News that would be funny if it weren't depressing

Obama Press Secretary dismissed this as "silly season," but for me it's more of a sad statement on today's state of affairs.

Next week, President Obama will give a back-to school speech directed at elementary and high school students across the nation. This couldn't possibly controversial, right? Not in today's America, I'm afraid.

Per MSNBC, the planned speech "has provoked a backlash from some within the Republican Party, with the chairman of the GOP in Florida saying the real motive is to indoctrinate students with Obama's "socialist ideology.""

I wish I were making this up. But it gets better. Read on:

Explains the article, "Obama plans to address students across the country on Tuesday with a message about staying in school, working hard and achieving educational goals."

Work hard and stay and school. If that's socialism then color me red.

But let's be fair here and see what the Florida GOP chair, Jim Greer, actually said:

According to the article, he said the event "obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our president's initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates."

"While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American president and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda," Greer added.

Liberal propaganda? Someone should inform Greer that Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush also gave similar addresses to students.

But let's hear from some of the other "critics":

"I'll be keeping my kids at home that day," a person identified as "Nascar Dad" wrote on the Tampa Bay Times Web site. "Our school is offering an 'alternative' activity, but if millions of parents across the country keep their kids out of school; Ouch!"

So you're keeping your kids at home, hoping that millions of others do so as well, to make a political point? It's pretty clear who the real tools are here.

Keeping up on the news: the good, the bad, and the ugly

OK, I swear I'll get back to writing about Costa Rica soon. But there were three articles today that caught my eye, and I couldn't help commenting on them. Let's call them the good, the bad, and the ugly.

First, the good. Obama's new plan for the federal budget may be massive, but it's a step in the right direction. I was particularly encouraged by his plan to cut farm subsidies, which have been a pet peeve of mine since I researched the Farm Bill (for more, check out Michael Pollan's seminal 2007 piece in the New York Times magazine). While farm state members of Congress always fight subsidy cuts tooth and nail, screaming that to do so would destroy the American farmer, the reality is the American taxpayer is funding large corporate farms. Luckily, the Obama Administration is coming out early and arguing that the large farms are being targeted specifically, which may take some ammo out of his opponents' arsenal in the looming Congressional battle.

Now, for the bad. This story is slightly problematic for me since it relies on a single source and seems like Reuters may be stretching for an "exclusive." But the premise is troubling enough: abuses in Guantanamo have actually worsened since Obama took office.

Finally, the ugly. I don't normally read the entertainment section of Google News, but the word "Sacramento" always will catch my eye. From MSNBC, of all places: Sacramento radio station bans Chris Brown.