I'll Take a Distraction Burger, Please...

with a big side of manufactured fear

How’s it going, Secular Fam? I’ve felt a real boost these past few weeks, and it’s felt so good. My sleep has been uninterrupted, monsoons have been hitting my ‘hood, and I got a new roommate who, if I do say so myself, is pretty darn cute. 

[Chavez - Nickname (because nicknames are GREAT): Rocky Balboa]

On 7.25.2024, the Peoria (PUSD) governing board had a long, long, long, long, LONG, meeting. It was a two-parter, so it started with a study session, cruised into an executive session, and then ended with a special meeting. It was over eight hours, and truly, I was exhausted for them. And I was at home in sweats and a tank top! 

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I’m not going to cover the study session, but you can find the agenda here. And really, I won’t be covering much of the regular meeting either, so you can also find that on the PUSD Board Docs as well. The big topic that the extremists are being directed to keep talking about is Title IX, so of course, this is their focus. 

I say “being directed” because that’s exactly what is happening. This is all manufactured hysteria. 

[https://translegislation.com/learn]

This is a common strategy with evangelical extremists when they feel that they’re losing footing with their base. Over the past few years, many documentaries have come out that explain this strategy. A few months back, a bunch of us godless heathens met up at a local theater to watch Rob Reiner’s God & Country documentary. The film takes the viewer back to Brown v. Board of Education, and explains how that decision was the flashpoint that mobilized “Christians” to undo any progress that happened during the 1960s. They ended up galvanizing over the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, and well, here we are. Watch it, because my summary doesn’t do it justice. 

So the regular attendees in PUSD were there last week to publicly obsess over children’s genitalia. Again. But I don’t want to talk about them or the disinformation they spread. These people are so deeply unserious, they don’t even realize that they’re being manipulated.

But I get it. The kind of god they worship is a vengeful, unhinged, sycophant. 

He’s a patriarchal, authoritarian bigot. And according to Rick Pidcock and Cait West, recent guests on our Friday Speaker Series and survivors of authoritarian Christianity, this is on purpose. It is meant to encourage absolute obedience to both the patriarchal god and the patriarchal society/church/household. 

I read Cait West’s book, Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy, and I cannot recommend it enough. Her every move was controlled until she was twenty-five, and now lives a life free from constant surveillance and shaming. 

I was talking to a friend and colleague yesterday who is deeply faithful, but his god is loving and kind. He finds comfort in his god, and his faith demands constant inquiry and introspection. His faith also drives him to help others and make the world a better, more welcoming place. 

And he supports the work we do. 

My friend, and countless others who consider themselves faithful have increasingly been reaching out to Secular AZ. They express their frustration at the “not nice” behavior coming from so-called “Christians” and other religious folks. 

It seems that their relationship with their god is completely based on fear, and from what I can tell, that’s on purpose. If you know me at all, you know I’m not a big church-goer. HOWEVER, occasionally, I attend a church service and I’ve even been moved to tears. 

I actually enjoy listening to *some* pastors. Especially when they are bible scholars. You know, the folks who go back to learn ALL the religious texts. The folks who study Aramaic, Latin, Greek, and other ancient languages to understand the MULTIPLE translations of the bible.

Also, I’m a choir geek, so I LOVE music, and that’s a fun part too. Usually, the religious services I attend are welcoming, inclusive, and diverse. There’s no fire and brimstone, but there’s lots of “love thy neighbor.”  

You may notice that the more conservative churches, like, say… Dream City Church in North Phoenix. You know, the one where they hire unfingerprinted teachers at their voucher school and where they frequently host people like Donald Trump and other authoritarian types? It’s funny because they support real authoritarians while accusing those who accept others, value privacy, and advocate for bodily autonomy of being “authoritarians.” It’s wild. 

Since obedience and blind faith are oftentimes tenets of their faith (unlike my friend above, whose god expects inquiry), they tend to lack critical thinking skills. Additionally, in many of these authoritarian Christian cults, women and children are denied free will, and expected to essentially “pray and obey” while taking orders from their church leaders and husbands.

I’ve heard and read about many “exvangelical” women who weren’t even allowed to open their mail-in ballots, much less vote. All they do is sign the sealed envelope. 

So if you’re raised to believe that you were born a sinner, that someone is watching your every move, and that randomly, your god could punish or favor you at any time, chances are, you’re living a life guided by fear. 

If you’ve been programmed to obey your god, pastor, father (when applicable), and husband (if applicable), well, you’re going to be pretty easy to control. Why? Because your god insists that you live life in constant fear.

It’s by design, and as Rick Pidcock asserts, it’s because the authors of the bible were dead set on maintaining power and control, and they used organized religion to do it. 

And maintain it, they have! But it’s slipping, according to experts like Andrew Seidel. He asserts that this is the dying gasp of evangelical extremists because they know that the tides are turning, and that fewer people identify as “religious.” 

So rather than try to figure out why young people are rejecting organized religion, these folks are doubling down on their antiquated ideologies. They’re terrified of losing power and control, and their policies reflect how desperately they’re trying to keep it. 

Forced birth with no exceptions is about power and control. 

No-fault divorce is about power and control.

Softening of child labor laws is about power and control. 

pArEnTaL RiGhTs is about power and control. 

Universal vouchers are about power and control. 

Book bans are about power and control. 

Meddling in employee files is about power and control. 

So when all these people show up to speak against inclusive policies or policies that would empower children to advocate for themselves and their needs, it is about power and control. Unfortunately, when they demand full obedience, they end up being the ones who prop up and protect Child Sexual Assault (CSA) predators. 

And truly, their leaders have no bottom. Their church leaders have successfully scapegoated and vilified trans people, drag queens, and the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community in order to distract their sheep from the calls that are coming from inside the house. 

It’s quite brilliant, really. Much as I hate to admit it, they know their audience, and their long game is admirable, albeit disgusting. Since trans people comprise less than 2% of the population, these people may not know a trans person (or maybe they do and they just don’t know it).

Their religious and political leaders insist on blind obedience to their religion and/or party, so BAM! When they started demonizing trans people back in 2015, their flocks all latched right on just like they have been conditioned to do. 

Unfortunately, most of these people are too far gone, and now more than ever, party politics resembles professional sports. People pick their team and follow them even if their kicker is a douchey misogynist who probably dated male cheerleaders in college. 

I mean, just look at how these people dress to see their cult leader: 

Most of these evangelical extremists are too far gone, so reasoning with them doesn’t work. However, somehow there are still undecided voters out there 👀, so if they bring up how aFrAiD tHeY aRe about trans people, ask them: “Have you ever met a trans person?” Better yet, push them further. Ask them what issues are important to them. Like, what are the things that rob you of sleep? Chances are, they’ll say things like housing, childcare, healthcare, education, and climate. 

Another topic they’ve been told is super scary is the border and crime. People have written about how Fox News ramps up reporting on crime and the border during election years, so again, this is manufactured fear, and their followers, like the “good Christians” they are, will lap it up and run with it. 

All this to say that the PUSD meeting was confusing. Ultimately, there was a (ANOTHER) weird discussion about Title IX changes, and the board essentially voted to wait to see how all these lawsuits and/or injunctions play out. Their own district policy didn’t change. From what I understand, these revisions will go into place August 1st, 2024 whether districts are ready or not, so I’ll just wait and see what happens. 

In the meantime, if you’d like to see something I hope I never see again at another board meeting, feel free to click below. I recommend you take some Pepto-Bismol or Dramamine first. 

To me, the more reckless item that was approved was allowing the board to review an employee file. You may remember the CSA scandal that rocked PUSD a few months ago, when a well-known coach had inappropriate interactions with his students. It seems the principal was investigated and moved to another campus, but her staff and colleagues have been showing up at meetings to demand her reinstatement. Board Member Rooks asked for her file, and shockingly, the board approved her request in a 3-1 vote, with only Board Member Ewing voting against this truly terrible idea. 

You may remember that Board Member Rooks and former Board Member Rebecca Hill are currently being sued by a non-binary teacher who they targeted by name. Remember? The teacher whose home and car were vandalized? That one? Yeah…

Another potential problem with this move is that if this principal ends up having any more HR problems in the district, then any board members who review her files would have to recuse themselves if her name comes up again for a board vote.

And the other piece is where might this lead? If I was a teacher in that district, I’d have severed my contract after that vote so fast, heads would spin. 

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Board members are NOT HR directors, and a move like this sets a terrible precedent. I sure hope the board does away with this terrible policy to avoid legal troubles in the future.

But remember, Secular Fam, their entire goal is to destroy public education. Just look at Project 2025. It’s right there in black and white. 

With everything going on, you’d think I may have run out of hope, but I haven’t. Why? Because their messaging is TERRIBLE. Between their “childless cat lady” line and their rigid obsession with gender binaries and other people’s genitalia, they’re losing. 

And that’s why they’re so noisy. They feel their power and control slipping away, and it’s leading them to hysterics (see above video). 

So you know the drill! Become a member. Sign up to volunteer. Find a candidate who will fight to protect the wall that separates religion and government, and give them your time, talent, and treasure. Keep your chin up, Secular Fam! 

And remember: they are loud, but we are many.