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On a night in mid-December 1773, a group of about 60 men who had disguised themselves as Native Americans boarded three merchant ships at a Boston wharf and dumped dozens of chests of imported tea into the cold dark waters â an act of civil disobedience that damaged private property in protest against government tax policies.
Conservatives these days hail that moment; in fact, a faction on the right a few years ago co-opted the name Tea Party as its own. Yet conservative state legislators across the country have been behaving less like the revolutionary rebels for whom they express admiration and more like British colonial overlords by introducing, and in some states passing, dozens of laws aimed at curtailing the fundamental right to public protest.
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
Daniel C. Vock
Missouri Independent
WASHINGTON From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term.
Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized by conservatives. But GOP lawmakers in the past few months have succeeded in pushing it to the top of state legislative agendas.
Governors in Idaho and Oklahoma have already signed measures to forbid the teaching of critical race theory in schools this year. Arkansas’ Republican governor let a similar measure become law without his signature, while proposals in Iowa and Tennessee are waiting for their governors’ approval.
Editorial: Another victim of the Floyd killing: The right to protest msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Federal policy is on the verge of taking the wind out of the economy’s sails. Big states like Texas and Florida are still moving in the right direction, but it will take more than a couple states to reignite economic growth.
A spate of new laws crack down on social justice and environmental activism
Police arrest a water protector protesting the construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline in Minnesota last January. | Photo by Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images
A half-year after Donald Trump’s drubbing at the polls, the right-wing effort to criminalize dissent and protest among environmental and social justice activists continues to gain momentum.
In early May, Montana governor Greg Gianforte signed into law a bill designed to protect “critical infrastructure,” including gas and oil pipelines. The law defines infrastructure broadly, from wireless towers to prisons. Individuals who trespass, or merely “impede or inhibit operations” at these sites could face as much as 18 months in prison and $4,500 fines. Under the new law, protesters who cause more than $1,500 in damage could be faced with a maximum of $150,000 in fines and 30 years in prison. Organizations found to be involved in coordinating with th