As always, the “Reddest State in the Union” continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. From The Independent to Rolling Stone, Oklahoma has come under fire due to the newly formed Oklahoma Freedom Caucus. Oklahoma is the 12th state to join the State Freedom Caucus Network, and the far-right political group seeks to enforce evangelical Protestant Christian nationalism and fundamentalism under the guise of family-friendly Christian ethics and morality. Of course, it would not be complete without hypocrisy, holy rolling and a healthy dose of doublespeak.
While the Republican Party was touted as the party of small government, that refers to the limiting of the federal government in favor of powerful state governments. This is where Freedom Caucus prides itself, proposing conservative legislation that would rule Oklahoma with an iron fist. While certain members have opted to remain anonymous to avoid opposition, Oklahoma Freedom Caucus is led by Sen. Shane Jett with vice chairs Sen. Jim Olsen and Sen. Dusty Deevers. Although Jett described the group as “here to put taxpayers front and center… and making sure government serves them and doesn’t rule over them,” the extreme proposals of the Freedom Caucus are actively oppressive and only serve to trample upon the things its leaders proclaim to supposedly hold dear.
In support of State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ controversial Bible mandate that put Oklahoma under the national spotlight for treading upon the separation of church and state, Oklahoma Freedom Caucus described its mission as being “committed to preserving freedoms granted by our Creator and recognized in the U.S. Constitution.”
Ironically, it was the Enlightenment ideals of the Founding Fathers that formed American religious freedom as an established separation of church and state. It was Thomas Jefferson who spoke of this “wall of separation between church and state” and fellow Virginian James Madison who was the “Father of the Constitution” and the Bill of Rights. In it, the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This has been applied to states consistently via the Supreme Court through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, for “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
It is here that Oklahoma Freedom Caucus takes its stand in the belief that its fellow Republicans have failed to do enough. Blaming “the establishment for not hearing their concerns,” Deevers ran on the platform of “Pastor — Fighter — Businessman,” as a pastor at Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Elgin and CEO of Deevers Properties. Yet while proclaiming he is “Fighting for Faith, Family, and Freedom,” Deevers’ proposals in office have showcased flights of fancy in which faith is idolized, families are ostracized and freedom is pulverized. Proclaiming he would “fight tyranny by protecting your God-given rights to speak, worship, bear arms and make educational and medical decisions for you and your family,” Deevers’ war on civil rights, freedom of religion and abortion directly contradicts his own words. This was most clearly seen in January when he waged a moral crusade “against the moral decay foisted upon Oklahoma” by “the left’s century-long assault on morality and decency.” He proclaimed his own eight legislative measures in January were “aimed at restoring moral sanity in Oklahoma.” His slate of legislation is as follows:
SB228 – The Covenant of Marriage Act
SB281 – The Make Adoption Affordable Again Act
SB328 – The Promote Child Thriving Act
SB456 – The Abolition of Abortion Act
SB550 – Prohibiting Drag Performances for Children
SB593 – Increasing Penalties for Child Pornography and Prohibiting Pornography in Oklahoma
SB736 – Equal Tax Status for Health Share Ministries
SB829 – Prohibiting No-Fault Divorce
While Deevers emphasizes “the moral foundations upon which the United States and Christian Civilization had long rested,” as a Jan. 22 press release stated, some of the proposals are draconian in their mandatory enforcement. For instance, SB593 would penalize “up to 10 years in prison for production, distribution, or possession” of any form of pornography. Rather than seeking to uphold Christian values and ways of life, the laws are seemingly more focused on actively harming and punishing those who do not adhere to the strict moral standards of Christian fundamentalism.
Embracing legalism, the arbitrary strictness of Oklahoma Freedom Caucus shows its true colors: virtue signaling in an obsessive “culture war” that idolizes persecuting “the other” while sacrificing any resemblance to Christian morality or loving kindness. Such narrow-mindedness is not inherent to traditional Christianity, as the Orthodox and Catholic Churches both practice economia (i.e., “household management”). As a proper discernment of the spirit of the law through guidance from leadership that exhibits charity and mercy, it is understood as a dispensation which Britannica defines as “the action of a competent authority in granting relief from the strict application of a law.”
Ironically, the Freedom Caucus’ vision for Oklahoma lacks competence while embracing the strict application of law. Using the name of God to justify man’s own will is blasphemous and hypocritical, while even in a secular context, the enforcement of despotic rulings upon the free will of the people for the purpose of division and punishment is immoral and tyrannical.
Luckily, the Oklahoma Senate was not swayed by the Freedom Caucus in response to some of the more extreme legislation. So far, three bills have failed (SB228, SB456 and SB829), two have been referred to the Revenue and Taxation Committee then to Appropriations Committee (SB281 and SB328), one has been referred to the Appropriations Committee (SB736) and one to the Judiciary Committee (SB593). The three that failed to pass on Feb. 19 are SB228 regarding a $2,500 income-tax credit for couples who entered into “traditional” covenant marriages, SB456 proposing the Abolition of Abortion Act that targeted “the self-managed abortion loophole” and SB829 prohibiting no-fault divorce “by removing ‘incompatibility’ as justification” and requiring that “the at-fault parent must pay restitution to the victims — that is, the children — in the form of a trust fund.”
In its infancy, Oklahoma Freedom Caucus has certainly been infantile. Just as the French Enlightenment writer Voltaire quipped that the Holy Roman Empire was “neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire,” Oklahoma Freedom Caucus represents neither Oklahoma, nor freedom, nor a respectable caucus. This handful of politicians has failed to serve its entire constituency, has been seduced by authoritarianism and has divided itself from fellow party members while keeping its own roster a secret out of fear.
Out of touch at best and diabolical at worst, Oklahoma Freedom Caucus’ overcompensation against what it sees as a “Godless leftist agenda influencing our institutions” has only served to produce a godless right-wing extremist agenda. Seeking to implement cruel and unusual punishment against its opposition, Oklahoma Freedom Caucus is not a righteous champion but a loudmouthed bully. Like a toy dog barking behind a fence, it overcompensates through an infernal bark worse than its feeble bite, too afraid to show its face.
This article appears in OKC Ballet Shorts.