Free Speech for Me, but Not For Thee

[Res Ipsa]

Given all the shouting about freedom and burdensome laws and regulations, conservatives seem to be just fine with taking away freedom and imposing laws and regulations -- as long it's not their conduct that is being regulated. Here's a bill that an actual legislator in an actual state introduced in an actual state legislature:

https://legiscan.com/OK/text/SB1470/id/ ... oduced.pdf

No public school of this state ... shall employ or contract with a person that promotes positions in the classroom or at any function of the public school that is in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of students.

This is where the deliberately manufactured critical race theory hysteria has led. From the same people who, a few years back, were fully engaged in hysteria over "Shariah law."

And it's another "bounty bill" Here's how it's enforced:

Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a parent or parents may bring an action as guardian, guardian ad litem, or next friend on behalf of a child against a public school of this state in a court of competent jurisdiction for occurrences when a public school promotes positions in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of the student.

Next friend = someone who is not a parent, guardian, or guardian at litem who claims to be suing to protect a child's interest.
Suit can be filed anywhere in the state -- even if its hundreds of miles away from the location of the school.

First offense: injunction.

Second offense: if the injunction is not immediately complied with, $10,000 per person, per violation against all persons who participate in directly or indirectly "promoting positions in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of the student."
The damages award must be payed out of personal funds. Anyone who receives any assistance from other individuals or groups must be terminated and banned from employment in public schools for 5 years.

Third offense: (might apply to second as well): any violation of the injunction or failure to pay the damages award must be punished by termination and a permanent ban from employment in the public schools.

Oh, also, the protections that apply to every other public employee under the Governmental Tort Claims Act do not apply.

This is where the culture wars lead. This is the end result of the anger and resentment that has been deliberately provoked by conservative politicians in order to whip up the base and get elected.

The bill is absolutely unconstitutional. If it gets enacted, which I doubt, a federal court will strike it down after giving it about two seconds consideration. And it would be affirmed without hesitation all the way up to the Supremes.

But, this bill is so unAmerican that it's amazing to think that any sane American would even think of introducing it. Can't teach biology. Can't teach geology. Can't teach basic earth history. Can't teach physics. Can't teach cosmology. I'd say can teach the Bible, unless a student holds a religious belief other than some specific flavor of Christian.

America in 2020.

[Binger]

This is where the culture wars lead. This is the end result of the anger and resentment that has been deliberately provoked by conservative politicians in order to whip up the base and get elected.

Is this result exclusively because of provocation by conservative politicians in order to whip up the base and get elected?

What if there was an explanation for another contributing factor, even for a minor or fringe aspect of this extension of the culture war? Is it even possible that there was at least one other factor that got us here?

[Chap]

Is it even possible that there was at least one other factor that got us here?

God only knows why some people want to burn down the US Constitution by imposing religious restrictions on teaching in public schools. But maybe that discussion can be postponed until the fire trucks have dealt with this particular blaze?

[Res Ipsa]

This is where the culture wars lead. This is the end result of the anger and resentment that has been deliberately provoked by conservative politicians in order to whip up the base and get elected.

Is this result exclusively because of provocation by conservative politicians in order to whip up the base and get elected?

What if there was an explanation for another contributing factor, even for a minor or fringe aspect of this extension of the culture war? Is it even possible that there was at least one other factor that got us here?

This particular example, yes. The CTA hysteria was the intentional creation of a single guy that conservatives jumped on to whip up the base. If someone thought there was a problem in how some schools addressed racial issues, they could have chosen any number of ways to respond that don't involve passing clearly unconstitutional laws and burning books. When one adopts a strategy based on stoking fear, anger and resentment among "the base," this is the kind of things that happens.

[Binger]

When one adopts a strategy based on stoking fear, anger and resentment among "the base," this is the kind of things that happens.

Yep.

Burning books is bad, unless it is Jay's Journal which teaches you to fear Satan. Not burning books is also bad, unless it is Jay's Journal which is about Satan.

Both sides are burning books, literally and metaphorically, and both sides are whipping up the rage in the base.

[K Graham]

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[K Graham]

Both sides are burning books, literally and metaphorically, and both sides are whipping up the rage in the base.

CFR.

And try not shooting yourself in the foot this time.

[Res Ipsa]

When one adopts a strategy based on stoking fear, anger and resentment among "the base," this is the kind of things that happens.

Yep.

Burning books is bad, unless it is Jay's Journal which teaches you to fear Satan. Not burning books is also bad, unless it is Jay's Journal which is about Satan.

Both sides are burning books, literally and metaphorically, and both sides are whipping up the rage in the base.

I get postmodernist deconstruction. And if you want to surrender to the nihilistic inability to compare one thing to another, I don't care as long as I know that's what you are doing. But, as I see you making value judgments all the time here, I don't think you actually believe in whataboutism.

Equating burning books with whatever metaphorically burning books means is false equivalence. Burning a book is an extreme statement that goes beyond saying the book is bad or even that it should not have been written. It's a statement that the book should be destroyed. That's a statement and a mentality that goes far beyond verbal criticism of a book.

Likewise, there is nothing on the left that corresponds to the wave of extreme state laws being introduced and enacted aimed at intimidating and punishing teachers who do not conform their teaching to anything that a parent objects to.

Beyond taunting, name calling, and even abusive speech, there is an extreme kind of discourse I've seen multiple times on the right that simply has no equivalence on the left: the declaration that the opposition is so evil and pernicious that it must be destroyed, including simply murdering them.

Yes, both sides are whipping up their bases. The liberals are whipping up the base to get it to vote and to fight for laws that do not unfairly impede the right to vote. There is no liberal counterpart to conservatives encouraging their base to bring guns to the polls to intimidate election workers. There is no liberal counterpart to conservative attempts to enact laws that allow partisan legislatures to overturn the results of an election. There is no liberal counterpart to enact laws that intentionally pit neighbor against neighbor by resorting to vigilanteism and bounties in place of state action.

I have all sorts of criticism of democrats, liberals, progressives, the left, whatever label you want to use. But when it comes to extreme conduct that threatens to destroy what America allegedly stands for, the left has nothing right now that is equivalent to the extreme conduct on the right.

[Res Ipsa]

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Doesn't help. Do you really think the reason that Mein Kampf hasn't been burned is because the book burners believe in it? Is it even in public school libraries?

[K Graham]

Yep.

Burning books is bad, unless it is Jay's Journal which teaches you to fear Satan. Not burning books is also bad, unless it is Jay's Journal which is about Satan.

Both sides are burning books, literally and metaphorically, and both sides are whipping up the rage in the base.

I get postmodernist deconstruction. And if you want to surrender to the nihilistic inability to compare one thing to another, I don't care as long as I know that's what you are doing. But, as I see you making value judgments all the time here, I don't think you actually believe in whataboutism.

Equating burning books with whatever metaphorically burning books means is false equivalence. Burning a book is an extreme statement that goes beyond saying the book is bad or even that it should not have been written. It's a statement that the book should be destroyed. That's a statement and a mentality that goes far beyond verbal criticism of a book.

Likewise, there is nothing on the left that corresponds to the wave of extreme state laws being introduced and enacted aimed at intimidating and punishing teachers who do not conform their teaching to anything that a parent objects to.

Beyond taunting, name calling, and even abusive speech, there is an extreme kind of discourse I've seen multiple times on the right that simply has no equivalence on the left: the declaration that the opposition is so evil and pernicious that it must be destroyed, including simply murdering them.

Yes, both sides are whipping up their bases. The liberals are whipping up the base to get it to vote and to fight for laws that do not unfairly impede the right to vote. There is no liberal counterpart to conservatives encouraging their base to bring guns to the polls to intimidate election workers. There is no liberal counterpart to conservative attempts to enact laws that allow partisan legislatures to overturn the results of an election. There is no liberal counterpart to enact laws that intentionally pit neighbor against neighbor by resorting to vigilanteism and bounties in place of state action.

I have all sorts of criticism of democrats, liberals, progressives, the left, whatever label you want to use. But when it comes to extreme conduct that threatens to destroy what America allegedly stands for, the left has nothing right now that is equivalent to the extreme conduct on the right.

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