The Pet Goat: Difference between revisions
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On the morning of September 11, 2001, George Bush was reading the story along with a group of schoolchildren at [[Emma E. Booker Elementary School]] in [[Sarasota County, Florida]], when [[White House Chief of Staff]] [[Andrew Card]] informed him that a second airplane had just hit the [[World Trade Center]]. Bush remained seated for roughly seven minutes and followed along as the children read the book. After spending about 20 minutes total with the children, Bush was scheduled to give a short [[press conference]] at about 9:30 a.m. At the conference inside the school, Bush made his first speech about the attacks and was later taken to a secure location by the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] aboard [[Air Force One]] before returning to the [[White House]] later that evening.<ref>{{cite web | last = Adair | first = Bill | coauthors = Hegarty, Stephen | title = The drama in Sarasota | publisher = St. Petersburg Times | date= 2002-09-08 | url = http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/08/911/The_drama_in_Sarasota.shtml | accessdate = 2007-06-15 }}</ref> |
On the morning of September 11, 2001, George Bush was reading the story along with a group of schoolchildren at [[Emma E. Booker Elementary School]] in [[Sarasota County, Florida]], when [[White House Chief of Staff]] [[Andrew Card]] informed him that a second airplane had just hit the [[World Trade Center]]. Bush remained seated for roughly seven minutes and followed along as the children read the book. After spending about 20 minutes total with the children, Bush was scheduled to give a short [[press conference]] at about 9:30 a.m. At the conference inside the school, Bush made his first speech about the attacks and was later taken to a secure location by the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] aboard [[Air Force One]] before returning to the [[White House]] later that evening.<ref>{{cite web | last = Adair | first = Bill | coauthors = Hegarty, Stephen | title = The drama in Sarasota | publisher = St. Petersburg Times | date= 2002-09-08 | url = http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/08/911/The_drama_in_Sarasota.shtml | accessdate = 2007-06-15 }}</ref> |
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Bush's critics, notably [[Michael Moore]] in his film ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' - in which Moore erroneously named the book ''My Pet Goat'' - have argued that the fact that Bush continued reading the book after being notified that the attack was ongoing shows that he was indecisive.<ref name="radosh"/> A [[9-11 Commission|9/11 Commission]] Staff Report entitled ''Improvising a Homeland Defense'' said: "The President felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_17.pdf| title=Improvising a Homeland Defense| format=PDF}}, page 22</ref> According to [[Bill Sammon]] in ''Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism from Inside the White House'', Bush's [[White House Press Secretary|Press Secretary]] [[Ari Fleischer]] was in the back of the classroom holding a pad on which he had written "Don't say anything yet."<ref name=sammon>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VMCaO9P4NzYC&pg=PA85|last=Sammon|first=Bill|title=Fighting Back|year=2002|page=85|publisher=[[Regnery Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-89526-149-6}}</ref> Sammon contends that, although Bush was not wearing his glasses, he was able to read this message, and it went unnoticed by the media. Sammon further states: |
Bush's critics, notably [[Michael Moore]] in his film ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' - in which Moore erroneously named the book ''My Pet Goat'' - have argued that the fact that Bush continued reading the book after being notified that the attack was ongoing shows that he was indecisive.<ref name="radosh"/> A [[9-11 Commission|9/11 Commission]] Staff Report entitled ''Improvising a Homeland Defense'' said: "The President felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_17.pdf| title=Improvising a Homeland Defense| format=PDF}}, page 22</ref> According to [[Bill Sammon]] in ''Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism from Inside the White House'', Bush's [[White House Press Secretary|Press Secretary]] [[Ari Fleischer]] , at some point, was in the back of the classroom holding a pad on which he had written "Don't say anything yet."<ref name=sammon>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VMCaO9P4NzYC&pg=PA85|last=Sammon|first=Bill|title=Fighting Back|year=2002|page=85|publisher=[[Regnery Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-89526-149-6}}</ref> Sammon contends that, although Bush was not wearing his glasses, he was able to read this message, and it went unnoticed by the media. Sammon further states: |
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<blockquote>''Bush wondered whether he should excuse himself and retreat to the holding room, where he might be able to find out what the hell was going on. But what kind of message would that send—the president abruptly getting up and walking out on a bunch of inner-city second-graders at their moment in the national limelight?''<ref name=sammon /></blockquote> |
<blockquote>''Bush wondered whether he should excuse himself and retreat to the holding room, where he might be able to find out what the hell was going on. But what kind of message would that send—the president abruptly getting up and walking out on a bunch of inner-city second-graders at their moment in the national limelight?''<ref name=sammon /></blockquote> |
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Revision as of 04:28, 10 January 2014
| "The Pet Goat" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Siegfried Engelmann and Elaine C. Bruner | |
| File:The Pet Goat (book cover).jpg | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's fiction |
| Publication | |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill |
| Publication date | 1995 |
.jpg){kind=link}
"The Pet Goat" (often erroneously called "My Pet Goat") is a children's story from the book Reading Mastery II: Storybook 1 by Siegfried Engelmann and Elaine C. Bruner. It gained attention in 2001 after U.S. President George W. Bush continued reading the book with an elementary school class for seven minutes after being informed of the September 11 attacks.
Overview
"The Pet Goat" is the story of a girl's pet goat that eats everything in its path. The girl's parents want to get rid of the goat, but she defends it. In the end, the goat becomes a hero when it butts a car thief into submission.
The book was written by Siegfried Engelmann and Elaine C. Bruner and is part of the 31-volume Reading Mastery series published by the SRA Macmillan early-childhood education division of McGraw-Hill. It uses the Direct Instruction (DI) teaching method, which was originally developed by Engelmann and Wesley C. Becker.[1]
George W. Bush: 9/11
On the morning of September 11, 2001, George Bush was reading the story along with a group of schoolchildren at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County, Florida, when White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informed him that a second airplane had just hit the World Trade Center. Bush remained seated for roughly seven minutes and followed along as the children read the book. After spending about 20 minutes total with the children, Bush was scheduled to give a short press conference at about 9:30 a.m. At the conference inside the school, Bush made his first speech about the attacks and was later taken to a secure location by the Secret Service aboard Air Force One before returning to the White House later that evening.[2]
Bush's critics, notably Michael Moore in his film Fahrenheit 9/11 - in which Moore erroneously named the book My Pet Goat - have argued that the fact that Bush continued reading the book after being notified that the attack was ongoing shows that he was indecisive.[1] A 9/11 Commission Staff Report entitled Improvising a Homeland Defense said: "The President felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening."[3] According to Bill Sammon in Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism from Inside the White House, Bush's Press Secretary Ari Fleischer , at some point, was in the back of the classroom holding a pad on which he had written "Don't say anything yet."[4] Sammon contends that, although Bush was not wearing his glasses, he was able to read this message, and it went unnoticed by the media. Sammon further states:
Bush wondered whether he should excuse himself and retreat to the holding room, where he might be able to find out what the hell was going on. But what kind of message would that send—the president abruptly getting up and walking out on a bunch of inner-city second-graders at their moment in the national limelight?[4]
Osama bin Laden made reference to the story in a videotaped speech released just prior to the 2004 U.S. presidential election, stating that Bush's reading of the book had given the hijackers more than enough time to carry out the attacks. His full quote was:[5]
- But because it seemed to him that occupying himself by talking to the little girl about the goat and its butting was more important than occupying himself with the planes and their butting of the skyscrapers, we were given three times the period required to execute the operations - all praise is due to Allah.
In the years following the incident, faculty and students of the school have come to the defense of Bush's actions. Principal Gwendolyn Tose-Rigell, who died in 2007, stated "I don't think anyone could have handled it better. What would it have served if [Bush] had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?" Asked about the incident for Time shortly after bin Laden's death, the now teenage students in the classroom, Lazaro Dubrocq and Mariah Williams, credited Bush with keeping the classroom calm by finishing the story.[6] All sorts of similar kid fears started running through Mariah Williams' head. "I don't remember the story we were reading — was it about pigs?" says Williams, 16. "But I'll always remember watching his face turn red. He got really serious all of a sudden. But I was clueless. I was just seven. I'm just glad he didn't get up and leave because then I would have been more scared and confused." Chantal Guerrero, 16, agrees: even today she's grateful that Bush regained his composure and stayed with the students until The Pet Goat was finished. "I think the President was trying to keep us from finding out," says Guerrero, "so we all wouldn't freak out." [7]
Notes
- ^ a b Radosh, Daniel (July 26, 2004). "The Pet Goat Approach". The New Yorker.
- ^ Adair, Bill (2002-09-08). "The drama in Sarasota". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Improvising a Homeland Defense" (PDF)., page 22
- ^ a b Sammon, Bill (2002). Fighting Back. Regnery Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-89526-149-6.
- ^ Osama bin Laden (November 1, 2004). "Full Transcript of Bin Ladin's Speech". Aljazeera.net. Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2006-03-20.
- ^ The Interrupted Reading: The Kids with George W. Bush on 9/11
- ^ Kids in Class With Bush on 9/11 Say He Was Right to Keep Reading - Michael Moore Was Wrong
References
- Engelmann, Siegfried (1995). Reading Mastery II: Storybook 1 (Rainbow ed. ed.). Worthington, Ohio: SRA Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-574-10128-4.
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