#school speakers Kentucky

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

A group of white women (of course it was white women) hosted a dinner at a Kentucky restaurant. And (without warning) shut out the lights and played body cam footage of Breonna Taylor's murder. And had a guest speaker, one of the officers that killed Breonna Taylor.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRpnYuxK/

All I could think about was a modern day picnic. All the white women sat down, ate their meals, and watched video footage of a Black woman be murdered. (I can't even imagine how traumatized and Black patrons would have been, not expecting that.)

The event wasn't supposed to be at this restaurant originally. The previous venue that they had booked canceled on them when they found out about the guest speaker.

Image to humanize Breonna Taylor (again)

And to remind you she was a paramedic during the height of the pandemic, going to need school, and police came with a no knock warrant and fired 32 shots until her apartment and it was later found that the evidence that they used to receive the no knock warrant was fudged.

Tagging @yoursuziekins because they've been paying every day to get justice for Breonna Taylor

-fae

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Christopher Mathias, Igor Bobic, and Liz Skalka at HuffPost:

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Eight years after warning that Donald Trump might be “America’s Hitler,” Ohio Sen. JD Vance on Wednesday night nevertheless officially accepted the offer to serve as his right-hand man. But the man who addressed thousands of delegates on day three of the GOP convention couldn’t have sounded more different from the MAGA die-hard who has made a name for himself defending Trump, in a radical transformation that catapulted him from political novice to possibly a heartbeat from the presidency.

Vance, 39, delivered a relatively conventional prime-time acceptance speech, introducing himself to the country and leaning into the GOP’s stated themes of unity following an attempt on Trump’s life by a shooter in Pennsylvania. “This evening could’ve been so much different,” Vance said, referring to Saturday’s shooting. “Instead of a day of celebration, it could’ve been a day of heartache and mourning. For the last eight years, President Trump has given everything to the people of this country. He didn’t need politics, but the country needed him.” “I want all Americans to go and watch the video of the would-be assassin coming within a quarter of an inch of taking his life,” Vance added. “Consider the lies they told you about Donald Trump, and then look at that photo of him defiant, fist in the air. When Donald Trump rose to his feet in that Pennsylvania field, all of America stood with him.” He also drew on his blue-collar roots to call for more supply chain in-sourcing, for beefing up manufacturing in America and for pro-labor policies — an area in which he has sometimes has challenged GOP orthodoxy.

Vance, who was introduced onstage by his wife, Usha Vance, an attorney he met as a student at Yale Law School. The vice presidential nominee leaned heavily into his life story, which was adapted into a best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and a Netflix movie of the same name. Vance’s family is from Appalachian Kentucky and Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio. He was raised mostly by his grandmother, or “mamaw,” who came up several times during his remarks. [...] But in his speech on Wednesday, Vance sought to downplay the intraparty GOP debate on that topic or his role in fueling it. “Our disagreements actually make us stronger, like my time in the U.S. Senate,” Vance said. “Sometimes I persuade my colleagues, and sometimes they persuade me. Shouldn’t we be governed by a party that isn’t afraid to debate ideas and come to the best solution?”

In his first public speech since being selected as Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) gave a speech at the RNC last night in Milwaukee that purportedly subdued his extremism.

Vance hit on the same MAGA notes as many of the speakers have done: worship Trump and claim to support “unity.”

See Also:

The Guardian: JD Vance fires salvos at Democrats in first speech as Trump’s running mate

[mydaddywiki]

Tommy Bowden

Physique: Average Build Height: 5’ 9" (1.75 m)

Tommy Pearce Bowden (born July 10, 1954) is a former American football coach. He served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008. He is a son of Bobby Bowden, former head football coach of Florida State University, against whom he coached in games nicknamed the "Bowden Bowl." He is also a brother of Terry Bowden, who served as the head coach of Auburn.

2nd on my list of the “Bowdens I want to fuck” behind his brother, Terry Bowden, Tommy is a member of the winningest family in the history of College Football with a total of 652 wins between himself, his brother Tommy, and his father Bobby; building programs and winning seem to be a part of his DNA. Fitting, since I've definitely spent a lot of DNA on these three.

Bowden attended and played football for West Virginia University from 1972 through 1976. After spending several years as an assistant football coach at Florida State, Duke, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn Universities, Bowden became the head coach at Tulane University in 1997. In 1999, Tommy took the head coaching position at Clemson University. In that first season, the Tigers set or tied 41 school records, including 26 on offense. He was named Conference Coach of the Year in 1998, and ACC Coach of the year in both 1999 and 2003.

Married to Linda White, his high school sweetheart (awwww) and they have two children, Ryan and Lauren. Again, info I will conveniently forget. Since retiring from Clemson in 2008, Bowden has become one of the nation’s most sought after motivational speakers. So maybe I can hire him and motivate him into a good ass-pounding. Well, he would probably disagree but I'd give it a try.

Head Coaching Record Overall 90–49

Accomplishments and Honors Championships 1 C-USA (1998)

Awards C-USA Coach of the Year (1998) 2× ACC Coach of the Year (1999, 2003)

[relatablemormonmoments]

October 2024 Queerward Bingo!

[Image id: text reading "Discord Stake General Conference April 2024 Bingo". A grid of 5x5 with each row being red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The central square is bright blue with text : "free space attended queerward general conference free space" ]

... I just realised I wrote April instead of October. Please fix on your own

Fill in with these prompts or your own!

Sunday School ⭐ Airplanes ⭐ A Lilac Tie

⭐ President Nelson’s age mention ⭐ Earth ⭐ That talk was a disaster ⭐ A good talk! We feast! ⭐ “Same Sex Attraction” ⭐ Bongos mentioned ⭐ Choir Sings Acapella ⭐ Nauvoo ⭐ New Utah Temple Dropped ⭐ Pioneer Ancestors ⭐ Quotes from Book Of Mormon ⭐ Tree of Life ⭐ Women’s Choir - no men ⭐ Speaker awkwardly references the song just sung/played ⭐ The Importance of Temple Ordinances ⭐ Jesus and children ⭐ Be like the little children ⭐ Mothers: The most special member of society ⭐ Moroni ⭐ Polyamory and Modern Relationships ⭐ Utah, Idaho, or Kentucky mentioned ⭐ Water ⭐ Polygamy… benefits? ⭐ Joseph Smith ⭐ Shadow/Light Metaphors ⭐ Priesthood ⭐ Fire ⭐ Tithing is good ⭐ Encouragement of prepping for natural disaster ⭐ Mention of new handbook ⭐ Jesus the healer ⭐ Inclusive language?? ⭐ APPLE OF SIN ⭐ Faith is like a little seed ⭐ Baptism ⭐ No female speakers in 1 session. ⭐ Enforcement of strict gender performance ⭐ Chastity / Abstinence ⭐ “How Firm a Foundation” ⭐ Women as natural priesthood bearers ⭐Wind ⭐ Someone older than 70 speaks ⭐ TMI Medical Story ⭐Western Africa Mention ⭐ Mission in East Europe Stories ⭐ Birth is important. Autonomy is not ⭐ New hymnbook songs!! ⭐ Choir outfits match flowers. ⭐ Once Again, Uchtdorf is handsome. ⭐ Cringe reference to youthful slang ⭐ Sports metaphor ⭐ Oops! This needed a TW! ⭐ That’s Illegal! ⭐ That’s Insensitive! ⭐ Grandkids mentioned ⭐ Talk written just for Right Wing Extremists [Americans] ⭐ Painfully Western/American Talk ⭐ Non-Doctrine treated like gospel truth. ⭐ Gospel truths treated like apostasy ⭐ This talk could have been an e-mail ⭐ I need to listen again [amazing talk] ⭐ I need to listen again [I don’t get this at all] ⭐ Uncertain times ⭐ Misguided youth ⭐ The world sucks. Church doesn’t ⭐ So you want to be a punk… and get into heaven?

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Hannah Ray Lambert

Published: Sep 10, 2024

For the second year in a row, Harvard University's "abysmal" free speech climate earned it the lowest ranking among 251 colleges and universities scored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

“This year, however, Harvard has company. Columbia University ranks 250, also with an overall score of 0.00,” reads the report released Thursday.

New York University, University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College rounded out the bottom-five colleges, according to the report.

FIRE, a pro-First Amendment nonprofit, worked with College Pulse to survey tens of thousands of students about the free speech environments on their college campuses for its annual College Free Speech Rankings.

“We’re trying to provide an indication of where students can get the best experience in college in terms of being exposed to a diverse set of views,” FIRE’s chief research adviser Sean Stevens told Fox News Digital.

A Barnard spokesperson told Fox News Digital the college is “committed to protecting academic freedom and freedom of expression, and to fostering environments where students, faculty, and staff can engage in open and respectful dialogue.”

Barnard has adopted the Chicago Principles, a free speech policy previously endorsed by FIRE, and this school year a faculty committee will develop “a Barnard-specific framework,” the spokesperson continued.

Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

The universities that ranked poorly all experienced incidents in which speech was censored, suppressed or shouted down, Stevens said.

Since FIRE started ranking schools in 2020, the bottom-five colleges and universities have been “consistently bad performers,” he added.

“They rarely stand up for speech,” Stevens said.

“When a controversy arises, the speech typically gets punished. A speaker gets disinvited. A faculty member gets sanctioned in some way, or a student or student organization does.”

The poor performers share another notable trait, according to FIRE’s analysis.

“Most of the students are very upset with how the administration has responded to protests over the past year,” Stevens said.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the war that followed “sent shockwaves through American college and university campuses,” according to the FIRE report. Protesters occupied the South Lawn at Columbia for about two weeks in April before police broke up the encampment.

After the start of the encampments, researchers noticed a large increase in the percentage of Columbia students who said they self-censor in classroom discussions or in conversations with professors or other students.

At the other end of the free speech spectrum, the University of Virginia earned the top ranking. Michigan Technological University, Florida State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Georgia Institute of Technology rounded out the top five.

The full rankings can be viewed here.

Stevens noted that the schools that performed well tended to have fewer controversies overall and, when controversies did arise, administrators typically defended speech rights.

He said he hopes parents and prospective students use FIRE’s ranking tool to make better-informed choices. The tool also provides a look at the liberal-conservative ratio on campuses, and a deeper look at student attitudes toward free expression.

“Experiencing open inquiry and that process, having to grapple and have their views challenged” sets students up to be better “adult citizens in our country, once they graduate,” Stevens said.

FIRE and College Pulse surveyed students at 257 schools in total, but excluded six from the main rankings and gave them “warning” ratings.

The private colleges, which include Pepperdine University, Hillsdale College, and Brigham Young University, all “have policies that clearly and consistently state” that they prioritize “other values over a commitment to freedom of speech,” according to the FIRE report.

--

Executive Summary

For the fifth year in a row, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonprofit organization committed to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought, and College Pulse surveyed college undergraduates about their perceptions and experiences regarding free speech on their campuses.

This year’s survey includes 58,807 student respondents from 257 colleges and universities. Students who were enrolled in four-year degree programs were surveyed via the College Pulse mobile app and web portal from January 25 through June 17, 2024. 

The College Free Speech Rankings are available online and are presented in an interactive dashboard (rankings.thefire.org) that allows for easy comparison between institutions. 

Key findings:

The University of Virginia is this year’s top ranked school for free speech. Michigan Technological University, Florida State University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Georgia Tech round out the top five.

Harvard University is this year’s bottom ranked school for free speech for the second year in a row. Joining it in the bottom three are Columbia University and New York University. All three of these schools have an “Abysmal” speech climate. The University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College round out the bottom five and each has a “Very Poor” speech climate.

All of the bottom five schools experienced a number of controversies involving the suppression of free expression. They also received significantly lower scores than the top five schools on “Administrative Support,” “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” and “Tolerance Difference,” which measures the strength of students’ favoritism when it comes to allowing liberal or conservative speakers on campus.

Since 2020, UVA, Michigan Tech, FSU, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, Mississippi State University, Auburn University, George Mason University, Kansas State University, the University of Mississippi, the University of Chicago, and Claremont McKenna College have all consistently performed well in FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings.

A majority of students (55%) said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is difficult to “have an open and honest conversation about on campus,” a record high for a topic on this question in the five years we have asked it. At least 75% of students on 17 of the campuses surveyed responded this way to this question.

The percentages of students who said shouting down a speaker, blocking other students from entering an event, and using violence to stop a campus speech is at least “rarely” acceptable all increased since last year. 

A majority of students said that six of eight hypothetical controversial campus speakers should “probably” or “definitely” not be allowed on campus.

Student concerns about self-censorship have declined. This year, 17% of students said they feel like they cannot express their opinion on a subject at least a couple of times a week because of how students, a professor, or the administration would respond. Last year, this percentage was 20%, and in 2022 it was 22%.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Christopher Weyant, The Boston Globe

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 7, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

NOV 8, 2023

Today was Election Day across the country. In a number of key state elections, voters rejected the extremism of MAGA Republicans and backed Democrats and Democratic policies. 

Four of the most closely watched races were in Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

In Ohio, voters enshrined the right of individuals to make their own healthcare decisions, including the right to abortion, into the state constitution. Opponents of abortion rights have worked hard since the summer to stop the measure from passing, trying first to make it more difficult to amend the constitution—voters overwhelmingly rejected that measure in an August special election—then by blanketing the state with disinformation about the measure, including through official state websites and with ads by former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson, and finally by dropping 26,000 voters from the rolls. 

None of it worked. Voters protected the right to abortion. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, voters in all seven state elections where the issue was on the ballot have fought back to protect abortion rights. 

Today’s vote in Ohio, where the end of Roe v. Wade resurrected an extreme antiabortion bill, makes it eight.

Abortion was also on the ballot In Virginia, where the entire state legislature was up for grabs today. Republican governor Glenn Youngkin made it clear he wanted control of the legislature in order to push through a measure banning abortion after 15 weeks. This ploy was one Republicans were using to seem to soften their antiabortion stance, which has proven terribly unpopular. Youngkin was taking the idea out for a spin to see how it might play in a presidential election, perhaps with a hope of entering the Republican race for the presidential nomination as someone who could claim to have turned a blue state red. 

It didn’t work. Voters recognized that it was disingenuous to call a 15-week limit a compromise on the abortion issue, since most serious birth defects are not detected until 20 weeks into a pregnancy.

Going into the election, Democrats held the state senate. But rather than giving Youngkin control over both houses of the state legislature, voters left Democrats in charge of the Senate and flipped the House of Delegates over to the Democrats. The Democrats are expected to elevate House minority leader Don Scott of Portsmouth to the speakership, making him the first Black House speaker in Virginia history.  

Virginia voters also elevated Delegate Danica Roem, the first known transgender delegate, to the state senate. At the same time, voters in Loudoun County, which had become a hot spot in the culture wars with attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals and with activists insisting the schools must not teach critical race theory, rejected that extremism and turned control of the school board over to those who championed diversity and equity.

In Kentucky, voters reelected Democratic governor Andy Beshear, who was running against Republican state attorney general Daniel Cameron. A defender of Kentucky’s abortion ban, Cameron was also the attorney general who declined to bring charges against the law enforcement officers who killed Breonna Taylor in her bed in 2020 after breaking into her apartment in a mistaken search for drugs. 

In Pennsylvania, Democrat Daniel McCaffery won a supreme court seat, enabling the Democrats to increase their majority there. McCaffery positioned himself as a defender of abortion rights. 

There will be more news about election results and what they tell us in the coming days. Tonight, though, political analyst Tom Bonier wrote: “My biggest takeaway from tonight: in '22 abortion rights had the biggest impact where it was literally on the ballot, less so when trying to draw the connection in candidate races. That has changed. Voters clearly made the connection that voting for GOP candidates=abortion bans.”

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[moontyger]

Louisiana passed its Ten Commandments law in June. The American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit arguing that the law violates “the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional.” At a press conference Monday, Murrill said she and the governor are requesting a federal court throw out what she describes as a “premature” lawsuit against the state, because the plaintiffs don’t claim to have seen any displays of the Ten Commandments yet in classrooms, so they “cannot prove they have any actual injury.” The state attorney general further argued the ACLU cannot show that every Ten Commandments display would be unconstitutional.

As examples, Landry and Murrill displayed large sample posters that Murrill said are “plainly constitutional” and could be placed in public school classrooms. There were a variety of posters, one targeting young children with classroom safety rules, one depicting Speaker Mike Johnson alongside a photo of the bust of Moses which is displayed in the House of Representatives. 

Some of the posters seemed designed to make the Ten Commandments displays more palatable to liberals — or perhaps to bait them. Two have a quote from Ginsburg about great documents that provided the world “fine ideals and principles,” including the Ten Commandments and the Declaration of Independence. 

Justice Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spera says Louisiana is “misleading the public” by using Ginsburg’s quote, which was from a paper she wrote in 1946 when she was in eighth grade.

“The use of my grandmother’s image in Louisiana’s unconstitutional effort to display the Ten Commandments in public schools is misleading and an affront to her well-documented First Amendment jurisprudence,” Spera tells Rolling Stone in an email. “By placing the quote next to an official Supreme Court portrait of her in judicial robes and a jabot, Louisiana is misleading the public by suggesting that Justice Ginsburg made the statement about the Ten Commandments being among the world’s ‘four great documents’ while serving as a Supreme Court Justice.”

Spera, who is a reproductive rights attorney, cites McCreary County v. ACLU, where Ginsburg joined the majority opinion that held that Ten Commandments displays in Kentucky courthouses and public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. She continued “To me, and to others familiar with Justice Ginsburg’s legal writings and philosophy, there is no doubt that my grandmother would find that Louisiana’s effort to require public schools to display the Ten Commandments is a violation of the Constitution.”

[tomorrowusa]

Republicans have a very small majority in the US House – and it could theoretically disappear even before the November election.

The year began with 222 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the chamber. Because of the expulsion of George Santos and the resignation of Kevin McCarthy, the GOP is down to 220.

Day by day, thanks to a combination of coincidence, scandal, health issues and political turmoil, the G.O.P. majority keeps getting smaller. This week, with lawmakers absent for medical reasons and the recent not-so-voluntary departures of the ousted former speaker Kevin McCarthy and the expelled Mr. Santos, the best G.O.P. attendance that Speaker Mike Johnson can muster as he tries to avoid a government shutdown is the bare-minimum 218 votes. That is before factoring in the impact of rough winter weather across the nation. Another Republican, Representative Bill Johnson of Ohio, is resigning as of Sunday to take a job as a university president, lowering the number to 217 if Representative Harold Rogers of Kentucky, the 86-year-old dean of the House, is unable to quickly return from recuperating from a car accident. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican, is out until at least next month while undergoing cancer treatment. As a result, the G.O.P. could soon be able to afford just a single defection on any matter if Democrats remain united and have no absences of their own.

Bill Johnson's departure will bring the official GOP total down to 219. And though they are still House members, Scalise and Rogers are not able currently to attend the House due to health conditions.

Speaker Mike Johnson needs to rely increasingly on Democrats to get anything done because of truculent members of his own caucus.

Democrats say the recurring scenario of leaning on them for must-pass bills is proof that even though Republicans are the majority party on the tally sheet, they don’t have a working majority because of their diminished forces and constant internal squabbling. “When anything hits the fan, they don’t have 218,” said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the former longtime Democratic majority leader, referring to the number that represents a basic majority in the 435-member House. “They are not the majority party in this House.”

There's also the February 13th special election in NY-03 to replace George Santos. If Democrat Tom Suozzi defeats Republican Mazi Pilip, a de facto Trump supporter, the number of House Democrats will edge up to 214.

If you'd like to help Tom Suozzi and increase the possibility of a Democratic majority early, check out his campaign site.

Suozzi for Congress - Let's Fix This!

When you vote for Suozzi, you're effectively voting for a Democratic majority.

If you're still in high school but will turn 18 no later than February 13th and live in NY-03, register to vote ASAP! The deadline to register to vote in this special election is February 3rd. NY-03 includes parts of northeastern Queens and a larger chunk of suburban Nassau County. If you aren't sure whether you live in NY-03, go here and enter your ZIP+4. If you're in the district, there's still a picture of George Santos in the results though it does list the seat as vacant.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

KY. SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST REPUBLICAN-BACKED SCHOOL CHOICE LAW

In a unanimous ruling, the Kentucky Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional a controversial school choice law passed in 2021.

The bill, known as the Education Opportunity Account (EOA) Act, narrowly became law in 2021 with the support of a majority of Republicans in the state legislature. The act created a privately funded needs-based assistance program to cover educational expenses for families. The law also created a pilot program that would offer tuition assistance to help students attend pre K-12 non-public schools in counties with more than 90,000 people, which proponents of the law argued would help students to be able to choose the best school for them regardless of family income.

Those who donated to the accounts were to be eligible for potentially sizable tax credits, a provision that sparked some controversy. The tax credit portion of the program, among others, drew criticism for essentially funding private schools with public dollars in a roundabout way through the tax credit system. Under the law, Kentucky taxpayers who donated would have received “a nearly dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their income taxes” according to the ruling.

Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Lisabeth Hughes, who wrote the majority opinion affirming Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling against the law, wrote that the program violated Section 184 of the Kentucky Constitution, which limits the raising or collecting of “sum[s]” for “education other than in common schools.”

“Applying the plain language of this section, the income tax credit raises money for nonpublic education and its characterization as a tax credit rather than an appropriation is immaterial,” Hughes wrote.

There were other challenges to the law aside from the one related to Section 184, but Hughes wrote that “the remaining constitutional challenges to the EOA Act are rendered moot” by the court siding with the initial challenge.

Shepherd had also ruled that the law violated the state constitution’s limitation of “special legislation” that only applies to certain communities in the state due to its provision singling out counties with populations over 90,000 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census.

As a bill, the initiative was sponsored by Rep. Chad McCoy, R-Bardstown, who also pushed through a controversial education bill in 2022’s House Bill 9, which set up a funding mechanism for charter schools in Kentucky.

Though Republicans were the ones who helped push the bill over the finish line in Frankfort, support within the party was not unanimous. The bill made it through the House on a razor thin 48-47 margin, with many rural Republicans voting against it.

Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the bill was overridden with a slim 51-member majority in the House.

In his veto message, Beshear said the bill would “harm public education in Kentucky by taking money away from public schools.” In a post to Twitter on Thursday, the Governor took his message a step further. He compared the EOA law to the newly passed law funding charter schools in Kentucky.

“Today’s ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court couldn’t be more clear: state funding for private or charter schools is unconstitutional – period. It’s time for the General Assembly to invest in our public schools, our teachers and our children,” Beshear wrote.

Fayette County Public Schools argued against the law, saying that it stripped resources away from its schools and students.

Republican House Speaker David Osborne said he was disappointed.

“Our priority with HB 563 was to ensure all Kentucky children have access to the educational opportunities they deserve and require to reach their potential, particularly in light of the learning loss and setbacks caused by shutdowns and limited access to necessary services,” Osborne said.

“While we are disappointed and respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision to strike down this section, we remain committed to this. We will continue our efforts to empower parents and families despite pushback from an education administration more interested in satisfying self-serving union interests,” he said.

The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a libertarian-leaning think, was one of the biggest cheerleaders for the law. It released a statement expressing disappointment at the court’s ruling.

“Contrary to the court’s ruling, Kentucky’s Constitution doesn’t prohibit educational alternatives for parents; it simply requires that the commonwealth 'provide for an efficient system of common schools throughout the State,'” a statement from the organization said.

The Kentucky Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, celebrated the ruling.

“This decision protects the power of the people to decide important questions of public education policy and holds the legislature to account to uphold their oath to support and defend the Kentucky Constitution... We simply can’t afford to support two different education systems — one private and one public — on the taxpayers’ dime, and this ruling supports that concern. This decision is proof that the courts continue to serve as an important check against legislative overreach,” KEA President Eddie Campbell wrote.

[dankusner]

Jimi Hendrix, Served in the US Army

Jimi Hendrix

Service:

Army

Notable for:

Before becoming arguably the greatest guitarist in rock-n-roll history, James Marshall Hendrix of Seattle found himself with an ultimatum.

A troubled childhood and a run-in with the law led a judge to give Hendrix a choice between serving two years in prison or joining the Army.

On May 31, 1961, he enlisted and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

Although he had enlisted for three years of service, an ankle injury during a parachute jumping exercise earned him a discharge after just one year.

Hendrix then spent several years honing his guitar skills in the U.S. before exploding on the London music scene in 1966 with his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

During that time, Hendrix’s career, although just a four-year odyssey of mainstream glory, propelled him into rock-n-roll lore, becoming one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

Hendrix was the recipient of several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously, which includes Grammy Hall of Fame Awards in 1999 and 2009, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992 and the NME Award for Most Missed in 1976.

The guitarist, known for playing his signature right-handed Stratocaster guitar upside down, was described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music."

With more than 2 million African Americans serving in the U.S. military today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, VFW commends their service and sacrifice in protecting our country.

Like many veterans whose military service paved a path to success in civilian life, African American veterans have used the experience and discipline they acquired in the military to attain prominent positions in the civilian world.

Here are some of the best-known African American celebrities whose contributions to popular culture and society began after their discharge from the armed forces.

The VFW celebrates Black History Month

Morgan Freeman

Service: Air Force Notable for: Morgan Freeman enlisted in the Air Force in 1955, harboring dreams of becoming a fighter pilot like those he watched on film. His interest in flying led him to turn down a drama scholarship to Jackson State University in Mississippi prior to enlisting. While in the Air Force, Freeman was a radar technician and eventually rose up the ranks to airman 1st class after nearly four years.

He left the Air Force in 1959 and turned his sights back on an acting career, eventually earning his first on-screen appearance during the 1964 TV soap opera “Another World.” Freeman has since gone on to become one of the most recognizable faces and voices in Hollywood, nominated for four Academy Awards and snagging the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 for his role in Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby.”

Tracy Marrow, aka Ice-T

Service: Army Notable for: Tracy Marrow, a Newark, New Jersey, native, lost both of his parents at an early age, leading him to bounce among several relatives before settling with an aunt in Los Angeles at 12 years old.

After high school, desperate for a means of income, he joined the Army to support his girlfriend and their daughter.

Marrow served for four years in the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Marrow supported his musical interests by purchasing stereo equipment that included turntables, a mixer and speakers while serving as a squad leader.

After the military, Marrow found success as Ice-T in the early days of Hip Hop, becoming a prominent figure of the genre during the 1980s. He would win a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by an artist in 1991 before turning his sights toward acting. He’s been in numerous films, which include “New Jack City” (1991), “Johnny Mnemonic” (1995) and “Mean Guns” (1997). Marrow, however, is best known for his long-time role in “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”

Berry Gordy Jr.

Service: Army War: Korean War Notable for: Known as the founder of Motown Records in Detroit, Berry Gordy paved the way for what became a revered Motown sound that included pioneers of music like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations.

Gordy, however, spent his early life as a journeyman. He dropped out of school to pursue a career as a boxer, which was cut short after the Army drafted him to serve during the Korean War in 1951.

When his service ended in 1953, Gordy found himself an employee on an assembly line at the Ford Motor Company in Detroit. He began writing music then, which he parlayed into a career by borrowing $700 from his father to form his own company to make and sell records.

Motown Records earned the distinguished honor of being the most lucrative and highest-earning African American business for more than 25 years. Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2016.

David Robinson

Service: Navy Notable for: The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee was nicknamed “The Admiral” during his career with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. Robinson, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he majored in mathematics, served in the Navy from 1983 to 1989.

Upon receiving his commission, Robinson was assigned to the Civil Engineering Corps at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia. Besides doing engineering work, he also helped the Navy with its recruiting campaigns. The 7-foot-1-inch Robinson was drafted by the Spurs in 1987 and played for the franchise from 1989 until his retirement in 2003.

In his first six seasons, Robinson won Rookie of the Year, MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, in addition to a rebounding title, a scoring crown, six All-Star bids, three selections to the All-NBA First Team and three selections to the All-Defensive First Team. A contemporary of Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, Robinson posted career game averages of 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as well as winning two NBA championships alongside fellow Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan.

Renowned for his role as a philanthropist off the court, on March 23, 2003, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that future winners of the NBA Community Assist Award would receive the David Robinson Plaque with the inscription, “Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece.”

James Earl Jones

Service: Army War: Korean War Notable for: Before voicing Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” movie franchise, James Earl Jones joined the Army in 1953 following his time at the University of Michigan, where he excelled in the Pershing Rifles Drill Team and Scabbard and Blade Honor Society. He did basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., before attending Ranger school and helping establish a cold weather training command near Leadville, Colorado.

Although Jones considered pursuing a military career, he discharged from the Army as a 1st lieutenant and set his sights on acting. Jones’ acting career is draped in success, as he was just the second male African-American actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for his work in “The Great White Hope” (1970).

He also starred in critically acclaimed movies that include “Dr. Strangelove” (1964), “Coming to America” (1988), “Field of Dreams” (1989), “The Hunt for Red October” (1990), “Patriot Games” (1992) and “Clear and Present Danger” (1994). He’s received two Tony Awards, an honorary Academy Award, two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.

Laurence Tureaud, aka Mr. T

Service: Army Notable for: Before pounding on Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa in “Rocky III” (1982) and then becoming one of the most beloved TV characters as B.A. Baracus on NBC’s “The A-Team” (1983-1987), Laurence Tureaud found himself in the Army.

He enlisted in the Army in 1975 and served in the Military Police Corps, where he was awarded a letter of recommendation by his drill sergeant at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and elected “Top Trainee of the Cycle” out of 6,000 troops.

After his discharge from the Army in the late 1970s, Tureaud tried out for the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers, but a knee injury derailed his hopes of making the roster. The setback sent him back home to Chicago, where he used his Army police training to serve as a bouncer in nightclubs.

It was there that he began growing his “Mr. T” persona, which included the famous gold chains (a nod to all the discarded jewelry he picked up at nightclubs each night) and Mohawk hairdo. His reputation as a bouncer led “Mr. T” into being a personal bodyguard, charging $3,000 a night to protect celebrities that included Steve McQueen, Diana Ross and Muhammad Ali.

The “Mr. T” persona was chosen for a reality TV competition for bouncers, where he eventually caught the eye of Stallone, who quickly cast him as the notorious antagonist Clubber Lang in “Rocky III.”

Tureaud retired from acting after being diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma in 1995, although he beat the cancer after undergoing years of treatment. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he continues to advocate for veterans and cancer survivors.

Elgin Baylor

Service: Army Reserve Notable for: Before Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Michael Jordan wowed basketball fans with their otherworldly hang-time and athletic grace at the shooting guard position, their predecessor was doing so while fully committed to the Army Reserve.

Elgin Baylor, the Hall of Fame shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, was an 11-time All-Star and averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds and four assists per game in his 14 seasons.

Baylor’s best season, however, came in his 1961-1962 campaign while stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. While other enlisted soldiers used their weekend passes to go back home, Baylor was driving more than 1,000 miles each weekend to play for the Lakers alongside Jerry West, whose likeness was the inspiration for the NBA’s longtime logo.

During that season, Baylor averaged a career-high 38 points, 19 rebounds and five assists in the 48 games he played. Even though the Lakers eventually lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals, Baylor’s 61-point performance in game five to take a 3-2 series lead remains a single-game finals record to this day.

Harry Belafonte

Service: Navy War: World War II Notable for: The longtime musician, actor and activist got his start after enlisting at 19 years old in the Navy during World War II. Belafonte took advantage of his GI Bill to attend The New School for Social Research in New York City.

He used his education to delve into the music scene around New York City. This eventually led to his becoming one of the most successful Jamaican-American pop stars in history. Dubbed the “King of Calypso,” he popularized the Trinidadian-Caribbean musical style for an international audience in the 1950s.

In 1956, Belafonte’s breakthrough album “Calypso” is one of the first LP records by a single artist that sold more than a million copies worldwide. Belafonte’s wide-ranging musical talents led to his recording across an array of genres, which included blues, folk, gospel, show tunes and American standards.

He also starred in several films simultaneously, including Otto Preminger’s hit musical “Carmen Jones” (1954), “Island in the Sun” (1957) and Robert Wise’s “Odds Against Tomorrow” (1959). Throughout his prominent music and acting career, Belafonte also served as a voice for the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. A close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr., Belafonte continues to stand for political and humanitarian causes. Since 1987, he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a celebrity ambassador of the American Civil Liberties Union for juvenile justice issues.

For his career, Belafonte has won two Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994, and in 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards.

Sheryl Underwood

Service: Air Force Reserve Notable for: Sheryl Underwood, a Little Rock, Arkansas, native, moved to Atwater, California, as a teenager, where she graduated from high school in 1981 and attended Fresno City College.

Following her college graduation, Underwood enlisted in the Air Force Reserve, where she served for two years while continuing her education. Today, she holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a master’s degree in media management/mass communication from Governors State University in Chicago, and an attorney assistant certificate from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Despite her prowess in the classroom, Underwood pursued a career in comedy, springing into the standup comedy scene by becoming the first female finalist in the 1989 Miller Light Comedy Search. From there, Underwood’s comedy trajectory earned her minor roles in movies such as “I Got the Hook-Up” (1998) and “Beauty Shop” (2005) and guest spots in television programs that include “Def Comedy Jam,” “Holla,” “The Young and the Restless,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” and “The View.”

In 2011, Underwood joined CBS’ Emmy award-winning morning show “The Talk” as a co-host. Underwood also owns and operates Pack Rat Productions, Inc., and Pack Rat Foundation for Education (PRFFE), helping raise money for students pursuing higher education at historically black colleges and universities.

Underwood’s philanthropy and activism includes founding the African American Female Comedian Association, along with being a member of both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Council of Negro Women.

This article is part of the VFW's initiative to celebrate African-American service members and veterans in honor of Black History Month. It is featured in the February 2021 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

[beckleysbooks]

The Debate 

I don’t remember Mr. Henderson, my Speech teacher and our high school’s Debate Coach, teaching us to debate in the manner in which we witnessed earlier this month, in the 2024 Presidential Debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump. My fear is that the latest presidential debate will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons. And, it’s not like our country is devoid of up and coming, as well as very skilled debaters. First to my mind comes my niece, whom I fondly call “Kaiser”. She is so sweet, at first impression, you’d agree that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. During Kaiser’s high school years and now at university, there have been quite a few debate opponents who have misread that beautiful smile she wears. I’m told a number of Kaiser’s debate opponents have trembled at the mention of her name; she is that good at debating! I’m convinced that It is because she is always overly prepared and totally focused on scoring on the merits of her given subject. That’s the “speech and debate” I was taught. 

Once upon a time, orators were national celebrities and folks would walk or ride a horse for over an hour just to hear their speeches. These “meetings” were social events, where attendees also learned firsthand of national events. Take for instance, The Great Triumvirate – Webster, Clay & Calhoun – from the mid 19th century.  

Daniel Webster - “The Godlike Daniel” - had a quality of voice and a “huge chest that could power his miraculous instrument”. Webster was invited to the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Bunker Hill held in Boston on June 17, 1825 where he was sharing the podium with Lafayette. Undaunted by the ceremony, Webster stirred the twenty thousand strong crowd with the closing lines “Let our object be our country, our whole country and nothing but our country.” There was little doubt that this orator would become Senator Webster and he didn’t disappoint what was now a national audience with what historians refer to as his “2nd reply to Hayne”, a two-day speech that resonated in the halls of Congress. “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable” is still remembered today as the call to action from this Webster speech.  

By 1850, Webster had been joined by Henry Clay from Kentucky. As this pair strove for unity in the country with a number of “Compromise” pieces of legislation, which were all preceded by extraordinary oratory. Daniel Webster is renown for his contribution, “The Constitution and The Union”, which was a three- and half-hour delivery on March 7th.  It is recorded that Webster’s eyes appeared like two balls of fire addressing the topic of secession with great drops of perspiration beaded on his face. 

As good an orator as Daniel Webster was, it is generally agreed that Henry Clay was the better speaker and debater. Clay will forever be remembered as “The Compromiser” for his diligent work in Washington to stitch together the Compromise of 1830 and 1850. It was this latter piece of legislation that drew the last bit of energy from him before his death. His senatorial address, “The Compromise of 1850” lasted over four- and three-quarter hours over two days, allowing the statesman to rest and recharge. I read Robert Remini’s book, “Henry Clay – Stateman for the Union” prior to my visiting his estate, “Ashlands”, in Lexington. It was so poignant to me in my visiting that the mansion had been reconstructed from the rubble found in the outhouse pits on site. The curators have done a superb job of restoration and I could sense Clay’s personality through touring each room. The estimable man who early in his congressional career was clearly frustrated with the “despotic actions” of President Andrew Jackson and spent three days in the senate gallery debating how the President required a censure for his placing “the very existence of liberty and the government in peril. To most observers, Clay’s extemporaneous remarks were falling on the deaf ears of the Vice President, Martin Van Buren, who was quietly reading a book whilst presiding over the chamber during this time. Clay with his voice in full throttle of sarcasm dared Van Buren to address his concerns with the President right that minute. It is recorded that the Vice President summoned another senator to take his speaker’s chair and then stepped onto the floor heading directly toward Clay. A fully packed gallery anxiously awaited a dust up between two of the most prominent politicians in the country. Vice President Van Buren bowed to Henry Clay, and instead of challenging the statesman, asked in a mocking voice if the Senator would “allow me to be indebted to you for another pinch of your aromatic Maccoboy”. Remini writes, “Dumfounded, Clay simply waved his hand toward the gold snuff box he kept on his desk. Van Buren sampled it and then leisurely returned to the chair of the presiding officer.”  

The one common thread with each of these debating forums of years past is the sheer length of their address, nearly all of them measured in hours and audiences who sat through their duration. My publicist keeps reminding me that my reels posted on today’s social media must be kept to 15 seconds. I guess this is progress, eh? 

As the icons of Webster and Clay were fading from the national scene, there was a senator from Illinois, who was there to carry on their legacy. His name was Stephen Douglas, The Little Giant, who was goaded into sharing the stage with an upstart rail splitter from the newly formed Republican party, and thus began the concept of a “debate” for public office. Abraham Lincoln in an effort to rebut the sitting senator, simply showed up in every town after Douglas had delivered his address. Lincoln stated, “it is in fact a concluding speech on him.” Annoyed by Lincoln’s campaigning, Douglas begrudgingly offered to share the stage with the theretofore unknown candidate for Illinois senate seat in 1858. Douglas chose seven venues, prominent points in each congressional district, where he and Lincoln would debate. They agreed that each candidate would begin alternatively with the person going first having one hour to make his case, then the opponent being given ninety minutes in rebuttal before the opening candidate would close the debate with an half hour wrap up. From this foray into political debates came the “Freeport Doctrine” named after the Lincoln/Douglas debate in Freeport, Illinois. The main issue during the campaign was “slavery extension”, which had divided the nation into two hostile camps and threatened the continued existence of the Union. Lincoln in his allotted time in Freeport asked Douglas to reconcile the candidate’s support of “popular sovereignty” with the recently released Dred Scott decision where free slaves would lose their “free” status if taken across state lines. Douglas’ feeble reply was basically, don’t establish these laws in your local communities that protect slave owner’s property. Douglas’ stance on this main issue split the Democrat Party. Douglas narrowly defeated Lincoln in 1858 but lost his stature as a national figure. Meanwhile, a post-debate “bounce” saw Lincoln acclaimed as an eloquent spokesman for his party, one who saw a dominant run by the Republicans from 1860-1884. 

One cannot have a discourse on presidential debates and not mention the first debating contest broadcast on television. Four dates were agreed to by the candidates, Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John Kennedy. The first debate aired on CBS in Chicago on September 26, 1960 with Howard K. Smith as the moderator. Following were debates in Washington D.C. on October 7th with Frank McGee from NBC moderating, the October 13th debate where Nixon was in Los Angeles and Kennedy showed up in ABC studios in New York City, and the last debate held in New York City again on October 21st. History only focuses on that first televised debate. As a candidate, Kennedy was trailing by a wide margin in the public’s opinion. He was “untested” and very young at 43 years of age. Kennedy not only thoroughly researched the potential debate topics, over 100 memorized answers from index cards, but left no stone unturned by visiting the CBS studio in advance for the lighting conditions and temperature etc. Meanwhile, the seasoned politico, Nixon arrived on the debating scene after multiple stops on the campaign trail for that late September day. Nixon refused make up to hide his 5 o’clock shadow, wore a gray suit that simply blended into the backdrop, which only accentuated his tired and pale appearance and sweaty brows. Historians are reluctant to state that this one debate turned the campaign on its head for both candidates, but Kennedy won the race by only .2% of the vote, or with about 118,000 votes to spare. 

Nationally televised debates can impact a candidate’s chances of winning the oval office, and that’s why they have been a staple of each election year since 1976. What an incredible opportunity to address the voting public, especially if the candidates can effectively articulate their plan going forward. The bygone days of the orator who spell bounds an entire nation may never return. However, issues that deeply divide our country seem to be the one constant over time and throughout our history. Webster’s words, “Let our object be our country, our whole country and nothing but our country” if taken up as a battle cry today, could go a long way toward the healing of our nation, where once again, we could honestly pledge to one another that this is “one country, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. 

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

At the Republican National Convention last week, multiple speakers discussed cutting funding for schools teaching critical race theory and allowing transgender athletes to compete through Title IX.

Republicans like Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, for example, repeatedly mentioned “universal school choice,” referring to the part of the GOP policy platform that seeks to give parents more of a say in what their children learn in school. “We believe schools should educate, not indoctrinate,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the convention. “We stand for parents’ rights, including universal school choice.” Eric Trump, the son of the former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, described the current education system as “brainwash[ing]” children “instead of learning the fundamentals in school.” “Education will be handed back to the states,” Eric Trump said. Republicans and Democrats have long been divided over how to handle public education in the U.S. Polls suggest that within the past few years, as Republicans like Trump have become more vocal about wanting to separate the federal government from education, more parents — and voters — seem to agree they should have more authority over what their school-age kids learn. Overall, education across the United States is funded and overseen by state and local governments. But the federal government does fund some areas and sets requirements for the state and local authorities to comply with, which is where the Department of Education (DOE) comes in. As we inch closer to the 2024 presidential election, Republican calls to dismantle the DOE seem to be growing louder. But what would that actually look like? What is the argument behind shutting down the Department of Education? The Department of Education has long been a target of criticism by the Republican Party. But the current GOP case against the agency is rooted in the belief that the federal government should not be funding curriculums that teach “critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.” According to Republicans, this includes a long-established academic framework that teaches students about the history of institutional racism — from how settlers stole land from Native Americans to the civil rights movement. For Republicans like DeSantis, who signed the Parental Rights in Education Act in 2023, cutting out the DOE would allow schools to ban instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for students, limit history lessons on racism that, he claims, encourage “ideological conformity” and reject Advanced Placement class options like AP African American studies. The DOE, however, says on its website that education is already primarily a state and local responsibility in the U.S., with federal funding contributing only 8% to elementary and secondary education. Variations of the DOE, going as far back as 1867, have been massively unpopular with Republicans. In 2023, the Pew Research Center found that 65% of Republicans polled viewed the DOE negatively, and in 2022 more than half of Republican parents of K-12 students said they felt the federal government had too much influence on what public schools were teaching.

CNN reported that at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2022, Trump said, “Across the country, we need to implement strict prohibitions on teaching inappropriate racial, sexual and political material to America’s schoolchildren in any form whatsoever. And if federal bureaucrats are going to push this radicalism, we should abolish the Department of Education.” In early 2023, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced a bill to abolish the DOE by the end of the year, writing, "Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development.” Recently, Trump and other Republicans have taken issue with the federal agency’s policies around diversity and LGBTQ inclusion, some of which, like the DOE’s “Final Rule” under Title IX, protects students from harassment over their ethnicity or sexual orientation. Republicans argue it undermines “the original intent of the gender-equity law” from 1972, which bans discrimination based on sex in education. In April, the DOE expanded Title IX rules to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. At a conference in June, Trump said he would sign an executive order on the first day of his presidency to cut funding for “any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on to the lives of our children.”

What would happen to the Department of Education’s duties if it were dismantled? While the DOE has several responsibilities, its biggest sectors are student loans, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and Title I, which provides financial support to schools and school districts with high percentages of students from low-income families. Conversations surrounding shutting down the DOE have spiked in recent months thanks to the 2024 election, but no Republican candidate has really detailed how they would handle DOE redistribution. While Trump was president in 2018, his administration proposed merging the DOE and the Department of Labor into one agency, but it never got the approval from Congress to implement that plan. Earlier this year, House Republicans proposed cutting Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by 80%. Title I is meant to support underfunded schools and help the education of over 26 million children, and its elimination would disproportionately affect students of color. The funding cuts would also cause 226,000 teachers, aides and staff to be laid off. Another proposal House Republicans offered in July sought to cut $10 million from the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR’s purpose is to investigate allegations of discrimination — in 2022, the OCR resolved over 16,000 cases of potential civil rights violations against students. Title III, another DOE program Republicans want to cut, is dedicated to funding language assistance programs for the more than 5 million students in K-12 grades who are learning English as a second language.

Other proposed cuts include slashing funding for state grants that help teachers, for Federal Work Study programs that provide part-time jobs for students with financial need, for magnet schools and programs that help with full-service community colleges and for research and development grants that go to historically Black colleges, tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions. How would someone go about eliminating the Department of Education? Experts told Politico that it’s “nearly impossible” to kill an entire government agency. Federal employees are protected from layoffs by civil service laws, and the president can’t just decide to downsize government agencies without backing from Congress. According to Rick Heiss, the director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, in terms of any threat to the DOE, “it’s a safe bet that the big programs aren’t going away.” Hypothetically, if Congress agreed with the president to dismantle the DOE, it’s likely there would be a rearrangement of all its programs, funding and employees to other departments instead of cutting everything. In fact, the DOE was originally part of a larger agency called the Department of Health, Education and Welfare which then-President Jimmy Carter split up in 1980. “The fact is that few policymakers, right or left, are willing to call for slashing (much less spending) federal aid for low-income students or learners with special needs,” Heiss wrote in an op-ed for Education Week. “The practical effect would be to move this stuff to other Cabinet agencies.”

The best way to control and influence a population is by keeping it ignorant.

Vote Blue of you don't want to see this fuckery happen. Republicans don't have your best interest in mind. They care only about staying in power, making the rich richer, and keeping the rest of us poor.

Vote Blue like your life depends on it, like your rights depend on it, like generations ahead depend on it. Because they do.

Vote Blue down the ballot. Congress, the Senate, the White House, and SCOTUS.

Do not split the vote!!!!!!! That's how Dictator Agent Orange won, and why we have years of recovery ahead of us.

Anyone who tells you not to vote, that it's not worth voting because it doesn't matter, they are actively suppressing your vote. If your vote didn't matter, republicans wouldn't be so afraid. They wouldn't be trying so hard to keep people from voting. They wouldn't remove voting sites, they wouldn't be purging voting registries, they wouldn't be fighting to keep BIPOC from voting.

"One vote won make a difference." When a hundred people, a thousand people, a million people believe this, republicans win. Every. Single. Time. They always vote!

You cannot boycott the vote. Boycotting is done to prevent a business from making money. You can boycott Starbucks but not the government. You will be actively giving up your power by refusing to vote.

There are two parties. Third party votes always respult in republicans winning.

Vote Blue!!!!

[lboogie1906]

Lieutenant Colonel Rev. Allen Allensworth (April 7, 1842 – September 14, 1914) was a chaplain, colonel, city founder, and theologian. Born enslaved in Kentucky, he escaped during the American Civil War by joining the 44th Illinois Volunteers as a Union soldier. After being ordained as a Baptist minister, he worked as a teacher, led several churches, and was appointed as a chaplain in the Army. In 1886, he gained appointment as a military chaplain to a unit of Buffalo Soldiers in the West, becoming the first African American to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel. He served in the Army for 20 years, retiring in 1906.

He was a prolific public speaker, embarking on a speaking tour to inspire African American youth. His lectures included Five Manly Virtues Exemplified, The Battle of Life and How to Fight It, and Character and How to Read It. While on tour in Pasadena, he met Professor William Payne. In 1908, he, Payne, and a small committee founded Allensworth, California, the first community established, financed, and governed entirely by African Americans. It continues to be restored and maintained as the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.

His family accompanied him on assignments in the West, ranging from Fort Bayard, Fort Supply, and Fort Harrison. Josephine Leavell, his wife, played the organ in the fort chapels.

In 1887, he was featured in Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive, and Rising.

In 1889, while at Fort Bayard, he published the pamphlet Outline of Course of Study, and The Rules Governing Post Schools of Ft. Bayard, N.M., which became a military education standard.

He married musician and activist Josephine Leavell (1877-1914). They met while studying at Roger Williams University. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[wutbju]

“Keep Your Platform Hot”

Shortly after Dr. Bob Jones Sr. began his school 40 years ago, he met a friend and fellow minister-educator, Dr. Henry Clay Morrison, president of Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky. Dr. Jones had high respect for the noted Methodist educator and considered him to be "one of the greatest platform men and pulpiteers and most practical men" he had ever known.

On this particular occasion Dr. Jones said to Dr. Morrison, "I have just started a school; and I do not know a thing in the world about it except I know what I want to do and know certain essential fundamental principles. I would appreciate your telling me what to do to build the school successfully. You have had experience in the ministry and also as educator."

Dr. Morrison replied quickly, "Well, Bob, I can tell you in a few words. Keep your chapel platform hot."

Dr. Jones has told this story often. He then adds, "I had intended to do that anyway, but what this good man said to me confirmed my opinion that no Christian institution can remain Christian without a hot, inspirational chapel platform. There have been many contributing influences in the development of Bob Jones University, but the one thing above everything else that has made the school what it is has been the chapel platforms."

The 40-minute service is held every morning Monday through Saturday. Four days a week at 11 a.m., the chapel message is brought by the president when on the campus; and in his absence, by selected speakers.

One day each week the chapel period is devoted to the meetings of various literary societies. Each month two of the Saturday meetings, held at 8:30 a.m., are devoted to special missionary programs and speakers; and on the other two Saturdays in each month are held the Student Body meetings.

Likely this meeting was in December 1925, in Lexington, Kentucky:

[mightyflamethrower]

Calling Evil Good And Good Evil: What In The World Is Happening On College Campuses?

The spectacle of rising antisemitism on campus, and these college presidents’ tepid response to it, is but a symptom of a more fundamental problem: Faulty philosophical foundations, which have been built over decades, have led to a culture at most schools where traditional, Judeo-Christian beliefs are not only dismissed but are vilified and often disallowed.

The examples are plentiful.

When former University of Kentucky standout swimmer Riley Gaines, a critic of biological males competing against females in women’s sports, tried to speak at San Francisco State University last April, radical activists held her in a room against her will for more than three hours—even demanding a monetary ransom at one point.

At Virginia Commonwealth University, the campus chapter of Students for Life sponsored an event that was supposed to be a dialogue between Kristan Hawkins (president of Students for Life of America/Students for Life Action) and another pro-life advocate. But when protesters showed up carrying signs and shouting obscenities to drown out the speakers, the event had to be canceled.

At the State University of New York at Albany, the Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter was among those who were able to prevent a conservative proponent of free speech from speaking on campus because he opposes the transgender movement. The disrupters said it was all in the name of “joy, positivity and support for LGBTQ+ students.”

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 11, 2023 (Tuesday)

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 12, 2023

The dramatic events in Nashville last week, when Republican legislators expelled state representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, two young Black men, for speaking out of turn when they joined protesters calling for gun safety, highlighted a demographic problem facing the Republican Party. Members of Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, grew up doing active shooter drills in their schools, and they want gun safety legislation. And yet, Republicans are so wedded to the gun industry and guns as part of party members’ identity that today, one day after five people died in a mass shooting in Louisville, Kentucky—including a close friend of Kentucky governor Andrew Beshear—the Indiana Senate Republicans passed a resolution honoring the National Rifle Association (NRA). Later this week, Republican leaders will speak at the NRA’s annual convention in Indianapolis, where firearms, as well as backpacks, glass containers, signs, and umbrellas, are prohibited. Those speakers will include former president Trump and former vice president Mike Pence. The resolution and the speeches at the NRA convention seem an unfortunate juxtaposition to the recent mass shootings. Abortion rights are also a place where the Republican Party is out of step with the majority of Americans and especially with people of childbearing age. Last Tuesday, Janet Protasiewicz, who promised to protect reproductive rights, won the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court by an astonishing 11 points in a state where elections are often decided by less than a point. Victor Shi of Voters of Tomorrow reported that the youth turnout of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, increased 240% since the last spring general election in 2019. Youth turnout at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, increased 232%. Almost 90% of those young people voted for Protasiewicz. And yet the party needs to grapple with last Friday’s ruling by Trump-appointed Texas federal judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk that the Food and Drug Administration improperly approved mifepristone, a drug used for more than 50% of medically induced abortions, and that it must be removed from the market. The party also must grapple with a new Idaho law that makes it illegal for minors to leave the state to get an abortion without the consent of their parents. In New York today, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg pushed back against Republican overreach of a different sort when he filed a lawsuit in federal court against Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) in his official role as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, the committee itself, and Mark Pomerantz, whom the committee recently subpoenaed, in response to a “brazen and unconstitutional attack by members of Congress on an ongoing New York State criminal prosecution and investigation of former President Donald J. Trump.” The lawsuit accuses Jordan of engaging in “a transparent campaign to intimidate and attack District Attorney Bragg” and to use congressional powers to intervene improperly in a state criminal prosecution. Like any defendant, the lawsuit says, Trump had every right to challenge his indictment in court. But rather than let that process play out, Jordan and the Republican-dominated Judiciary Committee “are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation, and obstruction” that has led to multiple death threats against Bragg. Bragg’s office "has received more than 1,000 calls and emails from Mr. Trump's supporters,“ the complaint reads, “many of which are threatening and racially charged." “Members of Congress are not free to invade New York’s sovereign authority for their or Mr. Trump’s political aims,” the document says. “Congress has no authority to ‘conduct oversight’ into District Attorney Bragg’s exercise of his duties under New York Law in a single case involving a single defendant.” While Jordan and the Republicans defend Trump, there is a mounting crisis in the West, where two decades of drought have brought water levels in the region’s rivers to dangerously low levels. According to Benji Jones of Vox, who interviewed the former director of the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico, John Fleck, last year about the crisis, the problem has deep roots. One hundred years ago, government officials significantly overestimated the water available in the Colorado River System when they divided it among Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through the Colorado River Compact of 1922. The compact provided a formula for dividing up the water in the 1450 miles of the Colorado River. It was designed to stop the states from fighting over the resource, although an Arizona challenge to the system was not resolved until the 1960s. On the basis of the water promised by the compact, the region filled with people—40 million—and with farms that grow much of the country’s supply of winter vegetables. Now, after decades of drought exacerbated by the overuse permitted by the Colorado River Compact and by climate change, Lake Powell and Lake Mead have fallen to critical levels. Something must be done before the river water disappears not only from the U.S., but also from Mexico, which in 1944 was also guaranteed a cut of the water from the Colorado River. The seven states in the compact have been unable to reach an agreement about cutting water use. Today the Interior Department released an environmental review of the situation that offered three possible solutions. One is to continue to follow established water rights, which would prioritize the California farmland that produces food. This would largely shut off water to Phoenix and Los Angeles. Another option is to cut water distribution evenly across Arizona, California, and Nevada. The third option, doing nothing, risks destroying the water supply entirely, as well as cutting the hydropower produced by the Glen Canyon and Hoover dams. There is a 45-day period for public comment on the plans, and it appears that the threat of the federal government to impose a solution may light a fire under the states to come up with their own agreement, but it is unlikely they will worry much about Mexico’s share of the water. Historically, states have been unable to agree on how to divide a precious resource, and the federal government has had to step in to create a fair agreement. Meanwhile, back in Tennessee, the fallout from last week’s events continues. Judd Legum has reported in Popular Information that Tennessee House speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, doesn’t live in his district as state law requires. And Tennessee investigative reporter Phil Williams of News Channel 5 reports that state representative Paul Sherrell, “who recently suggested bringing back lynching as a form of capital punishment, has been removed from the House Criminal Justice Committee.”

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON