A s hot wars wage abroad in Europe and the Middle East , political tensions are mounting in the U . S ., prompting many to speculate on the possibility of a second civil war . Issues such as abortion , gay and trans rights , inappropriate library books , mask mandates , gun rights , educational freedom , and religious influence are now the grounds for intense political battles , with new fronts opening in states across America .
Alabama , with its solid red voting bloc and Republican supermajority legislature , is not immune to these wars . “ Woke ” ideology is spreading even here , and many lawmakers are determined to fight back .
Legislators are already gearing up for battle , prefiling bills for the 2024 legislative session . Among these bills are one requiring the playing of the national anthem at public schools , one prohibiting the display of unapproved flags on public property , and one banning mask mandates . Cultural issues that failed to get a vote last year , such as school choice and a “ Women ’ s Bill of Rights ,” have also been announced as high priorities .
State Rep . Brock Colvin ( R-Albertville ), who recently announced his bid for State Senate District 9 , filed his bill banning mask mandates after seeing “ so much government overreach ” during the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ As a conservative Republican , I truly believe in a limited , decentralized government for the people ,” Colvin said . “ Decisions as simple as choosing to wear a mask or not should not be up to elected officials , and especially unelected bureaucrats .”
Colvin said the government should play “ a very limited role ” in society , a belief many conservatives share .
But it ’ s that belief in limited government that has many criticizing Republicans for their active calls for government intervention in cultural issues — issues such as banning men from playing in women ’ s sports or removing sexually explicit books from children ’ s libraries . Are such calls for government intervention hypocritical ?
“ A lot of this comes down to how you view law and the purpose of law ,” Laura Clark , president of the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty , told 1819 News . “ The founders viewed the law as just written to reflect what already is . It ’ s a natural law view . Law should prohibit what the laws of nature and nature ’ s God prohibits and promotes what it does . We model our laws after the laws of nature and nature ’ s God , also called the moral law or natural law .”
Using the examples of inappropriate library book removal and bans on drag shows for minors , Clark said such issues are not so much about censorship as they are about protecting kids .
“ From the beginning of time , we have had laws protecting children and how they are to be treated ,” she said . “ The common law presumes we can raise our children how we wish , but also prohibited people from beating them .”
“ Also , there ’ s a difference between freedom of action versus speech ,” Clark continued . “ Drag shows are actions . It ’ s a form of abuse . We prohibit children from being exposed to sexually explicit things because it harms their development , gives them lasting trauma . We typically have agreed , as a society , that children shouldn ’ t go to strip clubs . As parents , we can teach kids that strippers are moral beings , but we can ’ t just take them to a strip club . It ’ s the same concept .”
State Rep . Susan DuBose ( R-Hoover ) is leading the charge on these issues affecting children and women ’ s sports . She recently condemned the American Library Association and the Alabama Library Association for mishandling the explicit book situation , and her “ What is a Woman ” Act is expected to be reintroduced in 2024 . However , when it comes to debating these topics , DuBose said she doesn ’ t like the term “ culture war ” and would prefer to reach as amicable a solution as possible .
“ A war indicates you got winners and losers , like somebody ’ s beating somebody else , whereas I want to try to win some of those people over ,” DuBose told 1819 News .
She said as long as people view politics as “ war ” and each other as enemies , they ’ ll continue to divide , leading to worse outcomes for everyone .
“ We have got to figure out a way to start talking with respect and listening to each other ,” she said . “ We ’ ve got to work , live , and play together , and we can ’ t go on if this is a war . It ’ s not war . These are real people we ’ re talking about , and these issues , while we may have different views , we have to come to a reconciliation ; we have to , at times , come to a compromise . At times , I ’ m not going to get my way , but that doesn ’ t mean we can ’ t live , work , play , respect , and love each other .”
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