Free thought, anyone?

This week's quote of the week is brought to you by Shanneen Barron of Colorado, on hearing that Obama would be delivering a back-to-school speech to students: "Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me. I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now"
This quote is a real roller coaster of emotions for me.

First, there is laughter. What does that part in the middle about being American even mean? Am I the only one who thinks that's hilarious? Then there's confusion - wait, what is she actually trying to say by that? Then there's disbelief - did she say that she's *scared* to be in the US with Obama as president? Then there's irritation.

And finally there's depression. Are people in our country so scared of ideas that are different from their own that they would keep them from their children? If this were a question of showing something obscene or of questionable morality to elementary-age children, I could understand the uproar. But this is a speech from our president. Cause guess what - even if you didn't vote for him, he's still your president (same as when W was OUR president for 8 years - like it or not - and trust me, living abroad for 5 of those 8 years was a 'not like').

Now a lot of people would say that it goes both ways - that crazy liberals would have the same reaction if, for example, a similar speech by W had been broadcast on the first day of school last year, but I don't think so. What do you think? (see, cause I - whom many conservatives I'm sure would call a liberal socialist [I'm 1/2 Canadian - it's in my blood ha] am open to ideas other than my own)