Three Okie Spectacles: Rinehart, Terrill and Kern

When are more Oklahoma state leaders going to speak out against the politics of hate and intolerance practiced by Brent Rinehart, Randy Terrill and Sally Kern?

Each one of these local politicians has brought a tremendous amount of negative publicity to the state and, unfortunately, will continue to do so unless more state leaders speak up against their agenda to use hate and scapegoating to further their careers. These three Oklahoma City area residents make the state's residents seem like ignorant, mean-spirited hicks to the rest of the nation.

All three have been in the news again recently.

Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart recently self-published a comic book he plans on using as campaign material. The crude, self-written comic book spews basic clichéd hatred at gay people for advocating the mythical and tired phrase “homosexual agenda” and attacks the local sheriff and state’s attorney general. Both CNN and ABC news have covered the Rinehart comic book story as one of those typical “can-believe-how-these-hicks-think?” stories. It is a continuing saga. The comic book has received wide coverage on Internet sites as well. Adding to the controversy is the fact the Republican Rinehart, who represents District 2, faces a trial on felony charges alleging he illegally funded his 2004 campaign. He says the charges are politically motivated, but the entire Rinehart spectacle seems particularly trashy.

State Rep. Randy Terrill, a Republican from Moore, who brought the state the nation’s strictest anti-immigration laws in the nation, is facing recent legal questions about his 2006 bankruptcy. Now a bankruptcy trustee is calling for the case to be reopened over the question of hidden assets, according to media reports. Many people face money problems in today’s terrible economy, for sure, but the bankruptcy and the recent questions about it raise obvious issues about Terrill’s motivation in sponsoring the draconian anti-illegal immigration measure. Did Terrill see the illegal immigration issue as extremely personal because of his money problems? Did he have an inappropriate axe to grind? Whatever the case, Terrill’s House Bill 1804 has brought the state a huge amount of negative national publicity. Many see Terrill's anti-illegal immigration efforts as primarily focused on Hispanic people. Certainly, the federal government has failed on the immigration issue primarily because of competing factions within the Republican Party, but Terrill’s bill makes Oklahomans seem intolerant and mean-spirited. Are you better off because of Terrill’s bill? Did you wages go up because of Terrill’s bill? The illegal immigration problem is a federal issue.

State Rep. Sally Kern, a Republican from west Oklahoma City, was recently stopped from carrying a pistol into the state Capitol. State troopers say it was an honest mistake and did not press charges, but one cannot help but wonder if an ordinary citizen would have been given the same treatment. Okay, go ahead and give gun-toting, gay-bashing Sally a pass on this one, but do not give her a pass on her previous widely reported statements that gay people are worse than terrorists. A video containing her outrageous comments about gay people was viewed by more than a million people. Kern’s remarks, Rinehart’s comic book and even gay-bashing comments by U.S. Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe continue to make Oklahoma seem intolerant and archaic.

There you have it: Rinehart, Terrill, Kern, all Republicans, all from the Oklahoma City area. These three people continue to hurt Oklahoma’s national image. Meanwhile, decent progressive-minded people are forced to leave the state in droves. Rinehart, Terrill and Kern are driving intelligent people away from the state. Where is the state's leadership?

The answer is to vote all three out of office, but the state’s corporate, political and educational leadership needs to get more active in discrediting the narrow views of intolerance and hate.