Quo Vadis GOP?

[Jacob]

So it looks like the US is set for another debt ceiling crisis, is that right?

[Valmy]

So it looks like the US is set for another debt ceiling crisis, is that right?

Anytime the Republicans control part of the legislature and the Democrats control the Presidency, we will do this.

When the Republicans also control the Presidency they will eagerly run up the national debt.

It is all very stupid.

[Valmy]

Meowtf?

It's what Florida wants man. They are all onboard the culture wars train.

I am in no position to judge Florida of course.

[viper37]

I am in no position to judge Florida of course.

No, you are not.


Food made of aborted fetuses needs clear labels, new Texas bill says

A Texas Republican proposed a bill in the state legislature calling for any food that contains "aborted human fetal tissue" to be clearly labeled, however according to one federal agency there is no need. 

[...]

"Unfortunately, many Texans are unknowingly consuming products that either contain human fetal parts or were developed using human fetal parts," Hall said in a statement. "While some may not be bothered by this, there are many Texans with religious or moral beliefs that would oppose consumption or use of these products." 

However, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't even allow the sale of foods containing human tissue in the U.S., a spokesperson said, adding that such a product designed for animal or human consumption doesn't even exist. 
[...]

[HVC]

Soylent Green baby food, now with more baby.

[The Brain]

I swear Republicans eat the weirdest shit.

[The Larch]

Florida: "The NHL is not white enough"

DeSantis v NHL: Florida governor taps unlikely foe in 'anti-woke' crusade
What does the Florida governor and Republican presidential hopeful look to gain from attacking North America's whitest sports league as 'woke'?

As part of its forthcoming All-Star game weekend in Sunrise, Florida, the National Hockey League planned to host a special event called the Pathway to Hockey Summit. Part of the league's Hockey is For Everyone initiative, the summit was described in a now-deleted LinkedIn post as a "career event for diverse job seekers who are pursuing careers in hockey".

In addition to be over 18 and a US resident, participants had to "identify as female, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and/or a person with a disability". Also welcome: veterans.

Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, didn't like the sound of it. The Republican's office issued a terse statement suggesting that the inclusive event had been too exclusive.

"We do not abide by the woke notion that discrimination should be overlooked if applied in a politically popular manner or against an unpopular demographic," DeSantis's press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said. He demanded that the NHL "remove and denounce" the "prohibitions it has imposed" on the event's attendees. The NHL quickly replaced the original post, deleting the self-identification criteria.

[DGuller]

Unless there is more to the story, it strikes me as a "The worst person you know just made a great point" story.

[crazy canuck]

Unless there is more to the story, it strikes me as a "The worst person you know just made a great point" story.

Because if you want to hold an event for non straight white males, you definitely should not exclude straight white males?

[grumbler]

Unless there is more to the story, it strikes me as a "The worst person you know just made a great point" story.

Because if you want to hold an event for non straight white males, you definitely should not exclude straight white males?

Probably more like: if you want to protest against discrimination based on race, sex, skin color, creed, or sexual orientation, you probably should not do so by discrimination based on race, sex, skin color, creed, or sexual orientation.

[crazy canuck]

Unless there is more to the story, it strikes me as a "The worst person you know just made a great point" story.

Because if you want to hold an event for non straight white males, you definitely should not exclude straight white males?

Probably more like: if you want to protest against discrimination based on race, sex, skin color, creed, or sexual orientation, you probably should not do so by discrimination based on race, sex, skin color, creed, or sexual orientation.

I guess the concept of discrimination is not well understood in the US 

[grumbler]

I guess the concept of discrimination is not well understood in the US 

The Canadian definition is not understood in the US.  We go by definitions like

a
: prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment
racial discrimination
b
: the act, practice, or an instance of discriminating categorically rather than individually
2
: the quality or power of finely distinguishing
the film viewed by those with discrimination
3
a
: the act of making or perceiving a difference : the act of discriminating
a bloodhound's scent discrimination
b
psychology : the process by which two stimuli differing in some aspect are responded to differently

Mirriam Webster

The Canadian "make up whatever meaning is most convenient right now" type definitions are practiced here only by the right.

[crazy canuck]

My bet is that the GOP analysis of the issue runs as deep.

[grumbler]

My bet is that the GOP analysis of the issue runs as deep.

So, did you copy your analysis from them, or did they copy their analysis from you?

[Syt]

Well, this doesn't seem dystopian at all.

https://eu.heraldtribune.com/story/news/education/2023/01/23/fearing-prosecution-manatee-county-teachers-cover-up-classroom-books/69832276007/

Manatee County teachers close class libraries, fearing prosecution under new Florida law

STEVEN WALKER   Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Some Manatee County teachers have covered their classroom libraries with construction paper or otherwise eliminated students' access to make sure they comply with new Florida law requiring all library books to be approved by a certified media specialist.

The Manatee County School District directed teachers to remove all books that had not yet been approved by a specialist from their classroom libraries, Kevin Chapman, the district's chief of staff, said Monday. Chapman said many of the books teachers make available to students in their classrooms are likely already approved through the district's library system, but many teachers have chosen to close access altogether, since making unvetted books available could lead to felony prosecution.

The district did not, however, directly advise teachers to shut down classroom libraries and cover them up, Chapman said.

The policy comes in response to HB 1467, which requires all reading material in schools to be selected by an employee with a valid education media specialist certificate. In a message sent from the Manatee district to principals, the material must be "free of pornography" and "appropriate for the age level and group." New training approved by the State Board of Education also asks media specialists to avoid materials with "unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination."

Don Falls, a history teacher at Manatee High School, said some of his colleagues have already covered their bookshelves and he plans to join them.

"If you have a lot of books like I do, probably several hundred, it is not practical to run all of them through (the vetting process) so we have to cover them up," he said. "It is not only ridiculous but a very scary attack on fundamental rights."

Falls was involved in a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis over the Stop WOKE Act, which banned the teaching of critical race theory in Florida schools despite it not being in the state's curriculum. He said the law violates a teacher's First Amendment rights.

Jean Faulk, a history and journalism teacher at Bayshore High, had to remove books on democracy and writings from John Adams because they weren't vetted in the district's library system. Her bookshelves are now only lined with reference books, she said.

"This is totally a political move by the governor," Faulk said. "It has nothing to do with the students."

She said her school's administration sent out a directive to teachers asking them to put away or cover up all books in classroom libraries. Faulk said the books from her classroom libraries would now go to other local libraries or Goodwill.

Manatee Education Association President Pat Barber said the union advised its teachers to listen to principals and comply with the law, erring on the side of caution.

"It's a scary thing to have elementary teachers have to worry about being charged with a third-degree felony because of trying to help students develop a love of reading," Barber said.

Several Manatee teachers have taken to social media to post images of their classroom libraries covered to prevent students from taking books. Posts call the vetting process "cumbersome" and said the process of comparing the books on their shelves with the list of approved books is "incredibly difficult."

Each of Manatee County's more than 60 schools has at least one certified media center specialist to vet books, Chapman said. The district and schools have begun making calls for volunteers to help teachers go through their classroom libraries and inventory what was already approved and what needs to be approved.

There is no deadline or timeline as to when classroom books would need to be vetted by, he said.

I hope the "employees with a valid education media specialist certificate" get snazzy titles like Commissar, Blockwart, Preservers of Purity of Mind, or Loyalty Officers.