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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

Kansas Speaker Mike O'Neal's prayer for President Obama's Death

Posted on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 08:58 AM

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Mike O'Neal

Kansas Republican House Speaker Mike O’Neal stepped onto the national stage last week when he was forced to apologize to First Lady Michelle Obama after an email he forwarded to fellow lawmakers calling her 'Mrs. YoMama' made national news.

O'Neal's offense giving impulses were not over, however. Another email he forwarded to his fellow House Republicans asked them to to pray Psalm 109, which contains these verses:

'Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.'

At this moment I hope that a contingent of the United States Secret Service are making their way to Kansas, obviously. But look at the rest of this psalm if you will:

'When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor.
Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children.'

O'Neal is calling for prayers for the death of the President, the First Lady and even the President's children. He concluded the message to his fellow Republicans with a personal endorsement: 'At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!'

This is what passes for Christianity these days in many right wing circles. It's 2012 and GOP House Speakers are openly praying for the deaths of the first family. O'Neal felt suitably emboldened to forward this message to his fellow House Republicans. Psalm 109 is about wishing for someone's death.

O'Neal was quick to offer a mealy mouthed defense. 'I understand the debate over the verse interpretation about which I have explained and for which I have repeatedly apologized, to the extent anyone misconstrued my intent or was otherwise offended. I respect both the president and the office,' O'Neal told The Wichita Eagle.

But is there much difference between calling for someone's death or asking others to pray for it by proxy? They say the first sign that you've created God in your own image is if you notice He hates all the same people you do.

Given that he holds these lamentable views and then shares them with others, perhaps representing the state's politics isn't the ideal forum for his talents.
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69 comments

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Heather911 | Feb 01, 2012, 06:48 PM EST

Ok for some reason my posts are not showing up. What I want to say is that I see where the conversation between the three have gotten out of hand. What we all need to remember is that everyone is entitled to their opinion and can vote for who they want without justifying it. No one should have to explain themselves to anyone, only to God. Do not judge and do NOT assume someone is full of hate because they voted for a candidate that spouts hate. There is a reason, just as someone stated before, that a healthcare program was cut and that is why they voted otherwise. You vote for who you think will benefit your life. No one in this is God and you do not know what God thinks of anyone. If you want to stop hate, you need to start with yourself.

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Heather911 | Feb 01, 2012, 06:31 PM EST

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KLennox | Feb 01, 2012, 06:00 PM EST

This makes my heart heavy, and sadly, I'm unsurprised at these self-described moral, Christians. I'm also disgusted. This is really intolerable.

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KLennox | Feb 01, 2012, 10:30 AM EST

hollabackgurl, you make a lot of sense to me, and your posts are polite and civil. On the other hand irishgreeneyes seems to enjoy slapping people around, while AmericanGirl83 is just plain insulting and offensive, losing, at the get-go, whatever credibility she may have. Keep on keeping on, you hear!

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joanxis | Feb 01, 2012, 10:23 AM EST

You know what I notice about the discussion between hollabackgurl and AmericanGirl83? Hollabackgurl doesn't use hateful language when she is addressing AmericanGirl83. She presents her case without calling AmericanGirl83 bad names or telling her she's stupid. On the other hand... the Bible quoting supposedly religious AmericanGirl83 is very rude in her aspersions against hollabackgurl. A83 can't just disagree with holl, she has to say ignorant things about her. I'll take hollabackgurl over Americangirl any day.

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eiriamach | Feb 01, 2012, 07:03 AM EST

Irishgreeneyes and American-?girl? Heb. 13:4 advises us to leave judgments of sexual immorality to God. If you intend, instead, to put Leviticus into practice, tell us how much you will charge for selling your daughter into slavery or when you will stone to death someone who wears mixed-fiber clothing. The only verses you can reasonably construe as touching on homosexuality are those which refer to a man not lying with a man "as with a woman." Bible scholars think these oppose adultery and pedophilia. Adultery does draw forth the wrath of OT and NT writers: where is your moral outrage about that? Explain, please, why nowhere does the bible command a woman not to lie with a woman as with a man! If you find a biblical moral rule against homosexuality, why does it discriminate on the basis of gender? Isn't your animus against homosexuality a cover for your tolerance of heterosexual adultery--"sexual immorality" in the biblical sense? I suggest that you take the advice of the OT's wisdom literature and not mindlessly mouth archaisms of the ancients without fitting them to present understanding. Remember God's harsh words to Job about his idiot friends who misapplied biblical proverbs. It takes some thought to sift the meaning of the bible verse for its application to any particular instance, while you seem determined to use it for sweeping condemnations of entire categories of human beings. That's not what the bible, or moral rules, are for.

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Irishgreeneyes | Feb 01, 2012, 06:58 AM EST

Americangirl, Over here in Ireland, she would be slapped for accusing people of that. Never assume something just by the clothes they wear or the title they carry.

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AmericanGirl83 | Feb 01, 2012, 06:50 AM EST

Irishgreeneyes, that is what hollabackgurl can't get through her head. I voted because Obama cut a program in which my mother was dependent on for her disease. Now, I have to watch her suffer because of him. So, why would I vote for someone who is practically killing someone I love? Hollabackgurl doesn't realize that her generalization of putting people in the same group is ignorant, discriminative, and profiling. She is no better than those she speaks out against.

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Irishgreeneyes | Feb 01, 2012, 06:46 AM EST

Hollabackgurl, You are putting words in others mouth. I think you need to back your truck up. I for one voted in regards to the economy, in which I feel that Obama can't fix. You need to understand that people have certain reasons for their votes. Not the closeminded reasons that you keep suggesting . You need to be slapped if you think everyone votes for the same reasons. I am sure you are probably a young teenage child or someone in the early 20s because your lack of common knowledge and sense is pretty low.

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hollabackgurl | Jan 31, 2012, 11:00 PM EST

Love the sinner and hate the sin means love gay people and also hate them for being gay. That's pretzel theology. That's bait and switch. Your reading of the Bible is a bit off, show me where Jesus says one word about homosexuals? Nowhere. Don;t put words in my mouth Irishgreeneys, thanks - I said that the entire Republican party votes to deny equal rights to gay people. They vote to ensure they stay second class citizens in their own country. And you and AmericanGirl83 are a PARTY of that when you pull the lever for them. It's quite simple and it's undeniable.

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laughingelf | Jan 31, 2012, 09:17 PM EST

Give the guy a break. He's from Kansas, where evolution is outlawed. If he grew a brain, he'd be thrown in jail.

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laughingelf | Jan 31, 2012, 08:27 PM EST

evamarie, you are, of course, welcome to quote from my post - and thank you. My thanks also to seanomelbourne and McNamara31.

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Irishgreeneyes | Jan 31, 2012, 07:37 PM EST

Hollbackgurl, it sounds like you are saying that all Christians who do not support Obama are full of hate. That is stereotyping, profiling, and discriminating. Not sure where you are dwelling, Ireland or America, but that type of attitude is no better than the hate that you seem to be against. Hypocritical? Stop generalizing others because of a few bad apples in the bunch. Instead, you should be trying to make a positive change. And for the record, you are a bit off on the Bible and what is says, so I would encourage you to read up on that, and stop listening to religious holy rollers who have completely turn the Bible in to their own words. That American chick is right when it comes to those books in the Bible. If you want hate to stop, stop spouting hate yourself. As for this man and his comments, it is HIS choice and even though we don't like it, he IS in America in which Freedom of Speech is the key to everyones defense there.

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patrickesq | Jan 31, 2012, 07:06 PM EST

Mr. O'Neil's misuse of the bible to encourage homicidal thougts is quite despicable. He is obviously morally and mentally unfit to hold public office. Such remarks of his, if made in Ireland, would clearly be criminally prosecutable!

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evamarie | Jan 31, 2012, 06:25 PM EST

This message is for Tom Swinford: I appreciate what you wrote, and with your permission would like to post it on my FB wall......just let me know. Thanks

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