Monthly Archives: March 2022

A ban on cartoon nipples is just the tip of our censorship problem. – Stuff

Posted: March 31, 2022 at 2:32 am

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Oliver Cain saw his online social media presence scrubbed because of an image depicting a shirtless man.

Virginia Fallon is a Stuff senior writer and columnist.

OPINION: I have to admit that when I saw first saw male nipples had been cancelled I thought it was funny.

Not really funny-funny but a sort of other-funny, an amusement that used to be rooted in anger long before it morphed into cynicism. Nonetheless, I laughed a little at the recent headline.

Womens nipples have been cancelled for ages, so its only fair male mammilla should follow suit. Theres not much difference between the little raised regions of tissue after all, and if one bare chest should be deemed offensive then equality dictates that so should all of them.

Then, dammit, I read the whole story, and it wasnt any sort of funny at all. Now Im just back to being angry.

READ MORE:* Instagram reinstates queer Auckland artist's page after 'homophobic' complaints* Artist's social media shut down after 'homophobic' complaints about cartoon nipples* Timaru painter's realist 'painterly' feel exhibition

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The social media ban was a nightmare for Cain, who lost access to clients and contacts across the globe.

Auckland artist Oliver Cains social media was recently shut down following homophobic complaints about one of his works: a stylised painting of the chest of a man with blue skin and bright pink nipples.

The work was intended for an exhibition as part of Aucklands Pride festival, though when Omicron saw many of the events cancelled, Cain went ahead with his own show, paying for a few sponsored Instagram posts to advertise it.

Because the exhibition had a light homoerotic theme, Cain chose what he thought was the safest painting to feature online because I know how some people can be. They were, and his account was blocked because hed been posting offensive content.

Compare that to all the other shirtless people on Facebook and Instagram, and it doesn't really make sense, he said.

His first appeal to reinstate his account was denied and a subsequent one ignored, though after Stuff ran a story hes back up and running.

Karoline Tuckey/Stuff

Photographer Mariana Waculicz had her work displayed at an exhibition in Levin removed due to complaints from the public due to the model's nipples being visible. Shes pictured here with another of her pieces.

Until I read about Cains experience I foolishly thought the only inoffensive nipples were those belonging to men. Now I realise theres a caveat: they have to belong to straight men.

Womens nipples are objectionable regardless of the sexual orientation of their owners, of course. Instagram bans them, and only permitted videos and pictures of breastfeeding in 2014 following pressure from activists. Even in the offline art world, Kiwis have long displayed the same prudish aversion to the tiny little things.

Photographer Mariana Waculicz had a work banned from a 2017 exhibition for depicting a topless woman in a river, and that same year The NZ Woman's Weekly refused to run a breast cancer awareness advertisement showing Aucklander Anete Smith topless after a mastectomy.

Smith's reconstructed breasts and nipples were displayed in a gorgeous re-creation of Rubens painting Samson and Delilah, something the magazines editor said could be deemed inappropriate by readers. Instead, they ran an ad featuring a different woman who did not have nipples after her mastectomy.

Its probably unsurprising I have a tale about the time a single nipple nearly got me cancelled.

While pregnant, I posed topless in a bath of milk for an exhibition about new and expectant parents, and the resulting image offended some viewers. The gallery owner demanded the picture be removed, the artist fought back, and the work remained displayed next to one of a newborn snuggled against his fathers naked chest. That was 21 years ago: look how far weve come.

The issue of cancelling nipples in art is about inequality, deep sexism, and perpetuating shame of our bodies. Gender and sexual orientation should have nothing to do with what makes nipples offensive, if indeed they ever are.

By the way, at that long-ago exhibition my young son stood before my photo and studied it silently for a very long time.

Thats a pretty picture, Mum, he said eventually, I like your smile.

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Do we want social media firms censoring critiques of US role in world events? – The Boston Globe

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Marcela Garca argues that social media platforms like Facebook should censor misinformation that may give [Spanish-language users] a misguided idea about what caused the war in Ukraine (Social media platforms must address Russias Spanish-language misinformation, Opinion, March 26). Such misinformation supposedly includes propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame the United States for the armed conflict.

Do we want censors employed by corporations like Facebook to determine the cause of the Russian invasion, and protect readers from any analyses that argue, as one researcher puts it, that the United States was the reason for possible escalation? Should we be allowed only to hear voices that claim that the United States has played no role?

Every war has tangled roots and causes, including this one. Academic and political debate about these causes should not be censored by tech companies. Latino readers, just like non-Latino readers, have a right to read different perspectives, even perspectives critical of US government policy.

If Latin Americans who may have very good reasons, based on their own history, to be critical of US foreign policy are seeking alternative sources of information, maybe its because the mainstream media have often failed to report inconvenient truths about US interventions abroad.

Aviva Chomsky

Salem

The writer is a professor of history and the coordinator of Latin American studies at Salem State University.

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The steamy films Egypt never wanted its people to watch – Haaretz

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The outrage created by one scene inNetflixsnew Arabic film Perfect Strangers (Ashab Wala Aaz), in which Egyptian actress Mona Zaki removes her underpants, seems rather ridiculous when compared tosome Egyptian films of the 1970s.

Take for example 1973's Wolves Dont Eat Meat.Not only did it include Nahed Sharif appearing fully naked, but the Egyptian actress even kissed another woman on the big screen. And yet, in the wake of Netflix's film, Zaki has been subjected to cruel, extensive, artistic and public criticism.

Perfect Strangers, a remake of the eponymous Italian movie, follows an encounter between several friends and the dark secrets that come to the surface. The remake was made specifically with Arab audiences in mind by director Wissam Smayra. Yet despite his efforts, the discourse in the Arab world has noted that the new filmis a pale replica of its Western counterpart, which fails to take into account the uniqueness of Arab society and its religious-cultural characteristics.

One Egyptian lawmaker, Mustafa Bakri, was especially angered by the movie and demanded that Netflix be banned in Egypt. He went on to accuse the streaming giant of assailing Egyptian values by encouraging homosexuality and flagrant displays of sexuality even though there is not a single full sex scene in Perfect Strangers.

At the same time, others have claimed that the film faithfully reflects the social, cultural and sexual profiles of Arab society without embellishment. Zaki said she strongly connected with her character, Maryam. I really identified with her, Ive met many women in my close circles who have sex lives similar to Maryams. It was important for me to make space for them, she said.

The emperor has no clothes

But Perfect Strangers is just the latest victim of censorship and public vitriol in the Egyptian film industry. This persecution goes back to the 1930s. Egypts film industry, which was in its infancy, saw the birth of new historical, comic and imaginative genres. There was even room for female directors, such as Fatima Rushdi, Aziza Amir and Bahiga Hafez.

In 1938, King Farouk prohibited the screening of Lachine, the Peoples Hope, which tells the story of a courageous and moral Egyptian military commander who speaks out against a corrupt prime minister. Censors working for the Interior Ministry claimed that the film was indirectly accusing the king of corruption and tarnishing his image. Even though Studio Misr, which produced the film, changed the ending to portray the ruler as victorious and decent, the movie was banned by royal decree and consigned to the Egyptian archives.

The persistent and systematic censorship of Egyptian films began in the early 60s, under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It continued through the 70s under Anwar Sadat, and then into the 90s under Hosni Mubarak and his successors.

While the list of banned Egyptian films is very long, the reason for their censorship varied over the years. In this millennium, the establishment has objected to films that it claims threaten the social order. Examples include Roukhs Beauty (2014) and Perfect Strangers, due to their sexual subject matter. The establishment claims that such movies offend religious sensibilities and corrupt family values.

In contrast, censors in the 60s and 70s primarily censored movies for political content. Nasser prohibited the screening of The Iron Door (1958); Sadat banned A Dawn Visitor (1973), Al-Karnak (1975) and The Guys on the Bus (1979); Mubarak banned The Innocent (1986). These movies all dealt with arrests and the political persecution of Egyptian students in the 60s, sharply criticizing the Egyptian regime at the time.

This censorship was the side effect of a social and political process that began in the early 50s, with the 1952 Free Officers Movement led by Nasser. This process is still at work today. Nasser outlawed all political parties, except his National Union party. Despite the rich cinematic creativity, a nationalist film industry arose, which lauded the 1952 revolution and even the Egyptian rout in 1967sSix-Day War.

Sadat entered this complex social-political scene in 1971, following Nassers death. Established parties were allowed to resume activity at the end of 1976, but Sadat adopted a wily policy: On the one hand, he took harsh action against fundamentalist, Islamist underground organizations; and, on the other, he glorifiied Islam within civil society. He embraced certain Islamist factions in order to block the growing power of the communists, who were in the opposition. This political strategy, along with abundant funding from Saudi Arabia and some of the Gulf states, allowed the leaders of the factions to support religious institutions that preached against secularism and the left in Egypt a pillar of the cultural scene.

This drive toward religion and censorship peaked in the 80s and 90s, with the growing power of Wahabi Islamic movements. Under their influence, a clean film industry took shape one that avoided dealing with sexuality in any form. According to Egyptian journalist Hani Mohammed, this gave way to a very conservative generation of actors. Mohammed claims that, in contrast to the 60s and 70s, the censorship, silencing and even persecution of topics related to sexuality now arose from within the art world.

He says there is now an entire generation of actors and actresses in Egypt who adamantly refuse to act when there is physical contact with the opposite sex. The phenomenon, often referred to by the name of actor-comedian Mohamed Henedi, goes so far that some actors condition their participation in a project on dropping all scenes that include kissing or other contact. These actors, most of whom come from a religious rural background, have brought traditional, conservative values to Egypts art scene, pushing out the more liberal actors of the earlier generation.

Censorship is also common in other Arab countries, including some that outwardly present a liberal and democratic face, such as Lebanon and Morocco. For example, Lebanese films such as Terra Incognita (2002) and Hotel Beirut (2011) faced harsh criticism from state institutions. In Morocco, the government banned Much Loved (2015), claiming it featured too many sex scenes. The rules are clear in the Arab world: religion, sex and politics are red lines that must never be crossed.

Both bold and conservative

So what are the dos and donts when it comes to sex in Egyptian cinema? A look at five major banned films from various periods may shed some light on the issue.

My Father Up on the Tree (1969) is still considered one of the most beautiful Egyptianmusical-romantic films ever. Starring Abdel Halim Hafez, the film is based on a story by the legendary Egyptian author Ihsan Abdel Quddous.

The film tells the story of a young engineering student, Adel, who leaves his conservative sweetheart when she rejects his advances. In a bar in Alexandria, he meets a beautiful belly dancer, falls in love and the two move in together. His father travels from Cairo to Alexandria in the hope of bringing his son home. The father also falls in love with a belly dancer and abandons his family. In contrast to his father, Adel eventually comes to his senses and returns to the straight and narrow, and to his virgin sweetheart.

The film was one of the most widely viewed in the history of Egyptian cinema. It screened in movie theaters for 58 consecutive weeks, breaking box office records. Despite its success, Egyptian censors later banned the film and it could no longer be shown mainly because the film included about 50 kisses and what the censors described as immoral scenes.

Alcohol flowed like water throughout the movie, and the male and female actors appear in their bathing suits. However, there is almost no significant sexual content in a film that deals with the characters sexual desires and fantasies. In effect, the films ultimate moral is that sex and sexuality outside of marriage are unacceptable and disgusting. There is one interesting exception, in a scene where Adel tells his friend that men dont take anything from women during sexual relations, rejecting that common equation.

Malatily Bathhouse (1973), on the other hand, greatly expanded the boundaries of Egyptian sexual discourse. Directed by Salah Abu Seif, the film recounts the story of Ahmed Abdel Salam, a young man who leaves his hometown of Port Said to get married.

Like Adel from the previous film, he loses his way in the big city. He cannot find work or a decent place to live, and is forced to live and work in a hammam. There he meets a young prostitute called Naeema, and falls in love with her. He also encounters a man named Raouf, who falls in love with him.

Abu Seif presents a tightly-knit story and a well-constructed plot. There are sex scenes between Ahmed and Naeema that depict kisses, half-naked bodies and signs of sexual relations (such as clothing tossed aside), without ever showing the act itself. But the movie really broke boundaries by depicting non-mainstream sexuality.

In one scene, Raouf, who is sitting half-naked in the Turkish bath, wearing only a towel around his waist, stretches out his hand and sensually wipes beads of perspiration from Ahmeds forehead. In another scene, he trails his fingers across Ahmeds back and says, Do you want to change into something comfortable? That scene ends with Raouf dancing sensually, half-naked, before Ahmeds eyes the type of scene that has disappeared from recent Egyptian cinema entirely.

And still, in the end, Raoufs character is never able to fully embrace his sexual identity. Toward the end of the film, he conforms to social and religious dictates, and blames his mother for his sexuality, claiming that she didnt set clear moral boundaries when he was a teenager.

The film was only shown once and was immediately censored, with claims that it encouraged homosexuality. Although the producers acceded to the censors request and cut most of the scenes that were said to be too sexual, the film is still banned in Egypt to this day.

That same year, 1973, also saw the premiere of Wolves Dont Eat Meat, which made a priceless contribution to the conversationon sexuality in Egyptian culture. Directed by Samir Khouri, the film follows an Egyptian journalist, Anwar. After years of exposure to injustice the war with Israel, the occupation of Sinai and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Anwar becomes a money-hungry hit man. After he is seriously wounded in an operation, he arrives at the home of a former lover, Soraya. She nurses him back to health and the two renew their love.

To this day, the film is considered revolutionary. It was the first Egyptian film to show an Egyptian actress naked, getting into bed with a fully naked actor and even kissing another woman. If that werent enough, it was the also the first film to show a female character demanding ownership of her sexuality without fear, regret or self-victimization.

In one scene, Sorayas husband rips her panties, takes her into the bedroom, stands her in front of the bed where Anwar lay wounded and asks her: Do you like him? Without hesitation, Soraya answers, while removing her clothes: Yes, I like him. In another scene, Lutfiya, Sorayas sister-in-law, says to her: Thank you for pleasuring me with your body. Soraya replies: You deserved to be loved like anyone else. The Egyptian censor immediately issued a blanket ban on the film ever being screened.

But the cinematic boldness, which peaked in the mid-70s, began to wane in the 80s, giving way to the clean Egyptian cinema of today. Both Alley of Love (1983), about prostitution in Egypt, and Roukhs Beauty (2014), about a woman whose husband abandons her, present a God-fearing, conservative, tortured sexuality that can only be restrained by institutionalizing it in marriage. One of the prostitutes is murdered by her brother and the main character in Roukhs Beauty pays a high price for her sensuality and is brutally raped.

The message is clear: sexuality outside of the ordained institutions comes to a bitter end. Yet Alley of Love still presented one fascinating scene that is still quoted to this day: An important politician (played by Hassan Abdin) comes to the brothel in secret and tells the main character: I pay so youll humiliate me a sexual discussion that was not at all routine, then or now. The film was banned because it ostensibly legitimized prostitution by discussing it. Similar claims were made against Roukhs Beauty regarding its portrayal of sexual scenes involving a minor.

Having the cake and eating it too

In contrast to the films produced in Egypt, its interesting to examine how Muslim-Egyptian sexuality is portrayed in the West. The Hulu series Ramy, for example, offers a fresh approach. The show is the brainchild of Rami Youssef, a 29-year-oldAmerican actor and comedian with Egyptian roots, who tired of the Western portrayal of Arabs and Muslims only as terrorists or rebels against their own religion, tradition and society.

Hence his decision to write Ramy. The show has been highly successful and is about to air its third season. The series follows a young Egyptian-American living with his parents and sister in New Jersey. As a Muslim growing up in the shadow of 9/11, he deals with crises of identity, values, religion and morality.

Unlike the conservative discourse in Egyptian cinema, Ramy introduces an honest, direct and complex view of sexuality. The Muslim protagonist masturbates, has sexual relationships with women outside of marriage and even sleeps with a married woman. Youssef presents a split, unstable sexuality that is fully aware of its conflicting stance to the values of Islam.

At the same time, like many of the characters in Egyptian film, he has no desire to fully sever himself from religion, tradition and social dictates. Unlike Egyptian characters who ultimately express regret for fulfilling their sexual desires and return to the straight and narrow Youssefs characters want to have both worlds. In other words, they seek both full sexual fulfillment and belonging to the Muslim nation, despite the inherent conflict that presents.

The series manages to do all this without picking a side. In an interview with British online newspaper The Independent, Youssef said he is interested in a genuine emotional representation of the type of confusion that many Arab-Americans, especially Arab-American men, experience.

The series has been roundly condemned in the Arab community, which claims that it shames Islam and its values. Youssef, for his part, told the Emirati newspaper Al Khaleej that he was not surprised by the negative response and doesnt blame the community. He stressed that Ramys character does not represent either Muslims or Islam.

Ramy really is a breath of fresh air to both the American and Arab scene. It dares to present sexual content without fear or censorship. It describes a burgeoning Muslim-Western sexuality without criticism or a deep questioning of the mechanisms that restrain, silence and reject it.

Moreover, as in the Egyptian films surveyed here, the series does not address the notion that there is no place for sexuality, particularly female sexuality, in religious Muslim spaces. In doing so, it essentially avoids any critical debate about sex that could challenge the dominant Islamic discourse or the superficial sexuality of clean cinema.

Returning to Perfect Strangers, the film is a failure: Not because of Mona Zakis underpants, but because it once again presents a passive, victimized sexuality that does not have the strength to oppose the social trap it is embroiled in. It reflects the trend in Egyptian films of recent decades, which sabotage the courageous and complex cinematic sexual discourse that developed in the 70s.

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The Second Amendment Bible, Clarifies What Every Citizen Needs to Know – Digital Journal

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Fredericksburg, VA March 30, 2022 Many people think they know what the U.S. Constitution says about the rights of citizens, particularly in regard to the Second Amendment. A great deal of division has arisen due to interpretation. The Second Amendment Bible by Caleb Lee condenses and clarifies everything individuals need to know in a 45-minute read thats easy to understand. The book is available in a physical and digital format.

Nothing was more important to the Founding Fathers than the right to speak freely and defend yourself, said Lee. Thats why those rights are protected in the First and Second Amendments of the United States Constitution.

The Second Amendment Bible is designed to help individuals understand what the amendment really means to their rights and how they can help ensure that those rights are never lost. Many individuals have read the Bill of Rights, but it can be difficult to understand due to the way language was written at that time.

Dozens of bills are being pushed that would fundamentally alter and destroy your right to bear arms forever, said Lee. Youll also learn about all the sneaky common sense ways politicians use to slowly take your rights away.

The Second Amendment was proposed by James Madison and ratified on Dec. 15, 1791. Since that time, multiple interpretations of the amendment have been forthcoming. Some say the Second Amendment protects the rights of citizens to own guns and to use them in defense of their homes. Others contend that the amendment allows for the creation of civilian armed forces that can respond to a tyrannical government.

The First and Second Amendments are integral to the nation. The Second Amendment states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

After decades of non-stop attempts to destroy both of those amendments, at no time in American history has the Second Amendment been in more peril than it is today, said Lee. To preserve the freedoms we enjoy in America, its up to good, honest and faithful citizens to know everything they can about The Second Amendment and about all of the legal, peaceful ways in which we can fight back.

For more information, visit: https://ugarllc.com/product/2nd-amendment-bible/

About Caleb Lee

Caleb Lee is the No. 1 best-selling author of Concealed Carry 101 and founder of PreparedGunOwners.com. He is a civilian with no law enforcement or military experience who shares information about self-defense and becoming more reliant.

Media ContactCompany Name: UGAR LLCContact Person: Caleb LeeEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://ugarllc.com/product/2nd-amendment-bible/

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Carrying handguns without permits nears passage in Georgia – Middletown Press

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ATLANTA (AP) A bill allowing Georgia residents to carry handguns in public without a license or background check neared final passage Wednesday, meaning Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will deliver on his promise of constitutional carry as he seeks reelection this year.

The House passed Senate Bill 319, sending it back to the Senate to approve minor changes before Kemp can sign it into law.

The governor initially promised the measure when he first ran for governor in 2018, but little was done to advance it. It's been revived now that Kemp faces opposition in this year's primary from former U.S. Republican Sen. David Perdue and others. Longtime proponents of gun rights have credited Kemp's advocacy for moving the issue forward.

Republicans say the measure is needed to allow people to more easily protect themselves from crime. They also argue that requiring a carry permit, which costs about $75, infringes on Second Amendment gun rights.

It just removes the fee that citizens in the state have to pay to be able to exercise their Second Amendment rights, said Rep Mandi Ballinger, a Canton Republican.

Democrats say the measure will encourage more gun use, which in turn will fuel more shooting deaths, increase crime and put police officers lives in danger.

We know from multiple studies that there is a direct correlation between weaker gun laws and higher rates of gun deaths, including suicides, homicides and accidental killings," said Rep. Sam Park, a Lawrenceville Democrat. "And in a moment in which so many Georgians are suffering and facing mental health crises after such a challenging period of time, why are we making it easier to get a gun in the state of Georgia?

Georgia currently requires people to obtain a license to carry a loaded handgun outside their own homes, businesses or cars, although people can carry rifles and shotguns in many places without a permit and carry unloaded weapons in gun cases.

To obtain a weapons license, residents must submit an application and fee and undergo fingerprinting in addition to a background check. Convicted felons and people who have been hospitalized for mental health problems or received treatment for drugs or alcohol in the years preceding the application arent eligible.

Democrats said the process leads to thousands of people with criminal records or mental illness being denied licenses each year in Georgia.

Georgia needs more gun safety laws, not fewer," said Rep. Shea Roberts, an Atlanta Democrat. No law can stop all dangerous behavior. But why would we want to make criminals feel more comfortable carrying in public, knowing they can now freely carry, no questions asked?

Republicans, though, argue that people will still have to pass a federal background check to buy a gun. The permits will still exist, as well, they say, because they allow people to carry guns outside Georgia under interstate agreements.

You want to protect yourself," said Rep. J. Collins, a Villa Rica Republican. "Why should you have to go to a court and get a permit to protect yourself? Thats all this bill is about.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.

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New Colorado law bans people from openly carrying firearms near voting locations – Colorado Public Radio

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Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on Wednesday that bans anyone in Colorado from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, unless their property falls within that buffer.

The Vote Without Fear Act was a priority election bill for Democrats in charge of the state legislature. Supporters say the law is needed to prevent the harassment of voters and poll workers, arguing that the current intimidation law can be difficult to enforce.

It passed with no Republican backers, who argued it infringed on 2nd Amendment rights.

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez attended the bill signing ceremony at the state capitol and recalled an incident that occurred on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. Two men came to the countys administrative office in Littleton.

Came in with cameras, filming voters, open carrying, and just trying to intimidate voters. Andthen they moved to the front of the building where every voter had to pass them to get to the voting center, she said.

Lopez said people complained and the election judges were really shook up.

Even though the police were called and our attorneys were involved, there was nothing we could do at that point because they weren't violating any laws. Now it's going to be law and they won't be able to do this ever again, Lopez said.

Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Bacon is one of the main sponsors of House Bill 1086. She said voter intimidation has a long legacy in the U.S, especially against communities of color. She said its part of her own familys history when they lived in Jackson Mississippi.

I want to thank the NAACP. We have been fighting for this for a century in this country to be able to vote without fear, she said.

Opponents argued that since Colorado is an open-carry state (with a few exceptions), the bill infringes on Second Amendment rights, and could make people who openly carry a firearm feel less secure.

House Bill 1273 would make it a misdemeanor to threaten or intimidate state and local election workers for doing their jobs. Its still awaiting its first committee hearing. It also would make it illegal to publish the personal information of election workers a practice known as doxxing and allow those workers and their immediate family members to remove their private information from open records requests. And it would increase the penalties for threats and intimidation.

Senate Bill 153 is in response to the security breach in Mesa county. Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters and her Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley are facing multiple indictments for election tampering and misconduct. A federal investigation is ongoing.

It would add new security requirements for counties, requiring constant video surveillance of election equipment, stricter rules about who can access equipment and increase penalties for potential security breaches in an effort to try to prevent insider security threats. The bill cleared the Senate with Democratic support and one Republican yes vote.

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New Board of Ed members show conservative bent; Byrd says ideology in FL school system ‘not okay’ – Florida Phoenix

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Two new women members of Floridas State Board of Education made their debuts Wednesday, revealing a conservative to far-right bent that could foreshadow their priorities for the states public school system and its 2.8-million students.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Esther Byrd and Grazie Pozo Christie in mid-March, just before the 2022 legislative session was ending.

Byrd, from Duval County, used her first board meeting to signal to Floridians that she will be fighting ideology within Florida schools.

Im just a mama and the parent of two children ones graduated and one in second grade, Byrd said Wednesday. And weve seen the ideology thats in our education system and its not okay. And I look forward to working with this board to make sure that we find those things and we tackle them.

Her comments came during the Board of Educations meeting in Naples, in Southwest Florida.

Byrds appointment in March sparked controversy, as her social media posts appeared to be supportive of far-right causes, such as the white nationalist group, the Proud Boys, and the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection.

The Florida Times-Union media outlet, located in Jacksonville, reported in mid-March: Byrd most notably landed in the public eye for her tweetssupporting the Capitol insurrection as well as the QAnon conspiracy theory anddefending the Proud Boys. A photo of theByrds flying a QAnon flag on their boat was widely circulated last year.

Byrd is the wife of Republican state Rep. Cord Byrd, and she currently serves as a legal assistant and office manager for his law firm, which appears to focus on Second Amendment cases, according to the offices website. (The language in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution includes: the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.)

She also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002 to 2010, according to a March press release from the governors office.

Byrd continued her remarks at the board meeting Wednesday:

If I could just speak to the Floridians for just a secondI want you to know one thing: these people (the Board of Education) are not bureaucrats. They are not just here, you know, getting paid by taxpayer dollars. They care about what they do. They care about the kids, and serving Floridians, and through my orientation and the short time that Ive been involved, I have been so impressed with all of the staff and how much they genuinely care about what theyre doing.

The other newcomer is Grazie Pozo Christie of Miami, who is a radiologist. She currently is heavily involved with Catholic organizations such as The Catholic Association which describes itself in part on its website as defending religious liberty, life, and the Church in the public square.

Her Twitter account currently is comprised mostly of anti-abortion tweets or retweets. Christie posted a reference on her Twitter page, claiming that late term abortion is never medically necessary.

Outside of the abortion front, she also weighed in on divisive legislation now in law the so-called Dont Say Gay measure limiting the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.

When White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said Tuesday that the bill will have tragic impact, Christie, who supports the bill, tweeted: Tragic impact on child groomers and deranged ideologue kindergarten teachers.

On Wednesday, at the state board meeting, Christie said she was surprised but honored to be appointed to the state Board of Education.

Also I very much admire in the way that the governor and this board and the Department of Education has put a real focus on parental rights, on transparency, on doing for children and young adults, what they need, which is to educate them, Christie said Wednesday. To educate them to be ready for the great challenge of living a successful life out in the workforce and building great families. And I think thats what education ought to be about and thats what I feel this board is doing.

Both newcomers expressed their disappointment of not being able to work with current Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, who is expected to step down in late April.

Im sorry I wont be working with you, Commissioner, Christie said.

Corcoran spent the first part of the meeting giving his farewell comments to the board, thanking the board members and department staff.

Though maintaining composure, Corcoran seemed emotional in his remarks.

This is, in all likelihood, the last full board meeting I would participate in as your commissioner. Its been a great run, Corcoran said.

He added: Ive said it at the last meeting: I dont think theres a finer board in the state. I dont think theres a board thats had more adversity thrown their way, more controversy. Our meetings are probably the most lively of any meetings in the state and you guys, you know what you believe, you know what your philosophy is and you have the courage to fight for it.

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New Board of Ed members show conservative bent; Byrd says ideology in FL school system 'not okay' - Florida Phoenix

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Was the Constitution inspired by God? Is Oprah a spiritual leader? – Deseret News

Posted: at 2:31 am

This article was first published in theState of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night.

Last week, Deseret News and The Marist Poll released their first Faith in America survey, which explored religions evolving role in American life. So far, Ive used the new data to write about some of the reasons why people are less interested in organized religion today than they were in the past and Americans beliefs about wearing religious attire in public.

My teammates have also contributed articles and columns to the ongoing project. Jennifer Graham discussed anxieties surrounding the concept of a post-Christian society and Mya Jaradat explored the enduring popularity of the golden rule.

Despite the quantity (and quality!) of these stories, my colleagues and I have only scratched the surface of whats in the Faith in America survey report. For this weeks newsletter, I wanted to highlight a few other fascinating data points that havent yet made it into a Deseret News story.

Around 1 in 5 U.S. adults (22%) report that their religious beliefs and faith-related activities play a major role in their social network. An additional 28% say religion plays a more minor role.

Republicans (35%) are nearly twice as likely as Democrats (18%) and Independents (18%) to report their religion plays a major role in deciding with whom they spend time, researchers noted.

More than half of U.S. adults (55%) believe the Constitution, as a whole, was inspired by God, according to the Deseret-Marist poll. Similar shares of Americans said the same about the First Amendment (free speech and freedom of religion), 15th Amendment (voting rights for Black men) and 19th Amendment (voting rights for women).

Americans are less confident about divine support for the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. The survey showed that just 37% of U.S. adults say the Second Amendment is inspired by God.

Oprah may be a hugely popular celebrity, but shes not a common source of moral guidance. Just 1 in 10 U.S. adults look to her for tips on how to live a moral life, the Deseret-Marist poll found.

In the legal context, stay refers to a court decision that halts a legal proceeding. In most cases, stays are only temporary; they expire once various details are worked out.

Stays often come up in death penalty cases, since those typically involve many requests for delay. A court might stay an execution to give parties involved the time needed to address lingering questions.

Last week, the Supreme Court granted a partial stay in an ongoing battle over the Navys COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The decision will allow Navy officials to temporarily refuse to deploy unvaccinated service members. Previously, district and appeals court judges had ruled that the Navy could not take any adverse action against people with religious concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines.

My friend Daniel Silliman recently completed a once-in-a-career assignment: investigating instances of sexual harassment within his own organization. He wrote about allegations against two former Christianity Today leaders and how the organization spent years protecting those men instead of the people concerned about their behavior. Slate recently spoke with Silliman about covering abuse at CT and elsewhere.

This years St. Peters Peacocks may be out of the March Madness basketball tournament, but theyll live on in my heart. If the same is true for you, check out Religion Unpluggeds look at the scrappy, Roman Catholic school.

I really enjoyed The New York Times look at the story behind one of the most shared photos from Ketanji Brown Jacksons confirmation hearings.

The Deseret News recently published an interesting look at the land on which the Washington D.C. temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was built.

If you have room in your heart and brain for more survey data, check out this new report from the Survey Center on American Life on Gen Z and the future of faith.

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Was the Constitution inspired by God? Is Oprah a spiritual leader? - Deseret News

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Opinion | We Cant Get Even Regular Gun Control. How Are We Going to Deal With Ghost Guns? – The New York Times

Posted: at 2:31 am

Its a tough time for gun safety in general. The Supreme Court decided to take a look at New York regulations that set a pretty high bar on the right to, say, carry a revolver in your pocket when you go out for a walk. Nobody knows whats going to happen. The Supreme Court keeps me up at night. For all kinds of reasons, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told me.

Lawmakers from Connecticut tend to be very concerned about this kind of issue, an obsession that goes back to 2012, when a 20-year-old stole his mothers gun and then killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, 20 of them children.

The Newtown shooting shocked the world, and many of us simpletons that we were presumed it would be the start of a whole new American attitude toward guns.

Certainly didnt imagine that this month wed be watching activists, many of them survivors of the Parkland high school shooting in 2018, place 1,100 body bags on the National Mall. Each bag stood for about 150 lives lost to guns since Parkland including homicides, accidental gun deaths and suicides. Organizers said there was no way to include one for each victim since that would have meant 170,000 body bags.

And hows Biden, who clearly sees himself as a champion of gun safety regulation, doing? It depends on what your expectations were, Blumenthal said, carefully. While many anti-gun activists say theyve been disappointed, Blumenthal still has a lot of hope. Hes more passionate and determined than any president in my memory, the senator said.

Definitely more than the guy who came before. Like most New Yorkers, Donald Trump sympathized with gun control for most of his life. Then he began making political speeches and told people he was stunned stunned! by how enthusiastic Republican crowds got if you gave a shout-out for the right to bear arms. Instant switcheroo.

Bidens been consistent, if not always successful. His first attempt to name a director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives imploded when the Second Amendment lobby managed to torpedo the nomination of gun control activist David Chipman last year. Either this was impossible to win or the strategy failed, Chipman said afterward an analysis that could be used for many, many administration encounters with the United States Senate.

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Opinion | We Cant Get Even Regular Gun Control. How Are We Going to Deal With Ghost Guns? - The New York Times

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Learn about candidates before casting votes in the next few weeks | Opinion – The Jackson Sun

Posted: at 2:31 am

As we continue our way through campaign season for the local primary elections on May 3, there are a few important dates to be aware of between now and then.

Monday, April 4, is the final day to register to vote to be able to vote the following month.

April 13 is the day early voting begins at the Madison County Election Commission (311 North Parkway), and that will be available April 13-28 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (except on April 15) and 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday.

But before all that, theres another important date to put on your calendar: April 7. Its on that day The Sun will partner with WNBJ and Jackson State Community College to host a mayoral forum in the McWherter Center on Jackson States campus (2046 North Parkway).

The forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. and be done by 8. WNBJs Christen Hyde and I will ask the candidates questions pertinent to the issues in Madison County.

All four candidates have been invited and have indicated they will be present.

If you can be there, feel free to join us. Weve got nearly 200 seats open for you. If you cant be there, the crew at WNBJ will be set up for a broadcast on Facebook Live on their page that well share on ours.

Well ask them about their concerns, plans, hopes and dreams for the county under their leadership.

Theyll be presented with questions pertinent to the job of mayor so dont expect questions related to abortion, the Second Amendment, marriage equality or any other national hot button issues.

Ive seen some comments on social media and heard about comments being made in verbal conversations on the campaign trail, and the voters need to learn about the races and the candidates. For one, this is a race for County Mayor. Scott Conger probably appreciates expressions of support he gets when any of the candidates speak or make social media posts about running for the position, but hes the Mayor of Jackson and isnt running for county mayor, so supporting Conger and supporting one of these candidates can happen from the same person.

The No. 1 thing that needs to happen before all of the elections the voters needs to be as knowledgeable as possible about the candidates, and this is a great opportunity to find out about the candidates looking to represent this county as its mayor.

While a county mayor doesnt have the almost unilateral power the Jackson Mayor does, it is a key role in the process of recruiting industries and other businesses, advocating for the county to state and sometimes federal leadership and is in constant discussion with the county commissioners, who are the ones that ultimately make important decisions for the county as at least 13 of the 25 of its members have to agree with anything the mayor wants to do.

And with Madison County and all of rural West Tennessee being on the cusp of potentially the most important time in local history with an apparently obvious opportunity for prosperity, having the right people in the right positions of leadership is essential to the area living up to that potential.

So this is a great time to hear from them.

Then the candidates will have another opportunity to do the same thing at Union as The Jackson Chamber is hosting a forum of its own at Union University on April 26. More details on that event later.

Well have more coverage throughout the month of April regarding other elections too, including County Commission races that will have contested primaries and the race for Sheriff.

Good luck to all the candidates and thank you for being willing to serve in whatever capacity for which youre running.

Brandon Shields is the editor of The Jackson Sun. Reach him at bjshields@jacksonsun.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.

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Learn about candidates before casting votes in the next few weeks | Opinion - The Jackson Sun

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