The Quiet Part is About to get REAL Loud

(be sure to have your earplugs ready)

Holy rollercoaster, Secular Fam! I don’t know about all of you, but for some reason, these last few nights, I have slept like a baby! Why, you ask? Well because for the last 72 hours, evangelical extremists have been completely losing their minds, and friends, I am HERE for it. 

I gotta tell you, I heard some moderate folks worry about Harris’ race and ethnicity when it comes to electability, but I had a feeling that the extremists would not be able to control themselves, so I wasn’t worried. Turns out, I was right. 

So far, the messaging coming from the Christian nationalist crew has consisted of xenophobia, misogyny, bigotry, and racism. Milquetoast GOP VP nominee, JD Vance called Kamala Harris a “childless cat lady” (they LOVE this insult - it’s adorbs). A Tennessee lawmaker called her a “DEI hire” (because saying the N-word is frowned upon these days…at least for now).

A few hate preachers said that she exudes the “spirit of Jezebel.” Which, by the way, is an AWESOME name for an all-woman punk band. If you want it, you can have the name for free. You just need to let me sing backup every once in a while. Or play the cowbell. Just trust me. I can keep tune AND maintain a beat.

One of the funniest things I’ve watched is their high-speed come-apart in real time. They’re telling on themselves to the entire world that the only strategy they had was the ageist one of harping on Biden’s age. 

So naturally, they all started being racist and misogynistic AF. 

Now, Donald J Trump is the oldest presidential nominee in the history of the United States of America.

The most extreme voices have come out against JD Vance because he is married to the daughter of Indian immigrants 👀, 

so these next three-and-a-half months are going to be interesting to watch.

Already, Black women I know are on the receiving end of some pretty terrible hate speech. Each and every one of us white folks needs to stand up every time we witness racism, xenophobia, misogyny, or bigotry happening to our Black friends and neighbors. 

Oh, and also? They’re going to ramp up their xenophobic garbage about the border, so get ready for that. 

I know all of this is an exciting and maybe even scary development. 

HOWEVER, none of this means that Christian nationalism is going anywhere anytime soon. 

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Also, while national politics may seem sexier than local politics, what with all the noise happening every day about the 2024 election, we still need to pay attention to what is happening in our own backyards. 

So mourn, celebrate, whichever you prefer, but you still need to show up. Schools will be starting in the next couple of weeks, and school boards will be meeting again. In fact, this week, despite there being nothing posted on the district website (as of 2:00 on 7.23.2024), I’ve seen screenshots indicating that there will be some kind of special meeting in Peoria (PUSD) on Thursday 25, 2024.

You can check their Boarddocs link for updates, but I’ll believe they’re meeting when it’s officially posted. 

But also, if there is a meeting, who do y’all suppose the “Anonymous member” is that leaked it? I’m guessing they’re probably a Mayosapien, and they probably put things like “Warrior Mama” or “God first” on their social media bios. I sure hope it’s not a board member or staffer who would leak it to get folks all frothed up…because that would be totally unprofessional and unethical. 

No matter. As long as all of us keep calm and support true public education candidates from the bottom of the ballot up, we can guarantee that these deeply unserious board members have a terrible time for the rest of their terms. 

Today’s update is short and sweet. Keep up the pace, Secular Fam. If you’re not already, become a member, and help our new Development Director start strong in his position by donating today!!

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

We’ve got this.