Rod Miller: Free Speech and the Hypocrisy of the Wyoming GOP

The preamble to the Wyoming GOP Platform says, “WE believe there are Timeless Truths that will always inform and direct our party and our country regardless of current events and circumstances, changing strategies, goals, and leadership."

Plank #22 of the Wyoming Republican Platform says, “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right secured by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Wyoming. Freedom of speech includes the freedom of the individual to express his or her beliefs, ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation…”

That, to me, sure sounds like one of the “Timeless Truths” referenced in the preamble.

Given those magisterial pronouncements, one would think that the Wyoming Republican Party would encourage free thought and expression among its membership. One might also conclude that the Wyoming GOP would never retaliate against a member for saying what’s on their mind.

One would be mistaken.

Recent history proves that the Wyoming GOP is never reluctant to punish a member for speaking their mind. If a Wyoming Republican has the audacity to say something that doesn’t have the imprimatur of party leadership, the leadership is more than happy to slap the offending malcontent with an official censure.

Official Wyoming GOP censures have been handed out to everyone from Republican members of our congressional delegation, a Republican governor, legislators, and various and sundry local Republicans who have dared to speak out. So much for freedom of speech within the Wyoming GOP.

Except for Troy Bray, of course. Oral Eathorne and the Cardinals of the Wyoming GOP Central Committee refused to censure him when he directed a vulgar epithet at a sitting state senator, and told her she should kill herself.

I guess that qualifies as protected speech in today’s Wyoming Republican Party.

The latest example of Republican double-speak in the Cowboy State, when the GOP leadership ignored Plank 22, is the recent censure of a Laramie County GOP precinct committeeman for an email that did not toe the party line.

A respected long-time Republican, sent out an email before the election that didn’t say sufficiently nice things about Donald Trump. A resolution of censure was drafted against him for his statements and, although the resolution was not adopted, he was censured by his fellow Laramie County Republicans anyway.

It is ironic and sad that the Wyoming Republican Party insists that Republican candidates for office must adhere to the Party’s Platform, yet the Party hierarchy itself ignores the Platform when it suits them, and when they want to count coup on dissenters.

It’s almost as if the Wyoming Republican Party wants to prevent any voice other than their own from being heard out in the Big Empty. It’s almost as if Party leadership wants Wyomingites to hear only their officially-sanctioned speech.

I’m here to testify that we are hearing them loud and clear. We can hear one word from official GOP lips echo back and forth in the countryside. The word we are hearing from Oral Eathorne’s Wyoming Republican Party is “Hypocrisy," and the Party backs up that word by their actions.

I really hope that the Wyoming GOP censures me, a lifelong Republican, for calling them out on their bullshit. I’ll be in great company, and I’ll wear my censure as a badge of honor, a Timeless Truth, and proudly back it up with my words and actions.

Rod Miller can be reached at: RodsMillerWyo@yahoo.com