To Comfort The Afflicted
And Afflict The Comfortable

To Comfort The Afflicted And Afflict The Comfortable

Monday, October 14, 2024

Observercast

Legislative Follies

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BY ARNOLD HAMILTON

Can we really be this backward?

I’ve long told people the Legislature is more representative of this state than many of us care to admit – but the last two days in the House were astonishing even by Oklahoma’s low standards.

Yesterday, 20 would-be theocrats voted against a routine memorializing of the day’s session-opening prayer in the House Journal – all because the chaplain, Rev. Scott Jones of Oklahoma City’s Cathedral of Hope, is gay and had the temerity to introduce “my loving partner and fiancé, Michael.”

Today, lawmakers spent at least twice as much time debating a non-binding resolution – opposing the transfer of “terrorists” from soon-to-be closed Guantanamo Bay to Oklahoma – as they did the critically-important issue of autism.

OK, I admit, Speaker Pro Tem Kris Steele’s autism measure, HB 2027, is nothing but the thinly-disguised Insurance Industry Profits Protection Act of 2009.

Since legislative Republicans aren’t willing to demand insurers cover the epidemic – in effect choosing profits over children – they had to pass something. So they promoted this bill aimed at increasing the number of health professionals that treat autism.

Question: What good does it do to have more health professionals to treat autism if those with the malady can’t afford the care?

I marveled that Steele – a good man who’s been a regular on The Observer’s annual 10-best legislative performances scorecard – could stand before the House and, with a straight face, argue this is the best the Oklahoma Legislature could do.

So instead of facing up to this tough problem, the wingnuts did what they do best: They demagogued a straw issue – in this case, the transfer of Gitmo detainees to military brigs around the country.

It matters not to these flag-waving, Bible-thumping faux patriots that Oklahoma doesn’t even seem to be on the radar to house the detainees. [ABC News reported in mid-January the military is focused on four sites: Camp Pendleton in California, the Miramar Marine Air Station in California, Fort Leavenworth in Kansas and the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in South Carolina.]

What matters is whether clueless voters can be scared into thinking that a liberal Democratic president and a liberal Democratic Congress are on the verge of sending “terrorists” into the Heartland.

In the parallel universe contrived by former President George W. Bush, it doesn’t matter that the detainees [or enemy combatants] haven’t been charged with anything and haven’t been tried in a court of law to determine their guilt.

For Oklahoma’s xenophobic, redneck wingnuts, if the former administration identified them as “terrorists” then, by golly, they are. Period. End of discussion. They aren’t about to acknowledge the detainees might be more accurately described as “alleged terrorists.”

The reason: It’s a cheap, easy way to put Democrats in Oklahoma on the defensive. Can’t you just hear the radio and TV ads? Or the whispers: Rep. So-and-So is un-American. He puts the rights of terrorists over the safety of Oklahomans.

Rep. Rex Duncan of Sand Springs all but telegraphed the GOP game-plan, saying he hopes every lawmaker who voted against the resolution gets “term-limited or beat.”

Of course, what the flag-wavers don’t tell you is that they’ve been more than happy to accept all the federal largesse in recent years as Oklahoma military installations benefited from a series of BRAC decisions.

How dare the federal government demand Oklahoma keep some of the detainees under lock-and-key while their status is sorted out?

Twelve legislators had the courage to vote against the phony-baloney resolution – including 11 Democrats. Only Republican no vote was from Rep. Shane Jett of Tecumseh, who argued that in these lean economic times, it doesn’t make sense to tell the Obama Administration that Oklahoma doesn’t want federal dollars expended here.

If you’ve ever wondered why some businesses are queasy about expanding into or relocating to Oklahoma, the last two days are Exhibit A.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Dead on Arnold. How about we take the prisoners for a extra profitable yearly rate – don’t we trusts our prisons and at the same time putting money into state coffers. Democrats better win the Governorship or the Christian Taliban Corporatocracy will run the state.

  2. Thank you for the reality check! Autism or Detainees So what was accomplished? We have all these people at the capital, with aides, not including the people that take care of our state buildings….we turned the lights on…on to accomplish what???? You have to follow the money in the Republican dominate vote against having insurance help a treatable epidemic. How much money from Healthcare & Insurance supports their re-election bid? Ask yourself why immunizations are down? Ask yourself why New Mexico is one step away from helping their fellow man with insurance for Autism. Ask yourself why Texas already has passed a measure to help families with Autistic children. 32 states are currently addressing this issue…..now ask yourself why? This is the beginning, and 8 states have already passed measures to help these families heal their children. When’s the last time our state grew in population? Why does our neighbor to the south continue to grow jobs? I’m inspired by great leadership. I love OK, but like everyone else, you go where there is (positive growth)opportunity.

Arnold Hamilton
Arnold Hamilton
Arnold Hamilton became editor of The Observer in September 2006. Previously, he served nearly two decades as the Dallas Morning News’ Oklahoma Bureau chief. He also covered government and politics for the San Jose Mercury News, the Dallas Times Herald, the Tulsa Tribune and the Oklahoma Journal.