Thank you for lending your powerful voice and platform to my story @chrisbray. It has been a surreal experience. I am going to keep going and hopefully at some point the school board members will comply with their legal duties. The only way we keep this from happening again is to ensure transparency and accountability for misconduct by public officials.
Thank you for your persistence and bravery. In our small town in northern Lancaster County, we are in the probable position of a seismic change in our school board. Through the tireless work of concerned, dedicated parents, ineffective members were ousted in the primaries and a hopeful slate of sane people will hopefully be elected. We have a Moms for Liberty group that is spreading throughout the county. Fighting the insidious creep of woke ideology into the curriculum and school culture is daunting. It is not without controversy. I recently passed a yard sign imploring passers-by to reject the “Christian Nationalist” school board candidates and “vote blue.” It’s the trenches and I deeply appreciate those willing to make the huge sacrifices.
Oct 21, 2023·edited Oct 22, 2023Liked by Chris Bray
They do this because they believe unquestionably that the winds of the nation are blowing to full-on authoritarianism. And will never be held to account. Because the course is set going to that final destination of global authoritarianism the powers that be have charted our course towards. They've seized control of voting, tossing the rules on transparency and integrity. And they are saying, "What are you going to do about it. Yeah. We didn't think so. Sit down. Shut up. Obey. If you know what's good for you."
And until we do something about it they will be right. Doing something doesn't necessarily mean rise up in violence. Rising up in civil disobedience is a powerful something to do. The more the better. Now is the moment in history when we have to reach out to those who went along, who've obeyed in fear and silence, to join with us in refusing to go along with whatever the next insult to our constitutional and God-given rights they have planned. Be it transinsanity, climate alarmism, 15-minute cities, digital currencies, hidden, fraudulent vote counting, all must be resisted.
We can occupy their offices, show up in front of their homes, just as the protesters currently favored by the authoritarians do. But that means risk. Risk of loss of liberty, job, privileges of life in our communities. We grew up with our national anthem played and sung at most large public events. With the closing words, "Land of the free and the home of the brave." The former doesn't come without the latter.
Our nation's forefathers understood this. And risked all to sign the Declaration of Independence. A document they knew by affixing their name to they were quite possibly signing their own death warrants. And many died. More lost everything, property, families. This is our moment. We didn't ask for it. It chose us. Are we made of the same stuff as the nation's founders? Or does freedom, our God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness pass into history as a failed experiment? Our actions will determine this. Nobody else. The courts will not save us. A new leader will not save us. Only we can save ourselves. And that is done by refusing to comply. Not moving on.
Thank you for picking up the flag of freedom in your community, and carrying it in the direction of the authoritarian's front lines. Facing whithering fire. The flag-bearer in battles figure they have about thirty seconds of life remaining when they attack an enemy's lines. When the duty to carry the flag in attack falls to the closest attacker, who knows the same fate awaits. What separates victor from vanquished is how many brave souls are willing to pick up a falling flag and attack instead of running away to safety. Bravery. One never knows where it's found, who possesses it until the battle is raging all around. We are in those times. God bless all who chose to fight instead of running away from the foe we face. God bless you, Chad Williams. God be with you.
you talk about authoritarians a lot, but the truth is latent authoritarianism is the maga connector. and this is unsurprising, as A) latent authoritarianism is at the core of fascism, and B) the good ol’ us of a has about double the percentage of latent authoritarians in its population as other similar nations.
I'm going to address your comment in two parts. The first will take your premise to task, challenge the Vox piece about who the true authoritarians, Fascists are. The second part will give credibility to the assertion that Trump acted as an authoritarian, which set the stage for what we are experiencing today in the world.
First, are you familiar with the F-Scale test? Created by Theodor Adorno in 1947. Used by many in academia and social sciences to determine if someone has "latent authoritarianism" in them. In the wake of WWII and the horrors of Fascism across the world that gave rise to the worst atrocities against humanity the world had ever seen.
Many were seeking to understand how authoritarianism could take over entire nations of educated, modern people, who thought they were free. The F-Scale test provided a way to assess the traits and qualities of people who would fall under the spell of authoritarianism or wield it when given power.
Sounded like a good idea. And many went along with it. Especially in academia, where it was taught by the social scientists, the psychologists, the political scientists, the historians.
Sadfunny thing is, the test itself turned out to be not only false. Rather, it assesses those with the strongest traits of individual liberty and freedom. Characteristics that are MOST resistant to authoritarianism. the F-Scale test is a sham. And so is the entire concept of latent authoritarianism that the Vox article puts forward.
The US was a hotbed of Fascist ideology even before Hitler rose to power. Prominent leaders of industry, academia, media, banking, medicine, law, most all had vocal and energetic voices advocating Fascism. Looked to Mussolini with envy at what he was doing in Italy. Hitler was as much their creation, along with the same types of people occupying the same positions in the UK as the creation of the German people. The Rockefeller's, Ford's, Carnegie's, Bush's, Dulles's, Lindbergh's, etc, most all had intentions to make the US follow in Hitler's footsteps. And many even funded Hitler's war machine DURING WWII when the same global Fascist "blue blood" eugenics practitioners and supporters profited off of the blood spilled by American GI's from "flyover country."
Fact. And US law even was the basis of the holocaust, Buck v. Bell, SCOTUS 8-1 decision that declared, "Three generations of imbeciles is enough" was cited by crimes against humanity defendants at their Nuremberg trials. What stopped the rise of global Fascism was a civil war between authoritarian models of government. The Collectivist authoritarian model of Communism with government ownership of the means of production v. the the collectivist authoritarian model of Fascism with government-corporate partnership controlling the means of production. Hitler and Stalin signed their Pact with Secret Protocols in which both declared western liberal capitalist democracies to be their greatest mutual threat. The governing model that the US Constitution enshrines, individual liberty and freedom, private property ownership, limited government. I.e, MAGA.
The exact opposite of what the F-Scale test and other determinants of "latent authoritarianism" proclaim is Fascism. The test and its derivatives are intentional lies. Created by the American and global Fascists who prevailed against the Communists. Setting up for the long game. Knowing they couldn't go straight to Fascism on the heels of defeating Hitler's monstrous machine. Believing he just didn't do Fascism right. Just like many Communists like Bernie Sanders say that Stalin just didn't do Communism right. Still believing in the governing model. Only failing because it was in the "wrong" hands.
Vox is a rag produced by authoritarians. Of both varieties, Communism and Fascism. Vox does not support individual liberty and freedom. Free love, sexuality and drug use that they promote doesn't equal freedom and liberty. They are false markers of a free society that the social scientists have constructed to make people believe they are free. Nazi Germany and its leaders were filled with sexual perverts and fetishists. They weren't free. Yet "They Thought They Were Free" (by Milton Mayer) because social mores were libertine. The Vox piece is pure propaganda. Fingering the most individual freedom and liberty loving constitutionalists as authoritarians. More like projection. Which is what tyrants do, project their unpopular traits on their enemies.
Second part, Trump is guilty of leaning into authoritarianism that set the path to global authoritarianism in motion under pretense of pandemic emergency power. When Trump initiated the travel ban from China he violated the well-considered guidance of every single pandemic response plan drafted and ready to meet pandemic influenza responses. Which is what Coronavirus was. The flu. A flu very much like the severity of the Hong Kong Flu of 1968-1969. When no global shutdown occurred, even Woodstock was held during.
The pandemic response plans all acknowledged that closing borders for the flu has no impact on the spread of disease. Even closing down local communities when infections are first detected has limited effect, predicated on detection before a novel pathogen is widespread, then acknowledging that any pathogen will escape containment and be widespread within two weeks of its first arrival. There's no putting toothpaste back in a tube.
The pandemic response plans rationale in not closing borders or imposing major disruptions on the normal flow of society is that since containment is impossible the act of closing borders is purely a political act, not based in medical science. It becomes a political blame game, "your country infected mine." False. Done for political advantage. Not far removed from an embargo, which can be considered an act of war. And when nations blame nations for something they have no control over, like containment of an influenza outbreak, nation's leaders blame their people. For something they have no control over. Under the "shit roles downhill" concept, blame-shifting. Which is when authoritarianism takes over a nation. The suspension of civil liberties and the individual freedoms and liberties that western liberal democracies shared. Right up until the end of January, 2020. When Trump's China travel ban first took effect.
What's happened since is EXACTLY what the pre-2020 pandemic response plans warned against. Trump's original sin. Everything since has flowed from that. It was when disease was treated with political science instead of medical science. Social science. Behavioral science. Nudge. Coercion. Manipulation. Population control. All flows from the China travel ban. When the US and the world needed a US president to say, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" or "We will bear any burden, pay any price, for the cause of liberty" we had an American president say, "Stop everything, hide in your homes, treat everyone like they are a danger, a threat to human life." Trump.
But, as has been said about capitalism being the worst economic system created - except for all the others, the conduct of all leaders not named Trump allows us to say that Trump's pandemic response was the worst response - except for all the others. While he leaned into authoritarianism with his original sin of travel bans and lockdowns, every other leader not named Trump saw his authoritarianism and raised it. Many have pushed all-in. Especially on the left But authoritarians of both varieties, the Fascist Republicans and the Communist Democrats. And the global authoritarians in most all ruling parties across the world.
It's as if when Trump said before the UN and WEF in late 2019 "the United States will never be Socialist" the global authoritarians, Fascist-Communist alliance a la Hitler-Stalin pact, decided they'd take that challenge and enjoin the war for humanity's future. A war that Trump and his supporting cast was totally unprepared for. Teddy Roosevelt spoke softly but carried a large stick. Trump spoke loudly but carried a small stick.
And here we are. Authoritarianism is ascendant. And we still don't have sufficient power or means to defeat it. Trump's pandemic response let the dangerous beast of authoritarianism out of the gate, imagining it could be contained. But authoritarianism is a beast that when let out of the gate goes on a rampage, and isn't easily recaptured. China even cautioned the US and the world in its February-March, 2020 editorials in their official media Global Times and China Daily that the pandemic responses would be an opportunity for the world to see the difference between the governing models. Acknowledging that while western liberal individualist freedom-based governing models are more innovative and creative that in times of crisis people desire the "firm hand of control" that collectivist authoritarianism provides. They were right.
As with all things, these are complex issues. No simplistic understanding addresses the nuances and subtleties of human society and governance. While the Vox piece engages in a broad-brush smear of MAGA and those who love constitutional freedom by means of projection it does correctly identify a characteristic and trait of Trump's that placed us on this authoritarian path. He pushed over the first domino. But the dominoes were already set up to fall they way they have by others with authoritarianism as their long term goal, desired path for humanity.
The Fascists who began their quest for power and control over a century ago have joined with the Communists who opposed them in the middle of the last century to once and for all achieve Hitler and Stalin's shared objective of eliminating the threat of western liberal capitalist democracy respecting individual liberty. They learned from history: Don't break the Pact until individual freedom is crushed. They'll settle their differences for the future of the world when we, MAGA and our global partners, are gone. And that's the sad, brutal truth of our predicament today.
I can't always make it through your tome-like comments, but I found aspects of this one contextually illuminating. This is why I view current US politics as uniparty. Trump may have brought the authoritarianism out into the open, but Biden sure doubled down on it.
Another important inflection point was 9/11, which was used as an excuse to do all manner of unconstitutional actions, notably the whole WMD propaganda and especially the Patriot Act. But as you point out, the roots of all this go way way back, probably to the late 1800s.
Lol! And if I'm getting that from a Substack reader used to long form imagine how they used to go over on Facebook back before I left it!
I appreciate you pushing through the tomb. I read lengthy studies, history and research all the time, quickly with high comprehension. My training and practice. What I end up sharing believe it or not is reader's digest version compared to what I take in. For me it's a shorter read than how I met the info. But for others it's like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. Again, I'm glad you saw something in it that captured your interest. And yes, 9/11 was pivotal.
Yeah, all Trump's fault. Jesus Christ that gets old. Your "speak softly, big stick" crap is true when it's true, but things like Reagan firing the air traffic controllers for striking and keeping them fired was a tiny stick that backed
off the world, just doing what you say you will do is usually all the stick that's needed. Too bad Dem's and Rinos don't echo that part of Trump. Oh but yeah, Trump was the first to kiss some new Senator's cheek so all the D.C. sex that followed is all Trump's fault too.
Trump f'd up. Bigly. He did. Fact. You didn't read the pandemic response plans that I've read, all of them said exactly what I shared. Predicting the outcome that we've experienced. He recklessly ignored those warnings. You didn't read the Chinese editorials I read, the Foreign Affairs magazines of the Council on Foreign Relations I read, that said they'd take his screw up and follow the China authoritarian model given the door he opened by being "xenophobic" in closing down travel. Because they are the globalists who took his "the United States will never be Socialist" pronouncement and pounced, knowing he didn't have the supporting cast to prevail. That's a fact. An absolute fact. You can scream, shout, stammer, whine, insult, attack all you want, doesn't change facts.
That whole, not having the supporting cast to prevail thing means the Dem's and Rino's were NEVER going to echo Trump. Our wishes and expectations of them were misplaced, huh? Which is why a US President must NEVER indulge even a little bit of authoritarianism. Never. There's no such thing. That beast is always looking for its chance to rampage when the shackles are off. You never take the shackles off. Never, never, ever, never ever. Especially not for a flu.
Good grief. He panicked. Fact. And spent the rest of his administration trying to reign in the authoritarianism he unshackled that rampaged through our nation ever since. Unsuccessfully. Which is why I wrote:
"But, as has been said about capitalism being the worst economic system created - except for all the others, the conduct of all leaders not named Trump allows us to say that Trump's pandemic response was the worst response - except for all the others."
The man F'd up. Bigly. Yes, he is but a man. A fallen man. Just like all of us. To his credit he did try to rein it in after he saw authoritarianism rampaging out of control. His F up had the silver lining that it exposed the authoritarians in positions of power and authority all over our nation. In elected office, the bureaucracy, academia, media, industry, entertainment, in the hearts and souls of a shocking number of Americans and nations across the world that we all assumed loved freedom as much as we do. But they don't. And probably never did. Now we know better. Those Dem's and Rino's are no longer snakes in the grass, they've been flushed out by Trump's F up. So at least there's that.
You're obviously a Trump supporter. You might be surprised I am, too. Just like I support capitalism, despite it being the worst economic system ever created, except for all the others. But if you're going to go around and blindly support a fallen man, ignoring his mistakes, mistakes that he's never apologized for, acknowledged, has resulted in the deaths of millions and the loss of prosperity and freedom for billions across the globe then with supporters like you he'll do it again. Wise leaders learn from their mistakes. No man is infallible, only God is. Perhaps it was God's design to have Trump F up so that we would wake up to the peril we were surrounded by, to give us a chance to stop it before we boiled in the warm pot of water we were pleasantly relaxing in.
Given all of the harms his major F up is responsible for I can only support him because I believe in God's plans for that man of nerve and courage who is the only man in a position of power who isn't compromised by the even worse global authoritarians who took his original sin and made it the catastrophe they've made. I fault Trump for not having the vision to see what would happen as a result of his losing faith in freedom, even for a moment. But he didn't take his mistake and run with it like all the others have. Which makes them even worse.
Maybe you can understand that level of complexity in understanding a man. Maybe you can't, most people are emotional creatures who only see good or bad, not gray. But it takes sober people who see good and bad in all to understand the true nature of man. No man can ever be worshiped. Not even Trump by a Trump supporter.
I also invite you to take the F-Scale test. There are many free versions to take online, do your own search for some. First answer the questions as you truly believe. You may believe many areas it asks if you support government involvement are necessary. You may believe many areas it asks if you support government involvement aren't. The test will give you a result. Then take the test again. And answer the questions such that you don't support government involvement in any area.
I guaranty you that your results after answering no government involvement is warranted in any area will say you're an authoritarian personality. Play with the test, change your answers, try to hone in on what answers make you more or less authoritarian. The F-Scale test will consistently say the authoritarian personality is strongest in those who answer we should be the freest from government involvement; It's a sham. It's intended to be a bludgeon by authoritarians against those who embrace the individual liberty and freedom our Constitution enshrines and God created us to live by.
God bless you sir. You are a lion amongst sheep. It’s been amazing to see across the nation how even local school boards have become power hungry authoritarians. There refusal to acknowledge the will of the people that put them there if it doesn’t line up with there personal beliefs.
I appreciate the doggedness...as a self-employed person of somewhat older children I had the flexibility to just "walk away" from public schools, and I did. Homeschooling has been enlightening on many levels AND I think the leviathan that is the public school system NEEDS major accountability after the last 3 years of asinine behavior...which clearly harmed children on so many levels.
You are a hero of heroes for pushing back on these administrative scolds, and your doggedness is an inspiration. My daughters are great but they weren't super fond of my terse words to school officials trying to mask them up cuz I often (always) lacked style and nuance and was easily dismissed... But not so you, and thank you for your fight!
Thank you for the kind words, but I am definitely not a hero. I’m just a husband, a dad and a lawyer who is simply trying to get public officials to follow the law. I wish I didn’t have to do this. I want to move on. My wife definitely wants to move on. But, as Chris perfectly states, there will be a “next crisis,” and if we don’t learn lessons and hold people accountable for ignoring the law during the Covid years, then the results will be much worse next time. I’m fighting because I think I have a duty to do so.
Good on you, sir. I am afraid we won’t be able to make any headway until the bureaucrats and elected officials are punishable directly for the illegal acts, that is to say, are directly either sued on the own dime or enforceably removed from office and barred from public employment upon being found to have violated these rules. Voting them out only goes so far, especially when they are appointed.
Just wanted to let you know, there are people from across the Atlantic rooting for you too!
As a retired teacher, I'm well-used to what mr Bray has described here so for what it may be worth, you have my moral support and fullest sympathies.
(As an aside, when people wonder why kids bully other kids, I used to point out how our school board where I worked here in Sweden acted. Monkey see, monkey do.)
As to your hesitancy to sue - why not sue the officials in their individual capacities, on the notion that plainly ignoring the written complaints procedure is egregious enough to bust qualified immunity?
At first, the local gov't will probably fund their defense - true - because they probably have very broad indemnity and defense clauses. But there has to be some outer limit to those as well.
And even a judgement that, when taken against a school district would be basically token damages, might amount to a serious message when it comes to an individual who has to pay his own way. $25,000 means the culpable board member might be forced to sell his boat, or not fund that kitchen renovation he'd spent 5 years saving up for. Hire a repo man to his late model Lexus or fancy pickup truck. Invite a local photojournalist to take a video of that collection.
It’s not a bad idea and I’ve considered it. I still might have to do it. I don’t want to, but they’ve definitely exceeded their authority and aren’t entitled to immunity. Honestly, though, I would rather the school board hold the people accountable who knew they were violating the law and did it anyway.
Just curious, Chris…did the Unionville Chadds-Ford School district ever respond to your request for a response? Because I still haven’t gotten a response to the allegations in my 906 Complaint and haven’t been granted a hearing 🤷🏼♂️
The evil seems to be a desire to show incredible amounts of empathy. The more empathy you have the better you’re perceived to be in places of power. Of course, rules, regulations and laws don’t support empathy extremism. They believe it’s the right thing to do in the moment because, well, they’re empathetic. They also know that it was all based on nonsense and emotion. But because empathy is at its core the best thing we can all have (they say), they can’t actually be wrong.
It’s narcissism and the inevitable smugness that follows when someone believes they’re just a better person than you. All their wrongs are choked up to, “we did the best we could..”
This is what happens when empathy is the most desirable trait in that person that you vote for, or hire. In my experience people are either faking empathy or wildly unserious with genuine extreme empathy. Both are toxic in places of power.
You don’t have to be religious to review the seven deadly sins and the four virtues and figure out which side a person regularly resides. The oldest trick in the book is to try to reframe one’s sins as virtue but that is merely doubling down on the sin.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by Chris Bray
Maybe. But history has not shown that to be a durable nor reliable solution. I think the challenge is the current system relies upong the good intentions and fealty of those entrusted with certain authorities.
But as Madison et al warned in so many words, we have to assume people are going to do bad things because, well, they are people.
The system only has checks and balances if the checks and balances are adhered to in a civil society. We're approaching the boundary of an uncivil authoritatrian apparatus.
One thing that has shown to be partially effective is civil lawsuits--hitting the purse strings does have an impact--but as Chris writes, we are calling fire on our own wallets in order to save our institutions.
In the 1970s legislatures inflicted many changes upon society, such as forcing single sex institutions to admit women and businesses to add handicap bathroom fixtures, by adding toothy incentives to civil rights statutes such as treble damages and attorneys fees.
Similar penalties added to procedural laws such as the one Mr. Williams is using would make enforcement much easier.
Assuming institutional resistance continues, and it will, those penalties should become necessary.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by Chris Bray
Chris, this is an interesting article. But I have to fault you for not naming names. You say, "In an affluent, deep blue community in the Philadelphia suburbs..." Which community is that? Can we be specific? You say "In August of 2020, during a Zoom meeting to decide on a mask mandate for the soon-to-begin school year, the nine-member Unionsville-Chadds Ford school board muted Williams when he asked about the legal basis for the mandate." Who are the members of that school board? What are their names? These are public officials. Name them. Otherwise, this article is only interesting in a "Some people, somewhere, did something bad. Oh, well" sort of way. Let's get specific. Person X, a member of the school board, probably the board president, called for these actions. Who is that person? These were public meetings. So, let's make sure the people responsible for these actions receive the sunlight that is due to them.
I linked to the names and full bios of all the board members, and I encourage people to click on that link. The community I figure I named by naming the school district.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by Chris Bray
Thanks, I missed the link. I figured the school district name was a giveaway, but it's not the same thing as directly stating the city name. In general, I'd just urge you to be specific and name names. Bullies thrive when they think that nobody is watching them or will ever hold them to account. When they find out that the world is watching, they will change their behavior. I would not just include a link to the board or anything else. I would put names directly in the article. People, indeed public office holders, are making these horrible decisions. Your readers deserve to know exactly who those people are, so don't give them any cover, even behind a link. Finally, please know that I enjoy your writing. So, keep going!
I second that. If silence and non-responsiveness is the proximate problem,* then the solution is transparency. Name names. Let Google and the Streisand Effect do God's work.
*The more ultimate problem is that people in government feel empowered to dominate, a tendency which won't be solved by simple naming-and-shaming.
Agreed that naming and shaming won’t stop the die hards who believe in the cause. But there are a lot fewer of those, and they derive some of their power from the “go-alongs” that either allow it to happen or even tepidly support it. And those go-alongs will be deterred by naming and shaming. But yes, ultimately we need to dig these people out of all the various institutions and make at least some of them pay dearly for their actions.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by Chris Bray
We stop it by imposing consequences on these "public" officials. Harsh ones! Like they are stripped of their jobs, their reputations, sued into the poor house and jailed. AND removing your children from government schools.
Vivek says heads on pikes. He was talking about terrorists, but hey, once one gets startedd.... No one expects the Spanish Inquisition, eh?
School boards, legislators, misrepresentatives, administrators, Gateses and Soroses have all learned there is no one and no way to hold them accountable even for murder as long as the blood is not wet and sticky on their hands.
I'm starting to wonder if some form of - prehaps ritualized - violence might not be appropriate. Duelliing, for instance. Whatever happened to that cage fight between Musk and Zuckerberg?
One of Saul Alinsky’s rules; power is not only what you have, but what your enemy thinks you have. The school board pretended to have power. Regarding the fearful friends; if you take the cowardly path you become cowardly, if you take the courageous path you become courageous.
There are three parties included in a Bond Agreement:
Bondholder – All elected public officials are required to be bonded and they must sign an oath to uphold the Constitution of their State as well as the Constitution of the United States for America. Companies, contractors, and even unions are also required to have a surety bond.
We the People – The community for whom the bondholder is OBLIGATED to serve.
Surety Bond Company – This is the company that guarantees that the bondholder will serve the people.
If a claim is filed against a bondholder, the Surety Bond Company is responsible for accepting the claim(s), notifying the bondholder, demanding that the bondholder address the claim and starting an investigation if the bondholder does not resolve or rectify the situation.
Right. This is all about using the insurance company to apply leverage. As long as the focal point of leverage has control over the issues of interest or the people that do, that’s all that matters.
How do we break that habit? The "elite" school critters consider us to be dog poop under their shoes. That isn't going to change. I suppose if everyone takes their kids out of public schools, something might change.
In areas where the public schools are funded through property taxes, you pay for the schools even if you take your children out; even if you are childless; even if you are unemployed.
The area around Philly is lost. There is so much corruption, elites with their heads up their asses and cheating during elections that no sane conservative will go near it.
You can’t break cowardice. It is ingrained now in our Western society. There needs to be a cultural shift. Easy times create weak men. It looks like we may just break that cycle soon with a WW upon us.
You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.
You're not to think you know more than we do.
You're not to think you are more important than we are.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.
Perhaps you don't think we know a few things about you?
(The eleventh one at the end is a sort-of penal code)
Courtesy of Aksel Sandemose, from his 1933 novel 'A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks'. Highly recommended and the above "laws" have a great sociological bearing and are based on precisely the negative kind of small-town mentality you talk about.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by Chris Bray
We break that habit of enabling tyrants by seceding from their institutions rather than naively attempting to reform them. To "tell you how this ends," it ends when -- and only when -- we stop playing by their rules and start living by our own. My wife and I have put skin in the game by homeschooling our daughter instead of trying to mitigate the harms of a crooked system. It was a difficult decision at first, requiring some additional work and sacrifice, but it has turned out to be one the best decisions we ever made.
What if Chad Williams had taken all the time, money, energy and expertise he wasted fighting the school district and directed it into homeschooling his children instead? He only ended up proving the district's absolute authority while his children were forced into masks and all that comes with that.
In my area, Los Angeles, I am seeing more and more services and accommodations popping up to serve the growing homeschool population. But those services and accommodations only come into existence as people break with reformers like Chad Williams and simply say no to the irretrievably corrupt public school system.
I actually did home school two of my four kids during the lockdown. While managing a busy law practice, and my wife was working as well (so we could send another one of our kids to a private school that was in person). We did the best we could under the circumstances.
Thank you for lending your powerful voice and platform to my story @chrisbray. It has been a surreal experience. I am going to keep going and hopefully at some point the school board members will comply with their legal duties. The only way we keep this from happening again is to ensure transparency and accountability for misconduct by public officials.
Thank you for your persistence and bravery. In our small town in northern Lancaster County, we are in the probable position of a seismic change in our school board. Through the tireless work of concerned, dedicated parents, ineffective members were ousted in the primaries and a hopeful slate of sane people will hopefully be elected. We have a Moms for Liberty group that is spreading throughout the county. Fighting the insidious creep of woke ideology into the curriculum and school culture is daunting. It is not without controversy. I recently passed a yard sign imploring passers-by to reject the “Christian Nationalist” school board candidates and “vote blue.” It’s the trenches and I deeply appreciate those willing to make the huge sacrifices.
That's one tedious yard sign.
Thank you.
They do this because they believe unquestionably that the winds of the nation are blowing to full-on authoritarianism. And will never be held to account. Because the course is set going to that final destination of global authoritarianism the powers that be have charted our course towards. They've seized control of voting, tossing the rules on transparency and integrity. And they are saying, "What are you going to do about it. Yeah. We didn't think so. Sit down. Shut up. Obey. If you know what's good for you."
And until we do something about it they will be right. Doing something doesn't necessarily mean rise up in violence. Rising up in civil disobedience is a powerful something to do. The more the better. Now is the moment in history when we have to reach out to those who went along, who've obeyed in fear and silence, to join with us in refusing to go along with whatever the next insult to our constitutional and God-given rights they have planned. Be it transinsanity, climate alarmism, 15-minute cities, digital currencies, hidden, fraudulent vote counting, all must be resisted.
We can occupy their offices, show up in front of their homes, just as the protesters currently favored by the authoritarians do. But that means risk. Risk of loss of liberty, job, privileges of life in our communities. We grew up with our national anthem played and sung at most large public events. With the closing words, "Land of the free and the home of the brave." The former doesn't come without the latter.
Our nation's forefathers understood this. And risked all to sign the Declaration of Independence. A document they knew by affixing their name to they were quite possibly signing their own death warrants. And many died. More lost everything, property, families. This is our moment. We didn't ask for it. It chose us. Are we made of the same stuff as the nation's founders? Or does freedom, our God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness pass into history as a failed experiment? Our actions will determine this. Nobody else. The courts will not save us. A new leader will not save us. Only we can save ourselves. And that is done by refusing to comply. Not moving on.
Thank you for picking up the flag of freedom in your community, and carrying it in the direction of the authoritarian's front lines. Facing whithering fire. The flag-bearer in battles figure they have about thirty seconds of life remaining when they attack an enemy's lines. When the duty to carry the flag in attack falls to the closest attacker, who knows the same fate awaits. What separates victor from vanquished is how many brave souls are willing to pick up a falling flag and attack instead of running away to safety. Bravery. One never knows where it's found, who possesses it until the battle is raging all around. We are in those times. God bless all who chose to fight instead of running away from the foe we face. God bless you, Chad Williams. God be with you.
beautifully said, thank you
you talk about authoritarians a lot, but the truth is latent authoritarianism is the maga connector. and this is unsurprising, as A) latent authoritarianism is at the core of fascism, and B) the good ol’ us of a has about double the percentage of latent authoritarians in its population as other similar nations.
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism
I'm going to address your comment in two parts. The first will take your premise to task, challenge the Vox piece about who the true authoritarians, Fascists are. The second part will give credibility to the assertion that Trump acted as an authoritarian, which set the stage for what we are experiencing today in the world.
First, are you familiar with the F-Scale test? Created by Theodor Adorno in 1947. Used by many in academia and social sciences to determine if someone has "latent authoritarianism" in them. In the wake of WWII and the horrors of Fascism across the world that gave rise to the worst atrocities against humanity the world had ever seen.
Many were seeking to understand how authoritarianism could take over entire nations of educated, modern people, who thought they were free. The F-Scale test provided a way to assess the traits and qualities of people who would fall under the spell of authoritarianism or wield it when given power.
Sounded like a good idea. And many went along with it. Especially in academia, where it was taught by the social scientists, the psychologists, the political scientists, the historians.
Sadfunny thing is, the test itself turned out to be not only false. Rather, it assesses those with the strongest traits of individual liberty and freedom. Characteristics that are MOST resistant to authoritarianism. the F-Scale test is a sham. And so is the entire concept of latent authoritarianism that the Vox article puts forward.
The US was a hotbed of Fascist ideology even before Hitler rose to power. Prominent leaders of industry, academia, media, banking, medicine, law, most all had vocal and energetic voices advocating Fascism. Looked to Mussolini with envy at what he was doing in Italy. Hitler was as much their creation, along with the same types of people occupying the same positions in the UK as the creation of the German people. The Rockefeller's, Ford's, Carnegie's, Bush's, Dulles's, Lindbergh's, etc, most all had intentions to make the US follow in Hitler's footsteps. And many even funded Hitler's war machine DURING WWII when the same global Fascist "blue blood" eugenics practitioners and supporters profited off of the blood spilled by American GI's from "flyover country."
Fact. And US law even was the basis of the holocaust, Buck v. Bell, SCOTUS 8-1 decision that declared, "Three generations of imbeciles is enough" was cited by crimes against humanity defendants at their Nuremberg trials. What stopped the rise of global Fascism was a civil war between authoritarian models of government. The Collectivist authoritarian model of Communism with government ownership of the means of production v. the the collectivist authoritarian model of Fascism with government-corporate partnership controlling the means of production. Hitler and Stalin signed their Pact with Secret Protocols in which both declared western liberal capitalist democracies to be their greatest mutual threat. The governing model that the US Constitution enshrines, individual liberty and freedom, private property ownership, limited government. I.e, MAGA.
The exact opposite of what the F-Scale test and other determinants of "latent authoritarianism" proclaim is Fascism. The test and its derivatives are intentional lies. Created by the American and global Fascists who prevailed against the Communists. Setting up for the long game. Knowing they couldn't go straight to Fascism on the heels of defeating Hitler's monstrous machine. Believing he just didn't do Fascism right. Just like many Communists like Bernie Sanders say that Stalin just didn't do Communism right. Still believing in the governing model. Only failing because it was in the "wrong" hands.
Vox is a rag produced by authoritarians. Of both varieties, Communism and Fascism. Vox does not support individual liberty and freedom. Free love, sexuality and drug use that they promote doesn't equal freedom and liberty. They are false markers of a free society that the social scientists have constructed to make people believe they are free. Nazi Germany and its leaders were filled with sexual perverts and fetishists. They weren't free. Yet "They Thought They Were Free" (by Milton Mayer) because social mores were libertine. The Vox piece is pure propaganda. Fingering the most individual freedom and liberty loving constitutionalists as authoritarians. More like projection. Which is what tyrants do, project their unpopular traits on their enemies.
Second part, Trump is guilty of leaning into authoritarianism that set the path to global authoritarianism in motion under pretense of pandemic emergency power. When Trump initiated the travel ban from China he violated the well-considered guidance of every single pandemic response plan drafted and ready to meet pandemic influenza responses. Which is what Coronavirus was. The flu. A flu very much like the severity of the Hong Kong Flu of 1968-1969. When no global shutdown occurred, even Woodstock was held during.
The pandemic response plans all acknowledged that closing borders for the flu has no impact on the spread of disease. Even closing down local communities when infections are first detected has limited effect, predicated on detection before a novel pathogen is widespread, then acknowledging that any pathogen will escape containment and be widespread within two weeks of its first arrival. There's no putting toothpaste back in a tube.
The pandemic response plans rationale in not closing borders or imposing major disruptions on the normal flow of society is that since containment is impossible the act of closing borders is purely a political act, not based in medical science. It becomes a political blame game, "your country infected mine." False. Done for political advantage. Not far removed from an embargo, which can be considered an act of war. And when nations blame nations for something they have no control over, like containment of an influenza outbreak, nation's leaders blame their people. For something they have no control over. Under the "shit roles downhill" concept, blame-shifting. Which is when authoritarianism takes over a nation. The suspension of civil liberties and the individual freedoms and liberties that western liberal democracies shared. Right up until the end of January, 2020. When Trump's China travel ban first took effect.
What's happened since is EXACTLY what the pre-2020 pandemic response plans warned against. Trump's original sin. Everything since has flowed from that. It was when disease was treated with political science instead of medical science. Social science. Behavioral science. Nudge. Coercion. Manipulation. Population control. All flows from the China travel ban. When the US and the world needed a US president to say, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" or "We will bear any burden, pay any price, for the cause of liberty" we had an American president say, "Stop everything, hide in your homes, treat everyone like they are a danger, a threat to human life." Trump.
But, as has been said about capitalism being the worst economic system created - except for all the others, the conduct of all leaders not named Trump allows us to say that Trump's pandemic response was the worst response - except for all the others. While he leaned into authoritarianism with his original sin of travel bans and lockdowns, every other leader not named Trump saw his authoritarianism and raised it. Many have pushed all-in. Especially on the left But authoritarians of both varieties, the Fascist Republicans and the Communist Democrats. And the global authoritarians in most all ruling parties across the world.
It's as if when Trump said before the UN and WEF in late 2019 "the United States will never be Socialist" the global authoritarians, Fascist-Communist alliance a la Hitler-Stalin pact, decided they'd take that challenge and enjoin the war for humanity's future. A war that Trump and his supporting cast was totally unprepared for. Teddy Roosevelt spoke softly but carried a large stick. Trump spoke loudly but carried a small stick.
And here we are. Authoritarianism is ascendant. And we still don't have sufficient power or means to defeat it. Trump's pandemic response let the dangerous beast of authoritarianism out of the gate, imagining it could be contained. But authoritarianism is a beast that when let out of the gate goes on a rampage, and isn't easily recaptured. China even cautioned the US and the world in its February-March, 2020 editorials in their official media Global Times and China Daily that the pandemic responses would be an opportunity for the world to see the difference between the governing models. Acknowledging that while western liberal individualist freedom-based governing models are more innovative and creative that in times of crisis people desire the "firm hand of control" that collectivist authoritarianism provides. They were right.
As with all things, these are complex issues. No simplistic understanding addresses the nuances and subtleties of human society and governance. While the Vox piece engages in a broad-brush smear of MAGA and those who love constitutional freedom by means of projection it does correctly identify a characteristic and trait of Trump's that placed us on this authoritarian path. He pushed over the first domino. But the dominoes were already set up to fall they way they have by others with authoritarianism as their long term goal, desired path for humanity.
The Fascists who began their quest for power and control over a century ago have joined with the Communists who opposed them in the middle of the last century to once and for all achieve Hitler and Stalin's shared objective of eliminating the threat of western liberal capitalist democracy respecting individual liberty. They learned from history: Don't break the Pact until individual freedom is crushed. They'll settle their differences for the future of the world when we, MAGA and our global partners, are gone. And that's the sad, brutal truth of our predicament today.
I can't always make it through your tome-like comments, but I found aspects of this one contextually illuminating. This is why I view current US politics as uniparty. Trump may have brought the authoritarianism out into the open, but Biden sure doubled down on it.
Another important inflection point was 9/11, which was used as an excuse to do all manner of unconstitutional actions, notably the whole WMD propaganda and especially the Patriot Act. But as you point out, the roots of all this go way way back, probably to the late 1800s.
Lol! And if I'm getting that from a Substack reader used to long form imagine how they used to go over on Facebook back before I left it!
I appreciate you pushing through the tomb. I read lengthy studies, history and research all the time, quickly with high comprehension. My training and practice. What I end up sharing believe it or not is reader's digest version compared to what I take in. For me it's a shorter read than how I met the info. But for others it's like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. Again, I'm glad you saw something in it that captured your interest. And yes, 9/11 was pivotal.
Yeah, all Trump's fault. Jesus Christ that gets old. Your "speak softly, big stick" crap is true when it's true, but things like Reagan firing the air traffic controllers for striking and keeping them fired was a tiny stick that backed
off the world, just doing what you say you will do is usually all the stick that's needed. Too bad Dem's and Rinos don't echo that part of Trump. Oh but yeah, Trump was the first to kiss some new Senator's cheek so all the D.C. sex that followed is all Trump's fault too.
Truth hurts.
Trump f'd up. Bigly. He did. Fact. You didn't read the pandemic response plans that I've read, all of them said exactly what I shared. Predicting the outcome that we've experienced. He recklessly ignored those warnings. You didn't read the Chinese editorials I read, the Foreign Affairs magazines of the Council on Foreign Relations I read, that said they'd take his screw up and follow the China authoritarian model given the door he opened by being "xenophobic" in closing down travel. Because they are the globalists who took his "the United States will never be Socialist" pronouncement and pounced, knowing he didn't have the supporting cast to prevail. That's a fact. An absolute fact. You can scream, shout, stammer, whine, insult, attack all you want, doesn't change facts.
That whole, not having the supporting cast to prevail thing means the Dem's and Rino's were NEVER going to echo Trump. Our wishes and expectations of them were misplaced, huh? Which is why a US President must NEVER indulge even a little bit of authoritarianism. Never. There's no such thing. That beast is always looking for its chance to rampage when the shackles are off. You never take the shackles off. Never, never, ever, never ever. Especially not for a flu.
Good grief. He panicked. Fact. And spent the rest of his administration trying to reign in the authoritarianism he unshackled that rampaged through our nation ever since. Unsuccessfully. Which is why I wrote:
"But, as has been said about capitalism being the worst economic system created - except for all the others, the conduct of all leaders not named Trump allows us to say that Trump's pandemic response was the worst response - except for all the others."
The man F'd up. Bigly. Yes, he is but a man. A fallen man. Just like all of us. To his credit he did try to rein it in after he saw authoritarianism rampaging out of control. His F up had the silver lining that it exposed the authoritarians in positions of power and authority all over our nation. In elected office, the bureaucracy, academia, media, industry, entertainment, in the hearts and souls of a shocking number of Americans and nations across the world that we all assumed loved freedom as much as we do. But they don't. And probably never did. Now we know better. Those Dem's and Rino's are no longer snakes in the grass, they've been flushed out by Trump's F up. So at least there's that.
You're obviously a Trump supporter. You might be surprised I am, too. Just like I support capitalism, despite it being the worst economic system ever created, except for all the others. But if you're going to go around and blindly support a fallen man, ignoring his mistakes, mistakes that he's never apologized for, acknowledged, has resulted in the deaths of millions and the loss of prosperity and freedom for billions across the globe then with supporters like you he'll do it again. Wise leaders learn from their mistakes. No man is infallible, only God is. Perhaps it was God's design to have Trump F up so that we would wake up to the peril we were surrounded by, to give us a chance to stop it before we boiled in the warm pot of water we were pleasantly relaxing in.
Given all of the harms his major F up is responsible for I can only support him because I believe in God's plans for that man of nerve and courage who is the only man in a position of power who isn't compromised by the even worse global authoritarians who took his original sin and made it the catastrophe they've made. I fault Trump for not having the vision to see what would happen as a result of his losing faith in freedom, even for a moment. But he didn't take his mistake and run with it like all the others have. Which makes them even worse.
Maybe you can understand that level of complexity in understanding a man. Maybe you can't, most people are emotional creatures who only see good or bad, not gray. But it takes sober people who see good and bad in all to understand the true nature of man. No man can ever be worshiped. Not even Trump by a Trump supporter.
I also invite you to take the F-Scale test. There are many free versions to take online, do your own search for some. First answer the questions as you truly believe. You may believe many areas it asks if you support government involvement are necessary. You may believe many areas it asks if you support government involvement aren't. The test will give you a result. Then take the test again. And answer the questions such that you don't support government involvement in any area.
I guaranty you that your results after answering no government involvement is warranted in any area will say you're an authoritarian personality. Play with the test, change your answers, try to hone in on what answers make you more or less authoritarian. The F-Scale test will consistently say the authoritarian personality is strongest in those who answer we should be the freest from government involvement; It's a sham. It's intended to be a bludgeon by authoritarians against those who embrace the individual liberty and freedom our Constitution enshrines and God created us to live by.
Can you provide objective metrics for how to measure "authoritarianism"?
God bless you sir. You are a lion amongst sheep. It’s been amazing to see across the nation how even local school boards have become power hungry authoritarians. There refusal to acknowledge the will of the people that put them there if it doesn’t line up with there personal beliefs.
I appreciate the doggedness...as a self-employed person of somewhat older children I had the flexibility to just "walk away" from public schools, and I did. Homeschooling has been enlightening on many levels AND I think the leviathan that is the public school system NEEDS major accountability after the last 3 years of asinine behavior...which clearly harmed children on so many levels.
commies are litigation adverse, so sue the hell outta them at every opportunity.
Litigation averse to a point, but the tragedy of it is that they have qualified immunity and will just use our money to pay for abusing us.
Talking rationally to the extreme Left is a waste of time. They will ignore all law, rules or regulations, all debate or even common decency
Remember their motto is “the end justifies the means “
You are a hero of heroes for pushing back on these administrative scolds, and your doggedness is an inspiration. My daughters are great but they weren't super fond of my terse words to school officials trying to mask them up cuz I often (always) lacked style and nuance and was easily dismissed... But not so you, and thank you for your fight!
Thank you for the kind words, but I am definitely not a hero. I’m just a husband, a dad and a lawyer who is simply trying to get public officials to follow the law. I wish I didn’t have to do this. I want to move on. My wife definitely wants to move on. But, as Chris perfectly states, there will be a “next crisis,” and if we don’t learn lessons and hold people accountable for ignoring the law during the Covid years, then the results will be much worse next time. I’m fighting because I think I have a duty to do so.
Good on you, sir. I am afraid we won’t be able to make any headway until the bureaucrats and elected officials are punishable directly for the illegal acts, that is to say, are directly either sued on the own dime or enforceably removed from office and barred from public employment upon being found to have violated these rules. Voting them out only goes so far, especially when they are appointed.
I'm afraid the aren't afraid! some people are going to have to hang from street lights. This entire board should be dragged out in the street.
I salute your efforts from across the pond. Good luck mate 👍
Just wanted to let you know, there are people from across the Atlantic rooting for you too!
As a retired teacher, I'm well-used to what mr Bray has described here so for what it may be worth, you have my moral support and fullest sympathies.
(As an aside, when people wonder why kids bully other kids, I used to point out how our school board where I worked here in Sweden acted. Monkey see, monkey do.)
As to your hesitancy to sue - why not sue the officials in their individual capacities, on the notion that plainly ignoring the written complaints procedure is egregious enough to bust qualified immunity?
At first, the local gov't will probably fund their defense - true - because they probably have very broad indemnity and defense clauses. But there has to be some outer limit to those as well.
And even a judgement that, when taken against a school district would be basically token damages, might amount to a serious message when it comes to an individual who has to pay his own way. $25,000 means the culpable board member might be forced to sell his boat, or not fund that kitchen renovation he'd spent 5 years saving up for. Hire a repo man to his late model Lexus or fancy pickup truck. Invite a local photojournalist to take a video of that collection.
It’s not a bad idea and I’ve considered it. I still might have to do it. I don’t want to, but they’ve definitely exceeded their authority and aren’t entitled to immunity. Honestly, though, I would rather the school board hold the people accountable who knew they were violating the law and did it anyway.
100%. Keep going and good luck.
I've invited school district officials to respond, and will publish their response if I get one.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for them to respond.
Please do.
Just curious, Chris…did the Unionville Chadds-Ford School district ever respond to your request for a response? Because I still haven’t gotten a response to the allegations in my 906 Complaint and haven’t been granted a hearing 🤷🏼♂️
Nope.
How about that….
Ah yes, the "Fuck you, that's why" clause of the Constitution that's so popular with lawmakers these days...
It may be the only functioning clause.
The evil seems to be a desire to show incredible amounts of empathy. The more empathy you have the better you’re perceived to be in places of power. Of course, rules, regulations and laws don’t support empathy extremism. They believe it’s the right thing to do in the moment because, well, they’re empathetic. They also know that it was all based on nonsense and emotion. But because empathy is at its core the best thing we can all have (they say), they can’t actually be wrong.
It’s narcissism and the inevitable smugness that follows when someone believes they’re just a better person than you. All their wrongs are choked up to, “we did the best we could..”
This is what happens when empathy is the most desirable trait in that person that you vote for, or hire. In my experience people are either faking empathy or wildly unserious with genuine extreme empathy. Both are toxic in places of power.
Sociopathic "empathy" performance, the blue zone disease.
Yup. Empathy without integrity is just vanity.
You don’t have to be religious to review the seven deadly sins and the four virtues and figure out which side a person regularly resides. The oldest trick in the book is to try to reframe one’s sins as virtue but that is merely doubling down on the sin.
Exactly why civilization is falling: 19A
Corrected a couple of errors: Got the purpose of the 2020 meeting wrong, and gave the school district a free S in its name.
OMG! That’s changes the entire tenor of the piece! 🤣
They deserve to get S for what they did.
"How do we break that habit?"
Stop voting Democrat would be a good first step.
Maybe. But history has not shown that to be a durable nor reliable solution. I think the challenge is the current system relies upong the good intentions and fealty of those entrusted with certain authorities.
But as Madison et al warned in so many words, we have to assume people are going to do bad things because, well, they are people.
The system only has checks and balances if the checks and balances are adhered to in a civil society. We're approaching the boundary of an uncivil authoritatrian apparatus.
One thing that has shown to be partially effective is civil lawsuits--hitting the purse strings does have an impact--but as Chris writes, we are calling fire on our own wallets in order to save our institutions.
In the 1970s legislatures inflicted many changes upon society, such as forcing single sex institutions to admit women and businesses to add handicap bathroom fixtures, by adding toothy incentives to civil rights statutes such as treble damages and attorneys fees.
Similar penalties added to procedural laws such as the one Mr. Williams is using would make enforcement much easier.
Assuming institutional resistance continues, and it will, those penalties should become necessary.
Chris, this is an interesting article. But I have to fault you for not naming names. You say, "In an affluent, deep blue community in the Philadelphia suburbs..." Which community is that? Can we be specific? You say "In August of 2020, during a Zoom meeting to decide on a mask mandate for the soon-to-begin school year, the nine-member Unionsville-Chadds Ford school board muted Williams when he asked about the legal basis for the mandate." Who are the members of that school board? What are their names? These are public officials. Name them. Otherwise, this article is only interesting in a "Some people, somewhere, did something bad. Oh, well" sort of way. Let's get specific. Person X, a member of the school board, probably the board president, called for these actions. Who is that person? These were public meetings. So, let's make sure the people responsible for these actions receive the sunlight that is due to them.
I linked to the names and full bios of all the board members, and I encourage people to click on that link. The community I figure I named by naming the school district.
https://www.ucfsd.org/board/board-members
Thanks, I missed the link. I figured the school district name was a giveaway, but it's not the same thing as directly stating the city name. In general, I'd just urge you to be specific and name names. Bullies thrive when they think that nobody is watching them or will ever hold them to account. When they find out that the world is watching, they will change their behavior. I would not just include a link to the board or anything else. I would put names directly in the article. People, indeed public office holders, are making these horrible decisions. Your readers deserve to know exactly who those people are, so don't give them any cover, even behind a link. Finally, please know that I enjoy your writing. So, keep going!
I second that. If silence and non-responsiveness is the proximate problem,* then the solution is transparency. Name names. Let Google and the Streisand Effect do God's work.
*The more ultimate problem is that people in government feel empowered to dominate, a tendency which won't be solved by simple naming-and-shaming.
Agreed that naming and shaming won’t stop the die hards who believe in the cause. But there are a lot fewer of those, and they derive some of their power from the “go-alongs” that either allow it to happen or even tepidly support it. And those go-alongs will be deterred by naming and shaming. But yes, ultimately we need to dig these people out of all the various institutions and make at least some of them pay dearly for their actions.
Words.
Transparency.
Google.
Streisand effect.
Victoria’s smile is more of a grimace or even a snarl if there was a sound track.🤔
Commies gonna fascist🤷🏼♂️
We stop it by imposing consequences on these "public" officials. Harsh ones! Like they are stripped of their jobs, their reputations, sued into the poor house and jailed. AND removing your children from government schools.
Yes. Lawsuit in addition to recall campaigns.
I suspect this school board, in this community, would survive a recall campaign. We need sane voters first.
And therein lies the crux of the problem: the people are the problem.
The people are the product of generations of indoctrination.
Get your kids away from these people.
Vivek says heads on pikes. He was talking about terrorists, but hey, once one gets startedd.... No one expects the Spanish Inquisition, eh?
School boards, legislators, misrepresentatives, administrators, Gateses and Soroses have all learned there is no one and no way to hold them accountable even for murder as long as the blood is not wet and sticky on their hands.
I'm starting to wonder if some form of - prehaps ritualized - violence might not be appropriate. Duelliing, for instance. Whatever happened to that cage fight between Musk and Zuckerberg?
One of Saul Alinsky’s rules; power is not only what you have, but what your enemy thinks you have. The school board pretended to have power. Regarding the fearful friends; if you take the cowardly path you become cowardly, if you take the courageous path you become courageous.
Quoting from the linked website:
There are three parties included in a Bond Agreement:
Bondholder – All elected public officials are required to be bonded and they must sign an oath to uphold the Constitution of their State as well as the Constitution of the United States for America. Companies, contractors, and even unions are also required to have a surety bond.
We the People – The community for whom the bondholder is OBLIGATED to serve.
Surety Bond Company – This is the company that guarantees that the bondholder will serve the people.
If a claim is filed against a bondholder, the Surety Bond Company is responsible for accepting the claim(s), notifying the bondholder, demanding that the bondholder address the claim and starting an investigation if the bondholder does not resolve or rectify the situation.
Hit them where it hurts, right in the $$$.
https://bondsforthewin.com/
Hilarious.
Oaths mean nothing to them.
As for bonds... who is in bonds?
It’s not the school board.
Idk about Pennsylvania, but school boards are elected so I imagine they are bonded. If not, someone in the chain of command above them surely is.
Right. This is all about using the insurance company to apply leverage. As long as the focal point of leverage has control over the issues of interest or the people that do, that’s all that matters.
This is a great strategy.
How do we break that habit? The "elite" school critters consider us to be dog poop under their shoes. That isn't going to change. I suppose if everyone takes their kids out of public schools, something might change.
In areas where the public schools are funded through property taxes, you pay for the schools even if you take your children out; even if you are childless; even if you are unemployed.
The area around Philly is lost. There is so much corruption, elites with their heads up their asses and cheating during elections that no sane conservative will go near it.
"...we keep watching institutions stagger from failure to failure..."
It isn't failure, from their perspective. They gained more control, became more unaccountable, that was success for them. It was only failure for us.
You can’t break cowardice. It is ingrained now in our Western society. There needs to be a cultural shift. Easy times create weak men. It looks like we may just break that cycle soon with a WW upon us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante
"The ten rules state:
You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as we are.
You're not to think you are smarter than we are.
You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.
You're not to think you know more than we do.
You're not to think you are more important than we are.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.
Perhaps you don't think we know a few things about you?
(The eleventh one at the end is a sort-of penal code)
Courtesy of Aksel Sandemose, from his 1933 novel 'A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks'. Highly recommended and the above "laws" have a great sociological bearing and are based on precisely the negative kind of small-town mentality you talk about.
Yes and the Scandis gave away their nations to exactly the HAMAS demographic.
We break that habit of enabling tyrants by seceding from their institutions rather than naively attempting to reform them. To "tell you how this ends," it ends when -- and only when -- we stop playing by their rules and start living by our own. My wife and I have put skin in the game by homeschooling our daughter instead of trying to mitigate the harms of a crooked system. It was a difficult decision at first, requiring some additional work and sacrifice, but it has turned out to be one the best decisions we ever made.
What if Chad Williams had taken all the time, money, energy and expertise he wasted fighting the school district and directed it into homeschooling his children instead? He only ended up proving the district's absolute authority while his children were forced into masks and all that comes with that.
In my area, Los Angeles, I am seeing more and more services and accommodations popping up to serve the growing homeschool population. But those services and accommodations only come into existence as people break with reformers like Chad Williams and simply say no to the irretrievably corrupt public school system.
I actually did home school two of my four kids during the lockdown. While managing a busy law practice, and my wife was working as well (so we could send another one of our kids to a private school that was in person). We did the best we could under the circumstances.
Your time fighting was not wasted! Again, I thank you. Your example is admirable and inspiring.