Sarasota. The home of white-sand beaches, Jerry Springer, and the Ringling brothers. And now, the city’s newspaper of record, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, published an op-ed by Melissa Radovich, a concerned mother and executive at a manufacturing education company. Radovich, a “God-fearing Christ follower” and “patriot” married to “a man who defends his family and their freedoms”, is no fan of abortion rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, or communism in general, as she criticises the Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association for being linked to a left-wing activist, given that the Sarasota County Schools district serves a largely conservative area.
But the kicker is that Radovich has came to the defence of the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group designated as a terrorist group by the governments of Canada and New Zealand, on her op-ed that was titled “Attacking Proud Boys does a disservice to caring school parents”.
When I think about the Proud Boys, I think of fathers, business owners and veterans. These fathers have spoken at many School Board meetings. They are concerned about the direction that their local schools are heading in, and I commend them for coming to School Board meetings.
Radovich has highlighted the principles of the Proud Boys:
- They are opposed to abortion.
- They stand for America and freedom, and against communist organizations.
- They believe that discussions of homosexuality are best left to parents, and that this is an issue of parental rights.
- They stand against medical mandates, such as the illegal mask mandate in Sarasota County.
One must note that Melissa Radovich herself is married to a member of the Proud Boys, Nicholas Radovich. Both Nicholas and Melissa were known to interrupt Sarasota County Schools board meetings, even sometimes wearing Proud Boys regalia.
Melissa Radovich is a simple mother who will do what is best for her kids. /s
Monday, Jul 11, 2022 · 10:28:32 PM +00:00 · OK Dodo
Oops!
It looks like the Sarasota Herald-Tribune retracted the op-ed, stating that the pro-Proud Boys piece did not meet their journalistic standards. The newspaper apologised for platforming a right-wing extremist group, especially one with loads of members that were involved in the insurrection.