by Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

Silencing Truth
Glimpses of truth, like beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds, can be seen in our culture despite attempts to silence it. At the Colorado legislature, the efforts to silence truth are encased in attempts to shame the truth tellers by accusing them of violating institutional decorum and cultural sensitivity. According to those in control in the Colorado House, speaking about the biological realities of male and female are akin to claiming the earth is flat. During one debate on the House floor, legislators were told which words they could use to refer to people addicted to drugs — “addict” was strictly forbidden.
 
The latest attempt to silence the minority was last weekend. Three gun control bills were brought forward for debate on the House floor. After hours of debate, lasting through Friday and reconvening on Saturday, the majority pulled out a little used rule to shut down the minority and silence debate. They then called the House in on Sunday — the Lord’s Day — in order to ramrod the gun bills through the process. Representative Bottoms, a pastor from El Paso County, addressed their shenanigans and was accused of speaking hate. 

These efforts to silence the truth are born out of a desire to shape and control the narrative around everything in culture with the goal of transforming us into a utopia formed in their image. The narrative around the family is not immune to being restructured. During the debate around HB23-1003 School Mental Health Assessment, the sponsors spoke about how parents are barriers to children receiving appropriate mental health care. It is the belief of the Marxist that the experts of the state know better how to nurture and care for children and that parents are a stumbling block. If this narrative takes hold and parents remain silent, where do you think this will leave the future of home education?
 
Take Action!
We must stand up for all parents and voice our consternation against their move to firmly plant a wall between child and parent. Read HB23-1003. Let the members of the Senate Health & Human Services committee and let your voice be heard. The bill is scheduled to be in committee on Thursday, April 6^th. If you are able to testify in person or remotely, please do! There will also be a gathering, sponsored by the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN), that day from 10 am to 1 pm on the west steps of the Capitol.
 
Let it not be said of us that we were silent in the face of tyranny but that we spoke the truth and upheld God’s principles in word and deed.

Trusting in the mighty power and grace of Jesus,
Carolyn Martin, CHEC Director of Government Relations 
carolyn@chec.org

About the Author: Carolyn Martin

Carolyn Martin serves as CHEC’s Director of Government Relations, working for you and other liberty-loving families to protect homeschool freedom, parental rights, and religious liberty at the state capitol. Subscribe to the CHEC blog for Carolyn’s regular updates here, learn more about legal issues in Colorado here, and donate to support Homeschool Freedom here. Contact Carolyn directly at carolyn@chec.org.