102 Comments

As a teacher here in this state of many ignorant and racist citizens, I am finally retiring after many years teaching Civics, Algebra, and American History. Because of DeSantis and our Republican legislators the crazy RW agenda will continue and believe me it is just getting started. The curriculum that is being pushed for public schools is certainly one to protect white Evangelical beliefs.

There is a lot of pushback here by many of us who have seen the coming changes, but many like myself are leaving because we do not have the support of the voters or parents who choose to ignore the changes.

We are getting many new people to our state because they like what DeSantis stands for without knowing it really is destroying our public schools, which was the FL republicans ultimate goal.

I am a native Floridian, 67 years old and can tell you other than our year round favorable weather, Florida is not a desirable place to put down roots because of the changes in our political environment since about 2000. Please don't even get me started about our home insurance rates and COL, thanks to Rick Scott, Jeb Bush and the evil DeSantis.

I apologize for my writing since I am not the best at that skill but I do hope I got my point across, yes many of us care and are fighting but aren't sure it is being heard.

Expand full comment

February is Black History Month. The theme this year is Resistance. https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/

I just discovered @staciedavis on Post.News. Her post today was about Thurgood Marshall. After I finish Jon Meacham’s biography of John Lewis, His Truth is Marching On, I will read the biography of Thurgood Marshall by Juan Williams.

DeSantis is pure evil. He got where he is today through voter suppression and intimidation. His election police group is his gestapo. Yet the DOJ has done nothing to fight back. I fear it’s only going to get worse in Florida.

Expand full comment

"The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he (she) is being educated." -James A. Baldwin

"The purpose of education...is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself (herself), to make his (her) own decisions." -James A. Baldwin

"Education is indoctrination if you're white - subjugation if you're black." -James A. Baldwin

"Ironically, Manatee County is making thousands of books inaccessible to students just in time to celebrate "Literacy Week" in Florida, which runs from January 23 to 27. Only about 50% of students in Manatee County are reading at grade level." -Judd Legum -Popular Information

We must PROTEST the banning of books in Florida and in other states -it is imperative! Thanks.

Expand full comment

The people in Florida who are aware of this travesty must initiate a class action lawsuit aimed at the governor to stop the banning of books. It should surely be successful because of the First Amendment protections. And it should be made public, loudly for the whole country to hear. This nonsense MUST be stopped. All Americans must be aware of this nazi governor, as he will probably pursue a run for the White House in 2024.

Expand full comment

My father was a teacher. Our daughter is a professor. The last two lines of this beautiful piece scare the pants off of me. What a way to start the day.

Expand full comment

Of everything the wretched governor of Florida has done, the book banning is , to me, the most frightening! Please make it stop.

Expand full comment

Your first sentence “wisdom to separate church and state”. This is now being blended together and the results have been horrific. Not only am I worried, angry, and fed up with book banning but am also worried, angry, and fed up with losing the separation of church and state.

Expand full comment

The Olympics photo is phenomenal. As an Aussie I feel proud.

Banning books, dictating what subjects can & can’t be covered is evidence of authoritarianism.

It’s not land of the free. Goebels would be proud of Ronny DS et all.

The MAGAts won’t wake up. Conservatives need to draw a line. Here is where I am vz MAGAts there. No more voting for anyone who supports MAGAts. The Republicans appear to have all embraced MAGAts. Either sit it out or vote for another party.

Steve I love reading your daily writings. I often wonder how we can have such strong like minded views but still be poles apart in our political leanings. You must be hell fun at a dinner table. You can certainly give what you would get.

Expand full comment

It’s all about clicks and attention. I doubt the performance politicians believe much of what they say they stand for, but they and their handlers know what gets them on the news. Look at their actions and how they lead their lives to see that the loudest “anti vax” voices were all vaccinated, the education suppressors all went to high level schools as do their kids, and no doubt any DeSantis family member who finds themselves in the unfortunate position of needing pregnancy termination would do just that. We have become a headline-only reading nation. Even important protests seem to cycle through the news in a minute. Change gotta come, but it’s hard.

Expand full comment

This article just screams DESANTIS, a grotesque, cowardly sub human with a voice that sounds like a 9 year old begging mommy for another cookie. A wife who is Melania 2.0, ready, willing, and able to do all his bidding and lying for him, all under the mantle of their faux Christianity.

DeSantis is a product of the decades of GOP dysfunction and decline where today, cruel is cool. Being cruel is OK, as long as it's not directed at his wealthy, overweight, base of white men and women.

You go Ron.

Give disenfranchised immigrants hell, ban books that educate Floridians about our history because .... well, blacks. You're not just a jerk, you're a racist too.

As big of a disaster as it was when this country let itself be conned and elected a carnival barking, snake oil salesman, it jmight just be worse if we elect DeSantis. Trump has a smile, he has a form of charisma that has made people flock to him, there was the tough talking persona from The Apprentice that some people bought into. So in that sense, his ascendence is (somewhat) understandable. Still an other worldly disaster, but (somewhat) understandable.

DeSantis has no charisma, zero charm, his suits don't fit, his wife is a weirdo. And that voice.

He's selling hatred and bigotry.

Nothing more.

I don't live in Florida, thank God, but I've never heard him speak of our national debt, our defense strategy, Ukraine, infrastructure, a vision for the future, etc. Anti-woke-ism is a laughably bad national platform.

Please America, don't do this.

We're like an alcoholic who's 2 months into recovery.

DeSantis is the shot of Fireball whiskey that we don't need

Expand full comment

I still remember watching Marvin Gaye's performance of the anthem. It was and still is the most unique rendition of the anthem ever................and, IMHO, the best.

Expand full comment

Thank you for the juxtaposition of the power of protest upon the road to authoritarianism via book-banning.

The moment is upon us when we must amass our resolve, coordinate and consolidate and cast off our relatively smaller differences in order yo ready ourselves for a unified withdrawal of our consent, the very thing upon which our nation is predicated, from the atrocious, the outrageous, the unacceptable.

We hold power.

Let's speak it to change.

Expand full comment

ThankYou Steve for including Gaye’s incredible rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. I had not seen it but think it ranks right up there with Whitney Houston’s iconic knock out at the 1991 Super Bowl.

Also, speaking of those with the courage to lay it all on the line in the name of protest, I think we’d be remiss not to include Colin Kaepernick. Say his name.

Expand full comment

Florida is suffering a disaster with far more long-lasting devastating impact than any of the hurricanes it has experienced. It is experience an unnatural disaster, a virtual hurricane of stupidity fueled by political ambition, racism and a total disregard for the basic first-amendment rights of its citizens. Ignorance of our country’s hideous history of slavery and Jim Crow would be the American equivalent of Germans (and others) ignoring or worse suppressing the study of the Holocaust. And of course DeSantis in his transparent attempt to woo MAGA voters in not that different from other governors with similar ambitions. (What would it mean if Texans truly remembered the Alamo, and the far more complex history associated with that time in the history of The Lone Star state as well as the country as a whole?). We must all oppose gathering Big Lie fever that has taken hold in our nation and reject all who swear there’re allegiance to its proponents. The truth matters. The study of history matters. Facts matter. Wannabe dictators are destined to the dust-bin of history, Butt only if we all share responsibility to insure that this is so.

Expand full comment

When you go to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, there is a faded poster with the words “ Early Warning Signs of Facism” across the top. I won’t list all of the 14 “signs” but trust me, our current climate is ticking off more than half. But it’s the “ Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts” and the “ Controlled Mass Media” that is so terrifyingly “spot on” today. Book banning in Florida and the many efforts to do so across the country is the tip of the apocalyptic iceberg. Fear propels this. Fear of the unknown, represented by anyone, family, relationship that isn’t familiar to the onlooker. Fear of some one, faction, race taking what’s “supposed” to be yours. How to overcome that fear? I haven’t a clue. Without books to open up young minds especially, society is doomed to continue slip sliding down the expressway of ignorance that is being paved. Ignorance and yes, fear. By the way, thanks for reminding us of “What’s Going On,” an anthem for the ages.

Expand full comment

Protest is built into our national DNA it starts with a lot of tea in Boston Harbor and goes on. Peaceful Protests against injustice should be welcome. The anti-abortion and women marches held back to back are both welcome. Voices need to be heard.

Suppressing free speech in the classroom, in the library by banning books or drawing up lists of what cannot be studied should be anathema, but as we are seeing in Florida and other states, is gaining traction. I am hoping there are legal challenges to stop the madness So in the interim I hope some parents will open little free libraries at their homes to offer the books DeSantis and his crowd are trying to ban. If they did not make you think the books would not be banned.

On the comments on current political discourse coming from some pulpits I would only ask that there be reflection on MT 25:31-46.

Expand full comment