Major complaints against DeSantis are BS

Did the Union League get a fair shake from protestors and most of the Philadelphia media?

Don’t be shocked, but the answer is no.

Ditto Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Personal disclosure: I have never been a member of the Union League, nor do I plan to become a member, largely because of cost and not needing the benefits of membership. A few personal friends are members and I have eaten there maybe a dozen times.

The League’s former concierge, an immigrant from Africa, is also a friend.

My major objection to the UL giving DeSantis the Gold Medal is him being a de facto election denier.

Those who claim, along with Donald J. Trump, that the election was rigged without a shred of proof contribute to an attack on democracy. The Union League was founded in 1862 to do precisely the opposite — to support the Union and Republican President Abraham Lincoln in the war against slavery. 

So, the story goes, how horrible it is that DeSantis would ban the teaching of African-American history in Florida schools.

Except that is untrue. And you’d think the people protesting DeSantis’ rejection of what he termed a politicized Advanced Placement course on African-American history would do some research, as Dom Giordano did on his Tuesday WPHT-AM/1210 show.

Forget the Advanced Placement issue for a moment. Florida schools currently teach plenty about the African-American experience in America. 

Don’t take my word for it. Check out the website for the Florida Department of Education.

Here’s how it starts, with what is required:

“The history of the United States, including the period of discovery, early colonies, the War for Independence, the Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present boundaries, the world wars, and the civil rights movement to the present. American history shall be viewed as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation of a new nation based largely on the universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.”

Specifically to the Black experience:

“The history of African-Americans, including: the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery; the passage to America; the enslavement experience; abolition; and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.”

Does that sound racist to you? 

How about this?

“Students shall develop an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping on individual freedoms, and examine what it means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purpose of encouraging tolerance of diversity in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting democratic values and institutions.

“Instructional shall include the roles and contributions of individuals from all walks of life and their endeavors to learn and thrive throughout history as artists, scientists, educators, businesspeople, influential thinkers, members of the faith community, and political and government leaders and the courageous steps they took to fulfill the promise of democracy and unite the nation.”

And:

“Instructional materials shall include the vital contributions of African-Americans to build and strengthen American society and celebrate the inspirational stories of African-Americans who prospered, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

So when the Rev. Robert Collier says, DeSantis “has denied Black and brown people their own history [and] is an affront to their culture,” he is speaking from ignorance, or for political gain.

Was there anything objectionable in the Florida text I quoted? Of course not, but the FLDOE added this anti-woke language, with which I fully agree:

“No person is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.

“No race is inherently superior to another race.

“No person should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, or sex.

“Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are not racist but fundamental to the right to pursue happiness and be rewarded for industry.

“A person, by virtue of his or her race or sex, does not bear responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.

“A person should not be instructed that he or she must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress for actions, in which he or she played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.”

Did the Philadelphia NAACP members [I am a member] even read the curriculum? I don’t see how they could have and then protested. Where’s the beef?

Yes, we can have a debate about what was proposed for the AP course, but to reach for the race card when an a discussion of content is called for is dishonest.

As was the nicknaming of a parental notification law, the “Don’t say gay” act.

That was how the Left tagged it, because labeling, even when false, is powerful.

And it was false. The law actually contains no such language, something obliquely recognized by my friend Jenice Armstrong, who described it as limiting “discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.”

She thinks that’s a bad thing. I don’t.

Discussing gender identity with 6-year-olds? This is education? According to whom?

How about holding off on that subject until kids are studying biology? Can you expect children who can barely tie their shoelaces to comprehend sexual orientation?

In any event, this so-called “don’t say gay” nonsense is unrelated to the racial issue. It was just dredged up to smear DeSantis.

Why? He leads the nation’s third most populous state, he was just re-elected with a record margin over his Democratic opponent, and is seen by many as a successor to Trump.

Some call him Trump without the rough edges, and that terrifies the Left, which sees him as a potential president.

Yes, the Union League should have made a better choice, but it is a private club and can do what it wants. Some in the press made mention of protests by 107 members. What I did not see reported is that UL has 3,500 members, meaning the people bitching represented about 3% of the membership.