Interviews and records examined by ProPublica show how closely aligned Kline has been with the Thomas More Society. Theyre demonizing minorities by proxy, with a target behind the target, OFurr wrote in a recent blog post. According to the Cumberland Valley parent, their child came home from school and said, "Dad, the furries see me in the hallway and call me a dumb straight white boy," but he can't make sense of it because the furries are also white kids. 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. (WFRV) - A viral video of a UW-Oshkosh professor and a Wisconsin talk show host is causing some school districts in Wisconsin to respond to alleged 'Furry . Said Mark Thomsen: My overall sense is they filed things that were redundant and repetitive and served no legitimate purpose, in my mind, other than trying to wear down the staff and waste precious resources.. The current misrepresentation of furriesthat they simply want to be animals and are sexual deviantsdates back decades. Want more right-wing news? Edwards was a registered Democrat until this year. Todd Dorman. EDIT: We are now being told the litter box was allegedly brought in as a form of harassment against the "Otherkin." Cat!. 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. Fear of 'furries' in school grips conservative parents fooled by absurd Facebook rumors, schools in Michigan placing litter boxes in bathrooms, State senator mocked over claim students now identifying as 'furries' and demanding litter boxes - Alternet.org , GOP lawmakers are spreading false ridiculous 'furries' claim - Alternet.org , Furry Panic Is the Latest Dumb GOP Attack on Public Schools , Making a Safe Place for Students Who Identify as Furries, Therians , Let's Talk About Furries - Safer Schools , Teen Furries Reportedly Taking Over Kentucky High School . Other anti-abortion groups have likewise become more involved in influencing voting laws. I have two grandkids in school and my grandkids didnt want to go to school anymore, she said. That allegation wasnt true, either. 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. We filed several preelection lawsuits on election integrity., But Kline and Northon told ProPublica that Northon was not, in fact, working for Amistad at that moment. The character you choose is known as your. | The letter asked for at least 10 days. 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. A school board in North Carolina considered a proposal to ban furry costumes in schools after they say they received numerous complaints about students dressing up as . Furries are people who have an abnormal interest in animal characters with human characteristics and who take them on as a "fursona" (an alternate persona) who interacts with other "fursonas" in the community via roleplaying and art. ", An open records request shows Edwards is among at least two dozen parents who've written the district over the last eight months. In Wisconsin, the Thomas More Society is also challenging the ease of obtaining absentee military ballots. 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 districts superintendent debunked the rumor in a scathing email. 2. The "furry protocol" rumor is the newest wrinkle in a series of false claims concerning absurd behavior in schools. Republicans Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd voted yes, and Democrat Chairwoman Ann English voted no. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik told the committee that Kline briefed Giuliani on an allegation about a postal truck carrying completed ballots across state lines, a claim that was later debunked by postal inspectors working with the FBI. The memo expressed concerns that noncitizens and other people who dont have the right to vote might sway a close election, even though there is no evidence that demonstrates widespread voter fraud in modern elections. He insisted that no 'litter box accommodation' had been made for any students identifying as furries. This is a very stereotypical belief about the furry community, and it still baffles me to think that this is a widely . Sometimes, as in the case of Central York, the same people who supported book bans are the same people now promoting furry rumors. The furry movement is disproportionately LGBT and neurodiverse, yet we see that furries are thriving in this community, Roberts said. Furries are a subculture of people who craft alter-egos as anthropomorphized animals. If you actually look at whos doing this, at some of the political groups getting involved, theyre all far right., The rumors simmered for months in districts like Central York last year, where a concerned parents Facebook group promoted fears that furries could be in your childs classroom hissing at your child and licking themselves.. 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. Fear of 'furries' in school grips conservative parents fooled by absurd Facebook rumors Brad Reed February 01, 2022 Not content with panicking about the teaching of critical race theory,. Members of the furry fandom write . 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. VAERS reports guide future research, not shape medical decision-making. Piano Sign Up. Another topic many parents would like addressed are furries, a speaker said. Kline told ProPublica that the Amistad Project did not coordinate with Trumps group, and the Jan. 6 committee revealed no evidence to the contrary. The initiative, established in early 2021, targeted federal voter rights legislation for defeat. NBC News agreed to keep their last names private due to their fear of. 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. 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. I tried to help them talk to the police, he said in an emailed response. A senator repeated a long-disproven hoax about children who identify as cats using litter boxes and shitting on the floor in schools on Monday, in the latest absurdity to come out of . The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. In fact, chatter about litter boxes and doggie bowls display a misunderstanding about the furry community, which eats and poops like everyone else, says Sharon Roberts, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo and member of the academic research team Furscience. The Ruling. Its not accusatory enough. Bendor appeared concerned about Cochise Countys proposal, though, because of the lack of clarity around just how much authority supervisors were giving Stevens perhaps including establishing voting locations, appointing workers, approving ballot contests, and finalizing results. At the time, the integrity of voter rolls was very much in the news. In early November, an aspiring educator took to Reddits r/teachers board to relay rumors about students in her hometown demanding litter boxes in school. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg later fumed that Kaardal, the Thomas More Society attorney, filed in the wrong court and failed to even serve the complaint to his adversaries in the suit. Play the long game. Northon said that he was called to the state Capitol by several lawmakers who were clients and were locked out of the building. 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. Weve known Phill Kline. The money was awarded to communities across 47 states to pay for more staff, training, equipment and outreach to voters on how to safely cast their ballots. 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. A Nebraska state senator, Bruce Bostelman, last month warned of an alarming new variety of deviance making its way into the state's schools. Amongst other things, the professors faulted Ladapo for misuse of statistics and cherry-picking his data. Republican politicians should probably heed that same rule of thumb when it comes to tales of kids identifying as furries. Contact Jen at jfifield@votebeat.org. D! Last week, Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued a meaningless "health alert" to the people of Florida about mRNA covid vaccines. COVID vaccines came with much stricter VAERS reporting requirements than other adult vaccines. Ive been very online for more than half my life, and Ive witnessed every possible expression of furrydom that one can imagine: the costumes, the fanart, the porn, the meetups, etc. Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow outright dismissed the rumors. One win erases a dozen losses, she said. Fargo School Board member Jennifer Benson told The Forum that a student informed her some schools have litter boxes in restrooms for students who identify as furries. He told everyone standing there (myself included) that they were calling his child a furry and he asked them to stop.. 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.. Two are still pending and the others were denied, dismissed or withdrawn, according to the commission. Kline said he strongly disagreed with the judges opinions and believed the cases were valid. It's frustrating that it turned political rather than what's best for the kids at school.". {{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}. Going forward, the team plans to work on various election fronts, including preventing ineligible people from voting, according to the memo the society provided to ProPublica. And others, who call themselves "furries," create animal alter egos and interact with others who do the same. 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. Trumps legal team was making similar efforts, and that team included Jenna Ellis, a former Thomas More Society attorney. Researchers found they reported "significantly more bullying than the average person." According to furscience.com, 61.7% of furries. The judge, however, was not as pleased. Furries are a subculture of people who craft alter-egos as anthropomorphized animals. Does Alan Cumming Really Live in a Scottish Castle? Still, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told Votebeat on Tuesday that historically, Arizona counties have made this type of decision on how to delegate election responsibilities and they should have the right to do so. Read her latest reports or check out her bio and send her an email. The group cited an email someone sent to the board about furries. They were blocked by police. Target announced it was making all its bathrooms gender neutral. These people will hiss at you or scratch at you if they dont like something youre doing.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Rumours of a school accommodating a "furry" caused a flurry first in the United States, then it made its way to Canada. VAERS data are correlational and unvetted. Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, Scott Adams and why American capitalism kneels before a bigger God. 'Stranger Things' Gave Us a D! an A! But efforts to cast anthropomorphized animals as a niche issue are misguided, anyway. The "litter boxes in schools" hoax (also called the litter box canard) is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry or otherkin subcultures. Though subpoenaed, Kline did not testify before the committee, a congressional source confirmed. He added that he agrees with the committees assessment that there was not sufficient proof of fraud to overturn the election. ", 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. How could we possibly win a war with an army filled with dogs and cats?. 13, 2022 7:00 am, Updated: May. Its culture war, its control, and its not about protecting kids, OFurr explains. The move comes after Crosby and Judd for months challenged the countys fall election procedures in ways that drew national attention, including attempting to illegally hand count all ballots and then refusing to certify the election results, against the advice of the county attorney and the secretary of state. From 1955 to 2019, Maricopa County gave its recorder more duties than prescribed in state law. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com. Jen Fifield is a reporter for Votebeat based in Arizona. Not content with panicking about the teaching of critical race theory, conservative parents throughout America have now been gripped with fear about their schools trying to accommodate students who dress up in animal costumes. After a closed session to discuss the letter, Judd said she didnt see a problem going ahead. Copyright 2023 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | The committee, which had a Democratic majority, was disbanded this year as Republicans reclaimed control of the House. One Democratic member of the bipartisan elections commission thought the Thomas More Society nitpicked issues in the midst of a deadly pandemic. In case after case over the Zuckerberg grants, judges found no merit in the arguments presented by lawyers associated with Kline and Thomas More. The recorder is close with former GOP secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, who built a campaign on false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The state Assembly speaker later shut down the inquiry and Gableman got a job with the Thomas More Society. Another Cochise resident, Bob McCormick, said that Stevens is qualified for the job and combining the departments will be cost effective. Serrano had touted legal efforts supported by Thomas More on Bannons podcast, in December 2020, when he talked about a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., regarding the ecosystem that caused this fraud on a massive level to take place.. How did your school find out, if ever? Don Bolduc, Republican candidate for New Hampshire senator, is one of the latest conservative politicians to repeat the hearsay that schools are providing litter boxes for . Hes been a client of ours for a long time. Theyre being allowed to growl and bark at their teachers. ", According to her 6th grade niece, she told the district, the kids also "walk on all 4s in the hallway eat with their face in their food" and refer to themselves as "animal avengers. The agreement Cochise County approved Tuesday is not that specific and it gives Stevens some of the elections directors duties, such as presenting final election results to the board for approval. The societys election integrity initiative is now headed by its Executive Vice President Thomas Olp. Long before the Thomas More Society and Kline joined together on election law, they had a different kind of relationship. . Healthcare providers are required to report some adverse events, but compliance has historically been spotty. Kaardal filed at least 18 administrative complaints with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, beginning shortly before the 2020 election. 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. Knox Zajac, an 11-year-old sixth grader from Maine, spoke out against "pornographic" content in his middle school and wants the administrators to be prosecuted. To make matters worse, some major antivax groups and personal injury attorneys coach their followers to make VAERS reports about third parties. Ganahl is the latest in a string of Republican candidates nationwide to condemn furries. It doesnt make sense, she added. The organization also considers its efforts to ban ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin a success. Please, let these weirdos do their thing. But records and interviews show he played a prominent role, working largely behind the scenes, in attempting to stall the certification of Bidens victory. May. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the fight over abortion is increasingly playing out at the state level and local elections for legislators and judges have taken on added weight. In short, it was a big scam.. More recently, the Chicago-based organization has embraced a far different but equally divisive undertaking relentlessly questioning the integrity of elections. 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. 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. These panels would have the power to investigate elections, determine whether laws were broken, force local officials to fund forensic audits by disappointed candidates, stay election results when appropriate and even place localities into receivership to ensure elections are run properly. 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