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Another excellent column, Barry. You get right to the heart of the matter. Having grown up in Iowa as you did, it pains me greatly to see what's happened to the political dialogue in our state (and nationally, thanks to demagogues like DeSantis and Trump). I wonder if the University of Iowa Law School (of which I'm a graduate) is still being allowed to teach civil rights as part of its curriculum--or how long that will continue to be the case. Keep writing!

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Thanks, Jay! They have, indeed, done so much damage to our country, with the destruction of meaningful political discourse near the top of the list.

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Great insight Barry. I also grew up in Iowa schools in the 1960's...Council Bluffs. Same stories and same responses from teachers. White supremacy is more than the Confederate generals...it is an ideology that has lulled most white people to sleep...thus the term "woke." I hope we can wake up a lot of white people to this reality.

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Thank you, Daniel. It’s interesting how far the myth traveled and how deep its roots grew.. Most are not even aware they swallowed it whole. When we see it, it is important to call it out for what it is - myth not history. Thanks for your insight.

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Based on what I’ve seen in Iowa, I’m surprised Kim hasn’t pushed this curricular “ gem” as well, especially since her clear inclination is to Love All Things DeSantis, though she pretends neutrality.

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Sadly, give her time.

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[Please read this comment in the angrily sarcastic spirit in which it's meant.]

About the new Florida education rules... Wondering how the curriculum treats the two centuries' worth of kidnapped Africans' Middle Passage to America. Was it good for them? Because it surely winnowed out weaker individuals and made the rest of the group even stronger, right? :(

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