DAVID: NEW YORK CITY'S
1.1 MILLION PUBLIC SCHOOL
STUDENTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN A PASS
ESSENTIALLY TO SKIP SCHOOL ON
FRIDAY IF THEY WANT TO ATTEND
U.N. INSPIRED CLIMATE PROTESTS.
THE CITIES DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION CALLING DAY OFF "
PRINCIPAL TRUANCY" AND OFFICIAL
S DID SAY THAT STUDENTS
MUST HAVE PARENTAL CONSENT TO
MISS CLASS, TO AVOID GETTING IN
TROUBLE BUT IS THIS AN EXAMPLE
OF GOVERNMENT OVERSTEPPING ITS
BOUNDARIES FROM EDUCATION INTO
POLITICS?
>> PRINCIPAL TRUANCY THIS IS
JUST LIKE THE INNATES ARE
LITERALLY RUNNING IT, DAVID.
ARE THERE NO RULES OR JUST NO
ORDER IN SCHOOL?
I MEAN, I FEEL SORRY FOR THESE
KIDS.
THEY HAVE BEEN INDOCTRINATED
INTO THIS CLIMATE FOR YEARS NOW
FOR DECADES BUT AT LEAST, THE
PROTESTERS BACK IN THE 70S THE
VIETNAM PROTESTERS THOSE KIDS AT
LEAST HAD A POINT.
THIS IS JUST AN EXCUSE TO MISS
SCHOOL AND I THINK IT'S TERRIBLE
THAT THE SCHOOL, IN FACT, IS IN
A SENSE SETTING THE EXAMPLES
THAT IT'S OKAY TO SKIP SCHOOL
WHERE THEY SHOULD BE LEARNING,
TO MARCH AROUND WITH SIGNS
AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING.
>> FIRST OFF I DO AGREE WITH
JONATHAN THAT THE WORD PRINCIPAL
TRUANCY HAS TO ENTER THE ANNALS
OF ABSURD PHRASES BUT
LOOK CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.
THERE IS A HUMAN ELEMENT IN IT
AT THE VERY LEAST AND A MAJOR
HUMAN ELEMENT WHICH IS WHAT MOST
PEOPLE TEND TO BELIEVE EXCEPT
MANY AMERICANS, AND THE IDEA
THAT STUDENTS CAN LEARN
SOMETHING --
DAVID: AMERICANS ARE SMARTER.
WELL WE KNOW THAT.
SHOULDN'T THEY LEARN SOMETHING
ABOUT SITTING IN SCHOOL?
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO LEARN
SOMETHING.
>> AS A CHILD OF THE 80S DID
YOU NOT GO ON THE JUST SAY NO TO
DRUGS WALK?
THAT WAS A BIG THING THAT CAME
OUT OF THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION
, WE ALL HAD THE
GREEN AND WHITE T-SHIRTS AND ALL
GOT OUT OF SCHOOL.
I'M HERE FOR ANYTHING THAT'LL
GET YOU OUT OF SCHOOL.
DAVID: OKAY.
>> MY MOM USED TO CALL ME OUT
LIKE AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, SHE
CALLED OUT MY FRIENDS IF IT'S A
GOOD REASON TO SKIP SCHOOL, I'M
BEHIND YOU, KIDS.
>> I THINK THE PROBLEM HERE IS
THAT THE TEACHERS UNIONS ARE
DOING HERE AND THE SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATION ARE USING KIDS AS
KIND OF POLITICAL PAWNS, AND I
WONDER HOW YOU WOULD FEEL ABOUT
THIS IF THEY HAD THE KIDS GO OUT
TO A PRO-LIFE RALLY.
WOULD THAT BE LEGITIMATE?
DAVID: THAT'S A VERY
INTERESTING QUESTION.
>> BUT IT HAPPENED IN THE 80S.
IT HAPPENED JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS
WE ALL GOT OUT OF SCHOOL AND WE
DID IT.
DAVID: BUT I THINK STEVE MAKES
A GREAT POINT WHICH IS IT HAS TO
BE THE POLITICALLY CORRECT VIEW
IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTED.
IF ANYBODY HAS A VIEW THAT'S NOT
POLITICALLY CORRECT FORGET ABOUT
IT.
>> THE IDEA THAT HUMAN BEINGS
ARE NOT PART OF CLIMATE CHANGE
AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE
COULD DO.
>> WAIT HOLD ON WE HAVE A
ROBUST DEBATE GOING ON IN THIS
COUNTRY ABOUT THAT AND THE IDEA
THE LEFT SAYS WE'RE JUST GOING
TO SHUTDOWN DEBATE AND EVERYBODY
HAS TO BE INVOLVED IN GROUP
THINK, THAT'S THE WHOLE PROBLEM
WITH THE SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW IN MY
OPINION.
>> WELL YOU COULD CERTAINLY
HAVE A DEBATE ABOUT WHAT THE
ROLE OF HUMAN BEINGS ARE.
>> BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE THE
DEBATE IF YOU'RE NOT IN CLASS.
THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT.
>> [LAUGHTER]
>> YOU CAN'T DEBATE ANYTHING.
THIS IS A REASON FOR KIDS AND
THEIR TEACHERS TO SKIP OFF, HAVE
AN EASY DAY, OH, YEAH, SCIENCE
AND IF IT'S THAT IMPORTANT TO
LEARN THEY SHOULD BE LEARNING IN
SCHOOLS NOT STANDING ON THE
STREETS HOLDING SIGNS.
>> NOW IT'S YOUNG KIDS YELLING
AT CLOUDS.
DAVID: THE OTHER THING THAT
BOTHERS ME IS IN THE OLD DAYS
BACK WHEN WE WERE PROTESTING
VIETNAM WAR AND THINGS LIKE THAT
, IT WAS A REBEL STANCE.
NOW IT'S ALMOST LIKE I THINK
CAROL ALLUDED TO THIS IT'S
ALMOST LIKE THEY ARE BEING
ENCOURAGED TO GO OUT AND PROTEST
PROTEST SHOULD BE KIND OF A
REBELIOUS THING NOT SOMETHING
THAT YOU DO IN ORDER TO FALL IN
LOCKSTEP RIGHT?
>> WHICH MEANS THE KIDS WILL
HATE IT LATER ON.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU TOO IT TO DO
YOU TRY TO PUSH A KID INTO IS
GOING TO BACK FIRE LATER IN
THEIR LIFE.
SO JUST SO WE KNOW HOW THIS ALL
GOES.
>> I'M WAITING FOR THE GROUP OF
KIDS WHO SHOW UP NEXT WEEK TO
HAVING NOT BEEN THERE AND WHEN