(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Right Wing Groups are trying to take over your SC Lowcountry Town or City in the November 2023 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-12 Charleston, SC- After two weeks of controversy, at 8 am in the morning on little more than a day’s notice, the foolish five representing Moms for Liberty on the Charleston County School Board convened a meeting attempting to correct errors made violating the Freedom of Information Act two weeks ago when they put the Superintendent on paid leave and started an investigation. They are engaged in an effort to fire an African American School Superintendent hired less than 100 days ago. We now know that this investigation arises from a complaint from a district employee about a change in her job duties. No allegations of sexual activity or financial corruption are involved. The employee was not fired and did not have her pay or benefits reduced. The complaint was sent directly to right wing members of the board, outside of the regular process for handling such complaints. Other complaints against the district now in litigation did not result in suspending the superintendent in the recent past, during the term of this same board. Some of the board’s lawyers and district HR staff were not present at this morning’s meeting. Several members of the board elected to appear via Zoom. including the leaders of the Foolish 5. Ed Kelley (who was censured for threatening to shoot a transgendered school district staff member earlier this year) is driving the process to oppose the Superintendent and appeared via Zoom. They relaunched the investigation, which still hasn’t yet managed to interview the principals in the controversy with the Superintendent, but still lacks a written policy or procedure for that investigation. The Superintendent remains on paid leave, but the Foolish Five were unable to produce a written policy about what exactly that means. They were unable to determine who directed one of their ever increasing number of highly paid lawyers to direct the Superintendent not to attend High School football games without board approval or apparently knowledge. Board Member Ed Kelly admitted crowd sourcing his legal advice from unnamed advisors while phoning his presence into the meetings via Zoom. It is possible right wing lawyers and political operatives from out of state are watching these meetings online and telling members of our school board on zoom what to do, during the meeting. In November the people who elected the Foolish Five have Candidates Running for your Town and City Councils and Mayor’s Offices. They have 3 candidates in Charleston, at least 2 in Mt. Pleasant and several in N. Charleston. There are probably others. The dysfunction on the School Board, serious as it is, works in part as a distraction to keep people from organizing to protect their towns and cities. Don’t repeat the mistakes made last year when candidates pretending to be normal misled the community into handing them control of our school board. Join your fellow citizens in organizing to inform your neighbors and protect your town or city unless you want to be attending dysfunctional meetings like these at your Town or City Council. We also have some indications these same groups may be targeting Homeowner’s Associations as well, though this has not yet been confirmed. Right wing security companies such as the organization formerly known as Blackwater, have been moving into the profitable area of HOA management and contribute extensive funding to Christian Nationalist political groups. William J. Hamilton, III, wjhamilton29464@gmail.com [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/12/2198960/-Right-Wing-Groups-are-trying-to-take-over-your-SC-Lowcountry-Town-or-City-in-the-November-2023?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/