Oklahoma City, USA - Freshman state Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, has filed a bill calling for a monument listing the Ten Commandments to be erected on the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. The monument would be paid for with private funds.
Betting on legislative approval of Ritze's bill would be one of the safest wagers in the history of mankind.
Senate minority leader Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, correctly pointed out that Ritze's proposal is "another wedge issue that wouldn't help move Oklahoma forward." But he quickly added that he is not opposed to having such a monument.
Laster's remarks pretty much sum up the situation. Few lawmakers will have the nerve to go on record voting against the Bible.
Ritze's bill contains a disclaimer that "placement of this monument shall not be construed to mean that the State of Oklahoma favors any particular religion or denomination thereof over others."
That won't fool anyone, advocate or opponent of the bill. It clearly is intended to recognize tenets of the Christian Bible as being pre-eminent. And it is a slap in the face to citizens of religions other than Christian or Jewish who, while clearly in the minority, deserve the protection, not the tyranny, of the majority.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that Ten Commandments memorials may be erected in public spaces. However, just because they may be erected doesn't mean they have to be.
The best thing that can be said about this bill is that it is probably the least objectionable of a number of pieces of similar legislation, such as requiring students to study the biblical story of creation under the guise of "intelligent design," that will come before lawmakers in this year's session.
Get ready for Oklahoma to become the most religionized state in the union. This golden calf to the Ten Commandments is just the start.