On Thursday evening, The Undercurrent producer Lauren Windsor reported that Rep. Jim Jordan had spilled the beans on Donald Trump’s future plans. Trump, according to Windsor’s conversation with Jordan, is definitely running in 2024. This already seemed likely since Trump’s self-worth is directly proportional to how many eyeballs are turned his way at any moment, and breaking into random rehearsal dinners clearly wasn’t scratching that, “Say, didn’t I used to have a nuclear button?” itch. But it’s good to get some confirmation.
Jordan has since backpedaled, claiming he never spilled the beans on something that, if true, would affect how, and how much, money Trump can rake in through his various fundraising schemes. But it’s probably true. Which means that all the children Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis have killed in their contest to win the three-sizes-too-small-hearts of the most extreme Trump supporters didn’t go for the cause of vaulting these two men’s egos into the role of presidential candidate … they just went. Whether that actually makes things worse is a debate for philosophers.
What absolutely makes things worse is DeSantis is still out there fighting the fight to kill more children. In spite of a court ruling that the state could not block schools from instituting mask mandates, DeSantis had the state carry on with blocking funds to the schools and board members involved. And, as NBC reports, DeSantis’ legal team was back in court on Thursday in an attempt to reverse that court decision so he can once direct even larger threats against schools that do everything they can to protect the lives, health, and future of children.
Friday, Sep 3, 2021 · 5:57:34 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Meanwhile, in real life as reported by WFLA.
One of these was a 2-week-old infant. COVID-19 cases for children 12 and under increased by 30% in the last week.
DeSantis is making this appeal based on a law that he signed on July 1 known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” That law, specifically created to give Republicans leverage in their fight against children’s health and anyone mentioning that Florida lost a war against the United States, makes it a crime for “the state, any of its political subdivisions, any other governmental entity, or any other institution” to “infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of his or her minor child.”
So, for anyone who wants to keep their children ignorant, malnourished, and depressed, the Sunshine State is calling.
Actually, what the Parents’ Bill of Rights actually says can pretty much be summed up as this: Nothing. Because parents or guardians of minor children already had the right to direct their children’s education, decide what medical treatments they receive, and generally warp their little minds to the limits of their parental ability. Parents already had plenty of rights. It’s the kids who didn’t, and don’t.
When it comes specifically to the issue at hand—whether schools can require a mask mandate—the bill has nothing to say specific to the topic. This failure to address masks directly is something the judge pointed out in the first ruling.
DeSantis, a Republican, said at a news conference earlier this week that he is confident the state will win on appeal by linking the mask mandate order to the Parents’ Bill of Rights law. That law, the governor said, reserves for parents the authority to oversee their children's education and health.
There are some things in the Florida bill that will make running a school district increasingly frustrating, like requirements to turn over to parents all the sources for anything their children might be asked to read in school, which was clearly designed to catch anyone who attempts to sneak in text that mentions race, or history, or any combination of the above. There is also a section that allows a parent to nix any material placed in front of their kids if they object on the basis of “morality, sex, and religion or the belief that such materials are harmful.” Which is a statement so broad that parents can probably rule out the multiplication tables.
However, the bill also includes exceptions for actions that are “reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest,” which, to DeSantis’ chagrin, a judge believes to be keeping children alive, and not serving DeSantis’ personal ambitions.
DeSantis is now out to set things straight on that point. Not only are his future campaign plans the only issue so compelling that it’s worth discussing, the fact that a judge has ruled against endangering children only makes it that much more requisite that DeSantis get out there and endanger those kids. After all, Trump supporters don’t just want pointless cruelty, they want pointless and vindictive cruelty.
It’s not as if DeSantis will lose everything if Trump runs again. After all, it’s a good bet that Mike Pence will not be returning for Round 2 (though seeing Pence take the stage at the RNC again would be entertaining). So Trump will be shopping for someone else his followers can hunt the next time they need a target for their gallows. Someone with a lot of experience licking Trump’s boots and demonstrating his willingness to do his very best to capture the support of the very worst people.
DeSantis seems like just the guy.
Jordan has since backpedaled, claiming he never spilled the beans on something that, if true, would affect how, and how much, money Trump can rake in through his various fundraising schemes. But it’s probably true. Which means that all the children Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis have killed in their contest to win the three-sizes-too-small-hearts of the most extreme Trump supporters didn’t go for the cause of vaulting these two men’s egos into the role of presidential candidate … they just went. Whether that actually makes things worse is a debate for philosophers.
What absolutely makes things worse is DeSantis is still out there fighting the fight to kill more children. In spite of a court ruling that the state could not block schools from instituting mask mandates, DeSantis had the state carry on with blocking funds to the schools and board members involved. And, as NBC reports, DeSantis’ legal team was back in court on Thursday in an attempt to reverse that court decision so he can once direct even larger threats against schools that do everything they can to protect the lives, health, and future of children.
Friday, Sep 3, 2021 · 5:57:34 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Meanwhile, in real life as reported by WFLA.
One of these was a 2-week-old infant. COVID-19 cases for children 12 and under increased by 30% in the last week.
DeSantis is making this appeal based on a law that he signed on July 1 known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” That law, specifically created to give Republicans leverage in their fight against children’s health and anyone mentioning that Florida lost a war against the United States, makes it a crime for “the state, any of its political subdivisions, any other governmental entity, or any other institution” to “infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of his or her minor child.”
So, for anyone who wants to keep their children ignorant, malnourished, and depressed, the Sunshine State is calling.
Actually, what the Parents’ Bill of Rights actually says can pretty much be summed up as this: Nothing. Because parents or guardians of minor children already had the right to direct their children’s education, decide what medical treatments they receive, and generally warp their little minds to the limits of their parental ability. Parents already had plenty of rights. It’s the kids who didn’t, and don’t.
When it comes specifically to the issue at hand—whether schools can require a mask mandate—the bill has nothing to say specific to the topic. This failure to address masks directly is something the judge pointed out in the first ruling.
DeSantis, a Republican, said at a news conference earlier this week that he is confident the state will win on appeal by linking the mask mandate order to the Parents’ Bill of Rights law. That law, the governor said, reserves for parents the authority to oversee their children's education and health.
There are some things in the Florida bill that will make running a school district increasingly frustrating, like requirements to turn over to parents all the sources for anything their children might be asked to read in school, which was clearly designed to catch anyone who attempts to sneak in text that mentions race, or history, or any combination of the above. There is also a section that allows a parent to nix any material placed in front of their kids if they object on the basis of “morality, sex, and religion or the belief that such materials are harmful.” Which is a statement so broad that parents can probably rule out the multiplication tables.
However, the bill also includes exceptions for actions that are “reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest,” which, to DeSantis’ chagrin, a judge believes to be keeping children alive, and not serving DeSantis’ personal ambitions.
DeSantis is now out to set things straight on that point. Not only are his future campaign plans the only issue so compelling that it’s worth discussing, the fact that a judge has ruled against endangering children only makes it that much more requisite that DeSantis get out there and endanger those kids. After all, Trump supporters don’t just want pointless cruelty, they want pointless and vindictive cruelty.
It’s not as if DeSantis will lose everything if Trump runs again. After all, it’s a good bet that Mike Pence will not be returning for Round 2 (though seeing Pence take the stage at the RNC again would be entertaining). So Trump will be shopping for someone else his followers can hunt the next time they need a target for their gallows. Someone with a lot of experience licking Trump’s boots and demonstrating his willingness to do his very best to capture the support of the very worst people.
DeSantis seems like just the guy.