School Boards The New Fascists

 

Parents and residents of Mankato, Minnesota, were required to state their “name and address for the record” if they wished to address their local school board at a supposedly open forum on October 18^th. The school board made it clear that publicly stating one’s address “for the record” will be a requirement for speaking to the school board in the future, as well. The school board also informed those attending the “open forum” that they could only address topics the school board was slated to discuss at that meeting, and that no other talking, crowd noise, “grandstanding,” hollering, applause, “or any outburst” would be tolerated. In such cases the open forum would be closed, and violators could be physically escorted from the building. But the board wasn’t done. It further stated that no speaker was permitted to address any specific school board or staff member…or the open forum would be closed.

The school board member who read this list of restrictions to the assembled rubes over which the board haughtily presided noted, “This is a business meeting of the school board.” She snarkily added, “This meeting does not belong to the public.”

The correct response from the assembled rubes would have been: “You are supposed to be ‘public servants.’ We pay your salaries. Yes it does.”

This is blatant authoritarianism. Faceless-- and soulless-- statism. It is indicative of a rapidly rising tyranny and is an afront to—and assault on-- our republic.

Soon, school boards across the nation will be instructing the taxpayers they supposedly represent to “State your name, address, phone number, blood type, and social security number-- for the record”-- if they wish to speak at a board’s open forum.

They will add: “And also state—for the record—how many firearms you own, the number of doors and windows on your home…and their location. Oh, and the proximity of your neighbors’ dwellings.”

How far we have fallen. I wonder what the Founders would say if they were to address today’s school boards.

Perhaps: “My name is Thomas Jefferson [or George Washington/John Adams/Benjamin Franklin/James Madison, et. al.]. I am an American. That is my address. And you, sirs and ma’ams, can kiss my ass if you want me to kiss your ass. And don’t try to tell me to settle down or go quietly into the night. You work for us and are unworthy of this republic and its Constitution. And of all those that fought and died for it.

“And one more thing: ‘Let’s go Brandon!’”