Dusty Deevers is a far-right pastor and unabashed Christian nationalist who was elected to a seat in the Oklahoma state senate last year. Since taking office, Deevers has attracted national attention for his efforts to, among other things, pass legislation that will abolish abortion, ban no-fault divorce, and outlaw pornography.
On Friday, Deevers appeared on the "Contra Mundum" program, where he took exception to those who accuse him of trying to roll back hundreds of years of progress by imposing values from the 1800s on the nation today.
Deevers objected to this characterization, insisting that he wants to go much further back that that. All the way to the 1600s, as a matter of fact.
"I am willing to be used as kind of smelling salts for the culture," Deevers said. "Wake up."
"I see people [say], 'You're taking us back to the 1800s, 1850s,'" he continued. "And I'm like, 'I'm not doing this right.' I want to take us back to our founding. I want to take us back earlier. Why can't I go back to a 'Lex, Rex' age, or a 'Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos' age, or Bastiat's 'The Law'?" Why can't we go back? I've got to do something better if we're only going to the 1800s, 1850s."
"Lex, Rex" is a book written in 1644, and "Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos" is a tract written in 1579, while "The Law" was written in 1850.