Off with a bang
Thank you to all of our subscribers for a great response to our first newsletter. We are overwhelmed with the emails of support, the number of residents that signed up to be Active Members, and all of the new subscribers.
The Silent Majority is silent no more!
With the rate our community is going in paying attention to the issues we face here in our little beach city, the likeminded, common sense residents will vote accordingly and we will defeat the encroachment of the Far Left in November 2022.
We can all fight for Manhattan Beach by informing others, volunteering, or running for office. Email us and state in the subject line “I would like to be an Active Member,” or “I am interested in running for office” and we will get you plugged in. MBStrong2021@gmail.com.
Nonsense vs Common Sense
We all know that election years can bring out the worst in people. In an attempt to “win” at all cost, some people or groups of people will say and do just about anything. Sometimes it’s silly behavior that leaves you shaking your head in wonder. But then other times we see people get downright nasty, mean, and personal. And so it goes right here in Manhattan Beach.
The recent issue at hand is the decision by the Far Left School Board Members allowing some MBUSD teachers in the English Department to use or to suggest to their students, books that are highly sexually explicit. Some books have graphics that leave nothing to the imagination. Some of the graphics show same-gender sexual interaction or describe in detail a variety of sexual acts.
Three of the most egregious books in question are Slay by Brittney Morris, Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe which is a book about a teen girl fantasizing about having a boy’s body, having sex as a boy, with a boy. The book is graphic, in comic book format no less.
Common sense tells us that books of this nature could be offered at the University level, to college students in a gender studies class, but not to minors at MBUSD. And one would think that every adult in our community would be in agreement on this issue…but this is an election year, and three of the five school board members are up for re-elction in November.
And that is where the vitriol comes in, not toward the Far Left School Board Members, but toward anyone who questions or criticizes their decisions, even on such a terrible and harmful decision as sexualizing our minors with these books.
The vitriol is launched by some members of the Far Left group called MBUnited. Residents former Mayor Amy Howorth, current Mayor Hildy Stern, former members of the Bruce’s Beach Task Force created this group, and some members of the School Board and their EDSJI (Equity, Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion committee), as well as other residents, have joined.
Their political position is unabashidley Far Left, but that is not what is at issue here. The issue is the nasty and personal attacks launched by some of their members on residents who counter thier positions in the public square, and the sexaulizing of our children with these books is just one example.
Some MBUnited members bully, destroy reputations with lies and coordinate public attacks like a pack of hyenas taking down its prey. Their focus is to viciously go after any resident who publically opposes their political positions and get them to shut them up.
It’s wrong and the leaders of this group should stop it.
Parents of school-age children and concerned residents who don’t have children in the schools have either written letters to the school board, met with individual board members, or spoke at school board meetings requesting the Board address the issue about the books. They’ve been met with intolerance from the Board and hateful harassment by some members of MBUnited.
Residents have been ridiculed and lectured in our school board meetings; have been the target of nasty, mean, and personal posts on Nextdoor and on Facebook groups; have received ranting emails peppered with foul language. And as we reported in our last newsletter, three residents received a letter of intimidation in the form of a Cease & Desist from a law firm on retainer by the School Board members.
Intimidation tactics are wrong, especially on your own neighbors.
As this election year kicks off, the well-coordinated attacks by this far left group have two purposes…to scare our likeminded residents from considering running for office, and to scare incumbent, Councilmember Suzanne Hadley from seeking re-election.
These scare tactics are wrong and must stop.
In 2020, when it was time to transfer the Mayorship to Hadley (each Councilmember takes a turn serving as our Mayor for several months), Councilmember Hildy Stern and then Councilmember Nancy Hersman launched a campaign trying to prevent Hadley from having her turn to hold the gavel.
During a council meeting, the two publically flogged Hadley with a stream of smears and personal attacks on her character. The diatribe droned on and on, but in the end, the unprecedented performance was all for show for their political base. The gavel was passed to Hadley that same night but the example of such behavior was set in motion.
This is not leadership Ms Stern, this is bullying.
Where Stern and Hersman left off, their political base took over. During the course of Hadley’s Mayorship in 2021, the attacks were steady. Callers during Council meetings would berate her with false accusations and name-calling (racist being their personal favorite).
Recently Hadley attended a School Board meeting with other residents. She addressed the content of the book Lawnboy. Hadley read directly from the book during her public comment. The shock of hearing the excerpts read aloud was a good attempt at appealing to the better judgment of the Board Members and hoping they would take action. After all, if the book is too offensive for adults to hear it read aloud, that is certainly an indication the book should not be read by minors in our schools.
Because Hadley is seeking re-election in November, many members of MBUnited retaliated and launched a fully coordinated personal verbal attack on her at the 1/18/22 Council meeting. Mayor Stern chimed in and used our City Council meeting to verbally attack her opponet in the upcoming November elections.
It was nothing short of abusing the authority of the Mayorship.
You can view the recording of the meeting and skip to Public Comments at the 38:26 minute mark of the video. Recording here.
The responsibility of the behavior of some members of MBUnited falls squarely on the shoulder of its leaders, predominently Mayor Hildy Stern and former Mayor Amy Howorth. They have the power to demonstrate true leadership and stop the personal and vile attacks on MB residents and keep our public square a place where opposing ideas can be debated with respect, dignity and kindess. Afterall, it is your group’s motto…kindness.
Election 2022 update…
There are 2 seats on City Council up for grabs in November, both Suzanne Hadley and Hildy Stern are running for re-election for those seats.
There are 3 seats on the School Board up for grabs belonging to Sally Peel, Jennifer Cochran and Jennifer Fenton.
If there was ever a time to fight for our city by running for office, it is this year!
Contact MBStrong2021@gmail.com for more information.
In upcoming issues, we will be covering housing and homeless mandates and how it affects Manhattan Beach.
Email MBStrong with your comments and feedback:
MBStrong2021@gmail.com