To the Editor:

OK. 35 years ago, when the Moonies came to town to recruit, my parents wouldn’t let my siblings or me ride our bikes into town. When the Hell’s Angels rode through, we couldn’t leave our yard. We weren’t allowed to watch racy TV shows or go to R-rated movies. My husband and I try to shelter our kids from the same kinds of scary things that lurk out there in this big, bad world that we all share.

President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech to our children on Tuesday, September 8th, and I am flabbergasted that some people seem to put this upcoming event in the same category as the cults and outlaws. We, as a country, elected Mr. Obama as our President. To ‘Opt Out’ of permitting one’s child(ren) to hear his address seems narrow minded and, quite frankly, radically anti-American. Like it or not, President Obama is our Commander In Chief. The majority of us out there thought he was the best man for the job. In a democracy, we can all express our own opinions, but ultimately, majority rules... and we live with the choices we, as a country, have made. Please accept my condolences if you are distressed with last November’s election results. Trust me when I say that I was equally distressed with the country’s leadership for the previous eight years. BUT- I would not have prevented my children from hearing the speeches of those who were in charge of our big picture.

So do you choose to let your children watch the President’s speech to them or not? If allowed to view the address, they will have the benefit of forming their own first impressions, talking about it with their peers, and (presumably) discussing it with you. Alternatively, they can hear about it second-hand, without the ability to form their own opinion of the information provided in the speech itself, and potentially feel like an outsider from their very own country. As a conscientious parent, what is your decision?

Respectfully submitted,

Annette S. Cook