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Last week Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI to look into what he alleged is "a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital running of our nation's public schools."
After America gasped, parents began to push back hard, because they love their kids and do not want them indoctrinated with a false view of America and our history. Critical Race Theory under the guise of "educating" has become the rage for progressives
A number of Senators also formally pushed back.
Now we learn Garland's son-in-law is co-founder of a company that---you guessed it, sells Critical Race Theory materials to public school districts. They also provide Common Core to public schools.
Corruption? Conflict of interest?
Be informed, not misled.
Parents who care what their children are taught have become targeted.
On October 4, the Office of the Attorney General---Merrick Garland, sent a Memorandum to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director and staff which said in part: "In recent months, there has been a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats against school administrators, board members, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation's schools."
The Memo continues: "While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution , that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views."
It's ironic that this ploy by government-run schools is directly intended to "intimidate" individuals---namely concerned parents who are, for the most part, not used to speaking in public, or publicly disagreeing with "educators."
Garland's Memo reminds that "Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation's core values."
I'll come back to "core values" in a moment.
On October 7 the members of the Committee On The Judiciary sent a lengthy letter to A/G Garland expressing their concern, saying, in part,
"We are concerned about the appearance of the Department of Justice policing the speech of citizens and concerned parents. We urge you to make it very clear to the American public that the Department of Justice will not interfere with the rights of parents to come before school boards and speak with educators about their concerns, whether regarding coronavirus-related measures, the teaching of critical race theory in schools, or any topic."
The letter continues pointing out specific cases where parents have spoken out but that does not and must not constitute lawlessness.
The letter, led by ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley and signed by all 11 GOP committee members, affirms "Federal law enforcement muscle should never be used against protesting parents."
But the threat of law enforcement has already sent a "chill" across the nation, that the FBI has now been ordered to observe the behavior of concerned parents, and if they cross the line--- whatever that may be---they'll be possibly categorized as "domestic terrorists" and punished.
The "line" seems to be anything that makes the education complex feel uncomfortable.
The senators conclude by saying, "By even suggesting that possibility, important speech by American citizens will be chilled in school board meetings across this country."
Of course, the Justice Department already knew that.
About "our nation's core values."
Clearly, most American citizens do not want their children being taught that they are inherent "victims" or "victimizers" based on nothing more than the color of their skin.
And speaking of values, we are now learning that A/G Garland's son-in-law is a co-founder of a publisher that sells Critical Race Theory materials to the 14,000 public schools in America.
They also sell Common Core.
In 2018 the New York Times reported that then-Judge Merrick Garland's daughter, Rebecca Garland, married Alexander ("Xan") Taner.
Tanner is now the co-founder of a service company called Panorama Education.
Panorama Education is a "social learning" resource material provider to school districts and teachers that teach Critical Race Theory.
Xan Tanner explains it like this: "By asking students to reflect on their experiences of equity and inclusion in school education, leaders can gather actionable data to understand and improve the racial and cultural climate on campus."
Does it matter that the Attorney General of the United States is instructing the FBI to investigate parents who might pose a financial threat to the business of his daughter's husband?
Yes, Merrick Garland's daughter is married to the founder of the company who helps schools, teachers, and staff deal with the modern challenges of "systemic racism" by "reimagining" the way to social learning "through an equity lens."
In September 2021---last month, Panorama Education raised $60 million in a Series C round of funding led by General Atlantic. Among the $60 million venture investors was Chan Zuckerberg---wife of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
The total raised since 2012 is $105 million.
Panorama disclosed to investors that the company is now in more than 1,500 school districts across the country which "serves 13 million students in 23,000 schools across the US, which means that 25% of American students are served by Panorama---one in four kids are being tutored by these folks.
Since March (2020) Panorama has added 700 school districts to its customer base nearly doubling the 800 it served just 18 months prior.
Conflict of interest? I realize this isn't as profitable as Hunter Biden selling his paintings for $500,000 each, or receiving $50-$80 thousand per month for sitting on the board of a corrupt gas company in Ukraine, but it's a start.
Takeaway
September 2021, Panorama Education raised $60,000,000 to expand operations. October 4, 2021, Xan Tanner's father-in-law, US Attorney General Merrick Garland, tells the FBI to investigate any potential parental interference/disruption that might impede his son-in-law's business interests.
Vice President Joe Biden, at a meeting in Bucharest with Romanian civil society groups in May of 2014 said, "Corruption is a cancer: A cancer that eats away at a citizen's faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity."
Mr. President, please stop diminishing our instinct for innovation and creativity.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Engaged. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful.