Mailbag:

I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to those “right”- thinking (no pun intended) folks who took the time to pull themselves away from Fox News to call the school district and warn them about what our president might say to our children.

I’m sure these same responsible community leaders also called in when Ronald Reagan, Bush the First and First Lady Laura Bush addressed the nation’s children, each urging them to do their best.

I hate when people I don’t even know are offering up words of encouragement, don’t you? What an outrage!

Where would we be if the school district allowed every president to take 10 to 15 minutes out of the entire school year whenever he felt like talking about such socialist ideas and leftist propaganda as working hard, taking school seriously, not talking back to their teachers and listening to their parents, teachers and grandparents?

I’m so thankful for these folks calling the district and saving little Sally and little Johnny from hearing their president talk to them about being personally responsible for their education.

How dare he say that everyone has something to offer or that everyone is good at something? If that’s not downright unpatriotic, I can’t imagine what is.

MIKE DUNN

Costa Mesa

Parents’ anxiety over speech is misplaced

Eight years ago, I thought we had moved to an enlightened, evolved community.

I am appalled to discover that parents who live in this area prevailed upon the Newport-Mesa school district not to show President Obama’s speech to their children (“Speech won’t be shown live,” Tuesday).

What is this, the Dark Ages? Will they next be burning Obama’s books?

Silencing people who disagree with them, like the church silenced Galileo, who taught that the Earth revolved around the sun?

These fanatics, who would shelter their children from anyone who doesn’t think like they think, make me sick at heart and worried for the future of our country.

LIZ SWIERTZ NEWMAN

Newport Beach