Attorney General Merrick Garland Confuses U.S. With USSR
Freedom of speech? What freedom of speech?
Robby Soave writes at Reason:
Taking note of a supposed "spike" in harassment and intimidating behavior directed at public school officials, Attorney General Merrick Garland has instructed the FBI to be on the lookout for angry parents demanding accountability at school board meetings.On Monday, Garland sent a memo to the federal law enforcement agency directing it to coordinate with the nation's 14,000 school districts. This action comes after the Biden administration received a plea from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to protect schools from the "imminent threat" of parents sending "threatening letters and cyberbullying" school officials. The association considers such activities to be akin to "domestic terrorism."
"As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes," wrote the NSBA.
Has some great number of teachers, principals, and district leaders come under violent attack? Of course not. What both the Justice Department and the concerned school boards are really talking about it is the increased number of recent community meetings that have featured angry feedback from parents.
The feedback is both about COVID policy (like masking for children) and teaching what I now call "neo-racism": CRT, or Critical Race Theory.
Soave:
CRT, the obscure academic theory positing that the structures of U.S. society are racist to their core--and thus it is impossible to separate or ignore racism when confronting other issues--is not exactly sweeping U.S. kindergartens; but CRT--the tendency to reduce individuals to crude racial stereotypes that is pushed by divisive and misguided anti-whiteness gurus like Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi--has certainly become an important component of corporate and university diversity training, and is, to some extent, trickling down to K-12 instruction.Parents should be forgiven for not wanting their kids to be taught from the perspective that "objectivism," "individuality," and "a sense of urgency," are aspects of whiteness, and that black students struggle to think analytically for racial and cultural reasons. These are racist assumptions; they are false, and they do not belong in schools. Yet they were elements of "Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture," an instructional document that has drawn plenty of citations in educational settings. To the extent that the phrase critical race theory is shorthand for this sort of thing, the outrage about it seems justified.
Reasoning Deficit Disorder keeps ordinary people from noticing that the very definition of "diversity" means that no two people are the same - and therefore, they do not have the same capabilities.
The fantasy of perfect harmony in unison is too sweet to surrender.
Radwaste at October 7, 2021 3:54 AM
I love how Garland is a 'moderate'. Thank god he didn't make it onto the supreme court.
Ben at October 7, 2021 5:07 AM
Bad article.
If you're going to make claims (or the person you're reporting on is making claims), you need examples.
What are they citing as incidents of "violence"? "Threats"? What threats?
"I will take my kid out of school and have them homeschooled!" is a threat, but not something the FBI need concern itself with. But "I will meet you in the parking lot and fuck your ass up!" is a situation for law enforcement.
This article actually raises more questions than it answers.
Patrick at October 7, 2021 5:29 AM
Someone at Reason pointed out, during the Gorsuch hearings, that Garland's decisions generally came down on the side of government power whereas Gorsuch's tended to favor restricted government power. The author of the piece opined that we were better off with Gorsuch in that regard.
I haven't followed either's career closely, so I cannot verify or dispute the assertion, but watching Garland at DoJ, it seems to be an accurate assessment.
Do we really think the FBI belongs at local school board meetings? Apparently our AG does. Now, apparently, a frustrated parent is a potential domestic terrorist.
It's less about who appointed the Justice than it is about how they vote once appointed. I was never a huge fan of the Elena Kagan appointment, but I find myself in agreement with her more than I expected to be, especially on Fourth Amendment issues where she generally votes to restrict government power.
Conan the Grammarian at October 7, 2021 5:36 AM
And local law enforcement at that.
Conan the Grammarian at October 7, 2021 5:43 AM
teaching what I now call "neo-racism": CRT, or Critical Race Theory
Just call it what it is: they're teaching white supremacy. Sure, they're trying to paint it as a bad thing, but they are "going to regret raising white racial consciousness. There's no way it ends well."
I R A Darth Aggie at October 7, 2021 8:00 AM
Well, PATRIOT Act, obviously.
https://abc7ny.com/education/father-arrested-and-injured-after-confronting-teacher-about-not-letting-young-son-use-bathroom/1219555/
I R A Darth Aggie at October 7, 2021 8:08 AM
Garland's memo just might be the most counter-productive piece of literature the DOJ has issued in a long time. What was he thinking? Most parents I've ever seen have no problem with criticizing school boards or administrators, and aren't likely to be intimidated. If anything, in most smaller towns, the community will turn against the school board if the school board gets too aggressive in dealing with unhappy parents. Bring in law enforcement, and you've lit a fuse.
Unless the goal was to out everyone willing to criticize the DOJ. Mission accomplished! We're now all on another watchlist. But so are they.
ruralcounsel at October 7, 2021 8:45 AM
Those pushing CRT were losing the arguments. SO they had to pull out the big guns, and call the FBI against the parents or the ring leaders/leakers.
Arguments:
The right : we need to ban this CRT it is teaching racism.
The left: no one is teaching CRT in schools.
The right: Then no reason to not to ban it. Here are videos of teachers bragging about using CRT to force the lens of racism on kids. The largest Teachers union voted to continue using CRT in their curriculum and to hide it from parents. Here are examples of it being used.
The left:
CRT is a college level theory not being taught.
The right: Then no reason not to ban it. CRT is blaming one race for every ill that has ever existed in the world, and looking and re-writing history with that in mind.
Why do people come to America? white supremacy.
Why do Blacks commit more crimes? white supremacy
Why did the chicken cross the road? white supremacy
The left: Anyone against it being taught must be a racist.
They want to say slavery never happened
The right: Thought you said it wasn't being taught. Any proof some are claiming slavery never happened.
The left: Call the FBI
Joe J at October 7, 2021 9:21 AM
Everything is going to be so much simpler when everyone does as they're told.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at October 7, 2021 3:46 PM
Shout down a conservative speaker on a college campus (and even assault them): not a problem.
Burn things down (antifa, blm): not a problem.
Raise your voice at a school board meeting? Call the FBI!! The two examples of parents at a board meeting I saw on the news were nowhere near being threats. If there are true threats, local cops can deal with it. This is raw intimidation. Like the school board that sued a parent who was trying to see course materials on CRT.
cc at October 8, 2021 12:19 PM
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