The Great Wakening from Woke
“The great wakening from woke has happened. This is good for civilization.” - Elon Musk
October began with an unspeakable, horrifying terror attack on civilians in Israel. While politics in the middle east are not in the purview of the school district, addressing the societal rot that has created a safe space for supporters of terrorism in our public schools and universities is.
On Sunday, I listened to a family connected to our local synagogue discuss how their daughter was murdered, her body boobytrapped, and her babies taken as hostages and used as propaganda by Hamas. I have heard countless similar stories about the atrocities perpetrated by violent, evil, demented members of Hamas - which has been designated a terrorist group by the United States since 1997.
I was a sophomore in college when 9/11 happened. I worked for the National Security Division of the United States Department of Justice during law school, where I developed friendships with the Guantanamo prosecutors who told me stories about their encounters with enemy combatants.
Even then, the media reported sensational and non-factual accounts of the people held in Guantanamo. One story that stands out in my memory is that of a 15 year old boy. In the media, he was portrayed as a victim of cruel and inhumane war crimes. Just a child! The US military wouldn’t give him medical treatment on the battlefield! What the media left out was that this child murdered the US medic before he was shot, and there was no one left alive to treat his wounds. He spent his time in Guantanamo bragging about the American lives he took and promising to kill more “infidels” as soon as he was released.
Until October 7, 2023, terrorism was universally rejected as something heinous and evil. So the cheering of the brutal rape, murder, torture and kidnapping of 1,400 hundred civilians by Hamas shocked me, and continues to shock me. College campuses and even high school and middle schools are experiencing a horrifying wave of anti-semitism and stunningly ignorant reactions to what is happening.
How did we get here?
If you listen carefully to the groups celebrating Hamas and calling for ceasefire before Hamas releases hostages and surrenders, you will hear them talk about their allegiance to “marginalized groups” - to those who are “oppressed” and who “struggle.” They believe violent resistance against “oppressors” is righteous. They are justifying the rape, murder and kidnapping of Israelis as a righteous fight for freedom by oppressed against oppressor. Many of them simply hate Jewish people. Where did they learn this?
SCHOOL.
We taught them this. This is the predictable outcome and philosophy of our youth when they are indoctrinated with radical theory and DEI programming starting in kindergarten. America’s institutions have eliminated merit in favor of DEI. Instead of focusing on learning math, science, English, and other core subjects, schools emphasize social justice activism - priming and prepping America’s youth to become foot soldiers in this cultural revolution.
The only silver lining of these last few weeks is that it seems to have finally woken up some of us who didn't see what was happening. That teaching little kids that white people, Jewish people, and those experiencing success are “oppressors” might lead to disturbing and violent ends. That teaching children to lean into their special victimhood status for validation and love, to focus on what makes them different, and to reject and hate “non-oppressed” people only breeds more hate. That eliminating standards and merit in favor of DEI leads to an unproductive, unintelligent, confused, and misguided populace. That teaching kids to hate America from a young age might actually lead to the destruction of what was once a free and prosperous nation.
One of the most ironic developments of the last few weeks is that some of the same people who constantly pressure the district to push more DEI programming are now telling the district to “focus on school! Don’t talk about Israel.” I would love to! I would love to actually do what I was elected to do - eliminate all the nonsense and mudslinging from activists, and focus on improving the schools and improving outcomes for our kids.
We’ve got a lot of work to do given that our legislature has enshrined this destructive philosophy into state law, but I am committed to restoring merit and excellence and real love and kindness. Please help me by teaching your children that they are capable, incredible humans deserving of love, as are their peers, regardless of race, religion, or any other special identity we’ve assigned to them.
As always, this is just my opinion. I don’t speak for the Board or the District, and no one else speaks for me.
