Thread by @HC_Exvangelical

One part of the radicalization that bothers me the most isn't just that it's anti-public education and anti-science but that it's also that homeschooling turns children and parents into direct action political activists and foot soldiers for right-wing candidates. 1/

https://twitter.com/C_Stroop/status/1285773643662757888

I started thinking about this again after my original tweet that the Texas Homeschooling Coalition was seeing increased interest in homeschooling amid the COVID-19 crisis. I'm sure the GOP is thinking about it as well. 2/

https://twitter.com/HC_Exvangelical/status/1285771393016238081

There are whispers that Texas is shifting more to the left (I'll believe it when I see it happen). However, to maintain power, the GOP is going to require political activists. Homeschoolers make great activists. 3/

From the Texas Homeschooling Coalition website:

"During the election cycles, THSC uses local committees and a questionnaire to vet and select candidates to endorse who will defend parental rights at every level."

thsc.org/political-acti… 4/

And more:

"Year round THSC also hosts the THSC Rangers program, which supports clubs in local areas to train home school students on political activism and the political process, engaging them in local politics." 5/

Homeschoolers make perfect political activists for the GOP. Students are not subject to rigid school schedules. There is always a parent or guardian home when most of us are working. They are radicalized against the left, and they believe they have to fight for their rights. 6/

To quote @C_Stroop "for decades the Christian Right has successfully used [homeschooling] as a vehicle to radicalize parents and children alike." Political activism is definitely a part of that radicalization. 7/

"Politics is a lifestyle for homeschoolers." Homeschoolers have, historically, had to fight for the right to homeschool and they continue that fight by endorsing candidates that are friendly to the their cause. This continues with each election cycle. 8/

reuters.com/article/us-usa…

They canvas door to door, man phone banks, participate in parades and have helped elevate candidates like Santorum, Huckabee, and Bachmann. Candidates promise protections for homeschoolers as they oppose public education. 9/

This activism doesn't end when students graduate from homeschool. It goes on into college. Evangelical homeschoolers loathe the idea of sending their children to secular universities. Instead they opt for places like Oral Roberts University or other religious universities. 10/

At these universities, their children will still learn about God and Jesus, attend church services, and maintain the lessons of their evangelical roots. They'll also maintain the political activism of their upbringing. 11/

Oral Roberts University, in particular, has a long and shady history of political involvement. The university offers college credit for campaigning. The school sponsors the trips, and the GOP offers "walking money" to the students 12/

tulsaworld.com/news/local/gov…

ORU has been so involved in politics that it's even had its own share of the political scandals you'd expect from the GOP, and the College Republicans have been right in the middle. 13/

nbcnews.com/id/21156263/ns…

Scandals aside, we need to understand the political machine of evangelical schooling. With a homeschool and private school path to private universities, the political radicalization starts on kids when they are young and continues onward from there 14/

GET INVOLVED! Fighting this involves more than just voting. Fight for your schools, register voters, and counter these political foot soldiers at every opportunity. Be wiling to fight at the local, state, and national level, because our opponents are fighting on all fronts. 15/