To be a public person in this day and age – hell to be anyone in this day and age – and not be aware that anything and everything you say outside of the comfort of your home may be subject to capture by photo, video or audio and then splattered on the Internet … well … you’re just being naive.
I’m not suggesting it’s always a good thing. Nor am I suggesting people’s privacy shouldn’t be respected. But in the spirit of erring on the side of transparency, openness and freedom of speech, I have to say I think that the upside of the Internet as monster megaphone is more accountability for those who choose to behave badly.
Just ask George Allen. His “Macaca” incident derailed any chance he had at running for President, and torpedoed his ability to hold office for anything other than a white supremacist organization in the future.
Yes, cameras and microphones are everywhere, and while those who live in the entertainment world fall prey to prying lenses all the time, I personally believe that for those in political office that magnifying glass becomes all the more powerful. And why not. After all – they’re supposed to be representing others.
One state legislator in Oklahoma apparently didn’t get the memo.
I’ll let the Legislator’s words speak for themselves.
This video fails to identify the woman by name. But figuring it out shouldn’t be all that hard.
A trip to the site for the Oklahoma State Legislature web site shows 12 women currently holding office in the State House and 7 women in the State Senate.
I’m not sure which of them it was. I don’t even know that they were aware this video exists.
They are now.
I took the liberty of emailing every one of them with a link to this post.
I also took the liberty of listing all of their names with links to their email below this post. And my call to action to you is to do the same.
I figure that maybe, just maybe, by turning a light onto the issue we can flush the offending woman out of the pathetic shadows in which she hides and hold her accountable for this vile hate speech.
Oklahoma State Representatives
Lisa Billy – lisajbilly@okhouse.gov
Ann Coody – anncoody@okhouse.gov
Marian Cooksey – mariancooksey@okhouse.gov
Rebecca Hamilton – rebeccahamilton@okhouse.gov
Lee Denney – leedenney@okhouse.gov
Sally Kern – sallykern@okhouse.gov
Jeannie McDaniel – jeanniemcdaniel@okhouse.gov
Skye McNiel – skye.mcniel@okhouse.gov
Pam Peterson – pampeterson@okhouse.gov
Anastasia Pittman – anastasia.pittman@okhouse.gov
Sue Tibbs – suetibbs@okhouse.gov
Susan Winchester – susanwinchester@okhouse.gov
Oklahoma State Senators
Mary Easley – easley@oksenate.gov
Judy Eason McIntyre – easonmcintyre@oksenate.gov
Constance N. Johnson – johnsonc@oksenate.gov
Debbe Leftwich – holland@oksenate.gov
Susan Paddack – paddack@oksenate.gov
Nancy Riley – rileyn@oksenate.gov
Kathleen Wilcoxson – purinton@oksenate.gov
UPDATE: Since making this post, I have received emails from several members of the Oklahoma State Legislature named above. None of them denounced their colleague. All of them claimed innocence.