Censure sought

To the editor:

The following is a quote from a Kansas Democratic Party release of Feb. 14.

“On Tuesday, Feb. 8, during testimony in front of the Kansas House Federal and State Affairs Committee, Rep. Connie O’Brien told a story about an experience she had with someone who was supposedly an undocumented immigrant. Here is the transcript:

“Rep. Sean Gatewood, D-Topeka — ‘Can you expand on how you could tell that they were illegal?’

“Rep. Connie O’Brien, R-Tonganoxie — ‘Well she wasn’t black, she wasn’t Asian and she had the olive complexion.'”

Even if this is “out of context,” there is no context that would excuse such a remark. Apparently, there are no black illegal immigrants, there are no Asian illegal immigrants and all persons of “olive complexion” are illegal immigrants in the eyes of Rep. O’Brien.

This statement is so far beyond the pale that it deserves more than a public apology. It deserves censure.