Jim Banks: “I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Texas for organizing this important conversation that we are…”

“I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Texas for organizing this important conversation that we are having here this evening. There is so much, as the gentleman has already said, that makes America great, our history, our culture, our values, our people. But, Mr. Speaker, 300 years ago, colonists left their homes to come to these shores and become free. They didn't want to be bullied for their beliefs anymore. Our Founding Fathers thought this freedom was so important they enshrined it in the First Amendment. But it is under attack more than ever today in the form of what has become known as the ``cancel culture.'' If you hold the wrong beliefs; if you support the wrong candidate; if you affiliate yourself with the wrong party; if you watch the wrong news network, you can get canceled; which means that they can take your job, they can take your privacy and your reputation away from you in a flash. You can even get canceled for not doing something. If you refuse to utter or endorse the so-called politically correct movements or phrases, they will come to destroy you. This is an affront to the very idea of what America is and who we are, as Americans, and I vow to fight it with every fiber of my being. I appreciate my colleague from Texas organizing this Special Order to talk about these important issues, but from the bottom of my heart, this is what is on my mind and my heart as we serve in this body today.…”