Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts

Monday, May 22, 2023

Where The Sun No Longer Shines

                                         


That would be the so-called Sunshine State, Florida, under the heavy hand of its governor and apparent presidential aspirant, Ron DeSantis. Things are becoming so repressive there that a number of groups are now warning tourists about its 'hostile laws'. 

The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors.

The warning approved Saturday by the NAACP’s board of directors tells tourists that, before traveling to Florida, they should understand the state of Florida “devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

DeSantis is proud of labelling his state as the place WOKE goes to die. His legislation suggests a real appetite for repressing anything that would contribute to critical thinking, something that has always been anathema to the extreme right.

... the DeSantis’ administration in January rejected the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course. DeSantis and Republican lawmakers also have pressed forward with measures that ban state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory, and also passed the Stop WOKE Act that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.

In a move no doubt prompted by a passion for inclusivity, DeSantis has also targeted Hispanics, restricting local governments in a number of ways, including requiring

hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms, which critics have said is intended to dissuade immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from seeking medical care. 

“The actions taken by Governor DeSantis have created a shadow of fear within communities across the state,” said Lydia Medrano, a LULAC vice president for the Southeast region.

Equality Florida is also distressed over Florida's repressiveness under DeSantis, issuing this warning:

“This is an all out attack on freedom. Free states don’t strip parents of the right to make healthcare decisions for their children. Free states don’t ban books, censor curriculum, or muzzle free speech. DeSantis doesn’t see freedom as a value worth defending, he sees it as a campaign slogan in his bid for the White House. And he is setting freedom -- and Florida’s reputation -- ablaze in his desperation to win the GOP nomination. The nation should be on high alert. We are all Floridians as DeSantis seeks to export this blueprint of authoritarianism to the rest of the country."

There is undoubtedly a constituency for the governor's nonsense. By labelling things as either black or white, he is providing succor to those for whom thinking is a chore. Happily, there are many others still capable of deep critical thinking who refuse to let these assaults on freedom go unchallenged. 





 




 

 

 

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

The American Taliban

One of the main joys of this part of my life is helping to look after our granddaughter, who is now 18 months old and very, very bright and engaged in the world around her. Sometimes, in order to 'coax' her to eat, we play some children's programming available on YouTube. Like the many books she has, the programs involve a diversity of characters, both White and non-White, both straight and gay, which I think is a tremendous way of teaching about the world's diversity.

Education has real power.

Unfortunately, in Ron DeSantis' world, diversity is perceived as inimical to young minds, and many jurisdictions in Florida are pursuing with real gusto his directives against materials that will enlighten young minds and ultimately help develop critical-thinking skills.

The following is from TizzyEnt (aka Michael McWhorter) whom I follow on Twitter. He makes a daily practice of calling out injustice and racism, and most of his material is quite compelling. See for yourself in the following.




It is doubtful that many people in Florida see themselves as the American Taliban, but I will be happy to hear from those who would challenge that assertion.


Monday, July 19, 2021

In Florida, It Is "Death By DeSantis"

You need only watch the first two minutes to get the full measure of how Florida is 'dealing' with its Covid-19 crisis.


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Now Might Be A Good Time To Sell

If you own property in Florida, that is. A harbinger of much worse to come?



Meanwhile, rising tides have given a St. Petersburg couple new neighbours:



No word yet on whether the mammals have asked to borrow a cup of sugar or a fillet of fish from the Smiths.