Tuesday is Primary Election Day, and the stakes in Pinellas County are enormous.
Wait, what? It's just a Primary. The main event doesn't come until November. That is true. That is when we'll dust off Rick Scott's charge six years ago that Bill Nelson needed to retire because he was a career politician. We might note that should Scott win, he will have secured his fourth public office totaling 20 years — two as Florida's Governor, then two in the Senate.
Sounds like a career to me.
That's a rant for another day, though, because if Tuesday's election goes a certain way, the Pinellas School Board could be essentially under Moms for Liberty control. Three seats on the seven-member Board are up for election, and three challengers are aligned with Mommy Nation.
Given that two Board members already subscribe to the Moms agenda, that would give Moms complete control over what is said, taught, and thought in county public schools.
If that happens, dedicated educators should update their résumés and head for the exits as quickly as possible. Resistance would be futile.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who never hesitates to trash someone who doesn't embrace his exclusionary agenda, strongly supports the Moms. His endorsements of Mom candidates throughout the state aim to turn local School Districts into conduits for the far right's radical groupthink.
That's the irony behind the (cough) "Liberty" in the Moms agenda. The only liberty they want is to tell each student what they can read and how they must think. They chafe when labeled "book-banners," but that's exactly what they are.
If it involves LGBTQ+ rights, sensitive racial topics, or pretty much anything that DeSantis can label "woke," it will be off limits.
And, my goodness, don't even mention (whispering) s-e-x. Kids need to learn about that the old-fashioned way, in the back of a car parked by the lake.
Danielle Marolf, one of three Moms on the Pinellas ballot, says on her website, "Pinellas County schools should be safe and full of opportunity for our kids. My priorities include valuing each unique child, empowering our teachers and keeping them safe, and involving parents actively by giving them a pivotal role in the educational process."
Sounds benign enough. Let's dig a little deeper.
She says she wants to "prioritize critical thinking."
"We live in a society of broken communication. Students in public education do not typically learn the art of dialectic discussion or rhetorical argument … in laymen's terms — we need to prioritize critical thinking," she said.
We've seen the results throughout Florida when someone tries to communicate with DeSantis and share the results of critical thinking. They are mocked, called groomers and radicals, and there's no reason to believe it would be any different if the Moms get control of the School Board.
Remember, DeSantis strongly endorsed Marolf.
They talk about "parental rights," but they've repeatedly shown that their parent gets to tell your kid what they can read and what topics they can address.
If you don't want your kid to read a certain book, that's fine.
But you don't get to take away that option from every other kid.
It's called liberty.
I'm all for that.
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