Tag: Florida

Florida becomes ninth state to ban restrictive campus free speech zones

Florida’s Old Capitol building in Tallahassee, courtesy FIRE.

By  March 12, 2018

  • Florida State, University of West Florida, Florida Atlantic, and other schools must change speech policies

TALLAHASSEE, Mar. 12, 2018 — Yesterday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law SB 4, a broad higher education bill, which was amended to include free speech protections at the state’s public colleges and universities.

The new law prohibits Florida public colleges and universities from quarantining student expression into small, misleadingly labeled “free speech zones.” The campus free speech provisions are based on the CAFE Act model legislation from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

“Students at public colleges and universities in Florida should not have their free speech quarantined by overly restrictive policies,” said FIRE Legislative and Policy Director Joe Cohn. “Now that Florida’s Campus Free Expression Act is law, these egregious policies of censorship must be rescinded immediately.”

The bipartisan CAFE provision of the bill was sponsored by Reps. Chuck Clemons, Sr., Bob Rommel, and John Cortes, and Sen. Dennis Baxley, among others. SB 4 passed the Florida House of Representatives by a vote of 84-28 and the Florida Senate by a vote of 33-5. The law also provides a right to bring a lawsuit in state court against a public institution of higher education if the institution violates the expressive rights guaranteed by the bill.

Examples of Florida policies that must be revised now that the CAFE Act has been enacted include Florida State University’s policy that limits the distribution of literature to a small stretch of campus, Florida Atlantic University’s policy that requires students to submit materials to the Office of Student Development and Activities for approval before they can be displayed or distributed, and the University of West Florida’s policy that restricts speech to one area of campus and problematically declares, “The University does not contain any traditional public forum areas.”

“Thanks to this legislation, students at Florida’s colleges and universities can much more freely exercise their constitutional right to free speech,” said FIRE Executive Director Robert Shibley. “We’re hopeful that Congress will follow this example and act to uphold the First Amendment rights of America’s students.”

Other states with similar legislation:

Virginia, Missouri, Arizona, Kentucky, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina and Tennessee have also passed legislation banning public colleges and universities from relegating student expression to free speech zones. In addition, last month, United States Sen. Orrin Hatch introduced the federal Free Right to Expression in Education Act, which would prohibit public colleges and universities across the country from maintaining those restrictive zones.

Orrin Hatch Introduces Bill to Protect Free Speech on College Campuses

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending liberty, freedom of speech, due process, academic freedom, legal equality, and freedom of conscience on America’s college campuses.

Florida Students & “Never Again”: A Teachable Moment

As the students from Florida are so eager to organize in the movement they are calling #NeverAgain, I, as a former teacher, would make some suggestions as to what I would do.

First, I would guide them. They want change. They want to be heard. How can we make that happen? I would develop a curriculum suited to helping them through this time.

First, I would take them as a large group and we would view the 2015 Frontline Documentary “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA.” Why? Because it lays out the difficulty of changing gun laws even in the wake of previous horrible mass shootings and even with President Obama in power.

Second, we would go to the website Sandyhookpromise.com. Why? Because we do not need to reinvent the wheel—some of the work is done for us.

Third, we would jointly write a mission statement. What can we all agree on that we want to see happen? This would be subject to revision.

Fourth, we would divide into small study groups each tasked with a different issue to report back to the larger group. Study groups might include:

History/timeline of school/mass shootings. Any similarities? Is it escalating?

Scientific studies about school/mass shootings. What do we know statistically? What does the science say about causes and influencers? Make sure our resources are valid and unbiased.

What about the people who say it’s not the gun, it’s the person behind the gun? Is that a valid argument? How do we answer that with science and statistics?

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/lone-wolf-attacks-are-becoming-more-common-and-more-deadly/

How are gun laws made? Are there both federal laws and state laws that we have to address? If yes, we may need two groups—one that reports back on what the federal gun laws are and one that reports back on state-specific gun laws.

What pending legislation is there right now? How can we help support it if it aligns with our goals?

What are the guns we are concerned about? Assault rifles only? Automatic vs. semi-automatic? What are we specifically asking for?

What is the FBI profile of the school shooter? Make contact with local FBI office for a face-to-face meeting and any available documents to read and report back on.

Mental health laws—what are they and are they being properly enforced? Are we at risk of a copycat?

Are we being kind to our fellow students? Is bullying playing a role? Can we improve? How do we reach out to the loner?

How do we best influence our lawmakers? Letter writing campaigns? Personal meetings? Hosting them at our school? Who are the decision makers we need to target?

What financial resources do we have and how can we best use them? Is pouring money into a March the best way to use our funds? Or should we use it for filmmaking, public service announcements, social media campaigns, travel to meet our legislators? Do a cost benefit analysis.

What are other countries doing about gun laws and gun violence? See comparative studies. If guns are removed, does another kind of violence take its place?

Do we need designated spokespeople? Some students will be more comfortable and prepared in front of a group—some will be more comfortable and prepared in a debate. Find our strengths for public relations.

Be diplomatic. Avoid hostility on social media. Constructively critique each other. For example, saying things like “I think the NRA likes these mass shootings,” or “if you don’t agree with me, then you want to murder kids”—that only alienates your audience. Don’t yell at others. Be civil and earn respect.

Prepare group reports and report back to the large group. Revise mission statement. Move ahead with a solid and workable plan and go for it.

That’s just a rough sketch–but these “kids” do need support and guidance. I hope they receive it while they have the momentum.

And also… before any of this, they need any and all available counseling and emotional support. Most of us will never see the devastation these children saw.

 

Veteran Florida Teacher’s Facebook Post Shared More Than 700,000 Times

Photo courtesy Eustis Middle School, Facebook, dated 2.10.18.
On February 15, 2018, in response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Kelly Guthrie Raley, a middle school teacher at Eustis Middle School, located in Eustis, Florida, made a post on Facebook which has since gone viral. Raley was recently named Teacher of the Year at her school and the school honored her with a congratulatory post on February 10, 2018, prior to the mass shooting. She has been a teacher for almost 20 years and shares her observations here:

Okay, I’ll be the bad guy and say what no one else is brave enough to say, but wants to say. I’ll take all the criticism and attacks from everyone because you know what? I’m a TEACHER. I live this life daily. And I wouldn’t do anything else! But I also know daily I could end up in an active shooter situation.

Until we, as a country, are willing to get serious and talk about mental health issues, lack of available care for the mental health issues, lack of discipline in the home, horrendous lack of parental support when the schools are trying to control horrible behavior at school (oh no! Not MY KID. What did YOU do to cause my kid to react that way?), lack of moral values, and yes, I’ll say it-violent video games that take away all sensitivity to ANY compassion for others’ lives, as well as reality TV that makes it commonplace for people to constantly scream up in each others’ faces and not value any other person but themselves, we will have a gun problem in school. Our kids don’t understand the permanency of death anymore!!!

I grew up with guns. Everyone knows that. But you know what? My parents NEVER supported any bad behavior from me. I was terrified of doing something bad at school, as I would have not had a life until I corrected the problem and straightened my ass out. My parents invaded my life. They knew where I was ALL the time. They made me have a curfew. They made me wake them up when I got home. They made me respect their rules. They had full control of their house, and at any time could and would go through every inch of my bedroom, backpack, pockets, anything! Parents: it’s time to STEP UP! Be the parent that actually gives a crap! Be the annoying mom that pries and knows what your kid is doing. STOP being their friend. They have enough “friends” at school. Be their parent. Being the “cool mom” means not a damn thing when either your kid is dead or your kid kills other people because they were allowed to have their space and privacy in YOUR HOME. I’ll say it again. My home was filled with guns growing up. For God’s sake, my daddy was an 82nd Airborne Ranger who lost half his face serving our country. But you know what? I never dreamed of shooting anyone with his guns. I never dreamed of taking one! I was taught respect for human life, compassion, rules, common decency, and most of all, I was taught that until I moved out, my life and bedroom wasn’t mine…it was theirs. And they were going to know what was happening because they loved me and wanted the best for me.

There. Say that I’m a horrible person. I didn’t bring up gun control, and I will refuse to debate it with anyone. This post wasn’t about gun control. This was me, loving the crap out of people and wanting the best for them. This was about my school babies and knowing that God created each one for greatness, and just wanting them to reach their futures. It’s about 20 years ago this year I started my teaching career. Violence was not this bad 20 years ago. Lack of compassion wasn’t this bad 20 years ago. And God knows 20 years ago that I wasn’t afraid daily to call a parent because I KNEW that 9 out of 10 would cuss me out, tell me to go to Hell, call the news on me, call the school board on me, or post all over FaceBook about me because I called to let them know what their child chose to do at school…because they are a NORMAL kid!!!!!

Those 17 lives mattered. When are we going to take our own responsibility seriously?

Fake News is Rampant Regarding Parkland, Florida Shooter

Courtesy Broward County Jail:

Correct spelling of name:

Nikolas Jacob Cruz

DOB: 09/24/1998

Race: White

http://apps.sheriff.org/ArrestSearch/InmateDetail/201800014

FAKE VOTER REGISTRATION CIRCULATING DOES NOT MATCH NAME OR DATE OF BIRTH:

INSTAGRAM SCREENSHOT APPEARS TO BE CORRECT AND BEING STUDIED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT:

ANTIFA PHOTO IS A HOAX VERIFIED BY REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH:

(fyi–this is even posted on a page belonging to a candidate for Congress)

ASSOCIATION WITH WHITE NATIONALIST GROUP (THAT TYPICALLY ONLY HAS 4 MEMBERS AT MEETINGS) NOT PROVEN:

Local law enforcement: No ties between militia and school shooter via

Excellent story debunking claims that student spokesperson David Hogg is a “crisis actor,” including original source of misinformation:

David Hogg: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

 

Updating as these fake stories appear.

 

 

 

 

Pussy Hats Are Out: Pink P*ssy Hat reinforces notion that woman = vagina & vagina = woman

 Photo courtesy Pussyscouts.com
Pensacola Women’s March
January 3 at 1:32pmPensacola

Trigger Warning and Content Warning for comments:
Transphobia, Cissexism, Racism, mention of Sexual Assault, Genital Mutilation, Misogyny and Trans-Misogyny.

The Pink P*ssy Hats represent a very concentrated and thus, exclusionary sect of feminism that ignores, neglects, and ultimately harms the fight for global women’s liberation. The entire concept is based around the idea of biological essentialism and shared womanhood (Mia McKenzie, Black Girl Dangerous): two incorrect ideas that women are all on the same level despite conflicting classes, races, sexualities, etc. and are also bound by “the power of the vagina”. This is a very popular concept developed and expanded upon during the second wave of feminism, usually called “radical feminism”. This type of feminism, though hugely successful in terms of reproductive justice, ultimately emphasized a mistreatment of transgender women that continues today. Though some transgender women do choose to have Genital Reconstruction Surgery, many do not, and should not have to to prove their being a woman. The right to self-determination, a concept that all feminists must get behind, allows transgender women to be women. Thus, not every woman has a vagina, and with the right to self-determination existing for transgender men and non-binary transgender people as well, not every person who has a vagina is a woman. The Pink P*ssy Hat reinforces the notion that woman = vagina and vagina = woman, and both of these are incorrect. Additionally, the Pink P*ssy Hat is white-focused and Eurocentric in that it assumes that all vaginas are pink; this is also an incorrect assertion.

The Pensacola Women’s March organizers understand that this idea was a knee-jerk reaction to the heinous, sexist, misogynistic Trump administration, but it is also just that: a knee-jerk reaction, not fully thought out. Therefore, we ask that march goers refrain from wearing this hat and instead, pick an alternative headwear that focuses on collective women’s liberation for ALL women: transgender women, multinational women, disabled women, queer women — the most marginalized. It is only through the centering and leadership of these groups that women will be liberated — not through exclusionary white feminism, which the Pink P*ssy Hat is indicative of.

The Pensacola Women’s March team will be removing all forms of hate speech that they encounter in an effort to promote a safer environment for all women.

Pussy Scouts: Stern Consumer Warning; Content Warning as Well