Graphic courtesy of okiedoke.com From ESPN.com By Jim Caple It's official. Art Modell, Robert Irsay, Donald Sterling and Jeffrey Loria are off the hook. The worst owner in sports history is Clay Bennett. I know, I know. There is a lot of competition for that distinction. Why, to even achieve the honor of worst owner in Seattle sports history you have to beat out Ken Behring, George Argyros, Jeff Smulyan and Howard Schultz. But Bennett, or as my friend Rod calls him, "Cash-Us" Clay, accomplished it in a little more than a year. Just consider his most recent move. The minute he was welcomed as an NBA owner in 2006, Clay Bennett, (center), started asking for a new arena. Showing all the public relations and marketing savvy that has marked his tenure as owner so far, Bennett formally announced his intention to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City less than a day after the tip-off to the team's home opener. "Welcome to the 2007-08 season, Sonics fans! And will the owner of a Prius hybrid please move your car -- you're blocking the owner's U-Haul vans." Cash-Us Clay released a statement declaring he will move the team as soon as he can break his lease at Seattle's KeyArena or when he next sheds his skin, whichever comes first. "From the beginning," Bennett says in the release (we assume with a straight face), "it has been my absolute hope and expectation that we would be able to secure the necessary governmental commitments to build a successor venue to KeyArena." This would sound a lot more convincing had his partner and minority owner, Aubrey McLendon, not already revealed to an Oklahoma paper earlier this year that: "We didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here." (McLendon, by the way, was a big donor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which gives you some idea of this group's tactics.) Read more...

Labels: Supersonics Clay Bennett

Posted at 11/03/2007 12:13:00 PM |   

Does Drew Edmondson think that the law applies to everyone else but him? It's bad enough that he is persecuting honest citizens for excercising their constitutional rights, now he is using bullying tactics to persecute a chicken farmer in Northeast Oklahoma. We've personally talked with Bev Saunders on the telephone. The stories she told us of Edmondson's harrassment would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Incredible and unbelievable!

BY ROBERT J. SMITH Two men wearing FBI windbreakers arrived last week at Gentry City Hall looking for Bev Saunders. They never said they were federal agents, but they didn't say they weren't, either. Tulsa police Maj. Rod Hummel and the other man wanted to give a subpoena to Saunders, who works at the Gentry Chamber of Commerce and is manager of Poultry Partners, an organization of poultry farmers in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The jackets were a bullying tactic meant to convince her that the men were federal agents, Saunders said. A former FBI agent said Thursday she's probably right about their intentions. "As a citizen, if they are wearing a jacket with FBI, I would be assuming they represent that agency," said U. S. Marshal Dick O'Connell, who spent 30 years as an FBI agent. "In my opinion, those officers, although they didn't say they represented a federal agency, probably gave the impression that they did represent a federal agency." Hummel didn't return telephone calls seeking comment. Saunders wasn't in the chamber of commerce's office at Gentry City Hall when Hummel and the other man arrived Oct. 22 wearing jackets with FBI logos on the left shoulders. She was off work when they returned Oct. 24, but she came to meet them. When Saunders asked for identification, Hummel showed his Oklahoma driver's license. He never said he was with the FBI, she said. She never spoke to the second man, who stayed outside. "They didn't lie," she said. "They were just leaving the impression." The subpoena is related to the federal lawsuit filed by Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson in 2005 against eight poultry companies with operations in Arkansas. Read more...

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Mike Turpin, Paul Jacob TABOR, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 11/02/2007 03:01:00 PM |   

OKLAHOMA. While Republicans initially chuckled about State Senator Andrew Rice's (D) challenge to US Senator Jim Inhofe (R), they are now seemingly taking his challenge more seriously. How else to explain the rather desperate attack site launched by the Oklahoma Republican Party: andrewricesweb.com. The heavy-handed GOP site accuses Rice of being everything from an ACLU'er, to a Sierra Club supporter, to being "supported by ... Jeanine Garofalo", to Rice possibly even being an "Italian Communist" (trust me, I'm not making this up!). In circa 1950 style, the site also features a communist hammer-and-sickle flag flying above Rice's head. So, why are they viciously attacking someone they've spent months saying is "no threat" to Inhofe? Read more...

Labels: Andrew Rice, Decision '08, Sen. Inhofe

Posted at 11/02/2007 09:47:00 AM |   

By Mike Soraghan Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Congress’s deficit spending has become a moral issue surpassing abortion because it saddles future generations with massive debt before they’re born. “The greatest moral issue of our time isn’t abortion, it’s robbing our next generation of opportunity,” Coburn told reporters at a breakfast meeting Thursday at the National Press Club. “You’re going to save a child from being aborted so they can be born into a debtor’s prison?” The conservative Republican also criticized his own party, saying voters bounced the GOP from office for their hypocrisy. “It’s not a bad thing power changed last year,” said Coburn, who also criticized President Bush for not doing enough to curb spending. “He hasn’t been the ideal president when it comes to limited federal spending,” Coburn said. Read more... Related: Townhall.com: Coburn Says Spending Eclipses Abortion Concerns Video: Sen. Coburn Awarded for Pro-Family Activism

Labels: Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 11/02/2007 09:17:00 AM |   

From the Red Stater blog: Swimming Upstream: Retrograde- A blogging friend is going through some tough times. Without getting into too many details, lets just say that he was basically punished for having opinions and for expressing those opinions online. Oh sure, they used the fact that he has had medical problems which took him away from his job a day here and a day there...(waiting in line at government run hospitals) they always find a "professional" reason for firing what they consider to be "an insubordinate", however if he had been on the left side of things... he would probably be known as a "whistle blower" and held up as a hero and champion of all things good. Instead he finds himself on the outside looking in for daring to criticize the once great and powerful Choctaw Nation. (I'm part Cherokee, so I can get away with saying that) His reaction to losing his job and income? "When God closes one door, another is always waiting to be opened". Like most conservatives, he isn't a whiner or crybaby, he didn't go running to the local press, a lawyer or the ACLU, but instead accepts the personal responsibility for his actions, meets the challenges head on... with gusto and anticipation for what the future brings. Read more...

Labels: Choctaw Nation

Posted at 11/01/2007 03:42:00 PM |   

By White Rabbit When you first hear about the tragic beating death of two-year-old Kelsey Smith-Briggs, you can't help but hope that justice was served. Two people now sit in prison cells with hefty sentences for enabling the abuse that killed Kelsey Smith-Briggs, but no one was or will ever be convicted of her murder. I personally can't understand why the prosecution in this case would focus their efforts so solidly on the mother (Raye-Dawn Smith) when during her trial the prosecutor, Richard L. Smothermon stated more than once that he knew from the evidence in the case that Michael Porter (Kelsey's step-father) had murdered the child. It isn't terribly farfetched to consider that the prosecution was willing to go with a charge-bargain agreement with Porter in order to secure a conviction. That happens every day in this country; it's become the normal process for pre-trial. What really stands out in my mind is that the mother was so aggressively sought after with no real "definite" evidence of either abuse or allowing abuse. In fact, the forty or so reports from five separate agencies actually proved that she took a very active role in parenting and caring for Kelsey in an attempt to protect her from what the courts deemed was an "unknown" perpetrator. Raye Dawn Smith went as far as to quit her job in order to facilitate and manage all of the agency and doctor’s visits during the time the alleged abuse was being investigated. How a jury of twelve people ever came to the unanimous conclusion that she was guilty of enabling, is beyond reason. Did the jury feel the same pressure from the family and the media that Smothermon felt for four months when he finally decided to charge Raye Dawn Smith with a crime? Is it possible that they came up with the decision to go with enabling because the evidence just didn't support abuse, and anyone could be convicted of allowing abuse? Is this jury saying that every parent who has had the misfortune of trusting their children's life, safety, and happiness to a person who took advantage of that trust is guilty of enabling the abuse that harmed his or her child? Raye Dawn Smith unknowingly brought a pedophile into her home and trusted him with her child's life! For that she will live with a guilt that no court or prison term will ever be able to erase or compare. As the mother of a child who was raped by a trusted neighbor, I feel that this conviction is definitely worth taking a deeper look into in order to determine whether or not justice has truly been served. If you would like more information or would like to view evidence in this case go to www.freekelseysmom.com.

Labels: Kelsey Briggs

Posted at 11/01/2007 01:08:00 PM |   

Gasp. The Oklahoma Republican Party has just blown this race away by exposing State Sen. Andew Rice's (D) connection to the most radical of radical organizations. The most leftest of leftist groups. We're talking shit so far out of the mainstream, that I have the vapors just thinking about it. What groups can these be? Well, please sit down before you click over to see. It's groups like: Sierra Club ("Global warming alarmists") Twenty-First Century Democrats ("ultra-liberal [...] leaders from Planned Parenthood and labor unions") ACLU ("Civil Libertarians") MoveOn ("Betrayus") Some group called "Hollywood" ("Jeanine Garofalo") Democracy for America ("They share the same values and vision as Howard Dean") Stonewall Democrats ("Gay agenda") The Communist Party (he is a Democrat, after all) And don't get me started on the Progressive Alliance Foundation. "Rice founded The Progressive Alliance Foundation. Its goal is to convince Oklahomans that anti-war, pro-gay liberal values are actually our values. The group’s slogan is "Progressive Values, Mainstream Values, Oklahoma Values." Imagine the horror! Damn it -- Oklahoma values are all about war mongering and gay-bashing! You know, good, and wholesome values like that! But there's more! Read more... Related: Okie Funk: GOP, Inhofe Will Not Run On Record Red Stater: Run Andrew Run... Run Away

Labels: Andrew Rice, Decision '08, Sen. Inhofe

Posted at 11/01/2007 09:26:00 AM |   

Today, a bicameral group of Senators and Congressman presented a positive alternative to the current majority in Congress. Members of Reagan21 are committed to the advancement of a new and invigorated Republican Party fighting for Reagan’s principles of liberty and a 21st Century vision for America, including individual freedom, free enterprise and common-sense values. The Partnership’s goal is to give Americans a positive choice in public policy by advancing the integrity and optimism of the Republican Party. Senator Tom Coburn: “At a time when Congress’ approval rating is at an all-time low, it is vital that elected officials regain the trust and confidence of the American people. Reagan21 provides a way for members of Congress to commit themselves to a clear set of common sense principles about freedom and limited government that are not merely Republican values, but American values.” Read more... Related: London Telegraph: Coburn Rated United States' 43rd Most Conservative Politician

Labels: Sen. Tom Coburn

Posted at 11/01/2007 09:10:00 AM |   

By Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant Hello again, everybody! As children, we all read the fable of Chicken Little, a frightened little bird who ran around yelling, “The sky is falling!” While a children’s fable, it fits modern politics; it is easier to cause panic with wild charges than to engage in thoughtful discussion of an issue. Chicken Little jumped to mind when I read a column by the president of the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) in a recent issue of “The Daily Oklahoman.” The OML president wrote my proposal to end the grocery tax would harm cities and counties. He asserted that because local sales tax ordinances are tied to state law, cities and counties can only charge sales taxes on those items the state taxes. He said if the state stops collecting the grocery tax, they would have to as well. That is no more accurate than Chicken Little saying, “The sky is falling.” My proposal allows local jurisdictions to continue collecting their grocery tax. At most, they would have to make minor changes to ordinances to keep taxing groceries. Read more...

Labels: OK Legislator's Blog, Sen. Gumm

Posted at 11/01/2007 08:59:00 AM |   

Hat tip: Community Action Project A pledge of resistance signed by the Most Reverend Eusebius Beltran and several priests in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has been sent to Governor Henry. The pledge reads in part: Because this law is overly punitive and makes a felony of the act of providing humanitarian assistance to an undocumented person in need; we the undersigned clergy, religious leaders, and lay people of conscience will not and can not obey this law. We will continue to aid and assist all people regardless of their legal citizenship status, with charitable care and spiritual counsel. We people of faith and conscience refuse to be defined by fear of Oklahoma's law which makes servant-leaders felons. Rather we stand in obedience to faith, hope, and love. We call for repeal of this anti-immigrant bill and for the passage of immigration reform that provides justice for all of God's children. We stand together, in solidarity, in defiance of this law because of our allegiance to a higher law; the law of love of God and humanity. You can read the full pledge and see other materials of the Catholic Church related to HB 1804 and the immigration debate by clicking here. In July, Rev. Marlin Lavanhar of Tulsa's All Souls Unitarian Church delivered a sermon on immigration entitled "Foreigners In Our Midst". You can click here to hear a podcast of Rev. Lavanhar's sermon. For an overview of the positions that various faith communities have adopted promoting hospitality and understanding towards immigrants, click here Related: Daily O'Collegian: Immigration law goes into effect today, worries some Stan Geiger: Ethnic Cleansing?

Labels: HB 1804, Immigration Reform

Posted at 11/01/2007 08:45:00 AM |   

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 31, 2007) – In the 2007 legislative session, several key pieces of legislation by Speaker Lance Cargill were passed into law, including measures to benefit working families, place greater fiscal restraints on government, and reduce inmate recidivism rates. Several of those new laws will take effect Thursday. “Our overarching goal this year was to pass laws that ease the burden on families, that decrease the size of the state government bureaucracy, and that apply more common sense to our state’s laws,” said Cargill, R-Harrah. “We did that through a variety of measures, some that I authored, and many more that were authored and introduced by other fiscally prudent lawmakers.” Laws authored by Cargill in 2007 that take effect Thursday include House Bill 2101, the Transformational Justice Act, which encourages state prisons to partner with faith-based, community and voluntary organizations to help inmates rejoin society and reduce the rate of repeat offenders. “In Oklahoma, we’re fortunate to have voluntary, faith-based groups that understand how to help inmates become constructive members of society,” Cargill said. “Many times, prison is a place where inmates learn to become better criminals. But faith has a transformative power in people’s lives, including those who need the most help. These faith-based groups provide a service that no government program can, by helping inmates find the connections and develop the life skills they need.” Also taking effect Thursday is House Bill 2103, which provides full-time enrolling freshmen the option of “locking in” one fixed rate of tuition at state colleges and universities through completion of their degree program. Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, HB 2103 will require all public higher education institutions in Oklahoma to offer in-state students an option to participate in a guaranteed tuition rate plan. HB 2103 also includes key provisions to help keep the growing cost of textbooks down. The measure cracks down on practices such as "edition churn" or textbook "bundles" that hike the cost of materials. House Bill 2111 eliminates a number of smaller states agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs), 18 in all, that have been inactive for years or duplicate other state entities. House Bill 2104 requires the Oklahoma Historical Society to designate one day per week as a free admission day for all children age 17 or younger to state museums and historical sites. All four measures – House Bills 2101, 2103, 2111 and 2104 – passed the Legislature earlier this year with broad support from both sides of the aisle.

Labels: OK House, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 11/01/2007 08:33:00 AM |   

By Kyle D. Loveless

Recently, our state legislature was given an extra benefit just for being elected. Each legislator’s health care “allowance” was raised from $200 per month to over $1500, roughly a 600% increase! In essence, they were given a pay raise without anyone noticing. Guess who has to pay for their aspirin… you and I, more importantly, our children.

We have some serious problems with our priorities in this state. Our education system needs an overhaul. Our roads and bridges are falling apart. Our businesses and our citizens struggle under the weight of taxes. Our state should be taking measures to ensure that we will thrive in our second century, not take a step back.

The reasoning for the increase is that legislators are state employees and deserve benefits equivalent to those state employees get.

James Farris, a member of the commission who approved the increase, said, “It seemed appropriate to me that all state employees be treated the same. The disparity was so dramatic, it seemed to me to get people back on a level playing field.”

Pardon me, but I must say, “Hogwash!”

According to news reports, Mr. Farris also went on to say he “did not know how much this increase was going to cost.” What? Really? Since when do officials approve additional taxpayer-funded benefits without knowing what the costs are?

The commission that oversees the salaries and benefits for legislators mentioned that they were responding to a legislators’ spouse. I find this outrageous.

Our state legislators’ compensation is already among the highest in the nation, especially considering that the legislature only meets from February until the end of May. State employees work year around. Their job is their career. Legislators are supposed to have other employment since they are in session less than half the year. Elected legislators know the drill. If you seek elected office for the extra benefits, you need don’t need to be in office in the first place.

I’m astounded by the audacity of elected leaders who believe they are entitled to increased health benefits when the average Oklahoman struggles to keep health insurance. Health care costs are expensive, both for businesses and individuals. Our leaders should look for solutions to this problem, not simply drain taxpayers further to increase their own benefits.

Taxpayers want more out of our government. When we have teachers having to purchase paper and chalk, we need to set real, honest priorities. I don’t think that increasing health care benefits 600% for our part-time legislators should rank among the top priorities.

Our roads and bridges need help now. Infrastructure needs abound throughout the state. Just one example is Sara Road in Mustang which remains undeveloped because of political infighting about who should pay for it. We need leaders who will use their position and resources to build a better state, not a better benefits package for themselves.

Our education system needs a transfusion of competition, higher standards, and more parental involvement. We do not need 535 school administrative districts. It is embarrassing when Texas and Florida both have fewer districts than we do. Administrative costs sponge all the money from the teachers, principals, classrooms, and students. We need to do something about it, but everyone is afraid to even talk about this because of backlash from the education lobby. We need leaders who aren’t afraid to do the right thing even if it isn’t popular.

Oklahomans have survived tornados, the Dust Bowl, oil booms and busts, and we are stronger because of it. We deserve leaders who share that Oklahoma spirit, leaders who share our belief in hard work and helping a neighbor in need, not trying to get every benefit that is permissible on the backs of the taxpayer. It’s downright shameful. It is a privilege and honor to represent Oklahomans at the state capitol, and they deserve better than this

Labels: Decision '08, Kyle Loveless

Posted at 11/01/2007 08:11:00 AM |   

Labels: Kelsey Briggs

Posted at 11/01/2007 08:06:00 AM |