Ron DiSantis

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You Cannot Read This


I recently saw a list of books that are banned in at least one state if not many. Among them are D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover, The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Anjelou, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the list goes on!

I read several of these books while in high school and I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to ban them. They are classics for a reason. Each is very well written and by authors whose legacy of being among the great American Authors will remain unblemished.

Florida’s governor, Ron DiSantis leads the way of deciding who can read what. And he is not alone but simply stands out more than most. God forbid in the state of Florida that a student might want to read The 1619 Project. What happens to that person if they do, that high school student? Are they expelled? Are they punished? Or are they simply inquisitive about the world around them and how we got here. Should that student follow up with The Grapes of Wrath and then Tortilla Flats, is that student on his road to perdition?

Conservative American politians claim they are here to fight to the end to preserve a person’s 1st Amendment rights, but does that right not include the liberty to read what he or she likes? I guess they think pouring all their efforts into making sure everyone in America has a ton of guns and not worrying about preserving a person’s right to choose.

Oh! There is that phrase! “A right to choose.” Hmmm, sounds like something a pro-choice person would say. But is not pro-choice also inclusive of the right to choose what any one person desires to read? Let’s see, they won’t ban Hustler Magazine, but they will ban To Kill a Mockingbird! The foolishness of this should be apparent to all Americans.

And one last thought, Texas is the only state in the union that sets a long-standing standard as to what material is included in high school history books. God help us because what is next?

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Wither the Republican Party?


Since 1854, the United States has had a strong Republican party and with the exception of 1912, when the party was split by Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull Moose party, and again with Ross Perot’s Reform Party in 1996, the party has stood strong. But this next election cycle could once again split the party in a matter that will affect it for many years to come.

I find it stunning the 60% of registered Republican votes support Donald Trump and this despite a latinity of his bad acts. And he is buttressed by Marjory Taylor Green who is on the far-right wing. Should Trump win in Iowa, anything is possible. But the party, where most of its elected representatives are centrists, needs to take control. And that can only come via it taking control of the narrative be played to Republicans and Independents who are right leaning. To date, the RNC has done nothing to take back the narrative of a “stolen election,” “the big lie,” and by owning its mistakes by refusing to partake in the January 6th Committe hearings and then allowing two of its leaders to fall to challengers. One more member, who I have called a “Fascist,” is Ron DeSantis and his campaign to control the thoughts and minds or the people of Florida. I do not, for the most part, agree with Liz Cheney’s politics but I gained great respect for her standing by principles that all members of Congress should adhere to, and I include Adam Kinzinger in that narrative.

Political parties win when they are run by the centrists of their party. These centrists are the deal makers of our nation. These are the people who actually make our government run smoothly; not as Congress is being run today. But make no mistake, each party needs its members who are more conservative or more liberal than the majority to bring in opposing thoughts to caucus discussions.

I do hope the Republican Party finds a way to make amends with Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger by finding a place for Cheney and backing Kinzinger as its choice for the seat he once held. It is the right thing to do. I ask of the Repulican Party leaders to do one thing and one thing only, just do the next right thing.

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What to do With the Thousands of Potential Immigrants at Our Southern Borders


President Biden has failed, at least in part, in dealing with the influx of immigrants at our boders, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida. His first action should have been activating FEMA, declaring a national emergency regarding these immigrants. Notwithstanding Title 42, President Biden can issue orders that might actually assuage Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas. The answer lies in multiple parts.

First, FEMA must be inserted into this dilemma to set up temporary housing and sanitation facilities at the affected areas. Next, he needs to create a robust plan for vetting those desiring asylum. To be certain, there are a lot of undesirables among the refugees. Once vetted the refugees would occupy the facilities of FEMA; a sort Ellis Island of today. For those who can provide an address of a relative living legally in the U.S., a green card would be issued and the refugees allowed to legally enter the U.S. and move to their relative’s address, this would have to be verified of course.

The next part, probably the most difficult of any, would be to confer with the governors of all states. Each governor would be asked to take in a number of refugees in that coincides with their population. The top ten states in population, Texas, New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan would take to most while the bottom 10, Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware, Alaska, Montana, Maine, and Hawaii would take the fewest.

Such a move is not without precedent. Until 1923, almost anyone who showed up at our doors were admitted. The only ones turned away were the sickly and those with known criminal records. But one thing that is seldom mentioned about those immigrants is that about 1/3 of them returned to their country of origin.

The countries of origin for the current refugees is mostly from countries in Central America plus Venezuela. What is happening to the people in those nations in unconscionable. Death squads, constant hunger, political repression, among other things make these people flee the country they love. In the late 19th and early 20th century such immigrants came from Poland (occupied by Russia and Germany/Austria), Syria, Persia, Armenia, Croatia, Serbia and others from that region, all fleeing the Ottoman Empire. The parallels are extremely closely related.

My plan, while flawed, is at least a starting point for dealing with this human crisis.