The thought-and-speech police don't see any kind of new era

Memo to all the giddy Trump-bots - looking at you, Newt Gingrich, who described those of us who harbored deep misgivings about you idol and continue to do so as "sniveling": the goose-stepping snowflakes - that is a thing in late-2016 post-America - are not excited about some future of unprecedented inventiveness and exponentially improved social-health indicators.

No, they see the election of Squirrel-Hair - his baggage being the kind of low-hanging fruit that clearly proves irresistible - as the perfect tripwire for an explosion of ire.

First, the groundwork that has been laid. Read this horrifying account in First Things about a nationally acclaimed private school in Minnesota - known for its rigorous curriculum based on logic, grammar, and rhetoric, and where The Iliad and Dante's Inferno are required reading - that went from being a place where excellence and intellectual rigor was the standard to a rancid stew of bitterness and organizational disarray because one couple insisted that their six-year-old son who had shown a penchant for girly things like princess costumes be accommodated with all kinds of infrastructure alterations, including bathroom policy.

That whole process of rot had been underway for some time.

Now, let's look at how quickly a small city in southern Indiana willingly let a boneheaded incident at a local high school turn into the now-all-too-familiar pattern of coddling the snowflakes and laying the groundwork for the chipping away at First Amendment rights.

The rally was planned after a Columbus parent with students at two Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. schools informed principals that his children heard the words “Build That Wall” said to them by other students — most recently Tuesday.

That parent, First Presbyterian Church Pastor Felipe Martinez, contacted principals at the two schools asking them to look into the issue. While saying the children are all right, Martinez also said the hurt has not gone away.

During Friday’s rally, the pastor said he appreciated the outpouring of community support.

“This helps me understand that we’re not alone,” Martinez said. “It embodies that.”

Martinez said it was important to stand up for others.

“We speak for those who cannot speak because they are that afraid,” Martinez said.

Rally participants carried signs that read “Columbus is Standing on the Side of Love! Hate hurts everyone,” “I Stand for Love” and “Love is Win-Win.”

Mary Moore, interim pastor of the Unitarian congregation, told rally participants that no matter if they were Muslim, Jewish or a person of color, they are loved.

“If you are a person with a disability, you are loved and we support your rights,” Moore said.

During the rally, participants walked from The Commons down Washington Street to Fourth and Jackson streets and then returned to The Commons.

Karli Reynolds, a Columbus East High School senior, was among several students who said it was important to stand up for love and justice.

On the heels of this week’s election, Reynolds said she believes people can be positive and ready for a better future.

Columbus resident Kathleen Leason said she senses tension within minority segments of the community, and felt it was important to attend the rally to support others.

“It’s about being a decent person and you need to treat people with respect,” she said.

BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts also attended the rally.

Roberts said the past few days have been a challenge for the district, which is taking aggressive action to deal with any taunting situations that come about, he said.

“I pledge we will do our best to protect the children of the community,” Roberts said.

In a statement released to the community and to the media, Roberts asked students and families to report any concern to the teacher or school administrator closest to the issue so that it can be immediately addressed.

“In addition, we request the contributions of all stakeholders in the community in order to most effectively address the raw feelings that currently exist,” Roberts wrote. “Regardless of our political leanings, it is imperative that we address each other in a civil manner, openly communicate and actively demonstrate respect and appreciation.”

The recent statements directed to two BCSC students resulted in the sole complaint filed with school officials about taunting, said Larry Perkinson, BCSC employee and student assistance coordinator.

Perkinson said he was told that the comments were made to the students in a hallway or by students walking behind other students. BCSC officials suspect the isolated incidents are based on comments made during the recent national political campaign.

Additionally, some BCSC students arrived at school teary-eyed Wednesday morning after the election, telling teachers and staff they were concerned that they, or their friends, might have to leave the country, Perkinson said.

Each young person who expressed anxiety received some one-on-one attention from a teacher or staff member letting them know that school is a safe place to be, Perkinson said.

“In these cases, there was face-to-face communication that we’re going to get through this,” Perkinson said.

Local schools are also offering information about counseling resources to students if requested, he said.

In his statement, Roberts said the school system will not tolerate actions that demonstrate a lack of understanding and respect for people’s differences.

And the same damn overlords who have had a grip on post-America's throat for eight years - much longer in some ways - reserve the right to define "a lack of understanding and respect for people's differences." And the punishment to be doled out by the leviathan State for violating what it will not tolerate.