Some Missouri legislators continue to be hellbent about sending absurd messages to Washington. The latest is a law that would make it a crime to enforce federal statutes -- as yet not passed -- regarding firearms.

How paranoid is that?

Anticipating that the public fever is high right now regarding efforts on the national level to curb certain arms and those who would use them, Missouri's Republican legislators have pushed laws that would turn federal agents and prosecutors into criminals.

OK. Even those Republicans with mush for brains realize that [a] such proposed laws are not likely to ever be adopted in the Show Me State and [b] would be found unconstitutional if passed.

But these misguided legislators say, they want to send a message to Washington. Instead of helping to elect representatives and senators who will respect the full measure of the Second Amendment, these knuckleheads want to act not only irresponsibly, but also on the fringes of legal limits.

Surely these activities are not going unnoticed in Washington during these uncertain times of government distrust and overt terrorism.

Can these Missouri legislators spell S-E-D-I-T-I-O-N?

Surely they are on some government agency's watch list. If you or I pulled stunts like these, don't you think the FBI or somebody would have a file on us before you could say "high crimes and misdemeanors"?

There is a way -- a good way -- to send the message that we're tired to death of the circus in Washington we still reverentially refer to as the U.S. Congress. But it's not by building our own zoo in Jefferson City.

Instead, why don't we look at what we fear most in Washington and change it? If we don't like the policies du jour, why not elect federal legislators who will embrace our wishes and desires?

If we don't like the men and women casting votes for things we don't want, let's replace them with officeholders who will be more practical and more responsive to their constituents.

Wait a minute. Those ideas won't work.

Think about it.

Perhaps -- just perhaps -- a majority of Americans likes what Congress is doing, which might mean the GOP types in Jefferson City don't truly represent the views of most Missourians.

And perhaps -- just perhaps -- legislators in Jefferson City are in no way interested in upsetting the apple cart known as congressional incumbency because incumbency is exactly what Missouri legislators rely on until they are term limited out of office.

So what are we to make of the show we're watching in Jefferson City?

Here's what.

We're watching a comedy routine that would make any thinking Missourian cry.

Meanwhile, can we expect federal prosecutors to follow up on possible seditious acts in the state capitol? Remember, if those GOP legislators were white supremacists, they would be under federal siege by now.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian. He resides in Cape Girardeau.