Since they can’t win on the facts, Leftists frequently employ an alternative approach: shame, defame and slander their ideological opponents.
Just ask Brett Kavanaugh. Ask Clarence Thomas. Ask Alliance Defending Freedom.
And now, ask Moms for Liberty.
Glenn Altschuler is an American Studies professor at Cornell University. He’s also the author of a recent op-ed in The Hill disparaging Moms for Liberty as an “extremist” organization.
In reality, Moms for Liberty was founded to combat something actually extreme: the ideological indoctrination of young children occurring in schools around the nation.
Though some – like Mr. Altschuler – may try to deny such programming occurs, the Daily Citizen has well documented this fact here, here, here, here and here.
To be clear, there are many good teachers in the United States. But that doesn’t mean that in numerous places – especially more liberal enclaves – ideological indoctrination is not taking place.
It is.
Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021. It’s mission is to “fight for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”
Does that sound extreme to you?
The organization also lists six ways that its members engage the culture, which include the following:
- Hold Leaders Accountable
- Spread Awareness
- Oppose Government Overreach
- Promote Liberty
- Engage on Key Issues
- Activate to Public Service
Again, sound extreme?
Not in the slightest. Sounds like democracy.
Now, in his op-ed, Mr. Altschuler lists six reasons why he’s asserting Moms for Liberty is “extremist.”
While we won’t address those point-by-point, two deserve to be called out and rebutted.
First, he claims that North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaking at Moms for Liberty’s “Joyful Warriors Summit” was a bridge too far. As a supposed example of the lieutenant governor’s “extremism,” Mr. Altschuler points out that he “believes teaching children about sexual orientation and gender identity is child abuse” and that “the transgender rights movement is ‘demonic.’”
But not only are the lieutenant governor’s claims not extreme, he’s correct.
It is abusive and incorrect to teach young children that they may have been born in the wrong body, and that they should perhaps consider “transitioning” via puberty blockers, opposite-sex hormones and surgeries.
Indeed, to teach a young child this is to deceive them. And there’s only one person who Jesus calls the “father of lies” (John 8:44, ESV).
Second, Mr. Altschuler quotes a chapter leader of Moms for Liberty who has said that sometimes, teachers suggest students should “transition.” He implies such things never occur.
Except for when they do as demonstrated here, here and here.
Sorry, Mr. Altschuler. There’s so much you know that just isn’t so.
Now let’s make this very clear.
It’s not extreme for parents to defend their children. It is right and natural.
It’s not extreme to ban and prohibit pornographic, explicit, and inappropriate books and materials in school libraries. It’s responsible.
It’s not extreme for parents – moms included – to get engaged at the local level, show up at school board meetings and monitor what their children are being taught in public schools. It’s called democracy and engaged parenting.
And it’s certainly not extreme for moms to band together and create an organization to advocate for their children.
Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center added Moms for Liberty to its annual Year In Hate and Extremism report, going so far as to declare the nonprofit an “anti-government” organization.
In response, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice called the designation “absolutely absurd.”
“We are a group of moms and dads and grandparents and aunts and uncles, community members that are very concerned about the direction of the country,” she said.
Tiffany added:
We’re going to keep doing the work that we do across the country. We’re set up by chapters. We have over 120,000 members. And if you talk to the moms and dads on the ground, they’re concerned about some of the things that they’re seeing taught in schools.
We’re going to keep focused on our mission of getting liberty-minded individuals elected to school board and ensuring that parental rights are protected at every level of government.
There may be extreme people and organizations (the NEA for example) involved in our nation’s public schools, but Moms for Liberty is not one of them.
It’s extremely important for parents to be intensely involved in their children’s education. Parents must be aware of what their children are learning in school.
If you’re worried about what your child is being taught in school, check out the following resource from Focus on the Family: Back to School for Parents: A busy parent’s guide to what’s happening in your children’s classrooms and practical steps you can take to protect them.
Related articles and resources:
Sixteen State Attorneys General File Brief Opposing Parents’ Rights
New York State Education Department ‘Doubles Down on Gender Ideology’
New Jersey: Schools Must Not Tell Parents About Child’s ‘Transgenderism’
Photo from Getty Images.
