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Republicans: Manufacturing, Packaging & Marketing Rage [1]

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Date: 2023-05-16

How a Republican Senate Candidate is Using a Lie to Erode the First Amendment

I try to avoid online arguing because it’s seldom gotten me anywhere. We live in a world of cognitive dissonance and even when folks are presented with enough evidence to the contrary to rethink their position on a long-held belief, they don’t budge. The ability to keep learning through life and ultimately change your position on an issue when you’ve accumulated knowledge to the contrary is a pretty big indicator of intelligence. Or, as the kids (via Maya Angelou) say, “Know better, do better.”

So, now that I’ve gotten that important disclaimer out of the way, I couldn’t help but remark on Former Virginia Delegate, Republican Candidate for Senate, and omnipresent Local Attorney Tim Anderson and his efforts to try to humiliate a woman and successful local business owner by posting a video to Facebook of her recent remarks to the Virginia Beach School Board — which were, by the way REMARKABLE! While supporting the dignity of LGBTQ+ students, she managed to stand up for all Americans in a beautiful display of her First Amendment Right to Free Speech and her right to request information in the public record and share what she finds. Boom. Full disclaimer: before I tell this story, which has become more intricate over the past week, I was there with her at the meeting where she spoke. We carpooled there together in her electric car. We’re friends. Her name is Melissa Lukeson, she’s the Vice Chair of our local Democratic Committee and had previously filed to run in the district I am now running in, and after this story, you’ll understand why I’d want to be her friend. So, here’s a good jumping-in point. Watching this Tik-Tok might help you grasp what’s about to happen. this event, and just — too much to list. The woman (Annie Palumbo) who made that Tik-Tok “Domestic Terrorist” video took “a tour” of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; was previously barred from school board meetings, attendedand just — too much to list. So, back to the Republican candidate for Senate. He goes full-on dogfight mode with Mrs. Lukeson on Mother’s Day over her FOIA request, posts a video of her speech, and does this. “Melissa Lukeson is the speaker in the previous video (one post down) who has issued a FOIA to discover the identities of parents who communicated with school board members in opposition of a transgender resolution before the Va Beach school board. Her group of militant activists have threatened to harass employers of parents that disagree with her worldview labeling them as: Transphobic Homophobic Bigots Be Silent no more. As conservatives, we must protect each other. Stand with parents and stop the bullying and intimidation tactics to silence those who oppose the agenda.” — Attorney Tim Anderson Facebook Page May, 14, 2023. I avoided commenting on all of his posts about her until I couldn't. My comments (I kept them civil) are in his thread tucked among the bigoted remarks of others about… guess what… a school board member proposing the acceptance of a resolution/promise that LGBTQ+ students in Virginia Beach schools will not face discrimination in our schools. That’s it—nothing to do with locker rooms, bathrooms, sports – nothing of the sort.

It’s important to understand that our local school boards can’t make decisions about high school sports and how/where a young transgender athlete might fit in. That’s a state decision. And, do we have transgender athletes in our high schools? I mean, do we – or is this a non-issue that the Attorney/former Delegate who recently moved out of his area to run for a senate seat is fomenting just to get a rise out of his base? By the way, Tim Anderson attempted to separate himself from the MAGA followers not so long ago. He’s no longer doing that and is back in a full embrace with those he accused the last election cycle of helping Republicans lose because of extreme views on issues such as abortion. Republicans like the one I am running against — he’s cozy with these folks again.

No doubt Tim Anderson is a smart man. And he’s even done some things I admire like continuing to ask questions about the lack of prosecution for a local church pastor who has been accused more than once of sexual assault and his latest accusation (soliciting prostitution from a law enforcement officer posing as a teenager online.) Hats off to him for his efforts on that.

But this – this attack on a woman defending LGTBQ+ CHILDREN in our schools is misguided and dishonest. For starters, he told his followers this was in response to a proposed policy. Not true. It was, instead, a proposed RESOLUTION! He also (as well as our more conservative school board members) whipped up a frenzy among conservative community members when they falsely announced this had anything to do with transgender girls competing in girls' sports. If I sound like a broken record right now, I’m not. Tim Anderson and his flock are the broken record and I’m jumping up and down hoping the record gets back on track. Even when it was pointed out to ALL that this resolution wasn’t about THAT, he and his followers have decided to continue with the lie.

And the woman who spoke in favor of protecting CHILDREN, well she has filed the FOIA request (totally within her RIGHTS and something Tim Anderson does ALL the time) requesting all the correspondence sent to board members regarding this resolution and has offered to share the results of this request (these emails being part of the public record) with the community. And that folks, is how transparency works.

Now, here’s where it gets super nasty. He has now offered to SUE this woman and her “group” (whoever THAT is), on behalf of anybody who may be embarrassed by any hatred toward children that is uncovered when these emails are released. The concern is that the contents may be vile enough that the employers of these folks or patrons of their businesses (if they are business owners) may choose to sever ties with them causing them distress and economic damage. Damage from what? Their own words and actions? So he and his clients will sue this woman for: 1) Exercising her right to speech. 2) Exercising her right to public information 3) Sharing that PUBLIC information, which by the way she hasn’t even done yet. So today, he went and did this...

So, Tim Anderson, with the help of a handful of school board members, whipped these people into such a frenzy (OVER FALSE INFORMATION) that they fired off nasty and potentially hate-filled emails into the public record and now he’s offering to DEFEND them when those emails are shared? And if there’s nothing awful about those emails, then there’s nothing to worry about. Ya know that Shakespeare quote, “Methinks thou doth protest too much,” plug this right in because it fits right here.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/16/2169655/-Republicans-Manufacturing-Packaging-Marketing-Rage

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