Currently, officials in China have communicated to the world that their citizens are carefully “socialized” to fit the greater culture of the Chinese landscape. For instance, the Uyghur Muslim people, who have staunchly resisted Chinese culture and philosophy, have been targets of China’s “socialization.” When the world decided to look deeper into the “socialization” program, we discovered that the Chinese had a different definition for socialization than the rest of the known world.
While most consider socialization to be an educational process whereby people willingly participate in different programs to understand and hopefully embrace the prevailing culture, for the Chinese, “socialization” is often a process whereby people are detained by force in prison camps. While incarcerated, they are made to attend classes on Chinese communist philosophy. Those who resist the process are beaten into mental submission. Those who refuse to condescend often succumb to a slow death, under the oppressive and brutal condition of their interment.
Well, as much as I’d like to think that China’s politicization of word definitions is simply isolated to their country, I’m afraid we are seeing an alarming increase of the same type of dishonest and pernicious tactic here in North Carolina. Take for instance, the recent abortion legislation that the state legislature passed by veto override.
According to both President Biden and Gov. Cooper, S.B. 20 was described as an “abortion ban.” Such a definition was not only inaccurate but purposely inflammatory. S.B. 20 allows for abortion up to 12 weeks. That is not an abortion ban. It is not even close to an abortion ban. Yet, this is the definition handed to our citizens by our executive office holders.
Next, take for instance Gov. Cooper’s “Educational State of Emergency.” Recently, Cooper took to the airwaves and digital world to lobby against school vouchers. That is fine. However, he wrongfully used his executive office powers to declare a “state of emergency.” That is reckless and dangerous. Considering what our country has seen in pandemics, natural disasters, and civil unrest, such an egregious use of emergency powers is not only unfortunate, but it is also a disservice to all Americans.
Lastly, I end by asking you to consider the situation at our southern border. Aliens from all parts of the world are being allowed to violate our sovereignty and laws by a federal government that refuses to guard our border. Officials in those border states and surrounding regions have then paid for the illegal aliens to be transported to states that have vocally supported open borders. However, those states are now calling such relocations “state-sanctioned kidnapping.” This is disgusting slight of hand used to defer responsibility from the federal government’s failure to carry out its duties and to heap those responsibilities on our state governments.
To these political illiterates who refuse to call the executive office to accountability, I ask if they share any concern about all the kidnappings that are actually taking place with all the unaccompanied children being brought across our border. Have they shown any public concern for the young men and women being trafficked into slave labor markets and prostitution rings? Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like they have.
In conclusion, I call our state officials and federal officials to be honest with terms and reality. “Your truth” does not supersede the actual truth and the objective definitions that are universally accepted. Please do your job with integrity and forthrightness.
Rep. Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson, is a United States Marine Corps veteran and former public school teacher. Ken is the lead pastor of Door of Life Church in Wilson. He is married to Francesca. Together they have three children. Republished from carolinajournal.com.
