Unless the strategy of the Alabama Republican party is to find funding by becoming a regular segment on multiple nightly comedy television shows, they really need to show indicted Speaker Mike Hubbard and "once-removed" Chief Justice Roy Moore the proverbial door.

We understand that the same-sex marriage debate got them both into a frothy frenzy, but their public comments are indefensible, unacceptable, and downright embarrassing. It's embarrassing even in this state that happens to lead the nation in downloading gay adult videos and, at the same time, church attendance. That's an interesting and peculiar correlation, to say the least.

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Hubbard said, "...we will continue defending the conservative Christian values that make Alabama a special place to live." Well, I hate to break it to the Speaker but not everyone in Alabama is a Christian and, maybe, he should have been paying attention in civics class when they talked about that whole church and state separation thing. We're already fairly certain he was snoozing during the seminar on ethics and campaign finance laws.

Moore is no better as he openly plans to defy the United States Constitution by stating that he is staunchly in favor of only enforcing laws that he likes, as he has infamously done before. Worse, he's indicated in the past that he would like to punish homosexuality and threw in the threat of the death penalty for good measure. Is this guy for real?

For late-night comedy writers; this stuff just writes itself. For most people in Alabama, it's another moment where average people shake their heads and really wonder if the state is stuck in some kind of time warp.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal once ominously warned the Republicans to avoid being known as the "party of stupid", but in Alabama that apparently has become misinterpreted as a rallying cry because GOP leaders obviously think that it's an actual contest as opposed to a criticism of their secessionist and bigoted philosophies.

Alabama Republicans love talking about same-sex marriage in terms of it being a fictional slippery slope into infinite varieties of inevitable perversion because then they don't have to talk about thorny issues like Alabama's revenue problem or how the state can't fund mental health or prisons.

Sadly, the delusional possibility of polygamous canine fornication gets more headlines and AL.com comments than boring old stuff like discussions about taxation, public services, or repairing our crumbling infrastructure.

In all fairness, Rep. Patricia Todd also took the low-road by threatening, albeit not very seriously, to "out" her legislative colleagues by exposing their sexual proclivities and indiscretions. Unfortunately, those types of rhetorical tactics also distract from promoting intelligent dialogue regarding constitutionally guaranteed civil rights and people's individual rights to their own morals, religious convictions, and belief systems.

So, now we'll go down the same worn-out path we've gone down too many times before. Hubbard and Moore will grandstand and they'll launch expensive legal challenges that will ultimately fail. They'll also ensure that when people think about the Republican that it's synonymous with bigotry and obstructionism.

I wish folks in the Alabama Republican party would remind Hubbard and Moore that we are part of the United States of America and that Alabama is not at war with federal government. Please, help them understand concepts like diversity, equality, and social justice. If you Republicans aren't sure about all that stuff, the Democrats can help you figure it out.

Also, let's make it a point that when we show these two the door, they understand that it means to exit; not just stand in the doorway.