Anti-Democratic Fascist REPUBLICANS are passing Laws banning books, limiting what Teachers can Teach and what can be discussed in classrooms with huge fines of up to $10,000 for violations. Republicans want BIG GOVERNMENT controlling every aspect of people’s lives.

 

 

REPUBLICAN’S  WAR on Teachers

 

Florida REPUBLICAN Governor Ron DeSantis wants to put cameras in classrooms. This short video shows how oppressive and unbearable life could become unless Republicans are STOPPED by VOTING THEM OUT.

 

Teachers Pull Books To Avoid Felony Prosecution From DeSantis Law

Teachers are being told to withhold ALL of their classroom library books until they can be individually reviewed for certification in the wake of a new law, House Bill 1467, which can result in a third-degree felony if violated.

 

Indoctrination by cartoon? DeSantis’ latest attack on ‘woke schools.’

Ron DeSantis says Florida schools should be about “education over indoctrination.” So why is his state now bringing in lessons on race and social justice from a right-wing group whose leader brags about indoctrinating kids? Mehdi breaks down the hypocrisy behind DeSantis’ war on ‘woke’ schools.

 

‘Outrageous’: Don Lemon reacts to Florida book law championed by DeSantis

 

Embattled Florida parents to America: You’re next if DeSantis wins!

Alex Wagner looks at the agenda Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has laid out for his state and his disingenuous pushback on criticism of his cultural crusade as parents of students at New College of Florida caution the rest of America that if DeSantis succeeds in making an example of their school, Republicans everywhere will try to follow suit.

 

Republican’s War or Woke is a war against young people… an attack on how they think, exist, speak and especially how they understand the world they live in.

 

Ken Burns Compares DeSantis Bills to ‘Soviet System’ on CNN: ‘The Way the Nazis Would Build a Potemkin Village’

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns joined CNN on Tuesday and accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) of creating a Soviet-like system through his bills targeting materials available in public schools. DeSantis has been focused on introducing legislation specifically aimed at explicit and “woke” materials in schools. His efforts have earned major pushback as critics argue new strict guidelines can be used to target LGBTQ and Black history-related content. House Bill 999 would give more power to a university board of trustees over curriculum being taught and essentially ban controversial curriculum like Critical Race Theory. [source: mediaite.com/tv/ken-burns-compares-desantis-bills-to-soviet-system-on-cnn-the-way-the-nazis-would-build-a-potemkin-village]

 

DeSantis & Florida Republicans are following in the footsteps of Autocrat Dictator of Hungary Viktor Orban by taking control of Education

 

Right Wingers around the world are systematically destroying Democracy, implementing One Party Rule with rigged elections, take-over of the News Media, Judiciary and take-over of Education, similar to what DeSantis and Republicans are doing in Florida.

 

Thom Hartmann explains how Victor Orbán and his Radical Right-Wing Party took over the once Democratic government in Hungary and turned it into a anti-democratic authoritarian fascist one-party-rule dictatorship where elections & the courts are rigged, all of the media is state controlled and praise for Victor Orbán Propaganda is seen everywhere. Republicans are following the same playbook so it could happen here unless they are STOPPED.

 

Outrageous’: Florida teacher rips DeSantis’ censorship, criminal threats

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing a new law forcing teachers to remove books from classrooms that are not deemed “appropriate.” So-called “Woke Busters” are joining DeSantis’ effort and forcing libraries and schools to remove “offensive” books. Florida public school teacher Andrea Phillips joins MSNBC’s Ari Melber, calling the law “outrageous,” and adding students “don’t have books to read.”

 

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten reacts to former REPUBLICAN Secretary of State Mike Pompeo labeling her as the the world’s ‘most dangerous person’.

 

Radical Right Wing REPUBLICAN Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin Installs Regressive Education Board Members determined to Suppress and Re-Write History

 

Conservative Group Pushes To Shift Public Schools To Christian Nationalist Principles

Kathryn Joyce, investigative reporter at Salon, talks with Alex Wagner about the role of Hillsdale College at the center of the conservative effort to make education a political battlefield with initiatives like the “Stop Woke Act” in Florida to align civic and history curricula with right-wing Christian perspectives. Aug 20, 2022

 

Republicans admitting they want a dictatorship and want to eliminate Democracy
 

New Florida Teacher Training Aims To Indoctrinate Educators With Radical Right Wing Ideology

Encouraged by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, Christian nationalist values and an “originalist” interpretation of the U.S. Constitution is now being taught in Florida Schools

 

 

DESANTIS FLORIDA: WHERE FREEDOM GOES TO DIE!

• Dystopian Laws Attacking Freedom of Speech to SILENCE & SUE Critics
• Culture Wars and “Woke” BULLSHIT
• Anti-choice Laws against Women’s Rights
• Laws limiting what can be discussed in classrooms, such as the “Don’t say Gay” law. These laws doesn’t fix any existing problems, they’re a “Solution in Search of a Problem” and unnecessary BIG Government regulations & restrictions which makes teachers jobs more difficult.
• Law mandating public colleges and universities survey students and faculty about their Political Beliefs (FL HB 233)
• Teachers must withhold classroom library books until they can be individually reviewed for certification or face being charged with a third-degree felony if violated. (Bill 1467)
• DeSantis Hostile Takeover of Liberal New College of Florida is following the playbook of Fascist Autocrat Dictator of Hungary Viktor Orban by taking control of Education
• Indoctrinate Educators with Radical Right Wing Ideology. (Per news reports) Encouraged by DeSantis, Christian nationalist values and an “originalist” interpretation of the U.S. Constitution is now being taught in Florida Schools.
• Florida HB 999 Republican plan to restrict the way history is taught at Florida’s colleges and universities is being condemned by academics & historians across the U.S. (Another example of Fascist, Authoritarian policies).
• DeSantis has publicly called for putting cameras and microphones into classrooms to monitor teachers. He wants more surveillance in every part of our lives, empowering legislators to police classrooms, doctor’s offices, the workplace.
• Voting Police to intimidate people so they’re afraid to vote in Florida
• Florida Employees Threatened With Demotions If They Criticize DeSantis
• Bill to eliminate the Democrat Party in the State of Florida, thereby creating One Party Rule similar to how Dictator Victor Orbán took over the once Democratic government in Hungary
• Florida ‘Bloggers Bill’ which would require anyone who writes about Florida Republicans and DeSantis to register with the state and put on an ‘enemies list’. This is another BLATANT violation of the 1st Amendment and attempt to SILENCE critics. This is the same Anti-Democratic, Fascist Authoritarian tactic used by the Nazi German Propaganda Ministry in 1933 called the “Editors Law” and in 2014 by War Criminal Dictator Vladimir Putin, forcing bloggers in Russia to register with the Russian Media office.
• Attacking Freedom of Speech – Bill HB 991 to significantly weaken libel laws. Critics believe this is an attempt to give Ron DeSantis even more power to sue his critics for saying things he doesn’t like. Bill 991 also gives Florida residents the right to sue others (both in the state or elsewhere in the U.S.) who describe their actions online as transphobic or homophobic, for $35,000 and would not allow the truth to be used in defenses against such lawsuits.
• Retaliated against Disney for exercising their First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech, stripping Disney of 50+ years self-governing authority after Disney stated opposition to the ‘Don’t say Gay’ law which limits discussing LGBTQ issues in schools.
• Right Wing figures installed on the board of former Disney district. This is the same tactics used in Anti-Democratic Fascists Dictatorships
• Retaliated against the Tampa Bay Rays for exercising their First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech by blocking state money to their training facility after team tweeted against gun violence
• Florida Police raided the home of former Covid-19 Scientist Rebekah Jones after her data contradicted DeSantis’ Covid Data claims.
• Transgender athlete discrimination Laws
• Florida Senate Bill 254 would allow the state to take Trans children receiving gender-affirming care away from Parents
• Anti-Protesting Laws making protesting a felony & allowing protestors can be run over & killed with no consequences. This law was passed to silence and intimidate anyone who dare protest and raise objections to Republican’s oppression (similar to Russia and North Korea)
• DeSantis wants his own State Militia which would only answer to him and “not be encumbered to the federal government.”
• Felons Victimized by Republicans and DeSantis “Voter Fraud Crackdown”.  Per an article at commondreams.org, “Most who were arrested were approved by the Florida Department of Elections, which sent their voter registration cards ahead of the 2020 elections. All were charged with third-degree felony voter fraud, a crime punishable by as many as five years behind bars and up to a $5,000 fine. The ACLU of Florida stated, “The arrests are a grotesque abuse of power by Gov. DeSantis”.
• Using Migrants as Props. Per an article at theguardian.com, “DeSantis should be prosecuted for his treatment of immigrants. Those conspiring with him appear to have acted criminally under Texas law. Title 5, section 20 of the Texas penal code defines the crime of unlawful restraint. Under the statute, a person is restrained if their movement is restricted without their consent by, among other means, moving the person from one place to another. Restraint is without consent “if it is accompanied … by deception”. Under the statute, the violation is a class A misdemeanor, unless the person restrained is younger than 17, in which case it is a felony. According to reporting, there were children among those criminally transported to Martha’s Vineyard”.
• DeSantis fought for and was given the authority to redraw Congressional districts to rig elections in Republican’s favor. This resulted in House Seats being stolen from Democrats. Another example of how Republicans know they can’t win elections unless they CHEAT because their policies are UNPOPULAR.

 

Florida Teachers Afraid, Confused As REPUBLICAN DeSantis Politicizes Curriculum

Alex Wagner travels to Florida to talk with Don Falls, a teacher who has joined a lawsuit against Ron DeSantis’ “Stop Woke Act” that has put teachers in fear of being punish for teaching factual history, and Jennifer Jenkins, a school board member who has personally experienced the threats and intimidation by Republican activists using culture war excuses as cover for a political power grab.

 

New Florida teacher training downplays role of slavery in U.S. history

Alex Wagner looks at how Florida teachers are being trained to teach the history of slavery in the United States. Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, joins to talk about Florida’s emphasis on descent-based slavery as a way of minimizing the slave trade.

 

Students say DeSantis’ African-American studies ban ‘symbolizes… deep hatred’

 

REPUBLICAN DeSantis Imposes Extreme Culture War Framing On Nuanced U.S. Civics

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, talks with Alex Wagner about the political utility for Ron DeSantis of bringing polarizing culture war themes to the discussion of complicated American history and civics.

 

REPUBLICAN DeSantis culture war on U.S. history threatens to backfire on Florida higher education

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, talks with Alex Wagner about how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ efforts to erase Black history in the United States by intimidating librarians, teachers, school boards and universities risks pushing Florida and its Southern associations back into the past and undercutting the ability of Southern schools to draw competent, reputable faculty.

 

Professor slams DeSantis for quashing Black history education

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to control the type of education that Florida students can receive, most recently rejecting an advanced placement course in African-American studies, claiming it was “contrary to Florida law” and “significantly lacking educational value.” The law he is referring to seems to be the “Stop Woke Act” that basically gives him the power to downplay the true racial history of America. This has impacted many educators, but there are some in the state who refuse to back down. Dr. Marvin Dunn, one of the preeminent historians in Florida, is saying “Bring it on.”

 

Schools Are Fighting Back Hard Against REPUBLICAN Attacks

Republicans have spent the past few years attacking public education – and teachers, especially – as part of their ongoing assault on the LGBTQ+ community. And school districts have finally had enough, and they are working tirelessly to fight back against the onslaught of attacks, lies, and conspiracy theories that Republicans are spreading about our school systems

 

REPUBLICANS in Oklahoma are taking the suppression of education to a whole new level, with new legislation that would allow teachers to be fined $10,000 for teaching anything that goes against Christian beliefs, which would include basic biology lessons. It would also be illegal for teachers to raise money from outside sources to pay the fines, and they would also likely be fired for offenses – and each individual student’s families could sue for $10,000. This is not just obscene, it is an attack on public education and teachers.

 

REPUBLICAN State Bills To Limit What Teachers Can Say

Republicans across the country have introduced 137 pieces of legislation at the state level trying to limit what teachers are legally allowed to teach their students. Discussions about race, gender, and sexual orientation are being outlawed in areas where Republicans have the numbers to pass the legislation. This is going to set our education system back generations, and experts believe it will soon lead to a mass exodus of teachers all over America.

 

REPUBLICANS Wants to Regulate What You Can Say in Classrooms

 

Teacher reacts to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ policy

Cory Bernaert, an openly gay kindergarten teacher in Florida, reacts to what critics call Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which goes into effect today.

 

Florida REPUBLICAN Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring Colleges To Survey Student, Faculty Beliefs

 

‘Whitewashing History’: Tennessee GOP Wants To Ban Lessons On Systemic Racism

“This fight against teaching America’s racist past has now been integrated into the broader REPUBLICAN cancel culture, wokeness, moral panic being stoked,” says Chris Hayes on GOP state reps trying to ban critical race theory in schools across the U.S.

 

Tennessee REPUBLICANS Draft Bill To ARREST Teachers For Teaching

Republicans in Tennessee have taken the assault on teachers to another level by backing legislation that would make it a criminal offense for teachers to teach “ban books.” The books would designated by the state (Republicans) and any teacher that is caught teaching them would be hit with a misdemeanor charge for first offense, which also carries a penalty of up to $50,000. The attack on education is getting extreme, and not enough people are paying attention, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins points out.

 

Florida is BANNING MATH BOOKS & Blaming it on Critical Race Theory!

Jesse talks about the latest insanity coming out of Florida, where they are banning DOZENS and DOZENS of math textbooks because “they incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT.” Except for the fact that in their own press release, they don’t give a single example.

 

Banning Books and Ideas isn’t a Culture War, it’s Fascism!

 

Texas Students Push Back On School Book Ban:‘Stop The Censorship’

“These Texas students organized a backlash to the backlash, reasserting their right for open inquiry and critical thinking in their education.”

 

REPUBLICANS Pushing Bill To Ban Teaching History Of Slavery

As the GOP seeks to suppress classroom lessons about racism and slavery, parts of academia are aligning with their right-wing rhetoric. The University of North Carolina now drawing backlash after denying Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones a tenured position.

 

REPUBLICAN Bill Will Fine Teachers $10,000 for CONTRADICTING RELIGION

Jesse talks about an egregious bill being proposed in Oklahoma which seeks to fine teachers $10,000 for teaching things that go against religious texts, such as evolution, the big bang theory, LGBTQ issues, and others.

 

Tucker Carlson Explicitly Calls For Violence Against Teachers

Fox News has ramped up their violent rhetoric against teachers, and host Tucker Carlson became the first on the network to specifically call for violence against teachers. Carlson asked openly why children’s fathers weren’t going in and “thrashing” the teachers that he claims are imposing sexuality on students – a claim echoed by many Republicans without any evidence whatsoever.

 

Party Lawmakers Banning Books To Ease ‘White Discomfort’

REPUBLICAN lawmakers in 22 states have unveiled bills to limit teachings about race and sexuality in public schools. Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” have now joined the list of works banned by local school boards for so-called “objectionable” content.

 

REPUBLICANS War With Books And ‘Critical Race Theory’ In Schools

Former assistant U.S. attorney Maya Wiley and democratic strategist Basil Smikle on Republican efforts to ban books and limit what teachers can teach about racism and sexism.

 

A Look Inside The Math Textbooks Rejected By Florida

Florida refused to provide evidence for how exactly the math textbooks they rejected “indoctrinated” youth. So reporter Judd Legum tracked down the textbooks to find out what’s really inside.

 

Books Banned by FLORIDA REPUBLICANS Discussed in this video

 

Parents Organize To Fight Back Against GOP’s Classroom Culture War

GLSEN’s executive director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers and organizer Julie Collins join Jonathan Capehart to discuss how parents are strategizing and organizing against the GOP’s classroom culture war. Plus, a new analysis looks at the staggering numbers of abuse LGBTQ+ students face in Florida’s schools

 

Conservative Pastor Holds Actual Book Burning In Tennessee

A pro-Trump conservative pastor in Tennessee named Greg Locke held an actual book burning this week, where parents were encouraged to throw youg adult novels into the flames. It didn’t take long to go from book bannings to book burnings.

 

REPUBLICANS Banning & Burning Books

 

Book Burning and Literary Censorship Similar to 1930’s Nazi Germany

 

 

AOC SHREDS Republicans to their face over Book Banning which include Rosa Parks

 

Banning Books Stifles Curiosity, and Ultimately Imperils Society

In recent weeks, hundreds of books have either been challenged, barred, or face proposals to get pulled from schools, curricula, and libraries across the country. They’ve been deemed “controversial” for a variety of reasons. Some say they contain “objectionable language”, they’re “too sexually explicit”, or they fall falsely accused of being about Critical Race Theory. In some cases, the problem with these books is that their contents just might make a young reader or, more likely their parents, uncomfortable. There are a host of arguments made against the books – some are simply prudish, but several are clearly racist or homophobic or transphobic, and most of it is anti-intellectual: the same sort that gets us climate deniers and anti-vaxxers. Simply put, banning books is bad. It deprives people young and old of exposure to ideas, concepts, and world views that are not their own. It stifles curiosity. It perpetuates stereotypes. And when you dampen curiosity, you weaken our ability to think critically – to know when you are being fooled. Banning books is going to make us into a stupid society, vulnerable to misinformation and manipulation. We are less informed when our choices about the range of information we consume is arbitrarily limited. Sometimes it feels like there’s too much to fight for and it’s hard to win.

 

Teacher Resigns During Kansas School Board Meeting With Powerful Speech

 

 

 

Opinion: Fighting Fascism from Our Classrooms – The Educators Room

As the United States is gets closer and closer to outright fascism, classrooms represent crucial sites of resistance.

Per the above article: “American Authoritarianism Isn’t New”

“It’s important during this dark time to remember that banning books and threatening teachers isn’t new. Former high school history teacher, Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, compiled an excellent critical review of McCarthyism for the Zinn Education Project. She reminds us of the long history of targeting anti-racist, queer, leftist, and anti-war organizers and educators.

When I read about the current anti-Critical Race Theory push in schools, I also think of educators more recently who risked their jobs in order to promote conversations about equity.

As we consider our strategies to push back against rising fascism today, we would do well to remember its historical roots in this country. In doing so, we can also find examples of educators who resisted. While silencing critical thought in American schools is not new, certain aspects of this moment feel uniquely dangerous.

Across the country, Republican-controlled states are passing laws that are limiting access to voting, gerrymandering districts, and changing the way votes are counted and certified. Without federal intervention, we will enter into a dismal new period in the United States. The same folks who want to ban books and anti-racist teaching will control our government at every level.
What Can Educators Do?

To fight fascism from your classroom, you can’t do it alone. In her dedication of We Do This ‘Til We Free Us, Mariame Kaba shares wisdom from her father, “Everything worthwhile is done with others.” Practically every significant social change in history was accomplished through collective action. Joining a community means access to resources, wisdom, and support. And if something goes wrong, you won’t be alone.

As you fight fascism in your classroom, remember to do what you do best. When people disagree with your politics, they will try to attack your skill and expertise. Don’t let them. Come to your class prepared. Make space for student-led discussion and inquiry, but ground your teaching in facts. The Morningside Center offers ten guidelines for teaching about controversial topics.

Our job as educators has always been to help students make sense of the world. That way they make a difference in it. Students need to learn about the history and presence of racism in the United States. They also need an understanding of the Constitution, as well as fights over democracy that have taken place in the United States. Classrooms must be places where students learn this context. Only then can they comprehend and fight back against the rising threat of fascism”.

 

Anthony Crawford, Teacher
Millwood High School

“My name is Anthony Crawford. I’m a teacher in Oklahoma, and I’m also part of a group of educators and students represented by the ACLU in a lawsuit against the state’s law, HB 1775 – which severely restricts learning and talking about race and gender in the classroom.

You see, Oklahoma, where I live and teach, is one of nine states that passed classroom censorship bills last year that try to silence conversations about race and gender – bills that chill students’ and educators’ First Amendment right to talk about issues that impact our everyday lives.

State lawmakers and school boards across the country have also made moves to remove books by Black, LGBTQ, and other authors discussing race, gender, and sexuality from curriculums amidst the ongoing debate about teaching “critical race theory” in schools.

But this isn’t the first time America has tried to eradicate certain truths out of history books. Read my story in full here and you’ll get a bigger picture of what I’m talking about.

When I was a junior in high school, for instance, I was kicked out of AP History class just for asking when we were going to learn about Black history. It was Black History Month, Anthony.

Later, when I became a teacher, I made it my goal to equip my students with a curriculum that incorporates readings on race and gender – that gives them an accurate picture of history, that helps them understand what kind of society they live in, and how this reality came into being.

Some aspects of Black history can be hard to talk about, but learning about it builds students’ confidence and empowers them to take life into their own hands.

That’s also one of the reasons why I’ve chosen to defy HB 1775 by not altering my teaching – and why, again, I hope you’ll dive into my story on this urgent fight against censorship alongside the ACLU right now.

After all, the more of us there are who are informed and speaking out – the stronger we can be for our students and our right to learn.

Thanks for reading,

Anthony Crawford

(reprint from ALCU newsletter article)