BY RICHARD L. FRICKER

The Randy Terrill report by the bipartisan House of Representatives’ Special Investigative Committee is not exactly a whitewash, but it isn’t a stinging investigation, either. Mostly what it is, is a lot of Republicans wanting a worrisome pest out of their way. It’s not unlike asking, “What’s your favorite color? Plaid!!”

Since there is little on the legislative books to define “ethics” there wasn’t much to go on when it came to thumping Terrill a good one. Many thought Speaker Kris Steele had already done that with the official House reprimand handed out last session.

As one source said, reps were just tired of his foul language and threats.

Terrill has been stripped of most of his committee leverage. About all he has left is the Evangelical Taliban and Tea Party. And while most Republican legislators run in terror and hide in the closet from the evangelical tea threat – and no one has yet to define just what that threat actually is – all it would take would be to stand up to these jokers. They have shown to lack much when it comes to governance. So Terrill is relegated to lunching with the unwashed who claim to have the secret answer.

What the report did say: the legislative situation that allowed Terrill and Anthony Sykes in the Senate to engineer this little fiasco has been fixed. The days of rushing through legislation at the last minute when they little time to read and digest are over – at least that’s what they’re selling in the report.

So, not much has changed. Terrill and former Sen. Debbe Leftwich are still charged with felony crimes [preliminary hearing scheduled Oct. 31 in Oklahoma County district court].

The Legislature is tossing about upcoming legislation. And the governor, well, just what is she doing?

Maybe she writing her memoirs of Ireland, which none of us are allowed to read … national security. In fact the trip was soooo secret neither the U.S. Department of State nor the Embassy in Ireland knew she was on the holy soil.

– Richard L. Fricker lives in Tulsa, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer. His latest book, Martian Llama Racing Explained, is available at http://www.richardfricker.com.