Purely Political, By James Buckley
I know that the forces arrayed against revealing the truth about the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation recently passed by the Florida legislature and signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are relatively small in number but extremely influential and because of that, very powerful.
I know that the truth of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill has nothing to do with the suppression of the reality of various sexual proclivities and orientation and everything to do with the appropriateness of introducing such subject matter to really young children.
In recent columns, I’ve chronicled discussions with Santa Barbara schoolteacher Christy Lozano (who, incidentally, is currently running for Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools) about the misguided curriculum espoused by the school district for kindergarten through third grade and for fourth through sixth grades. Ms. Lozano finds the subject matter recommended for those grades inappropriate.
Here’s what I know about the Florida legislation: Its main tenet reads thusly: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Perhaps more importantly, the bill not only allows parents to sue a school district if it violates the letter of the law, but it also requires school districts to notify parents of what kind of “health care services” are being offered and allows parents to refuse to permit their children to access the services they feel impinge on their parental rights or duties.
School are now also required to notify parents about changes in any student’s mental, emotional, or physical health situation.
During his bill signing ceremony, Gov. DeSantis held up a poster illustrating “The Genderbread Person,” and he cited it as an example of what he considers inappropriate teaching material for kindergarteners up to third graders. The Florida Legislature was merely responding to parental outrage at the material and Gov. DeSantis, by signing, expressed his agreement.
RUSSIA VS. UKRAINE
What I think I know about the situation in Ukraine is that President Joe Biden and his handlers believed from the get-go that Russian troops would overwhelm Ukrainian resistance quickly and that “regime change” in Ukraine would replace President Volodomyr Zelensky with a more amenable leader, one who would bow to Russian demands when called upon to do so. And they seemed to be OK with that result.
What I think I do know is that rather than accept the U.S. offer of protection for him and his family (and presumably whatever other Ukrainian official who wished to take up the offer), Mr. Zelensky’s apparent willingness to stay and fight against Russian hostility took Mr. Biden et al by surprise.
“I don’t need transportation,” Mr. Zelensky historically said to the U.S. offer of a free ride out of Dodge, “I need ammunition!”
It’s a statement that Ukrainian children will be taught for as long as there is a Ukraine that isn’t under a Russian thumb.
TRANSGENDER SWIMMER LIA THOMAS
What I don’t know is the height and weight for Lia Thomas, the trans swimmer for the University of Pennsylvania. A site called Ghanafuo.com (a subsidiary of DM Network) calling itself “an international news media and informational-based news outlet,” pegs the swimmer’s height as 5’7” and weight at 134 pounds. Starsgab.com has him at 5’8” and 132 pounds.
Vimbuzz.com also has his height at 5’8” but weighing in at a whopping 215 pounds.
Most sites, however, place Lia’s height at 6’1” and weight mysteriously at “60 to 70 kgs” (no actual U.S. poundage mentioned). Since one kilo equals 2.2046 pounds, that’ll put a 6’1” athlete at either a little over 132 pounds at the low end to 154 pounds at the high end.
What I do know is that would be one skinny athlete.
What I really don’t know is why this is a mystery at all. Aren’t all athletes weighed and measured before and after performances? Isn’t the height and weight of any competitor a well-known factor in any coach’s equation?
What I do know by looking at a photo of Lia Thomas (there are none that I could find with other female swimmers), is that Lia looms large next to the competition.
HUNTER BIDEN’S LAPTOP FROM HELL
What I know is that Hunter Biden’s laptop and all the information contained therein is and was real when New York Post journalist Miranda Devine revealed its existence just weeks before the November 2020 presidential election.
I know too that all the usual suspects — The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and virtually all mainstream media — ignored or debunked the story without investigating its accuracy. I know that 50 members of the so-called “intelligence” community, including Obama-era Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Obama CIA Director John Brennan, signed off on a document alleging that Ms Devine’s NY Post story “had all the earmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign.”
I know that Hollywood celebrities and talking heads on every television network except for Fox Cable News Channel denounced the story as “fake news” and that they circled their Priuses, Mercedes and Lamborghini SUVs around their presidential candidate Joe Biden in order to protect him from this Mother of all October Surprises. Not a word was uttered publicly, not a sentence was printed that didn’t cast doubt on the article’s authenticity. All elements of the story were erased from virtually all social media and online information outlets.
And, I know that it worked. By suppressing this story, basement-dwelling Biden’s victory was secured.
I know that The New York Times recently relented and declared that the existence of the laptop was factually correct but that no apologies were forthcoming.
THE ORDER OF SUCCESSION
I know that, even if both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were removed from office, we’d be facing the presidency of third-in-line Speaker of the House of Representatives, San Francisco’s own corrupt and corruptible Nancy Pelosi, as specified in Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the U.S. code. And if all three were disqualified, Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy would be next in line, followed by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and so forth. Though Secretary Blinken seems like a decent fellow, our country should not be in this position.
And if the press had done its job with integrity, we would not be facing this dilemma.
THE UNTRUSTWORTHY PRESS
I know, above all, that I will never trust another word written or spoken by any of those media outlets.
Ever.
And neither should you. The mainstream media — via the above-outlined collusion with the Democrat Party, the entertainment industry, and Big Tech – has saddled us with a cognitively impaired president and an absolutely incapable vice-president. What they’ve done is unconscionable.
That’s all I know.
James Buckley is a longtime Montecito resident. He welcomes questions or comments at jimb@substack.com.
