I thought we were beyond this anti-American, anti-Christian madness, particularly here at home, but I was wrong.
There is a nasty underbelly of radicalized conservatives in Citrus County. I found it shocking since I didn’t think the county where I was born and raised supported such narrow-minded, bigoted people.
One of the messages being used is a slanderous assault on library staff, which accused them of trying to peddle LGBTQ "propaganda" during June in celebration of "Gay Pride Month, with rainbow flag displays featuring books and slogans promoting homosexuality and gender dysphoria.” Their language was uncivil, inflammatory, unchristian, and scientifically wrong. In a move outside of the standard practice for the BOCC, this became an agenda item at a recent meeting. Luckily, common sense and three brave Commissioners voted to continue to allow the library to educate its patrons.
This group also promoted a march supporting the “Patriots” who stormed the Capitol building in DC. Patriots connote a vision of a revolutionary war hero and the American fight for independence. The reality is these are lawless hooligans who have mistaken patriotism for nationalism, who beat the Capitol police with flags that said: “support your police '' and called for the death of the Speaker of the House and Vice President. Some conservatives call these people political prisoners. Most Americans would call them misguided, believers of the big lie, the followers of a guy who set them loose and then abandoned them. Now they are in jail, and they are soon to be felons.
They also took a shot at our award-winning Superintendent of Schools. This group doesn’t mind degrading anyone’s reputation if they don’t espouse their worldview. We have a good school system. It is well run and produces solid citizens, but that won’t stop this group from creating issues they can protest.
Hopefully, these people don’t represent Citrus County. They don’t represent the people I know in Citrus. The people I know are kind and want this divisiveness to end.
I thought we were beyond this anti-American, anti-Christian madness, particularly here at home, but I was wrong.
There is a nasty underbelly of radicalized conservatives in Citrus County. I found it shocking since I didn’t think the county where I was born and raised supported such narrow-minded, bigoted people.
One of the messages being used is a slanderous assault on library staff, which accused them of trying to peddle LGBTQ "propaganda" during June in celebration of "Gay Pride Month, with rainbow flag displays featuring books and slogans promoting homosexuality and gender dysphoria.” Their language was uncivil, inflammatory, unchristian, and scientifically wrong. In a move outside of the standard practice for the BOCC, this became an agenda item at a recent meeting. Luckily, common sense and three brave Commissioners voted to continue to allow the library to educate its patrons.
This group also promoted a march supporting the “Patriots” who stormed the Capitol building in DC. Patriots connote a vision of a revolutionary war hero and the American fight for independence. The reality is these are lawless hooligans who have mistaken patriotism for nationalism, who beat the capitol police with flags that said: “support your police '' and called for the death of the Speaker of the House and Vice President. Some conservatives call these people political prisoners. Most Americans would call them misguided, believers of the big lie, the followers of a guy who set them loose and then abandoned them. Now they are in jail, and they are soon to be felons.
They also took a shot at our award-winning Superintendent of Schools. This group doesn’t mind degrading anyone’s reputation if they don’t espouse their worldview. We have a good school system. It is well run and produces solid citizens, but that won’t stop this group from creating issues they can protest.
Hopefully, these people don’t represent Citrus County. They don’t represent the people I know in Citrus. The people I know are kind and want this divisiveness to end.