COMMENTARY: Rep. Duncan should shut up

Few men of first class ability can afford to let their affairs go to ruin while they fool away their time in Legislatures; but your chattering, one-horse village lawyer likes it, and your solemn ass from the cow countries, who don't know the Constitution from the Lord's Prayer, enjoys it; and these you always find in the Assembly; the one gabble, gabble, gabbling threadbare platitudes and 'give-me-liberty-or give-me-death' buncombe from morning to night, and the other asleep, with his slab-soled brogans set up like a couple of grave-stones on the top of his desk.
— Mark Twain, June, 1866

The sage of Missouri was right.

From the one-horse village lawyer, to the solemn ass from cow country, the idiotic actions of some state lawmakers never cease to amaze me.

And here, in the land of Red Dirt, the small mindedness of some members of our government, has now taken on epic proportions.

Take for example, Rep. Rex Duncan.

Duncan, a Sand Springs Republican, is all bent out of shape because he received a Centennial copy of the Quran from the Governor’s Ethnic American Advisory Council.

“I object to the use of the state Centennial Seal and the state Seal all in an effort to further their religion,” he said to the Associated Press this week.

Rep. Duncan also wrote his colleagues, telling him them he has rejected the gift because, “most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology.”

Okay, I admit I don’t know much about the Muslim faith. But I do believe there is room enough for both Muslims and Christians in our state.

Religious tolerance is a cornerstone of our government.

Except for dudes like ’ol Rex.

The chairwoman of the Governor’s Ethnic American Advisory Council said she received a call from Duncan wondering whether state money was used to buy the books.

She told the Tulsa World newspaper that members of the Muslim community paid for copies of the Quran.

“We are not trying to force anything on anyone,” she said. “This is a peaceful, thoughtful project to introduce ourselves to leaders.”

Not a bad idea.

Send ’em some information which they, hopefully, will read. Then some members of our esteemed legislature just might learn a little more about a different faith.

Or, in Rep. Duncan’s case, you could cuss and spit and throw up your hands and get quoted saying “my comment is that we never hear those 30,000 to 50,000 Muslims opposing the practice of violence on innocent people.”

Smart. Real smart.

Earlier this year, lawmakers received a copy of the Bible sponsored by The Baptist General Convention in Oklahoma.

Duncan didn’t complain about that.

“Mine is proudly on my desk in the Capitol and I don’t think I ever read a part of it that condones the killing of women and children in furtherance of God’s word,” he said. “It’s one of the nicest things I’ve received in my three years in the Legislature.”

Good for him.

He probably needs to re-read that part about love thy neighbor, and the other part about the “do unto others” thingy.

Then, when he’s finished, he just needs to sit down and shut up.