By Albert de Zutter
Copyright 2012
Can you believe that 153 of 156 state legislators in Kansas actually went on record to adopt a law that said Sharia law does not apply in America? That’s 120 of 120 members of the Kansas House, and 33 of 36 members of the Kansas Senate who thought that Kansas residents needed protection from something that’s a threat only to someone in the grip of psychotic paranoia. Why not protect Kansas residents from the laws of invaders from Mars?
What’s the matter with Kansas? The evidence suggests that part of the answer is that mostly stupid people get elected to its state legislature. Peggy Nast, who has worked for two years to pass this lunatic legislation, said that its purpose is to avoid confusion that American law prevails on American soil. Who was confused? What law other than American law can prevail on American soil? Apparently Ms. Nast was confused about that, but how many ordinary Kansas were?
According to a Christian Post story posted on the internet, another legislator, Kansas State Sen. Susan Wagle, stated that this bill, if enacted, would be a victory for women’s rights.
“They stone women to death in countries that have Sharia law,” Wagle is quoted as saying. “If you vote to not adopt [SB 79], it’s a vote against women.” Duh.
Sen. Tim Owens, one of only three dissenters, called the law an embarrassment to Kansas. “People will ask,’How narrow has the state become? How unwelcoming is this state?'” Bless Sen. Owens for his mild understatement. People will ask, “Are they nuts? How stupid do they think their people are? How stupid are those idiots in the legislature?”
Even more disturbing is the fact that roughly 20 states have considered similar legislation. Where does such lunacy originate? Oh, yes, let’s see: Karl Rove, ALEC, the Heritage Foundation, the Koch brothers, Fox News and other such right-wing originators of big-lie propaganda. And, of course, Newt Gingrich brought up the specter of Sharia law in his publicity tour masquerading as a run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Another report showed that nearly a third of Americans believe that American Muslims want to establish Sharia law in the United States. Thank you very much, Fox News, Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and others of your ilk: Your contributions to political discourse in the United States have brought it down to its nastiest and stupidest levels in the last century.
And what about Gov. Sam Brownback, a former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination? Surely he vetoed the measure?
Nope. He signed it.