Just when it appeared that Ron Richard , Republican Speaker of the Missouri House was standing morally tall against offensiveness he was made to seem like a shifty back peddler by members of the Oklahoma Legislature willing to unapologetically stand up in public for their bias.

On January 19 Speaker Richard dumped bipartisanship and refused the recommendation of Minority Floor Leader Paul LeVota to assign Rep Jeannette Mott Oxford (D 59 St Louis) to the House Special Standing Committee on Children and Families. She was the only returning Democrat seeking a slot on the committee, where she had served for four years.

While sharing news with Democratic leaders that she was not named to that committee, a staff member for the Speaker explained “Some of our members find her highly offensive.”

That staff member and the Speaker now deny that this statement was ever made. It has been mentioned in some reports that sexual orientation was the offense that kept her off the committee. But Rep. Oxford’s “offensiveness “ could be based on her ability to deliberate, debate, and legislate in a manner that both serves the interests of Missouri’s taxpayers while seeking responsible care for the poorest in our society.

Those who take boastful and partisan pride while denying health care to thousands of the poor could well find Rep. Oxford’s ability offensive.

Attempting damage control, the speaker stated that another Democrat (with no previous experience) asked to be placed on the committee. The Speaker apparently doesn’t want or need advice from minority leadership - or perhaps, finds that offensive as well.

The Minority Leader countered by naming Rep. Oxford the party’s ranking non-member of the Special Standing Committee on Children and Families. In that unofficial capacity, Oxford will coordinate her party’s action on bills heard in the committee and take the lead on floor debate of bills that come from the committee.

Rep Oxford is a graduate of United Church of Christ related Eden Theological Seminary. Before serving in the legislature she directed a welfare reform advocacy organization. She said in a statement. “As I have throughout my House tenure, I will continue to be a passionate advocate for children and families.”

Oklahoma legislators needed no evasions or politically correct backtracking while expressing outrage over a prayer about the weather delivered by someone they found offensive.

One fifth of the Oklahoma House voted Feb. 11 to strike from their record an opening prayer offered on the chamber floor. Rev. Scott H. Jones, pastor of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City had been invited to deliver the prayer and serve as chaplain for the day by Rep. Al McAffrey, D-Oklahoma City. Rev Jones is a constituent in his district and he had preceded the prayer by greeting his partner among other individuals present.

Following the prayer, McAffrey, Oklahoma’s only openly gay legislator, asked that the session vote to include Jones’ prayer in the House journal, the official daily record of the chamber. An objection was raised by Rep. John Wright, R-Broken Arrow, who called for a vote on the prayer’s inclusion.

Sixty-four representatives voted to include the prayer. Twenty legislators voted it unacceptable. Seventeen abstained.

The Oklahoman newspaper reported no follow up statement from Rev Jones, but hopefully, he will continue to pray for those who hate.

Fred Tilinski

St. Peters