Rep. Jennifer Canady's false abortion testimony violated her oath to Lakeland Christian School

If lying publicly meant as much to the newly-public Lakeland Christian as hating gay fellow citizens, LCS leaders would punish Canady like they did Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” — Exodus 20:16

“We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible authoritative Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21-22; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 3:16; John 5:39)” — First bullet of Lakeland Christian School’s binding “Statement of Faith” for everyone affiliated with the school.

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I knew then-legislative candidate Jennifer Canady was testifying falsely to me — and everyone else — about her position on forced birth back in July. She was asked multiple times in an NAACP forum if she supported maintaining legal abortion at 15 weeks. She filibustered and then lied and declared she would take a passive approach to forced birth law.

Specifically she said: “What happens in the future will be something we need to watch.” This was after I pressed and pressed her to get an actual answer. Eventually the moderator had to stop me from asking.

Canady did not want to say what she intended to do because doing so would hurt her campaign. Cruel and brutal forced birth, backed by pain of state punishment, is very unpopular everywhere, even among Republicans in Polk County. It was a simple, expedient act of political prevarication.

See my account below of Canady’s performance at this event, which links to another account from Lakeland Now, to see the videos in question.

It doesn't matter if you elect Phillip Walker or Jennifer Canady as District 50's valet to the prom king

Actively imposing forced birth before women know they’re pregnant

Fast forward nine months: Jennifer Canady is not waiting to see “what happens in the future.” She’s actively sponsoring a bill that would require forced birth after just six weeks, at which time most women don’t even know they’re pregnant.

Obedient and cowardly Jennifer Canady won’t publicly protect Lakeland Electric, low city taxes, and Lakeland’s quality of life.

But she will happily kill and maim and torment many many more women and couples, like the Lakeland couple ex-Sen. Kelli Stargel recently condemned to the brutal forced birth of a doomed fetus.

Here’s The Ledger story on Canady and the 6-week forced birth bill:

Though only in her first term in the Florida House, Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, has become one of the primary sponsors on a high-priority bill.

Canady last week became the second lead sponsor of House Bill 7, which would ban abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions.

Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, introduced the legislation on March 7, the opening day of the 60-day legislative session. It is one of the most contentious bills so far filed in the session and follows upon a law enacted last year that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Canady did not respond to interview requests.

Yeah I guess not. LOL.

You, the public, are the only Liar Correction Board to which anyone can appeal

Politics and pursuit of earthly power is full of lies and liars and people of bad character too weak to risk any personal or political consequence for any supposed belief or act of power.

All of that describes perfectly Jennifer Canady. But she is just the latest shameless beneficiary of nepotism and taxpayer money living in Polk County to maliciously take up space in the Legislature and attack the bodies and quality of life of her own constituents. She’s very much in the gross Kelli Stargel tradition.

So there’s no real novelty in that — or larger political repercussions for it.

There is no Liar Correction Board to which someone might appeal — other than voters who don’t have much time or energy to pay close attention. That’s why people of bad character, like Canady, always have a superficial advantage in politics because of their deep willingness to lie to constituents.

The fact that they walk through life in a fog of dishonor, with no personal agency, is its own punishment for the most part. And if Jennifer Canady was just Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady’s self-employed wife, you could just add her the numbing pile of similar people holding office and some scrap of official power.

Lakeland Christian (on the cusp of becoming a fully-public school) should publicly discipline Jennifer Canady for breaking its oath

But a few facts make Jennifer Canady’s specific situation a bit more interesting and worth noting and following, moving forward.

1. Canady took an oath to Lakeland Christian School that Trumps her oath to the public: Jennifer Canady has taken an oath to her employer, Lakeland Christian School, that governs her public life. We know that it governs her public life because LCS forced Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz off Lakeland Christian’s board because LCS perceived him as too friendly to LGBT people in his official duties as mayor.

2. Canady violated the LCS oath: The first bullet of that oath describes the Bible as the “only infallible authoritative Word of God.” And thou “shalt not give false testimony against your neighbor” seems pretty authoritative. To my reading, Lakeland Christian’s oath required Jennifer Canady to answer my question and announce that not only did she support a six-week ban, she planned to actively sponsor the bill imposing. That is not “what happens in the future will be something we need to watch.” She didn’t want voters to know what she planned to do; so she lied to them. If LCS took false testimony as seriously as hating gay people, school leaders would impose some for of disciplinary action. (You can feel free to argue the meaning of “lie” with God if you’re feeling lawyerly. I’m not gonna do it.)

3. Canady just voted to make Lakeland Christian a public school and give its parents $8,000 of your money per student: Jennifer Canady, the Legislature, and Ron DeSantis are about to make Lakeland Christian a full-fledged public school — promising $8,000-ish of my money and yours to parents of every child at the very wealthy school. She is — sort of — swiping that $8,000 in free money for people like the Harrells from the kids who have nothing in public schools. (DeSantis has long referred to private schools taking public money as “public schools.” But the new universal voucher takes away all doubt.) I care about where my tax money goes and the religious oaths that get to spend it. So expect me to be in your business, LCS, as much I would be the Polk School District — much more than I ever was when you were not in mine. Indeed, I’d love to hear from any disgruntled (or gruntled) LCS parents to let me know about oath violations, bullying, school complaints, or even excellent programs. (I’ve already heard plenty over the years.) You’re a public school now, LCS. Even Ron DeSantis said it. Enjoy that with the extra $8,000.

All in all, I find Canady’s behavior entirely predictable.

Jennifer Canady is exactly who I thought she was, as a public official at least — and that’s all I remotely care about. She and LCS have given us yet another useful view of the morality of fake political Christianity.

So I intend to take special interest in how she follows her oaths to Lakeland Christian and the public throughout her “career” as our latest state legislator of nepotism.

Remember: this is what you wanted.