GOP Senator Admonished By Ethics Comm.

The Senate Ethics Committee has publicly admonished ultra-right-wing Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma). It seems that Coburn didn't think the senate rules applied to him. Three years ago, the Senate banned the aide of former-Senator Ensign (Doug Hampton) from doing any lobbying. In spite of the ban, Ensign held a meeting and discussed business with Hampton.

The Oklahoman's website said Coburn's action was not a violation of federal law or of senate rules. But while it probably isn't a violation of law, I have to think it was a violation of senate rules. After all, if it's not a violation of senate rules to meet with a banned lobbyist and discuss business, then what's the point of banning lobbyists in the first place.

The Ethics Committee considered it a violation of something, saying the meeting was "improper conduct" and didn't meet the "higher standards expected of a U.S. senator". The public admonishment was the least serious penalty the committee could have leveled against Coburn.

Personally, I think Coburn got off light. He knew the Senate had banned Hampton from doing any lobbying, and showed a disregard for the Senate action by openly violating the ban. He knew better and just didn't care.

Who's The Stupidest Okie Politician ?

I was born and raised just a few miles south of the Oklahoma, so I've known lots of Okies and been to the state many times. Oklahoma is one of the few states that can match Texas in the percentage of right-wing nutjobs living in their state. That's not something either state should be proud of -- it's just a fact.

Until recently, I was convinced that Republican Senator Tom Coburn was the stupidest right-wing fundamentalist nutjob politician in Oklahoma. However, I may have been wrong. There is a politician in the Oklahoma House that is making a serious bid to wrest the crown away from Coburn. His name is Todd Thomsen and he is the Republican representative from Ada, Oklahoma.

Thomsen has decided that shilling for his particular fundie religion is more important than supporting academic freedom in Oklahoma universities. I believe if it was up to Thomsen, the only textbook used at the University of Oklahoma would be the Bible.

Last week, the University of Oklahoma was holding it's "Darwin 2009 Week". In honor of the event, the university had invited biologist Richard Dawkins to speak on evolution.

Of course, this didn't sit well with Thomsen, and he decided he needed to save the university students from being exposed to evolutionist (and atheist) Richard Dawkins. So he introduces a resolution in the Oklahoma House opposing letting Dawkins speak on the university campus. Here is the resolution:

A Resolution opposing the invitation to Richard Dawkins to speak on campus; encouraging the University of Oklahoma to engage in a certain discussion of certain scientific theories; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma is a publicly funded institution which should be open to all ideas and should train students in all disciplines of study and research and to use independent thinking and free inquiry; and

WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma has planned a year-long celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s theory of evolution, called the “Darwin 2009 Project”, which includes a series of lectures, public speakers, and a course on the history of evolution; and

WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma, as a part of the Darwin 2009 Project, has invited as a public speaker on campus, Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, whose published opinions, as represented in his 2006 book “The God Delusion”, and public statements on the theory of evolution demonstrate an intolerance for cultural diversity and diversity of thinking and are views that are not shared and are not representative of the thinking of a majority of the citizens of Oklahoma; and

WHEREAS, the invitation for Richard Dawkins to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma on Friday, March 6, 2009, will only serve to present a biased philosophy on the theory of evolution to the exclusion of all other divergent considerations rather than teaching a scientific concept.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 52ND OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT the Oklahoma House of Representative strongly opposes the invitation to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma to Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, whose published statements on the theory of evolution and opinion about those who do not believe in the theory are contrary and offensive to the views and opinions of most citizens of Oklahoma.

THAT the Oklahoma House of Representatives encourages the University of Oklahoma to engage in an open, dignified, and fair discussion of the Darwinian theory of evolution and all other scientific theories which is the approach that a public institution should be engaged in and which represents the desire and interest of the citizens of Oklahoma.

THAT a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Oklahoma, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Oklahoma, and the Chair of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma.

I don't know if the silly resolution passed the House or not, but I do know the faculty and leadership of the University of Oklahoma ignored it. Dawkins spoke to the students last Friday (see the picture above). They even had to move the speech to a larger facility because of the large turnout.

In fact, the resolution proposed by by Thomsen was so out-of-line that even the evolution-deniers at the Creation Institute didn't want any part of it. They called it an attempt at censorship and said it was wrong. That's pretty bad when the Creation Institute won't even back him up.

What do you readers think? Is Thomsen the new Idiot King of Oklahoma politics, or does Coburn retain his crown? It's a tough choice.