June 11, 2009

Bono's politics in New Hampshire?

Found this online at CFP (Canada Free Press)


U2’s Bono’s political views to be imposed on the American students?








By Judi McLeod Thursday, June 11, 2009

U2’s Bono, a fixture in the corridors of political power, is coming soon to a classroom near you.

New Hampshire parents are more than a little peeved that their board chairman says their schools are the right size to be an incubator for what is, in effect Bono’s left-wing politics.

“Reading about this sends my blood pressure through the roof,” one parent wrote in a letter to Canada Free Press (CFP).

The red flag was raised in an article from Seacoast Online: “The state board of education will hear a proposal today (June 10) from representatives of ONE, a national grassroots effort of more than 2 million people--co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono--designed to raise awareness about the issues facing Africa. The plan is to integrate some of the components of the organization into classrooms throughout the state, and potentially, the country.”

Turns out that school board chairman John Lyons, a Portsmouth resident and active ONE member, came up with the idea and met with representatives in Washington, DC to discuss it.

Some parents, who look at the “ONE” campaign as a “political agenda”, say it does not belong in the classroom and that they don’t want their children used as political pawns.

While the parents were heading off to the local school board, Bono and U2 members were sunning themselves in the south of France, their chosen base for an upcoming European tour.

“The band and their families have holiday homes on the Cote D’Azur and will have a private plane at Nice Airport to jet them to gigs in Barcelona, Milan, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and London as their U2360 tour kicks-off on June 30.: (http://www.herald.ie.com, June 11, 2009).

There are few lessons in poverty in the Cote D’Azur.

“Bono and The Edge have been frequent visitors to Eze Sur Mer for nearly 20 years, with Edge buying the villa next door to Bono’s after his first marriage broke up.

“The two properties are only separated by their swimming pools, but Edge said the only reason he bought the villa was “timing”.

“Possessions are a way of turing money into problems,” he said.

“I don’t have a big car collection or anything that I’d miss if it got stolen.

“I bought the house because it was about timing”

While Bono gets to have his political agenda imposed on the American public school system, Irish demonstrators back in his home country say they’re tired of U2 haranguing world leaders to increase taxes when the hypocritical Hibernian band won’t pay its fair share of taxes.

While the band was staging a concert on the roof of BBC headquarters last March, a group of demonstrators staged a protest on the street below. They chastised the band for moving its business to the Netherlands to avoid increased Irish taxes.

The protesters’ placards read “Bono, pay your taxes” and “Bono: don’t be a banker.”

Meanwhile, for parents who choose to differ with Board Chairman and ONE member John Lyons, a reminder from the late great Mark Twain: “In the first place God created idiots. This was just for practice. Then he created school boards.”

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