Last week Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis nominated Neptune Beach resident Esther Byrd to the State Board of Education.
Byrd is an eight-year Marine Corps veteran and works as the legal assistant and office manager in the law office of her husband, state Rep. Cord Byrd.
It’s unclear exactly why DeSantis chose Byrd. But a smear campaign has begun.
The website Florida Politics referred to Byrd as the “QAnon-adjacent defender” of the Jan. 6, 2021, “insurrection.” The piece also noted that Esther, an unapologetic Donald Trump supporter, also defended the Proud Boys.
But on Tuesday, Florida Politics revealed a scandal involving Esther.
She once advocated that the children’s books written by the late Rush Limbaugh be added to an elementary school in her community.
In April 2016, Esther offered a social media post on a Limbaugh fan page in which she asked the talk-radio giant to provide some of his books to the school.
Between 2013 and 2017 Limbaugh wrote a series of five books for ages 12 and under about the adventures of “Rush Revere.” The series began with the Pilgrims’ landing and ended with George Washington becoming president.
In her post, Esther described her husband as a “dedicated” listener, a gun law lawyer and a candidate for the Florida House. She noted he had been invited to read to a second-grade class and discuss his work. It was customary for guest readers to bring a gift, she added.
“This is the most conservative district in Florida so I think they would be well received by most parents,” Esther wrote in asking Limbaugh to donate a book for each student in the class.
Florida Politics said it’s unclear if Limbaugh responded to the request. But Esther’s pitch means the future of Florida’s education system is fraught with something suspicious.
“The move,” the website observed, “offers a glimpse into what her approach to curriculum might be like for some and potentially will bring renewed scrutiny to the nomination from others.”
Florida Politics might have a point.
It’s doubtful Esther Byrd would want to subject Florida’s schoolchildren to the literary works that have surfaced in school districts in other states, such as “Gender Queer,” “Lawn Boy,” which includes a scene of 10-year-old boys engaging in oral sex, and “Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts),” in which a gay teenager flaunts his sex life.
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Jest teh Rush copies, Libtards !