Today started about a TikTok I shared. Above is an image from it. So this woman contacts me at 6:50 AM. Here was the opening salvo:

Let us start with 6:50 AM. Who contacts anyone at 6:50 AM unless it is an emergency and you were calling family or 911?

Homophobic image of minors.

What?

Homophoblic and misleading?

What?

Blames me for photo.

I did not take the photo.

It was in an article I did not write covering mask wars at Conestoga months ago. I guess everyone who writes looks alike or something, but really? Oh no wait…you have to blame me, it’s me. I think you can’t get into your Facebook groups of choice unless you hate me, right?

So there was this back and forth with this woman, accusing me of something I did not do….over a photo I did not take in the first place. It took one of my readers to tell me where I had seen the photo used before it appeared in the TikTok thing. It looked familiar, sure, but I didn’t take it. I wasn’t at any of those meetings. As a matter of fact, I have never been on the property of Conestoga High School or the Middle School that hosted that summer meeting – Valley Forge maybe?

Yes, even when I was in high school, I was never, ever on a campus of a school in the Tredyffrin Easttown School District. I went to a couple of events at Radnor (there used to be this wrestling tournament over Christmas vacation that back then friends of mine wrestled in and another thing may have been a play), I went to something at Harriton (a soccer game maybe and that was where we went for SATs), and I took summer school math at Lower Merion High School the summer I was transitioning to Shipley because the math wasn’t enough coming out of Welsh Valley and I had to take an extra class. As a matter of fact one of my former Welsh Valley classmates who was transitioning to Baldwin was in the same class.

This was the Tik Tok I shared that upset her, but hey why go to TikTok when you can blame me, right?

You will notice I have chosen not to identify this woman. as of now. She contacted this blog in an unsolicited manner, so I could if I wanted to. Just like I have all of the screenshots with her name, only I am choosing to share just one at this point. Without showing her name. She tells me among other things “I know you have posted the original photo because that’s on your blog.”

Wuuuut? No it was on Savvy. It is actually a photo owned by that author’s company. They made no secret of taking photos and covering that whole debacle and MANY others were taking photos that day, except for me, because I wasn’t actually there.

Then I shared these stills because I just didn’t get why I was to blame:

Here is a screen grab FYI of the OTHER TikTok:

So one thing I also did ask this mom accusing me of being homophobic etc. this morning if she knew why the gentleman heard in the audio recording taken at Conestoga in the OTHER widely circulating TikTok was even in a practice room or locker room or wherever not public space it was that he was addressing these kids in? Was he a coach or a parent volunteer helping the coach? Did he have permission of all of the parents and the school to speak to these kids in such a manner? Were kids given the opportunity to leave who may have felt uncomfortable? I mean why would there be a recording if not as a cry for help for adults to remember they were kids there not little soldier bots?

She chose not to answer the questions about that. Of course if she does know something or if any parent knows something about this or any of the other crap going on at Conestoga, they should tell the school, do the right thing. However, it appears the school district is NOT happy about that and they issued a release or incident report they called it:

Here is the verbiage verbatim:

CHS Incident Report, 2/15/22

We have become aware that on February 11 a parent of a member of the wrestling team entered the boys’ locker room after school without any authorization by or the knowledge of the wrestling coaches or any school administrator. This parent then delivered a speech to the team members to discourage mask wearing in schools.  The District is banning this parent from being on any District property and has reported the incident to the police.

As always the safety and security of our students is paramount.  Entering the locker rooms by anyone other than authorized students or staff is prohibited.  We have enhanced security in this area and have reinforced appropriate procedures with all coaches.

~ TESD 2/15/2022

Now I said to this woman and this morning to my readers on my Facebook page that I felt the kid with the TikTok blip of a video with the photo shop was reacting to the crap that students have been putting up with at Conestoga. To me it screamed a kid taking back their power and/or a cry for help that it’s gotten THAT untenable. Adults tell me the atmosphere at Conestoga is bad. I have to wonder aloud can’t you see where kids who are just tired of this crap and want normal school days for once, might wish to express themselves?

The anti-masking often anti-vaxxing parents are also among those who want to ban books, expecially books which speak to teens exploring their sexuality, etc. So I went back to that TikTok video and read some comments:

So to ME, not knowing the players but reading this is YES a kid taking back his power but it’s not him who did photoshop? Ok, so once again, NOT me. Should the kid who photoshopped taken the photo from Savvy? Maybe not, but totally get their frustration with all the craziness. But it is easier to attack me with everything, like take today’s love note:

These comments come in every day from these people. Yesterday I was snobby and elitist. A few days before that I was a dirty liberal and a community. Today I am the hunchback of Notre Dame, miserable and nasty. Also ridiculous, fat, and nasty and “everybody hates me” , and I can’t write. And people wonder why I think the Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism and their ilk are pretty much just basic, bullying bitches? (Semi rhetorical and the answer is because they are.)

➜ ➜➜➜➜ And they wonder where kids learn about bullying and then they complain about that too don’t they?

And these people? They crave attention, they want the spotlight, only when it happens and it isn’t what they want exactly, then what? Quick answer: always nasty.

When the Conestoga walk-out was happening, the self-righteous “conservatives” publicized it all over including here:

Ok sure you hear about these things quickly if you have friends with kids in a district, but you also hear because these people tell everyone. They post public photos and videos. They belong to extra special groups that have more leaks than the Titanic.

And let’s touch on last night’s media coverage of the Conestoga virtual day due to threats:

CBS 3 and others covered it. 6ABC. The Inquirer.

I will say it again, that no kid should be threatened or harassed the way the CBS3 report indicates. But the kid interviewed by CBS 3 who purportedly led the walk out? Should he have been attacked? NO and NONE of these kids should be attacked.

Kids shouldn’t be bullied, period.

My sources tell me Conestoga High School is in crisis. From what we see that is leaked out via media, it is a school in crisis. And it is but one of many schools experiencing this. Downingtown district, Great Valley, Radnor (and Radnor even has lawn signs.) Radnor has like three Facebook groups now: Reimagine Radnor, Unmask Radnor, and Radnor Parents Union.

When does the madness stop? When do those who have been driving this train off a cliff take responsibility for their actions?

Every day, it is something new with these people. It’s old, we’re all tired. Your rights do not supersede the rest of the population. You all don’t like me? That’s on you. You do not get to tell me how I should think.

These alt groups? THEY created this. THEY groomed your kids to do the craziness at Conestoga. THEY are grooming kids in other districts. THEY want attention but if they can’t control the narrative with their skewed and limited world view, THEY freak out. THEY project – everyone else is mean, racist, homophobic, and so on and so forth. I realize people like this are as old as time itself, but wow it was nice not knowing they existed in the days that were pre-internet. And they could also just behave differently. But they act self-important, overly entitled skitzoid tornadoes. Take the meeting from January where these people were even rude to kids speaking.

I think all adults and the students deserve better. In all of these schools. I completely expect that as soon as I hit publish, more of you will come at me with your basic, bullying drivel. You put things out into the public, and you don’t like anyone who doesn’t agree with you. You call people fascists and communists and it’s actually hysterical because you all should check yourselves: you are the ones behaving as such. You spout big thoughts like civil rights, freedom, patriotism. You seem to fail to understand the people who suffered an died so you could have the freedom to behave like jackasses. No one can educate you, because you are never wrong. That’s on you.

But you don’t get to tell the rest of us how to think, nor do you have the right to try to make us capitulate to your will. That is actual freedom. Not hunting those who disagree with you like big game.

Public education has limits, but people like you limit it more.

I will close with a little something from the Conestoga student paper. A screenshot from their Instagram. I am sure these kids are taking heat too. I would say “just stop” but you can’t, can you? If it isn’t masks, it will be something else. But enough already. Your ilk is turning all of our communities into three ring circuses and nothing gets done. And the greatest of bitter ironies is you are actually hurting the kids you claim you are protecting.