The following contains editorial content by a current Law Enforcement Today staff writer.
CALIFORNIA – The Golden State is beautiful and has a reputation for many things, both good and bad. It is also a state that produces radical politicians who embrace the tenets of “wokeism” and then go on to propose and create legislation that goes against what our great nation stands for.
Make no mistake about it. Wokeism is a new, twisted religion being pushed on national and global levels. Its enthusiastic and triggered adherents (I call them “wokies”) worship self-absorbing virtual signaling, cancel culture, political correctness and groupthink.
Spread the word. AB 655 is scheduled to be heard before the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 6, 2021. It must be stopped. h/t @PressCalifornia https://t.co/typHK1Kmz7
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) March 16, 2021
Wokies celebrate being against societal norms. Before they are for something, they are actually against much more.
For example, the woke are against so many things, including facts, logic, science, patriarchy, delayed gratification, individualism, self-determination, labor, law enforcement and even conventional identities based on race, sex and gender.
Wokeism masquerades as a religion, but it is clearly against conventional religions.
It is also against conventional ideologies and seeks to bring about an upheaval in power structures and society, even encouraging violence to reach a benchmark of radical change.
Famed pastor condemns ‘woke’ culture that is creeping into evangelical churches: ‘Deadly’ for the Gospel https://t.co/lFK8p3qXT6
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 12, 2021
Many are recognizing that cultural Marxism, neo-Marxism, social justice, identity politics and the Marxist-inspired Critical Theory are radical concepts being heavily promoted to Americans via the media, entertainment world, educational institutions and even by our executive, judicial and legislative branches of government.
Like a plague, wokeism pervades our country as it enters the workplace, schools, houses of worship, government and even our own homes.
Unfortunately, some people willingly absorb wokeism’s harmful ideas like a sponge because its doctrines of “compassion” and “justice” sound good to them or they are attracted to going against a prevailing view in society.
Elon Musk just took swipe at ‘woke’ culture: ‘Battle for the Moral High Ground’ https://t.co/2T27EppTwy
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 14, 2021
Let’s return to California.
DJHJ Media reported that California State Assembly Member Ash Kalra, a Democrat, introduced Assembly Bill 655, the California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform Act, on Feb. 12.
California Assembly Bill 655 seeks to investigate prospective or current cops that participated in groups such as the KKK.
But the problem is, what we’ve seen defined as a “hate group” makes Christians and Conservatives a prime target for unfair treatment.https://t.co/bzslkKEkYq— @Neal_FWPatriot (@Neal_FW) March 20, 2021
Please read the proposed bill for yourself. It would require background checks for law enforcement applicants and disqualify them from employment if “an agency” determined that someone was affiliated with a group or used speech that the investigative body defined as “hate”:
“Existing law requires that a candidate for a peace officer position be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation.
“This bill would require that background investigation to include an inquiry into whether a candidate for specified peace officer positions has engaged in membership in a hate group, participation in hate group activities, or public expressions of hate, as those terms are defined.
“The bill would provide that certain findings would disqualify a person from employment.”
The bill does not define who is qualified to sit as a member of the “agency,” which would decide who gets hired and fired, but, presumably, wokeism would be a necessary qualification.
The bill includes definitions of “genocide,” “hate group,” “membership in a hate group” and “participation in hate group activities,” but the terms are so broad that virtually anyone could be labeled as hateful.
Woke culture is a joke to the rest of the world.
— Doc Otter (@AkitagamiOtter) March 20, 2021
Section 13680 of the bill states:
“‘Genocide’ means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group: killing or causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction, in whole or in part, of the group, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
“‘Hate group’ means an organization that, based upon its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities, supports, advocates for, or practices the denial of constitutional rights of, the genocide of, or violence towards, any group of persons based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Holy crap — watch Maher’s monologue.
Bill Maher: While China‘s Dominating the World, America Is Having a ‘Never-Ending Woke Competition‘ https://t.co/61OiceD3ni via @BreitbartNews
— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) March 14, 2021
“’Membership in a hate group’ means being, or holding oneself out as, an official member of a group, and can be indicated by actions or evidence including, without limitation, submitting an application for membership in a group, being listed on an official group membership roster, or publicly wearing or otherwise displaying any tattoo, uniform, insignia, flag, or logo that is reserved for members of the group.
“‘Participation in hate group activities’ means active and direct involvement in, or coordination or facilitation of, acts of violence by hate group members.
“‘Peace officer’ means a person described within Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, who provides uniformed police services to members of the public and includes, without limitation, members of a municipal police department, a county sheriff’s department, the California Highway Patrol, the University of California, California State University, or any California Community College police department, and the police department of any school district, transit district, park district, or port authority.
‘Peace officer’ also includes any state or local correctional or custodial officer, and any parole or probation officer.
“‘Public expression of hate’ means any explicit expression, either on duty or off duty and while identifying oneself as, or reasonably identifiable by others as, a peace officer, in a public forum, on social media including in a private discussion forum, in writing, or in speech, as advocating or supporting the denial of constitutional rights of, the genocide of, or violence towards, any group of persons based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
“‘Public expression of hate’ also includes the public display of any tattoo, uniform, insignia, flag, or logo that indicates support for the denial of constitutional rights of, the genocide of, or violence towards, any group of persons based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
I don’t get this new WOKE culture. Everyone is oppressed and now the rest of us who DONT choose to live in their victimhood are somehow responsible for the feelings of the WOKE to the point we can now no longer be ROMANTIC people or believe LOVE is a life goal…wtf
— Amanda Kay Powers 🎩 (@AmandaKay0787) March 14, 2021
“‘Public expression of hate’ does not include visiting the website of a hate group, or any single, isolated comment posted on an online forum, chatroom, or other electronic or social media operated by a hate group.
“‘Sustained’ means a final determination by the investigating agency following an investigation, or, if adverse action is taken, a final determination by a commission, board, hearing officer, or arbitrator, as applicable, following an opportunity for an administrative appeal pursuant to Sections 3304 and 3304.5 of the Government Code, that the allegation is true.”
Pacific Justice Institute Senior Staff Attorney Matthew McReynolds wrote a three-page letter opposing Assembly Bill 655. He suggested that the bill’s broad and purposefully arbitrary definitions would make it easy to target those with conservative or religious views:
“Unfortunately, under the guise of addressing police gangs, the Bill at the same time launches an inexplicable, unwarranted, and unprecedented attack on peaceable, conscientious officers who happen to hold conservative political and religious views.
“Indeed, this is one of the most undisguised and appalling attempts we have ever seen, in more than 20 years of monitoring such legislation, on the freedom of association and freedom to choose minority viewpoints.
“The Bill does this with extraordinarily sweeping definitions of hate groups and public expression. If enacted, this legislation will almost certainly be struck down as unconstitutional.”
McReynolds raised several important questions:
“Are the many conservative organizations pejoratively labeled ‘hate groups’ by the discredited Southern Poverty Law Center—because they oppose radical LGBTQ ideology—actual ‘hate groups’ within the meaning of this legislation?
“Is the Catholic Church a ‘hate group’ because it advocates for the sanctity of life and thereby rejects the constitutional rights of women to obtain abortion?
Abortion is the worst genocide imaginable, nothing compares really.
— President Elect Hyperion ☦️ (@Vegeta_Gouki) March 16, 2021
“Are the thousands of churches in California which voiced support for Proposition 8, the traditional definition of marriage, ‘hate groups’ because they opposed LGBTQ constitutional rights to marry?
“Are the careers of Muslim officers in jeopardy if the mosque where they offer prayers has ever spoken out against homosexuality or gender equality?
“Is the Republican Party a ‘hate group’ because it does not endorse gender identity as a constitutional right?”
Woke culture is rapidly metastasizing in Canada. Anywhere outside the West, this dad would have been treated with respect and dignity, instead of being arrested.https://t.co/3oflodu1bZ
— Jayant Bhandari (@JayantBhandari5) March 20, 2021
McReynolds also pointed out:
“Astonishingly, the definitions are so broad that even someone who does not adopt all of the organization’s views—such as a pro-choice Catholic—would still be excluded because the Bill targets mere membership in the banal organization.”
#OTD The novel “The Scarlet Letter” was published Mar. 16, 1850. Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it tells the tale of Puritan Hester Pyrnne who conceives a daughter through an affair and then struggles to create a new life of repentance & dignity. Get at https://t.co/tdBvjlNSBv. pic.twitter.com/NCEDBfnxgq
— Sun Valley Library (@SunValleyBranch) March 16, 2021
In addition, people could never walk away from their past. McReynolds wrote:
“Worse, AB 655 would exclude past members or associates of such groups, regardless of how much time has passed since that association. Whether the Bill suffers from poor drafting or a view that past associations can never be cured, is impossible to say.
“AB 655 would usher in a new era of McCarthyism, this time directed against religiously conservative public servants belonging to conservative or religious groups pejoratively and unfairly labeled ‘hate groups.’
“Yet public employment cannot be conditioned on divulgence of organizational memberships in a misguided search for subversive activities.”
The bill also seeks to weed out already-hired law enforcement personnel who become the subjects of internal or public complaints and are determined to be associated with “hate.”
The proposed bill would remove confidentiality so that “the agency” could provide a report for “public inspection” and consumption by wokies who want to know which peace officers were marked as alleged “hate” officers:
“Existing law requires a public agency that employs peace officers to have a procedure to investigate complaints by members of the public against peace officers.
“This bill would require an agency to investigate, as specified, any internal complaint or complaint made by the public that alleges, as specified, that a peace officer engaged in membership in a hate group, participation in hate group activities, or public expressions of hate.
“The bill would provide that certain findings would be grounds for termination.
“This bill would also require the Department of Justice to adopt and promulgate guidelines for the investigation and adjudication of these complaints by local agencies.
“Existing law makes the personnel records of peace officers, as specified, confidential and not subject to disclosure as public records.
“This bill would exempt from confidentiality the record of any sustained complaint that a peace officer has engaged in membership in a hate group, participation in hate group activities, or public expressions of hate.”
‘Woke’ culture is threat to protest songs, says legendary DJ Don Letts – Daily Mail https://t.co/MD9JaQGXzA pic.twitter.com/r0jyIBSVN7
— Sex Pistols News (@SexPistolsUK) March 22, 2021
In an op-ed, Rich Welsh pointed out:
“The problem I see right off the bat is that the Woke Supremacy will be in charge of what is considered a hate group and/or hate speech. Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to people could one day in the near future be considered hate speech by the useless lunatic fringe weirdos in the Supremacy.”
This proposed bill pretends to promote reform, but is actually a disguised form of persecution in its current form. Now is the time for others to wake up and promote real reform while respecting the rights of U.S. citizens and our powerful Constitution.
The Democrats’ plan for America:
• Defund the police
• Strip gun rights
• Open borders
• Antifa/BLM riots
• COVID lockdowns
• Woke culture
• Attack institutions
• Accuse enemies of racism
• Weaken election security
• Promote & exploit crisis
• Censor the opposition— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 14, 2021
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