Look at the clouds. Look at the cliff.

 

Look at the clouds. Look at the cliff. Look at the bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis). You might hardly notice those flowers. They’re there at the bottom, making up a tiny element of the picture. They don’t always get to be the stars in their pictures. Sometimes humility’s the watchword.

I photographed this cliffscape in Burnet County on March 17th.

 

© 2023 Steven Schwartzman

 

 

 

Texas groundsel seed head

 

In the last post you saw a group of Texas groundsel, Senecio ampullaceus, with bright yellow flowers. Also from March 19th in western Bastrop County comes this much closer view of a Texas groundsel seed head.

 

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“Bills like this make schools more hostile, and make no mistake, it results in hate, bigotry, and yes, sometimes even death of our students in schools.”

“When we talk about progressive values, I can say what my progressive value is, and that’s freedom over fascism.”

So what hateful, fascistic, and sometimes even deadly thing were those two members of the House of Representatives referring to this week? It was a bill that passed the House by a narrow margin, known as the Parents Bill of Rights. And what were some of the bill’s hateful, fascistic, and occasionally even deadly provisions? Oh, you know, detestable things like:

the right of parents to know what’s in a school’s curriculum;

the right to meet at least twice a year with a child’s teacher;

the right to review a school’s budget to find out what taxpayers’ money is being spent on;

the right to find out what books are in a school’s library and to inspect those books if desired;

the right to find out about all the schools in which parents can enroll their child;

the right to address the school board;

the right to information about violent activity in their child’s school;

the right to information about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs in the child’s school;

the right to review any professional development materials used to train teachers;

the right to know if their child is not grade-level proficient in reading or language arts at the end of the third grade;

the right to know if a school employee or contractor acts to change a minor child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name, or to allow a child to change the child’s sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms;

the right to know if a school employee or contractor acts to treat, advise, or address the cyberbullying of a student; treat, advise, or address the bullying or hazing of a student; treat, advise, or address a student’s mental health, suicidal ideation, or instances of self-harm; treat, advise, or address a specific threat to the safety of a student; treat, advise, or address the possession or use of drugs and other controlled substances; or treat, advise, or address an eating disorder; or if a child brings a weapon to school.

 

In short, parents have the right to know what’s going on with their kids at school. Hardly sounds like fascism to me.

 

One member of the House said “Extreme MAGA Republicans don’t want the children of America to learn about the Holocaust.” You have to assume that House member never even bothered to read the bill he voted against. If he had read it, he would have seen the following in Title VI: “It is the sense of Congress that all public elementary school and secondary school students should have opportunities to learn the history of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism.” The representative had lied and claimed the opposite.

As I recently pointed out, politicians lie, often blatantly, as here. Some things never change.

  

© 2023 Steven Schwartzman