Fox 25 Video: Sen. Coates, Did you leave the documents in a Capitol restroom? “No, that’s not the way it happened, I promise you.”

June 11, 2008

And speaking of bumbling Investigations: 2 Months and No Arrests!

Two months ago yesterday, the capitol press corps breathlessly reported Coates’ press conference in which the Seminole Senator reported he had been the victim of a “crime.” The next day’s headlines screamed about the “crime” and senate officials reported the investigation would take two weeks, but we’re now at two months into the investigation.

Now we all know the truth: Dirty left the docs in the crapper, OKPNS informed the public about the hapless plot, and the multi-million dollar repeal effort sputtered to a halt. Now those who enjoy exploiting illegal immigrants for low wages are pinning their hopes of continued lawlessness on the judicial system. How’s that for irony?

Dirty Harry addressing the media on April 10th about his “stolen documents.”

So two months after Dirty Harry lied to the press and the press fed the lies to the public, it seems to be forgotten as the same folks who lied to us and profess to hate frivolous use of the legal system are doing just that.

Don’t hold your breath hoping that anybody in the capitol press gang does a follow up story on Dirty’s phony claims. It’s just not going to happen. It took a miracle that the public found out about the plot in the first place, and we can be sure that the capitol press corps will do their best to make sure that never happens again!

Related:

EXCLUSIVE: Candid Emails Reveal Depths of 1804 Repeal Conspiracy; Ambush Planned for Rep. Terrill

EXCLUSIVE (Pt 2): Candid Emails Reveal Depths of 1804 Repeal Conspiracy; Is Sen. Coates Working for the People or Chesapeake Energy?

EXCLUSIVE (Pt 3): Candid Emails Reveal Depths of 1804 Repeal Conspiracy; Regarding Dirty Harry’s Notes

EXCLUSIVE (Pt 4): Candid Emails Reveal Depths of 1804 Repeal Conspiracy; Oklahoma Bankers Association Study is a Farce

EXCLUSIVE (Pt 5): Candid Emails Reveal Depths of 1804 Repeal Conspiracy; The Poll They Didn’t Want You to See

OKPNS has been aware for some time now that anti-Randy Terrill forces were peddling some negative spin regarding a personal bankruptcy filing in 2005. The story broke on a Democrat bulletin board, and that was good enough for drive-by bloggers and print reporters to immediately began the super-heated pursuit.

As any regular reader of this blog knows, we are often critical of the Oklahoma press, specifically the capitol press, for their zealous prosecution of a case when the targets are conservatives, and their indolent and lazy attitude toward stories when it appears the offending parties are “progressives.” Ed Kelley probably didn’t sleep last night, quivering with excitement about those anti-Terrill editorials he gets to write. We’re thinking that this story may trump that sensational follow-up story about Dirty Harry Coates insinuating a phony computer hack job to cover-up his losing those documents last session, but we digress.

Rep. Terrill has cultivated many enemies in his HB 1804 effort. The drive-by Oklahoma City media, the same bunch that has looked past worst transgressions by the likes of Mike Turpen and Coates, is reporting the bankruptcy story with manifest glee. The Associated Press is jacked up enough to actually file two stories. Major television stations are reading the AP wire copy, but Terrill quotes are few and far between.

Here’s what we know thus far: the bumbling anti-1804 cartel that Terrill thwarted this past legislative session is NOT responsible for this last-minute bankruptcy ‘revelation.’ Multiple sources tell OKPNS that a group of immigration lawyers have been hustling the information like cheap porn in a plain brown wrapper, complete with ’spin’ regarding some so-called ‘irregularities’ in the filing. Terrill has denied any wrongdoing, but reports are the trustee in the bankruptcy case felt pressure, and now he’s logging more press time than Brent Rinehart.

Bankruptcy filings are not hard to discover, but the capitol press corps and the anti-1804 cartel headed by the incompetent Coates couldn’t and didn’t do it. The Terrill story has been prepared by a group of immigration lawyers, hell bent on overturning the law. They believe a last minute smear of Terrill will further that goal, and they’ve done the dirty work for the press and even prepared for them a story line, all without going on the record, and with incredibly suspicious timing. You know, just like they teach you in journalism school!

The bankruptcy is a legitimate item for public discussion, but the timing and the pre-fabricated story line smells like a last-minute campaign hatchet job. That hasn’t stopped the Oklahoma City press from swallowing the stink bait hook, line and sinker. We readily agree that the story about a high-profile public official deserves to be heard, but the hustlers of this information purposefully waited until the last minute to bring this to the attention of the public in a manner befitting an old Soviet Union spy, but the Oklahoma City press was ready to buy anything that harms Terrill. Caution, be damned!

Because of the suspicious-to-all-but-the-press timing, some restraint and care should have been exercised, but that wouldn’t fit into the press agenda, now would it? Somewhere Edward R. Murrow is rolling over in his grave!

We’ll be watching for the next set of stories the immigration lawyers, er, rather the press writes in the next few days.

DEVELOPING……

In cased you haven’t heard, public relations executive Steve Turnbo of Tulsa has taken the reins of the statewide chamber of commerce.

We’ve written about Turnbo’s PR firm before: Turnbo’s firm, which has mishandled the poultry litigation to the delight of W.A.D. Edmondson, botched the ill-fated river improvements campaign and masterminded Oral Roberts University’s pathetic attempt to fool the public during the financial scandal, is moving on to head the chamber of commerce!

Insiders tell OKPNS that while Schnake Turnbo’s ability to produce typical PR campaigns is excellent, their public affairs acumen is simply awful. “They simply stink at public affairs, but they are good at fooling companies into hiring them,” says one observer.

So now the firm’s head is taking the lead at the state chamber, which is regarded by many capitol observers as an out-of-touch and fairly ineffective lobbying organization. You may recall Sen. “Dirty Harry” Coates’ unflattering comments regarding the chamber of commerce’s lobbyists.

Either way, watching the leader of one of the state’s most ineffective public affairs firms directing one of the state’s most ineffective lobbying groups should lead to a lot of fun.

It’s of course not as big as appearing on fasteddieshairnewsok.com or whatever it’s called, but State Rep. Randy Terrill was on Lou Dobb’s CNN show last night. Terrill, who is everything Fast Eddie and his hair want to be (relevant, well-regarded, important and a real television personality on a real television station,) talked with Dobbs about the Oklahoma chambers of commerce use of frivolous lawsuits to thwart the will of the people. Here’s the transcript:

DOBBS: A federal judge has sided with big business and blocked part of Oklahoma’s new law to deal with its illegal immigration crisis. Oklahoma state representative, Randy Terrill, sponsored that legislation and he said, “What you have is an example of the judiciary thwarting the will of the citizens of Oklahoma.”

Randy Terrill joins us tonight, from Oklahoma City. Good to have you with us, Randy.

REP RANDY TERRILL (R), OKLAHOMA: Good evening, Lou, always great to be with you.

DOBBS: Good to be here. What is your reaction to this development?Are you surprised?

TERRILL: Well, you know, I’m disappointed but not surprised, frankly, at this 17-page opinion and two-page order that effectively enjoins three different parts of House Bill 1804 that we collectively refer to as the Private Employment Provisions. The reason I’m disappointed, Lou, is, obviously it isn’t the result we had hoped for. It will unnecessarily prolong this litigation and almost certainly guarantee an appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and possibly on to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And also, frankly, this decision is troubling, is why I’m disappointed, it conflicts with recent rulings in other cases, most notably in Missouri and Arizona and even here in the northern district in Tulsa where there was a similar challenge brought against this rule — against this bill.

But, the reason I’m not surprised is because Judge Robin Cauthron, who issued this opinion, is perhaps the most liberal judge in the Western district of Oklahoma.

DOBBS: So, you’re confident that you’ll win on appeal. I just want to point out to our viewers here, that this legislation passed the Oklahoma House By a margin of 88-9, it passed the Senate by a margin of 41-6. The governor signed it into law in May of last year. What has been the impact of the legislation?

TERRILL: Well, it’s had a tremendous impact. Obviously, illegal aliens began leaving the state of Oklahoma, even before the law was passed. And Lou, I think there is no more glaring example of the success of this legislation then the fact that Oklahoma’s unemployment is running several percentage points below the national average. And obviously there are a lot of things that at play there, but one of them is House Bill 1804.

DOBBS: Well, let me ask you this, because it’s the Chamber of Commerce there in Oklahoma, the National Chamber of Commerce, as the plaintiffs in this case, it’s big business saying they don’t want to be responsible for verify citizenship status of employees. I mean, that’s height of corporate irresponsibility.

TERRILL: It is absolutely outrageous. This is all about big business, organizations, preserving the availability of and their access to cheap illegal alien slave labor, it’s about that.

DOBBS: All right, so let me — you said it straightforwardly, but what is the reaction there to business?I mean, you’re state House, the state legislature, the state House, and the state Senate, overwhelming passage, signed by your governor. What is the pushback against your business leaders in Oklahoma?I mean, this is outrageous that you would even put up with their nonsense.

TERRILL: That’s exactly right. And I’ve got to tell you, you’re absolutely right. This bill passed the House and Senate by overwhelming, bipartisan, veto-proof margins and was signed by a Democrat governor. The public strong strongly supports House Bill 1804, in fact, polls by the opposition indicate that it enjoys over 88 percent plus approval. Lou, they even did push polling to try to drive support for the bill down and every time they ask employment- related questions, it actually drove support for the bill up and so, the public overwhelmingly supports this piece of legislation. And frankly, they are outraged at the fact that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has interfered with Oklahoma’s business and that our state Chamber is bringing this lawsuit against a bill that enjoy enjoys that kind of popularity.

DOBBS: Well, Oklahoma represents, now, one of the few states in the nation that really has control of its own destiny. Nearly every other state is dominated by business interest, special interest, and the people of Oklahoma are actually making their will known and making certain their government is following that will. What’s going to be the reaction amongst the public, there?

TERRILL: Well, I think it’s going to be a reaction of outrage. And you’re absolutely right, Oklahoma, as well as a few other states, Georgia and Arizona have captured control of their destiny with regard to the illegal immigration issue. They are now the model states that other states are beginning to mirror to get control of this problem.

DOBBS: Randy Terrill, thank you very much for being us.

TERRILL: You bet. Thank you, Lou. God bless.

This you’ve got to see.

The Oklahoma City paper’s ‘TV’ spokesman Fast Eddie Kelley ripping into the state’s most popular politician, State Rep. Randy Terrill, regarding Oklahoma’s most popular law, HB 1804, the immigration and reform bill from 2007.

A liberal activist federal judge has temporarily set aide the private employment provisions of the bill. Kelley, in his standard dead-pan Sominex delivery, takes snide and derisive shots at Terrill, who also is a regular on Oklahoma’s most popular political show, News9’s ‘Your Vote Counts,’ which now has an extended web broadcast streaming on the News9 web site. News9 left the boring and dull newsok.com arrangement January 1st, and Terrill’s involvement in YVC’s popularity has to gall Fast Eddie and his colleagues. While the paper fights to stay relevant, Terrill, love him or hate him, has become a certified media personality while Fast Eddie’s segments, when someone actually watches them, are subject of much laughter.

According to Sen. Harry Coates’ poll, support for HB1804 actually increases when business leaders whine about the responsibilities they have to take as part of the bill, something Fast Eddie Kelley and his illegal-hiring business buddies still don’t fathom. To that we say, “Preach on, Fast Eddie!”

Fast Eddie, who has become the butt of spectacularly funny jokes spun by KTOK’s afternoon drive host Mark Shannon, weaved this snippy little monologue to demonstrate why the 85% of Oklahomans who support Terrill are unsophisticated and ridiculous…..sort of like that haircut, suit and glasses.

So since you probably missed it, and if you need a good laugh today, here’s the video of Fast Eddie’s lecture. We can feel support for 1804 growing already!

OKLAHOMA CITY – A state lawmaker today praised Ed Kelley, editor of The Oklahoman, for providing “the kind of analysis you won’t get anywhere else, ever. Seriously. You’re not going to hear anyone else say the stuff he does, not even on YouTube, a chat board, or scrawled on a bathroom wall.”

“Just because a man apparently spends most of his waking hours filming ‘video commentaries’ like a high-tech Ted Kaczynski updating his manifesto, some people are inclined to dismiss his statements as ‘rants’ or ‘early stage Alzheimer’s,’” said state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore. “But not me. You’ve got to give it up for a guy with such awesome helmet hair.”

In a recent video commentary posted at newsok.com, Kelley and his unmoving hair said expanded welfare benefits “make sense for any woman” whether she’s an illegal immigrant or a resident of the super-wealthy suburb of Nichols Hills.

“Critics might think folks living in million-dollar Nichols Hills mansions should pay for their own health care, but those people clearly aren’t giving Ed Kelley’s awesome hair the respect it deserves,” Terrill said. “A man whose hairdo doesn’t give in to gravity, wind or other forces of nature cannot be held to the standards of ‘logic’ and ‘reason.’”

In another video, Kelley criticized thousands of Oklahoma citizens and church leaders for rallying at the state Capitol in support of state Rep. Sally Kern and in opposition to radical homosexual activists. In that commentary, Kelley also complained that Terrill “rammed” an omnibus anti-illegal immigration law “down the throats” of Oklahomans. That legislation, House Bill 1804, passed the Legislature with 125 votes in support and just 20 opposed.

“Some people – we call them ‘voters’ at the Capitol – see the overwhelming passage of a bill that continues to receive 80-plus percent support in polls as lawmakers responding to the will of the people,” Terrill said. “It took Ed Kelley and his hair to uncover the massive conspiracy, and he should be commended for it.”

In that same commentary, Kelley complained that lawmakers were wasting time on legislation that doesn’t amount to “a hill of beans,” such as the wildly popular proposal to make English the official language of state government.

Those interested in truly important issues can view Kelley’s commentaries alongside NewsOk videos, such as one on how to get “The Perfect Eyebrows” and a chat with an elephant trainer.

Terrill noted Kelley’s videos combine solid production values with a “crazy uncle locked in the attic aesthetic” that is only slightly destroyed by the off-frame sounds of cameramen apparently nodding off while Kelley drones on.

Terrill said Kelley has the potential to become “an Internet superstar, maybe as big as the fat dude who wears the Tron suit.”

“Just look at the guy’s schoolmarm glasses – that’s the sure sign he’s an ‘intellectual,” Terrill said. “If only Ed’s videos were seen by a larger audience than his family and Oklahoman employees who are contractually obligated to watch.”

Those interested can view Kelley’s “truly unique analysis, awesome hair and intimidating eyewear.”

We said that after maps for millionaires passes, the anti 1804 forces (chambers of commerce) would spring to life, and they have.

OKPNS also reported that the U.S. and State Chambers were suing to repeal HB 1804, Oklahoma’s immigration reform bill.

Tom Price, of Chesapeake Energy, according to The Oklahoman, “is forming a nonprofit group called A Better Way Oklahoma to more humanely and responsibly address the state’s immigration woes. As part of that process, the group will conduct town hall meetings throughout the state to assess citizen input and concerns.”

The McCarville Report writes:

A group calling itself “A Better Way Oklahoma” appears ready to launch an all-out attack on the state’s new immigration law that began life as Rep. Randy Terrill’s House Bill 1804.

Word of the group’s formation came today in an interview in The Oklahoman in which Tom Price Jr., senior vice president of corporate development for Chesapeake Energy, discusses the new law. The thrust of the article is that Leadership Oklahoma City alumni invited Terrill and others to a Wednesday debate on the bill, but none “were able to participate.”

[…]

Price said the group will sponsor town hall meetings across the state to “assess citizen input and concerns.”

According to The Oklahoman:

Price said there’s an expected exodus of 250,000 Hispanics from Oklahoma in the coming years as a result of HB 1804. He said as he started to understand broader economic implications, he brought those concerns to several state legislators who supported the bill. He said he was told not to worry about the bill because “we didn’t allocate any enforcement dollars.”

The group is apparently not convinced by U.S. Representative Dan Boren’s (D-OK) opinion that the legislation will be irrelevant after the presidential elections in November, or that the expected mass exodus simply isn’t happening.

Back in February, we hinted the Oklahoma press corps would largely ignore the story, and we were right. But little did we know that the state’s out-of-touch and ineffective business lobby would spring their double cross so soon after the vote.

Furthering the irony, United States Senator James Inhofe has been quoted in today’s McCarville Report gently telling the group, in essence, to pipe down. Poll after poll shows the public overwhelmingly approve of the measure, and even the misguided business group’s own internal polling shows no education campaign, regardless of the amount spent, will dissuade the voters from their position.

Why would business groups pursue an effort that will anger voters and ultimately fail? One insider says lobbyists and con men will make big bucks on the effort:

Price is just an employee. If he screws up, they can cut their losses. As usual lobbyists, lawyers and ‘public affairs specialists’ have talked these naive business leaders into dropping big bucks on this, which will end up in the con artists’ pocket. Con artists are just part of the landscape at the state capitol when it comes to anything dubbed ‘reform,’ such a ‘tort reform and ‘workers’ compensation reform.’

While the states’ leading newspapers continue to ignore the obvious, we’ll keep on following this explosive developing story.

OKPNS recently observed that HB 1804, aimed at penalizing employers and landlords that hire and rent to illegal aliens isn’t quite having the anticipated effect, because it is not being enforced.

Perhaps, as we suggested, it is because Oklahoma business owners have been intimidated by the threat of being sued at the Federal level for discrimination if they try to obey the law at the local level. Or, perhaps business owners have been listening to Dan Boren:

After the presidential election, I think we’re more likely to have federal legislation that will pre-empt a lot of what’s going on at the state and local level…I think we’re going to see some type of bill like [the one proposed by President Bush]. I think it’ll pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president…It’s going to be very contentious. I’d like to get this off the table as an issue so we can go forward.

And why not? There are three leading contenders for President of the United States now…two Democrats, and one who is technically a Republican who wants to be a Democrat.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY):

I neither support illegal immigration nor the enactment of fruitless schemes that would penalize churches and hospitals for helping the truly needy. That will not fix the mess we are in.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL):

Millions of undocumented immigrants live and work here without our knowing their identity or their background. We need to strike a workable bargain with them. They have to acknowledge that breaking our immigration laws was wrong. They must pay a penalty, and abide by all of our laws going forward. They must earn the right to stay over a 6-year period, and then they must wait another 5 years as legal permanent residents before they become citizens.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) with Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill of 2005:

A nonimmigrant alien…shall not be denied any right or any remedy under Federal, State, or local labor or employment law that would be applicable to a United States worker employed in a similar position with the employer because of the alien’s status as a nonimmigrant worker…An employer shall provide nonimmigrants issued a visa under this section with the same wages, benefits, and working conditions that are provided by the employer to United States workers similarly employed in the same occupation and the same place of employment.

Even Oklahoma’s Randy Terrill (R-Moore) who wrote OK HB 1804 is now saying that he won’t pursue the expansion of the immigration reform, because after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed suit, questioning the constitutionality of the bill, support for expanding the reforms is weak in the Oklahoma legislature.

The A.P. is reporting on OK HB 2445 (Which attempts to repeal OK HB 1804):

A southwest Oklahoma lawmaker has filed legislation to repeal a state law that targets illegal immigrants, but the chairman of a legislative committee said Friday its chances of being considered are slim.

State Rep. David Braddock, D-Altus, said he wants to repeal provisions of the anti-illegal immigrant law to help out farmers and businesses in his district who have struggled to find workers since the law went into effect last year.

[…]

Braddock said the law “has created a huge sense of fear” within Latino communities and families.

“They’re absolutely afraid of staying here,” he said. “They think Oklahoma doesn’t want them. I don’t think that’s what Oklahoma is about.”

Braddock’s bill would repeal the legal ban on allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities, receive public entitlement assistance or get state driver’s licenses, ID cards and occupational licenses, according to the author of House Bill 1804, state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore.

It would also prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from enforcing the bill’s employment provisions.

To read OK HB 2445, click here.