Do you feel as overwhelmed as I do? Retirement is nothing like I anticipated. It has been an endless series of hits coming from every direction and shows no signs of diminishing, at least not in what remains of my life. Maybe not in yours, either. The biggest challenge is keeping up with the endless supply of right-wing conspiracy and propaganda groups.
In July, I attended an Empower Nebraska “Guide to School” return event promoted and funded by Nebraska State Department of Education board member Kirk Penner. Appointed by Governor Ricketts, Penner is currently up for re-election to the State Education Board.
The 90+ minute conference was all lies about CRT, SEL, books, and other teaching curriculum methods. Our Nebraska public schools do not even use some of the materials criticized. Penner favors banning everything!
- CRT, Critical Race Theory, has been taught only in law school courses for several decades. The K-12 public school system does not teach CRT! Universities teach it as a means of understanding how racism has sometimes shaped public policy.
- SEL, Social Emotional Learning, has been taught in elementary schools since the 1960s. It is a method of instilling a love of learning through building self-esteem and meeting students’ social and emotional needs from various backgrounds. The Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center did the research on which SEL is based.
Empower Nebraska’s propaganda session featured “The Mind Polluters” by Mark and Amber Archer (through their ‘filmmaking ministry’ Fearless Features). This Session promoted using an investigatory documentary about how public school systems in the states are (purported to be) sexualizing children for purposes implied but not stated directly other than to call teachers “groomers.” This film and these attacks on the school boards and public school systems are all parts of a larger plan.
In Nebraska, one of our state legislators ranted in Session about “furries” in the classrooms and teachers providing litter boxes for kids who believe they are animals. The video went viral, and the embarrassed legislator had to be convinced of his idiocy by several school superintendents and other state legislators. This same rumor also spread across Iowa last spring. In Nebraska, Iowa, Washington, DC, and practically everywhere, these bad actors aim to rile up the public so that parents will believe anything. Anything? Scenarios as goofy as furries or kids being cannibalized in a pizza restaurant’s basement are rampant. These lies said repeatedly can become a “truth” that parents – with no facts verified whatsoever, can believe. The source for the “kitty litter” lie is now known to be an after-effect of Columbine & school shootings. Locked-down kids have accidents, and the litter is used to contain body fluids.
The people promoting these events should be ashamed of the harm they cause with these ersatz events, including the Mind Polluters’ propaganda film claiming teachers are “grooming” kids for sex trafficking. This film lists and interviews three “experts” – all zealots of their so-called Christian faith but each bringing shame to the teachings of Jesus.
- Alex Newman – a “journalist” whose work can be seen on Breitbart, Drudge Report, and Fox News. Newman wrote “Crimes of the Educators,” which calls for overthrowing the U.S. public school system.
- Dr. Judith Reisman, a Ph.D. in Communications, is the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled an “Anti-LGBT conspiracy theorist.” She is a visiting Liberty University “law” professor without a degree. Incredibly, Reisman supports Scott Lively, who claims gay Nazi men caused the Holocaust.
- Kenneth Alfred Ham is a Christian fundamentalist and young earth creationist connected with the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. Ham serves with an avid voice for all things anti-LGBTQ, abortion, same-sex marriage, etc., stating these “are all attacks on the true family God ordained in scripture.” \
Of course, none of this is mentioned in the Bible, and these accusatory “rants” are entirely undocumented. Teachers do not “groom” kids. Teachers are not paid enough to deal with this kind of harassment. Penner, Empower Nebraska, the Archers’ film, and others are part of a national movement to evangelize all education. Their first goal: Capture the tax base now funding public schools, repurposing the money into their private Christian charter schools. Their larger goal is to turn this country into a monotheistic Christian nation.
Should these right-wing zealots succeed in ousting tax funding from the state, people can kiss public schools goodbye. Charter schools will no longer admit children with learning or physical needs and disabilities; the costs are too high. For Nebraska, I urge my readers to support the candidates for Public State Schools who will work to protect our public school system:
- District 5: Helen RAIKES, Independent (District 5 surrounds Dist 1 Lincoln and some of Lancaster Co.)
- District 6: Danielle HELZER, Democrat (District 6 is northeast to south-central NE)
- District 7: Robin STEVENS, Republican (District 7 is Western and includes 2/3 of the state’s land mass.)
- District 8: Deborah NEARY, Democrat (District 8 includes Omaha’s West side).
Our public schools are worth defending. When casting your ballot, be sure you fight for public schools, too. Do your research.