Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 370 | The Shocking Anti-History, Anti-Science Influence on Public Education | Guest: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson

Starting point is 00:00:08 Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Tuesday. I almost forgot what day it was. We're in this, we're in this crazy time. It's bad weather where I am down here in the south. And I've had to do all of my recording from home, which just, it makes things weird. Like, I feel like I'm, I don't know. I don't know what's going on, what day it is.

Starting point is 00:00:31 We've never had this kind of weather. I can't say never, but in my lifetime, we have never had this kind of weather. dire things happening in a variety of states in the country where people are lacking power, people are lacking heat, they're unable to get the resources and the services that they need. So please pray for Texas, pray for Louisiana, pray for these states that just aren't used to, and I guess just aren't prepared for this winter storm. There have been people in Texas, for example, who have been out of power for almost 48 hours at this point. I mean, think about elderly people, think about vulnerable people, think about those who are sick, those who have

Starting point is 00:01:13 newborn babies or those who have kids with special needs. Think about all of the people who live by themselves, who are unable to go to the grocery store. I understand that people up north, you're like, why aren't you better prepared for this? Why don't you, you know, why don't you have all of the supplies that you need to be able to stay inside for several days on end or why don't your roads work and all that stuff? those are good questions. The fact of the matter is is that we're just not, I mean, in the South, we're just not used to this kind of thing. I do think that there was a lack of preparation from the energy companies and maybe from the government and local government as well, unfortunately. But the fact of the matter is is that a lot of people in Texas, Louisiana and these other

Starting point is 00:01:55 southern states that are being hit by this winter storm, they do need your prayer. And just pray that the power would turn on, that the heat would turn on, especially for vulnerable communities. and vulnerable people. There are places where, you know, there are gyms in different locations that are open for people to come and get water, come and get food and come and get heat. The problem is that most people can't drive there, especially if you're using public transportation. And so it's just a big hot mess.

Starting point is 00:02:21 It's actually a cold mess. It's a very cold mess. But a hot mess in the other sense for a lot of people down south. So please pray for your friends in Texas and the surrounding areas. Pray for the power to turn on for these vulnerable. people. It's just a disaster and we're actually looking to see worse weather in the coming days. And so for all the people that are up north that are laughing, this really isn't a laughing matter for a lot of people. And hey, other states can't handle the heat the way the southern states can.

Starting point is 00:02:54 And so I guess it's just our turn to kind of deal with the kind of weather that we are just, that we're just not used to. So please keep these areas in your prayers. Today we are going to talk to Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, about this radical curriculum that has now been pushed through to be able to be implemented in North Carolina public schools. And it's a radical history curriculum that includes the phrase that we talk about so often, the concept that we have explained a million times, and that is critical race theory. So this curriculum tells a history of the United States. States that is not in fact rooted in fact, but is rooted in a kind of worldview that sees

Starting point is 00:03:41 America and everything in it, every system, every institution, even every interpersonal interaction as racist, specifically against black and brown communities, rather than telling the truth about how the United States, yes, has absolutely perpetuated a variety of injustices, but has also righted those wrongs very valiantly throughout our history. it is a very negative and a very dark and a very divisive curriculum that is, like I said, not actually based in historical fact, but is based in a kind of critical race theory ideology that as we know has absolutely no power, has no ability whatsoever to bring people together and to end racism, but just to develop new forms of racism, what a lot of people are calling

Starting point is 00:04:30 neo-racism. And the lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, has been pushing against this curriculum. Unfortunately, it is going to be implemented in North Carolina schools, but he's going to give us insight into how parents can push back. He's going to talk a little bit more about what this curriculum is and why he opposes it. It's a really interesting conversation, and I'm really excited for you guys to hear from him. He is a courageous person that I know is going to inspire you guys. Before we get into that interview, I also want to bring up Dr. Voddy Bakum. He is a pastor, a minister who lives in Zambia. He is an American. He's been on this podcast before. I think it's my most watched episode on YouTube and one of my most listened to episodes on the listening side of the podcast

Starting point is 00:05:19 as well. And that's just because he is an amazing communicator. He's a dynamic and a very clear messenger of the gospel. He has spoken such clarity into this crazy cultural time that we live in, has so much insight into the um biblical nature of secular social justice and critical race theory. And he has been an amazing voice on my podcast and in so many other ministries. And I know has positively affected through the Holy Spirit, the faith in the lives of so many of you. He has a go fund me that is set up because he is unfortunately he's suffering heart failure. I forgot to say that at the top of this explanation, but I figured most of you, guys know he's experiencing heart failure and he is coming from africa to the united states and he's

Starting point is 00:06:09 unfortunately having to pay out of pocket for his procedures and apparently the procedure that he is going to need hopefully he will get in time this is a very dire situation for him um it's probably going to be a million dollars or more and so what's amazing is that if you go to his go fund me page uh for vody bacham right now i'm looking at it 1 million 46 000 380 have already been raised for him in just a matter of days. This GoFundMe was created three days ago. And right now, the goal is $1,250,000. They keep on having to increase the goal,

Starting point is 00:06:47 not because they just want more money, but because people are giving so generously, people are giving so much, so many people are giving. There's been over 10,000 donors at this point. And because the medical expenses are going, to be so high for what he actually needs for this life-saving procedure that they are continuing to raise the ceiling. So if you can give anything, go to the GoFundMe page set up for Voddy Bakum.

Starting point is 00:07:16 I'll actually put it in the description of this podcast and just give what you can, if you can, whether it's $5, whether it's $100. Some people have given $10,000. What's beautiful about this is seeing the body of Christ rally around someone who needs help. And it also shows what amazing things God has done through Vodibokum, through his books, through his sermons, and through his ministry, and how many Christians feel that they have been positively affected and inspired to run after Christ more passionately because of the words that God has given Vodibokum in the way that God has gifted him with a certain talent to be able to exposit scripture and to be able to explain the gospel and infuse the light of the gospel into dark places. That is what Dr. Voddy Bakum does so well. And that is why he has had more than a million dollars raised for him in three days. So praise the Lord, praise the Lord for the body of Christ. This whole crazy idea that, you know, Christians are just all talk and that we're not actually willing to do the work. I mean, first of all, that's completely contradicted

Starting point is 00:08:25 by the history of the church. It's contradicted by every statistic that shows how generously Christians give and how many organizations Christians run, how much churches do for their communities, and how willing we are to help a brother in Christ who is in trouble. And so if you can't spare any money or even if you can, please pray for him. Please pray for Dr. Baccombe and everything that he's going through, pray for his family, pray for his wife. They have several children and they are homeschooling parents as well. They've got adult children, but they've still got school-age children as well. And so there's just a lot going on. It's hard to leave your home and your family in, in Zambia and then come to the United States and all just hoping that he makes it to the point to where he's able to have this procedure that hopefully will save his life. And so they're going through a lot. Pray for the Lord to renew their strength, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and for God to preserve his life, if that's as well. And for God to be glorified.

Starting point is 00:09:29 and the gospel to be spread through all of this. So like I said, the GoFundMe link will be in the description of this podcast or of this YouTube video if you're watching there. Thank you so much, you guys, for supporting him. All right, before we get into this interview, and then after the interview, I'm also going to talk about some of the craziness that's going on with the public school system as far as the CDC guidance for opening goes.

Starting point is 00:09:57 And so this will be a kind of short interview. And then I'll get into some of the rest of the stop that's going on. Without further ado, here is Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. Lieutenant Governor, thank you so much for joining me. A lot of people have been messaging me, emailing me to talk about this North Carolina curriculum that has just been pushed through in North Carolina public schools. And you have been fighting against that curriculum. Can you talk about what it is and why you oppose it?

Starting point is 00:10:31 Well, first off, let me say thank you for having me and sending out to our prayers and wishes of safety, all those in Texas. I know you're all dealing with some pretty difficult weather down there, so sending our prayers away. Well, what it is is our state, the standards for North Carolina public schools from K through 12. My major grievance with these standards is that I think that they are very negative in tone. And what I mean by that is this. you know, there are some rumors going around that the GOP members don't want to teach about things like slavery and Jim Crow and we want to try to hide things in America's past. Let me be clear on something, very clear on something. As a person who has studied history, a great deal, I understand it is essential for us to teach our young people.

Starting point is 00:11:21 What happened in our nation's history is essential for us to teach them about slavery and about Jim Crow and about the fact that we didn't always treat women fairly. and give them the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels. And so we have to teach our children about those things, about why they happen, how they happen. But we also have to teach them how those things were ultimately bought those things were bought down, how we defeated racism, sexism, slavery, Jim Crow, all of those things. And there again is the crux of my exception to these standards. I think that the American system of government is exception. In every case that I just mentioned, we fought back against all those institutions using our founding documents, using our constitution, and using our court of law, what I call our exceptional American system of government.

Starting point is 00:12:14 And so we don't think that these standards teach that exceptionalism. And we think that it teaches that our system of government is system of government is systemically racist. And we do not agree with that assessment. Right. So your contention and my contention would be as well is not that it's teaching kids about slavery and Jim Crow, which we believe are parts of history that kids need to learn about, but that it doesn't talk about how America actually rectified all of those injustices and those problems. It casts America in this not just a negative light, but like you said, in a characterization of systemic racism that they claim is still looming today. What kind of implication? Do you think this has for students of all different colors and how they think not just of their country, but also of themselves? I think it's going to further divide us because they're going to be children that are not going to believe these things that are being tall in the classroom. They're going to push back against these things. It's going to plant some very negative seeds in our children's minds.

Starting point is 00:13:15 What we should be doing in our classroom is teaching them about what unites them. And here's what unites our students. What unites our students is our founding document. our Declaration of Independence is our Constitution, our court of law. Again, those are the things that we have always used in this nation to combat bigotry and racism and sexism and injustice. And those things by and large work to a great extent. I mean, a fantastic extent. Those are the things that bring us together. And I think if we teach our children about their system of government and how their system of government can help them succeed in life, I think, that that will bring our students together. But when we talk about this nation and we talk about it in terms of being systemically racist, I think that's going to cause further divisions,

Starting point is 00:14:05 further hatreds, and it's just going to continue to degenerate in our national unity. Yes, I agree with that. I can't imagine that most parents in North Carolina of kids who go to public schools are okay with this kind of curriculum. So how did this pass? How did this get pushed through?

Starting point is 00:14:27 Well, unfortunately, it was off the radar of many people in the state. The state school board is very proud of touting, in fact, that 7,000 people looked at these standards, and it was passed, and it was approved by 85% of them. But on our end in our office, we made people aware of it, and we put out a poll, so to speak, of folks and made them a prize of what was happening. In a mere four days, we received 30,000 responses from people who were against these standards as written. And so just that small sample of people across the state shows that this is a very contentious issue that's unsettled. And again, I will say this in all, you know, I say this in all fairness.

Starting point is 00:15:16 I think it was very irresponsible to pass these standards, knowing that very many people in North Carolina are very much against them. Right. And you've gotten a lot of pushback for opposing this. I saw that you were even compared to, I think it was like a member of the KKK or you and Republicans were. Can you talk about some of just the crazy pushback and the crazy characterization you've gotten from people who, I guess, I don't know, claim you're some kind of racist or white supremacist for being against this curriculum. Right. All of the GOP members of the state school board were characterized as members of the Ku Klux Klan. And here's what's funny about it. The lieutenant governor, myself, I sit a state school board, a black man, being characterized as a member of the Ku Klux Klan because I disagree with those on the left. Another member who is a Lumbi Indian who defaulted the Ku Klux Klan in her hometown being compared to the Klu Kuts Klan. because she disagrees with the left. If you want to talk about systemic problems, this is the system problem that we have. And it also points out two other things. It points out the hypocrisy of the left-leaning media, WRL, who posted the cartoon, would probably lambast anybody else for posting such stuff.

Starting point is 00:16:40 But they themselves feel confident in doing it. And here's the largest issue. As we speak about indoctrinating our children in schools, we are always, challenge them about where is the proof. That cartoon that characterizes members of the GOP as Ku Klux Klanzman, and we all know that history, that cartoon was drawn by an eighth-grade social state teacher who teaches eighth-grade social studies right here in North Carolina. There's your indoctrination. So I think the pushback that you and the GOP have gotten being compared to the KKK being called Bigots is probably a big reason why parents sometimes are scared to speak

Starting point is 00:17:20 out about this stuff because they don't want to be characterized in that way and they don't want their kids to possibly be punished for them speaking up and opposing this kind of curriculum. What encouragement or advice do you have for parents who are either in North Carolina or they're in another state where they see this kind of stuff coming down the pipeline or it's already here? How do they push back against this stuff? Who do they call? What do they do?

Starting point is 00:17:44 Well, I can tell you this. The number one thing that we need to understand is that this is not a fight. we can lay back on our laurels and just say, well, I'm afraid of the consequences if I speak out. What we really need to think about is the consequences if we don't speak out, the consequences for our children, the consequences for our society, the consequences for our state and nation.

Starting point is 00:18:07 That's the consequences that we need to think about. We need to think about all those folks that came before us that spoke up against things that weren't right, including things like Jim Crow and slavery, who are willing to sacrifice to make sure the right thing is done. We're in that position now, and we need to make sure that we're not afraid to stand up for our children and for our communities

Starting point is 00:18:28 and make sure that the right thing is done in education. As far as the education system itself, I think what we really need to do, and I've said this several times, and I don't say this as a person who's pointing fingers at the public. I say this to myself as a person who is a resident governorate governorate but as a North Carolina citizen. If we want to change education, what we need to do is this. We need to make sure that the school board meeting on Monday night is as packed as the football game on Friday night.

Starting point is 00:19:04 We need to put the focus back on education in our public schools. And we need parents and we need citizens of all across the board to get involved in this process. because what's being taught in our public schools today will become, those folks will become the policy makers of tomorrow. And we can already see some of the dreadful effects of that at the highest levels of government now. And so we need to get involved in this issue and write this ship before it's too late. Absolutely. And not just the policymakers, but also the activists and some of the people that we've seen take to the streets and cities across our country, no doubt, have kind of been indoctrinated with this idea that America is, irrevocably bad and horrible, bad force, bad influence, not just here, but also abroad.

Starting point is 00:19:51 And that creates, like you said, a kind of division, a kind of hatred, a kind of resentment that then unfortunately creates some of the unrest and the chaos that we continue to see. So thank you so much. Thank you for fighting against it and for giving people who have concerns about this curriculum, a voice. I know courage begets courage. and you've shown a lot of courage. So thank you so much for that.

Starting point is 00:20:16 Can you tell people how they can follow you, how they can support you, or just kind of watch what you're doing in North Carolina? You can find us on social media, on Facebook, Mark Robinson. You can also follow me on Twitter, Mark Robinson, NC. And also, I failed to mention this, but our office is going to be a resource for those parents who feel like they need to report incidents.

Starting point is 00:20:42 of indoctrination in the classroom. And we're going to make that available here shortly. But we want to stand up and fight this as much as possible, and we want to lead the charge on it. So be on the lookout for that as well. Thank you so much, Lieutenant Governor. Thank you so much for having me. Okay, so that's one bit of craziness that's going on in the public school system,

Starting point is 00:21:12 at least in North Carolina. And look, I get a lot of messages from people saying, that's not going to happen in my state. That's not going to happen in my state. school. You say, I'm in a southern state. I'm in a conservative area. I know all of, you know, my kids, public school teachers, I know the administrators, I know the people on the school board. We live in such a conservative Christian area that that kind of thing is never going to happen. Well, you got another thing coming. If you think that the orchestrators and the organizers

Starting point is 00:21:40 of this kind of curriculum just are going to leave your area untouched, if you don't think that they are raising up activists in your community and your neighborhood, right now to be able to push through this kind of stuff. And if you don't think the people around you are content with just kind of allowing this stuff to flourish and be pushed through, you've got another thing coming. The time is coming gone for us to be naive as parents. Understand this is coming to a public school near you. And it's time for you to pay attention. Now, you guys know my stance on public school. I think that if there is any possible way for you as a Christian parent to pull your kid out of public school and to go to a Christian,

Starting point is 00:22:20 school, go to a classical Christian school, home school, do some kind of hybrid option. Even if you can go to a charter school, I think that's typically better than the school that's just assigned to you, according to your zip code. I think that you should do that. I absolutely push for that because I think even though there are so many wonderful public school teachers, and I'm so thankful for that, the system as a whole is corrupt. And that does not mean that every private school is amazing, every Christian school is perfect, or that every single parent is a wonderful homeschool teacher. But parents absolutely have the best interest of their child in mind more than these kind of faceless, nameless bureaucracies deal. The public school system has a goal

Starting point is 00:23:07 to make your child, and I'm speaking in generalities, I know this is not true of everyone in the public school system, to make your child a certain way, to make them think a certain way, to push them in a particular moral direction. Remember, secularism is not a neutral worldview. It comes with its own rules. It comes with its own parameters. It comes with its own definitions. And secularism and Christianity are at odds with each other. Like if your child is going to a public school, it's not like they're just getting a neutral education devoid of any moral leanings whatsoever. No, it's not. And it's not just about what your child may be learning in the way of indoctrination. Maybe you do live in a conservative area and your child isn't learning a historical

Starting point is 00:23:51 curriculum about the country's history. But if you can help it, don't you want to give your child an education in which everything is rooted in a biblical worldview? Like everything is rooted in the fundamental idea that God created the heavens in the earth. And therefore, he says what's right and what's wrong, what is and what isn't. Do you really want to compete with the worldview that your child is learning for eight hours a day every night when they get home and are you making an effort to compete with that worldview? Voddy Baccombe, our friend Voddy Baccombe says if you send your kids to Caesar, don't be surprised when they come back Romans. And you know, we've talked about several times that sending your kids to private school or homeschooling your kids does not guarantee

Starting point is 00:24:34 that they will be these perfect Christians and sending them to public school doesn't mean that they're going to end up being heathens. But of course, we do everything that we can to try to steer our children in the right direction and to give them the proper and the healthy and the loving and the kind in the biblical worldview that God in his word provides for us. And that is getting increasingly difficult, unfortunately, in the public school system. And so don't be naive to think that this is not coming for you. But for those of you who you don't have the option to get out of public school or you just care about what kids in public school are actually learning. Like you just care about the kinds of ideas that are influencing kids because you know that is they're the next

Starting point is 00:25:18 future of adults. They're the next future of leaders. You should still be getting involved and understand what's going on in the public schools in your area. And you should absolutely have a say in that because whether or not you send your kids to public school, you're still paying for that public school. You're still paying for the salaries of those teachers and those administrators. Your tax dollars are still going to this teacher's unions if you have teachers unions in your area, if they're not there, you know, teachers associations pretty much function in the same way. I have lots and lots of episodes on teachers unions and the facts about the public school and public school funding. And I get reviews from people all the time who are very upset about my

Starting point is 00:25:57 stance on all of this who think I'm like anti-public school teacher, which of course is not true at all. But, you know, I don't care. I don't care. I know that there are people who are angry about my stance on that. But the fact of the matter is that I've done a lot of research. I've talked to a lot of people about what's going on. And a lot of people are unfortunately naive about our public education system. But my goal is to make sure that you are not and that we know as much as possible and we can push back on what is wrong as much as possible and try to make things better. All right. Speaking of all of that. Speaking of teachers unions, let's talk about for just a few minutes, CDC's new reopening guidance that is actually going to keep public schools closed in the fall. This is extremely

Starting point is 00:26:47 disappointing for a lot of people for kids who have been stuck inside for the past year because their public school isn't open or unfortunately there are some parents who have decided that they're going to keep their kids home for a year. And yes, I believe that it is absolutely your choice, whether or not you want your kid to go to in-person learning. And I do understand the concern. The fact of the matter is is that this is detrimental for kids. It's detrimental for their mental health. Kids need in-person instruction.

Starting point is 00:27:15 They need some kind of normalcy. They need that routine. They need that social interaction. They need the kind of challenge parameters in scheduling and sometimes rely on the meals and the welfare checks that are provided to them through public. education. And so we are doing a huge disservice to children

Starting point is 00:27:36 by keeping schools closed indefinitely against the science, the CDC, the AAP, all the pediatricians that were on MSNBC over the summer. President Trump, a variety of leaders and experts that it is more important for kids to be in school than it is for them to stay home from school

Starting point is 00:27:53 and to possibly avoid a virus that they will almost certainly survive and have no serious symptoms from. but the CDC has released new guidance that will keep schools closed, most schools closed in the fall. This is according to reason.com, quote, the CDC's science-based reopening, in quotes, guidance includes five key considerations presented in order of emphasis. Number one, mask wearing. Now, on this, you might remember, do you remember just a few months ago when we were told that kids below the age of 10

Starting point is 00:28:28 did not need to be wearing masks? Of course, we were all told in the beginning that we weren't supposed to be wearing masks. And then it didn't just go from that to a suggestion. It came from, it went from that to absolutely dogmatic. If you do not wear a mask, you are a murderer. And then it went to, yeah, kids as young as two need to be wearing a mask. Kids as young as two typically don't even, aren't even supposed to have pillows and blankets in their crib for fear of suffocation. But we're just supposed to have them wear a mask over their face, even though the science.

Starting point is 00:29:00 shows that most kids are not transmitting the virus and most of them aren't even getting the virus, but we are supposed to just kind of go along to get along with all of this. So number one is mask wearing in schools the CDC says two social distancing of six feet, three hand washing for cleaning, five contact tracing. Director Rochelle Walenski in a conference call emphasized, quote, prioritizing the first two, which means that in every school, including ones that are already open using less stringent standards in the CDC is saying there should be student distancing of at least six feet accomplished if need be by cohorting or potting of students um let me let me just keep on reading this article uh so on the social distancing part this article says in many school setting six feet

Starting point is 00:29:48 between students is not feasible without drastically limiting the number of students the american academy of pediatrics warned last june some countries have been able to successfully reopen schools after first controlling community widespread of SARS-COVID-2, after using three feet of distance between students without increases in community speed. Schools should weigh the benefits of strict adherence to a six-feet spacing role between students with a potential downside if remote learning is the only alternative. Two-thirds of the 175 pediatric disease specialist pulled by the New York Times just this week said that making schools hybrid, the fulfilled distancing requirements, is a bad idea.

Starting point is 00:30:29 And then the writer of this article, Matt Welch, kind of puts his opinion on it and says this, the federal government is not in charge of local schools. True. Institutions, especially in the private sector, that are already open five days a week are not likely to ratchet back as a result of state's guidance. But the six feet rule will likely have an outsized influence, particularly in Democratic-controlled big city public schools that have been disproportionately shuddered. Why? Because teachers unions say so. That's why. And he's right about that. That might be his editorializing, but it is absolutely true. And by the way, the students that are going to be disproportionately affected by this because they're in mostly democratic-controlled cities and Democrats are controlled by the teachers unions because they're funded by the teachers' unions.

Starting point is 00:31:14 These are disproportionately poor students and disproportionately black and brown students. So in a day that we're talking about equity, in a day that we're talking about, about the importance of equality and giving everyone the same opportunities, which is not the same thing as equity as we've talked about many times before. In a day that we're talking so much about disparities, we are purposely pushing forward policies and restrictions

Starting point is 00:31:36 that are going to disproportionately and have disproportionately negatively affected black and brown American students. And we're supposed to sit back and say that's okay because the teachers unions say so. All right. Even the Washington Post in their opinion section is pushing back,

Starting point is 00:31:52 against this craziness. The fact of the matter is is that this is not guided by the science. This is guided by the politics of the teachers unions and we'll prove that in just one second. So the Washington Post says this, transmission within schools can be kept low regardless of community spread. So long as good mitigation measures are in place, it's also clear that community spread is not an indicator within school transmission. The CDC itself released the study showing this. It also recently wrote that there is little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to community transmission. So why, so why tie reopening schools to community spread? Because of course, the public, the public teachers unions, they want to use, they want

Starting point is 00:32:39 to be able to hold the kids hostage in order to get the power, to get the money, to get the funding, to get the other political priorities they want. It has nothing to do with the well-being of kids. it really doesn't have to do with the well-being of teachers. Yes, I do think there are some teachers who are taking advantage of this who want to work as little as possible and still get paid with their tax pay or dollars. But for the most part, I don't think that this is actually the desire of most public school teachers. I think it's the desire of these public unions that want to hold your kids hostage so that they can use them as leverage to be able to get the political power that they want. The Washington Post writers lamented that while the CDC does require masks

Starting point is 00:33:17 in schools, they do not specify to use high-efficient. or to double mask, which I think I can't even believe we're having a conversation about two masks. If we should wear two masks, we should probably wear five masks. I mean, isn't that just common sense? Don't we just continue to layer the masks? Do we just put a plastic bag over our heads and breathe deeply? Is that what we're supposed to be doing? That's probably going to be the guidance that we achieve or that we are given next. Okay, I want to play a little bit of this. interview with Jake Tapper. So Jake Tapper, you guys know he's a host on CNN. I think sometimes he is incredibly fair and I appreciate how he is willing sometimes to criticize both sides. I think

Starting point is 00:34:01 other times like when it had to do with the Russian collusion investigation that he wasn't entirely fair. I think he can also be most of the time. I think that he is partisan. But he's probably one of the most, if not the most fair hosts, reporters on CNN. And so he grilled the CDC director, Rochelle Walensky, over, this is according to the Daily Wire, over why the Biden administration is struggling to get schools fully reopened across the country after top experts have repeatedly said that they are safe to reopen. Willinsky has previously said, quote, school should be the last thing to close and the first thing to open. Willinsky then stated that, quote, in order for schools to fully reopen, that there needed to be universal masking inside schools and a strict six feet. of social distancing within the classroom. And let me play a little bit of this.

Starting point is 00:34:57 But what's the science? Because you have said there's, you know, I mean, not just you, but Dr. Fauci, others have been saying for months that the schools should be open as long as there's masking and cleansing and social distancing, everything that we talked about. If a school's doing that, I understand if there's a mask violation, that's a problem. But if a school's doing that, I mean, the damage, as I don't need to tell you, on kids, the isolation, the psychological damage, the educational loss of a year for many kids, not to mention the thousands of kids who are just slipping through the cracks. I mean, it's hard to even calculate. And there are a lot of people out there watching who think, like, I thought the science said we should open the schools as long as we take those safety steps.

Starting point is 00:35:46 we're taking the safety steps and we're not opening the schools. All right. So good for Jake Tapper. Good for Jake Tapper for pushing back. He said he was very dispirited by this conversation because there's so much lack of consistency. And there is a lack of following the actual science. Like we've talked about the scientism versus the science. That was an episode that we got a lot of the feedback on.

Starting point is 00:36:08 We'll put the link to that episode in this description, the difference in actual science versus to Scientism and how it seems that most of our leaders have been governed by scientism for the past year at the expensive lives and, of course, the well-being of children. Here's something else that's troubling. The CDC director actually admitted in a press conference that it's not science that affects the guidance on opening schools, or at least not just science. So this is according to the Daily Wire, again, CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Wallenski said, quote, the return to in-person learning at schools must be based on a thorough review of

Starting point is 00:36:44 what the science tells us, but also that direct changes to the CDC guidance on opening schools were made as a result of engaging with many education and public health partners to hear firsthand from parents and teachers directly about their experiences and concerns. She said bluntly, these sessions were so informative and direct changes to the guidance were made as a result of them. So the reason why this is troubling is because the CDC is not supposed to be a political arm. They're not politicians that are supposed to be listening to people on basing their findings based on the opinions of public teachers unions and a handful of parents. They're supposed to be basing their findings on what the science, not the scientism and not public opinion,

Starting point is 00:37:22 but what the science actually says. They publish the science and then everyone else gets to form their own opinions, the public schools and the parents, they get to form their own opinions based on the objective facts of what the science says. But the CDC is not objective when it comes to this kind of stuff because they have become a political, bureaucratic, have probably been for a long time. But again, this is all at the expense of kids.

Starting point is 00:37:48 And even if you allow schools to open and all kids go back to school, putting them in these little glass or plastic boxes, saying that they can't be within six feet of their friends, like they can't give hugs, they can't give high fives, they can't play the games that they're used to playing. They can't have the social interaction that they are used to having. Maybe that is a step forward, like maybe that's a step up from these kids.

Starting point is 00:38:12 being stuck at home all day. I certainly think it is for kids who are impoverished to need school for food and to need a refuge from abusive parents or something like that. I certainly think that's an improvement for them. But for a lot of students, this is still going to be very psychologically damaging. This isn't normal.

Starting point is 00:38:34 And from what the science actually tells us and has been telling us for months, it's also not necessary. It's also not necessary. This is to try to assuage in some cases the irrational fears of the teachers who, quite frankly, some of them, some of them don't want to go back to school. And in some cases, unfortunately, teachers are saying that even when they get vaccinated, they don't want to go back to school. Again, that is not indicative of all or I think even most public school teachers, but it is indicative of a few. And the well-being of children is not even thought about. It's not even considered. As we've talked about before, kids are continually the victims of progressive social experiments from gender identity experimentation on young kids to abortion, to school closings. We don't even think about the psychological and the emotional, the mental effect that this has on children. And unfortunately, we have seen self-harm and super-harm.

Starting point is 00:39:40 suicide rates and depression rates and anxiety rates among kids skyrocket. We've seen them fall behind academically in a way that they'd probably never be able to catch up. So again, we've been talking about disparities. We've been talking about giving people all the opportunities in the world, especially when it comes to categorizing people along racial lines. And all we're doing is creating further disparity, especially between the rich and the poor. Because the rich already have school choice. It's called having money. Anyone who can afford it, anyone who has the option is going to pull their kid out of school so their kid doesn't fall behind. They're going to homeschool. They're going to do pods. They're going to send their kids to private school on, whatever.

Starting point is 00:40:18 You're just creating more gaps in success between private school kids and homeschool kids and public school kids. And so all these people who say that they care about social justice and care about equity, which means forcing people into the same outcomes, which is not fairness at all, is actually a form of tyranny, who say that they care about equality. who say that they care about the least of these, you are following unscientific scientism by the tyrannical control of the teachers' unions who have influenced the CDC

Starting point is 00:40:52 at the expense of the very vulnerable and least of these people that you claim to be fighting for. No, no, no, no, no. I'm just not for it. Parents understand what's going on. Understand what's going on at your public school. understand the why behind all of this, understand that it is, it's not science that's guiding this.

Starting point is 00:41:16 There was a tweet that also pointed out that lobbying groups are also responsible for some of the changes to the CDC guidelines, the CDC guidelines that said, yes, open schools to actually, we have to do all of these things before we can open schools, which makes it impossible for some people to even open in the fall. And so they quote Wollenski, the CDC director, like I said, saying that an understanding of the lived experiences and the personal perspectives of a lot of teachers and school staff, that influenced their findings in their direction. Direct changes to the guidance were made as a result of these conversations. And then she says, I want to be careful to assume that once we have vaccination, that we aren't going to need to continue.

Starting point is 00:42:04 at least some of these mitigation strategies over some period of time. And so it may very well be that some combination of the mitigation strategies that we have, we will need to be doing for some period of time. She also says that they have engaged with civil rights groups in other, quote, stakeholders in order to give their guidance. So understand, there's a lot of politics. There's a lot of opinion going into these so-called scientific findings. And it's just trying to, It's tragic. It's tragic what we're doing to our kids, not just when it comes to these restrictions, but also when it comes to the curriculum that they're learning. And I have more to say about that because there's more crazy curriculum that's coming through in places like California and Oregon that I think that we need to understand. And so we'll talk about that. We'll talk about that maybe some point this week or later in the week. And so that's all that's all we have today. I've heard your feedback. I've been asking on Instagram what you guys want to hear. It sounds like you guys honestly are most interested in kind of what's going on in the church.

Starting point is 00:43:15 You guys ask me about a lot of pastors, a lot of authors. You ask me about a lot of subjects like deconstructing your faith or the new apostolic reformation and different movements inside the church. You guys want to know about education. You guys want to know about parenting. you guys kind of want to know about these big more like evergreen topics. It sounds like we're kind of exhausted with the day-to-day news, which I completely understand. And so I will try to accommodate that as much as possible. But thank you guys so much for your feedback. Thank you

Starting point is 00:43:48 guys for listening. Thank you guys for listening and watching four days a week. And for those of you who want this to be five days a week or want this to be a two-hour-long podcast every day. God bless you. That's not going to happen anytime soon. Go back and listen. the older episodes. We've got a lot of older episodes that are still relevant today if you haven't listened to all of them. All right. Thank you guys so much. I'll see you guys back here tomorrow.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 370 | The Shocking Anti-History, Anti-Science Influence on Public Education | Guest: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson

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