Boy, you can smell the Republican hypocrisy in Oklahoma. Actually, you can smell it everywhere, but it’s reaching a fever pitch there.
Republican legislators find themselves divided as measures concerning heterosexual marriage keep rearing their ugly, little heads. Oklahoma has the third highest divorce rate in the nation, behind Nevada and Arkansas. In light of the recent studies claiming that divorce and unwed childbearing weighs heavily on the financial burden of the nation, at something like $112 billion a year, the Oklahoma legislature is faced with a portion of their representatives urging some kind of intervention and another rebuking it.
Two marriage bills have already failed. One would have had couples seeking therapy before divorcing while another would have eliminated incompatibility as a reason for divorce if the couple had been married 10 or more years or had children. A third bill, requiring couples to seek counseling before marriage, is still on the table.
What’s hypocritical and frankly, astonishing to see at this point, is some of the debate over the issue.
"How far do I want government to come into my home and your home about private personal matters?" asked Rep. Leslie Osborn, a Republican from Tuttle. She called state government a "huge monster."
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, has advised addressing the issue, but outside of government. He wants to "break the cycle of divorce" but not "mandate it".
So is this the wave hitting back at conservative heterosexuals? Is this, in some small way, a little bit of justice for all those conservative Americans who seem to have absolutely no problem allowing the government to control the relationships of LGBT citizens? They work tirelessly to make sure we have only the relationship status they want us to have, inflicting the government all over every aspect of our personal lives, but when it comes back to their corner, then they think government needs to back off.
