When Ron DeSantis says “freedom”, he means “My way or the highway.”
I would like the Democrats to pay more attention to Florida & fight back. There are a lot of voters in Florida that don’t support his agenda, but there are more registered Republicans (36%) than Democrats (34%). We need to reach out to those voters who have no party affiliation (28%) & show them that the Democratic agenda helps everyone.
Freedom means freedom for white men and not women, LGBTG, blacks, teachers, doctors or anyone not towing their fascist line. Just repulsive and reprehensible!
Disney, as a major corporate donor nationwide, could have a profound impact on all these anti-LGBTQ moves nationwide. A simple statement that Disney would no longer contribute to ANY Republican anywhere until ALL Republicans stopped their oppressive measures would help immensely. Imagine the peer pressure those Republicans used to collecting Disney dollars would put on their colleagues. If a company like Disney did it there would soon be pressure on other large corporate donors to do the same.
Likewise, Disney should look at what other contributions/economic impact it makes in FL. No more community events. No more charitable contributions. No more buying from local vendors. “Sorry Floridians, especially Orlando area citizens. But we aren’t feeling loved or respected or valued by the politicians you put in power. We are also concerned about our bottom line as a result. Therefore we’ll be ending any expenditures here in FL.” Most tourists who are from outside FL won’t care and perhaps those in FL will bring pressure to bear on the politicians behind all these mean-spirited measures.
Disney is the 800 pound gorilla here. They should start acting like it.
Really! They have not yet fought back but you think that may be due to conflicts among leadership within Disney with regards to which agenda to follow? Authoritarians or humans?
I think there’s a combination of forces at work and we saw some of it play out in the leadership change after they screwed it up last year. But I also think they have greater motivation now as this Reedy District change and new board have the potential to impact the bottom line and make life much more difficult for them.
It always comes down to money for corporations because hey, capitalism! But I think as these regressive movements take hold across the country corporate leaders will see the danger in more politicians (who want the spotlight and want to appeal to that base of voters) deciding they want to make a splash by taking measures against companies that don’t toe the line and follow the group think.
Politicians want PR and sound bites. Corporations can have actual economic impact. We saw a good example in NC after the bathroom bill fiasco. We saw it in threats from the NCAA to take away championship hosting opportunities. We saw it in Indiana with building projects cancelled.
We just need corporate officers to grow a spine. There’s more good and decent people out there than narrow minded bigots. I have to believe that. And as threats to democracy grow (banning the Democratic Party in FL, not letting Dems who move to red states vote, etc) corporations aren’t going to be able to sit on the sidelines much longer.
To repeat a point I keep making, this is what Republicans under GOVERNOR DeSantis are doing. Can you imagine what would happen in Washington D.C. if he becomes President DeSantis??????
I often feel a sense of disbelief that this could be happening in this country. Don’t get me wrong- I very clearly know that it is happening. It is hard to watch the “free state of Florida” turn into an autocracy right before my very eyes.
Are the people of Florida simply nodding their heads in assent and happily going along with all of this? I often wondered how/why the people of Germany went along with the nazi takeover. Perhaps in Florida we are watching how that type of takeover plays out. Little by little in a relentless fashion.
My neighbors here in Central Florida are VERY happy with what is happening. One told us she loves the current governor because he is such a good Catholic. They carry their Bibles along with their hate. The book by Timothy Snyder sums up the path of Florida quite well, “The Road to Unfreedom.”
I have heard similar stories from others about how thrilled many Florida voters are with DeSantis. I find that frightening. With enough voters like those, who owns where they (and we) will end up. I have read other books by Prof. Snyder. Thanks for the heads up about The Road to Unfreedom.
My friend is a lesbian living with her partner, both divorced with 3 kids between them, in Florida. She just announced that her daughter is going to FSU next year. I suppose it's a financial decision but I'd be running for my life from FL if I were in that situation. She has told me she can't stand DeSantis but maybe day to day it isn't as obvious to them how quickly this is all happening and how dangerous it is. We're reading the proposed legislation while they're just trying to live their lives and get their kids educated.
It sounds like a big issue is how to raise awareness of what is happening in Florida among people who are taking care of their families and may not have time to keep up with the latest developments.
Wanna be autocrats like DeSantis often cause their constituents to tune out because they bring so much chaos by their relentless pursuit of new laws, new restrictions, new mandates etc. Most people can’t keep up with this day to day onslaught. Then, one day they discover how far it has gone. How many freedoms they and their family have lost.
Perhaps you could periodically send your friend articles like today’s that pull together the pieces and show the overall picture of what is occurring in Florida.
First, they came for the Jews.....ban books, take rights away from women LGBTQ+, and MINORITIES then make perfect little worker drones for the elitists to rake in their millions while every one else suffers ! Can you imagine if that happens if deathsantis becomes president ! Will have putin take over Europe and deathsantis in the USA and in Canada the freedom convoy !! What a wonderful world it will be !! ( sarcasm)
Florida’s education system is vastly underperforming. A close look at ‘the Nation’s Report Card’ shows how Florida fails its students as they move up through the grades. A few years ago, just before COVID hit, a Stanford University study of state-level standardized tests showed that Florida’s “learning rate” was the worst in the country — by a wide margin. Florida students learned 12 percent less EACH YEAR from third to eighth grade than the national average from 2009 to 2018. Florida’s students perform worse as they move up through the grades. There is consistent, massive systemic regression with age.
Finding out WHY Florida's school system is doing so poorly would be interesting. I am reminded of how billiant and articulate many of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida demonstrated to the world after the massacre in their high school. (I see when looking up the precise name of the school that it's in an "affluent suburb.") So, what did they have going for them that the rest of the state could benefit from?
So, not only is it now dangerous for pregnant women to travel to or through a Republican controlled state in case they suffer a pregnancy complication, it will now be hazardous for LGBTQ folk to travel to or through states like Florida in case they inadvertently break one of these egregious and blatantly discriminatory laws. It is known that random violence against LGBTQ folk increases in places where these types of laws are in place. And will a gay couple from Europe who have booked a holiday at Disneyworld arrive at their hotel only to be kicked out when the hotel staff realizes they are gay? Or will they be arrested for holding hands or snogging where children are present? Governments and travel companies worldwide should start preparing travel advisories so that pregnant and LGBTQ people are aware of the risks of traveling to Republican controlled states like Florida.
Seems like the Republican party is playing from the Nazi play book on homosexuality. First trans, then gays, then everyone? From Wikipedia: "The Nazi regime considered the elimination of all manifestations of homosexuality in Germany one of its goals ... In 1928 the Nazi Party responded negatively to a questionnaire about their view of Paragraph 175 [German law that criminalized sexual acts between males], saying: "Anyone who even thinks of homosexual love is our enemy."[14] Nazi politicians regularly railed against homosexuality, saying it was a Jewish conspiracy to undermine the German people.[15]"
DeSantis just appointed the new board to oversee the Disney tax district. He also gave them the power to police Disney content, of course to crack down on "wokeness". How will that sit with Disney executives? How about Disney's content creators? At what point does Bob Iger either have to fight back, or quit? At what point does Disney decide that it's not worth the harassment to continue to operate in Florida? On the one hand, I would hope that their plan to move people from California to Orlando is on hold. On the other hand, I guess that the only thing that could make a real difference would be for the park to start losing money because people are staying away. That may happen because the costs are so high, but I doubt that the people who visit Disneyworld will boycott because they hate DeSantis.
I bet they just love the additional 5 hours on a plane to get to Tokyo or Hong Kong. I did that run from the Northeast a couple of times and it totally sucked.
Hypocrites projecting again. They’re the ones doing the indoctrination. Read Christopher Rufo’s most recent comments on the changes at New College of Florida. The graduates will all have degrees in Groupthink, something they whine about happening on college campuses already (whatever excesses occur there pale in comparison to what they are doing in Florida). Their reaction - create a narrative and scenario that Orwell and Kafka could have co-authored.
(Sarc:) By all means, please keep kids ignorant of sex until after puberty. They should be allowed to become sexually active free of information about what is happening.
Judd’s reporting has revealed how corporate political spending hypocrisy has become embedded in their business practices. Sadly, they think the public have short memories or don’t care.
Unfortunately, they may be at least partially right. Many do have either short memories or an advanced case of apathy.
The rest of the John G's would spend their money elsewhere, BUT if the corporation in question is the only one who has your meds, they got ya by the short ones and "you won't be boycottin nothin miss," they'd say.
Sooner or later Florida will realize that it would be more efficient to round undesirables up and put them into re-education camps where they can be taught the right way. China and North Korea have a lot of experience with this approach and would probably be happy to advise on how to proceed.
Thank you for continuing to cover the important story out of FL, as it's success there will spread.
May I ask that you also profile some of those FL groups fighting back? Only Floridians will get FL laws (or politicians) changed. Let's give some visibility to them.
"Free states don’t ban books or people.” Equality Florida Public Policy Director - Jon Harris Maurer
Words to live by.
When Ron DeSantis says “freedom”, he means “My way or the highway.”
I would like the Democrats to pay more attention to Florida & fight back. There are a lot of voters in Florida that don’t support his agenda, but there are more registered Republicans (36%) than Democrats (34%). We need to reach out to those voters who have no party affiliation (28%) & show them that the Democratic agenda helps everyone.
Freedom means freedom for white men and not women, LGBTG, blacks, teachers, doctors or anyone not towing their fascist line. Just repulsive and reprehensible!
Disney, as a major corporate donor nationwide, could have a profound impact on all these anti-LGBTQ moves nationwide. A simple statement that Disney would no longer contribute to ANY Republican anywhere until ALL Republicans stopped their oppressive measures would help immensely. Imagine the peer pressure those Republicans used to collecting Disney dollars would put on their colleagues. If a company like Disney did it there would soon be pressure on other large corporate donors to do the same.
Likewise, Disney should look at what other contributions/economic impact it makes in FL. No more community events. No more charitable contributions. No more buying from local vendors. “Sorry Floridians, especially Orlando area citizens. But we aren’t feeling loved or respected or valued by the politicians you put in power. We are also concerned about our bottom line as a result. Therefore we’ll be ending any expenditures here in FL.” Most tourists who are from outside FL won’t care and perhaps those in FL will bring pressure to bear on the politicians behind all these mean-spirited measures.
Disney is the 800 pound gorilla here. They should start acting like it.
Really! They have not yet fought back but you think that may be due to conflicts among leadership within Disney with regards to which agenda to follow? Authoritarians or humans?
I think there’s a combination of forces at work and we saw some of it play out in the leadership change after they screwed it up last year. But I also think they have greater motivation now as this Reedy District change and new board have the potential to impact the bottom line and make life much more difficult for them.
It always comes down to money for corporations because hey, capitalism! But I think as these regressive movements take hold across the country corporate leaders will see the danger in more politicians (who want the spotlight and want to appeal to that base of voters) deciding they want to make a splash by taking measures against companies that don’t toe the line and follow the group think.
Politicians want PR and sound bites. Corporations can have actual economic impact. We saw a good example in NC after the bathroom bill fiasco. We saw it in threats from the NCAA to take away championship hosting opportunities. We saw it in Indiana with building projects cancelled.
We just need corporate officers to grow a spine. There’s more good and decent people out there than narrow minded bigots. I have to believe that. And as threats to democracy grow (banning the Democratic Party in FL, not letting Dems who move to red states vote, etc) corporations aren’t going to be able to sit on the sidelines much longer.
Indeed. Nice summation Beth. You have an admirable way with words.
Thank you!😁
You are most welcome.
You make me laugh.
To repeat a point I keep making, this is what Republicans under GOVERNOR DeSantis are doing. Can you imagine what would happen in Washington D.C. if he becomes President DeSantis??????
Yes, but I don't want to.
Don't say Florida. Don't say Disney. Keep your money in your pocket with any of the mentioned supporters.
I often feel a sense of disbelief that this could be happening in this country. Don’t get me wrong- I very clearly know that it is happening. It is hard to watch the “free state of Florida” turn into an autocracy right before my very eyes.
Are the people of Florida simply nodding their heads in assent and happily going along with all of this? I often wondered how/why the people of Germany went along with the nazi takeover. Perhaps in Florida we are watching how that type of takeover plays out. Little by little in a relentless fashion.
My neighbors here in Central Florida are VERY happy with what is happening. One told us she loves the current governor because he is such a good Catholic. They carry their Bibles along with their hate. The book by Timothy Snyder sums up the path of Florida quite well, “The Road to Unfreedom.”
I have heard similar stories from others about how thrilled many Florida voters are with DeSantis. I find that frightening. With enough voters like those, who owns where they (and we) will end up. I have read other books by Prof. Snyder. Thanks for the heads up about The Road to Unfreedom.
That is frightening Sharon. Say, you think we are related? My full name is Adam Conway.
My friend is a lesbian living with her partner, both divorced with 3 kids between them, in Florida. She just announced that her daughter is going to FSU next year. I suppose it's a financial decision but I'd be running for my life from FL if I were in that situation. She has told me she can't stand DeSantis but maybe day to day it isn't as obvious to them how quickly this is all happening and how dangerous it is. We're reading the proposed legislation while they're just trying to live their lives and get their kids educated.
It sounds like a big issue is how to raise awareness of what is happening in Florida among people who are taking care of their families and may not have time to keep up with the latest developments.
Wanna be autocrats like DeSantis often cause their constituents to tune out because they bring so much chaos by their relentless pursuit of new laws, new restrictions, new mandates etc. Most people can’t keep up with this day to day onslaught. Then, one day they discover how far it has gone. How many freedoms they and their family have lost.
Perhaps you could periodically send your friend articles like today’s that pull together the pieces and show the overall picture of what is occurring in Florida.
First, they came for the Jews.....ban books, take rights away from women LGBTQ+, and MINORITIES then make perfect little worker drones for the elitists to rake in their millions while every one else suffers ! Can you imagine if that happens if deathsantis becomes president ! Will have putin take over Europe and deathsantis in the USA and in Canada the freedom convoy !! What a wonderful world it will be !! ( sarcasm)
Florida’s education system is vastly underperforming. A close look at ‘the Nation’s Report Card’ shows how Florida fails its students as they move up through the grades. A few years ago, just before COVID hit, a Stanford University study of state-level standardized tests showed that Florida’s “learning rate” was the worst in the country — by a wide margin. Florida students learned 12 percent less EACH YEAR from third to eighth grade than the national average from 2009 to 2018. Florida’s students perform worse as they move up through the grades. There is consistent, massive systemic regression with age.
Finding out WHY Florida's school system is doing so poorly would be interesting. I am reminded of how billiant and articulate many of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida demonstrated to the world after the massacre in their high school. (I see when looking up the precise name of the school that it's in an "affluent suburb.") So, what did they have going for them that the rest of the state could benefit from?
Juan that’s what the death cult wants! Ppl so ignorant that all they worry about is a job, a house & food!
So, not only is it now dangerous for pregnant women to travel to or through a Republican controlled state in case they suffer a pregnancy complication, it will now be hazardous for LGBTQ folk to travel to or through states like Florida in case they inadvertently break one of these egregious and blatantly discriminatory laws. It is known that random violence against LGBTQ folk increases in places where these types of laws are in place. And will a gay couple from Europe who have booked a holiday at Disneyworld arrive at their hotel only to be kicked out when the hotel staff realizes they are gay? Or will they be arrested for holding hands or snogging where children are present? Governments and travel companies worldwide should start preparing travel advisories so that pregnant and LGBTQ people are aware of the risks of traveling to Republican controlled states like Florida.
Sounds like a business opportunity for marketing an updated "green book" to help discriminated-against populations to travel safely...
That is so very clever and so very, very, very sad. The regression gains momentum.
Seems like the Republican party is playing from the Nazi play book on homosexuality. First trans, then gays, then everyone? From Wikipedia: "The Nazi regime considered the elimination of all manifestations of homosexuality in Germany one of its goals ... In 1928 the Nazi Party responded negatively to a questionnaire about their view of Paragraph 175 [German law that criminalized sexual acts between males], saying: "Anyone who even thinks of homosexual love is our enemy."[14] Nazi politicians regularly railed against homosexuality, saying it was a Jewish conspiracy to undermine the German people.[15]"
Yet how many were on the DL? There is a reason one of the premiere gay clubs in Chicago is called "Berlin."
I don’t get why they would pick that name, Berlin. Was it because it was eventually liberated?
DeSantis just appointed the new board to oversee the Disney tax district. He also gave them the power to police Disney content, of course to crack down on "wokeness". How will that sit with Disney executives? How about Disney's content creators? At what point does Bob Iger either have to fight back, or quit? At what point does Disney decide that it's not worth the harassment to continue to operate in Florida? On the one hand, I would hope that their plan to move people from California to Orlando is on hold. On the other hand, I guess that the only thing that could make a real difference would be for the park to start losing money because people are staying away. That may happen because the costs are so high, but I doubt that the people who visit Disneyworld will boycott because they hate DeSantis.
I have friends who are Disney executives; they were all required to move at the start of 2022.
I hope the money is worth it. Were it me, I would have quit. (I have quit jobs for less)
They mostly work in the Asia parks so I see that they’re rarely in FL, but I 100% agree with you. I wouldn’t do it.
I bet they just love the additional 5 hours on a plane to get to Tokyo or Hong Kong. I did that run from the Northeast a couple of times and it totally sucked.
Hypocrites projecting again. They’re the ones doing the indoctrination. Read Christopher Rufo’s most recent comments on the changes at New College of Florida. The graduates will all have degrees in Groupthink, something they whine about happening on college campuses already (whatever excesses occur there pale in comparison to what they are doing in Florida). Their reaction - create a narrative and scenario that Orwell and Kafka could have co-authored.
Thank you for keeping up the pressure and calling out the cynical politicians.
Cynical AND criminal!
(Sarc:) By all means, please keep kids ignorant of sex until after puberty. They should be allowed to become sexually active free of information about what is happening.
LOL! In old pastoral settings where two young innocents discover love, life, and sex...
Judd’s reporting has revealed how corporate political spending hypocrisy has become embedded in their business practices. Sadly, they think the public have short memories or don’t care.
Unfortunately, they may be at least partially right. Many do have either short memories or an advanced case of apathy.
The rest of the John G's would spend their money elsewhere, BUT if the corporation in question is the only one who has your meds, they got ya by the short ones and "you won't be boycottin nothin miss," they'd say.
Sigh
Sooner or later Florida will realize that it would be more efficient to round undesirables up and put them into re-education camps where they can be taught the right way. China and North Korea have a lot of experience with this approach and would probably be happy to advise on how to proceed.
Thanks for the LOL!
Thank you for continuing to cover the important story out of FL, as it's success there will spread.
May I ask that you also profile some of those FL groups fighting back? Only Floridians will get FL laws (or politicians) changed. Let's give some visibility to them.
Great Request!!!! Wish I had thought of that.