[Columbine]

At the risk of fishing in troubled waters, you know how many times my school got a spoken message from the P.M.?

Not even once. Oh there was a general mixed messages of "All you young people need asbos, STAY IN SCHOOL! Wait! let me give you a hug first, oh but by the way, your exam results are a joke and you're failing the nation" but that was all on a national news level. It might have been quite interesting to hear what these politicians had to say for themselves and how they wanted to approach ME.

If you ask me, this sounds like a cracking opportunity for teachers to get kids thinking about politics on a more relatable level. "Ok, kids, Obama's had his say to you, now what do you think? what did you agree with/disagree with?" and if it's all really a big sinister lie, the kids will smell a rat.

Seriously, give them some credit, they can't all be mindless meat-sack dupes. The schools with kids who's parent's like him will probably already like him. The one's with parent's who don't, won't be swayed, or if they are, mummy and daddy and teacher will 'expose all Mr. Obama's nasty little lies' and it will be back to square one regardless. Some ~might~ disagree with their parent's opinions, but I doubt they'd voice it. Not for some man who lives a million miles away from their own realities.

Is it a waste of time? The message itself isn't bad and it seems to me like the good and the bad of the reasonings (on BOTH sides of the argument) are pretty balanced. I mean, people can gnash and wail and say "it's a popularity stunt" but... everyone can perhaps already see that, and it's not really getting him much popularity is it? Just a lot of negative controversy. "Won't someone think of the children!?" well sure, why don't you? You can't disagree with what he says unless you let him actually say it. You can only throw a tantrum about what you THINK he might say, which is unfair.
That's simply taking the mere fear of one person putting words into the mouths of babes and actually planting your own opposing ones instead.

IF it is really such an issue, even if you disagree with it, can't you just talk it over with your kids? Emphasis the 'good' messages and express your doubts about the others. The older kids will appreciate a dose of adult honesty, or a chance to make their own opinions and the younger ones probably aren't interested anyway. Write him a letter. Let them write him letters. Get the comm. channels open and busy, criticize if you want, but it doesn't seem to me like snarling and fear-mongering is doing America, or the kids, or the reputation of an otherwise great nation any good at all.