What to Know About the Poem Controversy

Yes, it’s Florida again

Amanda Gorman recites a poem during the inauguration of Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 20, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

I’ve written before about Governor DeSantis whose decisions and actions are unchecked by the Florida legislature with its massive Republican majority. His ongoing battles with the largest employer in the state, the revered Disney World, is shocking and may tank his political career.

Add to that the resident craziness of the Florida Man jokes and the shenanigans of the Boomers running wild in the Villages and you have a toxic mix. The fact that Trump’s headquarters is in Florida only adds to the potentially combustible brew. So there’s a lot to write about, politically, in Florida.

Along with all the other books banned or limited to Florida’s school children, the spotlight is now on Amanda Gorman’s poem, The Hill We Climb, which was read at President’s Biden inauguration.

Here are some facts about the controversy:

• The complaint was made by one mother. One.
• The mother, Daily Salinas, has two children in the school.
• She thought it had been written by Oprah Winfrey.
• By her own admission, she is “…not a reader. I’m not a book person.”
• She thought it would “cause confusion and indoctrinate students” according to documents obtained by the…