"DEFINING OUR FEARS"

Page 4 of the Weekend, Saturday-Sunday, January 14-15, 2023 edition of our local newspaper, the Parsons Sun, includes a notable article titled “The Kansas GOP cannot define what it fears.”   Not only read-worthy, but also warranting some fair and balanced scrutiny.

For example, according to referenced article, during a recent January 2023 press conference the KS House Majority Leader and KS Senate President were asked to define what they meant by references to “woke ideology.” And, apparently from what the author considers to be insufficiently definitive responses to such questioning, his article—by way of title and content—declares “the KS GOP” incapable of defining its fears.

Yes, a “KS GOP” that, according to September 2022 KS Secretary of State Voter Registration Statistics, entails some 874,446 registered Republicans—all being “group-characterized” by the author’s dissatisfaction with press conference responses expressed by an obvious “very limited few.”

Furthermore, a bit of fair and balanced scrutiny will likely find that, nowhere within referenced writing did the author elect to explain—in clear and definitive terms—what woke/woke ideology “actually entails.”  That is, a fact-based explanation likely considered of special interest to the many among us—not only statewide but also nationwide—who continue to seek credible understanding regarding this very controversial subject, as the spread and real/perceived consequences are witnessed throughout many of our institutions and other aspects of society.

Nevertheless, and not to be unappreciated, herein referenced article does exemplify the expression of ever-so-crucial U.S. Constitution (First Amendment) declared freedom of speech and the press.  While, and most unfortunately so, much of the article’s content and tone also demonstrate the use of counter-productive “projection”—that is, accusing others of that which the accuser(s) often actually are and/or do.

Such as, the article’s declaration that the intent of the KS Republican lawmakers’ herein referenced January 2023 press conference was 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;” and that their whole idea is to ... “keep low-information voters angry, but unsure what they’re angry about.”

Personally, I am among the many whose fears for our country suffer not from vagueness or disillusionment.   Fears—more aptly threats—such as, but by no means limited to: (1.) an out of control and now exceeding $31 trillion U.S. National Debt; (2.) a failing U.S. economy plagued by record high inflation, energy dependency, etc.; (3) unsecured U.S. borders and ongoing illegal-alien invasions; (4.) an ever-growing and increasingly intrusive federal government; (5.) fraudulent and perceived-fraudulent U.S. elections; and (6.) wide-spread crime and drug abuse.   Fears rendered no less real or less relevant by what may be considered by some to be an inability to properly articulate them.

Fears likely to continue unresolved until confronted by a nature of responsibility not limited by political leanings, nor undeterred by ignorance, apathy, complacency, denial, greed, or . . . by fear itself.

                                    —William James Moore   01/16/2023

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SPECIAL NOTE: The above article was also published in the Public Mind section on page 3 of the Weekend, Saturday-Sunday, January 21-23, 2023 Edition of our local newspaper, the Parsons Sun.  With due and sincere appreciation for the community service offered by way of the Sun’s Public Mind feature, I also fully recognize that any/all printings therein are totally “optional” on the part of the Sun, an established publisher.  Nevertheless, posted above is my “Original” 01/16/2023 submission . . . with “red fonts” used to denote areas that were, for unexplained reasons, omitted from the newspaper printed version via the Sun’s editing function.  Omissions that are unfortunately “message-changing” in nature, and were undertaken without my (the originating author’s) advance knowledge or concurrence.    —William James Moore.

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"Click" on the below image to view the Rod Haxton article to which above "Defining Our Fears" is responding to: