Hello from Bismarck, 

Feb 26th, 2021

We have made it to the half way mark in the session.  What a thrill it is to serve the citizens of district 4.  

This week was a flurry because we had to deal with 180 bills out of the House to select which to send over to the Senate side.

One of the last bills ones we passed (HB1503) was dealing with free speech in our colleges, both for our professors and the students.  I have been receiving emails from parents telling me that students in North Dakota, if they have conservative values, are fearful to speak up.  One lady sent me a message about her son being in a class where the professor went off on a tangent about him (the student) needing to understand his “white privilege”.  The student didn’t think it was germane to the course so he complained to the dean.  The dean told the student that he did indeed need to understand his “white privilege” and that it was germane to the course because the course dealt with ethics.

We are dealing with the COVID pandemic that is causing problems for America, but that pandemic is nothing as serious as the epidemic that is sweeping across our nation.  The epidemic of ingratitude for what this country offers every one of its citizens.  This ingratitude is being manifest in what I will call ‘hyper-racism’.  

I have received calls out of California and Oregon from well-meaning ladies who told me that I needed to be educated on my “white privilege”.  I had to laugh because I was raised in poverty and these two ladies had absolutely no information to accuse me of suffering with “white privilege”.  This is what I mean by hyper-racism.  I was being judged purely by the color of my skin and my position as a legislator.

I love America.  I love the opportunities that it has afforded me to apply discipline, hard work, and management of the resources I had to work with. I could lift myself out of the cycle of poverty I was born into.  I realized that the term “privilege” is not the proper word for these people to be using when assessing someone’s status in life.  A more proper word that should be used in place of privilege would be ACCOMPLISHMENTS.  

My father and grandfather taught me to love and respect America, to appreciate the hard work and effort our founding fathers and progenitors applied in this country so we could enjoy the lifestyle that we have today.  I was told I needed to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and any other addictive substance that would diminish my abilities to reach my goals.  I was taught that I should stay away from physical relations until I was married and settled so that I would be able to rear children in a wholesome environment.  I was told to get an education so that I could use wisdom and find a career where I could be productive and give back to the country that I love.

The division that is developing in this country driven by this hyper-racism needs to be stopped.  If it is not stopped it will destroy us from within.  A house divided cannot stand.  We are all of the human race.  There is no other division that is healthy between the races.  

I love North Dakota and I love America and the opportunity that is afforded all citizens. 

As always, contact me if you have questions or comments.  [email protected]  701.627.3397

Terry Jones