Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is at it again. There’s no bastion of freedom of thought and expression he isn’t prepared to assault.
Our anti-science governor found time to take on such non-existent problems like transgender girls in sports (never a single problem case in Florida), sanctuary cities (we don’t have any), critical race theory (not taught anywhere in Florida, and besides, it is a law school book and doctrine, not part of any lower school curriculum), election security (after correctly declaring the November election to secure, safe and perfectly run.) Not a word about the very real algae tide that threatens the tourist industry and environment, not a word about the broken and unfair unemployment system.
Now his latest target is the minds and thoughts of Florida’s college students. The threat to writing is real and imminent if not stopped by the courts.
College students are among the world’s most prolific writers, and many become great masters.If the DeSantis program is allowed to proceed, every student writing for campus publication, or a class paper or exam, will know that Big Brother is keeping tabs on how they think. While many writers will rise to the occasion despite the oppressive nature of this scheme, many more will be silenced.
We don’t need the kind of blacklists and public denouncements that we saw in the nineteen fifties. We don’t need DeSantis’ thought police. We don’t people telling us what we ought to believe, or monitoring our thoughts.
Click here to read the Washington Post article about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a law to compile the views and thoughts of college students in the state.
DeSantis claims he’s doing this to promote diversity of thought; this from a guy who banned sanctuary cities, curtailed academic discussions of race, and promoted the right of angry motorists to run over protesters. (None of these are expected to survive court scrutiny.)
DeSantis is governor of America’s third largest state, and is a leading candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2024. His embrace of these neo-fascist laws are part of a frightening national trend by the Trump Republican Party.
The State will monitor and “categorize” what people think? Big Brother really is watching! Does anyone doubt there will be pressure to state one thinks the same way as the intrusive government? Does any sane person accept that the government collects people’s views only because they want to promote diversity? This is what they do in North Korea, Cuba, and Iran! I wonder what a self-professed libertarian Republican like Rand Paul has to say about this.
WE CAN STOP DESANTIS IN HIS TRACKS NEXT YEAR
We still have free elections in America, though Republicans like DeSantis are working overtime to end this practice. Don’t let them! DeSantis is one of several right-wing, extremist Republican governors up for reelection in 2022; others include Greg Abbott of Texas, and Brian Kemp of Georgia.)
Florida is always a close state in nearly all elections. The last three gubernatorial races were decided by less than half a point. DeSantis barely squeaked by Andrew Gillum in 2018. There’s no doubt DeSantis is popular with the Trump wing of the GOP, which is the entire party in Florida, and he comes into the election a slight favorite. There are two fine candidates seeking the Democratic nomination: former Governor and current Congressman Charlie Crist, and current Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried. Either has a proven record of accomplishment and either would make a far superior governor than the current occupant of the office.
Even if you do not live in Florida, you can still help remove this threat to civil liberties. You can contribute to the eventual Democratic nominee, or right now to one of the primary candidates. You can do the same if you live in a state with its own far-rightist governor. You can contribute to the organizations (like the ACLU) challenging all of these unconstitutional laws in courts around the country.
A Direct Threat to All Writers
A writer does not have to be a college student to feel the threat to our freedom. Once these far-right Big Brother fascists can monitor the thoughts of one group, they’re not stopping there. Indeed, all Americans should see this as a direct threat to our Constitutional liberties of free expression, freedom of association, and privacy rights.