Dan Rather discusses Florida's 'Stop WOKE Act'
Dan Rather discusses Florida's horrible decision to sanitize the nightmares that was America's history regarding slavery:
As much as we wish American history were different, tragedy is part of our reality. We do a grave disservice to future generations if we sanitize the truth. People can behave horribly. Societies that profess noble values can countenance violent bigotry. We can either look back from whence we have come with clarity, or we can try to muddy the roots of the present and weaken ourselves in the process.
This week, the Florida State Board of Education reworked its standards for teaching Black history. The changes come in response to the state’s so-called “Stop W.O.K.E. Act.” Passed last year, it limits training and education around issues of race, sex, and other criteria for systemic injustice. At its heart is a core belief that has animated right-wing culture warriors: that people alive today should not be made to feel bad or even uncomfortable by the sins of the past. The thinking goes, that was a long time ago.
But of course it really wasn’t. And the legacies of the past live on. And if we don’t learn from history, we are bound to repeat it.
George Takei also had a thought regarding this stupidity:
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"Why Ron DeSantis Won’t—or Shouldn’t—Run for President"
This article has shades of Vizzinni in The Princess Bride, playing a convoluted mind game. I want to believe the author wrote this as a way to urging DeSantis to run for the express purpose of him and Trump fighting.
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Baby surrender box in Florida is used
A fire station in Ocala has a box to surrender a baby. A box designed to allow anonymous surrender of a child. It's a heartbreaking and fascinating thing to learn exists in this modern era.
The organization launched the first baby box in the U.S. in Indiana in 2016, and the organization received its first surrendered newborn in 2017. There are now at least 134 baby boxes scattered across numerous fire stations and hospitals in the country, according to the organization.
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Games Done Quick Cancels Florida Event
Games Done Quick (GDQ) is one of the most popular streamed gaming events for charity. They canceled their Florida event over the state's anti-LGBTQ politics:
Games Done Quick, the organization that runs speedrunning marathons for charity, announced Wednesday that next year’s Awesome Games Done Quick will take place Jan. 8-15, 2023. But the wintertime event, previously scheduled to be held in Florida, will remain online-only, organizers say, citing that state’s approach to COVID-19 and “increased aggression” toward LGBTQ people.
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Why Florida Didn't Participate in the American Revolution
Despite growing up in Florida, I had never learned why Florida wasn't one of the original 13 colonies. I assumed it was because, at the time, Florida was still primarily a Spanish colony (deduced from my childhood visits to St. Augustine, the oldest city in America.)
The blog entry is fairly top level, but definitely interesting for brief insights. Would love to read more.
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