1 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: On this episode of News World. The Loudon County, Virginia 2 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: School District is located in a suburban county just outside Washington, 3 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: d C. And in twenty twenty, Loudon County schools became 4 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: the unexpected ground zero for the parents' rights movement. In 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,600 Speaker 1: his new book, Parents of the World Unite, Ian Pryor 6 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: share strategies fellow parents can do in their own school 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: districts to stop the left's radical agenda from taking root. 8 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: Parents of the World Unite is an indispensable book for 9 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: American families who believe they should be able to raise 10 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: their children without governing interference in their moral, religious, and 11 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: ethical choices. Here to talk about his new book, I'm 12 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: really pleased to welcome my guest, Ian Pryor. He is 13 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: the senior advisor at America First Legal and the executive 14 00:00:52,600 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: director of Fight for My Schools. Ian, welcome, and thank 15 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: you for joining me on Neutral. Thanks for having me. 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: I'm curious, first of all, what got you personally interested 17 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: in this whole issue of parents' rights. Well, as you said, 18 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: it really started in twenty twenty in Loudon County, which 19 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: is really a microcosm of what was going on in 20 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: the country with schools at the time, and schools were closed, 21 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: and yet a lot of parents that started organizing to 22 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: try and push for reopening the schools in the summer 23 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty, and they built networks, they built groups, 24 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: They went and they spoke at school board meetings. But 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: I really got involved sort of looking at some of 26 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: the consultants that the schools are bringing in and how 27 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: that was impacting teacher trainings and curriculum. And in August 28 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: or September of twenty twenty, I decided to send a 29 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: Freedom of Information Act request to the schools to find 30 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: out about a contract that they had with a group 31 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: called the Equity Collaborative. And the Equity Collaborative had done 32 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: an equity audit the previous year and had recommended all 33 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: these things that they needed to do to end systemic 34 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: racism in Loudon County public schools, which it was kind 35 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: of news to me that there was systemic racism in 36 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: Loudon County public schools. I read the report, I found 37 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: it was pretty inadequate, a lot of anecdotal stories from 38 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: sort of anonymous sources in focus groups. And when I 39 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: got back my Freedom of Information Act request, I found 40 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: out they spent half a million dollars of taxpayer money 41 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen for this audit, and beyond that, they 42 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 1: ended up paying this consultant six hundred and twenty five 43 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: dollars an hour for the next two years to go 44 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: in there and really implement all of the changes that 45 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: they recommended. I ended up writing an article in The Federalist. 46 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: I put some other things in there that people had 47 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 1: sent me. As far as tips, I thought I was 48 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: kind of done with it at that point. But fast 49 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: forward to March twenty twenty one. You had a private 50 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: Facebook group called the Anti Racist Parents of Loudon County. 51 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: It had six school board members that were in it, 52 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: and it had our commonwealth attorney or prosecutor who's a 53 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: sorost backed commonwealth attorney, and a bunch of activists decided 54 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: that they were going to make a list of parents 55 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: that were insufficiently woke in the community, and they proceeded 56 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: to list about sixty to seventy people who spoke at 57 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: school board meetings against school policies, whether it was school 58 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: closures or critical race theory in the curriculum, and a 59 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: lot of us didn't take too kindly to that, and 60 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: this was canceled. Culture come to our community, come to 61 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: our neighborhoods, and we decided to take action. And we 62 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: realized that simply go into a school board meeting and 63 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: complaining wasn't going to get the job done. So we 64 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: decided on a campaign to essentially remove six school board members. Now, 65 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: in Virginia, you don't have a recall like in other states. 66 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: It's a lot more complicated. I mean, you have to 67 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: gather a bunch of signatures on petitions, you have to 68 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: then bring it to the court, and then your commonwealth 69 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: attorney who was in this group, she's the one that 70 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: would actually prosecute the case against the school board members. 71 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: But decided to start it up and it really took 72 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: off and it started to galvanize the community through signature 73 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: drives some different events that we had. Over six months, 74 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: we collected something like twenty five thousand signatures. But as 75 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: we were doing that, the school board continued to step 76 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: in it and create problems of their own making. They 77 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: put a teacher on suspension for going to a school 78 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: board meeting and speaking out against a proposed policy that 79 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: would allow biological mails to use women's restrooms and compete 80 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: in sports, and then of course they covered up a 81 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: sexual assault on the grounds that this would impact their 82 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: ability to pass that very policy because that sexual assault 83 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: happened in a bathroom with a boy wearing a skirt. 84 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: We stayed on it. We continued to investigate, put out 85 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: as much information as we could, develop sources in the administration, 86 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: in the schools, and we knew in twenty twenty one, 87 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: with all the focus on the Virginia gubernatorial election, that 88 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: people were going to pay attention to these issues, and 89 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 1: it galvanized not just people in loud And County, but 90 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: people all over Virginia and all over the country. And 91 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 1: once the story broke in October that in fact, the 92 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: school and the superintendent did cover up a se will assault, 93 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: really all heck broke loose there and really had an 94 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: impact in the change in power in Virginia, where most 95 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: people were assuming that Terry mcculiffe was going to be governor, 96 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: that Mark Herring was going to be Attorney general, and surprise, surprise, 97 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: parents came out, they made their voices heard, and now 98 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: we have Governor Junkin and Attorney General Miaras and Lieutenant 99 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: Governor wins, some sears and that's already producing results. I mean, 100 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: Attorney General Millaras can be into special grand jury that 101 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: investigated Loudon County Public schools. In December, they released their 102 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: special grand jury report. A week later, they unsealed indictments 103 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: against the superintendent and the school spokesperson. You're seeing now 104 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: that people are activated, and as we go into elections 105 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three in Virginia, the parents movement is 106 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: going to be a big part of that. I thought, 107 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: by the way, though, when Terry mccauliffe and the Debate 108 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: came back and said the parents really shouldn't be involved 109 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: in those children's classes, that that was sort of the 110 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: beginning of the end. The whole notion that they were 111 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: anti para being in the classroom struck me as so 112 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: alienating that I suspected almost guaranteed Junkin's election, and I 113 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:09,200 Speaker 1: talked about it in the book. There were really four 114 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: moments over the course of two weeks that I think 115 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: changed the course of history. Certainly, the first was mccaulliff's 116 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: debate statement, and then you had the National School Board 117 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: Association put out their memo requesting that the Department of 118 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: Justice utilized domestic terror provisions and the Patriot Act to 119 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: investigate parents, of which Marrick Garland immediately swept in and 120 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: issued a memo. That same week, we had massive success 121 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: in one of our court cases against a school board member, 122 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 1: and as a result, she resigned nearly a week later, 123 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: and then the following week was the story that broke 124 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: of the cover up. And so you had those four 125 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: things really over the course of two weeks that I 126 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,159 Speaker 1: think changed from Yunkin being down in the polls and 127 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: mccaulliff cruising to election to Yunkin really having a glide 128 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: path to winning that race. And it seems the country 129 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: began to really react to the idea that the Biden 130 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: administration thought of concerned parents as terrorists. They did, and 131 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: you see that a lot from school board members, from 132 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: sort of their activist friends that are defending them. They're 133 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: always getting threats. They like to call everything a threat. 134 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: If you go to a school board meeting and threatened 135 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: to ensure that they never win reelection, well that's a threat. 136 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: I've never seen anything certainly out here that remotely resembles 137 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: an actual threat to an individual at a school board meeting. 138 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: But that NSBA memo took a bunch of stories of 139 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: angry parents at school board meetings that had hot rhetoric 140 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: at the podium but weren't threats. And of course one 141 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: of the things that the NSBA sited was a dad 142 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: who had gotten arrested at the Loudon County School Board 143 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,559 Speaker 1: meeting in June of twenty twenty one. As we later 144 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: learned that dad's daughter was raped in a bathroom in 145 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: May of twenty twenty one, and he was angry about 146 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: what was happening and how the school was reacting, and 147 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: they played that up until all of a sudden they 148 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: realis the truth of what happened, and their narratives started 149 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: to fall apart. Did anybody in the left ever actually 150 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: accept responsibility that allowing this boy in a skirt to 151 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: be in the girls' bathroom was in fact dangerous. No. 152 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: People were defending the superintendent even after he got indicted. 153 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: I mean, they cannot recognize that this issue is not 154 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: something that the majority of parents and certainly voters in 155 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: Loudon County support, And that's ultimately what we've seen, and 156 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: that's kind of one of the bigger themes of my 157 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: book is that these public bodies have to cut corners 158 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,319 Speaker 1: in order to pass policies that they know their constituency 159 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: does not support. And when they cut those corners, they 160 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: end up violating laws, they end up violating their own rules, 161 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: they end up losing the trust of the constituency. And 162 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter whether it has to do with bathrooms, 163 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: whether it has to do with implementing critical race theory 164 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: or just not giving the public information that the public 165 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,679 Speaker 1: is entitled to. They will cut corners and break rules, 166 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: and that does make them vulnerable. Do you think they 167 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: do that because they think they're so morally right that 168 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 1: they should have the ability to impose would they believe 169 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: on the rest of us? Yeah? Absolutely, And you saw 170 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:14,439 Speaker 1: just the other day a legislator in Georgia said, well, 171 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: you know, parents shouldn't be able to choose what to 172 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: do with this money and where they send their kids 173 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: to school, because you know, they don't have high school 174 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: educations or they're not intelligent enough to spend this money. Well, 175 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 1: first of all, that's a slap in the face to 176 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: people that want their children to have a better life 177 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: than they had, But it also fails to recognize the 178 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:32,319 Speaker 1: fact that there are a lot of people out there 179 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: that know a lot more about a lot of things 180 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,199 Speaker 1: than your average representative. And that's one of the advantages 181 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: I think that we have as parents. We need to 182 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: recognize that. Look, somebody gets elected to a school board, 183 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,079 Speaker 1: especially for Democrats, that's an entry level position to politics. 184 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 1: They are not as bright as they think, they are 185 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,439 Speaker 1: not as strategic as they think, and when parents mobilize 186 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: and work together, they're able to outwork them, outcompete them, 187 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: outwill them, and ultimately outsmart them. Aren't you struck by 188 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: the amount of money that is spent by public institutions 189 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: on behalf of the ideas of the left. Yeah, we've 190 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: seen it. They have in our school system. You've got 191 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: the head of the equity office, You've got an equity coordinator, 192 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: you've got an equity assistant or something like that. I mean, 193 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: they have three full time positions in their equity office 194 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: that make well over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars 195 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: a year. And that's just in one school district. And 196 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: that doesn't count the consulting contracts where they're throwing out 197 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 1: millions of dollars to these companies coming out of California. 198 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: I mean, they are spending tons of taxpayer money on 199 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: these things. And then of course now they have to 200 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: redo all the bathrooms, right, They've got to redo the bathrooms. 201 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: They got to rename school names because you can't have 202 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 1: this person's name because of the past, or we need 203 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 1: to change the mascots. I mean, they're spending millions and 204 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: millions of dollars on all of these things. A friend 205 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: of mine just sent me a note the other day 206 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: about the amount of money that the author of the 207 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: sixteen nineteen totally inaccurate History has been paid, so like 208 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: almost a million dollars for speaking on college campuses because 209 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: she's a heroine of the left in Fairfax County, I 210 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,439 Speaker 1: believe is Abraham Kendy, who's another one of these authors 211 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: where everything is racist at all times, I believe, made 212 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,719 Speaker 1: forty thousand dollars for an hour of speaking. It's a 213 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 1: Fairfax County public schools. I mean, that is taxpayer money. 214 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: It's like there's this network that takes care of itself 215 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 1: and they have a vested interest in these issues because 216 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: it's how they earn money and they're living, so they 217 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: both believe in it and they profit from it. But 218 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 1: you went about being very practical setting up organizations that 219 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: could fight back. You were faced with the power structure 220 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: that was building an enemies list, You were on the 221 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: enemies list, and you decided to fight back. So what 222 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 1: are the steps you'd recommend to other parents and other 223 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 1: communities in terms of what their rights are and what 224 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: they can do to be effective. The first thing I 225 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: think to recognize is that there are parents out there 226 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: that want to fight back, and they all have different 227 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: skill sets. We had one woman that was fantastic at 228 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,839 Speaker 1: organizing events, getting people together, getting people to show up. 229 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: We had others that were just great investigators, sending Freedom 230 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 1: of Information Act requests, organizing them, getting them to others. 231 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: We had more that we're really good on radio or television, 232 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: So we had people with different skill sets. It really 233 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 1: just had to organize. So what we did in March 234 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty one, we got together on a neighbor's 235 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:48,960 Speaker 1: back deck and I said, look, what we need to 236 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:50,839 Speaker 1: do is we need to create an organization. We can 237 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: either make it a five oh one C four where 238 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,599 Speaker 1: donors are anonymous, which would have been helpful because we 239 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: knew that there's so many people out there that want 240 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: to cancel potential donors. But we decided to set it 241 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: up as a political action committee. We created a fundraising portal, website, etc. 242 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: And then we pitched the story to the media and 243 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: we were able to raise a lot of money. Every 244 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: time a parent went on television and dropped the fight 245 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,199 Speaker 1: for school's name, which was the name of our pack, 246 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,080 Speaker 1: we raised more money. We were able to get community 247 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: members to host events and able to raise money. That 248 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 1: money ultimately went to legal expenses which we needed to 249 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: be in the courts with these school board members. And look, 250 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 1: I've worked in politics since twenty twelve, but it's not necessary. 251 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: I think that one of the things in the book 252 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: I lay out all the steps we took to set 253 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: up this organization, to get it publicity, to be able 254 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: to raise money, and to be able to implement our 255 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: strategy and our tactics. And you just need somebody or 256 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 1: a few people with that strategic vision where you have 257 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: an endgame in mind and deadlines, because ultimately, you want 258 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: to have a time horizon for your actions so you 259 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: can feel that you're pursuing a specific goal. And for us, 260 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: that was the Signatures, and then we use that as 261 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 1: a vehicle to really counteract a one point six billion 262 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: dollar organization in our local school district. So when you 263 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: get the signatures, do you then have to go in 264 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: front of a judge. Yeah, so you get the signatures. 265 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,679 Speaker 1: It was like ten percent of the total vote from 266 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: the previous election, which for us ranged per district from 267 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: either eight hundred to twelve thousand, and we were able 268 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: to complete all those signatures by election day. We followed 269 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 1: our first case in August of twenty twenty one, and 270 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: our strategy was unique. Nobody had ever done it in 271 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: Virginia where we needed to disqualify the commonwealth attorney because 272 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: we had seen it in Fairfax, We'd seen it in 273 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: other counties. They will just dismiss the case. So we 274 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: moved to intervene as an interested party. That was granted 275 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: by the court, first time that's ever happened, and then 276 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: we successfully were able to disqualify Buddha Bibera, the Soros 277 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: back commonwealth attorney, and get an independent prosecutor. After that, 278 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: I think the writing was on the wall that we 279 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: were going to be successful if we went to trial, 280 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: which we never got to because the school board member resigned. 281 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: We later learned, however, with some more connected school board 282 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: members that we were able to bring into court. They 283 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: will strike back. They will figure out ways to adapt. 284 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: The Soros backed prosecutor recused from one of the cases, 285 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: got another one to slide in. They were able to 286 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: force the judge to recuse, they got to retire judge 287 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 1: and then lo and behold, we were stuck in another 288 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: situation where we didn't have enough to disqualify the prosecutor 289 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: and he voluntarily dismissed it. So we had success and failures. 290 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: The lesson I learned there is and I talk about it, 291 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: and I guess rule eleven in my book is, don't 292 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: always be reliant on past successes. As you go out 293 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: there and you push back, you're going to have successes, 294 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: You're gonna have failures. There's always in tendency to maybe 295 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: fight the last battle, and when you do that, they 296 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: will react. They will have a playbook to fight back. 297 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: So you always have to be creative and you always 298 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: have to be one step ahead of the opposition. Did 299 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: you have any interference from the Department of Justice? You know, 300 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: not that we know of, Not that we know of. 301 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: I mean, certainly, when Garland put out that memo, I 302 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: think a lot of parents were quietly concerned what does 303 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: this mean They don't have jurisdiction over local issues like this. 304 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: I mean, sure, if there's some international domestic terror ring 305 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: that's going after school board members, okay, but that's not 306 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: what it was. But I think at that point we 307 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: had had so much momentum and everything we were doing. 308 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: We played a clean game. And I'd like to say, 309 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: be like Mike. It's like being like Michael Jordan. He 310 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: had some battles against the pistons and the knicks, and 311 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: they would just foul him relentlessly, but he didn't push back, 312 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: he didn't fight back. He just smiled, stuck his tongue out, dunked, 313 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: and dropped sixty three on his way to six titles. 314 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: And that was kind of our method. We are not 315 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: going to engage with sort of the lower end of 316 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: these folks that are really trying to engage us and 317 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: get us to do something stupid. We're going to keep 318 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: our focus on what elected officials and candidates do and say, 319 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 1: as elected officials and candidates will beat them that way. 320 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 1: This has now become a national issue. When Speaker McCarthy 321 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: hosted the press conference to introduce HR five, the Parents 322 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: Built of Rights, you are right there. How did you 323 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: feel about that? I think it is a good step 324 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: to see that House Republicans are listening to what parents say. 325 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 1: We're going to need some more teeth going forward. We 326 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 1: need to be able to exercise these rights with private 327 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: rights of action in court. That is what is going 328 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: to turn the tide is really taking these school systems 329 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: to court. So, for example, the Protection of Pupil Rights 330 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,919 Speaker 1: Amendment allows parents access to curriculum, it allows them to 331 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,479 Speaker 1: opt out of surveys. But if the school violates that, 332 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: what are their remedies. Well they can petition the Department 333 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: of Education, but we know mcguel Cardona is not going 334 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: to do anything, so they need to be able to 335 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:05,400 Speaker 1: bring schools to court. Similarly, there's language in there certainly 336 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: about schools not talking to children about things like gender 337 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: identity and whatnot, but there needs to be a way 338 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 1: to enforce it. So I'm certainly pleased that they're moving 339 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: on this, and I hope that they continue to do 340 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: so throughout this Congress because ultimately, I think twenty twenty 341 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:21,879 Speaker 1: four is going to be a real opportunity for whoever 342 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: the nominee is to put parental rights at the forefront 343 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: of the campaign, Both the Biden White House and the 344 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: National Education Association have come out opposed to the parents 345 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:33,479 Speaker 1: build of Rights, and I think that's going to be 346 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: an interesting and important debate over the next couple of years. 347 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: But as part of that debate, why did you decide 348 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,679 Speaker 1: to write Parents of the World Unite? Two reasons. Really, 349 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,920 Speaker 1: as we were going through this fight, I mean, just 350 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: some of the things you would see from community members 351 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,120 Speaker 1: and neighbors and back and forth, and the fight itself 352 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: was a drama in some ways. I mean, you're bringing 353 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,719 Speaker 1: people together for the first time in creating a team 354 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 1: of really thousands of people out of nothing. It was 355 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: a heck of a story to live, and I thought 356 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: it'd be a heck of a story to tell. But 357 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: also after Virginia's elections, I mean, the amount of people 358 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,640 Speaker 1: that would reach out and ask for advice on how 359 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: can they incorporate sort of the Louden model into their 360 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,159 Speaker 1: own school districts, into what they're doing. I thought, when 361 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 1: one person, I can't go to every school district in 362 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: the country, but I can certainly write our experiences and 363 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: why we did the things we did, and how those philosophies, 364 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:31,159 Speaker 1: strategies and tactics might be able to work in other places. 365 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: I mean, look, not everybody's going to have a recall 366 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,400 Speaker 1: case or a removal case. But I'll tell you the 367 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 1: gathering of signatures it's so very simple, but it united 368 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: people with a common cause, a common mission, a common goal, 369 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: and it's just galvanized people throughout the summer. I mean, 370 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: they'd come to us and they said, we've been looking 371 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,720 Speaker 1: for you everywhere where? Can I sign these? At early voting, 372 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: we'd have signature stands out there and they'd come running 373 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 1: out of voting, like, yeah, I came to vote, but 374 00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 1: I really came to sign one of these. We'd have 375 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,400 Speaker 1: coming out saying I don't understand these people, but they say, 376 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: I voted for Terry mcculoffe, but I want to sign 377 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: your petition. I'm like, well, okay. But it really just 378 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 1: became a train that just rolled, and I think getting 379 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:15,400 Speaker 1: everybody on that same mission really helped develop a team. 380 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 1: So I would advise people to find something, find something 381 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: where you can engage the grassroots, where you can be 382 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 1: talking to people in the community and learning about all 383 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: these things, because you know, just by being out there, 384 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,520 Speaker 1: we learned so many stories about what was happening in 385 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: schools that we wouldn't have had otherwise if we're just 386 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: sitting behind a computer. Part of the point about your book, 387 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:37,120 Speaker 1: which is Parents of the World Unite, how to save 388 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 1: our schools from the left radical agenda, that this is 389 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: sort of a workbook for parents. If they are concerned, 390 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: your book helps introduce them both to the issues and 391 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 1: to action steps that can take. I mean, is that 392 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: your intent. Yeah, that's absolutely my intent. And you know, 393 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 1: I think it's ironic because you hear from the left that, well, 394 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: you know, these parents they don't want accurate history taught. Well, 395 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:03,240 Speaker 1: if you've actually read history, you'll know all about strategy, 396 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,400 Speaker 1: you'll know all about tactics, you know all about how 397 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 1: things get done. And history is human nature, That's what 398 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: it is. And it's how human nature is applied to 399 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:16,239 Speaker 1: a given circumstance or situation. And we were observant of 400 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: human nature, of the human nature of parents of the left, 401 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: of the activists that we're supporting them, and we were 402 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: able to counteract that by doing different things. I mean, 403 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,439 Speaker 1: for example, I see it a lot where people just 404 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: love to attack right the minute they get something that 405 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 1: may be valuable, they immediately put it out on social 406 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: media or in some fashion. You know, that's not my philosophy. 407 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: My philosophy is will wait, is there a better time 408 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,639 Speaker 1: to use it, Let's hold back, let's think about things. 409 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: And that was kind of always the way we operated, 410 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: which is, let's take a step back and let's think 411 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:49,880 Speaker 1: about the best way that we can use that at 412 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: the right time. And I think we were very successful 413 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: in that. And sure there's fits and stops where you 414 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,160 Speaker 1: don't always do everything perfectly, but I think overall we 415 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: were able to really survey the landscape of what's going on. 416 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: Sometimes you let the left hang themselves and give them 417 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,359 Speaker 1: enough rope, and they will do it. They will choose 418 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: the wrong path, especially when you're dealing with nine school 419 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: board members and this giant bureaucracy. They can't get on 420 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: the same page. And so while they may have more 421 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: resources and more people, they're also slower and more cumbersome 422 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 1: than we were. So we were able to really be 423 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,680 Speaker 1: flexible in our approach and breep the rewards. There's apparent yourself, 424 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: you are right in the middle of the fight. You've 425 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: really took measure of who your opponents were, and you 426 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: have now figured out sort of a workbook on how 427 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: to be effective in taking on the left wing education 428 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: establishment that's doing so much to undermine our values in 429 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: our country. So I think that what you've done is really, 430 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: really important. I'm really delighted that you have taken such 431 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: a positive role and that you're personally so engaged in 432 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: doing this. How much time does this take to be 433 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 1: an active parent? Well, you know, for me, it took 434 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: a lot of time. I didn't expect it, certainly in 435 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one. I mean it was wake up and 436 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 1: figure out how to fight. And for everybody it's different, 437 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 1: Like I said, everybody has a different role to fill. 438 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: But certainly during that year, I think everybody was all 439 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: hands on deck at all times to the extent they could. 440 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: I was still able to function, to have a job 441 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: to work. Sometimes it's tough to work on things when 442 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,920 Speaker 1: you're not passionate about it, like we were about this fight. 443 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: It took up a lot of headspace, but it was rewarding. 444 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,959 Speaker 1: It was rewarding to see the impact of what we 445 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: were doing, not just in our county, not just in Virginia, 446 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,639 Speaker 1: but then watching the rest of the country and you 447 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 1: started seeing some of the things that we were doing 448 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: pop up on the news and you say, oh, yeah that, yeah, 449 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 1: we did that in May. Great. So it's been a 450 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 1: little bit of a Boston in the American Revolution where 451 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: we kind of started the spark at least or at 452 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: least nationalize the spark, and watched it really spread all 453 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: over the country with different groups popping up, different parental 454 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: rights organizations popping up. And that's going to be necessary 455 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 1: because it's taken the left decade to really get control 456 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:04,640 Speaker 1: of this system. And for those that think, well, three 457 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:06,959 Speaker 1: years we put into this, that should be enough. Now 458 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: it's going to take a lot longer than that to 459 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: undo the damage. So the more people that come to 460 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: the fight, the new parents, parents just starting to get 461 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: into the school system, you're going to have a constant 462 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:20,160 Speaker 1: refunneling of the pipeline, so to speak, where you're gonna 463 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,439 Speaker 1: have new people they're willing to engage in this issue. 464 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 1: And I hope that it continues for years because that's 465 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:26,360 Speaker 1: what it's going to take. Well, and as you point 466 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: it out, you're up against an education machine that has 467 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,640 Speaker 1: a billion dollar budget and it's able to pay people 468 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: full time to try to damage you should cause you 469 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: believe in. So the reformers are always at an initial disadvantage, 470 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: but if their ideas are good enough, they gradually wear 471 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,440 Speaker 1: out the entrenched machine. And that's what you're up again. 472 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: How hard did you find it to write a book? 473 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,639 Speaker 1: It wasn't too hard. I dictated it on my phone 474 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: on a long trip and it really just took an 475 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: up and back down to southwestern Virginia to get everything there, 476 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,360 Speaker 1: and then I took that dictation and turned it into 477 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: a manuscript. It took a long time, but it was 478 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: fun to write because it was a fun time that 479 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: we had, and it was an interesting process. I don't 480 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 1: think it was as difficult as I expected. But I 481 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: always wanted to write a book. I just needed something 482 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,400 Speaker 1: to write about, and so once I had that story 483 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,680 Speaker 1: to write, I think it was a little easier than 484 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: just kind of sitting there and thinking, well what should 485 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: I write about and picking something out of a hat. 486 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: Do you think there are a future books ahead of you? Well, 487 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: I hope so. I mean I really enjoy the strategic part. 488 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:30,600 Speaker 1: I really enjoy thinking about, like I said, human nature 489 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: and how that impacts these fights and how best to 490 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,399 Speaker 1: deal with these fights. One of the things, and I 491 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,359 Speaker 1: didn't really put too much of this in my book. 492 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,440 Speaker 1: Maybe there's another one intelligence networks. You know, I mean, 493 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,479 Speaker 1: you really are at battle, and we had quite an 494 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:48,719 Speaker 1: intelligence network. I know a lot of people they'll attack 495 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: teachers or even Democrats, but you'd be surprised at some people. 496 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,879 Speaker 1: They may wear those party clothes on some issues, but 497 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: on this issue they're not necessarily always with sort of 498 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,399 Speaker 1: the far left. And people are willing to share information 499 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 1: which ultimately becomes valuable. And so you need to know 500 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: when the enemy of your enemy is your friend and 501 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,199 Speaker 1: when they're not. But I think that's another thing that 502 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: I would encourage people to do is develop sources. Develop 503 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: sources inside your schools, develop sources inside the administration. And 504 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,320 Speaker 1: quite frankly, people that see these things. I mean, I 505 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,160 Speaker 1: can tell you a lot of Democrats are looking at 506 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: the school board and other folks here in Loudon County 507 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: and they want to stay as far away as possible. 508 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,080 Speaker 1: They don't want to have anything to do with them 509 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: because they recognize in their own self interest that they 510 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: are not good for our reelection prospects. Even though we 511 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: don't have anything necessarily to do with the school there 512 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,639 Speaker 1: are some people out there that are savvy enough to 513 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: recognize the deadweight that being anti parent is come election time. 514 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:45,879 Speaker 1: And I want to thank you for joining me. I 515 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,920 Speaker 1: think your book is an essential playbook for parents who 516 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 1: want strategies for successfully fighting a radical, woke agenda in 517 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 1: their kids schools. And I recommend every engaged parent to 518 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,159 Speaker 1: get a copy of Parents with the World Unite How 519 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,199 Speaker 1: to save our schools from less radical agenda. SOI and 520 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,879 Speaker 1: I want to thank you for joining me on Newtsworld. 521 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me appreciate it. Thank you to my guests, 522 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,200 Speaker 1: Ian Prior. You can get a link to buy his 523 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 1: new book, Parents of the World Unite on our showpage 524 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: at Newtsworld dot com. News World is produced by Gingwich 525 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer is Garnsey Sloan, 526 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 1: our producers Rebecca Howe, and our researcher is Rachel Peterson. 527 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,880 Speaker 1: The artwork for the show was created by Steve Penley. 528 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 1: Special thanks to the team at Gingwish Street sixty. If 529 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: you've been enjoying Newtsworld, I hope you'll go to Apple 530 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: Podcast and both rate us with five stars and give 531 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: us a review so others can learn what it's all about. 532 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,199 Speaker 1: Right now, listeners of news World consign up for my 533 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: three free weekly columns at gingwistreet sixty dot com slash newsletter. 534 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: I'm Newt Gingrich. This is news World.