Greta Hawkins, principal of PS 90, the Edna Cohen School, in Coney Island is at the heart of a controversy over her decision to ban the singing of “God Bless the USA” by the students at their end of the year ceremony. While the kids have been practicing the song for months as their finale, Hawkins reportedly walked into one of their last practices and promptly forbid the singing of the song as potentially insulting to some people. Justin Beiber however is considered perfectly fine.
Teachers quote Hawkins as saying “We don’t want to offend other cultures.” What is odd is that the song has been performed at prior events at the school, including graduation. It is a popular part of the celebrations and last year reportedly received a standing ovation.
Department of Education spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti defended Hawkins and explained that she thought the lyrics were “too grown up” for 5-year-olds. Here are the lyrics:
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.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there’s pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
I am not sure why those lyrics are too grown up or insulting to some parents while Hawkins has allowed Justin Bieber’s song “Baby.” That song discusses how he is trying to land a girl and how “When I was 13, I had my first love; There was nobody that compared to my baby.”
Teachers have been speaking anonymously against Hawkins, including suggestions that the song was personally insulting to her faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. Hawkins does not recite the pledge of allegiance or reportedly stand for the pledge during ceremonies. She was previously reprimanded in 2010 after teachers complained that she called the school “racist” and declared: “I’m black. Your previous principal was white and Jewish. More of us are coming.”
We have previously seen controversies involving students told not to wear flags or engage in patriotic speech to protect the sensibilities of some parents. I disagree with those decisions. There is a difference between putting down other cultures and celebrating pride in our own nation. I hold no brief for this song, but I think the decision should be reversed.
What do you think?
Source: NY Post
The song is awesome. Hawkins is an idiot. Next.
Matt, from your comments here I understand why you were beat up.
Hey, Rockola,
Piss off. I pledged allegiance because I wanted to. The ones who didn’t. They got beat up at recess. Do you know how many fights I got into at recess. It wasn’t because I wouldn’t pledge allegiance.
Matt Johnson: “I pledged allegiance to the flag everyday when I was a kid in school. I understood why. Do you want to live someplace else? If you do, move. You can take the God part out of it of you want to. That isn’t the issue.”
Hey, Matt, here in the good old USofA, the law of the land is that public school kids cannot be required to recite the pledge.
In the case of the Greenwood song, the “God part” most certainly is the issue. Public schools have kids of all religions and no religion, and it is completely inappropriate to have them perform “God bless the USA,” for what, honestly, should be obvious reasons.
To whoever mentioned “American Pie’s” reference to the Trinity, a song that’s played on commercial radio or performed in clubs,etc., is in no way analogous to a song sung by public school kids in school as part of a school event.
@Rockola – Defeated your own argument – 1) Proud to be an American has been played on commercial radio and in countless public venues, and 2) in its 40+ years, I would bet you that “American Pie” has been sung in many, MANY public schools; either by student choirs, talent shows, or as part of literature and music classes like the ones I took in the 70s. Sorry, Sport; you can’t have it both ways.
And as far as the Pledge went, you didn’t have to say it, you didn’t have to put your hand over your heart, but as with the national anthem, you stood out of respect and courtesy for those that took part.
Would you sit in a public venue while another country’s anthem was being played? If you wanted to be the “ugly American,” you probably would.
Respect and tolerance are two-way streets.
Each morning in public elem. school, a student was chosen to read aloud a New Testament Bible verse, although 3/4ths school jewish. I think it helped to make me an agnostic. (There were 5 kids, one for current events, one for the pledge and I forget what the other 2 for, maybe the day’s lunch offering and something else equally banal – but important to a kid)
It made the Bible mean nothing more to me then if it was pb and j or hamburger.
Too bad, lots of secular wisdom in Proverbs. But that might have offended agnostics, atheists and others of different religions, but as I said, in a secular context, who would know, but for the “thees,” “thous,” and “thines”.
Where were you and when was this?
“She was previously reprimanded in 2010 after teachers complained that she called the school “racist” and declared: “I’m black. Your previous principal was white and Jewish. More of us are coming.””
——————————————————————————————-
1. Her racism appalls me more than her Anti-Americanism.
2. No one has excoriated Don McLean for those lines in ‘American Pie’, “… and the three men I admire most, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; they caught the last train for the coast, the Day the Music died…”
3. Finally, and what “religion” is God, anyway, and what “God” did our founding fathers choose in their Declaration of Independence?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Signed by: John Hancock, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, et al.
Power play…..
Fire this Anti American Educrat. What Country does she think this is anyway???? Another example of the broken American Pubic Screwel system.
Michael Murry 1, June 12, 2012 at 1:19 am
I’ve shown you mine, fellow Crimestoppers. Now show me yours.
==================================================
I was in the Navy from 1978 to 1982. There wasn’t a war going.
==================================================
With this capitulation I
Agree to sell my pride
Before I even own it or
It grows too big to slide
Into the shabby, craven cave
Wherein I must reside
========================
I have a problem with you saying that. I would have done it.
I can remember when the Eisenhower-McCarthy Republicans drove superstitious animist prayer into the public schools in the 1950s, making an already noxious little loyalty oath even more repulsive. But our teachers told us we didn’t have to recite the words if we didn’t want to. At the time, as an elementary school kid, I didn’t appreciate or understand the attempt by nameless authority to extort subservience from me by subjecting me to intense peer pressure which almost no adolescent can withstand. Although by the time the Vietnam War began to heat up and I had to register for conscription, I could see the long train of consequences ensuing from one concession to state authority after another.
Consequently, I do not hold with forcing groups of students to recite what someone else has written for them, but rather think that each student should get to compose his or her own “pledge” to “whatever” and all the students should recite them simultaneously. For example, I would recite:
I’ve shown you mine, fellow Crimestoppers. Now show me yours.
Rockola,
I pledged allegiance to the flag everyday when I was a kid in school. I understood why. Do you want to live someplace else? If you do, move. You can take the God part out of it of you want to. That isn’t the issue.
BarkinDog,
As long as the BitchinDog doesn’t bite you. Nice doggie.
What KO’Rourke said! Prof. Turley, how/why in the world did you miss that whole “God” thing??!! This is a public school, remember?? I don’t care what the principal’s personal motives may/not be. She is correct in preventing public school kids from singing, during and as part of a school event, “God bless the USA.” Period.
Of course if it was me at the annual celebration, I would bark. I would bring BitchinDog. She is an onery cuss and cusser. The word Principal when spelled with the Pal on the end does not refer to some issue but some person who is supposed to be in charge but your Pal. This principle fails the test.
BarkinDog,
Nobody celebrates quiet.
To some of the commenters above: LOSE THE CAPS.
Your Flag Decal Wont Get You Into Heaven Anymore. Cited above by Elaine, is a great song. The kids should set up a choir on the street outside the event and sing whatever the hell they want. Maybe they should hmmm something during the Principal’s talk. Like Yakkity Yak, Dont Come Back.
Maybe there should be no music, no speeches. Celebrate quiet.
Wouldn’t it have just been easier to let it happen and not stir up the hornet’s nest?
Bureaucrats: Always making trouble for stupid personal agendas.
The fact that this is a “controversy” at all, shows that a lot of folks have misplaced priorities.
Seriously: the kids themselves aren’t demonstrating “pride in our own nation” – they’re just singing what they’ve been assigned to sing. I spent 8 years in my K-12 system choir and – in 99% of the cases – simply sang the songs my various music teachers assigned because that was what I was expected to do. The fun was in the performing – I could not have cared less about individual songs. My friends were the same. Thus, I doubt the kiddies – despite “practicing for months” are actually bent out of shape about it. Their performance isn’t being cancelled, after all. In the end, it’s simply a program change – which ought to be no big deal.
Unfortunately, the kids are now being treated to uproar, courtesy of the adults in their lives… over a truly banal song. Way to go, role models!
Sure, the principal’s actions were arbitrary, and based on a shaky rationale, but in the end, her decision, per se, will have a minimal impact on the welfare and education of the kids… in the end, the damage will be done by grown-ups overreacting to it.