Last Call For Ron's Gone Wrong, Con't

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is saving kids from imaginary indoctrination in schools by government edict with actual school indoctrination edicts handed down by Florida Republicans.

Public school teachers in Florida will soon be required to dedicate at least 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day” to teach students about communist leaders around the world and how people suffered under those regimes. 

Speaking at Miami’s Freedom Tower before a crowd of local lawmakers and supporters, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 395, which designates Nov. 7 as the state’s official “Victims of Communism Day,” making Florida one of a handful of states to adopt the designation. 

It is, however, the first state to mandate school instruction on that day, as Florida Republicans continue to seize on education policy while placing school curriculum at the forefront of their political priorities ahead of the 2022 midterms. The bill, which DeSantis signed along with two street designations in honor of Cuban exiles, would require the instruction to begin in the 2023-2024 school year. 

It would require teaching of Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro, as well as “poverty, starvation, migration, systemic lethal violence, and suppression of speech” endured under those regimes. 

“That body count of Mao is something that everybody needs to understand because it is a direct result of this communist ideology,” DeSantis said, noting that tens of millions of people died in China under his rule. “I know we don’t need legislation here to do this but I think it’s our responsibility to make sure people know about the atrocities committed by people like Fidel Castro and even more recently people like Nicolas Maduro.”

To recap, teaching Florida kids about authoritarian fascist slavery in other countries is mandated. Teaching Florida kids about authoritarian fascist slavery in this country is divisive critical race theory that makes white kids feel bad and must never, ever be mentioned.

Do you see why this is a problem?

The US Chamber Of Culture Combat

Republicans are making it clear that Disney will only be the first target in bringing corporate America to heel should voter but them back in charge of Congress in November, with the GOP introducing the Non-Woke Chamber Of Non-Diverse Commerce for approved, right-thinking businesses to join (and to donate billions to Republican candidates through) or risk having those billions taken through vengeance politics.

 

A new business lobby backed by Republican heavyweights is looking to build clout with GOP leaders amid high-profile splits between the party's policymakers and key segments of corporate America, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce is positioning itself as an alternative to groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The new group's backers complain the Chamber has lurched left from its onetime post at the vanguard of a Republican-aligned political apparatus.The chairman of the AmFree chamber, as it's known internally, is Terry Branstad — the former Republican governor of Iowa and President Trump's ambassador to China. 

Its CEO is Gentry Collins, a former political director of the Republican National Committee. The AmFree Chamber will provide an avenue for American businesses looking to influence Republicans, who appear poised to retake congressional majorities next year.

What's happening: The new chamber's formation comes as corporate America grapples with increasing pressure to engage on issues such as voting rights, racial justice and abortion — and the potential political fallout from doing so."I hope to make the case to our policymakers at all levels that we must move away from the trend towards socialism and back to a pro-business, pro-growth posture," Branstad told business leaders during a conference call last Thursday, which Axios also attended. 

In a memo pitching the group to potential members, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, the AmFree Chamber offers "tools for American businesses to maintain access to the marketplace in the face of 'woke capital' and 'cancel-culture' threats," among other benefits.

The big picture: A high-profile split last year between the U.S. Chamber and congressional Republicans — including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the potential next Speaker — provides a lane for a group that can effectively wield influence among GOP leaders, say sources close to the project."The void that is filled is [the AmFree Chamber] isn’t dead to Hill Republicans who will likely control the floor of both House and Senate" next year, one Republican lobbyist told Axios. 

A senior House leadership aide told Axios the U.S. Chamber has "become more interested in electing so-called pro-business Democrats who vote for their party’s decidedly anti-business, woke agenda. It’s no surprise Governor Branstad and others have recognized this and are stepping in to fill this void," the aide said.

What they're saying: "[W]e warmly welcome anyone who joins our agenda, advocating for businesses and their workers. We need the pro-business voices to be heard loud and clear," a U.S. Chamber spokesperson told Axios.The group "has worked with our network of state and local chambers across the country to secure important legislation, benefiting businesses of all sizes and our country as a whole," the spokesperson said, citing its work on trade, inflation, infrastructure and "the threat of government overreach." "To find viable solutions, we need to collaborate and work with all stakeholders."

Between the lines: Multiple sources close to the new Branstad group used the term "woke" to describe the U.S. Chamber, a social-justice buzzword that's been relegated largely to the domain of conservative critics.One source pointed to the group's engagement on ESG, or environmental, social and corporate governance business practices, and positions on tech sector regulation at odds with Republican critics of the industry. 

Another brought up its preservation of scaffolding on its Lafayette Square headquarters covered by graffiti and artwork during 2020's Black Lives Matter protests. While candidates still regularly tout the endorsements from the chamber and its state affiliates, it's become a political epithet in some high-profile Republican primary contests.

 

Look, I'm no fan of trillion-dollar companies like Apple, Alphabet or Amazon. I actually do think these companies should be ground into anti-trust dust by the government and either broken into pieces or put out of business for good. 

But that has nothing to do with "free speech" practices like the GOP is tossing around here.

 

Republicans are now openly threatening any business they deem as "woke" for being targeted by mobs, boycotts, lawsuits and legislation until there is capitulation...or else. Bad press, conservative boycotts, legislation targeting the company specifically, whatever it takes to get 100% of donations given to the GOP machine.

 

The shakedown is one thing, but the implications are strong here that Republicans will target and criminalize corporate diversity practices, inclusiveness, and hiring until companies are hiring nothing but white men again.

 

You will be made to comply, corporate citizen...

Folding Like A Lawn Chair

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (and I know what I said) wasted no time Monday giving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell his biggest win of the not-quite post-Roe era so far.

Members of the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill Monday that would expand security protection to the immediate family members of Supreme Court justices, following protests at some justices' homes over the weekend. 

The Supreme Court Police Parity Act was approved by unanimous consent, meaning no senators objected to its quick passage. The legislation must also be passed by the House before going to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. 

The push in Congress comes one week after Politico's bombshell leaked draft of an opinion, which indicated the Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade as soon as next month. 

Sens. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, and Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, introduced the bipartisan bill called the Supreme Court Police Parity Act. 

"The events of the past week have intensified the focus on Supreme Court Justices' families, who are unfortunately facing threats to their safety in today's increasingly polarized political climate," said Cornyn in a news release ahead of the bill's passage Monday evening. "We must act to ensure Justices and their families are protected from those who wish to cause them harm by extending Supreme Court police security to family members." 

Coons added in the release: "If the families of Supreme Court Justices have the same profile and exposure as the highest ranking officials in our government, they deserve the same level of protection. We must take threats that come from extremes on both sides of the political spectrum against Supreme Court Justices seriously, and that makes this bill an unfortunate necessity." 

Over the weekend, pro-abortion rights protesters gathered outside the private homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in Chevy Chase, Maryland, outside Washington, DC. 

While protests around the country have been largely peaceful, law enforcement officials in the nation's capital have been bracing for potential security risks. Last week, an 8-foot-tall, non-scalable fence was installed around parts of the Supreme Court building, and crews set up concrete Jersey barriers blocking the street in front of the court. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed the protests outside some justices' homes, saying they may be "flat-out illegal," citing a federal law that criminalizes pickets with the intent of influencing a judge. 

"Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of First Amendment speech or protest; it's an attempt to replace the rule of law with the rule of mobs," the Kentucky Republican said in remarks on the Senate floor on Monday. 

 

So in a unanimous, bipartisan, historic vote, Schumer and all 50 Senate Dems agreed to the Republican framing that picketing Justices Kegstand and Alito is the liberal January 6th insurrection and that we have to protect judges from A N T I F A, and protesting peacefully is just as bad and probably even worse than the actual January 6th domestic terrorist seditious insurrection. On top of that, the unanimity of the Senate Democratic vote means Pelosi has no choice but to put this on the floor before the end of the week.

We can't kill the filibuster and pass a federal abortion law, but 100% of the US Senate agrees that pro-choice protesters need to go to fucking prison. In fact, the Biden Administration has scrambled to bash peaceful protesters.

 

.@POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.

— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) May 9, 2022

 

The judges decided that noone of child-bearing capability has any right to personal safety, folks. Protesting outside Kavanaugh's house is literally the least that needs to be done right now. 

If the Dems are trying to purposefully depress voting turnout over the end of Roe, I couldn't have asked for a more effective plan if I was Mitch himself. Remember, this wasn't a problem until Democrats actually used their free speech. Republicans can "threaten judges" all day.

Jackasses.