NW Twin Cities

Sen. Scott Newman said we are living in an Orwellian time period in American history, with left wing activists attempting to erase vital American history with the tearing down of historically significant statues such as the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Benjamin Franklin statue and the Robert E. Lee statue that has been in New Orleans since 1884, according to the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus website.

Left wing activists also seek to rename places of American historical value. The name "Orwellian" refers to George Orwell, a prolific writer who authored the novel "1984," which depicts tactics used by an overbearing political party to essentially erase the history of people who go against the party, Newman said.

“In many places, activists are simply taking matters into their own hands and tearing down statues,” Newman said. “Remember, it was only three months ago that criminals illegally tore down the statue of Christopher Columbus on the capitol grounds. In addition, there are efforts underway by the Minnesota Historical Society to change the names of other places, and the Capitol Preservation Council has looked at removing or relocating artwork in the capitol that they disagree with.”

Newman said this growing movement of activists on the left is Orwellian.

“No matter what you think of the individuals to whom we have created these monuments, we cannot and should not erase history from our collective memories. History is complicated and sometimes embarrassing, but sanitizing it is not the answer. There are ways to confront the aspects of our history that we are less than proud of without pretending it never happened," he said.