raised outrage among both local lawmakers and parents, including Congressman Michael G. Grimm (R,C-S.I/Brooklyn).
“I am outraged that NYC’s Department of Education is standing by the decision of PS 90’s principal to pull the song ‘Proud to be an American’ from the upcoming kindergarten ceremony, for fear of offending other cultures," he said in a statement. “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!"
Some parents have started a Facebook petition to get the song reinstated at the ceremony.
“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 New York Post.
Glad to see Congressman Grimm gets it. Despite what you think about the song, he's right about how we shouldn't ever apologize for being Americans or for the United States of America. Seems like more people, especially in D.C., need to learn that.
Truthfully, I never really liked that song.
"And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free"
?
Really? Free? Are you kidding?
Have you ever tried to open a business? Deal with compliance regulation? Deal with TSA? Guns? Cars? Property of most any type?Almost every aspect of American life is regulated and controlled by some sort of law. Our entire economic system is based on Crony Capitalism.
From buying a cell phone, to buying music to trying to buy a car, the govt tells you what you can buy and the manner in which you can buy it. The law is written by the Cony Capitalists and their stooges in Congress to protect their market share. This is not Capitalism.
In a free country I could buy a 3.0L Diesel Hi-Lux direct from Toyota over the internet and have it delivered to my front door.
The sad fact of the matter is that most Middle Eastern and Asian counties enjoy more economic freedom. I really wish 50-90% of people were cognizant of this and motivated to improve it, but sadly they're too used to it.
I guess to lowly immigrants like me that line actually rings true because I grew up in a third-world country where tens-of-thousands of individuals who dared to speak out against the government were either executed or just outright disappeared.
It didn't even matter if you were a well-known artist, a politician, or just another nobody. My uncle and a a half-dozen of his fellow opposition candidates were blown up on live television during a political rally. He was one of the lucky survivors. All he received was a busted eardrum, were some shrapnel wounds, and two broken legs.
Let's face it, "FREEDOM" is just another word for someone who has never lost it. You people just don't know how good you have things here in the US.While I've never ventured into that bad of a part of the world, I will say that I have lived in two of the least free states in the country, New York and California, after spending most of my life in a relatively free state and while not completely devastated to the extent of somewhere in the Middle East, NY and CA are indeed VERY far from being what we think of as the USA. I do have a pretty good idea as to what freedom is versus what it is not. People ARE intimidated against challenging the status quo for fear of the state and local governments retaliating, not with death but loss of licenses and permits, being harassed by cops and bureaucrats with codes and minor violations for damn near anything up to and including breathing, or social repercussions and ostracism which can make you just as isolated as if you were in prison. People ARE economically repressed to the point where they're almost better off working for minimum wage than running their own business, and it can take a month or two to get even that job. People DO fear for their lives at the hands of criminals who are allowed to run rampant, including authorities becoming criminals themselves and preying upon the public with impunity. People there live under LONG lists of absurd legal compliance instructions for the most basic things which is EXACTLY like various foreign countries I've visited which we consider 3rd world.
We are a LONG way from what we should be--I notice because I do know what freedom is and what it is not.
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