Asked whether his work regarding elections had any relationship to his moral objections to abortion, Kline said in an email to ProPublica, Only in the general sense that any unjustified disparate treatment under the law represents an assault on the inherent value of the individual.. They targeted cities, counties, county commissioners, mayors, governors and election officials for legal action, focusing on key states Trump lost in 2020 Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Minnesota. As director of the election project for Thomas More, Kline couldnt argue the legal cases himself because of his ethical violations in Kansas, but he oversaw investigators and analysts, hired litigators and devised strategies. As China threatens to invade neighbors, were cringing when someone tells us hes an antelope and we better acknowledge hes got hooves whether or not visible, he opined. Members of the "furries" fantasy subculture tell The Post they're not wild about this week . Ron DeSantis and Florida's Doctor Antivax, 'The maths are hard': Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for not understanding what 'seized' means, Marjorie Taylor Greene garners few sympathizers after claiming she was 'attacked' in a restaurant, 'Thats weaponization': Dem smacks down Jim Jordan for ignoring Trump DOJ corruption, 'Im not gonna yield!' For the sake of American democracy and to strengthen our fraying social fabric, it is preferable to address the fraud issues before determining who is the next President. ", In another email, Deputy Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza says, "We have all received the emails about the furries in schools..", And in yet another email, Tara Pena, chief of family school and community partnerships, wonders, "If it [would be] helpful to mention that calling into question students dressing or "identifying" as furries is part of a larger, national political platform to further marginalize our transgender and lgbtq+ students. In August, for instance, an anonymous grandparent told Kentuckys WLKY that her grandchildren were being bullied in class by students who made hissing noises. The memo stated that all other deadlines including the Jan. 6 date for certifying election results were established long ago in federal law for ease of travel and are largely not relevant to a time when electors do not have to ride horses to Washington, D.C. to vote.. However, the increase in 2021 and 2022 is better explained by the biggest and most carefully-monitored vaccine rollout in US history, more stringent reporting requirements for COVID vaccines, and increased public awareness of the VAERS system. Only one is still pending; the rest were voluntarily dismissed or ended in defeat, according to the commission. Lawyers for Thomas More made three trips to the U.S. Supreme Court in the clash, ultimately winning a 2006 decision in which the court held that the protests couldnt be barred under extortion or racketeering statutes. Yuma County in 2019 shifted most election authorities under the recorder. What's more, the government worked to educate doctors about their new responsibilities. The judge also expressed shock at the scope of the request to have numerous state and federal election laws declared unconstitutional and an injunction issued that would prevent Pence and Congress from ratifying the electoral votes in key battleground states. No, a teacher did not get fired for failing to "meow back" at a student who identifies as a cat. READ MORE: The antivaxers' ghoulish exploitation of dead celebrities. At the meeting, parent Lisa Hansen said she was "a lot of . Jan. 6 committee records show Kline asked those willing to sign the letter to reply to a woman who worked for a communications firm founded by Mark Serrano, a paid consultant to Trumps 2020 campaign. In short, it was a big scam.. They were blocked by police. 0. That agreement required an Election Advisory Committee to be formed that would guide the recorders decisions on elections administration. Furries make a convenient target for people looking to lash out at marginalized identities, particularly the LGBT community, which has a higher-than-average representation among furries, OFurr noted. Darlene Edwards is among the parents who wrote in. A Facebook post says schools are putting litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate kids who identify as furries. The first notable instance of furry panic occurred when right-wing activists pushed a false claim about schools in Michigan placing litter boxes in bathrooms to allow furry students to use. In one email, from August Superintendent Tracy Dorland asks, "Who is going to respond to the emails about furries? Initially, the group which is run by staunch Catholics and named for a Catholic saint and lawyer focused on defending people in the anti-abortion movement. The initiative, established in early 2021, targeted federal voter rights legislation for defeat. The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. Invest with us. People who are furries are not like, I am my anthropomorphized character. Thats not what happens., Furries do not literally believe they are non-human animals, Roberts said. One of the Amistad Projects chief arguments in 2020 was that election officials in swing states adopted pandemic-related measures such as the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots that disproportionately aided turnout in Democratic strongholds. After the mid-January meeting ended, McMillan said she saw the group corner a local father in a hallway. We respect him terribly, Brejcha said in a 2020 webinar. The committee is meant to be bipartisan and to provide expertise and transparency to the process, Colwell said. We are nonpartisan, were bipartisan, but we want the laws to be enforced so that the democratic process is not distorted and destroyed, he said. The claim is a local school district is putting litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify. Klines is not one of them. The agreement approved Tuesday is only temporary. Antivax propaganda drives VAERS reports and antivaxers point to increased VAERS reports as proof that the vaccines are dangerous. Al Anderson said Crosby, Judd, and Stevens have taken a wrecking ball to Cochise Countys election department.. Furries are people who have an active interest in animal characters with human characteristics. When Maricopa County agreed to grant more authority to the recorder, for example, the supervisors still approved voting locations, and the elections director still presented finalized results to the board. Elections in Cochise County will now be run almost entirely by Recorder David Stevens, For decades, lawyers at the Thomas More Society have backed provocateurs and long shot causes in hopes of winning, {{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}, Fear of 'furries' in school grips conservative parents fooled by absurd Facebook rumors, schools in Michigan placing litter boxes in bathrooms, Arizona county gives election skeptic near full control of elections, a warning from the attorney generals office they received on Monday night, attempting to illegally hand count all ballots, helped propel the full hand count against the legal advisement, noted that the supervisors technically retained their responsibilities, Yuma County in 2019 shifted most election authorities, Ron DeSantis and Florida's Doctor Antivax, This popular church app has become a 'dark' hotbed of anti-vaxxer extremism: report, The inherent racism of anti-vaxx movements, The antivaxers' ghoulish exploitation of dead celebrities, How a Catholic-led law firm is sowing doubts about election integrity as part of its long-term strategy. The decision came after hours of impassioned public comment both for and against the plan. Patch OFurr, proprietor of the furry news site Dogpatch Press, tells The Daily Beast that many of the same people spreading bogus furry rumors are the same people agitating to ban books they don't like. the impossibility of using a toilet in a fursuit, has traced the origins of the litter box urban legend, I sexually identify as an attack helicopter. Theres always some teen craze that people inevitably blow out of proportion. Furries are a subculture of people who craft alter-egos as anthropomorphized animals. Instead, a furry might play-act the role of a cartoon animal, but when nature calls, shell step out of character and remove her costume to use a normal toilet. If you are aware of legal authority for the draft Agreement, please promptly provide it to us, Solicitor General Joshua Bendor wrote. The Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow took to Facebook to deny the claims. The media firestorm over Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent paper linking vaccines and autism boosted VAERS reporting rates for the MMR vaccine. By October, furry fears were making their way into school board meetings. When vaccine safety is in the news, people are more likely to attribute their symptoms to vaccines and more motivated to report those symptoms to VAERS. Kline considered the case against him to be political and denied acting unethically. Privacy Policy | For corrections contact corrections@rawstory.com, for support contact support@rawstory.com. ", An open records request shows Edwards is among at least two dozen parents who've written the district over the last eight months. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. The furry fandom is NOT all about sex. 2. Patch OFurr, proprietor of the furry news site Dogpatch Press, tells The Daily Beast that many of the same people spreading bogus furry rumors are the same people agitating to ban books they don't like. Social media users are sharing a video of a Midland Public Schools board of education meeting in Michigan where a community member claimed that litter boxes were . The superintendent tells WLKY the. The blogs noted that schools had denied the allegations, but the authors went on to say theyd heard more rumors from locals and people at the Clay County GOP booth at the county fair., Such rumors, if true, threatened to weaken the U.S. military, an Iowa commentator wrote. Multiple litter box hoaxes make explicit reference to gender-neutral litter boxes (a parallel to battles over gender-affirming bathroom choices in schools) or claim that students identify as furries (a phrasing uncommon in furry media, but with parallels to how conservative media often describes transgender youth). Kline said he strongly disagreed with the judges opinions and believed the cases were valid. The story was made up by the TikTok user, who later posted an update expressing . Luke Macfarlane's Hallmark Channel Past Prepared Him for Gay Rom-Com 'Bros'. So why are school boards attendees in a panic about supposed furries in the classroom? ", But through an open records request, CBS News Colorado found earlier emails that appear to contradict that. The first notable instance of furry panic occurred when right-wing activists pushed a false claim about schools in Michigan placing litter boxes in bathrooms to allow furry students to use them, and the bogus rumors about furry infiltration into the public education system have only grown from there. According to Kentucky NBC affiliate WLWT, parents and students alike are concerned about a group of high school students in the Meade County School district "attending school. A furry might draw himself as a cartoon tiger, or dress up as a dragon at a convention for fellow enthusiasts. Cat!. They're furious. Updated on: October 31, 2022 / 10:47 PM We respectfully decline to comment any further on this issue.". But the county more specifically noted that the supervisors technically retained their responsibilities for elections under state law, even if the recorder was running them. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com. Amistad shared the results of its investigations and analysis with numerous organizations who requested it, including the media, Kline told ProPublica. VAERS reports also rose for Gardasil when the right decided that vaccinating young girls against cervical cancer was grooming. There is a forum, Gallery, a new YouTube blogging system and now a live TV feature run by the website admins which is still in planning though operational. But with a fixation on nonexistent litter boxes and lunch tables, the furry panic turns a thriving subculture into a cudgel against public schools and their students. The bare necessitiesThis kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. Talking to reporters that day, Northon said: Im representing a charity called the Amistad Project, its a 501(c)(3), and its affiliated with another charity called the Thomas More Society out of Chicago. Kaardal also filed at least seven lawsuits against the agency, beginning just before the 2020 election. Joshua Bergren / Via youtube.com. Kim Patterson, a middle school teacher in rural Howard County, said there are no furries in schools there, either. Through its efforts, the Thomas More Society raised its profile in Republican circles and broadened its appeal beyond its foremost cause of outlawing nearly all abortions. One month after Jefferson County school administrators denied that kids were dressing up as so-called "furries" at school, CBS News Colorado has obtained emails showing the district was aware. So its not me singlehandedly making these decisions, Colwell said. ".It's something called furries. The states high court refused. False. The judge, however, was not as pleased. Its almost like (Attorney General Kris Mayes) didnt know what to tell us, she just wanted to tell us something to try to stop us.. an E! That does not mean I was acting on behalf of Amistad, I wasnt.. And I am really disturbed by that., Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock soon amplified the cat scat claims. not subtle. Meanwhile, conservative commentators accused the left of attempting to destroy the fabrics of our democracy for drawing Minnie Mouse in a pantsuit instead of her usual short dress. And maybe let the kids wear hats in class too. The grandmother said a petition to end the practice was created by students and has more than 1,000 signatures. Furries are fans of animals that have human characteristics, such as talking or walking on their hind legs. Then came Trump and an obsession among his followers with proving that he lost due to election fraud, and a new mission emerged. There are no furries or students identifying as such. The Michigan incident started when a mom of kids at the Midland School District, about 130 miles northwest of Detroit, spoke at a school board meeting about a rumor which she took as fact alleging the school was accommodating "furries" by providing litter boxes in unisex bathrooms. An examination by ProPublica of Thomas Mores 2020 election-law initiative shows it helped fuel skepticism over President Joe Bidens victory and the fairness of elections in numerous states. Republicans furious after Democrat questions 'God-given' rights at House hearing, 'Toxic sludge': Paul Ryan torches Tucker Carlson when questioned about Fox News' election coverage, 'Beyond parody': Critics torch Marjorie Taylor Greene for her latest appeal to Republicans, 'Liar, liar': Joe Biden amuses crowd with quip about Marjorie Taylor Greene, 'Really unacceptable': FBI shredded following new watchdog report, Watch: Anti-drag GOP governor bolts from reporters who unearthed photos of him in drag, This multi-millionaire with a cushy desk job wants you to work until youre 70. It says that he will have the ability to appoint the permanent elections director. I have two grandkids in school and my grandkids didnt want to go to school anymore, she said. Its culture war, its control, and its not about protecting kids, Patch OFurr, proprietor of the furry news site Dogpatch Press, told The Daily Beast. It did not win through court action, but as increasing attention was paid to the drop boxes, the state Supreme Court ruled their use unlawful. Sharon E. Roberts, . While false, the widespread hoaxes play into a broader right-wing effort to discredit and demand further control over public education. They called their initiative the Amistad Project, a reference to an 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship of that name. Kline pushed hard on the idea that state legislatures could ask Congress to delay the electoral certification to allow for time to investigate whether laws were faithfully followed. How could we possibly win a war with an army filled with dogs and cats?. Think Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse, they walk on two legs, have hands to manipulate items, and talk. After a closed session to discuss the letter, Judd said she didnt see a problem going ahead. For all of us independent news organizations, its no exception. Why are kids being allowed to dress up like animals in our schools? Debunking myths about kids identifying as animals, and litter boxes in schools Published: November 7, 2022 4.32pm EST. She said the issue gained attention on social media once people started sharing photos and videos of the feline costumes and behavior, I started getting videos and messages from kids, and I said, Ok, Im going to post this so parents know whats going on.. Updated: Apr 27, 2022 / 02:11 PM CDT. The districts superintendent debunked the rumor in a scathing email. School board meetings, sometimes attended by members of far-right paramilitary groups, have become theaters for culture wars, with GOP figures like Maddock calling on parents to TAKE BACK our schools from the specter of liberal educators. In the 2020 webinar, Brejcha described the societys crossover into election lawyering as a natural progression of its work opposing what it considers government abuse of religious freedom, such as the forced closing of churches during COVID-19 lockdowns. 13, 2022 4:31 pm. The Meade County School district is dealing with an unusual situation: a group of high school students is attending school acting like and dressing as cats. And a school council in England sent out a letter to parents telling them their 4-year-old children need to choose the gender they most identify with before starting . Public schools in Maine and across the country have been plagued by false allegations that they have been forced to provide litter boxes for children who identify as animals, sometimes. Still, this sounds like a small group of nerdy, socially awkward kids who are going through a phase. MIDLAND, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) - A superintendent in Michigan is trying to clear up any misconceptions or rumors about a conspiracy theory regarding students "who identify as cats." According To. Apparently, from what I understand, theyre called furries, the grandmother, who asked to remain anonymous, told WLKY. "He said, 'but mom they're scratching hissing and barking.' I'm a real-life furry and my lifestyle is no dirty 'cat litter box' joke. Contributions to the Thomas More Society jumped 82% between 2019 and 2020 to nearly $17.4 million, financial documents filed with the IRS show. Dress codes are mostly nonsensical anyway. Kimberly Eloe, executive director of communications for JeffCo Schools, issued a statement at the end of September saying, "there is absolutely no truth to this claim. Even before Marra left, the board had already proposed giving him more control over elections. "I'm hoping we all learn from this and we can address the inconsistency and/or the communication breakdown in some way, shape or form so that our parents do believe that when they write to us that we are responsive. Want more right-wing news? Kline is the former attorney general of Kansas whose law license was suspended indefinitely a decade ago by the state Supreme Court over ethical violations. School children dress up as animals cats or dogs during the school day; they meow, and they bark," Republican state Sen. Bruce Bostelman said during the. She says in a district where enrollment has dropped by 30,000 students and where most kids are not reading or doing math at grade level, Miller said they need parental involvement and can't afford distractions. Board had already proposed giving him more control over elections: October 31, 2022 / 02:11 PM CDT lot. Both for and against the plan teacher in rural Howard County, said there are no furries or students as... The MMR vaccine, have hands to manipulate items, and litter boxes in schools there either..., or dress up as a dragon at a convention for fellow enthusiasts win a war with army... Trump and an obsession among his followers with proving that he will have ability. To comment any further on this issue. `` Colwell said 02:11 PM CDT made up the. 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