Sobbing Kindergarteners Snubbed by WH for Steelers?

Source: NBC-Washington

Kids locked out of White House; officials say they were too late
By ANNE REYNOLDS

Thursday was supposed to be the highlight of the year for more than 100 kindergarteners from Stafford County, Va. They got up early and took a chartered bus to the White House for a school field trip. But when they arrived, all the 5-year-olds got was a lesson in disappointment.

The group of young students didn't get to tour the White House, and they say it's because of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The buses from Conway Elementary arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue a little later than planned, and they were locked out.

"We were going to the White House, but we couldn’t get in so I felt sad," 5-year-old Cameron Stine said.

Parents say they were just 10 minutes late for their scheduled tour. School officials say White House staff said they needed to get ready for the president's luncheon with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, so they couldn't come in. "I was angry cause they were disappointed," parent and chaperone Paty Stine said.

A lot of preparing had gone into the trip. Conway Elementary teachers had been planning the trip for months, each child paid $20 for a seat on the chartered bus, and names were submitted to the White House for clearance.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Kindergarteners-Snubbed-for-Steelers.html

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WH staff dropped the ball on this one, IMO. Surely they could have found a way for the prez to say hello, even if the tour had to be scrubbed.

4th paragraph down. Slow down it's a three day weekend coming up.

:banghead:

Still, if they were actually a full hour late, then I don't think the White House was at fault. Depends on whose version we're taking at face value, I guess.

Read the 10th paragraph of the article.


And by the way, the president was giving his major speech at the National Archives at 10:10 a.m., so he most likely was leaving just about the time they were supposed to arrive.

they should have been on time.

"Parents say they tried to make it on time, but their chartered buses hit heavy traffic that slowed them down substantially. They thought they were supposed to show up by 10:15, but they say they arrived at 10:25 instead, and couldn’t get in." (From the article)

No one can control traffic. Sometimes things happen. I do not fault anyone for this, but I'm hoping that it can somehow be made right for everyone.

But it doesn't always work out. My wife and I leave at the same time every morning and the traffic is one of two levels:

High Congestion
Low Congestion

And we drive on the Fairfax County Parkway.

Still doesn't put us in control.

However, with the White House telling a different version of the story I would prefer to wait on the truth to come out before faulting anyone. If the White House version is accurate then the group is entirely to blame. Yes, I feel very sorry for the children and hope that somehow amends can be made for them, if the "adults" are not being accurate about timing they should be ashamed of themselves.

and find yourself totally stuck because of all the road work being done thanks to the stimulus package.

It sounds like the plan was for them to arrive between 9:30 and 10:15, allowing 45 minutes leeway for traffic. And they missed the 10:15 deadline by 10 minutes.

I find it hard to believe that having a couple staffers take the kids on the tour would have interfered with preparations for a luncheon. The White House is a big place -- they could have had the kids walking out one end while the Steelers were walking in the other. Or they could have let the kids greet the Steelers and really made their day.

I think they really fell down on this one, and press and rethugs now will have a field day with it.

I've lived in Northern Virginia for four years now, and so far better people then you and I still haven't figured out how to effectively deal with the traffic nightmare that is the "Beltway"!

So, how is it the fault of the adults?

Sometimes my husband runs behind to catch the Amtrak and I wake my daughter up so we can take the carpool lanes up to "the belly of the beast" (D.C.).

My point: All this talk about TRAFFIC doesn't matter. If I'm late for even a Dentist appointment, I MUST respect the fact that he/she has obligations to other clients who SOMEHOW had their head and butt wired well enough to get them there *on time.*

Yes, with children involved, nobody should be surprised if this is not rescheduled.

However, something tells me the ones actually "crying and blowing snot" were not the kindergartners themselves but their SPOILED, "WE should be entitled an exception ... becasue of the children" (even though it's OUR FAULT) adult chaperones.

and people just don't understand the Beltway Boogey. You can leave an hour early and still end up late. Everyone up here understands a cell phone call saying you're running late and everyone just accommodates it. Ten minutes late up here is early.

Sure as hell ain't the White House's fault.

Insane traffic around DC ain't exactly a surprise anymore.

FIVE-year olds. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won all kinds of Super Bowls. That kindergarten class hasn't won shit.

For one thing, they probably aren't BIG enough to even compete in the NFL. I don't know any of them personally, but how big can you be when you're five years old? Give me a break on this one. A five-year old stands very little chance of even fitting into the uniform, let alone holding the line of scrimmage against champion-caliber offenses.

I mean, good god, let's put our thinking caps on here, folks.

:rofl: :thumbsup:

whose the first person a politician running for office wants to get his picture taken with....a baby or a little kid. Ounce per ounce-a kid packs more cuteness and voter approval than any sports figure-especially in the key demographics such as women and seniors.

Seems like you need to put YOUR thinking cap on. Pictures with a group of kindergartners guarantees you time on the national evening news. A photo of you with the Steelers gets you ESPN.

I don't get it.

There's no sarcasm smiley.:dilemma:

cheese smiley, dammit.

place where residents want to BAN Howard Zinn's book "A History of the United States" from county High Schools.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/032009/03182009/453093

Be advised of potential right wingnuttery, i.e., hidden agenda. :thumbsup:

Super Bowl defensive secondary to its knees.

Any parent of a 5 y.o. there that day with A SHRED of decency would coordinate with them to reschedule.

You LOVE this shit? ... because that's what it is, you know, "stired up right-wingnuttery bullshit."

Your unassailble perceptions continue to mow us all down.

down those bright eyed little cherubs? <tongue-in-cheek> ;)

their own kids coming immediately to mind... :evilgrin:

Funny thing, I used to live in Quantico, and Stafford was home to many Marine Corps families. The wrath of Marines may be a bigger concern for the WH staffer who made the "executive decision". Like AF1 Photo Op guy?

:hi:

the PR holes on this one.


:hi:

This isn't Chuckee Cheese.

Could they have been earlier? Possibly. I wasn't there so I cannot say. But to get a group of 5 year old kids on the bus, ready to go, and be there on time would be a darn near miraculous feat in the first place. :-)

On edit: This is also from the article - Thursday night the White House released this statement: "The President and First Lady are dedicated to opening the doors of the White House to the public, and it is unfortunate to see young people miss a tour. The visitor’s office is already working to reschedule the group."

Parents say it's probably too late. The school year ends in a few weeks and they doubt the tour can be made up in that time.

===

At least the White House is trying to make amends.

make sure you schedule to arrive at 10:00. If there are any delays, you are still on time - if there are not, you sit on the bus and sing songs for 10 or 15 minutes.

Unless there was an accident that literally stopped traffic for 20 minutes or more, there's no reason to be late. You DON"T schedule to arrive at the time you are scheduled to be there. It's just common sense.

that uncommon, and sometimes it's even worse. I'm sure they gave themselves extra time, but there are times when no amount of preparation can save you from the clusterfuck that is DC traffic.

I'm wondering how early lunch is at the WH that there's not enough time to prepare for it at 10:15? Seems like they could have squeezed in a 10 minute meeting. :shrug:

I don't expect the President to fuck around waiting an hour for ANYBODY.

And anybody who does is a DUMBASS.

Yes, the Term papers will be due and preparations for the final exams
will be intense.

what if President Obama would have gotten the Steelers together with the kids for 10 minutes? That would have been a blast for the kids and parents and one hell of a photo op for the prez!

his speech on National Security in the National Archives around that time?

http://www.kxmc.com/News/Nation/378654.asp

hearding kitty cats is easier. Yehaw.

I volunteered to help once in my daughter's class. I was worn to the bone before it was over and I was in bed and sound asleep by 6pm. I've never counted noses so many times in all my life!

As I mentioned above, I've lived in NoVA for over 13 years. Living in a place were the traffic is horrid does not excuse you from being over an hour late to an appointment with the President.

These parents are also from Stafford County where a number of right wing-nut parents are attempting to get one of Howard Zinn's books BANNED from area High Schools.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/032009/03182009/453093

There may be some hidden agendas (desire to stir up shit) here that has NOTHING to do with "sobbing children." :shrug:

They got in a bus, went on a field trip, learned they couldn't go in.

Anyone who remembers being 5 years old knows that's just not the way civilized children behave. Jesus Christ.

What absolute crap.

Who the fuck cares about a bunch of crying five year olds, crying children are annoying. At least the Pittsburg Steelers can vote!

A spokesperson said the group was actually supposed to be there at 9:30, but they held the gates for the group until 10:30, 15 minutes longer than they told the group, but when they still hadn't arrived, they had to draw the line."

There's a big difference between being ten minutes and sixty minutes late. I can't believe that Obama couldn't have spent ten minutes speaking with the kids even if the tour did had to be called off. This version of the story makes a bit more sense.

P.S. Stephanie Miller said yesterday that she missed out on a chance to meet Robert Kennedy Jr. because not being used to dealing with rush-hour traffic, what should have been forty-minute drive to their meeting place turned out to be ninety.

:headbang:
rocktivity

and they held the gate open much longer but they couldn't press it.

So they weren't just a few minutes late, they were almost an hour late.

Feel bad for the kids and I think that the White House will make it up to them.

the President and/or the First Lady to an elementary school in Stafford County in the very near future.

Maybe both Obamas can squeeze them in before the end of the school year.

:bounce:
rocktivity

then they'll get some respect








"...The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, Chaney charges, were the first to master the intricacies of doping, although steroid use had proliferated on other teams as a way to catch up..."


http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/bill_livingston/index.ssf?/base/sports/1235901368264660.xml&coll=2

I just sent a message. I doubt he had anything to do with the decision, but he can set this straight by visiting the kids to explain. There's no way they will be able to come back. I hope they found something else to do while they were in DC, but that just sucks.

It can't hurt and if they hear the same message enough times, maybe it will get through.

THE PRESIDENT of The United States, have pouted themselves into "a twofer" because, after all, it's only for the children. :puke:

I doubt they left late. You can't predict the traffic there and if one way in is hosed, they all are. Even in the late 70's it could take two hours to get from Rt 7 in Virginia to Rt. 29 in MD. And all of the arteries leading in and out of the city are a mess.

the audience. They screwed up - RESCHEDULE and stop acting even more immature than your kids. :thumbsdown:

but I can't believe that the Whitehouse would lie about this.
They almost certainly gave the school a schedule.
I think (don't know) that they publish a schedule.
There are hundreds of local schools that would jump at an invitation to meet the President and tour the Whitehouse.

I could be wrong but I think that Obama is busy these days. If he frees up some time for this school he is paying for in in some other aspect of his life. How much time do you think he gets to spend time with the family? Does he call / e-mail friends or family as much as he would like? There is probably a Whitehouse schedule out there telling him when he and Michelle can squeeze in the time for the wild thing.

He can't be expected to change his entire schedule because somebody is running late.

Maybe he could have dissed the Steelers for the kids but they weren't the ones that were late.

are the football players and their outsized egos.

more right-wingnuttery counties to make-up a FALSE controversy.

You're helping FOX. How does it feel?

My sister lives in that county and can attest to the high percentage of RW'ers.

If indeed, as the White House has said, they were almost an hour late then what are they complaining about? Many people try to make the fact that the Steelers were at the White House the issue but they don't ever mention the full story of what the Steelers did while there. Would it have been fair to leave the wounded veterans waiting? If so much preparation had gone into the trip then someone should have known to tack on an extra hour of travel time for the Beltway traffic, even google maps will tell you that.

ever wish to turn away "sweet children."

I think the real *brats* in this situation are their chaparones. :shrug:

of visiting the White House. A hands-on childrens' museum is more appropriate for that age group

of a quiet and boring snorefest jaunt through the White House. At least, that's the way I read your desires of the "average 5 year old." :shrug:

http://www.centralparkfun-land.com/

Mr. President has enough to do, without playing superstar host 24/7. His schedule is tight; even a few minutes delay can make an event unworkable.

he is the goddamned president...it is safe to assume that EVERY single minute of his day has been alotted, and he isn't going to hold the show because some bus driver wasn't smart enough to leave early...

they should save their tears and outrage for the charter bus service...

This whole thing is ridiculous. We shouldn't even be hearing about it.

Furthermore, showing up late is indication of irresponsibility and a self-centered view of the world. If I agree to meet someone at a certain time - I'm there at that time (usually I show up early and wait) - ESPECIALLY if the party I'm meeting is doing so at my request. And if I mess up, for whatever reason, I have absolutely no expectation that the other party will stick around waiting... and I AM THE ONE who will be apologizing profusely. It would never even occur to me to blame the person I stood up - or to whine about it to others. There is a remarkable sense of entitlement being displayed here.

Football is king, and the Superbowl is the king of kings.

and let the kids in instead.

Children, not Pro Football, should be a President's priority.

O OK, so Obama is not as perfect as we would like.

parents who could not get to an Appointment with The President with the United States on time (50 minutes late).

The parents skewed the details to fit their "meme" and threw in "The Steelers" to help feed the story.

These parent come from the same WING-NUT county that wants to BAN Howard Zinn's "A People's History of The United States."

I'm more willing to believe the WH account albeit I'm no big fan of Obama due to his seemingly hawkish foreign policy.

OBAMA is not "on the hook" for this ... nobody but the spoiled parents of 5 year olds are to blame.

Should he basically have gone "Sorry steelers, i know you where on time and all but I'm gonna have to toss you aside because a group of kids was over an hour late and i have to teach them that being late doesn't matter and its ok to expect that others will change whatever they are doing to attend their needs"

I see no reason to make an exception, since once he has done one then other will want an exception if they are late and so on and so on.

in charge of getting the kids there on time. The president and first lady are on a tight schedule.

And for those of you moaning about the WH shunting aside the kids for some football players may I remind you.

The Steelers were scheduled to be there and they were on time.

The owner of the Steelers Dan Rooney came out very early in support of then candidate Obama and did some great support work for him in Western PA.

Also Dan Rooney has been appointed by the president to be our ambassador to Ireland.

Also there were wounded veterans and others there to participate in the USO care package assembly.

I trust this WH will do right by the kids.

there was a 45 minute window, from 9:30 to 10:15 allotted for these kids. You don't plan to arrive at the end of the window, but at the beginning. And yes, traffic in the DC area is horrendous, but I don't think it suddenly got this bad last week. If you live in an area with horrendous traffic, you make adjustments for it.

I'm reminded of when I worked at National Airport, and passengers who were running late (this is back in the 70's) liked to accuse us of leaving early, when they were the ones who couldn't make it to the airport on time.

What is notable is that the parents here are not taking responsibility for their lack of foresight, as if they had no idea, just no idea at all that traffic might be a little bit congested in DC.

rocky 1 minute ago "ahhh yes the baby killer in chief,purple lipped monkey crackhead commie scum!ahhh yes the baby killer in chief,purple lipped monkey crackhead commie scum!"

Oh, and check out the excellent "investigative journalism" wrapped up in the caption below the Picture embedded - part of Getty Images?

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Kindergarteners-Snubbed-for-Steelers.html

President Obama enjoys his new Steelers jersey after making children cry. :wtf:

Obama hates children!

:spray:

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Satire is wasted on some of the more "frothing at the mouth" right wing racist Americans.

The INTENSITY of their hatred as revealed by a number of the comments, is breathtaking.

Lord, the right wing is very radical and SICK. Downright "freaky deeky do." :crazy: :(

What rightwing nutterery(sp?), I'm sure a bunch of kids and their teachers are involved in book banning too. WTF!? It's a shame they missed out, I can understand a speech commitment, but the football team could wait 15 minutes to hang with the kids and then pass them off to an aid. Man, some people will go out of their way to make excuses for Obama.