3 Tennessee Democrats Face Expulsion After Protesting Gun Violence
By: Jovonne Ledet Three Tennessee House Democrats could be removed from office after protesting gun violence on the chamber floor in the wake of the Nashville school shooting. Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville, and Justin Pearson of Memphis used bullhorns to lead a protest on the House floor last week, calling for gun reform as demonstrators outside of the state Capitol demanded lawmakers take action to prevent further gun violence, per CNN. The protest came after a March 27 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville left three nine-year-old students and three adults dead. The three Democratic lawmakers were accused of breaking House decorum rules and were removed from their committee assignments following the protest. On Monday (April 3), GOP lawmakers filed three resolutions seeking to expel the House Democrats from office. “It’s morally insane that a week after a mass shooting took six precious lives in my community here in Nashville, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, their first action is not to take actions to rein in this proliferation of weapons of war in our streets, but it’s to expel their colleagues for standing with our constituents,” Jones told CNN on Wednesday (April 5). “This is not just about losing my job,” he said, adding that constituents of the three representatives “are being taken and silenced by a party that is acting like authoritarians.” The Tennessee House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Thursday (April 6) on whether to remove the three from office. Only two other lawmakers, one for alleged sexual harassment and the other for bribery, have been expelled from the House in the last 157 years. Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R) said the three representatives’ actions “are and always will be unacceptable,” citing that they broke “several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor.” Sexton further stated their actions pulled attention away from the school shooting victims and peaceful protestors gathered at the capitol. “In effect, those actions took away the voices of the protestors, the focus on the six victims who lost their lives, and the families who lost their loved ones,” Sexton tweeted on Monday. “We cannot allow the actions of the three members to distract us from protecting our children. We will get through this together, and it will require talking about all solutions.” According to the resolutions filed to remove the lawmakers, Johnson, Jones, and Pearson “did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives” as they “began shouting without recognition” and “proceeded to disrupt the proceedings of the House Representatives” last week. Under the Tennessee Constitution, the House is allowed to set its own rules and “punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.” The possible expulsion was condemned by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee. “Instead of rushing to expel members for expressing their ethical convictions about crucial social issues,” ACLU executive director Kathy Sinback said, “House leadership should turn to solving the real challenges facing our state.”
US Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics
Has it really been such a big surprise to China that the United States has chosen to diplomatically boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics? What has been more surprising is China’s reaction to the diplomatic boycott- as if they didn’t think the United States wouldn’t take a stance against their blatant human rights abuses which include: ● Mass detention camps and forced sterilization campaigns against Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in the country’s western province● Development of hypersonic and nuclear weapons● Menacing Taiwan and labeling it as a “breakaway” and unruly province● Violent crackdowns on democracy in Hong Kong● Censoring of Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai, who disappeared for 2 weeks after taking to social media to accuse former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home Furthermore, the United States is not the only country that has diplomatically boycotted the Beijing Winter Olympics. Australia, New Zealand, and Lithuania have announced too that their officials will not be attending the Games in China which are set to start on February 4th of 2022. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., tweeted in response to the White House’s diplomatic boycott announcement, saying that “politicians calling for [a] boycott … are doing so for their own political interests and posturing.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind the 100 percent, as we cheer them on from home, but the administration didn’t think “it was the right step to penalize athletes who have been training, preparing for this moment.” The United States boycotting the Olympics isn’t anything exactly new. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter completely boycotted altogether the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union retaliated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. So what is there for the United States to lose by diplomatically boycotting the Beijing Olympics? Of course, one can only expect China to continue their trade war by putting higher tariffs on their exported goods. But, these types of economic fear tactics shouldn’t ever make the US or any country waiver on pushing China to have a better human rights record. Having our American athletes participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics not only gives them the opportunity to showcase all their hard work and training, but it also gives them the platform to be public influencers who can express their opinions on advocating human rights everywhere. One great example of an American athlete who transcended his own era and brought to light positive change was Jesse Owens. Owens nearly didn’t get the chance to make Olympic history. With American decision-makers aware of Hitler’s discriminatory policies against Jews – but not yet prepared for the acts of genocide to follow – a fierce debate raged in the USA about whether to boycott the 1936 games. Amateur Athletic Union president Jeremiah Mahoney argued that American athlete participation equated to support of the Third Reich, but Mahoney’s argument was defeated at the hands of American Olympic Committee head Avery Brundage, who insisted that the Games were for the athletes and not the politicians. In preparation for the Summer Olympics, Germany made sure to put away antisemitic sentiments in Berlin under orders from Hitler’s minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. As the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported in April 1936, the last of the “red-painted signs announcing that ‘Jews Are Our Misfortune — Whoever Buys From Jews Is A Traitor’ were removed today from all public places in Berlin” — part of a strategy to rid all public displays of antisemitism during the international competition. The United States ended up sending many competitors, including 18 Black athletes. A leading Nazi newspaper referred to them as America’s “Black auxiliaries”. However, the Nazy regime was on its “best behavior” during the Games. Jesse Owens had emerged as a track and field sensation in the United States. He tied the world record in the 100-yard dash while still in high school, and his performance at the 1935 Big Ten Championships, in which he established three world records and matched a fourth over a span of 45 minutes, remains one of the most extraordinary accomplishments in collegiate sports history. And, it was Owens’ decision to participate in the Berlin Olympics that drew condemnation from African American publications and NAACP head Walter White. Yet Owen’s determination just grew stronger in that resistance. After setting an Olympic record in the 200-meter dash, Owens ignited the opening leg of a record-shattering U.S. 4×100 relay performance. He became the first American of any race to win four gold medals in track and field in a single Olympics, an achievement that wasn’t repeated until Carl Lewis did so 48 years later in 1984. Hitler, no shock, refused to shake Owens’ hand after he received his gold medals. But Hitler didn’t want to shake any winner’s hand if that hand didn’t belong to a German. Hitler was taken aback that Americans would lower their own reputations to allow African-Americans to compete in the Olympics. Owens returned to the cold reality of being a Black man in Great Depression-era America. He was forced to race against horses, motorcycles, and cars and take on other demeaning jobs for years such as a playground janitor. Owens finally caught a break in the 1950s when he became government ambassador and began touring the country delivering inspirational speeches. He earned good money and was finally seen to the public as what he always was: An American folk hero. He settled down in Phoenix, where most mornings he walked two miles to the downtown YMCA for swimming and weightlifting. What’s surprising is how President Franklin Roosevelt is still considered a progressive leader for his time period. Yet, it was FDR who invited only white medal winners to the White House and never acknowledged Jesse Owens’ success in Berlin. A month after returning to America triumphant, Owens spoke to a
48
48– There have been 48 shootings this year on K-12 campuses, and 32 since August 1st. Each day, 8 children die from gun violence in the United States. The shooting that happened at Oxford School in Michigan killing 4 people (all students: 16-year-old Tate Myre, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling, both 17), and injuring 7 people (all students), is just the latest from a pandemic that has plagued the United States since 1970. And, what makes this pandemic worse is the fact that there is no scientific cure- there is no immunization to stop gun violence. The cure for gun violence is changing the laws in this country to make it so people like Ethan Crumbley’s parents can’t just go out and purchase a gun on Black Friday and let him share it on social media like it’s his new greatest toy. The cure for gun violence is eliminating the purchase of guns entirely, especially guns that are military-grade guns and can shoot many rounds in a matter of a few seconds. The cure for gun violence is if we can’t right away stop the purchasing of guns, that at least we make the conscious effort to have thorough background checks and require that each gun bought from a store comes in a locked container that makes it impossible for any child to open. The cure for gun violence is school officials empowering their counselors to pinpoint students who have exhibited anger, depression, or unusual behavior and making sure they feel involved in their community and have an outlet from what could be a very stressful home environment. The cure for gun violence is not to take away the rifles of hunters but instead ensure they’ve met the necessary background checks and also carry the gun in hunting-permitted zones. The cure for gun violence is also getting hunters to be advocates for gun control rather than opponents of it. The cure for gun violence is to get rid of politicians who promote the purchase of guns by displaying them in public. The cure for gun violence is eliminating the purchase of ghost guns- gun parts that anyone can purchase online and assemble without ever going through a complete background check. I know I’m missing many cures here because, at the end of the day, the cure to gun violence is true compassion and love. For four years, I taught English as a second language in South Korea. The students were such a pleasure and joy to teach, and I miss them every day. To some, I still write notes back to them, and they do the same. I’ll never forget the day I walked into my academy the day after the news of a major US school shooting. One student raised their hand before class started and caught me completely off-guard. The eight-year-old girl asked me, “Mr. Spencer, why was there shooting in that school in the United States? I don’t ever want that to happen here.” What do you say to a question like that? In all my life, I never felt less patriotic, yet I answered the question to make the girl and the rest of my students feel safe. “It won’t ever happen here,” I said. “Because no person here can ever own a gun unless they’re in the military or a police officer. And those people, the police and soldiers, are who protect you, and me, and us, right?” I waited till she said yes, and continued. “So, feel proud that you live in a country like yours, South Korea, where you can feel safe.” Of course, another student asked me if I worried about gun violence when I was their age as a student, and I do remember there being times where I did worry. All I could do was try to revert back to the safety and precautions of South Korea. However, in the back of my head, all I could do was imagine how this conversation would’ve gone if I was talking to a classroom full of students in the US. Would my answer have been the same? Would I have told them too that, We’re safe here- don’t worry. Would I have said something different also, That’s why we have metal detectors, security guards and police officers, and active shooter drills to keep us safe? The truth of the matter is if gun violence continues in the same direction, the United States is not the country I will allow my daughter to attend school in. It hurts me to say this as I enjoyed going to school so much in the United States. I played chess after school, I was in the band and Latin Club, and I ran cross-country and track. I formed such great friendships with teachers and friends. This involvement in the community is something I so dearly want my own daughter to experience and be involved in. Yet, things have to change. They must. People shouldn’t be afraid to enter any public place with their family whether it be in a school, stadium, or shopping mall, and worry if someone who isn’t a police officer may be concealing a gun. Schools shouldn’t have to be investing in metal detectors and gun-proof doors, and armed security guards to stop gun violence. Students shouldn’t be trained on how to climb under their desks while their teachers prop other desks and objects against their classroom door. I sincerely hope that the United States changes soon because today’s guns that can be purchased aren’t the same ones that were referenced back in 1787 when our Constitution was signed. It is time for all gun owners to realize that, and to also realize that our children deserve no greater protection than our own kindness and love.
Time to Fire Gosar
What does it say about our country, the United States of America, when we allow for some of our own government members to downplay another member joking about murdering a colleague? Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona posted an anime fantasy video last week that depicted his face on another character killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joe Biden. A recent House resolution censured Gosar removing him from both the House Oversight and Natural Resource committees. Even as the resolution passed, the majority of Republicans grouped together to vote against the proposal after Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy maintained that Gosar had already served his “penance” by deleting the video which Gosar initially claimed he didn’t know the contents of. How could Gosar not know what he posted? As the final votes came in, Gosar was seen collecting back slaps and fist bumps from GOP colleagues along the back wall. What does this tell about us as a country? Well, it tells that some members of our government condone violent media. Plain and simple. It also tells that these same members will use freedom of speech as a way to say violent media is okay- that the intent wasn’t “real”. In a recent statement from his website, Paul Gosar said, “If this cartoon “incites violence” and needs to be banned and me “punished” for it, then the Cartoon Network, Disney and all of Hollywood must be shut down and “punished” for all the cartoon and film violence they portray. Really? Is Paul Gosar really trying to put himself in cartoons and a cast of characters like Tom and Jerry? I’m lost in Gosar’s child-like and void mind. How can we as a country elect childish officials like this, to begin with? Kudos to the two Republicans – Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Illinois) and Liz Cheney (Wyoming) for voting for the censure resolution. What Adam and Liz demonstrated in their vote was that they wouldn’t let their political party affiliation blind them from simply being good people. But, censuring Gosar is not enough. He needs to be fired. Gone from government and public service forever. We should also say goodbye to all his friends who gave him fist-bumps in the corner like he was some freedom of speech champion- some savior who went to an extreme necessary length to portray Democrats as being “over-emotional”. The truth is there’s a pandemic of elected officials catering to ignorance in this country. They think that words and visuals don’t matter because they’re not actions- that redefining the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” won’t contribute to any systemic racism against Chinese people living in the United States- in the forms of verbal and physical harassment. They think that you can just “playthings off”- that Lysol injections to prevent COVID was just a joke and that no one would try it. They think that you can glorify taking off masks and being against the vaccine mandate because it’s an expression of personal freedom. How much longer are we going to allow our country to be run by these types of baseless and crude politicians? How much longer are we going to let them use “freedom” in any context even when it hurts our freedoms and health? How much longer are we going to elect “leaders” who spend more time behind their Twitter channel doing violent video creations than actually speaking with citizens on how they can improve their lives? To me, patriotism is about calling a spade a spade and speaking the truth when things aren’t working for your country. Until elected officials like Gosar are fired and never elected again, the United States is going to continue being a country that caters to the ignorant and condones violence in the guise of freedom. The world is watching and shaking their heads. Now is the time for a change. Watch the Trevor Noah video below for additional context:
Liar Liar, Aaron Rogers
For Green Bay Packers star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who once hosted Jeopardy for 2 weeks, the answer to this question should be obvious: What is the best way to protect yourself and others from contracting COVID-19? Yet, Aaron Rodgers has twiddled his thumbs on the podium, given his smuggish smile, and provided conservative talk show hosts like Joe Rogan the doctor scrubs and medical credentials to provide him Covid consultation. Wait- now Rodgers has his answer: What is building your monoclonal antibodies and ivermectin? Wrong, Aaron, wrong. Maybe you should’ve never joined your team in the first place after sitting out on his teammates most of the off-season. First off, ivermectin is a treatment for parasitic worms, headlice, and skin conditions such as rosacea, that is not approved for use against Covid-19. Secondly, according to the FDA, Even the levels of ivermectin for approved human uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma, and even death. Thirdly, Rodgers hasn’t thought this through as some people will actually pursue his advice, what will be his talking points then, when he’s contributed to more patient hospitalizations in the United States? Allergies to the Covid Vaccine? Rodgers came under fire recently when he said he has an “allergy to an ingredient that’s in the mRNA vaccines” found in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Yet, Rodgers could not detail the allergy and has yet refused to come forth. The number of people who’ve gotten allergic reactions to Covid vaccines is about 2-5 cases per million doses, according to Dr. Niraj Patel of Atlanta, chair of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force. Rodgers’ claim could have validity if it was actually backed by truth and medical records- but it’s not – as was his claim that a licensed NFL doctor told him “it’s impossible for a vaccinated person to get COVID or spread COVID”. What it all boils down to is Rodgers thinks he is somehow more informed than the Dr. Fauci’s of the world, the leading doctors across hospitals who till this day plead for people to get the vaccine if they haven’t. Every night these doctors have to try to go to sleep knowing tomorrow that they’re going to see another patient rolled into the emergency room diagnosed with COVID- another patient who will have to rely on a ventilator to keep them going. Aaron Rodgers with all his money and stardom doesn’t have to worry about who’s next. Why? Because he’s fallen into the same sad statistics of people who use fake excuses that the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine harbor negative side effects, or that somehow the vaccine is preventing their body from doing its own natural immunity response. These types of people fail to understand that the mRNA vaccine is giving their body the intelligent blueprint to be prepared to recognize and combat the virus- they fail to care about protecting the immunocompromised, elderly, and youth from exposure to COVID. I feel bad for all the Green Bay Packer kids and fans out there- kids who might have looked up to Rodgers and thought of him as their team’s leader. They’re just going to have to find a new role model to look up to. It makes me truly disgusted that a professional athlete of Aaron Rodgers’ caliber can even defend his choice to not get the vaccine by evoking the great Martin Luther King, Jr. Rodgers recently paraphrased Dr. King by saying ‘You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense.” MLK said these words at a time period where black people were hung, beaten, and harassed for wanting to be treated equally – for wanting to take a sip out of the same water fountain as whites, sit at the same restaurant as whites, and go to the same school as whites. These were just some of the many unjust rules MLK pointed out. Rodgers should feel utter shame and remorse for trying to put his own childish rebellion to not get vaccinated in the same light as MLK tried to shine. If MLK were alive today, one could only imagine he’d tell Rodgers to wake up and in MLK’s own words tell him: “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” After contracting Covid, Rodgers said: “There’s a lot to natural immunity, and natural immunity has not been part of the conversation”, adding: “If you’ve gotten Covid, and recovered from it, that’s the best boost to immunity that we can have.” Trust the Science and Medical Community Studies have shown that immunity from Covid does continue for several months after recovery, but it is unclear for how long. To ensure longer-term immunity and protection against variants of the virus, the medical experts continue to say the same thing: get vaccinated. Being from Pennsylvania, I follow Geisinger Medical Center who in 2020 joined among 39 U.S. employers that received 2020 Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Well-Being awards presented at the business group’s virtual Workforce Strategy 2020 Conference. This is one of their more recent infographics which disproves Rodgers’ claim that those who opt against receiving the vaccine are just as safe as those who do get the vaccine. This is the type of data Rodgers needs to see- maybe it needs to be pasted into his own weekly playbook when he gets the chance to flip that open again. Look, I’m not a Rodgers’ hater or Packers hater. I have no vendetta against the Packers, and in fact, I always thought the organization was special as the Packers are the only publicly-owned, not-for-profit, major league professional team in the United States. Rather than having a single wealthy owner, or multiple partners, the Packers are owned by fans — 360,760 shareholders owning a total
What’s So Scary About Critical Race Theory?
Critical race theory is an academic concept greater than 40 years old. The theory is centered on educating how race is a social construct, and that racism doesn’t originate in the individual, but rather has been embedded and fueled in our own legal system and policies. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, prominent CRT scholars emerged such as Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others. Most people are aware of the historic racism against blacks in the form of slavery, police brutality, and harassment by white supremacists, but fewer are aware of the economic barriers that have prevented black people from accessing a fair share and quality of living similar to white people. For instance, in the 1930s, government officials drew lines around areas noted as poor financial risks, often on the sole premise that their inhabitants were black residents. Banks subsequently refused to offer mortgages to Black people in those areas. Among the topics studied and discussed in CRT include: History of racially segregated schools and other public places The underfunding of majority-Black and Latino school districts disproportionate disciplining of Black students Barriers to gifted programs and selective-admission high schools curricula that reinforce racist ideas. 3 key opposition points to having CRT taught in schools include: Young white students can feel shame unnecessarily CRT teaches students to live in the past and not focus on the present CRT makes black students develop a victim mentality In a testimony on Thursday to a committee evaluating mental health in Kansas, Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican, said, “If you are confronted with the fact that because of the color of your skin you are racist, that can manifest shame.” Where Kristey Williams is wrong is the fact that true shame has to do with trying to hide history or its impact on the present day. Should we as a country feel shame for racism and unjustified deaths as a result of racism? The answer is yes. We should also feel shame for how we forced Native Americans off their own land and put Asian Americans especially Japanese-Americans in internment camps following the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Should these topics be avoided just because they make us as Americans feel shame? The answer is no. In a video posted by Middle Ground, black Americans debate many issues such as: People need to “get over” slavery Being black shouldn’t influence your political view Why should we support Black Lives Matter? All I have to do is walk out my front door and around my suburban block to see that the number of Blue Lives Matter signs dominate in yards over the number of Black Lives Matter signs. To me, the most disturbing part is that I develop preconceived beliefs about these Blue Lives Matter neighbors. Are the Blue Matters Movement neighbors upset because police officer deaths don’t get covered in the news as much? Do they think that black people get special victim treatment that is not given to white police officers? What would they think if I walked past their yard wearing a #BlackLivesMatter t-shirt? Would they curse under their breath, say something derogatory to me, or just ignore me? Would they still say, hi? I’m not one for putting signs in my yard to attract attention, but if I were, I’d find a sign which combined Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter both in a heart. Might sound sentimental or too wishy-washy like I should be forced to choose between one or the other, but unity is what this world desperately needs right now. Our neighborhoods need to know that police should continue to care about improving Black lives, and that Black people should continue to care about restoring trust in the police and the polices’ lawful oath to protect our communities. Whether it be black unemployment rates, the low # of black CEO’s in today’s workforce, or the high # of black prisoners, there is a heck of a lot of work still to be done to improve living conditions for Black people across the board. Look at the statistics below: What states have advocated for anti-CRT state legislation? See this list: Eight states (Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, Arizona, and South Carolina) have passed legislation. None of the state bills that have passed even actually mention the words “critical race theory” explicitly, with the exception of Idaho. The legislations mostly ban the discussion, training, and/or orientation that the U.S. is inherently racist in addition to education about conscious and unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination, and oppression. State actors in Montana and South Dakota have denounced CRT teaching concepts. The state school boards in Florida, Georgia, Utah, and Oklahoma introduced new guidelines barring CRT-related discussions. Local school boards in Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia also criticized CRT. Nearly 20 additional states have introduced or plan to introduce similar legislation. What’s your stance? Should CRT be taught in schools? Let us know in our social posts!
The Man Behind The Book Witch Hunt
Imagine a society where government authorities seize schools and confiscate any books that they deem “inappropriate”. Sure this may seem like science fiction similar to the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury where a fireman is employed to burn outlawed books, along with the houses they are hidden in. In the novel, the tyrannical government believes that burning books will make everyone happier because there would be no way to retrieve data- no way citizens could stand against the government and its fixed views of how their society should live. And, here in 2021, Matt Krause, a Texas representative, is trying to bring Fahrenheit 451 to reality by demanding schools statewide tell him whether they currently hold any of around 850 books on a list he’s compiled. Krause sent a letter on Monday to the Texas Education Agency and superintendents of school districts around the state, asking each official to acknowledge if their schools possess any book on his list, along with a detailed report of where the books are and how much money was spent on them. He is targeting books that according to him: “Might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.” Krause expressed he wants to remove books from libraries and classrooms if they focus on issues from transgender identity to critical race theory. Fiction Stories on Krause’s list include: The Great American Whatever, a young adult novel by Tim Federle “Pink is a Girl Color”… and the other silly things people say, a children’s picture book by Stacy and Erik Drageset. Non-fiction book titles include: How Prevalent is Racism in Society? by Peggy J. Parks We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures by Amnesty International Some of the books on Krause’s list explain puberty and reproduction, others describe pregnancy and abortion. How our own schools respond to Krause’s book witch hunt will tell about our moral backbone as a country. Are we going to even consider Krause’s approach to raising our youth in a society where they’re deprived of education on topics such as transgender identity, historic racism, and female reproductive rights? Perhaps the more disturbing part of this story hinges on the fact that Krause himself is a father of 5 children- five children who will be told by him to close their eyes and mind to all these important topics. His children will grow up thinking there is no identity such as transgender, that racism has never existed in American society, and that we as people all are not born free. Perhaps this is a public stunt by Krause to gain media attention as he’s one of several Republicans challenging Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is seeking reelection in next March’s party primary. When Krause’s office was contacted, nobody of course was available for comment. Maybe he’s trying to grow his list to reach 1,000? Maybe he’s afraid that just like in Harry Potter, pages from the novels he’s trying to ban will come flying into his home through his mail slots and chimneys? If only we could make that happen. Krause has given school officials until November 12th to reply to his book witch hunt. I say we give him till the end of October to resign from representing our country, and then force him to sit in a room to read all the 850 novels he’s told schools to ban. Then, only maybe then, will Representative Krause emerge somewhat enlightened.