Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder.

Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with the guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.

We need to rewrite those first sentences to make an analogy for educators. After all, no extralegal authorities are strolling our schools’ hallways–at least, not yet.

Be wary of astroturfed community groups. When the people with a political agenda who have always claimed to be against public schools start wearing the same t-shirts and showing up at school board meetings marching in lockstep, the end is nigh. When they take seats on the school board and hire like-minded superintendents, the end has come.

Oh, Duval! You are low-hanging fruit for this post. But I have bigger fish to fry. Lest you think that’s a mixed metaphor, feast your eyes on this.

Moms for Liberty, anyone? Other groups who use the public comment portion of a school board meeting to tag team a reading of passages from a book they consider obscene? But they are not satisfied with performative politics on the outside.

They are running for office. Most places, a few individuals may win, but they don’t grab control of the school board. In some places (Duval, cough, cough) they find success.

When federal and state authorities conspire together to castrate their respective Departments of Education, the end has come. Linda McMahon is such a disappointment. Given her background in the pro wrestling biz, we know the outcome is scripted but at least there should be a good show.

Kitty litter boxes for furries, slandering teachers as groomers and pedophiles, and faking outrage over the issue du jour, they are riding their high horses into positions of power.

We are left to ask, “Has the end come?”

You know the answer.