It's a little repetative to my last entry, with a few more thoughts, but today I sent this email (some in two parts, but the same words) to my...

Dear Senator, Congressman, Board Member:

As a resident of Utah and a recently retired teacher who is concerned about the welfare of our children and the society they will soon affect. I have concerns about the current push for teaching Critical Race Theory in our schools. I believe that the problem with Critical Race Theory and similar movements lies in the fact that once implemented, they become a way for certain entities to exercise dominion over anyone who doesn't fall precisely in line with or support the world view or their proponents. Such philosophies become tools, wherein even when someone personally abhores bigotry, if they don't follow the 'party line', join the 'approved' movements or express discontent in 'approved' ways that benefit the movement, they can never-the-less be accused of being "racist", "homophobic" or whatever, and thus be disenfranchised in some way; actually having their rights of a voice comprimised.

I have experienced this personally.

Once such a movement has established itself in education, it naturally results in "re-education", wherein parties seeking to shut down dissenting thought in society can 'enlighten' upcoming generations to disavow literally any philosophy that doesn't support their specific agenda....without giving opposing ideas the light of day, even when opposing ideas are not in any way immoral or racist. Further, such entities can indirectly shut down any organization with whom they have differences, or with whose philosophies they see as threatening to their political power. All they have to do is teach children that an 'un-approved' organization, for instance his/her family's church, embraces ideas that are "racist", "homophobic" or whatever, based on the "litmus test" provided by whichever 'enlightened understanding' can be used to eliminate dissent...whether the church actually does or not.

If you don't think this is a real danger, you haven't actually studied history. All one needs to do to understand any problem in society is to figure out who profits by its existence in some way.

  I have personal experience with some who have been a personal friend or a friendly relative who, as they have been indoctrinated with CRT and other "Woke" ideals, and upon finding out that I am opposed to those ideals, have whole-heartedly taken upon themselves a sense of "moral authority" and blatantly belittled me or called me out publicly because I don't accept the 'approved narrative'. Apparently they are not familiar with or have forgotten the many times during my teaching career that I denounced racism in my teaching and in what I enforced. They seem to disregard the fact that I have unquestionably accepted and supported even those in my own family who have chosen different paths than what I believe as far as gender identity, or that I have never thought to make a derogatory remark when any of my children have dated or married children-of-God from another race. I have only been supportive and loving, and have financially supported causes which were focused on helping struggling people of different races on an ongoing basis. Yet none of this matters to them because I do not express my outrage to racism in the 'approved' way and I do not condone the use of violence by 'approved' groups (which also, by the way, seek to push CRT onto society).

   It's not too hard to predict, based on such experiences of many across the nation, what will occur if CRT and its attendant methodologies are institutionalized in our districts. I believe that many staff and students who support it will come to consider it virtuous to shame students and teachers who do not follow it completely. That's its nature. Instead of solving mental health issues, it will come to increase them as some are bullied into submission...mainly those who are not racist, yet do not 'express' it in 'approved' ways. In short, institutionalized bullying.

I urge you to think this through as you consider inviting CRT or any philosophies with similar origins into the curriculum or professional expectations. Once they become the norm, they don't brook any free thinking, or those who do it, that doesn't 'fall in line'.

Thank you very much for your service and time. I welcome your thoughts on these of mine.

Sincerely,

Todd R. Furse