Staff Editorial: Kansas Legislator Hexes President Obama

President Obama is no stranger to both political and personal jabs—especially during election season--but one Kansas lawmaker has taken his attacks too far.

ThinkProgress reports that Kansas newspaper, the Lawrence Journal World received an e-mail that state Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike O'Neal, had forwarded to his fellow Republican representatives which referenced President Obama in the context of Psalm 109.

Among other things, the psalm reads "let his days be few…let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow." The biblical passage has apparently become a popular one among conservatives during the Obama Administration.

In response to the uproar that the e-mail has caused, speaker O'Neal claimed that the passage is not being interpreted in the way that he intended and that he does not want the President to die, but rather the "few" days should be viewed in terms of Obama's time left in office without re-election. However, words like "fatherless" children and "widow" make O'Neal's assertion difficult to believe.

The speaker has also previously expressed his disdain for the Obama Administration, sending yet another e-mail to legislators in which he referred to First Lady Michelle Obama as Mrs. YoMama and compared her to the Grinch.

Obvious outrage momentarily aside, it is one thing for public figures to have personal and political differences which they either harbor internally or express verbally in professional settings, like in election debates or on the legislative floor.

It is even understandable and acceptable for them not to get along and to share their disdain for opposing figures with comrades behind closed doors over drinks after work, but it is beyond unprofessional and unacceptable to e-mail one's colleagues biblical-based threats against the Commander-in-Chief of the country.

If cyber-bullying among teenagers is dangerous, what made this professional adult think that his actions were okay? Did he not think that he would be caught? Did he not care?

Now back to the obvious outrage: how does a figure who was elected to serve the interests of the constituents of his state threaten the President of the United States? From outbursts of "you lie" by Congressional representatives, repeated calls for his birth certificate and even college transcripts, to unflattering commentary about his wife and daughters' personality and appearances, the blatant disrespect which President Obama and his family have had to endure throughout his tenure, and in many ways, even before, is appalling.

Whether or not O'Neal viewed his actions as threatening, he certainly had to know that they were grossly inappropriate. Any other citizen that spoke against the life of his or her leader in that capacity might even be considered treasonous and subject to investigation. At the very least, Speaker O'Neal should not be permitted to keep his job.

Yet, the online petition circulating that calls for his resignation still gives Speaker O'Neal too much of a choice in order to be adequately effective. O'Neal and other Obama detractors need to learn that there is a limit to appropriate expressions of dissent. Whether or not one agrees with his or her leaders, he or she must always respect them.

Our View: Speaker O'Neal's actions were unacceptable and he should not be allowed to remain in office.