So today is the big day. The First Lady Michelle Obama and celebrity chef Rachel Ray are visiting Northside and Eastside schools to do a taping of a cooking show to promote Mrs. Obama's "get fit" push in our country. Apparently our school cafeteria nutritional changes caught their attention and we were chosen to participate. Which is a great honor for our schools and our children to get to participate in. Now there's the issue of how "fair" the selection process was for our students. We have over 1200 students attending those 2 schools - there's NO WAY they all could be included. Just no way. So someone had to get left out. I don't know exactly the process of selection, though I'm told it was randomly computer generated in the office. Some "bad" kids got picked. Some "good" kids got left out. And so sweet little Johnnie had his first life lesson. Teach your kid how to deal with unfairness in life. It happens everyday. Your kids can't live in a bubble. And teach your kids to be happy for their friends who did get picked. Graciousness, in my opinion, is one of the best qualities someone can have.
Now is the issue of the majority of our area disliking Michelle Obama. Yes, I despise the president like most of you probably do. He has done a terrible job, raised taxes, ruined our healthcare system, made bad choices in wartime, yada yada yada yada...... but do we not realize that this is Same Song, Second Verse?? ALL PRESIDENTS SUCK! NONE of them have done a good job, at least not in my lifetime. Maybe some did better than others, but none of them are stellar. People spout off about Washington, and Lincoln, and Roosevelt and I'm sure our founders and early Presidents were as magnificent as history paints them to be..... just marvelous, perfect leaders who never made any bad decisions or did anything wrong. Never created problems, never made decisions for their own benefit, never told a lie to get elected, never, never, never..... picture perfect leaders. Right?!?!?!? Riiiiiight..... So let's all quit bitchin' about her being here because we hate the President. She's the First Lady and, to a child, that is a big deal. She's a celebrity whether you like it or not, and kids are enthralled by celebrities. If Obama walked up to me right now, I'd be somewhat enthralled too, even though I dislike him. It's just our nature. Meeting someone you've only ever seen on TV is pretty cool, no matter who it is. When I was a child in Clinton schools, we did the exact same thing with Richard Simmons. Remember him? Goofy as hell, acted like he was on crack 24/7? Yeah - that guy - came to Eastside when I was in the 4th grade because we were doing some Presidential Fitness Award Program with our PE classes. He came and did some demonstration and talked to us, and then we all had to complete certain requirements in PE class and got a certificate "signed" by........ you guessed it - the President. Now that presidential signature "stamp" that was on my certificate was put there by whoever printed the certificates. The President didn't touch that certificate. But we all thought it was the greatest thing ever because "the PRESIDENT had signed our certificates!!!" And I remember being so excited about Richard Simmons - how silly! But we were! We were kids, and kids are innocent. They don't know all the crap that goes on in the grown-up world, and they shouldn't have to. Let your child be enthralled by the President. He is the leader of our nation. That's a big deal, no matter how crappy of a job he's doing.
So I hope that today, those students have a great time getting to see the First Lady and Rachel Ray and that they remember it forever.
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