After hearing a press conference by Republican lawmakers in Topeka earlier this week, no one could be blamed for immediately searching for a pair of ruby red slippers they could click together and, closing their eyes exclaim, “Get me the heck out of Kansas!”
It was terrifying to hear the claims of “sexualized” young people, babies who are aborted after they are already born, transgender athletes hoarding gold medals and parents who are powerless as the minds of their children are being warped by “woke ideology.”
Of course, that was the intent of conservative lawmakers . . . to instill fear about vague concepts that even they don’t understand, to manufacture lies out of thin air and to stir anger among the easily disillusioned.
The Kansas that lawmakers claimed we have become — and the one which actually exists — are not one and the same. In fact, when it comes down to what people should fear, and the Republican plan for replacing our current liberal depravity with their vision of social order and morality, conservatives are purposely hazy.
When asked at the press conference to define what he meant by a woke ideology, House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins replied, “Go and Google it.”
Senate President Ty Masterson offered an explanation that was no more definitive: “Woke means the focus on identity and dividing us into different groups and causing fractions.”
“That’s what it means to me, is this focus on somebody’s individual — your innate characteristics, about somehow you’re different from everyone else.”
Still confused? Google it.
As Rep. John Carmichael (D-Wichita) countered, “. . . we can’t base legislative policy on something that is not defined.”
And that’s the whole idea . . . to keep low information voters angry, but unsure what they’re angry about.
If the idea behind wokeness is the belief that “you’re different from everyone else” – which we can only assume Masterson is suggesting – how is that a problem? How is accepting the fact we are all unique individuals undermining civil society?
But any effort to find substance hidden within Masterson’s word salad is a waste of time.
Not so difficult to understand is the hodge-podge of misinformation, outright lies and even — heaven forbid — government overreach, being offered by Republican lawmakers.
Masterson claimed, “All our commonsense (abortion) restrictions are under attack.” If he means preventing abortions in cases of incest, rape and when the mother’s life is at risk, he’s absolutely right.
As for implying that Democrats support unchecked abortions at any time, no one in Kansas is suggesting they be allowed beyond the state’s legal limit of 22 weeks of gestation.
Masterson is attempting to create an issue where none exists.
Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Republican chairing the Education Committee, offered without evidence — a common theme during the press conference — a claim that parents “don’t have a voice” in their schools.
