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babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
May 26, 2023
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-desantis-january-6-rioters_n_646fa095e4b0a7554f3daba7
DeSantis Won't Rule Out Pardoning Trump, Jan. 6 Rioters
JFC 
I hope this seals his fate.
DeSantis Won’t Rule Out Pardoning Trump, Jan. 6 Rioters
Asked about it on a conservative radio show, DeSantis left the door open to helping those convicted of storming the Capitol to keep Trump in office.
Liz Skalka
May 25, 2023, 04:37 PM EDT
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), now a 2024 presidential candidate, didn’t rule out pardoning Jan. 6 rioters and even his biggest political rival at the moment, former President Donald Trump, in an interview Thursday with a right-wing media personality.
Clay Travis, the host of “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,” asked DeSantis whether any of the people convicted of a federal offense for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, deserved to “have their cases heard by a Republican president.” He also asked DeSantis whether he would pardon Trump if he’s convicted of crimes in the numerous investigations he’s facing.
DeSantis didn’t explicitly mention Trump or the Jan. 6 defenders in his response, but said he was open to looking at “any example of disfavored treatment.”
DeSantis said that on “day one” of his presidency, “I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases ... people [who] are victims of weaponization or political targeting, and we will be aggressive at issuing pardons.”
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-desantis-january-6-rioters_n_646fa095e4b0a7554f3daba7
May 25, 2023
Now’s the time to think about just how bad a DeSantis presidency would be
Margaret Sullivan
Thu 25 May 2023 03.11 EDT
snip//
And of course, he has pulled attention-getting and destructive stunts like flying planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and feuding with Disney, a major employer and tourist draw. And on the global front, he infamously called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “territorial dispute”, a judgment he was forced to walk back when it didn’t play well within the Republican party.
What gets less media focus, though, is that while making sure that his home state is “where woke goes to die”, DeSantis has also made Florida a place that, as the journalist and author William Kleinknecht reported, “falls short in almost any measure that matters to the lives of its citizens”.
Florida is at the bottom of state rankings for healthcare, school funding, and long-term elder care; it’s where teachers’ salaries are among the lowest in the nation, as are unemployment benefits, and where efforts to raise the low minimum wage drew the governor’s active opposition.
snip//
As Florida goes, so goes the nation? If Americans elect Ron DeSantis – and let’s face it, stranger things have happened – we might be unlucky enough to find out.
Now's the time to think about just how bad a DeSantis presidency would be
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/25/ron-desantis-florida-record-presidential-campaignNow’s the time to think about just how bad a DeSantis presidency would be
Margaret Sullivan
Thu 25 May 2023 03.11 EDT
snip//
And of course, he has pulled attention-getting and destructive stunts like flying planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and feuding with Disney, a major employer and tourist draw. And on the global front, he infamously called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “territorial dispute”, a judgment he was forced to walk back when it didn’t play well within the Republican party.
What gets less media focus, though, is that while making sure that his home state is “where woke goes to die”, DeSantis has also made Florida a place that, as the journalist and author William Kleinknecht reported, “falls short in almost any measure that matters to the lives of its citizens”.
Florida is at the bottom of state rankings for healthcare, school funding, and long-term elder care; it’s where teachers’ salaries are among the lowest in the nation, as are unemployment benefits, and where efforts to raise the low minimum wage drew the governor’s active opposition.
snip//
As Florida goes, so goes the nation? If Americans elect Ron DeSantis – and let’s face it, stranger things have happened – we might be unlucky enough to find out.
May 25, 2023
What MAGA Found Offensive In Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem
KeithDB
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Wednesday May 24, 2023 · 7:32 PM EDT
Share this article
In a continuation of the Nazi-esque book banning that has characterized the DeSantis regime in Florida, schools have banned Amanda Gorman’s poem The Hill We Climb, that she read at Biden’s inauguration. The ban was imposed because a single, illiterate and ignorant parent complained. The complaint wrongly claimed the author of the poem was Oprah, seriously not making that up. Notwithstanding that the complainer is an obvious troll, the book was removed from the general shelves because of one complaint from an anti-woke, racist activist moron.
Naturally, MAGAs like to claim these bans are all about keeping “sexually explicit” materials away from children. I challenge you to review the poem and find anything sexually explicit, or sexual at all. In my own review I think I found what the MAGAs objected to. These words:
Surely we cannot allow our children to hear awful messages such as that. I mean, putting our differences aside, reaching out to others with “harm to none and harmony for all.” We cannot allow our children to hear sick stuff like that. Am I right?
What MAGA Found Offensive In Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/24/2171223/-What-MAGA-Found-Offensive-In-Amanda-Gorman-s-Inauguration-PoemWhat MAGA Found Offensive In Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem
KeithDB
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Wednesday May 24, 2023 · 7:32 PM EDT
Share this article
In a continuation of the Nazi-esque book banning that has characterized the DeSantis regime in Florida, schools have banned Amanda Gorman’s poem The Hill We Climb, that she read at Biden’s inauguration. The ban was imposed because a single, illiterate and ignorant parent complained. The complaint wrongly claimed the author of the poem was Oprah, seriously not making that up. Notwithstanding that the complainer is an obvious troll, the book was removed from the general shelves because of one complaint from an anti-woke, racist activist moron.
Naturally, MAGAs like to claim these bans are all about keeping “sexually explicit” materials away from children. I challenge you to review the poem and find anything sexually explicit, or sexual at all. In my own review I think I found what the MAGAs objected to. These words:
we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Surely we cannot allow our children to hear awful messages such as that. I mean, putting our differences aside, reaching out to others with “harm to none and harmony for all.” We cannot allow our children to hear sick stuff like that. Am I right?
May 25, 2023
WATCH: House Members Laugh in MTG’s Face as She Calls for Decorum
LOLOLOL
AJ McDougall
Breaking News Reporter
Published May. 24, 2023 7:33PM ET
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
https://twitter.com/i/status/1661483713773944835
House Members Laugh in MTG's Face as She Calls for Decorum
WATCH: House Members Laugh in MTG’s Face as She Calls for Decorum
LOLOLOL
AJ McDougall
Breaking News Reporter
Published May. 24, 2023 7:33PM ET
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
In a session of the U.S. House on Wednesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was acting as speaker pro tempore when she attempted to quiet murmuring in the chamber. Banging her gavel, and apparently having been prompted by someone standing to her right, Greene said, “The members are reminded to abide by the decorum of the House.” The chamber exploded into loud laughter, which continued unabated for more than 30 seconds. Greene continued to bang the gavel, repeating, “The House will be in order.” The scathing reaction followed an appeal to Republicans made by Minority Whip Katherine Clark, who announced to the House that all 213 Democrats had signed onto a discharge petition to force a vote on the issue of the debt ceiling. The Democrats applauded and cheered as Clark reminded the GOP that the petition only needed the signatures of five Republicans to succeed. “It only takes five patriots, five patriots to join us in the fight for the American people,” she said.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1661483713773944835
May 23, 2023
Yep, a mere $100K for chapstick.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-buys-kevin-mccarthys-used-chapstick-at-auction?ref=home
Marjorie Taylor Greene Buys Kevin McCarthy’s Used Chapstick at Auction
CHERRY FLAVORED
Chris Hippensteel
Breaking News Intern
Published May. 23, 2023 12:06PM ET
https://twitter.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/1661013857824014339
Marjorie Taylor Greene Buys Kevin McCarthy's Used Chapstick at Auction
Yep, a mere $100K for chapstick.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-buys-kevin-mccarthys-used-chapstick-at-auction?ref=home
Marjorie Taylor Greene Buys Kevin McCarthy’s Used Chapstick at Auction
CHERRY FLAVORED
Chris Hippensteel
Breaking News Intern
Published May. 23, 2023 12:06PM ET
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)—who has forged closer ties with Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) since his ascension to speaker of the House—will now pay $100,000 for his used chapstick. Politico reporter Olivia Beavers reported that Greene bid on McCarthy’s chapstick (cherry flavored, in case you were wondering) at a fundraising auction during a GOP conference on Tuesday. The chapstick, which was a piece of campaign merch for Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL), who ran the auction, came with a promise that McCarthy would attend a dinner with the victor’s supporters. Greene reportedly didn’t bid on the chapstick until the donor dinner was on the table, Beavers said.
https://twitter.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/1661013857824014339
May 23, 2023
Columnist Gives 'Brittle Ego' Ron DeSantis A Brutal 2024 Reality Check
Eugene Robinson says the Florida governor has "paper-thin skin, a propensity to hold grudges and a tendency to go way too far.”
Ed Mazza
May 23, 2023, 04:52 AM EDT
snip//
DeSantis has also been locked in a war with Disney in retaliation for the company’s criticism.
“Trying to punish a company for statements that had no practical impact — except, perhaps, on DeSantis’s brittle ego — seems wildly at odds with traditional conservative values,” he noted, adding:
DeSantis has been telling donors that he’s a better candidate than Trump because he thinks he can win in the swing states. But Robinson said DeSantis’ far-right agenda won’t play well in those key regions.
Columnist Gives 'Brittle Ego' Ron DeSantis A Brutal 2024 Reality Check
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eugene-robinson-ron-desantis_n_646c734be4b0005c605baa04Columnist Gives 'Brittle Ego' Ron DeSantis A Brutal 2024 Reality Check
Eugene Robinson says the Florida governor has "paper-thin skin, a propensity to hold grudges and a tendency to go way too far.”
Ed Mazza
May 23, 2023, 04:52 AM EDT
snip//
DeSantis has also been locked in a war with Disney in retaliation for the company’s criticism.
“Trying to punish a company for statements that had no practical impact — except, perhaps, on DeSantis’s brittle ego — seems wildly at odds with traditional conservative values,” he noted, adding:
“The Disney thing would just be a loopy sideshow if it didn’t highlight traits that could hold DeSantis back as a presidential candidate — and that would be dangerous for the nation and the world if, heaven forbid, he ever became president: paper-thin skin, a propensity to hold grudges and a tendency to go way too far.”
DeSantis has been telling donors that he’s a better candidate than Trump because he thinks he can win in the swing states. But Robinson said DeSantis’ far-right agenda won’t play well in those key regions.
“Why would suburban women who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 vote for Ron DeSantis in 2024?” he wrote, adding: “Great politicians learn from their mistakes and course correct as necessary. DeSantis seems not to understand that going full-speed ahead is a bad idea if you’re approaching a cliff.”
May 20, 2023
The Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
5/20/2023
In the UK, They Banned Knives When Knife Crime Rose
As an American, it's easy to be cynical about knife crime in the United Kingdom. I'm here right now, and already I've seen multiple TV news segments about all the stabbings and threats of stabbings with knives and machetes. When I saw a BBC report with the chyron "Knives: can we end the violence?" my gut Yank instinct was to think, "Oh, England. You're adorable that you're only worried about one-on-one knife attacks. Try living every fucking day of your life damned to be in a country where mass shootings happen with a frequency approaching hourly."
snip//
See, in 2019, as a result of the rise in knife crime, the UK government, which, again, is led by the Conservative Party as it has been since 2015 (or 2010, depending on how you count a coalition), tightened a ban on "offensive weapons," as in "can be used in a criminal offense," not "they stink." Prior to the new law, you couldn't carry the banned knives in public. Now, you can't even own them. If you do, you can face up to six months in jail. The laws fully went into effect in 2021. And you know what? The level of knife crime declined. It's still higher than it was, but it's lower than it became.
Think about that. There was a rise in violent crime and they banned the weapons being used in the crime. No movement to halt the ban gained any traction because while, sure, a person with a knife is responsible for the crime, it sure is harder to hurt someone if the knife isn't available.
One type of knife that has gotten really popular, especially with young people, is the "zombie knife," which is a supposedly cool-looking blade that resembles hunting knives in zombie movies and TV shows. And there was a loophole in the law that allowed for certain kinds of those knives to be sold online, along with machetes that aren't used for gardening. Right now, the UK Home Office is looking into closing that loophole because that's what the fuck you do.
This shit isn't hard. In the United States, we make it hard because we pretend that the Constitution gives us the right to individually own the means to destroy ourselves. Here, that kind of thinking is seen as madness and completely antithetical to the safety of the public. Or, you know, common fucking sense.
The Rude Pundit: In the UK, They Banned Knives When Knife Crime Rose
https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2023/05/in-uk-they-banned-knives-when-knife.htmlThe Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
5/20/2023
In the UK, They Banned Knives When Knife Crime Rose
As an American, it's easy to be cynical about knife crime in the United Kingdom. I'm here right now, and already I've seen multiple TV news segments about all the stabbings and threats of stabbings with knives and machetes. When I saw a BBC report with the chyron "Knives: can we end the violence?" my gut Yank instinct was to think, "Oh, England. You're adorable that you're only worried about one-on-one knife attacks. Try living every fucking day of your life damned to be in a country where mass shootings happen with a frequency approaching hourly."
snip//
See, in 2019, as a result of the rise in knife crime, the UK government, which, again, is led by the Conservative Party as it has been since 2015 (or 2010, depending on how you count a coalition), tightened a ban on "offensive weapons," as in "can be used in a criminal offense," not "they stink." Prior to the new law, you couldn't carry the banned knives in public. Now, you can't even own them. If you do, you can face up to six months in jail. The laws fully went into effect in 2021. And you know what? The level of knife crime declined. It's still higher than it was, but it's lower than it became.
Think about that. There was a rise in violent crime and they banned the weapons being used in the crime. No movement to halt the ban gained any traction because while, sure, a person with a knife is responsible for the crime, it sure is harder to hurt someone if the knife isn't available.
One type of knife that has gotten really popular, especially with young people, is the "zombie knife," which is a supposedly cool-looking blade that resembles hunting knives in zombie movies and TV shows. And there was a loophole in the law that allowed for certain kinds of those knives to be sold online, along with machetes that aren't used for gardening. Right now, the UK Home Office is looking into closing that loophole because that's what the fuck you do.
This shit isn't hard. In the United States, we make it hard because we pretend that the Constitution gives us the right to individually own the means to destroy ourselves. Here, that kind of thinking is seen as madness and completely antithetical to the safety of the public. Or, you know, common fucking sense.
May 20, 2023
Why former Trump Org executive Allen Weisselberg could face perjury charges
The Manhattan district attorney won’t comment, but filings in the New York attorney general’s civil case may reveal the gist of Weisselberg's potential problem.
May 19, 2023, 6:44 PM EDT
By Lisa Rubin
The Manhattan district attorney’s office — which already has charged Donald Trump with 34 felony counts in relation to the Stormy Daniels hush money scheme — has upped the ante against a potential cooperator in that case, according to a New York Times report on Friday that cited people with knowledge of the matter.
Because former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg apparently has not signaled any willingness to testify against Trump, the DA’s office has turned “in recent weeks” to exploring perjury charges against him, two of the people with knowledge of the matter told the Times.
Those charges would be in addition to, not in lieu of, any insurance fraud charges, which the DA’s team has been investigating for several months, if not longer. Indeed, prosecutors already have warned Weisselberg’s lawyers that such charges could be forthcoming and that they focus on Weisselberg’s alleged lies to an insurance company “by claiming that the value of the Trump Organization’s real estate holdings had been assessed by an independent appraiser, when in fact they had not been,” the Times reported.
The potential perjury charges, by contrast, “would center on Mr. Weisselberg’s 2020 interview with [Attorney General Leticia] James’s investigators,” during which he was “questioned about some significant errors in Mr. Trump’s financial statements,” the Times reported, citing the people with knowledge of the matter.
more...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/allen-weisselberg-perjury-trump-organization-rcna85381
Why former Trump Org executive Allen Weisselberg could face perjury charges
Why former Trump Org executive Allen Weisselberg could face perjury charges
The Manhattan district attorney won’t comment, but filings in the New York attorney general’s civil case may reveal the gist of Weisselberg's potential problem.
May 19, 2023, 6:44 PM EDT
By Lisa Rubin
The Manhattan district attorney’s office — which already has charged Donald Trump with 34 felony counts in relation to the Stormy Daniels hush money scheme — has upped the ante against a potential cooperator in that case, according to a New York Times report on Friday that cited people with knowledge of the matter.
Because former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg apparently has not signaled any willingness to testify against Trump, the DA’s office has turned “in recent weeks” to exploring perjury charges against him, two of the people with knowledge of the matter told the Times.
Those charges would be in addition to, not in lieu of, any insurance fraud charges, which the DA’s team has been investigating for several months, if not longer. Indeed, prosecutors already have warned Weisselberg’s lawyers that such charges could be forthcoming and that they focus on Weisselberg’s alleged lies to an insurance company “by claiming that the value of the Trump Organization’s real estate holdings had been assessed by an independent appraiser, when in fact they had not been,” the Times reported.
The potential perjury charges, by contrast, “would center on Mr. Weisselberg’s 2020 interview with [Attorney General Leticia] James’s investigators,” during which he was “questioned about some significant errors in Mr. Trump’s financial statements,” the Times reported, citing the people with knowledge of the matter.
more...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/allen-weisselberg-perjury-trump-organization-rcna85381
May 19, 2023
Dianne Feinstein Suffering From Previously Unknown Complications From Shingles Illness
The Democratic Senator's office says she is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication from the shingles virus that can paralyze part of the face.
MARY CLARE JALONICK
May 18, 2023, 06:35 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office said Thursday that she is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication from the shingles virus that can paralyze part of the face, and that she contracted encephalitis while recovering from the virus earlier this year.
Feinstein, 89, had not previously disclosed those medical details, though she said in a statement last week that she had suffered complications from the virus. The longtime California senator returned from a more than two-month absence on May 10 after weeks of questions about her declining health and whether she would be back in the Senate at all.
Adam Russell, a spokesman for Feinstein, said that the encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, “resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March.” Feinstein continues to have complications from the Ramsay Hunt syndrome, Russell said.
Russell confirmed the two complications after the New York Times first reported them, raising questions about whether she had been hiding the extent of her illnesses. Upon her return last week, Feinstein was using a wheelchair and noticeably thinner, and has appeared confused at times when speaking to reporters or being wheeled through the halls.
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bc-us-senate-feinstein-shingles-complications_n_6466a6c9e4b03557393503c0
Dianne Feinstein Suffering From Previously Unknown Complications From Shingles Illness
Dianne Feinstein Suffering From Previously Unknown Complications From Shingles Illness
The Democratic Senator's office says she is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication from the shingles virus that can paralyze part of the face.
MARY CLARE JALONICK
May 18, 2023, 06:35 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office said Thursday that she is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication from the shingles virus that can paralyze part of the face, and that she contracted encephalitis while recovering from the virus earlier this year.
Feinstein, 89, had not previously disclosed those medical details, though she said in a statement last week that she had suffered complications from the virus. The longtime California senator returned from a more than two-month absence on May 10 after weeks of questions about her declining health and whether she would be back in the Senate at all.
Adam Russell, a spokesman for Feinstein, said that the encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, “resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March.” Feinstein continues to have complications from the Ramsay Hunt syndrome, Russell said.
Russell confirmed the two complications after the New York Times first reported them, raising questions about whether she had been hiding the extent of her illnesses. Upon her return last week, Feinstein was using a wheelchair and noticeably thinner, and has appeared confused at times when speaking to reporters or being wheeled through the halls.
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bc-us-senate-feinstein-shingles-complications_n_6466a6c9e4b03557393503c0
May 17, 2023
Opinion
I’m a Professor. Florida Just Banned Everything I Teach.
UNFREE STATE OF FLORIDA
Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t want college students to learn anything but whitewashed history about racist violence in America.
William Horne
Published May. 17, 2023 11:18AM ET
Writing during the apartheid regime of Jim Crow, famed historian and founder of Black History Month Carter G. Woodson observed that “the philosophy and ethics resulting from our educational system have justified slavery, peonage, segregation, and lynching.” That system is exactly what Gov. Ron DeSantis has tried to resurrect in signing SB 266 into law, a whitewashing tactic that has historically coincided with white supremacist violence in the U.S.
The law builds on a wave of book, content, and course bans passed by Republican legislators, schools boards, and governors in 36 states over the last year. SB 266 not only forbids scholars of race, class, gender, and inequality from teaching in their areas of expertise, but also requires that general education courses indoctrinate students in the “Western canon,” drawing on a right-wing “American Birthright” curriculum organized in part by DeSantis ally Chris Rufo.
The information that college instructors like me are now forbidden by law from sharing with their adult students under SB 266 leaves them less able to understand the world around them and to critically engage Republican policy priorities like voter suppression or attacks on trans persons that promote inequality. It leaves students less informed and more vulnerable—that appears to be the whole point.
snip//
Attacks on education and access to information like Florida’s SB 266 have never been about “protecting” students or promoting education. They are about wielding power and eliminating dissent. That is what makes this tactic so dangerous and, historically, a precursor to white supremacist violence.
William Horne is an Arthur J. Ennis Postdoctoral Scholar at Villanova University who writes about the relationship of race to labor, freedom, and capitalism during Reconstruction and Jim Crow.
"I'm a Professor. Florida Just Banned Everything I Teach."
https://www.thedailybeast.com/im-a-professor-florida-just-banned-everything-i-teach?ref=home?ref=homeOpinion
I’m a Professor. Florida Just Banned Everything I Teach.
UNFREE STATE OF FLORIDA
Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t want college students to learn anything but whitewashed history about racist violence in America.
William Horne
Published May. 17, 2023 11:18AM ET
Writing during the apartheid regime of Jim Crow, famed historian and founder of Black History Month Carter G. Woodson observed that “the philosophy and ethics resulting from our educational system have justified slavery, peonage, segregation, and lynching.” That system is exactly what Gov. Ron DeSantis has tried to resurrect in signing SB 266 into law, a whitewashing tactic that has historically coincided with white supremacist violence in the U.S.
The law builds on a wave of book, content, and course bans passed by Republican legislators, schools boards, and governors in 36 states over the last year. SB 266 not only forbids scholars of race, class, gender, and inequality from teaching in their areas of expertise, but also requires that general education courses indoctrinate students in the “Western canon,” drawing on a right-wing “American Birthright” curriculum organized in part by DeSantis ally Chris Rufo.
The information that college instructors like me are now forbidden by law from sharing with their adult students under SB 266 leaves them less able to understand the world around them and to critically engage Republican policy priorities like voter suppression or attacks on trans persons that promote inequality. It leaves students less informed and more vulnerable—that appears to be the whole point.
snip//
Attacks on education and access to information like Florida’s SB 266 have never been about “protecting” students or promoting education. They are about wielding power and eliminating dissent. That is what makes this tactic so dangerous and, historically, a precursor to white supremacist violence.
William Horne is an Arthur J. Ennis Postdoctoral Scholar at Villanova University who writes about the relationship of race to labor, freedom, and capitalism during Reconstruction and Jim Crow.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: NY
Home country: US
Current location: Florida
Member since: Mon Sep 6, 2004, 09:54 PM
Number of posts: 171,070
