I was following HB 741 thru the various committees during the recent Florida legislative session. I found it fascinating that it passed unanimously. (ref 1)

Representative Kimberly Daniels mentioned the so-called Messianic Jews as she stated her support for the bill called antisemitism. Representative Daniels makes her comment about Messianic Jews around the 2 hour and 16 minute mark in the video. Link to the video (in case you want to hear Representative Daniels): https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.aspx?eventID=2443575804_2019031312

I wonder if anyone mentioned this to Representative Kimberly Daniels: “​V​arious Christian leaders have publicly criticized Messianic Jews for their aggressive missionizing in the Jewish community and for misrepresenting themselves as Jews.” (Ref 2)

I know many people were outraged when Vice President Pence invited a so-called Messianic Jewish Rabbi to give a prayer after the murders at a synagogue. Here is a link to one article talking about that: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/us/mike-pence-rabbi-jacobs.html  When I originally read the news, I (like Representative Daniels) didn’t understand the history of the Messianic Jewish movement. A friend explained it to me. Hopefully someone explained to Representative Daniels why bringing up the so-called Messianic Jews while expressing support for an antisemitic bill was inappropriate.

Representative Fine said his bill HB 741 is trying to address a growing fever of antisemitism.  In the Florida House Education Committee (link above) and the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee (link below) you can hear many people express their support for Israel and their sadness over the existence of antisemitism in this country.

The bill was heard in the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee on April 8th, here is the link (discussion of HB 741 begins around minute 20):
http://www.flsenate.gov/media/videoplayer?EventID=2443575804_2019041108&Redirect=true

During the session when the Florida House voted on HB 741, they started the meeting with “In Jesus’s Name We Pray.” I thought that was odd. Here is the link to the  video: http://www.flsenate.gov/media/VideoPlayer?EventID=2443575804_2019041146
The prayer is at the beginning of the meeting. They discuss HB 741 (the antisemitism bill) beginning around the 3 hour and 45 minute mark.

Representative Fine spoke up and put into Florida law that antisemitic language is not welcome in Florida. You can hear him say (in the full house meeting on April 10th–see link above) that the law won’t put anyone in jail for saying mean stupid things. The bill clarifies and acknowledges that words matter and some words make people feel excluded.

I continue to wish that HB 741 would apply to not only the public schools but also to the private schools receiving voucher money. Since some of the most vocal Christians mentioned their love of Israel rather than their disdain for antisemitic language in the debate of the bill, I do wonder about their motives of adding “religion” in the list in Florida Statute 1000.05. These days, when people add religion to a list I wonder if instead of using it as a shield to protect against discrimination, they want to use religion as a sword to harm others.

Quote from this article https://www.npr.org/2019/05/23/724135760/how-the-fight-for-religious-freedom-has-fallen-victim-to-the-culture-wars:

“RFRA was originally enacted to serve as a safeguard for religious freedom,” he said, “but recently it’s been used a sword to cut down the civil rights of too many individuals.”

There is a lot in the bill I don’t understand. And I do wish the definition of antisemitic language was broader so it included the definition of bigoted language in general.  However, there is something cool about 100% of the Florida legislators saying antisemitic language should not be used.  I do worry, however, that the dominionist christians have ulterior motives,

I read a Huffington Post article (see quote below) and it made me wonder why Governor DeSantis is signing HB 741 in Israel.  Governor to sign HB 741 in Israel.

Quote from this article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-ingersoll-jerusalem-embassy-end-times_n_5afae504e4b09a94524c312c

…Some heard in those prayers generic messages about peace and the safety of Israel. Some Evangelical Christians heard that they, and their fellow believers, are at the center of God’s plan for history. And they heard loud and clear the essential message that, despite his failings, the president is playing his part.

These are the questions I’d like answered by Representative Fine (the sponsor of the bill):
1.  What do you think of Representative Daniel’s  mention of the so-called Messianic Jews?
2.  What do you think of Representative Sullivan’s emphasize on Israel rather than on antisemitism?
3.  Will adding religion to 1000.05 create problems similar to how RFRA created problems?  In other words, will this be used not only to provide a shield against discrimination but as a sword to harm others?  If a religion’s tenets call for harm to others, how will this be sorted out?  I recently read an article that a legislator said his religious beliefs say that the races shouldn’t mingle.  I have heard that some religions condemn homosexuality.   Some religions require that wives obey their husbands.  How will these things be sorted out?
4.  Why didn’t you include wording to make sure the bill applies to any school that receives public funding?  Does it cover the charter schools?  Does it cover the private schools receiving voucher money? If not, why not?
5.  Could you tell me more about the statute that Representative Thompson mentioned? Is every school in Florida that receives public funds required to teach details of the holocaust? (ref 3)

Representative Sullivan expresses her support of Israel but makes no mention of antisemitism when she speaks at the 2 hour and 23 minute mark
Education Committee–03/21/19 https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.aspx?eventID=2443575804_2019031312

House Session 4/10/2019  starts around the 3 hour and 45 minutes mark:
http://www.flsenate.gov/media/VideoPlayer?EventID=2443575804_2019041146
Some of the quotes from the session:
Representative Fine says that antisemitism is increasing.
Representative Fine says it applies to public schools.  [BUT how does he define “public schools”?  Does it mean any schools receiving public funds even private schools receiving voucher money?]
The first part of the bill is merely the definition of antisemitism.
Representative Fine says the bill does not criminalize antisemitism.  People are allowed to be anti-Semites and racists.
Representative Thompson says there is a statute that requires that public schools require the teaching about the Holocaust

References
1. https://www.timesofisrael.com/florida-senate-passes-anti-semitism-bill/

2. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/messianic-judaism/

3. https://www.adl.org/blog/why-we-need-legislation-to-ensure-the-holocaust-is-taught-in-schools

HB 741 should provide for funding and require that sensitivity and civility classes be taught in all schools. If you don’t have a solution, why pass a bill?

Video of the March 21st Florida House of Representatives Education Committee meeting:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.aspx?eventID=2443575804_2019031312

Below are some comments made by legislators at the meeting discussing HB 741 that indicate we need civility and sensitivity courses taught in all the schools.  Around the 2 hour 6 minute mark in the video, Representative Fine answers a question with words similar to this:

“I don’t know the answer. The bill doesn’t regulate how the issue will be addressed in the schools.”

Later in the meeting, Representative Massullo mentions that discrimination is partly caused by ignorance. Representative Valdes says that she wishes we could change hearts. Representative Daniels mentioned Messianic Judaism.  Keep in mind that this bill is trying to address the problem that Representative Fine describes as a growing fever of antisemitism. Shouldn’t Representative Daniels’ remarks regarding Messianic Judaism indicate another example as to why we need classes in sensitivity? I know many people were outraged when Vice President Pence invited a Messianic Jewish Rabbi to give a prayer after the killings at the synagogue. Here is one quote from this article:

https://religionnews.com/2018/10/31/jewish-groups-decry-messianic-jewish-rabbis-prayer-at-pence-rally

The Jewish groups argued that allowing the rabbi, whom they don’t recognize as Jewish, to offer a prayer for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting sowed religious division at a time when Americans should be standing with Jews.
A statement from the Rabbinical Assembly, a Conservative Jewish group and one of several to object, declared that “so-called ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not a Jewish movement.

In addition to requiring classes in sensitivity, I also wish they’d include the wording of the Do No Harm Act (H.R. 1450) in the bill. Any mention of religious protection should offer a shield against religious bigotry not a sword to attack others.

I do not understand the problem or know the solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  I know that some people (including Representative Fine) see the need for this to be included in HB 741:

(b) Examples of anti-Semitism related to Israel include: Delegitimizing Israel by denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist.

In addition to antisemitism, I wish Islamophobia and anti-atheism were specifically mentioned in the bill. There are examples of anti-atheism in this country and the world.  Here is how lines 51 to 54 of HB 741 reads now:

A public K-20 educational institution must treat discrimination by students or employees or resulting from institutional policies based on anti-Semitism in an identical manner to discrimination based on race.

There are many groups worried about legislation before our Florida Congress trying to expand taxpayer money to fund unregulated charter and private schools. As it stands now, this bill won’t cover those schools. In my view and in the view of many others, this is a BIG problem. IF religious bigotry is a problem and we’re trying to solve it, then a bill should not only apply to the neighborhood schools, it should also apply to any school receiving local, state, or federal taxpayer money.

Only 24% of the registered voters voted in the election — in Duval County –that ended March 19th.  Why so few?

Is it because news sources aren’t giving us enough information so that we’re uncomfortable voting?  Here is a funny skit about that:

Or is it because people feel the majority always wins so why bother?  If that is the reason then would proportional representation help? 
Quote from https://www.fairvote.org/how_proportional_representation_elections_work:

Proportional representation systems have the goal of ensuring that more voters receive some representation. Various systems have different ways of achieving these goals.

Why not elect the 5 city council at large seats via a proportional representation system? For example, what about the following? 

1.  10 candidates –with the most votes– win the unitary election for the at-large city council seats
2.  Those 10 candidates run in the general election.  The 5 candidates with the most votes would then serve as at-large city council representatives.

How do you think it would change if we got proportional representation? As it works now the majority get to pick all five at-large candidates.  In the election that ended March 19, the starred ones (in the below list) got the most votes in each individual election race and (even though some face run offs) will probably be our at-large representatives:

 **Lisa King , **Darren Mason,  **Tommy Hazouri,  **Matt Carlucci,  **Samuel Newby, Gary Barrett,  Connell A. Crooms, Jack Daniels, Terrance Freeman, Ron Salem, James C. Jacobs,Greg Rachal,Harold McCart, Don Redman, Niki Brunson, Chad Evan McIntyre.

I like the simple system that I stated above. I think single transferable vote is too complicated and doesn’t lend itself to easy auditing or recounts. Quote from this  LINK to the wikipedia page about STV:

The single transferable vote (STV)is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat organizations voting districts.

I went to a Socrates Cafe on March 20th and we discussed voting.  The participants didn’t convince me that ranked voting for a single position made sense. This link   https://www.fairvote.org/how_proportional_representation_elections_work offers a lot of options but they seem too complicated to me and I don’t see how they’ll solve the problem if there is still only ONE person to be chosen.

This Vox article talks about ranked choice voting.  The advantage they point out is that the advertisements are less negative. Here is a quote from another ARTICLE from Vox explaining why they like San Francisco’s  ranked choice system:

To “game” the system in a simple plurality-winner election, the basic strategy involves mobilizing your base while trying to tear down competing candidates. This involves lots of scorched-earth negative campaigning. To “game” the system in a ranked-choice voting election, the basic strategy is to try to appeal broadly and say, I’d like to be your first choice, but if I can’t be your first choice, I’d like to be your second choice. In ranked-choice voting, we’d expect soft alliances among candidates who realize that they’re both stronger through coalition building than they are by law-of-the-jungle campaigning

 
http://www.voteguy.com/rcv-academic/ is a link to a wonky examination of ranked choice voting. This white paper was mentioned in the Vox article.

Yea…less negative ads is appealing BUT if candidates can be nice then why won’t they do it no matter what kind of voting system we use? I worry about making the voting too complicated. According to this article Duval votes were lost due to voters completing their ballots incorrectly. My view is that we don’t need to make it more complicated.

Quote from this ARTICLE

… we know that voters often skip reading instructions. … people rush to mark their votes … Americans, including New Yorkers and Floridians, want their votes to count. Let’s help them do that with well-designed ballots that don’t create confusion, or worse — change the results of an election.

I think we need to trust our voting machines before we make voting more complicated. Quote from this article:

It is also important to ensure the scans are accurate by checking a good sample against the original paper ballots.

Quote from this article:

Florida law requires a sample of ballots to be hand-audited after each election to ensure accuracy.

https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/voting-systems/certified-voting-systems-and-vendors/

Here is the preamble to our Constitution:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Quoting Warren and Brandeis from this LINK:

Later, there came a recognition of man’s spiritual nature, of his feelings and his intellect. Gradually the scope of these legal rights broadened  …..the right to enjoy life, — the right to be let alone; the right to liberty secures the exercise of extensive civil privileges  ….

Quote from this LINK

In United States v. Butler,  Justice Roberts wrote for the Court: “Since the foundation of the Nation sharp differences of opinion have persisted as to the true interpretation of the phrase.   ….   Hamilton  maintained the clause confers a power …..  the power of Congress to authorize expenditure of public moneys for public purposes is not limited by the direct grants of legislative power found in the  Constitution.” Appropriations for subsidies and for an ever-increasing variety of “internal improvements” constructed by the Federal Government, had their beginnings in the administrations of Washington and Jefferson.

In United States v. Gettysburg Electric Ry., the Court invoked “the great power of taxation to be exercised for the common defence and general welfare” to sustain the right of the Federal Government to acquire land within a state for use as a national park.

I don’t understand why Congress can’t pass a law making female genital mutilation illegal. What do you think?  Quote from the New York Times article at this LINK :

“As laudable as the prohibition of a particular type of abuse of girls may be,” the judge wrote, prosecutors failed to show that the federal government had the authority to bring the charges, and he noted that regulating practices like this is essentially a state responsibility.  ….. Judge Bernard Friedman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan ruled that Congress did not have the authority to pass the law  ….  Shelby Quast said her group, Equality Now, is urging federal prosecutors to appeal the decision. “We are confident that Congress had the authority to pass this FGM law,” she said.