Reports from this St. Louis newspaper say that Oklahoma Political News Service editor and political consultant Christopher Arps, failed to pay child suppport and was "convicted of non-support for six out of 12 months in St. Louis County in 2001." Arps, 41, is divorced with one daughter. The report stems from a tip a local liberal African American weekly received from a St. Louis blog. The blogger is a former personal acquaintance of Mr. Arps. The paper criticized a recent trip Arps made to Kansas City last month to speak on behalf of an affirmative action ballot initiative slated for next year. The initiative, supported by nationally known figure Ward Connerly, seeks to eliminate government set asides in employment and higher education. "Mr. Connerly became aware that I write a blog on African American politics, I was offered a chance to say a few remarks and I accepted," Arps said. In regards to his conviction for non-support, Arps responded: "I had a difficult time after a difficult divorce, and after changing careers after 10 years, decided to follow my dreams in politics. I unfortunately got a year behind; I'm currently making restitution. I made a mistake and I deeply regret this incident." Arps said philosophically, "What gives us pain, gives us strength." When asked will this revelation change the style of posts on the blog or the editorial content, Arps emphatically answered no. "When you post articles about public figures on their positions or personal foibles, its fair game to be a target yourself. I believe as long as the information is credible, informative, and entertaining, the messenger's personal life is irrelevant." OKPNS will continue to investigate. Posted at 6/08/2007 08:18:00 AM