Talk about irony.
The same day Springfield officials explained new security measures for City Hall, the county sheriff remarked in another public building about wanting to kill people.
Believe it or not, Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt on Tuesday said the following to a crowd of onlookers at a rally in the rotunda of the state Capitol:
"The way I hear Jason sing the national anthem makes you want to go out and kill a communist."
Merritt, in his bizarre way, was complimenting Jason Yeager, an "American Idol" finalist who appeared at a Jefferson City rally to support legislation that would give psychologists the right to write prescriptions.
Merritt didn't explain his remark but, when a reporter introduced himself to Merritt later, the sheriff said, oops, he probably should have been more careful with his words.
Duh.
Speaking in public about wanting to kill people because of their political beliefs has never been a very good idea. Making that kind of comment these days is even more dicey.
Remember the MSU student who triggered a campus lockdown about a year ago for allegedly sending e-mails saying he wanted to kill minorities?
Did you read about how nervous the city officials have become because of recent murderous violence in Kirkwood and Marionville?
Tossing the K-word around doesn't seem like joke fodder, especially in a public building.
By the way, it's no crime -- a sheriff should know this -- to be a communist. There are lots of avowed communists in this country, living legally, going to work, paying taxes, caring for their children.
There's even a Communist Party-USA office in St. Louis. Here's some of what the party says it stands for, according to its Web site:
"Working people around the world have always sought a future without war, exploitation, inequality, and poverty. They strive to build a brighter future, one based on democracy, peace, justice, equality, cooperation, and meeting human needs."
Thirty-year-old Tony Pecinovsky, a 10-year member of the party living in St. Louis, called Merritt's comment "mind-boggling."
"It is unfortunate that one person's sense of patriotism leads them to talk of murder while ours leads us to fight for peace and democracy and equality and health care and education."
The sad part of this is that Merritt's main point in his speech, a good one, was obscured by his goofy comment.
Merritt was trying to explain that the county's lone staff psychologist sometimes needs to treat Greene County inmates but runs into delays because he can't write prescriptions himself.
The psychologist must first contact the jail's part-time doctor, which can be tricky at night, the sheriff said.
Others at the rally also pushed for a new law allowing psychologists to prescribe certain medications. It does seem like law is needed.
The sheriff is justified in joining with the rallying cry.
His delivery needs some work, though.
A room full of psychologists is just about the worst place to start talking crazy.
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So apparently people on the far right are crazy enough to start killing. Anti-communism and red baiting never seem to get old to them.
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