One week, it’s Jim Bunning. The next week, it’s an NPR story on “All Things Considered” that understandably makes Kentucky the butt of nationwide snickering.
From the report:
In Kentucky, the oath of office that politicians take before assuming office has remained almost unchanged since the early 1800s. Now some say the oath needs an update, and a duel over constitutional wording has started an interesting debate about Kentucky’s past and present.
It happens from time to time across Kentucky. A candidate is elected to office or someone is chosen to lead a public university. Typically, a judge and honoree stand facing each other, right hands raised. The judge recites the oath of office with its words proudly repeated.
Then comes this reference: “I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as second in carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending, so help me God.”
All statewide officeholders, county officials and even judges must make such a declaration. But one Kentucky lawmaker wants to change that.
“One of the problems when you have people from out of state, and I’ve had it at some swearing-in ceremonies that I’ve been to, they look at you like you’re crazy, what are you talking about,” says Louisville state Rep. Darryl Owens. “It perpetuates that image of Kentucky as being backward.”
Owens says snickering over the question of dueling can be a distraction to a dignified ceremony and harm efforts to bring businesses to the state.
He wants a public vote on a constitutional amendment to remove any mention of duels. No other state has such an oath.
Kentucky historian Jim Klotter says the duel references were added in the 1800s because too many residents were killing each other. One of Kentucky’s best-known statesmen, Henry Clay, who served in Congress and ran for president, fought two duels.
…
Not everyone is happy about the proposal to remove dueling references from the Kentucky Constitution, including former governor and current State Senator Julian Carroll.
“It is a part of the history of this great commonwealth, and I don’t think that we ought to make any changes with respect to the reflection of that history,” Carroll says.
If successful, Kentucky’s oath of office would lose more than half its current wording. If the bill doesn’t pass, Darryl Owens jokes he might challenge some of his opponents to a duel — but he admits that would disqualify from office.
To use the cliche, this is a no-brainer. With the passing of a single bill Kentucky can remove a vestigial tail of backwardness that has the rest of the country snickering.
