... cont'd
DeSantis’ hijacking of freedom not only raises crucial questions about whose freedom is at stake in a time of tyranny, but also how to fight for a version of freedom that is as expansive as it is just—one that furthers rather than destroys the promise of a radical democracy.
Resistance is no longer one choice among many; in the age of fascism, it has become an urgent necessity.
...
... cont'd
This far-right vision of freedom has become a venue for catastrophe that expels truth, justice, and human rights from the world.
One of the biggest fears faced by the MAGA fascists is the visibility of a notion of freedom that exposes how they have undermined fundamental rights such as the right of Black people to vote, women’s control over their reproductive rights, and the right of all people to live a meaningful life.
...
... cont'd
" Or the right to go out in public without being gunned down: The first right of all, in many ways, is the right to be secure in one’s person. These are absolutely freedom issues." [end Michael Tomasky quote]
DeSantis and the fascist wing of the Republican Party have kidnapped freedom, removing it from the discourse of democratic equality and social justice, distorting its potential as a crucial category of radical politics, and reducing it to political theater.
...
... cont'd
"Freedom is not freedom if a single medical crisis can drive you to bankruptcy.
"It is not freedom if childcare is too expensive for you to hold a job, or if you are born poor & at every turn are blocked in your rise: by underfunded schools, overpriced colleges, & usurious college loans.
" Not to mention women’s right to reproductive freedom, which the Supreme Court has just snatched away in its Dobbs decision (& the court’s right-wing majority is of course not stopping there).
...
.. cont'd
DeSantis is at the forefront of his fascist party in rejecting this notion of freedom.
Neoliberal and fascist notions of freedom must be challenged by making clear that democracy and economic inequality are inseparable. More to the point, democracy and capitalism are mutually antagonistic.
People cannot make meaningful choices in their lives when laboring under staggering forms of economic inequality.
...
.. cont'd
... waged an assault on public and higher education, imposed a culture of fear and censorship, & expanded a range of authoritarian policies that turn liberty into a weapon of retribution and punishment.
If freedom is to be rescued from the MAGA extremists, it is crucial for progressives to challenge the notion that democracy & capitalism are synonymous & that the free market translates to personal freedom.
...
... cont'd
DeSantis’ failed model of governance is particularly obvious in the contradiction between his claim that Florida is the freest state and the wave of repressive policies that make up his so called anti-woke agenda
In the name of freedom, he has instituted a 6-week abortion ban, restricted transgender bathroom access, “banned gender-affirming care for minors,” signed bills that go after drag shows, attacked businesses such as Disney that disagree with his policies, ...
... cont'd
As Michael Bronski points out, DeSantis’s support for the far-right “accusation that queer people are ‘grooming’ children to be gay [or] that even teaching children that queer people exist is tantamount to an act of pedophilia,” amounts to a call for “the complete invisibility of queer people,” or something worse.
... cont'd
DeSantis’ targeting of LGBTQ+ people is more than political theater, it also promotes a language of intimidation and dehumanization that encourages hate and increases the risk of large scale violence against trans people, students and teachers.
...
... cont'd
He has barred “trans girls from participating in girls’ sports programs in public schools,” & he has created a culture that instructs teachers to function as spies by reporting students who are “open about their gender identity.”
He has also passed bill that forbids school staff and students from using “pronouns that do not correspond with a person’s sex.”
...
.. cont'd
He has waged a vicious attack against the civil rights of gay, transgender, & queer youth.
Identifying transpeople as a threat to the nation, he has put into play bills that allow healthcare providers & insurers to discriminate against LGBTQ youth by denying them gender-affirming care.
...
... cont'd
In the name of individual freedom, he bans books from classrooms and libraries, passes legislation forbidding teachers from bearing witness to slavery & racial injustice while defending his attacks on empowering forms of education based on the spurious notion of protecting young people from feeling uncomfortable and from being allegedly indoctrinated by Black history, critical ideas, & exposure to discussions of gender, sexuality, & systemic racism.
...
... cont'd
DeSantis’s disingenuous and misguided commitment to freedom expels truth, justice, and human rights from society and becomes a signpost for fascist politics.
Freedom for DeSantis is divorced from civic culture, isolated in the regressive discourse of authoritarian values, manufactured ignorance, and iniquitous power relations.
...
... cont'd
... Florida is close to the bottom of state rankings for health care, school funding, teachers’ salaries, and employment benefits.
In addition, it is one of ten states that refused to expand Medicaid [12% of Floridians have no medical insurance], while refusing to raise the minimum wage at the same that DeSantis lowered taxes on the rich and corporations.
DeSantis has become the sneering face for the suppression of freedom while proclaiming to be its foremost advocate.
...
.. cont'd
... he states repeatedly that in Florida “We’re No. 1 in economic freedom, No. 1 in education freedom, No. 1 for parental involvement in education … And we’re No. 1 for public higher education."
DeSantis’ ugly freedoms become glaringly obvious when looking at how they serve the citizens of Florida.
His appeal to freedom exposes its dark side when his miserable record of governance is revealed.
...
Ron DeSantis & the Politics of Ugly Freedoms
Henry Giroux, 2023-07-19
https://persagen.com >> search: "Henry Giroux"
* This is a sober/thorough assessment of Ron DeSantis (and the Republican Party/far-right generally) and their concept of "freedom."
Americans live in an age when the summons to freedom is being falsely appropriated by the far-right to dominate, suppress, & exclude those considered unworthy, disposable, & excess.
...
#RonDeSantis #RepublicanParty #neofascism #CultureWars
... cont'd
In effect, he promotes a notion of freedom that fetishizes politics and promotes an authoritarian cult of violence.
As a member of Congress, he was one of the founding members of the far-right Freedom Caucus.
Obsessed with presenting himself as a principled defender of freedom, he uses the term with reference to almost every policy he supports, every attack he launches, and every speech he presents.
He shamelessly ignores his misuse of the term ...
Ron DeSantis & the Politics of Ugly Freedoms
Henry Giroux, 2023-07-19
https://persagen.com >> search: "Henry Giroux"
* This is a sober/thorough assessment of Ron DeSantis (and the Republican Party/far-right generally) and their concept of "freedom."
Americans live in an age when the summons to freedom is being falsely appropriated by the far-right to dominate, suppress, & exclude those considered unworthy, disposable, & excess.
...
#RonDeSantis #RepublicanParty #neofascism #CultureWars
.. cont'd
It is also being weaponized as a political tool to eliminate those institutions which provide support for those individuals considered enemies, or dehumanized because of their color, identity, politics, & ethnicity.
The poisoning of freedom is particularly obvious in the ideologically-driven politics & policies of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has used freedom ... [to] destroy those values & institutions that are foundational to a substantive democracy.
...
Ron DeSantis & the Politics of Ugly Freedoms
Henry Giroux, 2023-07-19
https://persagen.com >> search: "Henry Giroux"
* This is a sober/thorough assessment of Ron DeSantis (and the Republican Party/far-right generally) and their concept of "freedom."
Americans live in an age when the summons to freedom is being falsely appropriated by the far-right to dominate, suppress, & exclude those considered unworthy, disposable, & excess.
...
#RonDeSantis #RepublicanParty #neofascism #CultureWars
🎵 Morning ☮-in
Supertramp - School (Audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgJRM_8GWHg
Supertramp - School (Live in Paris - 1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2665MFFbdY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_(Supertramp_song)
Namaste 🙏 🕊
#MorningPeaceIn #Supertramp #ClassicRock