Jay Rodne

Jay Rodne
Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the Position 1, 5th legislative district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2004 (2004-01-20)
Preceded by	Cheryl Pflug
Snoqualmie City Council, Position No. 5
In office January 1, 2002 (2002-01-01) – January 20, 2004 (2004-01-20)
Preceded by	Cathy (Runkle) Reed
Succeeded by	Maria Henriksen
Personal details
Born	Jay Robert Rodne (1966-03-21) March 21, 1966
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Heidi Lynne Rodne
Residence	Snoqualmie, Washington
Alma mater	Creighton University (B.A.) Gonzaga University School of Law (J.D.) University of Washington (M.H.A.)
Profession	Lawyer
Website	Official
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1989 – 1993 [4 years] (active) 1993 – present [23 years] (reserve)
Rank	Colonel

Jay Robert Rodne (born March 21, 1966) is an American politician of the Republican Party. He is a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 5th Legislative District.^[1] Rodne is of Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians ancestry.

Legislation

Jay is the primary sponsor for 13 bills.^[2] His most recent co-sponsored bill was HB 2453 that passed unanimously and is designed to improve oversight at state mental hospitals.^[3] His committee assignments include Transportation, Health Care and Wellness, and Judiciary (where he is the ranking minority member.)

Military Service

Jay is currently a Colonel in the USMC Reserve. He has been the commanding officer of 4th Landing Support Battalion, headquartered in Fort Lewis, Washington. He has deployed overseas as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During his active duty years he deployed to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War.^[4]

Controversial Remarks About Islam

Following the November 2015 Paris attacks which ISIS claimed responsibility for, State Representative Rodne reacted by writing on his Facebook page.^[5] On November 13, 2015, Rodne stated that:

Obama wants to import 1.5 million muslims into the U.S. This is absolute madness! Islam is incompatible with western civilization! How anyone people need to die? In the interim, Amicans,[sic] arm yourselves!!!!!

The Seattle Times subsequently debunked his claim that President Obama intended to resettle 1.5 million Muslims within the United States.^[6]

Rodne further commented:^[7]

Are you freaking kidding me? How long are you going to be an apologist for brutal barbarians? Islam is bariarian[sic] medievalism! Wake the f... up!

As well as:^[7]

The problem is the ideology. At its core, Islam is a medieval ideology that has not reconciled with modernity like Judaism and Christianity did centuries ago. Islam commands subservience or you die. It is that simple. ISIS is simply carrying out the tenets of their faith : infidels either need to be converted or killed. Leftist progressives think they can 'wish' this grim reality away but they can't.

In light of these remarks, subsequent analysis of Representative Rodne's Facebook page found that on October 31, 2015 he stated:^[5]

These are the barbarians that we are up against. This is an existential threat–our very existence as a civilization is being threatened. Islam is incompatible with western values of tolerance, personal freedom and respect for the rule of law. It is time for America to wake up and confront the realities of the challenges that we face.

He also stated in an interview with a local TV station:^[8]

“...the vast majority of Muslims in the world are peaceful and want nothing more than to live in peace with other faiths."

Following Rodne's refusal to retract his statements,^[8] the Washington State Democratic Party called on the Republican caucus in the State House of Representatives to strip Rodne of his leadership position as ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee.^[9] In response, Representative Rodne stated, "I'm not going to step down."

References