It Isn't Complicated-Terrorism is Evil
by Alice Roberts
The argument for educational freedom in Nebraska became much more obvious and straightforward this past week, as school representatives around the country had difficulty recognizing evil.
Israel was attacked by terrorists, who indiscriminately and horrifically murdered people from 29 different countries.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/11/israel-hamas-war-foreign-nationals/
Exposed secret plans revealed the terrorists intended to indiscriminately murder as many people as possible. Killing children, raping women, and taking hostages was their stated goal.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/top-secret-hamas-documents-show-terrorists-intentionally-targeted-elem-rcna120310
Because this happened in Israel, most in academia have responded, if at all, with the same cold, evasive word salad that coddles and enables hateful antisemitism to rear its ugly head in America.
Saying nothing isn’t the same as staying neutral. “Staying out of it” allowed millions of Jews to be murdered during the Holocaust. America promised to never say nothing again.
Humanizing the victims has been an enduring focus of Holocaust Education; an effort to ensure that “Never Again” will the world stand by and enable a systematic attempt to destroy the Jewish people.
Will our children go to school and find visible support for the victims of the vicious attack from Hamas, and a renewed effort to fight antisemitism? Or will they find cold, ignorant and noncommittal comments about how complicated it is? It isn’t complicated. Terrorists systematically murdering innocent people is pure evil. Targeting a specific race or religion for murder is genocidal.
Racism thrives in places where social empathy is missing. After the terrible murder of George Floyd, public K-12 schools ushered in controversial and visible support for Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter worked to fight racism and humanize Mr. Floyd through mostly peaceful protests and chants of “say his name”. Publicly funded K-12 education provided signs, stickers and training to partner with Black Lives Matters efforts to fight racism. This letter is from Nebraska Department of Education in 2020, introduces “anti-racist teaching” to Nebraska.
Black Lives Matter has always made it very clear they stand with Palestine. That was never a secret. See this article from NPR in 2021:
Parents who stand with Israel, and have objected to the promotion of BLM in their children’s schools, despite support for George Floyd as a victim, were labeled racists and “domestic terrorists.”
However, once the bloodshed from actual terrorists commenced, several of the major BLM chapters posted graphics on X celebrating the Hamas paraglider murderers.
It isn’t racist to stand with Israel. President Biden has announced that America stands with Israel. That isn’t complicated. America has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. That isn’t complicated either. Publicly funded K-12 school's reaction, and their inability to differentiate terrorism from the conflict over Zionism, is something that should frighten all of us. See the letter from Lincoln Public Schools:
All across America, parents have been labeled as terrorists for speaking out against what they believed was hateful and offensive in Public Schools. They did not rape or murder anyone.
They have faced discrimination, harassment and intimidation for exercising their right to free speech, or objecting to certain publications. They have been sneered at and dismissed as they warned of the danger inherent in grouping people into categories based on immutable characteristics. They have every right to voice objections about content they don’t want taught to their children. Free speech is protected in the United States Constitution. That isn’t complicated either, and it needs to work across the political spectrum equally.
Never, ever has it been more obvious that parents and families need supported choices in how their own children are educated. Public K-12 schools in Nebraska do not offer politically neutral places for learning. They do not offer equal support for communities targeted by hate. They choose sides by what they decide to promote and ignore.
Educational freedom isn’t about funding or defunding public schools. That is a shameful guilt trip meant to manipulate the generous hearts of Nebraska voters. It was guaranteed during the 2023 Nebraska legislative session that public schools will be funded. Educational freedom gives equal opportunities for all of us to make sure our children are raised to support the values we believe in.
Our family stands with Israel. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Hamas does not represent Palestinians. Freedom for Palestinians first means freedom from Hamas. This is not complicated.
The author is a Nebraska wife and mother with children who attend public school.