Kansas Reflector misleads readers regarding Ellis County GOP Chair's speech
Updated 06/03/2023 to add more information on the ‘five-point plan.’
The Kansas Reflector, a left-wing media outlet, is known in Kansas for routinely publishing articles that go against the Republican base. Kansas Reflector editor-in-chief Sherman Smith wrote an article that was published on May 15 that took an extremely liberal approach to summing up a speech given by Ellis County GOP Chairman Adam Peters at Riverside Baptist Church in Hutchinson.
At the very start of the article, Smith claimed that Peters “laced his sermon for Reno County Republicans with conspiracy theories about a liberal plot to turn their children against them, LGBTQ-friendly church pastors who signed a contract with Satan, the ubiquitous travesty of critical race theory, and make-believe enemies working to ‘foment violent conflict.'” Smith’s article seems to deliberately take Peters’ quotes out of context to make it seem like the chairman is saying something far more hostile than what he actually was.
At one point in the article, Smith also states,
“From the meeting’s opening prayer to the ending prayer, a divine calling was made clear: Republicans must purge the state of anyone who disagrees with their extremist positions on the LGBTQ community, reproductive health care, education and race.”
It is important to note that a common left-wing tactic is to attack the person and not the ideas. There are prime examples of this from the above quotes I pulled from Smith’s article, of which I also linked, so feel free to check for yourself. Instead of informing the reader of the exact arguments that Peters brought up during his speech, Smith instead uses terms like “conspiracy theories,” “make-believe,” and “extremist positions” to discredit Peters, without ever having to think critically, show studies that support his position, or allude to any form of sensible reasoning to discredit the ideas Peters put forth. Often, this is done when a person can’t actually discredit anything that their ideological opponent was saying. This was considered a “news piece” for the outlet, but these words Smith used are more indicative of an unhinged, far-left opinion piece than a credible news article.
The Hays Post, in Ellis County had published Smith’s piece in their paper, to which Peters responded with a letter to the editor, debunking some of Smith’s claims.
“Whereas Smith accused me of taking an ‘extremist position’ on race, I unequivocally denounced any form of racial bigotry 12:26 minutes into my Q&A, saying, ‘No one should ever be vilified, or blamed, or hurt, or discriminated against because of the way they happen to look.’ I also asked listeners at 17:57 minutes to treat those who do not fit traditional gender norms with dignity, stressing how ‘we need to keep in mind there are people who are struggling, and we need to approach them with love and kindness.'”
Smith also claimed to have received a recording of the two-hour talk, yet did not bother to link any recordings to his article so that his readers could listen and judge for themselves. However, the majority of this talk was recorded and put onto Right Edge Media’s Rumble where anyone can watch part 1, part 2, and part 3, and make a more educated decision for themselves. The two hours was made up of Peters roughly 35-minute speech (part 1), followed by a half-hour Q&A session (parts 2 and 3). Peters told The Kansas Constitutional in an email that his presentation was followed by an “informal discussion among attendees” of which was not recorded. He also said he did not lead the discussion, though, at times, participated in it. Claiming that this led to “several out of context quotes.” He specifically mentioned one regarding churches exposing children to drag shows.
“I called the practice ‘satanic’ before sarcastically wondering ‘what documents some of these pastors are signing,'” Peters wrote in his email. “This was a reference to ‘Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness,’ a book aimed at children aged 8 and up which I referenced in my presentation. It states on page 59 that white people made a deal with the devil to gain wealth and privilege at the expense of minorities. In addition to vilifying white children, this message disempowers children of color by teaching that life is hopelessly stacked against them.”
Just doing a simple search on this book, the following summary appears on Brave:
“‘Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness’ is a picture book by Anastasia Higginbotham, part of the Ordinary Terrible Things series.034 The story follows a white child who sees TV news coverage of a white police officer shooting a brown person whose hands were up. The book explains how power and privilege factor into the lives of white children, at the expense of other groups, and how they can help seek justice.2 The book explains in a clear, simple, and easy-to-understand way what White supremacy is and how it’s been used to oppress Black people in the United States for more than 400 years.4 The book invites white families to understand their personal privilege and how their choices can either contribute or dismantle white supremacy.1 The book provides a strong foundation for critical discussions of white people and racism, particularly for young audiences.3″
Going to Amazon, we find that Higginbotham is a White woman who has written a few books that are a part of the ‘Ordinary Terrible Things’ series including a book called, ‘Tell Me About Sex, Grandma.’ The ‘Not My Idea’ book is a 72-page picture book for customers ages 3-10 years old. As of this publishing it has a 3.4 out of 5-star rating. Obviously, you are going to have more people left-of-center rating the book higher and people right-of-center that would rate it lower. However, there was one comment about this book that really stuck out.
In Smith’s article, he also claimed that Peters “outlined his plans — tinted by hints of violence and the assurance that God is on their side — to turn Kansas into a conservative sanctuary.”
Smith used a quote from Peters later on in the article to backup his claim.
“We need to use the tools that are at our disposal,” Peters said. “You know, if we look in scripture, there was a time when the nation of Israel had to take up arms in defense of themselves.”
According to the Kansas Reflector, Peters did not respond to an email they sent, asking about the claim. However, Peters told The Kansas Constitutional that he was speaking in “allegorical terms.”
“The allegorical use of martial rhetoric is common across the political spectrum, as can be seen in phrases like ‘the war on poverty’ or ‘a war on cancer,'” Peters wrote in his email. “The Reflector is obviously aware of this fact yet chose to engage in deliberate misrepresentation.”
Furthermore, what Smith doesn’t mention in the article is that Peters says in his speech, starting at 27:33, “Just to be clear, if anyone else is recording this, I’m not calling to ruin anyone’s life. I’m not supporting Antifa tactics, but there needs to be accountability.”
One of the big things Smith tackles in his article is Peters five-point plan, which I do believe deserves some pushback.
Peters five points, which can be found in the first video at 31:37, include:
- Absolve drivers of civil and criminal liability should they strike rioters blocking a public right of way.
- Make it a felony for people to form mobs and invade businesses.
- Allow the Attorney General to initiate criminal charges when local prosecutors don’t.
- Reform the way the Kansas Supreme Court justices are appointed due to the Kansas Bar Association playing an outsized role and the legal profession being infiltrated by “critical theorists.”
- Ban critical theory from being used in workplace training and prevent organizations that promote critical theory from getting funding.
In an email, Peters clarified that the ban on critical theory use in the work place would apply to government entities and organizations that receive state funding for contracts. This is fine so long as it doesn’t include private businesses who should have the right to train their employees however they see fit. Peters also said that the five-point plan is significantly broader than the issues he brought up in his speech. The ones listed mostly pertain to criminal justice and the judicial component. However, Peters also told The Kansas Constitutional in an email that “there are also suggestions for regulatory reform, reforming education, protecting children from genital mutilation, defending life in the womb, stopping discrimination by financial service providers, and pushing back on the use of ESG scores.”
I do think everyone should read Smith’s article as well as watch Peters speech and Q&A, which again, are all linked in this article. Think for yourself. Don’t let a media outlet tell you what the truth is, including The Kansas Constitutional, I have my own biases, myself, but especially be aware of the ones that are using emotionally charged words that make you feel scared without taking the time to actually dive into the issues, often they are not interested in telling you the whole truth, but rather they’re working to manipulate your thoughts and emotions for their own political agenda.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to share and subscribe. You can also help support independent journalism in Kansas by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/kscon.
Ian Brannan
Ian Brannan is an independent journalist who founded The Kansas Constitutional in April 2022. His work focuses on issues including abortion, Convention of States, drug policy, education, government, LGBT issues, media, and more. He is also the co-host of the Rainbow Rabble-Rousers podcast.
