By John Johnson II
Gov. DeSantis and his Republican controlled legislators were in a hurry to pass laws controlling myriad issues such as free speech, textbook selection, protesting, political donations, secrecy of lethal injections, and a “Victims of Communism Day.” Amazingly, they forgot to pass a law protecting them from ”Stupid Governance.”
Let’s take a moment to examine the contradictions these draconian laws have raised and the avalanche of lawsuits they’ll face using the following vignettes:
For example, HB 1467, expands districts’ ability to allow members without children in the district to object to a book. Ok, how is HB 395 impacted if a particular parent objects to any or all books discussed about Castro and Xi Jinping? Will the rights of teachers or students wanting to discuss these individuals prevail? Besides, what about victims of child abuse, victims of cyber bullying, and victims of Republicans’ medieval legislation? Will these students get a ”Victim’s Day?”
HB 873’s Sponsor (s) was undoubtedly hallucinating from an overdose of a non- life saving drug. In other words, this bill exempts from public records manufactured lifesaving drugs secretly used to kill condemned prisoners. We get it! The hell with “Inmates’ Rights,” protect the Manufacturers.
HB 7 prohibits instruction that “compels” students to believe they bear personal responsibility for historic wrongs because of their race, color, sex, or national origin. Thus, would white students be taught that former President Thomas Jefferson fathered children with his slave and siter-in-law Sally Hemings? Will discussing former president Trump’s role in inciting the January 6, 2021 insurrection make students believe they bear personal responsibility for this wrong?
Also, HB 7, is unenforceable simply due to the ambiguous use of the word “compel,” which means to force, coerce, pressure, impel or bulldoze. Florida’s teachers don’t “compel” their students to learn any subject or content! The word “compel” more appropriately describes how students are taught in Russia and China.
HB 707 is a clear example of another ambiguous law. It fails to state explicitly what confidential personal information is exempt during the initial stages of the selection process for president of a state university or college. Should the applicant reveal that he or she is contemplating sex reassignment surgery? Who determines what personal information can initially be exempted?
HB 1571 keeps protestors away from important people’s neighborhoods. It’s reminiscent of the Red Line practice used by banks and realtors to keep Black people from moving into white neighborhoods. Redlining is no longer legal. Hopefully, this law will suffer the same fate.
HB 1557 is labeled by its opponents as the “don’t say gay bill”. It should be the “Holy Grail” of contradictions. This bill allows parents to sue a school district if the parent “ believes” that a teacher in grades K- 3, has addressed a subject that is not in an “age-appropriate way or developmentally appropriate way.” What happens if the teacher corrects a child who states that his parents told him that Trump is the president of the United States and that the January 6, 2021, insurrections was more like the Boston Tea Party.
This law also contains the word “believes,” which implies whatever a parent professes to believe is grounds for suing their school district. This law will
also be the “Lawyers Lottery jack pot.” Is the school district liable if a teacher acknowledges acceptance of a child’s confession that he’s a boy “trapped” in a girl’s body?
Unfortunately, instead of passing legislations that protect voters rights and establishes common sense gun regulations, it seems as though Florida’s Governor and Republican Legislators seek to govern more as Communist’s dictators.
YOU BE THE JUDGE!
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