The Ambitious Mr. DeSantis

[laklak]

We lived next door to New College, our little subdivision was sandwiched between it on the south and the University of South Florida Manatee Campus to the north. New College had lots of hippies, but they're not traditional Deadhead type hippies, they're judgmental, humorless, vegan, woke, non-binary hippies. Some likely identify as unicorns or dragons. I quite enjoyed irritating them. South Florida had more country-bros and girls in tight jeans. Even saw Daisy Dukes on occasion.

New College had no grades and barely a curriculum, from what I could gather. I knew a few professors, there were several in the neighborhood. One guy, a professor of Classical Greek, had a giant African tortoise that kept escaping and getting stuck in the storm drain on our property.

[L'Emmerdeur]

You going to fault a guy for wanting his own contingent of stormtroopers?

'Veterans quit as training, mission for DeSantis' State Guard turn militaristic'

When DeSantis announced in 2021 he wanted to revive the long-dormant State Guard, he vowed it would help Floridians during emergencies. But in the year since its launch, key personnel and a defined mission remain elusive. The state is looking for the program’s third leader in eight months. According to records reviewed by the Herald/Times and interviews with program volunteers, a number of recruits quit after the first training class last month because they feared it was becoming too militaristic.

Weeks into that inaugural June training, one volunteer, a disabled retired Marine Corps captain, called the local sheriff’s office to report he was battered by Florida National Guard instructors when they forcibly shoved him into a van after he questioned the program and its leadership.

DeSantis’ office referred questions to Major General John D. Haas, Florida’s adjutant general overseeing the Florida National Guard.

In a statement, Haas said the State Guard was a “military organization” that will be used not just for emergencies but for “aiding law enforcement with riots and illegal immigration.”

“We are aware that some trainees who were removed are dissatisfied,” Haas said. “This is to be expected with any course that demands rigor and discipline.”

Three former members told the Herald/Times the program veered from its original mission.

“The program got hijacked and turned into something that we were trying to stay away from: a militia,” said Brian Newhouse, a retired 20-year Navy veteran who was chosen to lead one of the State Guard’s three divisions.

The original leadership team envisioned a disaster response team of veterans and civilians with a variety of practical skills, according to Newhouse. Two other former military veterans, who asked not to be named for fear of potential consequences and later quit, expressed similar concerns over a change in the State Guard’s mission.

[Sean Hayden]

--scary . We've seen it everywhere that he's a functional trump.

[macdoc]

Black or brown shirts??

[L'Emmerdeur]

Definitely brown--too hot in Florida for black shirts.

[JimC]

Maybe even beige...

[L'Emmerdeur]

I expect you are correct.

---

---

No surprise that the crew of ideologues and edgelords hand-picked by DeSantis to take over New College of Florida are having some teething pains. I'm sure they'll end up producing an excellent institution of higher education with a formidable athletic department.

'Chaos at New College of Florida'

When a committee of the New College of Florida Board of Trustees met in July, a whopping 36 faculty members had already left since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis initiated a conservative restructuring of the institution in January. That number has subsequently grown to more than 40, Amy Reid, the sole faculty member on the board, told Inside Higher Ed.

Now, as students prepare for the fall semester, the impact of the faculty exodus is becoming apparent: many classes won’t be offered at New College this term.

The course catalogue was already sparse when students first began looking at classes last spring. Dani Delaney, the mother of one former New College student who is transferring to Hampshire College in Massachusetts—which guaranteed admission to all New College students in good standing—said her son could only find two classes that counted toward his “area of concentration” (which is what New College calls majors). When he contacted the institution about the lack of relevant courses, she said, he was told the course catalogue was “in flux” and to “choose something else.”

“These are young adults who are not looking to fill up a semester with high school electives. It’s not like, ‘Oh, chorus is closed, let me just go take that art class,’” she said. “There are classes [students] need to take to continue to propel [their] studies forward … that was just an absolute stunning thing to have a college tell us, just pick something else. No.”

...

“The division chairs have made a heroic effort this summer to fill in the gaps in our academic programs,” [Professor Reid] said. “Sadly, their efforts are being hampered by an ideological litmus test imposed by the administration.”

...

In addition to making abrupt curricular changes, the college is altering housing assignments with what parents and students say is not enough warning or communication.

Students first heard in June that there was a chance their housing contracts, which were finalized in April, could change, according to a Tampa Bay Times article from July. Apartments typically reserved for juniors and seniors would now house the more than 100 new student athletes New College had admitted for the fall.

...

The incoming freshman class, which is the largest in New College’s history, will include at least 341 students; 155, or just under half, are athletes, according to university spokesperson Nathan March.

[JimC]

Jocks FTW!

[Svartalf]

Too bad they got nothing in their jockstraps, and even less between the ears.

[rasetsu]

[L'Emmerdeur]

This seems like a poor gamble, but I suppose it makes sense to him. He apparently believes that the future of the US is a Christofascistic (non pacem Cnut) minority hegemony. If that's what you believe, it's appropriate and ambitious to get in front of the mob by calling out the gays and those who believe in their rights as a 'threat.'

'DeSantis Frames Same-Sex Marriage Supporters as Threat "Against Our Religious Institutions"'

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, struggling to retain his number-two ranking in the 2024 GOP presidential primary race, framed supporters of same-sex marriage as a threat to America’s religious institutions, and to the sacraments of Christian churches.

“You have previously said that the definition of marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman. I’m curious, is that still how you feel today?” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Gov. DeSantis at the network’s town hall in Iowa Thursday night.

“So that’s just what marriage is with the church,” responded DeSantis, who is known for his anti-LGBTQ “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.

“And I respect the Supreme Court’s decision,” he continued, referring to the 2015 ruling that found the U.S. Constitution provides the same rights and responsibilities to marriage for same-sex couples as for different-sex couples. “We’ve abided by that in Florida even though our constitution defines it as between a man and a woman.”

But the Florida governor quickly pivoted to suggesting that somehow the seven out of ten Americans (71%) who support same-sex marriage, according to Gallup, are somehow a threat to religion.

“I think what we need to recognize is you are going to have people try to wield power against our religious institutions, and try to marginalize them simply by upholding the biblical definition of marriage,” DeSantis declared, echoing far-right extremists who for decades have predicted that same-sex couples marrying would somehow destroy “traditional” marriages and societal institutions, none of which have happened in the more than eight years since that Supreme Court ruling.

Even GOP voters are near-evenly split on support for same-sex marriage, but DeSantis pivoted to their right.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Opposed to state ballot measures legalizing cannabis and abortion access? No problem. Set up a political committee to oppose them and call it a 'Freedom Fund.' Because, you know, freedom is what you're all about.

'DeSantis’ "Freedom Fund" will target abortion, pot amendments on Florida ballot'

Gov. Ron DeSantis has launched a new political committee to target a pair of ballot initiatives on abortion access and legalizing marijuana in Florida, as he looks to block policies Democrats believe will bring them back into relevancy in the state.

The committee — called the Florida Freedom Fund — was quietly launched late last month and its official chair is James Uthmeier, the governor’s chief of staff who also worked as campaign manager for DeSantis’ run for president.

The creation of the committee — which did not report raising any money in the final week of May — comes as DeSantis tries to reassert control over his home state after his failed presidential run. It reinforces that DeSantis primary political goal for the 2024 election is the defeat of the amendments, both of which have already raised millions of dollars.

A person familiar with DeSantis’ plans — but not authorized to speak publicly — said the political committee would not only target the two amendments, but also get involved in school board races.

“As Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to lead our great state, the Florida Freedom Fund will be championing issues and candidates committed to preserving Floridians’ freedom,” said Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for the governor. “From up and down ballot races to critical amendments, we’re steadfast in our mission to keep Florida free.”

[L'Emmerdeur]

Shining light of the party of liberty and free speech.

'Ron DeSantis' Administration Is Threatening to Prosecute the Media for Airing Pro-Choice Ads'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is threatening TV stations that air ads in support of an abortion rights ballot initiative with criminal penalties, including jail time.

DeSantis and his allies are already spending large sums of taxpayer dollars to fight Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution if voted into law in November. His “election police” have interrogated and intimidated residents who signed petitions to put it on the ballot. His administration created a publicly funded, state-run website condemning the amendment, and has run ads promoting the current law, which bans abortions after six weeks.

Now, however, DeSantis is escalating the battle: On Oct. 3, his Department of Health sent a letter to at least one local NBC affiliate suggesting that prosecutors could bring criminal charges against the TV station for airing ads that encourage residents to vote for the amendment. The letter, first reported by investigative journalist Jason Garcia, asserted that the ads violate Florida’s “sanitary nuisance” law and that stations may commit a second-degree misdemeanor by carrying them, subjecting their employees to a 60-day jail sentence.

The Florida Department of Health’s allegations are absurd on several levels. The agency claims that the advertisement in question is “false” and “dangerous” because it informs viewers that the state’s six-week ban imperils the life and health of pregnant women. But it is demonstrably true that Florida’s ban jeopardizes the well-being of women. Moreover, even if the ad exaggerated these harms—indeed, even if it were arguably false—it would still receive bulletproof First Amendment protections. And TV stations would have an insurmountable constitutional shield against any punishment for airing it.

[Brian Peacock]

Penis!

[JimC]

Melania should give him a public tongue lashing, given her recent pro-choice comments...