At first glance, this would seem to be a rallying point for the Party guys on both sides. And it might initially be surprising to find liberty-minded stalwart Matt Gaetz & 4 other GOPs joined with Democrats to vote no. But their reasons differ. Gaetz explained:
“From Wokeness to funding to bathrooms to Critical Race Theory, the federal government SHOULD NOT be involved in education. I don't want to strengthen the federal Department of Education. I want to abolish it.”1
Bullseye: the radical stance of liberty. How is it in our interest to have a DOE? Unified school districts? What could be more inimical to free discussion, free inquiry, than government schools? It’s akin to team teaching and interdepartmental lesson planning and cooperative learning. It is the Great Watering Down of that solitary pursuit called critical thinking. Two famous phrases come to mind:
the soft bigotry of lowered expectations & defining deviancy down
In the first instance, neocon warmonger-speechwriter Michael Gerson put words in the mouth of neocon warmonger-President GW Bush, that transcended their big government rapture, in a phrase that states precisely the DOE path, initially for the lower socioeconomic minorities, and today for all. No longer based on bigotry, however, but manipulation.
The 2nd phrase comes from Daniel Patrick Moynihan, as explained by Charles Krauthammer:
His point is that deviancy–crime, broken homes, mental illness–has reached such vast and incomprehensible proportions that we have had to adopt a singular form of denial: We deal with the epidemic by simply defining away most of the disease. We lower the threshold for what we are prepared to call normal in order to keep the volume of deviancy–redefined deviancy–within manageable proportions.2
Two illustrations of all of the above happened this week, one at Stanford and one at an Oahu intermediate school. As you are familiar with, at mighty Stanford, surely considered in all climes and cultures the zenith of higher education, where the average GPA in 2018 was 3.68/A-,3 this A- horde, exhibiting their lowered expectationism, had no need to hear the invited speaker but only to intimidate him:
But even Stanford A- kids need assistance articulating their deepest convictions, so by good fortune, Diversity Impresario Tirien Steinbach rose to the task. I assume she is adept with lowered expectations as one surmises that that is how she ascended through the system.
And what of defining deviancy down? Representative Elijah Pierick toured Ewa Makai school, as it is adjacent to his district, compiling an uplifting short video, but bringing attention to the ubiqitous banner of sexual dysfunction with its 6 colors, hung in multiple locations around the middle school. As Socrates himself might do, Pierick posed questions that would lead the school community to decide if they thought these banners were suitable. Measured and fair, his presentation avoided all rhetoric, leaving the issue in the hands of the community. See for yourself:
We have all seen sufficient examples of escalating school board meetings and classroom confrontations, and this was no exception. What is most interesting is the reaction of Representative Pierick’s fellow GOP legislators. Have a listen to Republican Sate Senator Kurt Fevella:
https://www.facebook.com/KurtFevellaEwaBeach96706 [scroll down to 4 days ago, 4/22]
When you contrast Pierick with Fevella videos. you will see that Fevella demands a defining down of deviancy, something Pierick absolutely cannot do as a man holding traditional Christian views. Favella responds exactly opposite to Pierick, with mindless, illogical ad hominem, then instructs his constituents to end Pierick's nascent political career. State Rep. Diamond Garcia responded with something like “a pox on both their houses”, unhappy that the Party gets besmirched. Here is a perfect example of deviancy sliding ever downward. Garcia, also having engaged in Christian ministry, had fought against a book at a lunch with pastors, “criticizing its availability in Hawaii’s public libraries as 'cartoon pornography for kids' as young as 6 years old."4 One might expect the Christian Conservative Garcia to look into the matter before speaking, to establish that Pierick is on the correct side of this issue. But in the fog of war, men can lose their bearings and seek reconciliation rather than truth. When truth is muddled, it is the children most especially who are the victims.
Finally, on a happy note, the folks at Citizens’ Climate Lobby are celebrating a Hawaii State Resolution asking the U.S Congress to adopt National Carbon Fee and Dividend legislation.5 Just awaiting a full vote by the House. There will be much to report on this subject in upcoming substacks, but we mustn't forget that undergirding so much of this carbon eradication attempt is The Battery that is supposed to be powering all of our future modes of transportation, tools, electronics that rule our world. But where do these batteries come from? What is required? COBALT & CHILDREN:
https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-votes-against-republicans-parents-bill-rights-1790226
https://www.aei.org/research-products/speech/defining-deviancy-up/
https://ripplematch.com/insights/the-top-15-universities-with-the-highest-average-gpas-4f4b544d/
https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/11/two-socially-conservative-candidates-vie-to-represent-kapoleis-hd42/
Ron Reilly via CCL Community <cclcommunity@citizensclimate.org>