Do Floridians really have the ‘courage to be free?’
I was not surprised to see in the morning paper that “The Courage to be Free” by Ron DeSantis had made the New York Times bestseller list. What did surprise me was that it was on the best seller list for nonfiction. Have I read it? No. Do I plan to read it? No.
I think actions speak much louder than words.
Now, early in his second term as Florida’s governor, he has proven his effectiveness in moving Florida toward becoming a police state. In his first term prior to the 2022 election, he succeeded in establishing an election police force reporting to him. His stated goal was to stamp out election fraud. There was hardly any fraud to be found. What did happen and was likely the primary goal of this new police force, to intimidate African American voters to stay away from voting.
Ask members of the African American community about their courage to be free tovotewithout intimidation.
Now in the 2023 legislative session he has asked for $98 million to establish a state army similar to the Florida National Guard but reporting directly to him. Which freedoms will they be called upon to curtail?
Ask Walt Disney World about their courage to be free to express their thoughts and policies protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Ask city councils and county commissions and school boards who all are frequently overridden by preemption about their courage to be free to respond to their local constituencies who elected them to serve and respond to the needs of their communities.
Ask public school teachers about their courage to be free to teach history as it actually happened.
Ask public schools and colleges and universities about their courage to be free to encourage their students to freely and openly discuss controversial issues.
Ask the money managers who want to make investment decisions based on performance and not politics, about their courage to be free.
Ask the business owners who want to want to make internal personnel decisions based on their business model and performance, and not politics, about their courage to be free.
Ask the Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, who was suspended for exercising his First Amendment right of free speech, about his courage to be free .
AskthethreeBrowardCounty school board members who were removed from office because of their actions as duly elected officials, about their courage to be free — especially in the face of the governor and Legislature’s continued refusal to pass meaningful gun control legislation to stop the slaughter of school children and staff.
Ask public school teachers and librarians about their courage to be free in the face of overreaching book banning.
Ask private schools about their courage to be ... Oh wait! This doesn’t apply to them.
Famous mea culpa from Martin Niemoller, The German theologian who supported Adolf Hitler only to be eventually imprisoned by him: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”