The Standing In Front of a Speeding Locomotive Award this week goes to school officials in Natrona County, who have been accused of making things difficult for a student setting up a Turning Point USA Club America chapter at Natrona County High School.
Since the murder of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10th in Utah, the group – which supports open debate on campuses, Christian values, and getting young people more involved, civilly, in politics – has reported 120,000 requests to start new chapters.
NCHS student Kylie Wall says she was told by Principal Aaron Wilson that she couldn't talk to reporters about starting a Turning Point chapter at her school, even off campus, even on her own time, and she couldn't attend a meeting of the Wyoming Family Alliance, to which she was invited.
Just as startling, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and two school board members were not allowed to attend a meeting of Wall, her parents, the school superintendent, and a TPUSA official, regarding how Wall was treated.
Barring Megan Degenfelder?
Barring school board members?
Someone defacing and tearing down posters promoting TPUSA Club America meetings?
Treating TPUSA Club America differently than the Diversity club?
Telling people they can't talk to reporters, even on their own time, even off campus?
There are currently TPUSA chapters at both Casper high schools, and it looks like some serious explaining and backing up has taken place by school officials. At a school board meeting last week, all sides of the issue were aired, according to stories in Cowboy State Daily.
After the murder of Charlie Kirk, one would think schools everywhere would welcome a club that supports Christian values, and civil, non-violent debate on campuses otherwise dominated by hard-core liberalism. The group is vastly popular with young people, as evidenced by the huge crowds showing up for TPUSA events, both before and exponentially after Kirk's assassination.
Glad to see Degenfelder, former State Rep. Jeanette Ward, and Rachel Rodriguez Williams of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus voicing support for Kylie Wall, free speech, Christian values, and a trend in our schools that is truly a breath of fresh air.
It's always a good idea to step out of the path of a speeding locomotive.
Meanwhile, in other news:
- As President Donald Trump racks up successes – closing the border, lowering energy costs, inflation down, reducing regulations, addressing crime in our cities, facilitating the release of hostages held by Hamas, and hopefully fostering a lasting Mideast peace – I can't help remembering what Liz Cheney said about re-electing Trump in 2024.
She said she would do everything in her power “to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office,” even going so far as joining up with the snake-bit campaign of giggling Vice President Kamala “Word Salad” Harris. And co-chairing the bogus January 6th Committee.
It is stunning how a representative who was so popular with Wyoming Republicans for most of her time in office, carrying on the Cheney family legacy, could throw it all away so quickly over her hatred for Donald Trump.
She represented us well for years, with a 90 percent plus record of supporting conservative issues. And then her stance on Trump – who was repeatedly supported by almost 70 percent of Wyoming voters – turned her name to Mudd among Wyoming Republican voters.
Frankly, this Wyoming voter couldn't be happier to see Trump back in the Oval Office.
- Meanwhile, our Democrat friends seem to have some kind of weird death wish lately.
California governor hopeful Katie Porter said reporters couldn't ask followup questions, saying she wanted a nice “positive interview,” and blowing up at an interviewer. On video.
That was followed by video of Porter angrily chastising members of her staff, then accounts of angry episodes in a former marriage.
Amazingly, this person with anger issues wants to be governor of our most populous state.
And then we learned that Jay Jones, Virginia's Democrat candidate for attorney general, fantasized in emails about killing a political opponent, and the mom watching the murder of here kids. And he was once caught driving 116 miles per hour.
His fellow Democrats so far refuse to take back their endorsements.
If you wrote this stuff in a book, nobody would believe it.
Dave Simpson can be contacted at DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com
