The President speaks, the right tries to shout him down.

When Ronald Reagan wanted to speak to our school aged students, Americans told their kids to sit and listen.

When George Bush Sr spoke to our kids, parents welcomed him into the classroom.

When George Bush Jr read "My Pet Goat", on 9-eleven, the room was quiet and kids clung to his words.

However, when our first black President offers to speak to our kids about the value of education, the necessity of staying in school and not quitting. Parents who listen to talk radio and Fox News threaten to keep their kids at home. The take over of the GOP by extremists who are making up the "indoctrination" story are trying to strike fear in the hearts of every American.

It reminds me of Michelle Bachmann who said that the Obama administration had set up concentration indoctrination camps around the country under the name of Americorps. Americorps was started in 1993 and was refunded by George W Bush. More than 540,000 people have served in it. It was designed in the likeness of Peace-corps. The idea was to help communities in the United States in need. They help in areas like these:

• Tutor and mentor disadvantaged youth
• Fight illiteracy
• Improve health services
• Build affordable housing
• Teach computer skills
• Clean parks and streams
• Manage or operate after-school programs
• Help communities respond to disasters
• Build organizational capacity

There are about 75,000 openings for volunteers every year. Those who apply and are selected can earn up to $5000 in scholarships to pay for college.

However, Michelle calls it a socialist organization set up to indoctrinate members. She is against it, even though it is supported by both Republican's and Democrats. However, all extremists on the right are opposed to it. People like Bachmann, Michelle Malkin, Limbaugh, Savage and Hannity continue to use it as a tool to spread untruths and scare their viewers. Truth is, Bachmann's son is a member and is working to help communities--so how scary is it really?.

Now, the President wants to deliver a "pep talk" to school kids, hoping they will stay in school and work hard to succeed. Here is a President who knows the value of education and he wants to encourage others to succeed.

The right wing-nuts will have nothing of it. The say he is trying to indoctrinate kids and that this is just the beginning...they say the President plans to have other indoctrination sessions. So, they put their spokespersons, Fox News an right wing radio hosts on the airwaves and scream "indoctrination" in hopes of shouting down the President's message. They took the idea right out of the Town Hall playbook and are working to silence the President.

These right wing extremists are doing everything they can to bring down this President. The GOP is not stopping them nor are they saying anything against their agitation. By staying quiet they are validating this nonsense.

The President has a right to speak, the same right everyone in this country has. There used to be a time when the President spoke everyone listened. Now, in the country where the right wing has taken control of the airwaves, they have chosen to disrespect the office of the President and are now trying to suppress his message to the public.

The last time I heard of the freedom of speech being abridged by a political organization was back in the 60's, in Russia. The other night a man, at a town hall meeting, and others tried to shout down a woman in a wheel chair from speaking...when the man was asked why, he said he didn't go to the meeting to hear her opinion and felt that hearing her opinion violated his right to free speech.

I know, it doesn't make sense but nothing they are doing right now is making sense. If this keeps up, the right wing will be working hard to suppress everyone's right to speak because after all that is the America they are saying they want "back".

Tomorrow: Do we need the fairness doctrine?