After a long day of standardized testing, Florida fifth-grade teacher Jenna Barbee decided the students needed a break. She had the students watch a Disney movie, Strange World. Now, Barbee, a first-year teacher in Hernando County is being subject to a "misconduct" investigation by the Florida Department of Education.
This is a hate movement targeting gays. It is in America's best interest to not stand for this extremism. It's connected to worldwide authoritarian movements led by Russia and it's allies and designed to divide democratic countries internally in order to weaken them. The goal is for Russia to dominate the world. ("See Keir Giles Russia's War on Everybody.") Moms for Liberty, DeSantis, etc. are pawns in this war led by our enemies.
America does not need Russia, or any other external impetus, to act in this manner. America is no a pawn. This narrow-minded bigotry started with the Puritans. Have the Salem witch trials gone done the memory hole? They happened long before there was any Russian influence. They are a continuous thread in US history.
Yes. The bigotry is homegrown. Russia fans the flames by boosting the extremes, on both sides. This is their strategy and they've been using it for decades. Just ask democratic-minded statesmen and savvy citizens of the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. Maybe I should have said "pawns and accomplices."
I think the thing to look for is how extreme is it. This instance is about a character having a crush on someone of the same sex and nothing happens. I don't even think it was a big part of the film. The topic of the film, something science as I recall, did line up with the curriculum being taught. This was 5th grade, not kindergarten. This woman's objection was extreme and sure to catch the attention of media. It's why we're discussing it here. I'm quite suspicious of Moms for Liberty. I suspect a Russian connection somewhere there.
Are you aware of all the legislation this year and last passed by the Florida legislature at DisSatan’s instigation, and signed by him? Appealing to the Fla supreme court (3 of 5 Fla supreme court justices were appointed by him) and Scotus is hopeless. You will see that he has his own brand that looks more like Texas than Russia or Hungary. Actually, he seems to model Hitler’s early days, using legal means to enact an agenda so ugly and hateful that it defies credulity. LGBTQ is just the beginning. He is beyond dangerous.
Like Judd Legum, Jordan Zakaria has been doing excellent reporting on the horror show unreeling in Florida under this guy. He has a Substack column and I wish everyone in the country, especially young people, would read about what is happening here.
America is not female. It's long past time to stop using a female pronoun in reference to a country. Having said that, I totally agree. Russia has been trolling social media for years.
I’m the parent of a former teacher who worked in NYC and ATL. She quit before this kind of stuff started. She quit because it was a thankless job. She was a middle school math teacher with a masters degree. She loved the teaching but the job became more about behavior management and negotiating between parents and administrators. She worked long hours for an unlivable wage. She had been physically hurt by unruly kids several times. She sat in lockdown situations calming children in silence. And then she said enough. Now she is in medical technology sales...happy and making an amazing salary while working normal hours and respected.
My thoughts are of these teachers. Why would they think this is a career anymore? When a small minority of fringe parents have this type of control over them. We are losing great teachers and mentors. Our kids are being brainwashed and this will affect generations to come. What they hear now a days in school will be planted seeds. Parents send their kids to school for knowledge and enlightenment, not to come home to be deprogrammed.
A first year teacher was chewed up and spit out by a single Moms for Liberty parent and a rouge state government. Where are the other parents that should be standing up for this teacher. Shame on them for not supporting her. Sitting in silence?
Let's realize that the end result of this harrassment of teachers could end up with many more of the poorly educated and unbalanced right wing morality police deciding that "home schooling" is the ideal format for our education. These beleagered teachers are rays of light and hope for this young generation to learn more about our world. [I certainly understand that your daughter had good reason with such little support to walk away.]
This level of hatred, disordered thinking, and factual misrepresentation is apparently virulently contagious. Is Florida the epicenter for American Fascism?
Perhaps, but deep under the figurative surface, the citizens of Florida are welcoming being seduced into focusing on these culture war issues as a way of "whistling past the graveyard" of sea level rise, increasingly-powerful hurricanes, unaffordable or unavailable property insurance, falling high rises whose foundations have been destroyed by salt water incursion, etc. Rather than trying to evaluate and deal with the actual problems that the state faces, many of which may seem insurmountable, the whole state is allowing itself to be distracted by Gov. Destructo and the Republicans rather than trying to figure out how not to go down with the ship. They're not even "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." They're complaining about who's in the orchestra playing "Nearer My God to Thee," as if it's the personal nature of some of the players in that orchestra that are causing the ship to behave strangely, while ignoring the fact that the ship is clearly sinking.
I have lived in Florida since 1988, when there was a democratic governor. Generalizing that all who live in Florida support DeSantis is incorrect thinking. Every day is a new nightmare when we find out yet another horrific, undemocratic policy. I have friends that are teachers that are just waiting for the end of the year so that they can leave. I do believe that Governor DeSantis’ objective is to close down all of the public schools. In the end, the only people or children going to school will be those of wealthy parents. I would not be surprised if he made it acceptable for children to work in factories and fields.
For those that think that we can vote him out, think again. There are so many ways that they rig the election. I am hoping that somehow the federal government can help us out in Florida.
Let me say that our zDemocratic Chair of Florida, Nikki Freid, led a small demonstration in Tallahassee. Though the group had a permit to demonstrate against the new anti- abortion law and did so peacefully, they were ALL arrested by de santis's new police officers, handcuffed and taken to jail. The sneaky de Santos had the permit "pulled". We need protection from our own governor, who has overreacted again and again. His new law, redefining peaceful protest, a RIGHT granted to us by the CONSTITUTION, is being used. Folks are afraid to demonstrate.
Not much the feds can do. It looks like it’s time for Floridians to Take to the streets in protest. It takes courage and determination. And hundreds of thousands of voters. With signs and slogans and chants and songs. It takes true grit. Because no one can save florida except the people who live there.
Is it possible that a good portion of the support for DeSantis's non-sense comes from the populations of The Villages, whose children are now adults and even grand parents themselves, and no longer care about "education." A friend of mine from MANY years ago, who lives there and loves it, was a highschool guidance counselor in Staten Island! but she is all for Trump and probably now, De Santis.
I had a boyfriend once who was bad for me. The best advice I got was "well, you'll keep putting up with it until you're sick of it. Then you'll do whatever it takes to dump him."
When good Floridians are sick of Destructo's lies, and grift, they will rise up in huge numbers and take to the streets. When they REALLY want their freedoms and democracy, then they will need to risk going to jail. Do you know how many times MKLjr went to prison? Or ANY of the Black civil rights leaders? Hell, Jane Fonda is STILL going to prison for righteous reasons. It's a drag, but you voted him in... you need to do whatever it takes to get rid of him. IMHO. Somebody in FL needs to take the lead and start organizing. I wish you all the best of everything. If you really get organized against Destructo, many activists from around the country will show up to join you. Take heart.
So, they are going to hid their head, along with their kids head in the sand? Find it interesting that the vocal MINORITY in Florida is riding herd over the rest. Think it needs to be pointed out that similar extreme shaming is how authoritarian (yes, Hilter and Mussolini, yup I said it) came into power
What I find truly frightening about what is happening in Florida is that these type of laws keep being passed and expanded, yet the people of the Free State of Florida love their authoritarian governor. Is there going to be any point at which the voters of Florida say “Enough”? Where is the outrage over government overreach?
Hitler had a huge following as well when he came to power. He didn't just sweep in and take over Germany in a day. He appealed to people's fears of the "others" in order to garner support. And it worked. Mom's for Liberty is a terrifying accomplice to the authoritarian mindset.
No! Most people in Florida hate the governor! Have you not noticed that when somebody tries to do something against DeSantis he attacks them. The data scientist, Jones, that attempted to tell us the true number of Covid infected people in Florida, the elected attorney general that was fired for stating that he didn’t agree with the governor, many heads of departments have been fired and replaced with sycophants and of course there is a big fight with Walt Disney World. thank goodness we still have some free press that can tell us what’s going on.
Although Governor DeSantis has stepped up his authoritarian stance in recent months, his beliefs and actions are not new. Despite that, DeSantis won reelection in a landslide and a recent state wide poll shows that 59% of registered Florida voters approve of the job he is doing as governor.
No doubt some are standing up to him and paying a price, but a majority of Florida residents are supporting him.
I asked my 81 year old, Floridian Aunt, this question today. She said she voted for him both times without “paying attention” to who he really was and won’t do it again. He is Catholic she said and he seemed young and rational. (Arggg...that’s not a reason to vote for someone).
I told her it’s too late. The damage is done. Once the grand experiment of Authoritarian rule over Florida got out of the bag, it will be years before an overthrow and return to Democracy could happen.
Where are the parents who disagree with Moms for Liberty and this crazed Governor? The time is now to take a stance...not later. I’m dumbfounded that too many of us are sitting by...just watching it unfold.
I agree. De Santis has overreached again and again. He takes away rights of peaceful protest, removes ELECTED officials, ignores election results, like giving voting rights to prisoners who have served their sentences for misdemeanor and violently crimes etc. 😳
When enough Upper Middle Class parents find out their kids can no longer take AP classes, which will affect their college applications (and FL Universities have been downgraded because of class selection), they will decide DeSantis has gone far enough. But not until then, which will of course be too late.
Moms for Liberty looks like an outlet for angry people who don’t have productive contributions to make. Pawns ripe for easy manipulation, like the bored street-brawlers/ex German soldiers that were some of the early Nazi thugs looking for a cause, and to be led. These people, like Rodriguez, are being “activated”
Mom's 4 Liberty are for anything but. They will liberate your child too. Yes, your child can be free from any influence, anything that will possibly make them think, give them joy, expose them to diversity or show them love. They'll be free of all of that messy humanness and be pure as... never mind.
So when are single parents or pagan parents or really anyone with a couple of brain cells gonna rub two together and decide that cis het culture doesn't belong in their kids's classroom. Come ON.
I'm sure the ACLU would be happy to represent the teacher in this case. I hope they sue and I hope they win. This is madness.
"Florida: Preparing their future workforce to be trainable morons."
This is a hate movement targeting gays. It is in America's best interest to not stand for this extremism. It's connected to worldwide authoritarian movements led by Russia and it's allies and designed to divide democratic countries internally in order to weaken them. The goal is for Russia to dominate the world. ("See Keir Giles Russia's War on Everybody.") Moms for Liberty, DeSantis, etc. are pawns in this war led by our enemies.
America does not need Russia, or any other external impetus, to act in this manner. America is no a pawn. This narrow-minded bigotry started with the Puritans. Have the Salem witch trials gone done the memory hole? They happened long before there was any Russian influence. They are a continuous thread in US history.
Yes. The bigotry is homegrown. Russia fans the flames by boosting the extremes, on both sides. This is their strategy and they've been using it for decades. Just ask democratic-minded statesmen and savvy citizens of the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. Maybe I should have said "pawns and accomplices."
I think the thing to look for is how extreme is it. This instance is about a character having a crush on someone of the same sex and nothing happens. I don't even think it was a big part of the film. The topic of the film, something science as I recall, did line up with the curriculum being taught. This was 5th grade, not kindergarten. This woman's objection was extreme and sure to catch the attention of media. It's why we're discussing it here. I'm quite suspicious of Moms for Liberty. I suspect a Russian connection somewhere there.
Are you aware of all the legislation this year and last passed by the Florida legislature at DisSatan’s instigation, and signed by him? Appealing to the Fla supreme court (3 of 5 Fla supreme court justices were appointed by him) and Scotus is hopeless. You will see that he has his own brand that looks more like Texas than Russia or Hungary. Actually, he seems to model Hitler’s early days, using legal means to enact an agenda so ugly and hateful that it defies credulity. LGBTQ is just the beginning. He is beyond dangerous.
Like Judd Legum, Jordan Zakaria has been doing excellent reporting on the horror show unreeling in Florida under this guy. He has a Substack column and I wish everyone in the country, especially young people, would read about what is happening here.
Thanks. I'll check out Jordan Zakarin. Ruth Ben-Giat compares DeSantis to Musolini, who she wrote a book about.
Sorry, it is Jordan Zakarin, and his Substack column is Progress Report.
Agreed Elizabeth. Unfortunately, America as a whole seems not to know what's in her best interests.
America is not female. It's long past time to stop using a female pronoun in reference to a country. Having said that, I totally agree. Russia has been trolling social media for years.
Ok. "America as a whole seems not to know what's in America's best interests."
Much better. As a feminist, I thank you :)
I’m the parent of a former teacher who worked in NYC and ATL. She quit before this kind of stuff started. She quit because it was a thankless job. She was a middle school math teacher with a masters degree. She loved the teaching but the job became more about behavior management and negotiating between parents and administrators. She worked long hours for an unlivable wage. She had been physically hurt by unruly kids several times. She sat in lockdown situations calming children in silence. And then she said enough. Now she is in medical technology sales...happy and making an amazing salary while working normal hours and respected.
My thoughts are of these teachers. Why would they think this is a career anymore? When a small minority of fringe parents have this type of control over them. We are losing great teachers and mentors. Our kids are being brainwashed and this will affect generations to come. What they hear now a days in school will be planted seeds. Parents send their kids to school for knowledge and enlightenment, not to come home to be deprogrammed.
A first year teacher was chewed up and spit out by a single Moms for Liberty parent and a rouge state government. Where are the other parents that should be standing up for this teacher. Shame on them for not supporting her. Sitting in silence?
Let's realize that the end result of this harrassment of teachers could end up with many more of the poorly educated and unbalanced right wing morality police deciding that "home schooling" is the ideal format for our education. These beleagered teachers are rays of light and hope for this young generation to learn more about our world. [I certainly understand that your daughter had good reason with such little support to walk away.]
“Welcome to Fascist Florida. Come for Mickey, Stay for the Witch Trials!”
This level of hatred, disordered thinking, and factual misrepresentation is apparently virulently contagious. Is Florida the epicenter for American Fascism?
Perhaps, but deep under the figurative surface, the citizens of Florida are welcoming being seduced into focusing on these culture war issues as a way of "whistling past the graveyard" of sea level rise, increasingly-powerful hurricanes, unaffordable or unavailable property insurance, falling high rises whose foundations have been destroyed by salt water incursion, etc. Rather than trying to evaluate and deal with the actual problems that the state faces, many of which may seem insurmountable, the whole state is allowing itself to be distracted by Gov. Destructo and the Republicans rather than trying to figure out how not to go down with the ship. They're not even "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." They're complaining about who's in the orchestra playing "Nearer My God to Thee," as if it's the personal nature of some of the players in that orchestra that are causing the ship to behave strangely, while ignoring the fact that the ship is clearly sinking.
I have lived in Florida since 1988, when there was a democratic governor. Generalizing that all who live in Florida support DeSantis is incorrect thinking. Every day is a new nightmare when we find out yet another horrific, undemocratic policy. I have friends that are teachers that are just waiting for the end of the year so that they can leave. I do believe that Governor DeSantis’ objective is to close down all of the public schools. In the end, the only people or children going to school will be those of wealthy parents. I would not be surprised if he made it acceptable for children to work in factories and fields.
For those that think that we can vote him out, think again. There are so many ways that they rig the election. I am hoping that somehow the federal government can help us out in Florida.
We didnt mean to denigrate every individual in FL. But desantis does keep winning there and no one is marching in the streets. Thats all.
Let me say that our zDemocratic Chair of Florida, Nikki Freid, led a small demonstration in Tallahassee. Though the group had a permit to demonstrate against the new anti- abortion law and did so peacefully, they were ALL arrested by de santis's new police officers, handcuffed and taken to jail. The sneaky de Santos had the permit "pulled". We need protection from our own governor, who has overreacted again and again. His new law, redefining peaceful protest, a RIGHT granted to us by the CONSTITUTION, is being used. Folks are afraid to demonstrate.
hope the group is suing for wrongful arrest.
Not much the feds can do. It looks like it’s time for Floridians to Take to the streets in protest. It takes courage and determination. And hundreds of thousands of voters. With signs and slogans and chants and songs. It takes true grit. Because no one can save florida except the people who live there.
Is it possible that a good portion of the support for DeSantis's non-sense comes from the populations of The Villages, whose children are now adults and even grand parents themselves, and no longer care about "education." A friend of mine from MANY years ago, who lives there and loves it, was a highschool guidance counselor in Staten Island! but she is all for Trump and probably now, De Santis.
I had a boyfriend once who was bad for me. The best advice I got was "well, you'll keep putting up with it until you're sick of it. Then you'll do whatever it takes to dump him."
When good Floridians are sick of Destructo's lies, and grift, they will rise up in huge numbers and take to the streets. When they REALLY want their freedoms and democracy, then they will need to risk going to jail. Do you know how many times MKLjr went to prison? Or ANY of the Black civil rights leaders? Hell, Jane Fonda is STILL going to prison for righteous reasons. It's a drag, but you voted him in... you need to do whatever it takes to get rid of him. IMHO. Somebody in FL needs to take the lead and start organizing. I wish you all the best of everything. If you really get organized against Destructo, many activists from around the country will show up to join you. Take heart.
@Greg Kapphahn thats an excellent point. And a solid take on the titanic metaphor. With ur permission I will be using Destructo. 👍🏼
Permission granted! :-)
Florida cannot be saved from sinking.
So, they are going to hid their head, along with their kids head in the sand? Find it interesting that the vocal MINORITY in Florida is riding herd over the rest. Think it needs to be pointed out that similar extreme shaming is how authoritarian (yes, Hilter and Mussolini, yup I said it) came into power
"Moms For Liberty" clearly does not do what it says on the tin
What I find truly frightening about what is happening in Florida is that these type of laws keep being passed and expanded, yet the people of the Free State of Florida love their authoritarian governor. Is there going to be any point at which the voters of Florida say “Enough”? Where is the outrage over government overreach?
Hitler had a huge following as well when he came to power. He didn't just sweep in and take over Germany in a day. He appealed to people's fears of the "others" in order to garner support. And it worked. Mom's for Liberty is a terrifying accomplice to the authoritarian mindset.
No! Most people in Florida hate the governor! Have you not noticed that when somebody tries to do something against DeSantis he attacks them. The data scientist, Jones, that attempted to tell us the true number of Covid infected people in Florida, the elected attorney general that was fired for stating that he didn’t agree with the governor, many heads of departments have been fired and replaced with sycophants and of course there is a big fight with Walt Disney World. thank goodness we still have some free press that can tell us what’s going on.
Although Governor DeSantis has stepped up his authoritarian stance in recent months, his beliefs and actions are not new. Despite that, DeSantis won reelection in a landslide and a recent state wide poll shows that 59% of registered Florida voters approve of the job he is doing as governor.
No doubt some are standing up to him and paying a price, but a majority of Florida residents are supporting him.
I asked my 81 year old, Floridian Aunt, this question today. She said she voted for him both times without “paying attention” to who he really was and won’t do it again. He is Catholic she said and he seemed young and rational. (Arggg...that’s not a reason to vote for someone).
I told her it’s too late. The damage is done. Once the grand experiment of Authoritarian rule over Florida got out of the bag, it will be years before an overthrow and return to Democracy could happen.
Where are the parents who disagree with Moms for Liberty and this crazed Governor? The time is now to take a stance...not later. I’m dumbfounded that too many of us are sitting by...just watching it unfold.
I agree. De Santis has overreached again and again. He takes away rights of peaceful protest, removes ELECTED officials, ignores election results, like giving voting rights to prisoners who have served their sentences for misdemeanor and violently crimes etc. 😳
Well then they need to stop voting for him. Easy peasy. Why arent the marching in the streets?
When enough Upper Middle Class parents find out their kids can no longer take AP classes, which will affect their college applications (and FL Universities have been downgraded because of class selection), they will decide DeSantis has gone far enough. But not until then, which will of course be too late.
So how long before Florida decides that kids should never see a movie with a multiracial character, a single mother etc?
Excellent reporting. For anyone paying attention, this was inevitable in Florida.
Moms for Liberty looks like an outlet for angry people who don’t have productive contributions to make. Pawns ripe for easy manipulation, like the bored street-brawlers/ex German soldiers that were some of the early Nazi thugs looking for a cause, and to be led. These people, like Rodriguez, are being “activated”
Mom's 4 Liberty are for anything but. They will liberate your child too. Yes, your child can be free from any influence, anything that will possibly make them think, give them joy, expose them to diversity or show them love. They'll be free of all of that messy humanness and be pure as... never mind.
Mom's for Liberty. What a lie. Liberty for them to discriminate and oppress.
More like “Moms for Puberty.”
Remember when these people called leftists "snowflakes"?
Remember when Republicans were known as the party of small government?
So when are single parents or pagan parents or really anyone with a couple of brain cells gonna rub two together and decide that cis het culture doesn't belong in their kids's classroom. Come ON.
As of May 23, it will be illegal to show this film, which is suitable for children as young as 8, to 12th graders. Florida is now a backward state.