WHERE'S WFB WHEN YOU NEED HIM:

On a sunny Saturday in a Knoxville, Tennessee park, a man with a microphone told a crowd of parents to bar entry to their children's schools.

"Starting Monday morning and until this is over, we need to bring Knox County schools to a screeching halt," he said to applause. He called on parents, students, and staff to participate. "We have a moral obligation to our children's future. Block the entrance to the school with your car. That's my suggestion. Block the entrance to the drive--don't even let a bus in your schools. If you can be that bold in your groups, do it."

The event, "Parents In The Park" was billed as a meet-up for parents who objected to a mask mandate in Knox County schools. But the Sept. 26 gathering was more than just concerned caregivers. It was organized and hosted by the John Birch Society (JBS), a far-right organization that found the peak of its power in the 1960s and '70s--when it fought civil rights legislation, attracted segregationists, and believed that communists were poisoning Americans with fluoride--before rejection by mainstream conservatives sent it into decline. But the organization has made efforts to rebuild since the 2010s. And in its opposition to COVID-19 restrictions, the once-fringe group is hoping to tap into a popular right-wing grievance.

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