Every second, your life becomes history. You choose who to love and who you shall hate. Who to trust and who to spit out. Most of us take for granted that tomorrow will be there for us. That friends will be by our side. That our pens will not run out of ink and that our hearts will beat forever. It is a luxury to stand in that place, to live that moment, and to be that free. As things sour, as they will from time to time, hold those tender moments in your heart for those moments will set you free. And, just be.
Paradise – can one ever have too much of it, too much of anything? Our first experiences in Florida were met with frequent sounds of “It’s Another Day in Paradise.” The sun, the sand, the warm weather, and the endless lightness of being. These days, it is difficult not to comment on Florida and its raging bull of a Governor. This week, the political noise in Florida resonates with the newest bill by DeSantis banning Chinese citizens from buying certain types of land in Florida. It is his attempt to ward off, what the Governor states is “the malign influence of the Chinese Communist party in the State of Florida.” And “Florida is taking action to stand against the United States’ greatest geopolitical threat – the Chinese Communist party.” Well, if that is one fascist calling the kettle black!
Well… as you can see, things are changing here in paradise. July 1st marks the beginning of the full legislative movement by DeSantis. Approximately 400 of his bills have plowed through the DeSantis positioned Florida legislature and will now go into effect. Along with the “no land for Chinese people,” a few of the other DeSantis bills also include banning of books, banning teaching race and non-white culture, banning teaching and support of non-traditional lifestyles and gender based personal expression in schools.
In Florida schools, this includes the outlaw of the use of transgender school bathrooms. One bill will eliminate the use of pronouns for identifying students and staff. And to emphasize the extreme nature of these anti-transgender bills, if a parent has a transgender child in Florida and allows them to go through gender-affirming healthcare, a new bill states that the child can be taken away from that parent. Social justice advocates are calling this, “authorized kidnapping.” The bill also seeks to limit the ability of trans adults to start or continue receiving gender-affirming care and threatens to put doctors who violate the new restriction in jail.
If that isn’t enough, for women, an impossible six-week abortion ban is followed by a bill which will allow healthcare providers and payors to refuse to provide healthcare services based on their personal beliefs, which includes refusing to treat the LGBTQ+ community. This bill also grants those providers full immunity from liability over any negative consequences resulting from their denial to provide care.
And in local news, a Florida based grocery store, Publix, last month in Orlando refused to write “Trans” on the Trans People Deserve Joy special-order cake, noting that it was “corporate policy” not to do so. Come on! And there is the unending DeSantis attack on Disney, the largest employer in Florida.
As we face in this State and throughout the country a spate of violence…as of July 1st, anyone 18 and over in Florida can carry a gun without a permit and without training. Yes, this is Free Florida! We guess we should not have been surprised when speaking to our neighbor this week that he was sporting a handgun on his belt, open carry, in full view.
None of this makes sense nor does it represent freedom for the many who are living under legislative attack in Florida. The full range of bills, including restriction of abortions rights, book banning, all the way to free gun carry for all 18 and above means guns will reign and choice will not. As a result of the DeSantis bills, many in Florida will fear discrimination for their lives and lifestyles. Medical treatment may be compromised as many doctors and nurses are choosing to leave the State due to restrictive practices. And this is free Florida!
Tricky DeSantis has also changed the rules so he can remain Governor while running for President. This may work well for him because he does not even own a home of his own. Now the Florida taxpayers will absorb the cost of his stay in the Governor’s mansion, his travels, and his politicking costs. What a deal for him!
It is hard to Just Be in a State like Florida. For many it is hard to feel free. Your neighbors wear guns and their thinking and beliefs are unclear. So, instead of just being “free” in Florida, we say please, Just Be Safe.
The Despicable Picture of Malice
