Obama Song Stirs Controversy

[The Straight Story]

Obama Song Stirs Controversy

COLUMBIA, MD (WUSA) -- Parents upset over a song their first graders learned at school want the Howard County School Board to review its policies.

The song was used in a first grade class at Longfellow Elementary School not far from Columbia Town Center. The lyrics were recently posted online when parents learned their children had been taught to sing the song. Some of them read like this: " President Obama says Yes we can. President Obama, I say Yes I can. The first black president in the United States. He's smart and he's so so good. He'll lead this country as he should."

On Thursday, some critics plan to protest the class project at the school board meeting.

"You could very easily change these lyrics and put George Bush in there and there would be an outcry," said Warren Miller, the Maryland delegate who represents Howard County. "I think they're over the top. I think there are other countries that I could name where the children are required to do this for their dictator leaders."

Miller was contacted by a concerned parent a few weeks ago after that person overheard his or her first grader singing the song. He says the school board needs to establish a policy to make sure this doesn't happen again.

http://www.news10.net/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=69069&catid=5