What is it with these ultra conservative--evangelical--law and order types who keep getting elected to the Oklahoma legislature? Are they predisposed to felonious behavior by genetics, or is there some behavior altering drug they must ingest during the secret initiation ceremony which ushers them into the society of radical right wing politics?
It all began, sort of, with state senator, Rick Brinkley-R, Owasso. He spent 10 years as the pastor of a Collinsville church before turning his spiritual endeavors to the Tulsa Better Business Bureau, the Oklahoma State Senate, and big time embezzling. In 2015 the BBB fired the soon to be former senator after it estimated there was about $1,000,000 missing from their treasury which he was in charge of.
Proving their accounting system was still in need of work, Brinkley ended up pleading guilty to skimming $1.8 million from the organization in order to pay for things like his home mortgage, a new pool cleaning machine, personal credit card bills, and his gambling debts. In April 2016 he got 37 months in federal prison.
Compared to Brinkley, former state senator Kyle Loveless-R, OKC was a small time grifter. He resigned in April of this year after the Ethics Commission began looking into his somewhat questionable use of campaign contributions. Early last month Loveless pleaded guilty to embezzling $100,000 from his own political war chests over a four year period. It was a series of acts which not only proved the senator's abject greed, but also the complete incompetence of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. Let's face it, in local legislative elections you don't siphon off cash like that from your campaigns unless you're utterly convinced the opposition is in complete disarray and stands no chance at all.
Ah, but then we get to the really ugly goings on.
In 2016 representative Dan Kirby-R, Tulsa found himself thinking about resigning when it became public knowledge he had to settle a sexual harassment case--or rather a wrongful termination suit, springing from charges of sexual harassment--brought by a former aide. The assistant, Holly Bishop, had alleged she had been fired without reason after accusing Kirby of preying on her during her time working for him.
Kirby was initially talked out of quitting by Senator Ralph Shortey-R, OKC who was a former Trump county coordinator, and apparently a volunteer advisor to the representative. The whole wretched affair would have probably blown over, because if conservatives nation wide have proven anything, it's they'll go with a sexual predator every time as opposed to a democrat, at least so long their candidate is hetro. Especially when the guy--in this instance, Kirby--claimed the incidents were nothing more than consensual behavior between two adults.However, when it turned out Bishop and her attorney had been paid off with $44,500 of taxpayer money the shit hit the fan.
Indeed, fucking her is one thing, but asking fellow conservatives to pay for it is another. Kirby resigned as outraged republicans howled about the tab they were picking up. As it turned out Shortey should have immediately followed his pal's lead.
He didn't though.
In March of this year, following a tip, Moore, OK police took a look inside a room at a Super 8 motel located hard by I-35. Inside they found Senator Shortey, one back pack with an open package of condoms, another with a tube of, "lotion," the stench of marijuana smoke, and a 17 year old boy.
Today, The Oklahoman reports a federal grand jury indicted the former senator on three charges of child pornography and one count of child sex trafficking.The story, written by Nolan Clay, says the grand jury accused Shortey of, "leading a double life," during his stay in the senate by using pseudonyms to author explicit homo-erotic emails, posts on Facebook, and ads on Craigslist. The former senator is married with two children. He is currently pleading not guilty.
Finally we get to Senator Bryce Marlatt-R, Woodward. According to another story in today's paper written by Clay, Marlatt was charged with sexual battery yesterday after a mis-adventure with a female Uber driver. The driver told police that back in late June, Marlatt began kissing her on the neck and shoulder while she was trying to drive him from a restaurant on Memorial Road in north OKC to a bar. The driver says Marlatt's first words to her after he climbed into the vehicle was, "Hey, you got nice tits."
Despite the urbane smooth talk and suave attempt at foreplay the unidentified woman told the senator to sit down and not touch her, or she would call the cops. His response was to begin kicking the back door of her car.
Clay writes Marlatt claims not to remember the details of the affair, to the point of not recalling he had a female driver on the night in question. He might have an argument. The Oklahoman story says the senator has been in the tank once before, pleading no contest in 2014 to a misdemeanor after Woodward authorities found him asleep and reeking of alcohol in his pickup truck on a rural road.
Honestly, when it comes to the ultra right, sometimes it isn't their cruel and unusual politics, or the smug conviction they are the only true patriots in America. Sometimes it isn't even their complete certainty the Christian God is firmly on their side as they spout rhetoric laced with barely concealed racism. No, sometimes, it is simply the heinous and blatant hypocrisy they indulge in with such unabashed fervor.
And it isn't going to change in this state any time soon. Republicans outnumber democrats four to one in the state senate and control 75 percent of the state house. That's after democrats won two recent special elections thanks to Messrs. Shortey and Kirby.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you can guess, the bar is open. Given the situation what else is there to do?
sic vita est
9-7-17
Leadership in our country has been horrible the last few years. Not just politics, but business and church leaders have had way too many golden moments of the embarrassing variety as well. Sounding like a prophet of doom as I type this, but do feel like the best days of the USA are past if we don't get our act together soon. I am very concerned that the success Trump has had with his bullying and bluster tactics will only fuel more of the same from candidates who normally wouldn't have made it beyond the first local primary not too long ago. I fear it is going to take a severe crisis to sober us up -- one not of our own making that we can dance away from whenever we please. Think about it, no war on our soil since we fought ourselves a century and a half ago. As unstable as many world leaders, including ours, appear to be, that could change at any time, and that is only one example of what may come our way if we don't start paying true attention to our behavior and judgement. As I near what in sports terms would be called my fourth quarter, am saddened and sickened by what is happening. A few short years ago, who would have thought it? Keep that bar open, and a prayer cubicle in the corner wouldn't be a bad idea.
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