Learning to discern

There’s an old maxim that says “there are two sides to every story.” In fact it’s so old it can be found in the Bible, although not in so many words. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” In other words, if you only hear half the story it seems to ring true until the other side is presented to shed more light on the situation.

The skill of determining the truth of anything is called discernment and it is sadly lacking these days, especially in our political discourse. With information bombarding us 24/7 through the news media, websites, social media and our friends and neighbors, how do we discern what is really true?

One key is to always look at where the information is coming from. Does the social media post cite reliable sources such as reputable news organizations or—better yet—original documents, or does it merely assert something is factual with no evidence to back it up?

I have received thousands of emails since taking office in January. Most are sharing their thoughts or positions on specific bills, which is great, because, whether we agree or disagree on the issues, I want— need—to hear from the citizens of Legislative District 34! Unfortunately, however, sometimes the concerns constituents write to me about are not based in fact but merely reflect the talking points and straw man arguments of those opposed to the legislation in question.

With that in mind let me tell you about a tremendous resource the Nebraska Legislature has that we use in our office every day. It’s the website nebraskalegislature.gov. This website allows users to find their senator, follow the Unicameral Update that is printed once a week during session and monitor the activity of each bill and resolution that is introduced. During live debate, you can even follow along using the Chamber Viewer function and actually read the documents related to the bill being currently debated as it is introduced and voted on.

On each bill’s history page, you will find the Statement of Intent, which is the public record stating what the bill is intended to accomplish, as well as the Fiscal Note listing the legislation’s cost to the state. Also available to review is the Committee Statement which is the public record of who testified and what actions were taken on the bill in committee. Every amendment, vote and motion is also listed on the bill’s history page.

Furthermore, each bill is written in legislative format, which means if a sentence or a section has a line drawn through it, that language is being taken out of the law. And if a section is underlined, that language is being added to law. At the end of the bill, there is also a section that will state if a specific statute is being completely deleted by the bill.

Let me close by illustrating how this could be a useful tool when looking at a particular piece of legislation. Keep in mind that some special interest groups will leave out important facts from their talking points when they don’t line up with their agenda. For instance, the Washington, D.C. based proabortion group, “Free & Just” has placed billboards in hightraffic areas in Omaha that state, “Women are going to jail under Nebraska’s abortion ban.” The undiscerning reader would infer that this is taking place because of the new law passed this year that bans abortions after 12 weeks of gestation.

When pushed to explain how the billboards are factual, the group mentions the tragic case of a teen from Madison County who prosecutors allege selfaborted her baby after 20 weeks (Nebraska’s previous longstanding statute banned abortions after 20 weeks of gestation), then burned and buried the baby’s body illegally.

The group’s assertion that the charges against the teen and her mother who aided her in the crimes, stems from the 12-week abortion ban bill is provably false, however.

If one looks at the actual text of the new law (LB 574), they will see that Section 6 clearly states: “No woman upon whom an abortion is attempted, induced, or performed shall be liable for a violation of the Preborn Child Protection Act.”

As the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to say, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” The lesson here is to be discerning! Arm yourself with facts, get informed by using tools such as nebraskalegislature.gov, do your own research and don’t be misled by those who have an agenda that runs counter to your worldview and values. As our Lord said, “the truth will set you free.”

Loren Lippincott represents Legislative District 34 in the Nebraska State Senate. Read his column in the Nance County Journal.