They Are Not Just “Your” Kids!

Posted on by under education, Election 2024, History, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, religion, Social commentary

A recent column by Frank Bruni brought to my attention something that … for whatever reason … had not occurred to me in this whole education “cultural war” anti-CRT, anti-LGBTQ school curriculum battle.  DAMMIT, Ron DeSantis and others who would deprive our children of an education … WE THE PEOPLE … all of us, even those of us who no longer or never did have school-age children, PAY for the schools AND we rely on the schools to turn out well-educated, well-rounded young people who can make this country — the world — a better place for us all!  DeSantis and the bigoted parents who do not want their children to learn that the U.S. is and has always been a racist nation, DeSantis and the homophobic parents who are scared shitless that little Johnny or Susie may eventually realize that … hey, it’s okay to be different …  DeSantis and those narrow-minded parents are ruining the future of this country, ensuring the next generation will repeat the mistakes of the last!!!

Whew … glad I got that off my chest.

But seriously … every working person in this nation pays taxes … taxes that go to pay teachers, to build, renovate and maintain school buildings, pay bus drivers and buy buses, desks, and other equipment.  Why should only parents and governors have a say in whether our children are educated or indoctrinated?  Parents:  Your children are my children’s future and the future of every person in the country!  For you to determine that they should be shielded from our past is to say that you want the racist, homophobic ideology that has often been prevalent in the U.S. to continue.  You say you don’t want your children to “feel guilty” over such issues as slavery and Jim Crow … well, I never felt guilty when I learned of these things as a child and later a teen, I just felt that I wanted to do better than past generations had done.  Isn’t that what we need?  Do you hate Blacks and Gay people so much that you want your children to grow up sharing your hatred?  Do you want to see hundreds more Black men murdered as George Floyd was in Minneapolis in 2020 because you were too ashamed to allow your children to learn the truth?

If a parent wishes their children to learn only the happy-happy-joy-joy parts of U.S. history, then they can either find a private school that shares their views, or they can homeschool their children, but the do NOT have the right to inflict their narrow-minded views on every child in the nation!  Parents who wish to teach Christianity or Islam or Judaism to their children have plenty of time off campus to do just that, but those parents do NOT have the right to cram it down the throats of children whose families believe differently or do not place the same level of importance on religion as they do.  There is a reason that the U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1962 that prayer in schools is unconstitutional … because not all of us believe the same, and that is our right, as well as the right of our children!

Ron DeSantis owes this nation an apology, for he has attempted to make the whims of a few into the law of the land.  And why?  Because he hopes to stir the pot enough to win the presidential election in 2024.  He would destroy our future for his own personal gain, just like another similar ‘man’ who was twice-impeached and voted out of office two years ago.  These, my friends, are not the sort of politicians we need in our government, for they pander to the few and disregard the majority.  They would turn this nation into ashes tomorrow if it gave them the ego-boost, the power they so crave.  DON’T LET THEM DO IT!!!  Protect our children, protect our nation, get rid of the clowns who care naught for either.

Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who few people outside of Michigan have ever heard of, defended herself after being accused by a colleague of supporting pedophilia, being a ‘groomer’, and more because she stood up for teaching children the truth, and for being open and allowing children to express themselves.  This clip is well worth the time spent to watch Ms. McMorrow’s rebuttal.

The future of the world, if the world is to have a future, depends on teaching today’s children to be better than we and our forbears were, teaching them to care for the earth and ALL its inhabitants!  Instead of banning books, we should be banning bigots like Florida’s Governor DeSantis and all those who agree with his hate-filled ideology.

28 thoughts on “They Are Not Just “Your” Kids!”

  1. It is so obvious and drunk on their success at having kept the White Panic Right together after the 2020 Presidential Election they do not care. They have their constituency and all they need to do is tell them what they want to hear and in return their constituency will cheer back.
    They also have no idea of the Long Game in history.
    I would give all of you in the USA who care for Democracy in your nation. Aim your words not in argument against these folk, you know how deaf and blind they are to reason. Aim your words to those who think this does not concern them, start to bring them in, tell them, this Right Wing Panic will reach them one day, will impose on them. It is their fight too. Quite frankly they need to be made alarmed at what might happen.

    Liked by 1 person

    • What sage advice, my friend! Indeed, there are several within my own circle of friends/acquaintances who shrug their shoulders and tell me that “it will all work out — it always does.” They fail to realize the dangerous extremes that exist today. Their attitude toward climate change is much the same … “live for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.” The epitome of selfishness & ignorance in my book. Now to hone my “Keith” skills so that I can talk reasonably to them rather than telling them they are pig-headed!

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  2. I was out this afternoon, watching the Sabres play the Islanders at a local bar. Most of my friends are pretty conservative, in fact most of the people in the bars I go to are pretty conservative … it’s a myth that NY is a liberal state … here in WNY it’s pretty damn conservative. If you say you can’t stand Trump, they accuse you of “loving” Biden, & well, I don’t love Biden either … but hey, he’s a fucking mensch compared to Trump. But that’s a really low fucking bar. I mean, you could trip over that one & you don’t even have to drink to manage that.

    Anyway … the consensus was that DeSantis is going to be the next president. I said NO WAY (& then I shut up) but hey … I don’t know that much about the dude. I think the whole “Don’t say gay” thing is fucking stupid & if you want to be president that’s not the way to go about becoming the leader of the free world but who knows … I mean, the Dems can fuck up anything … look at how they fucked up the 2016 election.

    I’m pretty much disgusted with everything right now. I mean, I’m spending my Saturday watching two hockey teams who have no chance getting into the playoffs but of course I’m a fan of the Sabres & this is how we roll in Buffalo.

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    • I have a number of blogging buddies who live in Florida and none of them can stand DeSantis. I cannot imagine that a majority in this nation would vote him into the Oval Office … but then, in 2016 I couldn’t imagine that a majority would vote the television fool into office … and they didn’t, but he still managed to slither in with his den of snakes. So, while I think DeSantis is a long shot, I cannot say for sure that it couldn’t happen, for a large portion of this nation has no sense. Add to that, the voter restrictions on those of us who have some sense, and it could be a recipe for disaster in 2024.

      I’m like you … pretty much disgusted with everything and with people in general. I am glad you got to enjoy your game, though, as I enjoyed spending an hour or so with a new book!

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    • What an ugly, nasty group they are!!! Sadly, I’m sure they are not alone, that such groups exist all over the U.S., for hatred seems to be the answer for far too many people these days. This nation should be ashamed of the bigotry that is supported by not only citizens, but by lawmakers as well. Thanks for sharing that, Mary!

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  5. It has been said in many places thr Democrats need a fiery slogan moving forward, something to silence the stoopidity of the Republlcans. I am sure that if they studied Ms McMorrow’s speech they could find a slogan or two to rally their voters around, and shut up the Repugs at the same time. Right now the Democrats are letting the Repugs foam at the mouth with any talking point that comes to mind. It is time to send that foam back into their mouths and let them choke on it.

    Liked by 3 people

    • I’m working on a post now about how the Democrats need to be more organized, more outspoken, get off their arses and get their message out instead of wringing their hands and whining about how they’re “doomed”. A strong message, or fiery slogan may well be a necessary part of that effort! Look how Trump’s 2016 slogan, “Make America Great Again” took off and MAGA has largely replaced GOP when referring to the Republican Party. Just a matter of finding the right slogan!

      Liked by 1 person

    • You’re exactly right, Tony! If they don’t understand it, it’s easier to simply condemn it rather than try to gain an understanding. And, if it goes against anything they believe, then it must automatically be evil. Selfish arrogance … how can we keep from repeating the mistakes of the past, if we hide them, bury them deep inside the muck?

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    • I agree 100%! Leave the education to the educators, and keep the dirty political noses OUT of it! I read today that DeSantis is now proposing placing restrictions on what universities can teach!!! How is the next generation going to learn from the mistake of the past when that past is whitewashed or hidden altogether? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I’m so sick of narrow-minded people and those who think their religion should be everyone’s religion! Time for a visit to Switzerland, yes?

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  8. That is, currently, what’s happening where I live too, with the government, foing away with, the histories of the race, because, it wanted to emphasize that we are, an independent country from China, and, the reforms they made in education is just, CRAP, and, these, younger, generations of children, will, become, uneducated adults, even if they all, end up, getting their degrees in higher ed, because, what they were taught had been, reducted, reduced, incomplete, and, partial, truths, because the government want these next generatioms, to not be able to see what they are doing, to the people, so these younger generations will, keep on, following their leads, and, to think, that, these younger generations are the ones, who will be, leading all these, countries around the world, we are, totally, screwed, but hey, look on the bright side, won’t, live long enough, in the world, to experience the impacts from this sort of a mind control of younger generations long enough, because too those of us who know better, are already in our, late thirties, early forties, and, we have, the bird’s eye views of, everything, but, I do, feel, sorry, for the younger generations to come though…

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    • And to think that I thought it was only happening in the U.S.! I also read today that DeSantis is also trying now to dictate what universities can teach! This is ridiculous! Now, people like you and I would make sure our children understood the true histories of our countries and the role racism and bigotry has played, but unfortunately, about half the people here don’t have the education or knowledge to take on that task, so their children will grow up to make the same mistakes that our previous generations made, only worse next time around. Sigh. I am 70+, so it won’t matter much longer for me, but I care for the future of this nation, of the world, and we are dooming future generations.

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  9. I read the Frank Bruni column and concluded the same, that DeSantis and the GOP in general is twisting logic, using emotion (of course) and hypocrisy to pull the rug out from under the ideals we strive for in the United States. I agree with you: DON’T LET THEM DO IT!

    But the GOP in general are so amazingly ignorant, petty, and short-sighted in this era. Witness the whole Reedy Creek decision going down in Florida. There’s no thought about the problems they’re causing the state, cities, and counties. They’re just gleefully spiting everyone. Again, what idiots.

    Hugs and cheers, M

    Liked by 1 person

    • DeSantis has, in my view, overstepped … by a large leap! One ‘man’ hasn’t the right to determine what every child in the state (or the nation, as is his hope) can or cannot be taught! Yep … this is going to have to become a rallying cry! I just wish I had more faith in the U.S. Supreme Court, for I think ultimately a case challenging this law will land there.

      You’re right … it is easy to mold the uneducated, and the majority who support the current Republican Party are not highly educated, often don’t understand what ‘democracy’ even means. They’ve been fed the Kool Aid by greedy religious leaders and politicians, and now we are all left to pay the price for that. Sigh.

      Hugs ‘n cheers to you also, dear Michael!

      Liked by 1 person

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