June 7, 2021
This morning we will get to see which Republican legislators are prepared to stand up and fight on behalf of Maine parents, and which of these lawmakers would rather take a deep dive into the Augusta swamp.
A bill to banish Critical Race Theory and other Marxist propaganda from K-12 classrooms is on the House Calendar this morning. The floor vote on LD 550 comes after last month’s public hearing in the Education committee, with overwhelming support for the bill from parents across the state.
Opposition testimony came from all the usual suspects, most notably the boss of the state teachers’ union and the lobbyist for the far-Left ACLU. They like the status quo just fine, all the better to crank out high-school graduates who hate themselves and hate their country…and will vote for political candidates in the mold of the tyrant who currently occupies the Blaine House.
The choice for legislators, Republicans in particular, could hardly be clearer: will you vote to restore some small measure of integrity to Maine’s K-12 schools, or will you go with the flow in the swamp?
Unfortunately, the waters have already been muddied in committee, with all the Republicans bailing out on the bill. They chose instead to support a proposal that creates a “stakeholder group” of professional lobbyists from the Augusta swamp — but no parents! The swamp critters would be tasked with proposing legislation for the next session of the 130th Maine Legislature that begins in January.
In a word, the committee’s amendment is a giant nothing-burger that preserves the status quo in Maine schools.
So why did Republican legislators bail out? Parents from across Maine were counting on these lawmakers to support the ban on political indoctrination.
Perhaps the best way to answer that question is to introduce Shawn McBreairty, father of twin daughters who graduated yesterday from Greely High School in Cumberland.
Maine First Project has been working closely with Shawn on building support for LD 550.
When Shawn discovered just over a year ago that MSAD 51 superintendent Jeff Porter was deep into drilling Critical Race Theory into students’ heads, Shawn began pushing back.
It turned out that Porter is totally unaccustomed to dealing with a parent determined to protect his children from Marxist brainwashing. Porter became so abusive and unhinged that he attracted the attention of Breitbart News and the Daily Wire.
Then, on May 27th, Tucker Carlson Tonight gave Shawn a national platform to discuss the situation at Greely High School. If you watched it, I know you will agree with me that Mr. McBreairty hit a grand-slam home run!
So, I’m sure you can imagine just how disappointed Shawn was when all the Republicans on the Education committee trashed LD 550 during the work session. They voted instead for a committee amendment that does absolutely nothing to prohibit Maine teachers from pushing the Marxist ideology of Critical Race Theory in K-12 classrooms.
Of the five Republican legislators on the committee, all but one have deep ties to the public-education establishment in Maine. We had very low expectations that those five nominal Republicans would listen to the scores of parents from 40 Maine communities who submitted testimony in support of LD 550.
The big surprise was Rep. Heidi Sampson, R-Alfred.
Here’s how Shawn McBreairty described it:
“Rep. Sampson torpedoed LD 550 right out of the gate, after telling me on the phone she planned to support it. Those of us fighting this horrific indoctrination of Critical Race Theory in our Maine public schools apparently have no support from our Republican Legislators. We are not only fighting the leftist Democrats but Republicans too!”
This morning, those Republicans will have an opportunity to redeem themselves. We need a floor debate and a roll call vote on LD 550, so we can hold legislators accountable when they stand for re-election next year.
I’m asking you to make two phone calls this morning before the House convenes at 10 am.
Call the Clerk of the House at (207) 287-1400, and call the House Republican office at (207) 287-1440.
Give them your name, your phone number, and the municipality where you’re registered to vote. Let them know you expect LD 550 to be roll called, and that you expect your Representative to support the bill — but not the committee amendment.
And if you’re able, please consider supporting our work at Maine First Project. Whether it’s $10, $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford, your generous gift will enable our team to continue shining a bright light into the darkest corners of the Augusta swamp.
Thanks in advance for answering this urgent call to action!
Best Regards,
Hon. Lawrence Lockman, R-Bradley
Maine House of Representatives, 2012-2020
Co-founder & President
Maine First Project
PS Hardly a day goes by that you don’t hear another horror story about the malignant Marxist ideology of Critical Race Theory being pushed in a K-12 classroom somewhere in the United States.
Maine has not been immune to the plague. In fact, we have some of the “wokest” educators in the country right here in the state where Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain was once Governor.
You have an opportunity this morning to hold your legislators accountable.
Let’s continue working together to reclaim our public schools from the lobbyists and bureaucrats who have transformed these institutions into Leftist indoctrination centers.
The least we can do is make a couple of phone calls this morning.
I believe our children and grandchildren are worth that small effort.
Don’t you?