Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

Speech delivered by Representative Bill Konopnicki, Republican of Safford, on the floor of the State House yesterday.

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House

I rise to share a troubling experience of this past weekend - one that, I am sad to say, is becoming more commonplace. My comments are not aimed at any individual, or at any member of the House, but are made in the hope of more open communication and greater tolerance for differences of opinion in this body.

In a recent committee hearing I voted against a bill that I thought was flawed. This decision was based upon what I felt was best, an honest difference of opinion over the potential for unintended consequences should the legislation become law. After my vote, information began to circulate as to my motives for voting the way I did - false information. I am not sure who was responsible for this or why it occurred, but this misinformation was widely circulated via email to several people. The problem is this: this petty attempt at misinformation has since escalated from several emails into threats against my family and against me.

The 60 members that sit on this floor are members of a very special institution, an institution that was intended to be built upon civilized debate and genteel behavior. The motives behind the actions of a particular member are not open for debate: We are not here to accuse one another of being unpatriotic, un-American, un-Republican or even incorrect. Each of us is charged with acting according to our beliefs, no more or less.

The American political process is based on open and honest debate. How sad is the idea that by simply voting against another member’s bill we may be exposing ourselves to baseless innuendo or, even worse to threats against our loved ones?

We find this most often when the subject of illegal immigration emerges. The passionate debate that seems to follow this issue is becoming reminiscent of the tactics Joe McCarthy

The Eisenhower administration, through the words of Vice President Nixon said it best: “Men who have in the past done effective work exposing Communists in this country have, by reckless talk and questionable methods, made themselves the issue rather than the cause they believe in so deeply.” In other words, we are losing focus on the merits of the issues and are instead, relegated to bearing insults and accusations. I can’t help but recall the now famous words of the attorney, Joe Welch, when he asked Senator McCarthy: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of honor?

And that is the question of the day: Where is the decency? Where is the honor? Are we not capable of disagreeing without calling into question the motives of those that see things differently than we do?

I never thought that I would fear for my safety or for the safety of my family when I took my seat as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives. It is my intention today to draw attention to the poisonous atmosphere that surrounds the debate over certain issues – particularly that of illegal immigration – and to pray that we will each, every one of us, seek a return to the protocol and decorum that makes our form of government the greatest on this earth.

None of us should have to fear for the safety of those we love, let alone the threat of “political payback,” over something as simple and straightforward as an honest disagreement over public policy.

Thank you for listening.