If you want to know The Truth, you know whom to ask. Steve Smith, a talent agent from the town of Maricopa, apparently has a corner on it.
Smith is a Republican state representative representing Marana and much of Pinal County, and he found it necessary last Wednesday to call for "repentance" on the floor of the House.
The previous day's sin - in Smith's view - was committed by Rep. Juan Mendez. On Tuesday, it was Mendez's turn to offer the prayer that begins each day's session, and Mendez offered an invocation drawing on his own "secular humanist" perspective.
Mendez, a Tempe Democrat, asked the House members not to bow their heads, as is usual, but to look at each other.
"This (is a) room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of frustration. But this is also a room where, as my secular humanist tradition stresses, by the very fact of being human, we have much more in common than we have differences," Mendez said.
He went on to ask members to cherish their shared humanness, their love for the state and their love of its democracy. He concluded: "In gratitude and in love, in reason and in compassion, let us work together for a better Arizona."
Amen.
Several times I've watched Mendez's invocation online (see it here), and every time he ends it, in my mind I hear the word "Amen." That's because it is essentially a prayer from a nonreligious tradition.
And that's why many people found Smith's response so obnoxious. When it came his turn, Mendez, an atheist, upheld the questionable practice of a daily prayer in a government body in a way that was true both to his own nonreligious beliefs and to the House tradition.
That wasn't good enough for the man with The Truth.
The next day, after Wednesday's official prayer had already been given, Smith asked to speak and described Mendez's invocation as bothering him, like a pebble in his shoe. (See it here, beginning at minute 9:00.)
"Mr. Speaker, it is customary that we have a proper prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance every day before floor session," Smith began. "And yesterday, we didn't have one. So members, those who would like to join me in prayer for repentance of yesterday, I ask you to stand, and members I ask that we give our due respect to the Creator of the universe."
Smith's arrogance in appointing himself the arbiter of proper prayer is galling, but you need to read what he offered as a replacement to get the full effect:
"Lord God, we pray for the people of this state and this nation. God, we ask for forgiveness of our sins. God, we ask for wisdom and knowledge and courage and conviction and strength and all the tools and attributes that we need, Lord, to be your effective stewards and your people on this Earth. God, we pray for this state, this nation and all your people. And in your holy, holy, holy name, we say all these things to you. Amen."
Holy cow.
This might be forgivable as a one-off overreaction if it weren't so typical of what Smith offers as a legislator.
"If it's constitutional, I'm for it. If it's not, I'm against it," he said at a candidates' debate I attended last year.
I called him and asked what his views are on the many, many, many issues faced by legislators that are not constitutional questions but are, for example, issues of how much to spend on a given activity.
Smith, who moved to Arizona in 2001, also was the author of the 2011 bill allowing the state to raise donations to build a border fence where there isn't one already. Again, a simple-minded gesture with little chance at a real-world effect. His goal was to raise $50 million; so far $193,602 has been raised.
Smith also introduced bills this year taking a brute-force approach to enforcing loyalty. One bill, HB 2467, would have made high school seniors take an oath to defend the Constitution before being allowed to graduate. Another, HB 2284, would have forced children to say the Pledge of Allegiance unless parents give them permission not to.
More simplistic ideas.
We should applaud legislators like Mendez for their inclusive spirit, recognizing the complexity of the world we live in - not try to batter them and the public with The Truth.
Contact columnist Tim Steller at tsteller@azstarnet.com or 807-8427. On Twitter: @senyorreporter
