Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI to investigate what he called ''a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.''
This was in response to a letter the National School Boards Association sent to President Joe Biden, claiming that ''America’s public schools and its education leaders are under an immediate threat'' by frustrated parents attending school board meetings.
Both Biden and Garland are arguably violating their oath of office to ''preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.''
Parents across the country have been awakened to the fact that public schools in many districts are indoctrinating their children in a number of areas, including:
• Critical Race Theory, claiming that all whites are oppressors and all people of color are oppressed
• Gender fluidity, promoting the notion that people can change their gender at will
• Pornographic imagery, — including homosexual imagery — contained in books in school libraries
The COVID-19 outbreak has added to the problem, with states like California mandating that all K-12 students be vaccinated and wear masks in class.
Issues like these have understandingly resulted in heated school board meetings, but that’s what the board members signed up for when they campaigned for the job.
Sept. 25 was First Amendment Day, a day to commemorate America’s most cherished freedoms — to practice the religion of their choice, to speak or publish without fear of reprisal, to assemble in protest, and to petition the government to address grievances.
Despite the heated nature of many school board meetings, there are no reports of violence, and no threats other than to vote them out of office, and local police are usually present to be sure.
Police are one thing — but the FBI?
This amounts to an attempt to silence any opposing thought, to close all political debate.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to fight any improper use of the FBI in the Sunshine State.
"Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation," he tweeted Tuesday. "Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent.''
Former President Trump also slammed the DOJ’s action.
"It's very tough because the parents are very wounded by what's taken place by, in many cases, radical left school boards," Trump told John Solomon’s Just the News. "And you would certainly think they have a voice — and they have a voice — as to how their children are going to be educated, brought up and educated.''
Nonetheless, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat who’s currently embroiled in a lively campaign to win his old job back, believes parents should just keep their mouths shut.
He made that claim during a debate last week with his Republican rival, Glenn Youngkin.
After Youngkin said parents should become more involved in their children’s education, McAuliffe claimed, ''I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.'' That statement prompted immediate backlash.
The following day a local CBS affiliate gave him the chance to walk it back. He doubled down instead.
"You don't want parents coming in, in every different school district saying this is what should be taught here and this is what should be taught there,'' he said.
Apparently President Biden has the same opinion — he initiated the FBI’s involvement.
On the other hand he was fine when an illegal immigrant and protester chased Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., into a women’s restroom because she’s opposed to Biden’s $3.5 trillion spend-a-thon.
He said it was just ''part of the process.'' Yet attending school board meetings, waiting until your name is called, and then voicing an opinion isn’t ''part of the process''?
If that’s their reasoning, it’s not working — at least not with the electorate.
No party wins an election without the blessing of the all-important independent voter.
Without surprise, Gallup announced Tuesday that favorability of the Democratic Party among independents dropped 13 points since January — from 48% approval to 35%.
What is surprising and even scary is that 35% of independents still have a favorable view of Democrats.
And that Merrick Garland is OK with violating the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment is downright terrifying. He’s the attorney general, was formerly chief judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and very nearly became a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
But above all else, parents shouldn’t be cowered. They have both a right and a duty to speak out when they see a wrong, and politicians, from school board members to presidents, are the ones who should be terrified.
When the people fear their government, we have tyranny.
When the government fears the people, we have liberty.
Let freedom ring.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range. Read Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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