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You are here: Home / Civil Rights / LGBTQ Rights / LGBTQ Rights Are Human Rights / Friday Evening Open Thread: Oklahoma, *Not* Okay

Friday Evening Open Thread: Oklahoma, *Not* Okay

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Ron Charles, at the Washington Post – “Things Just Got Weird in Oklahoma”:

… Superintendent Ryan Walters has appointed professional bigot Chaya Raichik to the state’s Department of Education Library Media Advisory Committee. The volunteer group is a Frankenstein version of Anthony Comstock reanimated to chase “pornographic or sexualized content from public schools.”

Raichik’s qualifications for advising the state’s teachers and librarians include having worked as a Brooklyn real estate agent and running an incendiary social media account called Libs of TikTok. To the delight of right-wing trolls, her posts misrepresent and mock people who support crazy “woke” ideas like equality and respect for LGBTQ+ people. She directs particular derision at anyone supporting transgender children. So vast is Raichik’s toxic influence that schools and hospitals have reportedly received bomb threats inspired by her sneering vilifications.

Now she’ll be advising Oklahoma public schools about books…

Superintendent Walters issued a statement saying, “Chaya Raichik and I have developed a strong working relationship to rid schools of liberal, woke indoctrinators, union smut peddlers, and Epstein Island advocates.”

Epstein Island advocates?

Keep in mind, this is not some random loon raging away on Breitbart; this is the superintendent of the state’s public schools. When I asked Walters’s director of communications if liberal Americans living in Oklahoma might feel unwelcome, even endangered, in the face of such polemical rhetoric, he replied: “The Washington Post may be a safe haven for liberal degenerate activists supporting porn in schools, but Oklahoma is not.”…

PUSHBACK!

Reader Interactions

37Comments

  2. 2.

    karen marie

    Has anyone asked Superintendent Walters when all the horror that he claims to be fighting began?

    It seems pretty unlikely that it began after Biden was elected or that it went unnoticed until Biden was elected.

  4. 4.

    Old School

    Here’s the cutoff part of Rep. Dollens’ tweet:

    According to the State Department of Education’s rule for membership on advisory councils 210:10-1-11 (pg. 46), “Membership of such councils shall be representative of the people to be served.”

    Is she a librarian? No.

    Does she have a professional education background? No.

    Does she have kids in Oklahoma schools? No.

    Does she even live in Oklahoma? No.

    How is this “representative of the people to be served?” It’s not.

  6. 6.

    Bostondreams

    Fun fact. This guy was apparently a pretty decent and popular social studies teacher, though on the conservative side. No idea when he went nuts.

  8. 8.

    scav

    The party traditionally objecting to movie stars is now revealing its deep bench is comprised of washed up reality tv stars and out-of-state internet influencers.  Call out the kung-fu grip militia to support their war-lords!  Citizens of the states, buckle up! your GOP overlords need to position themselves to triumph in their primaries or maybe get a look-see for a cabinet post!

  9. 9.

    karen marie

    The “about” page for Ryan is confusing.  Is he “state superintendent of public instruction” or “secretary of education”?

    Apparently the Republican governor recently appointed Nellie Tayloe Sanders as secretary of education.  So when did Ryan become superintendent?

    Wait till he finds out “Sanders has worked at the Center of Family Love since 2013, a nonprofit that ‘serves neurodivergent individuals and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.'”  Oh, dear.

    The whole thing is very confusing.  “The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in addition to serving as chair of the Board, serves as the chief executive officer of the Department and is elected by the voters of Oklahoma every four years.”  So what does the (appointed, not elected) “secretary of education” do?

    The wiki page doesn’t make the situation any more clear although it does explain how Ryan went from secretary to superintendent.   What a nasty little man.

  11. 11.

    Ladyraxterinok

    1. OK governor  was 1st red state governor I heard of to announce he would gladly send troops to Texas

    2. After his inauguration, OK governor’s wife announced that their primary goal was to bring Oklahomans to Jesus

    3. OK senator wanted to.have fight in the Senate chamber

    4. The state school superintendent wants all public school classes to state each day by singing the national anthem

    5. The state school superintendent said that Oklahoma schools can teach about the Tulsa Race Massacre; they just can’t mention racel

    6. …..

    I recently read that his particular distaste for and watch over the Tulsa public schools is because about 75% of the enrolled students are non-caucasian

  12. 12.

    ronno2018

    we need to support the small quantity of liberals in red states!  they are amazing!  what a tough job!

    maybe in the future these low population states will do better in terms of good public policy?

  16. 16.

    Delk

    OK governor is term limited to 2 four year terms. This doofus is aiming to be the next governor.

  18. 18.

    Harrison Wesley

    Two seasoned pros.  Only one can hold the Dead Woke Belt and the Golden Toilet of Trump.  But first: three falls! Fifteen-minute time limit!  In the steel cage!

  19. 19.

    Quinerly

    Rudy’s bankruptcy schedules were filed today

    “Out of his $44,000 in monthly expenses, Giuliani listed a $13,500 court-ordered payment to his mother-in-law as part of a divorce agreement, and $5,000 in alimony. He also noted that he has 10 pending lawsuits against him.”

    And
    “The former mayor also listed a signed picture of sports legend Reggie Jackson and a shirt signed by Yankees icon Joe DiMaggio as assets, but didn’t know their values.
    Giuliani’s other assets include a 1980 Mercedes-Benz worth $25,000, and about $30,000 in jewelry that includes three Yankees world series rings, a Tiffany & Co. watch, a Rolex, a Frank Muller watch, and costume jewelry, according to court records.”
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-26/giuliani-lists-yankees-loot-trump-claim-as-assets-in-bankruptc

    Phone posting…apologies for format.

  20. 20.

    Urza

    @scav: Sociology lets them know how damaging most Republican policies and methods are.  Can’t have them thinking about that even without critical thinking skills.

  22. 22.

    Keith P.

    I clicked over to Rudy’s Newsmax show, since I saw it on a Pluto guide.  I caught the last couple of minutes, and they were a doozy.  He said that the FBI is tracking Catholics and even anyone who has Latin in their accounts.  And he was recently being followed by people who were speaking Aramaic.  Bizarre stuff to be sure.

  23. 23.

    mrmoshpotato

    My apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Oklahomo.

    🎶 Oklahoma, where they’re bigotted, lying shitstains all fucking day!🎶

  24. 24.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Keith P.:

    And he was recently being followed by people who were speaking Aramaic.

    Um, what? What sort of linguistic scholar is our Rudy?

  25. 25.

    scav

    @Urza: Geography is another hairball — exposes them to the concept of counties outside of and different from the US, brings up a non-bible round world, dabbles in climatic systems and continental drift and even ecosystems!

    Even cartography brings up the issue of the inevitably of distortion in representations!

  27. 27.

    trollhattan

    Superintendent Walters: “Now, for a summary of our inaugural report–‘Deliberalizing, Desexing, Deslaverying & Degaying Our Schools,’ which is the product of a lot of hard work, believe me, I turn the meeting over to Advisor Raichik. Chaya?”
    Advisor Raichik: “Batin’!”
    Superintendent Walters: “Moving on to the budget.”
    And, scene.

  30. 30.

    scav

    @Gin & Tonic: The original disciples have returned to earth!  I don’t think this is exactly the second coming we were promised.  We’re being fobbed off with underlings.  Will the rapture be relegated to bus service?

  32. 32.

    Jeffro

    I’ve been following Ryan Walters’ descent into madness via eduTwitter for some time now…

    …the guy is a LOON.

    He gave a speech at CPAC or a M4L conference or something, and honestly for any public official to go that far off the rails was quite nuts.

    I mean, I know they are all auditioning for spots on Fox or Newsmax at this point (instead of just, you know, governing or running their departments) but still…just pathetic.

  33. 33.

    Jeffro

    @Quinerly: I’m trying to picture HAVING $44K in monthly expenses…

    …and (although this doesn’t reflect well on me) I’m wondering why Rudy G would list the sports stuff, when he could *cough* *whoops* give it to a friend to hide, and if he needs to, he could just claim he ‘lost’ it.

    Oh well.  Not my problem either way.  Sorry Rudy 911!!

  34. 34.

    Scout211

    @Jeffro: He’s getting some attention now.
    Oklahoma Journal Record.

    The article has a long list, but here are a few snippets.

    State Superintendent Ryan Walters jetted to Washington for media appearances and policy meetings, hobnobbed with conservative pundits at a movie premiere in Texas and spoke at conferences on education reform in Philadelphia and Denver — all while billing Oklahoma for  his travel.

    Walters filed more than $4,000 in claims for out-of-state travel expenses during his first year in office, according to reimbursement forms obtained by The Frontier. He expensed the trips despite an order from the governor’s office banning public spending for most out-of-state travel.

    . . .

    State travel request forms require a manager’s signature, but as the head of the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Walters signed off on his own trip expenses. The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services paid the travel claims. A spokesperson for the agency said Walters submitted all the required documentation for the trips.

    Dan Isett, a spokesperson for Walters at the State Department of Education, did not answer The Frontier’srequests for more information about the purpose of the trips and why Walters was able to approve his own travel requests.
    . . .

    During Walters’ two-day trip to the Dallas area last year, he attended the red-carpet premiere of the film Nefarious and appeared on conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s podcast. Beck also made a cameo appearance in the movie.

    Walters’ room at the Drury Inn & Suites in Frisco, Texas, was booked under the group name Nefarious Movie LLC, according to a travel reimbursement form. The form shows Walters claimed mileage for the drive from the Beck-affiliated American Journey Experience museum next door to the studio where Beck records his podcast to a movie theater in Plano on the same date that the Nefarious film premiere was held there. Ted Cruz, the U.S. Senator from Texas, also attended the premiere.

    Walters praised ​​Nefarious and spoke about attending the premiere in Texas during an interview in May 2023 with conservative talk show host Steve Deace, who co-wrote the film.

    He’s a conservative media darling now. 🙄

  35. 35.

    Another Scott

    @Quinerly:

    “a 1980 Mercedes-Benz worth $25,000”

    Made me look…

    I guess he might have an immaculate, low-mileage 450SL, but it looks like he could easily be inflating the claimed value by $10k or more.

    I’m shocked, shocked.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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