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Sunday, November 27, 2022

Will SDPC Eliminate More Books From the Curriculum Monday At the School Board Meeting?



The Pickens County School Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, November 28, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. for the Oath of Office Ceremony followed by the regular board meeting at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Board Room of the Curtis A. Sidden Administrative Building at 1348 Griffin Mill Road, Easley, SC. 

The swearing in of the 2022 elected board members will take place at 5 pm. Here are those elected in November to serve:

(District 4 Brad Dover, District 7 Amy Williams; District 6 Karla Kelley; District 2 Randy Robinson)

Please see the agenda for the meeting at this link: 

Active Meetings - 1348 Griffin Mill Road | Easley SC, 29640 | 864-397-1000 | f 864-855-8159 BoardDocs® Pro

This is one meeting you won't regret attending, as you will get to see our present school board's critical thinking skills on display and hear their reasoning skills as well. This gives you great insight into these elected officials you have put in charge of protecting children from indoctrination and sexualization.

This meeting also gives you a great insight as to whether or not any other school board member needs to be removed as a board member and replaced with a better candidate at the next election cycle in 2024. Below are the members up for reelection 2024.

 (District 1 Betty Bagley, District 5 Betty Garrison, District 3 Shannon Haskett)

Folks, if you attend this meeting in person you will get to witness the body language as well as the critical thinking skills of the present board members as they discuss whether or not to eliminate the literature curriculum choice of books which teachers are assigning. You will also hear their discussions on how they are spending YOUR money and get a sense of where our district's priorities are heading.

Below is the link to the recent op ed article SDPC Board Member Amy Williams has written about the book that will be under consideration for keeping or removing, Dear Martin by Nic Stone, for you to read before coming to the meeting Monday.



https://www.conservativesoftheupstate.com/2022/11/school-board-member-speaks-up-about.html
https://www.conservativesoftheupstate.com/2022/11/school-board-member-speaks-up-about.html?m=1


If you can speak about your thoughts on removing inappropriate literature being used in our curriculum, you will need to sign up when you arrive outside the meeting room door on the podium. (Suggest you sign up by 5:30 pm) 

Last month saw nearly 20 liberals speak about NOT removing books that inappropriate for children...they called it "banning". But it's not banning at all, parents can still purchase those controversial books if they think it is appropriate for their child. 


ATTEND THIS MEETING IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!

If you cannot attend in person, please use this link to view the meeting.

https://youtu.be/Ekq_9Zn0WJg



Monday, Nov, 28 @ 5 PM YOU ARE NEEDED

 


Wednesday, November 23, 2022

School Board Member Speaks Up About Inappropriate Books in SDPC

 


Amy Williams, School Board SDPC District 7

Dear Editor,
 
Under Title 59 of the code of laws of South Carolina, the school board is given executive, legislative and judicial authority over the school district. The School Board Trustees will once again vote on a challenged book, Dear Martin by Nic Stone, during our next board meeting 28 November.  A parent challenged this book when it was assigned to a then 14-year-old student in 9th grade English at Daniel High School based on objectionable content and profane language.
 
When asked to vote on a book or resource as a school board trustee, I support selecting the highest value educational materials that are age appropriate. Materials need to support the student in being successful raising their own families, preparing them for community life and finding gainful employment whether heading directly to the workforce or pursuing trade or college education after high school.
 
The book Dear Martin is not without its merits as a young adult novel chronicling the main character, Justyce, an African American student in an exclusive prep high school coming of age in a difficult world.



A negative in this book can be found in the author’s gratuitous use of four-letter words from start to finish.  There are 142 curse words contained in this short novel as follows:  A--:(26x); A--hole:(14x); B-tch:(4x); BullSh-t:(4x); D-mn: (23x); Eff-ng: 149(1x); F-ck:(8x); G-dD-mn: (3x); H-ll: (16x); Jack-ss: (2x); MotherF---er: (3x); N-g-r: (9x); Punk-ss:(4x); Sh-t:(25x).  A person could not remain employed in any job nor be a member in good standing in any community using this language, and this is not the example we want to set in schools for students.
 
Additionally, adult sexual content including objectification of women as follows also detracts from the value of the book:
 
From Pg 31:
Jared: If you ask me, she wants Justyce to pop her little cherry.
Kyle: Well, seeing as you never did it...
Jared: Shut up. We were in eighth grade.
Blake: You still totally wanna tap that, bro.
 
From Pg 90:
“There’s this fine-a-- Black girl here from Decatur Prep, and I was thinking you guys could wingman
it up for me and sh-t. Homegirl’s got the fattest a-- I’ve ever seen, and I think if she meets my nig--s,
I’ll have a good chance of getting her upstairs. You feel me dogs?”
 
In light the Harvey Weinsteins, the Jeffrey Epsteins and the “Me too” movement in today’s world heightening awareness of sexual assault today, I find these passages very objectionable to a wide audience.
 
The District Level Committee has ruled as follows: “This novel should not be used as assigned reading, whether whole class or in book clubs/literature circles. This novel may be included in the teacher's classroom library as a student's choice for independent, non-instructional reading.”  Thus, the decision to uphold this recommendation or remove the book from the classroom libraries or media centers now falls to a School Board vote.
 
If the School Board choses to remove this book from the media center, classroom and/or supplemental educational materials, this is not a “book ban” according to Eugene Volokh, an instructor at the UCLA School of Law. Mr. Volokh is also the author of the textbook The First Amendment and Related Statutes (5th ed. 2013).  Mr. Volokh recently wrote an article posted 09 August 2022 for Reason titled, Removal of Books With “Lascivious Content” from School Libraries Likely Constitutionally Permissible, in which he cites the recent landmark court case C.K.-W. v. Wentzville R-IV School Dist., (2022) saying,

“The District's policy does not ban the District's students from reading the books at issue here. Nor does it ban students from acquiring the books or lending the books to others. Students may borrow the books from the public library or from a friend or neighbor. They likewise are free to purchase the books. The policy does not even ban students from bringing the books at issue to the District's schools. Nor does it ban students from discussing the books at school during their free time or encouraging others to read them…. [T]he "overwrought rhetoric about book banning has no place" in this case. Cf. Bd. of Educ. v. Pico (1982) (principal case on which Plaintiffs rely that, despite similar facts, does not use the word ban or any similar language to describe the board's actions). A school district does not "ban" a book when, "through its authorized school board," it "decides not to continue possessing [a] book on its own library shelves."

SDPC Policies such as:  ACD- Tobacco free school District; JICH- Drug and Alcohol Use by Students; IHAM – Health Education; IJNDB- Use of Technology in Instruction; GBEE- Internet and Electronic Communication; JICDA-R- Student Code of Conduct and GBEB- Staff Conduct all work in concert to demonstrate the SDPC District’s commitment to the goal of “exhibiting healthy behavior for all students, staff, contract or other workers, visitors, and the entire community.”  These policies address expectations for student and staff interactions and behaviors. This book appears to give students mixed messages that are in conflict with its own policies and standards regarding everything from substance abuse to profanity to sexually explicit or derogatory language.
 
For all of these reasons I ask myself, does this book belong in one of the best school districts in South Carolina?  I do not believe it does. 

All school board trustees need to know the law, read the books they are approving and not be afraid to vote to uphold the educational standard of Pickens County Schools.  Written by Amy Williams, SDPC, School Board Member District 7







Saturday, November 12, 2022

Thursday, November 17th We Welcome Sheriff Candidate Tommy Blankenship as our Guest Speaker



Join Conservatives of the Upstate members as we welcome Tommy Blankenship as our guest speaker. Tommy has announced he will be running for Sheriff of Pickens County in the next election cycle.

This meeting is open to the public and will be held at Cafe' Connections, 319 E. Main Street, downtown Pickens, SC 29671 on Thursday, November 17th at 7PM... please bring a friend, a neighbor, a family member and a church member with you to find out more about Tommy's reasons for running and what his goals are for our community. 

We also will be discussing local election results, and what is taking place in our school district as well as the present ordinance on Hwy 11 that our county council is considering. 

See you there! Please share this article with all you know!




 

Friday, November 11, 2022

Important Message for Your Edification

 

                                              

Michael Reed, Editor of THE STANDARD


Six years ago, just following the 2016 general elections I wrote the following in response to what I was seeing. I think this message is even more important today following the just held 2022 Mid-term elections and the results. I think it is imperative that we recognize that the Almighty God is trying to get our attention before he totally abandons us to the evil of this world and our own devices so that we will either be destroyed as worthless or recognize who our Great king and father is and obey him and his Word and then go have dominion over the evil and wicked in his name!


I will probably have some disagree but as I read scripture, we will not be whisked away from our problems in what many call “rapture”. I notice that many throughout history were martyred, and civilizations were overrun with wicked men. In fact, the Alpha and Omega didn’t take them out of the trouble, the flames, or the flood! He left them there in the middle of the problems to stand on his Word and deal with it!

Psalm 37:9 says, for evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 

Additionally, were we made that God should glorify us? No!! We were made to glorify the Great I AM in all we say and do and think, and in the victories we accomplish for the Almighty! 

Read the scriptures in Isaiah for how the Word made flesh works in this world for our benefit when we overcome the world system with his Word and for his glory. Jehovah changeth not! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! And even Noah saw the wicked people who created it removed from the land. Were the Egyptians removed from off the face of the earth when they sought to destroy the children? Didn’t the children seek him and cry out to the LORD, and he parted the sea to make a way for them and a trap for pharaoh? Like a good father He doesn’t “bail us out” like the spoiled brat by the wealthy father may do. No, our God does not remove us from the problem, he empowers us with his Word to face the problem we allowed and created and overcome it! 

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Isa 43:3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
Isa 43:4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore, will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
Isa 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west.
Isa 43:6 I will say to the north, give up; and to the south, keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

The LORD has created us to be mighty valiant men of God! Warriors for our King and his kingdom! He didn’t create us to fail as wimps in the land, but rather as mighty victors on the land. As soon as we decide to take up his mantle, obey him and follow him and compel our countrymen to do the same we will realize that the victory is in the LORD our God and he grants victory to those who overcome in his name!

Ask Noah, Moses, Joshua, and a whole host of others right there in your Bible! The plan and victory is right there in plain sight. We’ve just got to see the truth and not have scales on our eyes and behave as weak lambs for the slaughter. Rise up mighty men of valor, purify yourselves and proclaim victory in the power and authority of the God of Israel!

Michael Reed 11-9-22

Below is what I posted in 2016: 

"For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people." Psalm 89:18-19

There is much jubilance following the victory of Trump over who has been described as "evil Hillary". And I believe rightly so! 

Time and again we have seen reported the evil this woman has been associated with and participant in. This was a victory over evil of sorts.

BUT, and that's a BIG BUT, we must remember that it is GOD ALONE who is our defense, our shield, our protector, our Saviour, and THE ONE we must return to! 

I noted that the people across the country have been in heart felt prayer for these elections unlike any I have witnessed in the recent past. The day before the election I was aware of no less than 15-20 prayer meetings in my community to pray for the elections and our wellbeing. I am certain my community was not alone in this call to prayer and that this was probably taking place everywhere in the land. Obviously, the congregation was concerned for our wellbeing regarding this election.

So, the people were so concerned that many prayer meetings were called for that day, but isn't that what the people are called to do every day? Every week? Aren't God's people to beseech the LORD for his forgiveness, for their repentance, for their hands to work daily righteousness and for his protection, provision and blessing throughout the land? If we haven't been doing this in such fervency in the past, then in Mr. Trumps famous words we should be "fired"! 

This election is a warning of a kind I believe is from the LORD himself. The warning is this: American Christians you have been slack, you have been lazy, you have sought after everything and everybody but the ONE who alone can do anything for you, until it became clear that you could do nothing, so in desperation you remembered the LORD. Isn't that the way it really is? Haven't most of the "church" done this? That only in our weakness, desperation and fear that we then turned to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

Yes, this is a wakeup call to where we really stand in our corporate spiritual life. Contrast today and the prevalence of evil and wickedness to days gone by when wholesomeness was more the norm in every phase and sector of America. The difference? A Godly people on their knees beseeching the LORD of hosts gathered together midweek in public meeting houses for the righteousness, guidance and Godliness of those chosen to lead them, on a weekly basis, versus a people crying out to God in desperation who have generally ignored the Almighty until they are backed into a corner because they sense they have nowhere to go but unto the Great I AM!

I know, I can hear it now, "But pastor, we go to church and our pastor prays and we pray in agreement with him." And "we pray at home too." Certainly, this does occur, but I'm talking about PRAYER! Barna Research discovered 20 years ago that "the average Christian spends only 1 minute a day in prayer... and the average Pastor only spends 5 minutes" a day in prayer. That has not increased since then.

What kind of prayer could I be talking about? What used to be called 'getting a prayer through', the kind of prayer that beckons the wallpaper to peel off the wall, the kind of prayer that commands attention from outside your house like Daniel did with his windows opened to be sure everybody heard him afar off, the kind of prayer that God cannot ignore, and man cannot mistake. The kind of prayer that makes mountains quake and move, the kind of prayer that commands the attention of God and moves him to answer. The kind of prayer that intercedes on behalf of whatever and whoever and we see immediate answers! Yes, these things really actually happen with a God fearing and praying people!

Our problem is we Americans had rather get our instructions from Helli vision than spend that hour or two or three with the Almighty King of the universe!! Our problem is we say, "I've married a wife" and I'm too busy or too concerned with other things I would rather do than get on my knees in corporate prayer to bring down the power of God on my life and on my country. 

Our problem is we are probably too embarrassed to even suggest prayer in a public meeting. Why? Because the masses are ashamed of the God they claim to know, so ashamed that we have allowed the godless to remove the Commandments of our God and prayer to him from the public arena, from the public school, from the public discourse and from our public life, so that the will of the godless prevails in this once holy and Christian country!

It is apparent who many people spend their time with, especially traveling through neighborhoods in the evening. You can see the warm blue glow from their windows as they commune with their god, hour upon hour.

Yes, this election is a wakeup call to those who call themselves the "church"! The cry out to the LORD, and his not allowing a woman as Jezebel to gain power over this country is part of that evidence. Apparently, we gained the ear of the LORD through humility and prayer regarding the trust the people have put in Mr. Trump to lead this Heavenly Kingdom known as America. But it is still not Trump, he's barely a band aid on a total body scab.

That same Barna Research group discovered that the mass of people is spiritually being bankrupted by, please sit down and get ready--what we call the "church"! In fact, the survey says 94% of all church goers get nothing from attending their church other than socializing with others! What we call the church today is basically become useless, accepting any worldly doctrine or court ruling that comes down the pike. 

Case in point, many "churches" immediately accepted "gay marriage" when the US Supreme Court so ruled it ok, including openly welcoming them into the pulpit. They declared the truth of God a lie when they did so, in fact they declared they no longer represent Gods church at that time. Same thing with adultery, and other Sins, which are rampant IN THE CHURCH and most other things the Word of God declares as sin. Perhaps we should post "Ichabod" over their doors.

We are living in the Valley of Dry Bones: no spiritual Life from Jesus Christ, no solid truth from the pulpit, no solid biblical teaching in church assemblies, no light being shed from Gods Word, no pastoral leading of the men of the church teaching them how to lead and guide their families. I think this because so-called "pastors" don't know the Word of God and many probably don't know God himself. Dry Bones, that's the very least you can get by with for absolute actual survival, if that. 

This is our call for revival! This is our call for new birth! This is our call for Spiritual reformation! We have an opportunity now, to set things right with our God, if we will.

Our initial verse says, "For the Lord is our defense". The original word rendered “defense,” is 'shield' (Compare Psalm 33:20 and Psalm 59:11) from the Hebrew as recorded in Strong's Concordance #4043, meaning a shield or buckler. 

The understanding is that protection is to be found in GOD ALONE. The construction of this verse is, “For to Yahweh (belongs) our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel our king.” That is, not only is our protection, but the king or president himself belongs to and is in the hands of YHWH. All that we have, and all that we rely upon as a defense, belongs to God, or is of God; indeed, our very protection and defensive forces are themselves protected by Yahweh. We have no other defense; nothing else on which we can depend!

Has God changed? Is he still the Almighty? The protector and supplier of his people? If he is, and He Is, then why don't we as a nation behave like it? We see the answered prayers of Gods people in those we have chosen to lead the nation, as flawed as they are.

Even today there is a different spirit in the air. You can feel a much lighter spirit in the people. Could that be because the people have called on the LORD in prayer? Could that be because the people have declared unto themselves repentance? Could that be because the people have seen the mighty working of God in answering the prayers of the people? 

Now, the real work must begin. Now, that America sees that God can and will hear the prayers of his people when they humbly call on him in repentance, it is time for us to regularly, habitually, systematically, cry out to the King of presidents and kings, for Christianity to be revived and the Word of God be restored into the fabric and public spheres of this land. It is time for you and me to seek the LORD with all our heart, all of our soul and all of our might, and when we do, God himself will make America great again!

Michael Reed 11-9-16

Follow Michael's newspaper @ https://www.thestandardsc.org/

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

November 2022 Newsletter from COTU

 Happy Fall to All! And Happy Thanksgiving! 


Let's begin our newsletter with a prayer,

Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you at this hour to praise your Holy Name and recognize that YOU alone are our source of freedom. YOU want all of us to be free from slavery to sin. We profess our sins to You Dear Lord and believe You will forgive us as long as we profess them with sincerity. Our elections are on our minds Dear Lord, and we ask that you motivate our citizens to vote according to Your will. We know that Your will is the best will for us. Our hearts want Godly men in leadership positions Lord, we ask you to bless this upcoming election and provide us with that Godly leadership in all positions.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Amen.

Folks, you have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday left to vote early, after that the only time left to vote is Thursday November 8th. Times the following places are open to you voting early are from 8:30 AM till 6:00 PM. The early voting is at 3 locations, 222 McDaniel Ave, Pickens at the Main Elections Office, 304 Biltmore Rd, Easley at the Hampton Library, and 105 Commons Way, Central at the Clemson Library.  You can view your sample ballot ahead of time at https://scvotes.gov
A meme I saw on social media the other day made me laugh out loud..."even dead people vote...surely you can get up and go vote!" LOL

Special THANK YOU to all our members who have gone out door to door to help get those Godly men elected, or who have donated to their campaigns. If you are interested in doing sign waving for a Godly candidate, please respond to this email. We need volunteers! 

Below I have listed important dates this Month which give you an opportunity to be informed as to what is going on in our county, state, and nation:

1. November 7th at 6:30 PM at the Administrative Complex located 222 McDaniel will be the regularly scheduled County Council meeting which also allows PUBLIC INPUT. You can sign up ahead of time to speak about any concerns or praises you wish to let our elected know about. Call Meagan the Clerk to County Council to sign up @ 864-898-5856 (or you can sign up when you get there if you get there before 6:30)

2. NOVEMBER 8th.... GO VOTE! if you don't know where...
call the Elections Office @ 864-898-5637.  Important decisions are being made and don't forget it's not just State positions that matter...Local School Board Seat matters... County Council Seat matters...we have a great opportunity to get true conservatives in those positions.

3. November 17th is our monthly COTU meeting! Candidate for an upcoming election for Sheriff Tommy Blankenship will be our guest speaker. As you know Sheriff is A VERY IMPORTANT election, as they are the last line of defense for our Constitutional Rights. So please bring a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a church member with you to hear his stances on issues and ask your questions.
We also will hopefully hear a report from volunteers who selected a book to read that was on a list of possible inappropriate books in our schools to see if we need to file a form with our School Board to object to its use in the curriculum.
Tommy Blankenship for Sheriff.JPG

4. November 28 is the next School Board Meeting to be held at the Board's meeting room located at 1348 Griffin Mill Rd, Easley, SC 29640... WE ENCOURAGE YOU to speak up and praise the school board for their recent decision to remove the book STAMPED from the curriculum. As you know... almost 20 speakers fussed at them at the last meeting for making that decision...so we need to show them WE ARE PROUD of their vote!  Also, there are plenty of other books that are on the slate in the months ahead for the board to consider removing from the curriculum, so we need to stay informed!  If you will speak...we do have a reward for you!  See photo of this hat you can receive for taking the time to talk to our school board. We only have 3...so the first 3 to sign up and speak will get one! You should arrive by 5:45 to sign up to speak. You CANNOT call ahead to sign up. If you are interested in speaking, please respond to this email as soon as possible. 
hats.JPG

5. EVERY SINGLE DAY... check our website ( www.conservativesoftheupstate.com ) and social media accounts! ( We are on Facebook, MeWe, Gab, Twitter)  We post important articles for you to read.  And now that Elon is in charge on Twitter we have a better chance of not getting deleted or censored.  For those of you who are on Facebook...you know Johnnelle's Facebook page was deleted...but thanks to our member Ken Butt, she has a chance to post relevant articles for us to read. 

6. EVERY SATURDAY... we pray at the Pickens Courthouse at 9:30 AM.

Folks,
We won't be meeting in the month of December, as we reserve that month to honor our Lord and Savior and spend time with our families and friends...but I will be sending out a newsletter for December to inform you of any important issues that affect our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
Our next scheduled meeting will be JANUARY 19, 2023... if the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise!