• An Independent Journal of Commentary • DECEMBER 2015 • VOLUME 47 NUMBER 12 • $5.00 SPECIAL DELIVERY Video Messages From Incarcerated Parents Brighten Holidays For Oklahoma Children

How Oklahoma Messages Project Transforms Lives And Helps Break The Family-Prison Pipeline – Page 12 Observations

www.okobserver.net Idiocy VOLUME 47, NO. 12 It’s difficult to pick Oklahoma’s dumbest public policy decision in re- PUBLISHER Beverly Hamilton cent years. There are so many choices. The series of income tax cuts and corporate welfare schemes now EDITOR Arnold Hamilton crippling state services rank near the top. So do the litany of unconsti- DIGITAL EDITOR MaryAnn Martin tutional measures that violated church-state separation and reproduc- tive rights. FOUNDING EDITOR Frosty Troy The most egregious, though, may be the state’s refusal to accept Med- ADVISORY BOARD icaid expansion, a classic example of cutting off your nose to spite your Marvin Chiles, Andrew Hamilton, face. Matthew Hamilton, Scott J. Hamilton, It’s nothing short of criminal that the state’s physical and economic Trevor James, Ryan Kiesel, health is at risk because of political pettiness – Gov. Mary Fallin’s and George Krumme, Robert D. Lemon, Gayla Machell, Bruce Prescott, the elected Republican leadership’s loathing of President Obama. Robyn Lemon Sellers, Kyle Williams Without Medicaid expansion, an estimated 150,000 working poor re- main without basic healthcare coverage. Rural hospitals teeter on the OUR MOTTO brink of collapse because of uncompensated care. And a staggered oil- To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable. dependent economy sorely needs the 12,000-15,000 jobs that Medicaid expansion was projected to create over 20 years. OUR CREDO Sadly, there is no sign that Fallin and Co. will come to their senses So then to all their chance, to all their anytime soon, even though other “red” states are. shining golden opportunity. To all the right to love, to live, to work, to be Louisiana just elected a Democrat, John Bel Edwards, who favors themselves, and to become whatever Medicaid expansion. Alabama’s GOP-dominated leadership also is re- thing their vision and humanity can ported to be reconsidering its opposition to Medicaid expansion. Even combine to make them. This seeker, Kentucky’s newly elected Tea Party governor, Matt Bevin, wants to nego- is the promise of America. - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe tiate with the feds, rather than simply end Medicaid expansion. Fallin and Co.’s anti-Obama, anti-fed ideology rings especially hollow FOUNDING PUBLISHER when considering this: Millions of Oklahoma tax dollars sent to Wash- Helen B. Troy 1932-2007 ington are making a significant difference in the health and well being of taxpayers in other states that accepted Medicaid expansion. [ISSN 0030-1795] The state is stuck with Fallin for three more years. But voters in 2016 The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] is published on the first Wednesday of each CONTINUED ON PAGE 43 month by AHB Enterprises LLC, 13912 Plym- outh Crossing, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Periodicals postage paid at Edmond, OK and additional entry office.

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LETTERS TO EDITOR E-mail to [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113- 0275. 2 • DECEMBER 2015 Observerscope

Laurel: To Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel, urging more investment in early childhood ed- ucation – arguably the best anti- crime tool available.

We note the passing of inveterate Observer reader, yellow dog Demo- crat and staunch union man Guy Free, father of our dear friend Ka- lyn Free.

Dart: To GOP Rep. John Bennett, the state’s Islam-Hater-In-Chief, demanding the governor seal the borders and investigate Syrian refugees already here. He needs to read the red letters in the Bible.

Laurel: To Albuquerque, NM, of- fering cash-paying beautification jobs to the needy twice weekly, plus providing transportation to and from worksites. OKC lead- Please keep The Observer atop Laurel: To Oklahoma Democrats, ers seeking to ban panhandling your holiday gift-giving list. Your formally opening their primaries should adopt the common sense generosity keeps the presses run- to registered independents, about solution. ning and the truth alive all year 13% of the electorate. The first long. See inside back cover for de- statewide opportunity for I’s vote Laurel: To Jalal and Mohammad tails. is the March 1 presidential prima- Farzaneh, honored with the Inter- ry. faith Alliance Foundation of Okla- Laurel: To the Oklahoman’s Rick homa’s annual Harley Venters Hu- Green, for an excellent story ex- Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, manitarian Award. Bravo! posing Attorney General Scott wants to ban state-funded athletic Pruitt’s “small government” hy- scholarships to out-of-state stu- Aaarrrggghhh! Last month’s Ob- pocrisy. Pruitt’s office has grown dents at two-year colleges. Imagine server goofed on the email address significantly while other state how that was received at Northern to inquire about the Creek County agencies downsize. Oklahoma College-Enid, with its Democrats’ two $750 scholarships. rich athletic tradition. Correct address: creekcountydem- The Bedlam score isn’t the most [email protected]. important fact. This is: OU gradu- Dart: To Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, ated 65% of its football players ripping Tyson Foods for importing Dart: To the Daily Disappoint- within six years, OSU 54%. There’s “cheap Muslim labor from Africa” ment, disguising press releases/ much work to be done. for its Noel, MO plant. This has ads as “news” under the moniker nothing to do with religion – it’s “Brand Insight.” Even Eddie Gay- Dart: To Gov. Mary Fallin, play- about worker exploitation. lord didn’t stoop to such shenani- ing politics with her attack on gans. Planned Parenthood’s alleged bill- Oklahoma’s tax amnesty pro- ing errors. This stunt is about bol- gram paid huge dividends, recover- Oklahoma education lost a pow- stering her anemic poll numbers. ing nearly $130 million in past-due erful voice with the passing of taxes – with promises to pay $16 teacher union leader Mike Barlow. Feel the Bern? A YouGov poll million more. The plan, waiving A longtime Observer reader, he found 26% of those 18-39 have a penalties and interest, originally was inducted into the Oklahoma favorable view of socialism, nearly was projected to collect about $35 Educators Hall of Fame in 2010. double [15%] those 65-plus. million. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 3 Letters media is able to diagnose people after they kill. Very strange. With so much of tax money squandered by the Legislature, are real services actually conveniently available to the people who are vol- untarily seeking them? Mary K. West Oklahoma City Arnold Hamilton replies: Ms. West offers a classic Straw Man, seeking to refute arguments I did not make. First, Ms. West contends that “most” of those behind bars “com- mitted crimes” and “the biggest factor” in criminal behavior is “substance abuse.” Neither of her declarations refutes the fact that jails/prisons have become the state’s largest mental health fa- cilities. Second, Ms. West may wish to Editor, The Observer: ma Open Records Law. look up the definition of slander. In the November article “Black Kent Frates Mental illness and substance Parenting Matters,” I very much Oklahoma City abuse often go hand-in-hand, but agree with some of the advice giv- not always. It’s hardly slanderous en and just as strongly disagree Editor, The Observer: to discuss mental health sepa- with some of it. All young people In response to Arnold Hamil- rately from drug and alcohol mis- should be taught how to respond ton’s article on page five of the use. when stopped by the police. No November issue of The Observer, I Third, Ms. West asserts that I one should reach into their pock- wish to say that most of the people promoted a police-state notion of ets or be disrespectful. who are in jails and prisons have rounding up those suspected of Policemen have a difficult job committed crimes. And the big- mental illness and forcing treat- to do. They want to ensure public gest factor in committing crimes ment upon them. If she believes safety and that includes keeping or otherwise getting into jails and offering more options to “desper- themselves safe. Their job is im- prisons is substance abuse. It is ate families scrambling to find possible without public support. slander for your newspaper to fail help for troubled loved ones” is It is wrong, as the article stated, to separate alcoholic and drug ad- a threat to individual liberty, she to refuse to answer questions. dicted mental health clients from has spent far too many hours Many times those questions are those who have never participated glued to Fox News. asked to eliminate suspects, get in chemical recreation. Fourth, Ms. West states flatly help to those in most need quick- The article also suggests that Nolen is a criminal – then implies, ly, assess the danger someone may recent tragedies could have been in effect, I had practiced psy- be to themselves or others, etc. prevented if Oklahoma just out pa- chiatry without a license. Nolen I would advise folks to role play tient committed an unknown num- is accused of a barbaric act, but with their teens and have them put ber of persons. This threatens the it’s worth noting he hasn’t been themselves in the role of an offi- basic rights of people minding convicted of anything – yet. Fur- cer trying to protect the public and their own business while living in ther, Nolen may never have been stay alive at the same time. their own homes. treated for mental illness, but June Murphy One of the violent poster chil- that doesn’t mean he didn’t need Ada dren listed in this article really and it or couldn’t have benefited from truly is a criminal. I was unable in it had it been more accessible. We Editor, The Observer: my Internet search to find any- simply don’t know. Laurel: To The Oklahoma Ob- thing about Alton Nolen ever being Finally – ironically – Ms. West server for bringing suit against in a mental hospital. See, nobody actually makes the point of my Gov. Fallin to enforce the Oklaho- is just bad or brainwashed. The CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 4 • DECEMBER 2015 Arnold Hamilton

The One-Trick Party

hat will Oklahoma’s elected leaders do Care Act’s individual components are quite popular when they don’t have Barack Obama to in Oklahoma: You can’t be denied coverage because kick around anymore? of a pre-existing condition. Young people can remain The calendar pages are turning quickly on their parents’ health care plans until age 26. In- onW Obama’s presidency. Just over a year left to blame surers can’t charge more for coverage based on gen- him for everything from high and low gas prices to der or health status. poor service at IHOP. Mention them individually, thumbs up. Mention Latest conniption was over Obama’s decision to nix ObamaCare, thumbs down. the Keystone XL pipeline. Gov. Mary Fallin, bless her What’s even more fascinating is that ObamaCare heart, nearly required smelling salts, decrying it as has made a positive difference in Oklahoma, even “absolutely mind-boggling” – the result of “political though the state still has the nation’s fifth highest pressure from anti-fossil fuel extremists.” uninsured rate. She then, predictably, launched into the carbon in- According to a 50-state analysis by WalletHub.com, dustry’s talking points, depicting Keystone XL as “an the health reform package cut Oklahoma’s uninsured important driver of economic growth and even Pres- rate for children by 13.04% and for adults by 19.53% ident Obama’s State Department says it will create between 2010-14. over 42,000 jobs. It will also support North American Overall, the state’s pre-ObamaCare uninsured rate Energy production, which is good for both our eco- of 18.86% has dropped to 15.36% – 110,039 gained nomic security and our national security.” coverage under the plan. That’s debatable, of course. Domestic producers are State leaders, of course, blame ObamaCare for next so awash in crude they’re seeking to lift the 40-year year’s spike in insurance rates – the state’s dominant ban on oil exports. In addition, many of the Keystone insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, averaging a 30%-plus XL-related jobs were likely to be temporary, construc- hike. But that says more about the lack of competi- tion-related. The president, of course, contends bet- tion in Oklahoma than it does about the ACA. ter, more permanent jobs loom in the transition to What happens when a single company corrals the renewable energy. lion’s share of a market? Prices spike. What isn’t up for debate is this: Seven years into his Let’s shift to environmental policy. Fallin, Attorney presidency, Obama remains the perfect foil in Okla- General Scott Pruitt and most of the state’s Republi- homa politics. It’s the political equivalent of Pavlov’s can-dominated elected elite toe the oil and gas line dog: Show Obama’s face and the canine instinctively when it comes to opposing federal regulation. snarls. Pruitt, in fact, filed suit against the EPA over its The question is, why? Is it race? His embrace of Clean Power Plan – Obama’s signature climate action marriage equality? His healthcare reform package? – that will mandate states cut their use of coal in an His commitment to climate science? His support for effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. new gun laws? Yet – interestingly – a poll by the Yale University The Republican political pros argue it’s about poli- Project on Climate Change Communication found cy – Obama’s simply too liberal for Oklahoma. 52% of Oklahomans support tighter limits on emis- Except … that’s really not so. If you believe the sions from coal-fired power plants. polls, Oklahomans support many of the president’s Invoking Obama is red meat for GOP voters now. policies in principle. It’s when Obama’s name is at- Who will be the bogeyman when he’s gone? Better tached they snarl. yet, when will Oklahomans focus on policy, not per- Take health care reform. Many of the Affordable sonality? THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 5 Disposal Wells And Chernobyl, OK

BY BOB JACKMAN

he list of man-made disasters puts the 1986 The low prices and oil production slowdowns are il- Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown at lustrated by one field near Glencoe, OK. Currently two No. 1. pumpers on 46 pumping oil wells are only switching Today, as the holidays near, the question on on several hours each day, compared to the around- Tthe minds of 500,000 or more Oklahoma homeown- the-clock pumping when crude prices were $100 per ers and renters is this: Will central and north central barrel. Oklahoma’s seemingly unstoppable earthquakes let The oil produced in quake-prone areas like Glen- loose a Richter magnitude 5.0 or greater one? coe, north of Stillwater, has ratio of one oil barrel per Oklahoma’s petroleum industry disposals wells do 10 barrels of brine. This slowdown drastically cuts have the potential to create a high magnitude earth- down high volumes injected in disposal wells caus- quake during 2015 holidays. If that happens, will ing quakes. And we are seeing some declines in oil- Oklahoma be included on Google’s worldwide list of men-made earthquakes in the last 60 days. the 25 worst man-made disasters? Word of caution: Oklahoma is still on an upward There is some hope this will not happen. However, track for total of 850 magnitude 3.0-plus earthquakes Gov. Mary Fallin, the Oklahoma Corporation Commis- in 2015 versus 585 magnitude 3.0-plus quakes in sion [OCC] and our earthquake areas’ oil producers 2014. do not get an ounce of credit for this ray of hope. That Last month, the year’s highest magnitude – 4.7 – oc- credit belongs to the abrupt market decline in prices curred near Cherokee. of crude oil and natural gas which in turn causes less The internal subsurface stress of literally billions of the briny wastewaters to be injected in disposal of barrels of heavy saltwater injected since mid- wells. 2000s in north central Oklahoma has built-up enor-

6 • DECEMBER 2015 mous pressure – mega tons pushing against and into next morning. known and unknown deep ancient faults. This rap- Her complaints echo others interviewed, including idly causes earthquakes. several local fire chiefs. Scientific evidence clearly shows earthquakes can “Living this way is not acceptable. Quake damages continue as long as a year or more after disposal are both physical and psychological. The anxiety of wells stop injecting. living in Medford or Glencoe is like being in a war Think of it this way: Stretch a rubber band extra zone. When will the next big one hit?” said one. tight around a vase and set it out of sight. Constant The elderly report living in constant fear of earth- strain weakens the rubber’s micro-links. So when quakes. The Enid News reported damage to schools will it snap? and homes in northwestern Oklahoma. People inter- Remember the oil industry is not messing around viewed are concerned their homes and commercial with big underground rubber bands; they are teasing property values will drop sharply if placed in the Red sleeping earthquake giants. Zone of the new USGS Oklahoma Earthquake Hazard Seismicity [earthquake] scientists – especially gov- Map to be released in April 2016. ernment ones – avoid speaking bluntly on causes and Who wants to move to and buy a home in one of effects of Oklahoma’s six-year earthquake epidemic. Oklahoma’s high earthquake counties? Add to that Oklahoma’s petroleum industry-em- Back at Oklahoma’s Capitol: For six years now, ployed geo-scientists, who are hanging on to their other than Gov. Fallin’s infamous advice that “people jobs and dare not say anything conflicting with OIPA with earthquake damages should buy insurance,” not or OCC’s spin-of-the-week. one person in the many OCC press releases, at gov- Rarely – but sometimes – a state scientist blurts out ernment-sponsored quake conferences or on panels

“Living this way is not acceptable,” one local fire chief said. “Quake damages are both physical and psychological. The anxiety of living in Medford or Glencoe is like being in a war zone. When will the next big one hit?” the harsh truth! stacked with pro-petroleum industry representatives On Nov. 10, at the Governors’ Energy Conference, ever expressed concern over peoples’ earthquake panelist Dr. Mark D. Zoback, a Stanford-based seis- damages. micity consultant to the Oklahoma Geological Sur- The OCC’s spokesperson, Matt Skinner, did say re- vey, disclosed that injecting into the Arbuckle forma- cently that “magnitude 5.0-plus is the awful number.” tion has quake-causing problems. Really? That’s the best OCC’s elected commission- Earthquake-suffering citizens of Oklahoma can add ers can do after years of spending taxpayers’ money one more to the OCC’s ongoing fairy tales – that it’s reporting over safe injecting into the Arbuckle. and over again The Oklahoma Observer [May 2015, page 14] was that “we are work- the first to disclose that due to the interconnected- ing on earthquake ness of the Arbuckle with basement granite, inject- problems but ing in the formation is not a solution but a cause of need more data quakes. and studies”? After enduring years of shaking and hard knocks, If they were Wal- one city official in Medford – the Quake Capital of Mart we would de- Oklahoma – has actually become a human seismic- mand our money ity monitor! She can accurately tell from horizontal back. It reminds and vertical variations of earthquake jolts at night in of Merle Hag- her bed whether a particular earthquake is caused by, gard’s song, If We in geological terms, a Normal Fault or a Strike-Slip Make It Through Fault. December. She tells of a recent overnight visit by her son and Bob Jackman is daughter-in-law who experienced 14 quakes in 24 a petroleum ge- hours. ologist living in “We are scared and leaving right now!” they said the Tulsa. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 7 Think [?] Tank’s Ice Cream Diet Promotes Truth Decay

BY GENE PERRY

ast month, a group of Oklahomans led by Uni- Oklahoma doesn’t need to improve teacher salaries, versity of Oklahoma President David Boren which are among the lowest in the nation even after launched an effort to put an initiative peti- adjusting for cost-of-living. Instead they suggested tion on the ballot that would restore funding that a tax increase of any kind was not necessary to Lto education in Oklahoma through a 1% statewide boost teacher salaries, because we can find the mon- sales tax increase. ey solely by eliminating “wasteful or non-essential Even before the effort has begun gathering signa- state government spending.” tures, the ballot initiative has been challenged in They even prepared a list that claims to show where court by OCPA Impact, a lobbying group associated more than $600 million in savings could be found with the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. They ar- [similar to a 1% sales tax increase, which is estimated gue that the initiative violates the single-subject rule to generate around $608 million annually]. in Oklahoma’s constitution that requires individual However, digging into the contents of OCPA’s list ballot initiatives and legislation to deal with only one reveals a very different conclusion from what they main issue. claim. Interestingly, OCPA Impact did not try to argue that Their recommendations fall into four broad catego-

8 • DECEMBER 2015 ries. The first is selling off state assets. By far the pay raises. Most of these are quite small in compari- largest part of OCPA’s recommended savings come son to the overall state education budget – less than from selling off the Grand River Dam Authority [$300 $10 million comes out of ending state funding for million], an Italian monastery used for study abroad tourism, quality of life, and economic development programs by the University of Oklahoma [$20 mil- projects like space industry incentives, golf courses, lion], the University of Oklahoma’s Weitzenhoffer Art rodeos, county fairs, and museums. Collection [$50 million], and other miscellaneous Another $39.8 million would come from ending state assets [$11 million]. Oklahoma’s membership in the National Conference Whatever you may think about the merits of selling of State Legislatures [NCSL] and cutting travel re- any of these items, the problem with using that rev- imbursements, advertising, and sponsorships from enue to fund a teacher pay increase should be obvi- state agency budgets. ous – it’s all one-time money. Oklahoma teachers will These spending items are not obviously wasteful. not be reassured if they’re promised a salary increase The NCSL provides non-partisan expertise that can based on money that is gone after the first year. be very useful for ensuring good public policy around In their proposal, OCPA Impact also mentions the complicated issues. Funding state employee profes- dispute around a painting in the Weitzenhoffer Col- sional development through travel to conferences lection that was stolen from the Meyer family by Nazi and public awareness campaigns is well within the Germany before it ended up in the collection. Yet if core mission of several state agencies. OU returns that painting to the Meyer family, they Indeed, we should want to encourage policy exper- can’t also sell it for profit. tise and professional development for legislators and It’s hard to escape the conclusion that this item state employees – these can be just as important as was included in OCPA’s plan solely to make a politi- competitive salaries for attracting the most talented cal attack against the University of Oklahoma and not and effective workers. as a serious idea for funding education. There may be room to trim spending in these cate- After taking out all of the one-time funds, OCPA’s gories, but after years of sustained budget cuts, there promised savings amount to $236.3 million, nearly is likely little fat left in these budgets. $50 million short of what they say would be needed Finally, OCPA suggests cutting appropriations from to fund $5,000 teacher raises. agencies that can fund themselves through fees [$20 Yet that’s not the only issue. Their other savings million], shifting the CareerTech system to using proposals also don’t stand up to scrutiny. property tax revenue for general operations [$3 mil- After one-time funds, the next biggest source of lion], and securing additional federal funds for the savings they propose are providing health savings ac- Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System [$20 million]. counts in lieu of traditional health coverage for state Each of these may or not be good ideas, but we and education employees [$42 million] and cost-sav- should still see them for what they are: avoiding gen- ing Medicaid reforms [$100 million]. eral taxes by increasing our reliance on fees, prop- Both of these ideas are controversial as to whether erty taxes, and federal funds. they would realize savings or improve health out- The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and OCPA comes. Impact are among the most dedicated groups in Okla- Health Savings Accounts could shift a much greater homa advocating for cutting taxes and reducing the share of the risk away from employers and onto in- size of our state government. It should tell us some- dividual workers for paying high health care costs, thing when this is the best they can do for an alterna- which is hardly a recipe for attracting more teachers tive way to fund major state needs. to work in the state. Set aside the one-time funds, questionable reforms, And OCPA’s Medicaid reforms reference “Florida/ and tax shifts, and we are left with no alternative to Louisiana/Kansas Medicaid reform models,” which the fact that paying teachers a competitive salary translates to an idea being pushed by a conserva- can’t be done without a significant new source of re- tive think tank based in Florida – a form of privatized curring revenue – and that means taxes. managed care that critics have argued left the very We can have an honest debate over whether Okla- low-income Medicaid population with less care. homans should tax ourselves more to invest in ed- The debate over these ideas is complicated and by ucation. However, we should not take seriously the no means settled. false alternative presented by OCPA. But even if you think they are promising ways to Instead of a serious policy idea, it’s the return of reduce health care costs without hurting health out- the ice cream diet – the dubious claim that Oklaho- comes too much, they are still highly contested and mans can have all the services we want without pay- largely untested ideas. ing for them. We aren’t prioritizing teachers by putting funds for Gene Perry is policy director for the Oklahoma Policy pay raises at the mercy of controversial experiments Institute. An earlier version of this essay appeared in health policy. on the OKPolicy blog. You can sign up for OKPolicy’s A third category finally gets to examples of “waste- e-mail alerts and daily news digest at http://okpoli- ful spending” that OCPA would cut to fund teacher cy.org

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 9 Child Uninsured Rate A Health Care Bright Spot In Oklahoma BY CARLY PUTNAM

ome new research highlights a rare health Successes in reducing the number of uninsured care success story for Oklahoma. A new re- children in Oklahoma can be attributed to Medicaid, port from the Georgetown University Health the Oklahoma Children’s Health Insurance Program Policy Institute Center for Children and Fam- [SCHIP], and major provisions of the Affordable Care Silies found that the United States’ child uninsured Act that swung into effect in early 2014. Oklahoma- rate hit an all-time low of 6% in 2014. Oklahoma saw specific policies have helped: the Health Care Author- one of the largest decreases in uninsured children, ity’s automatic newborn enrollment system and No from 95,042 in 2013 to 82,251 in 2014 – a decline of Wrong Door efforts have strengthened insurance ac- 13.5%. cess for children. This is great news for many reasons. Having af- That said, an estimated 82,251 children are still un- fordable health insurance is shown to improve child insured in Oklahoma. Nationwide, more than two in health. Children with health coverage have access three uninsured children are eligible for but not en- to the care they need in order to keep growing and rolled in some form of health insurance. learning in school. The state has options to build upon prior successes When children who are covered do get sick, their to strengthen the health and well-being of Oklahoma families can take them to the doctor without fear of children and families. catastrophic health costs, and simple ailments can In addition to supporting ongoing efforts by OHCA be managed before they can develop into more seri- and other organizations aimed specifically at enroll- ous illnesses. ing children, Oklahoma can also get more children 10 • DECEMBER 2015 Unfortunately, Oklahoma has steadfastly refused to extend coverage to the low-income uninsured, despite the fact that one in six uninsured Oklahomans would be eligible for such coverage. Expanding the program would also save the state money and create thousands of well-paying jobs. covered by getting their parents covered. While the state’s decrease in the child uninsured As the report found, health coverage for parents ap- rate is certainly encouraging, it could clearly be bet- pears to be a strong driver for health coverage for chil- ter. Unfortunately, Oklahoma has steadfastly refused dren: when uninsured parents learn about and enroll to extend coverage to the low-income uninsured, de- in health insurance, they sign up their children, too. spite the fact that one in six uninsured Oklahomans An estimated 44% of the remaining uninsured in would be eligible for such coverage. Expanding the Oklahoma, including both adults and children, are program would also save the state money and create eligible for either Medicaid or subsidized coverage on thousands of well-paying jobs. Healthcare.gov. More active efforts aimed at reaching The declining child uninsured rate is wonderful this population could extend health coverage access news for Oklahoma that promises a future of better for Oklahoma children and families. health and financial security for thousands of fami- The report also found that Medicaid expansion had lies. By continuing to advocate for health insurance a significant impact on lowering states’ uninsured enrollment for both children and their eligible par- rates. States that expanded Medicaid coverage to ents, Oklahoma can continue to expand access to more uninsured adults saw declines in their child care for thousands. uninsured rate nearly twice the size of states that Carly Putnam is a policy analyst for the Oklahoma haven’t expanded coverage. Policy Institute. An earlier version of this essay ap- Of the 10 states with the largest declines in per- peared on the OKPolicy blog. You can sign up for OK centage of uninsured children in the last year, eight Policy’s e-mail alerts and daily news digest at http:// had expanded Medicaid. Oklahoma ranked 14th. okpolicy.org. My Resume 1. My first job was working in an orange 9. Next was a job in a shoe factory. I tried juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn’t but I just didn’t fit in. concentrate. 10. I became a professional fisherman, but 2. Then I worked in the woods as a lumber- discovered that I couldn’t live on my net in- jack, but I just couldn’t hack it, so they gave come. me the ax. 11. I managed to get a good job working 3. After that, I tried to be a tailor, but I just for a pool maintenance company, but the wasn’t suited for it – mainly because it was work was just too draining. a sew-sew job. 12. So then I got a job in a workout center, 4. Next, I tried working in a muffler factory, but they said I wasn’t fit for the job. but that was too exhausting. 13. After many years of trying to find steady 5. Then, I tried to be a chef – figured it work, I finally got a job as a historian – until would add a little spice to my life, but I just I realized there was no future in it. didn’t have the thyme. 14. My last job was working at Starbucks, 6. I attempted to be a deli worker, but any but I had to quit because it was always the way I sliced it I couldn’t cut the mustard. same old grind. 7. My best job was a musician, but eventu- 15. So, I tried retirement … and found that ally I found I wasn’t noteworthy. I’m perfect for the job! 8. I studied a long time to become a doctor, Thanks to Larry and Judy Maupin for sharing but I didn’t have any patience. this gem

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 11 COVER STORY PRECIOUS GIFTS DVDs Connect Oklahoma Kids To Imprisoned ABOVE An unidentified mother participating in Oklahoma Coun- Parents – Reducing ty’s ReMerge diversion program reads a book to her child, videoed by Oklahoma Messages Project volunteer and state Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-OKC. Anxiety, Improving ON THE COVER Left, an unidentified mother at Eddie Warrior Correc- tional Center in Taft practices reading a story to her Reading Skills child. Right, nine-year-old Kathren Campbell follows along as her father, Oklahoma State Penitentiary inmate Demico Campbell, reads her a story. BY ARNOLD HAMILTON Courtesy: The Oklahoma Messages Project

t’s late November, and a storage room at a west month. Edmond office is brimming with packages, ad- Oklahoma owns the nation’s second highest in- dressed and ready to ship to Oklahoma children, carceration rate – and is No. 1 in locking up women just in time for Christmas. per capita. Eighty-five percent of the state’s female IThere aren’t Thunder jerseys, Elsa dolls, or X-box inmates have at least one child – most have several. games among the gifts. What’s inside is far more per- Few of the children get to visit their imprisoned par- sonal and valuable – a video message from a mother ents. Most live with family members who can’t afford or a father who can’t be present every day. the time it takes, much less the travel costs. The DVDs are the work of the Oklahoma Messages It’s creates a disconnect that often fuels a family- Project, a four-year-old non-profit whose mission is to-prison pipeline, a difficult-to-break generation- to help the state’s invisible children – an estimated to-generation cycle of dysfunction that all-too-often 30,000 whose mothers or fathers are in prison, liter- ends in incarceration. ally out of sight and out of touch. This is not an insignificant concern, given that The 15-minute videos revolve around Mom or Dad nearly 30,000 men and women were in state custody reading their child a book but also includes personal last month and that a suburban Oklahoma City el- messages that can range from reassurances they are ementary school reports nearly half its students have safe in prison to bedtime prayers. at least one parent in prison. “It is so much more effective than letters or phone Imagine the impact on a child who’s present when calls,” says Cheri Fuller, the OK Messages Project’s their mother or father is arrested. Or the bewilder- executive director. “It’s this amazing powerful digital ment when their lone parent suddenly is gone, locked format that is their world – kids feel like their parents up in a prison far away. are in the room.” Is prison what they see on TV? Is Mom safe? Was Since the group began videoing parent-inmates in it somehow my fault she was arrested? If only I had May 2011 – often near Christmas, Mother’s Day and been a better kid … Father’s Day – it has distributed more than 4,000 vid- Take the case of Hunter, who was about 3½ when eos to children. Hundreds more are set to go out this his mother went to prison, leaving him and his two

12 • DECEMBER 2015 sisters to be raised by their grandmother. periodically visit Oklahoma’s prisons, producing the Early on, Hunter asked, “Grandma, is mommy in video messages sent to inmates’ children at no cost a cage?” “No,” his grandmother would assure him, to the inmates, their families or the state. “she’s not.” The group’s board includes former state correc- The next day … and the next … and the next, he re- tions director Justin Jones, now director of the Tulsa peated the question … until an OK Messages Project County Juvenile Division; newly-elected state Rep. video arrived. He then could see his mother and hear Cyndi Munson, D-OKC; and former state Sen. Connie her voice. She appeared safe and healthy. Johnson. “That’s one of the first things parents say on the Support for the group is raised through tax-deduct- video – ‘I want you to know, kids, that I’m safe and ible private donations and foundation grants which, healthy’ and, in fact, most of them are healthier than among other things, help purchase books that in- the kids have probably seen them because they’re off mates read to their children. The books then are drugs, they’re sober and they tell them, ‘here’s the mailed, along with the DVDs, to the children so they courses I’m taking, I work in the saddle shop, I’ve can read along with their parents’ video messages – gotten my GED, I’m in college classes,’” says Fuller. an important part of the group’s literacy efforts. “It gives the kids hope. It relieves a lot of their night- For more information on the Oklahoma Messages mares, because especially if they were with the par- Project, visit www.oklahomamessagesproject.org. ent when they were arrested, they have nightmares. We’ve heard that from a lot of caregivers. The night- On Dec. 12, the SandRidge Santa Run in downtown mares stopped.” OKC will benefit the Oklahoma Messages Project. According to research by University of Oklahoma The event includes a 5k race, a one-mile fun run and sociologists, video messages from imprisoned par- a Kid’s Dash to Santa. Visit DowntownInDecember. ents helped their children significantly – 65% had less com for more details or to register. depression and sadness, 78% higher self esteem and 55% less anger, anxiety and acting out. “It’s like a virtual visit,” Fuller says. “It’s very safe. They don’t have to go through layers of razor wire and concrete doors to go see their parent. So when they’re miss- ing them, they put the video in … “The thing we are hoping for and par- ents are aiming for is that they will have bedtime stories – they can go to sleep seeing their Mom or Dad reading a book, maybe saying a bedtime prayer, saying how much they love and miss them – and it has amazing results.” Perhaps the most impressive statistics from the OU research: 72% of children receiving the video messages showed im- provement in their abilities to read and 59% showed a significant increase in their commitment to schoolwork. Fuller’s interest in children of incar- cerated parents was heightened in 2008 when she learned about OU Professor Su- san Sharp’s research on women in prison. Fuller, a former teacher-turned-writer, de- veloped a parenting curriculum and began teaching at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center near McLoud. Her first class had 25 students. By the time she completed her first two years at the women’s prison, she had taught 380 mothers. With the help of her daughter, she learned of a program in Virginia that served as the model for the Oklahoma Messages Project. Now, 4½ years after it was launched, OK Messages Project’s 25 or so volunteers

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 13 Cal’s First Annual Top 10 Christmas Gift And Award Winners

BY CAL HOBSON

am sitting here by our roaring fireplace in Lex- goodies to the deserving – via The Observer. ington thinking about Oklahoma politicians who In selecting my winners I gleaned information from made the news during 2015. Naturally, it being the always-accurate Internet as well as chat room the holidays, my thoughts also turned to the true gossip, moronic tweets, Facebook foolishness, and, Imeaning of Christmas which, as everyone knows, is of course, an in-depth study of Tea Party activist Al an opportunity to make Sam Walton smile from On Gearhart’s baseless allegations about people’s sex High as we shop till we drop. lives. Hot stuff! Searching for those “just right gifts” for someone However, the very best sources were from the fi- special is something any red-blooded American man nalists themselves via their bloviated and pompous enjoys doing almost as much as having your mother- press releases where they have taken credit for every- in-law stay over for the extra long Thanksgiving week- thing from the breakup of the Soviet Union to finding end. the Dead Sea Scrolls. Who knew? I’m no exception. So now let’s unwrap my little jewels for our deserv- Therefore, instead of camping out all night in the ing dignitaries. They have truly earned the recogni- freezing rain outside a Super Target, shaking in fear tion: of being trampled by a crazed crowd of screaming bar- 1. The Mortician and Funeral Home Owners Full gain hunters, I’ve chosen an easier way to deliver my Employment Gift. 14 • DECEMBER 2015 Unlike most of our categories the competition for tery, and cigarettes are obvious targets of these spine- this distinction wasn’t even close. Queen Mary “It’s less spenders. Not My Problem” Fallin steamrolled to victory here Big Tobacco’s best buddy in the Senate is Bryce through consistently denying health care to 225,000 Marlett, R-Woodward, who has previously busied him- of her neediest, sickest and mostly elderly constitu- self smooching the cigarette-makers’ butts by killing ents by simply refusing to expand Medicaid. every proposal to make access to the deadly product The painful outcomes of her inaction for the unin- more difficult, especially for teenagers. sured are: Unnecessary emergency room visits, medi- Now, in perhaps the phoniest demonstration of cations denied, less access to rural hospitals due to make believe support to date for our teachers, cir- closures and observing their health dollars spent in cus carney Bryce has proposed that millions be sto- other states. All this wreckage and more just to pla- len from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Fund cate ObamaCare hater Dr. Tom Coburn who threat- – earmarked to health care by the voters in 2004 – ened to run against the Queen if she took an addi- for the purpose of financing a long overdue educator tional farthing of federal money for the suffering. pay raise. Of course, everyone, including the Oklaho- This gives a new meaning to the doctor’s Hippocrat- ma Education Association which represents 35,000 ic Oath. Do all the harm you can. classroom teachers, condemned this political prank 2. Speaking of hypocrites, The Do As I Say Not As for what it is: Just smoke and hot air being blown I Do Badge of Merit goes to Attorney General Scott around by a shill impersonating a serious solon. So Pruitt. sad. A Grover Norquist sycophant, Scotty rails against 5. The Helen Keller Crystal Ball Gift. Big Gubment, bloated staffing and payrolls, waste, This unique treasure is given only once a genera- fraud, abuse, herpes, gays, Mexicans, Muslims, kinky tion. To earn it the recipient must be oblivious to the people, pets other than small, neutered dogs, and historic and predictable cyclical nature inherent in anybody that isn’t a middle-aged rich white guy. The the price of oil, but more importantly, the designee last describes his contributor list. must also hold a high government position of great Anyway, thanks to the Oklahoman’s nosy reporter influence over the state budget. Rick Green, we now know Mr. Fiscal Conservative is The bankruptcy courts are currently choked with really Monsieur Fiscal Phony. Since taking office his folks who meet only the first requirement but lack full time staff has increased by 33% and, as a proud the second since the dual qualifications make such a resident of Tulsa Town, The General recently leased person, thankfully, extremely rare. additional and more expensive work space up there Therefore, the clear winner of the Crystal Cudgel, so he can avoid the truck dominated and dangerous newly named because it will now be used to pummel commute down the Turner Turnpike to the desolate, core state services, goes to Finance Secretary Preston less sophisticated cowtown of OKC. Doerflinger, who cinched the title with the following If it wasn’t for the free Thunder tickets and travel quote as reported in the Oklahoman on Nov. 23: “Who per diem, OKCers might see Scott about as often as could have predicted we would see this dramatic of we do Haley’s Comet. a drop [in price], or that it would be as prolonged as 3. The Unemployable Lawyer Gift Baskets Welfare it has been?” Answer: Any high school student who Program. took an Oklahoma history course or me when, in my Our only double winner this year is General Pruitt, only meeting ever with Preston two years ago, I urged who has single handedly reduced the unemployment that he familiarize himself with a fellow named Issac rate among incompetent lawyers in our state to al- Newton who had some advice about ups and downs most zero. He has done this through endless appeals as related to apples. The same law, tragically, applies on lost causes previously determined by courts of to oil. competent jurisdiction, ranging from the U.S. Su- 6. The Human Fire Starter Gift. preme Court, various tribal venues and even Judges Truly a special present during the holidays. Comes Judy and Wapner. in life-size courtesy of Oklahoma City Rep. Kevin He does, however, maintain a winning record among Calvey, who threatened to light himself up outside his scores of full-time assistant attorneys general the Supreme Court building due to the high court’s when they convene regularly in kangaroo courts. ruling that a law passed by the Legislature was un- During these secret sessions, crayons, Big Chief tab- constitutional. lets, catered lunches and orange Kool-Aid [akin to If every member of that august body did the same that dispensed in Guyana by Jim Jones but this con- each time one of their bills was struck down by ju- coction won’t kill – rather it just causes temporary rists, we just as well could convert the Capitol to a insanity] are provided at taxpayer expense. fire station. Hmmm. Maybe a better public purpose. 4. The Three Card Monty Shell Game Gift. 7. The Laser Surgery Enhancement Gift goes to One of the time-honored traditions in the Legisla- Rep. Scott Martin, R-Norman, who recently declared ture is for lawmakers who vote against a new revenue through crocodile tears he is searching for money to source to always come up with ways to appropriate fund our public schools. Really? the dough raised. Gaming, horse racing, a state lot- CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 15 What If It Were All True?

BY HARRY T. COOK

aybe the best Christmas story since mel! Warum?” – God in heaven, why? shepherds got themselves over to Bethle- At least he was dealing with one deity, which is hem at the bidding of a messenger from why, maybe, the British soldiers and their cultural on high was the Christmas truce between cousins, the Germans, could sing in the dark of that MGerman and British soldiers during a war that was Christmas Eve of 1914 the same tune in different at that point only five months old. languages, both longing for the hearths of home. The strife would go on for almost three years more What if the story that gave rise to the carols and to and bring to unforgettable history such names as the huge unlikelihood that enemies would emerge Chateau Thierry, Somme, Verdun and Belleau Wood. from their dank trenches to sing them in harmony – Yet as the guns fell silent on Dec. 24 – 101 years what if that story were true? ago – the antiphonal singing of Stille nacht, heilige What if it happened just as St. Luke and St. Mat- nacht and other yuletide carols by otherwise oppos- thew wrote it down toward the end of the first cen- ing troops was one of the few poignant moments in tury of the Common Era? the whole of that senseless conflict. What if the barely pubescent Miriam from some It was, when you stop to think about it, a rebuke of hamlet in the Galilee did encounter a spectral mes- the high and mighty who had allowed their nations senger that told her she had been made pregnant by to drift into a war driven by imperial testosterone an unseen presence, rather than by her betrothed, and outdated visions of power. and that the child in her womb was to be the savior I was told once that my great-uncle Father Michael of the world? Endl, at that time a Bavarian priest, had penned in a What if Miriam and Joseph did obey a government letter – now long lost – these words: “Gott im Him- mandate to go to David’s hometown of Bethlehem to

16 • DECEMBER 2015 be counted in a census because the once-great king was somehow an antecedent of Joseph? What if, when they arrived, the hostel was full Offending For to overflowing and they had to take their rest in a cattle shed where Miriam’s baby was born? What if shepherds on a nearby hillside actually heard and maybe even saw a band of choristers de- Offending’s Sake? scend to announce that messiah had finally arrived, but as a newborn infant swathed in rags? What if the choristers then sang an anthem about Bah Humbug! peace on Earth among humankind? What if the shepherds and goatherds came down BY KAREN WEBB from their midnight watch to see messiah for them- selves? sing the greeting “Merry Christmas” is not What if St. Matthew’s story of the magicians from offensive to me, but I am speaking only the East coming to see the young king were true as for me. However, I was shared a post from told? Facebook last year that said something What if? Ulike: It all must have seemed true enough on a Decem- If Merry Christmas is offensive to you then let me ber night a century ago to the troops who probably be more offensive to you by saying it again and hadn’t the slightest idea about how and why the war again. started in the first place. That is offensive. It was shared by someone who Maybe the brief cessation of hostilities meant to attends church every weekend. I don’t go to church them that a miracle of peace on Earth had come at regularly, but I did for most of my life and I was a last, and they could just go home to mothers and religious education major at a Baptist college and fathers or to wives and children. the idea that knowingly offending someone is a way Of course, it did not and they could not. Many of to lead them to Christ is really foreign to me. them would die on the muddy, mortar-pocked land- The old fashioned way would have been to ask scape of northern France and Belgium as the old them why they are offended and attempt to tell them monarchies of Europe and the Mideast toppled or why I do not think Jesus intends to be offensive. were toppled and the “war to end all wars” – the one The first time I carried a protest sign was in col- Woodrow Wilson said needed to be fought to make lege and the BSU [or Baptist Student Union] was the world “safe for democracy” – ground on. protesting the idea of mandatory chapel attendance. Even I, an agnostic secular humanist, cherish the My sign said, “you can’t preach a free gospel to a Bible’s Christmas story and know most of it by heart captive audience.” I still believe it is not possible to – both in English and in Latin. Nothing beats Gloria legislate people into heaven. Evangelism by force in altissimus Deo et super terram pax hominibus has never worked. bonae voluntatis. After leaving college, I taught 12-year-old girls in Both pax hominibus and bonae voluntatis are in Sunday School. I remember one asking me about a very short supply just now, and, if history instructs statement made by the preacher in his sermon the us correctly, have been since Cain lied to Yahweh previous week. She asked, “Do you agree with the about where his brother was: “I do not know. Am I preacher that when you are discussing religious my brother’s keeper?” beliefs and someone doesn’t agree with you that you How wondrous the text would be if the Hebrew phi- should say, ‘Liar, liar.’” losopher who crafted the story three millennia ago I answered that, first, if you call someone a liar had depicted Yahweh as replying, “You are right. You with regards to their beliefs that you lose all hope of are not your brother’s keeper. You are your brother’s ever converting them to your way of thought. Sec- brother.” ond, you can be completely wrong and not be a liar Those whose wont it is to go off to midnight mass if you are saying what you really believe to be true. or just to stay home and sing Silent Night around In order to be a liar, you have to not only know the the Christmas tree might take a moment or two to truth, but believe it is true and say the opposite. remember the young men of Germany and Britain a You can say you didn’t rob a bank, but if you did, century ago clambering out of their cramped dug- you are a liar. If you say I didn’t offend you because outs to greet one another as brothers. I do not believe “Merry Christmas” is offensive and In doing so, were they daring to hope that their the other person is offended, then you are wrong. commanders, perhaps affected as they themselves But you are not a liar. were, would think better of slaughter in the name of I have never at any time in my life thought “Happy national pride, sound retreat and seek peace? Holidays” had anything to do with political correct- Harry T. Cook is an Episcopal priest, journalist and ness or was anti-Jesus and I still don’t. author living in Michigan. Irving Berlin wrote the song Happy Holidays in

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 17 1941 and I have heard it all my life and love it. He a right to include a holiday other than Christmas, also wrote White Christmas. When they were written even while his people – those being called by Chris- he was accused of secularizing Christmas. tians “God’s Chosen People” – were being killed by He also wrote God Bless America as sentiment of the millions for their beliefs. how he felt after having to leave his native Russia. So, if I should slip and say, “Happy Holidays” – He was five when he remembers being wrapped in a which I won’t do just to be offensive and will not blanket on the side of the road while watching his repeat again and again just to make sure I am of- house and town being burned by the Cossacks. He fending you – I am honoring Irving Berlin. was Jewish. By the way, Irving Berlin never tried to evade taxes In 1941, when he wrote Happy Holidays he had by using tax shelters, even when his accountants relatives still in Russia and Eastern Europe being told him it would save him money, because he killed because they were Jews. I don’t think he was thought it was his duty as an American. being politically correct; I think he may have been Karen Webb lives in Moore and is a frequent con- suggesting that maybe someone, not Christian, had tributor to The Oklahoma Observer.

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a nativity scene in the United States Capitol this Christmas season. This isn’t for any religious reason. They simply have not been able to find three wise men in the nation’s capital. A search for a virgin continues. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable. 18 • DECEMBER 2015 The Story Behind The Tradition: Why Angel Tops The Christmas Tree Four of Santa’s elves got sick. The trainee elves apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk and Santa began to feel the pre-Christmas pres- all the cider and hidden the liquor. sure. Just then the doorbell rang and an irritated Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her mother was Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more. there stood a little angel with a great big Christ- When he went to harness the reindeer, he found mas tree. that three of them were about to give birth and The angel said very cheerfully, “Merry Christ- two others had jumped the fence and were out, mas, Santa. Isn’t this a lovely day? I have a heaven knows where. beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of to put it?” the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the And so began the tradition of the little angel on ground and all the toys were scattered. top of the Christmas tree. Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of Not a lot of people know this. Cal’s Top 10

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

After undergoing this sight-improving procedure, House many times so I don’t understand the prob- Scott, a Norman banker and thus experienced in han- lem. It comes with highway patrol troopers, maids, dling other people’s money, can then clearly peruse cooks, wood burning fireplaces, several portraits of his own legislative record and discover he voted for Frank Keating, really, really big screen TVs, Wi-Fi, over $1 billion in tax cuts since being elected to the and even indoor flush toilets! house. Hint. That’s probably where the money is. Just proves you can’t please these moody millen- 8. The Gen. George B. McClellan Missing in Action nials. Award. 10. The All American Amnesia Award. A dead heat. Early in the Civil War, President Abra- Our only group selection goes to those who have ham Lincoln, frustrated by McClellan’s refusal to en- forgotten the Emma Lazarus poem associated with gage Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in battle, asked the Statute of Liberty. As a brief reminder for the the cautious Union military man if he could “borrow” memory challenged, it starts, “Give me your tired, the Army of the Potomac. History does not reveal the your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free answer but Lincoln soon fired the reluctant warrior. ... ” and, of course, Lady Liberty was a gift to America The same fate should have befallen both House from the currently beleaguered French. Speaker Jeff Hickman and Pro Tempore Brian Bing- We are a country of immigrants and refugees but, man, who have done little of note while occupying in recognition of these volatile times, have in place their powerful positions of leadership. Hell, they the most restrictive system in the world to screen won’t even take a position on the most important people such as those fleeing the Assad regime, which question facing Oklahomans today: Are we going to already has murdered 300,000 of his own citizens. adequately fund public education – or not? Quite frankly, it would be easier to pull an Arab Neither man, nor Queen Mary, have uttered a sin- camel through the eye of a Jewish needle than for gle word, for or against, concerning President David a terrorist from Syria to slip into the United States. Boren’s proposal for a $5,000 teacher pay increase. Yes, it could happen, but it’s much more likely that Good grief. Why have a tongue, let alone occupy a The Donald will be elected our president in 2016 – in powerful elected position, if you are not going to use other words, an impossibility. them? There you have my Terrible 10. Talk about a bunch 9. The Glass Trailer House Award. that only deserves a lump of coal in their stockings! For some unknown reason First Daughter Christina Bah humbug! preferred her own mobile home digs on the mansion Cal Hobson, a Lexington Democrat, served in the grounds rather than taking up space in the Queen’s Oklahoma Legislature from 1978-2006, including Castle. Commoner Cal has been in The People’s one term as Senate President Pro Tempore. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 19 PUBLIC FORUM

Guns Do The Killing

BY BOB D. ROUNSAVELL

uns don’t kill, people kill. shooting Muslims on Main Street America. A simple statement the National Rifle As- Crazy enough for you yet? Stick around ’cause you sociation has used through the years to ain’t seen it all. There’s plenty more insanity getting build a passionate and dedicated cadre of ready to pay us a visit. It’s only a matter of time un- Gsupport for its freewheeling philosophy that every til the disgruntled, misinformed and unschooled try citizen has the right to own as many guns of any cali- to take control of us all using their legally or illegal- ber he or she desires. ly obtained weapons of mass destruction. I can see When will it advocate citizen ownership of a Brad- them now strutting around packing heat and saving ley tank for the backyard or, better yet, one’s own jet those just too gullible to understand. The reality that fighter plane? We only need remember the oft-stated surrounds us waits just around the corner to a future rationale: “After all, it’s not guns or weapons that kill that once was our past. If going back is our future, people, it is people who kill other people.” Or some then we are well along our way. such BS. The point is they have most of us believing Shootouts at OK Corral could be the community po- it. licing of the 21st Century. Your future mode of travel The craziness sweeping America today as the norm may require your very own tank for shopping. Why has created horrifying acts of violence against sin- not start with a Humvee today? gle individuals and groups of individuals. It includes That is hyperbole intended to show just how crazy police shooting citizens, citizens shooting police, it could get out there on our streets. Should I have to whites shooting people of color, and Christians worry if I forget my gun before leaving the house for

20 • DECEMBER 2015 PUBLIC FORUM my doctor’s appointment? The good ol’ USA is head- destiny as the Jerusalem on the hill. Sane and sen- ing right down the path of lawlessness by letting ev- sible gun control laws so that I can keep my 12-gauge eryone own a gun. shotgun. People are pulling the triggers on all those millions Bob D. Rounsavell lives in Oologah and is president of guns that are readily available. Look at it this way: of the Carrie Dickerson Foundation. it takes one trigger on a gun that is pulled by the fin- ger on the hand of a human being that is taking all these lives. In other words: It is people who are kill- ing one another today by using guns. And that’s just Why We Stand With the point – the guns are there for the using. It is much too easy these days not only to get a gun, but also to get one of any caliber. Paris And Muslim There is a huge black market for any kind of weapon if one has the money or even just the desire. The FBI has probably underestimated the number of guns in Friends, Neighbors American society when it reported recently 90 guns for every 100 Americans. That means there are about BY CARL J. RUBENSTEIN 300 million guns out there in this land of ours, more than likely 322 million-plus guns in our society to- Editor’s Note: These remarks were delivered Nov. day. With our current population, that means at least 17 at an interfaith prayer vigil in Oklahoma City, one gun per person. just after the carnage in Paris. Owning a gun or maybe even two is probably all t is significant that this is an interfaith event. We right as long as its caliber is .22 or .38. Oh yes, I’m in Oklahoma, as elsewhere in this nation, are tru- forgetting my 12-gauge shotgun. That’s more than ly diverse in all our human descriptors. We can enough for self-protection. Fully automatic large cali- be proud of the interfaith understanding, respect, ber weapons are not appropriate or necessary for an Iand cooperation that has developed here, sometimes average person. in response to disaster or crisis, sometimes in re- When citizens can outgun law enforcement officers, sponse to conscious development of relationships society faces a serious problem. And that’s precisely between individuals and between organizations, the one currently plaguing the nation. The police are sometimes in response to threats to a given minority. outgunned. Outnumbered they have always been as What has occurred in Paris is not just a crime guardians of our public safety, entrusted with our against Paris, nor just a mass murder of French peo- lives and the smooth functioning of society and thus ple, it is a barbarous crime against all of humanity. discharging a sacred trust. Whether similar evil has occurred in Beirut, Lebanon However, that is not the present reality. Our com- recently, or in Ankara, Turkey, in other nations, or munity is in grave danger: some of us in the “hood” even here in 1995 in OKC, there is no religious jus- have been well aware of this for a long, long time. It tification, period. There is no religion that condones is the gun that is killing perfectly innocent people all this evil – evil that sometimes deceptively masquer- over America today. We need to stop all the nonsen- ades as religion. The interfaith community uniformly sical killing of our fellow man, woman or even child. condemns such heinous acts. How about children as in Sandy Hook or Umpqua As pointed out in a statement from the National Community College or unsuspecting adults as in a office of Interfaith Alliance, “Free societies face the movie theater? challenge of balancing civil rights with civil order. We need to organize, even create an organization … The objective of any terrorist is to strike fear into that returns our country to the days of the debate on the hearts of innocent citizens and provoke them the Second Amendment before the ephemeral icon of into betraying their peaceful inclinations. Already we the cowboy supplanted the vaquero of the West. are seeing some public figures exploiting the under- Yes, we may need today to do spadework to win the standable distress of Americans by calling for dis- Nobel Peace Prize for 2025. Look at the 2015 Nobel criminatory policies against those fleeing terrorist winner – the Tunisian Dialogue Quartet. They ush- oppression … promoting vigilantism in the guise of ered in the Arab Spring with its repercussions in ‘self-defense” and repeating slanderous generaliza- Egypt, Libya, Iraq and now the horrendous Syria with tions about faith communities and nationalities. We its refugees being lost at sea, barricaded by fences in must hold fast to our American values and not give in Europe as they straggle towards a refuge, any refuge. to the specious reasoning born of fear.” We need to take up the cause the Bradys have tire- So why are we here today? lessly worked. As someone remarked, there needs to To grieve for those who died. be gun control for America to survive and fulfill its To pray for the families of those who died or were in- THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 21 PUBLIC FORUM jured, and at least say that our hearts are with them. ceived wars. Now, let’s make sure that every veteran To pray for peace. has a home and the medical care he or she needs, To affirm that we all share the resolve that these including drug treatment. evil deeds need to be punished; that the evil people We’ve cut education and social services budgets to who planned and perpetrated this horrible massacre the bone. Now, let’s reconsider what we want our tax should be defeated and eliminated; that our nation dollars to pay for. needs to stand strongly with France and all nations I’d much rather feed and educate every family in the to bring this radical, barbaric terrorism to an end. U.S., whether you think they’re deserving or not, than To remind ourselves of our moral responsibility to to build one more unnecessary bomber or tank. the refugees, many or most of them women and chil- We’ve destroyed the air, the water, and the wild dren, who are fleeing dangerous and horrible condi- spaces. Now, let’s sign on to a workable climate deal. tions, and to remind ourselves of our responsibility Christmas is coming. Ignore the corporate huck- to defend the civil rights and personal safety of our sters and the paid mouthpieces crying doom. Cele- Muslim friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens, peo- brate this season of joy one day at a time rather than ple who repeatedly over time have shown their dedi- by buying what they have to sell. cation to our nation, our state, our communities, our Sharon Martin lives in Oilton and is a regular con- human values. tributor to The Oklahoma Observer. More of her es- We, of multiple faiths, multiple ethnic and racial says can be read at www.okobserver.net. backgrounds, multiple family histories of being im- migrants or refugees, must stand together in mutual love and support. Carl J. Rubenstein, MD, is president of the Interfaith Facts, Ignored Alliance of Oklahoma. BY RON duBOIS What Happened klahoma Bureau of Narcotics Spokesman Mark Woodward expresses the opinion that cannabis is the very reason for – and need to continue – the [failed] Drug War. To Thanksgiving? OThe reason that punishment and incarceration are necessary, the very reason for the drug prohibition BY SHARON MARTIN is no doubt the hefty salary he is paid at taxpayer expense. t was created as a day to share with family and In the view of drug policy reformers, “It is time to friends the bounty around the table. Now, huck- dump them all.” sters have commandeered Thanksgiving and the Hillary Clinton’s words – “Deep seated cultural day after to part us from our money, to lure us codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to Iinto buying things we don’t need instead of celebrat- be changed” – apply to Woodward’s presentation ear- ing the bounty that we have. lier this year to Stillwater’s League of Women Voters. Is your roof watertight? Is your electric bill paid? During World War II, Hillary’s words apply as well to Did you have too much to eat on Thanksgiving? Did perfectly intelligent Germans living next to extermi- your car start when it was time to go back to work? nation camps. “Deep seated cultural codes” account Let’s take stock of our priorities. And when we’ve for notions of German racial superiority, as well to done so, let’s see what we can do to make sure that American racist notions during the Colonial and the everyone in this country has the necessities – clean Civil War eras … they apply to every era of social in- water, a safe place to sleep at night, nutritious food, justice … they apply to drug policies that insure suf- and a sound education. fering, misery, and death. We won’t get there by cutting food stamps. We won’t In direct opposition to Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s series on get there by adding to the conflagration in the Middle marijuana, explaining the medicinal value of canna- East, by putting ourselves slap dab in the middle of bis, Woodward paints every strain of cannabis as a World War III, although Bush and Cheney and com- “gateway drug” and the very reason for the war on pany may have set it into motion. drugs. We’ll get there by being decent human beings. Gupta explains that a small squirt of liquid canna- We contributed to the flow of refugees. Now let’s bis derived from a strain known as “Charlotte’s Web” take in those we can, making friends instead of en- taken orally in small quantities instantly cures sei- emies. zures. The relief to an afflicted child and family is We used up too many people to fight our ill-con- enormous. 22 • DECEMBER 2015 PUBLIC FORUM

Woodward disparaged Colorado’s legalization of cigarettes. cannabis and had nothing to say about Portugal’s le- Cannabis in his view has no curative powers. He ap- galization of all drugs. He knew nothing of Canadian peared only interested in talking about the THC con- psychologist Dr. Bruce Alexander’s research with rats tent – i.e., the mood altering component – rather than pointing to environment as the reason for addiction the curative CBD content. rather than the substance itself. Upton Sinclair said, “It is difficult to get a man to According to Woodward, marijuana smokers smoke understand something, when his salary depends on “morning, noon and night.” his not understanding it.” The very opposite is true. A pea-sized amount of the No doubt many League members thought Wood- right strain and one inhalation is sufficient to knock ward delivered “a powerful message.” No doubt they, out pain for a day. A single puff in the evening takes like the uninformed lay public, are addicted to the pain away all night. American model of prohibition, punishment, incar- Woodward failed to explain that the right strain of ceration, hatred, and stigma towards the illness of cannabis removes the most intractable addiction to substance use disorder. tobacco. A possible downside is that when cannabis When a member of the LOWV audience asked, “Do is stopped the craving for nicotine returns. More re- you think marijuana laws are mainly prejudiced fairy search is needed. tales?”, Woodward replied, “I support marijuana be- According to NIDA, “Evidence from one animal ing illegal.” study suggests that extracts from whole-plant mari- Ron duBois lives in Stillwater and is professor emer- juana can shrink one of the most serious types of itus at Oklahoma State University. brain tumors.” Woodward failed to explain that THC is not the only component of cannabis – i.e., that CBD [the curative component of cannabis] is capable of Read The Observer On-Line actually repairing the damage to lungs by smoking www.okobserver.net THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 23 Why Are Democrats Running As Republicans?

BY THOM HARTMANN

epublicans haven’t taken over red states; vote Republican. Democrats have lost them by not running as No, the problem is that “the people who most rely real Democrats. on the safety-net programs secured by Democrats That’s my big takeaway from Alec MacGil- are, by and large ... not voting, period.” Rlis’ fascinating look into the biggest political mystery To put it in less wonky terms, Democrats are losing of our time: why poor white people in red states are out to Republicans in what have become red states not turning out to vote, leaving the field to Republi- because the people who should vote for Democrats cans elected by more affluent whites in those states. aren’t voting whatsoever, full-stop. There a lot of theories as to why this happens. A great example of this, according to MacGillis, is One of the most famous comes from Thomas Frank, Pike County, KY, which is both a place where 18% of who argued in his book What’s The Matter With Kan- households get some sort of government assistance sas? that poor white people vote Republican because and a place where Kentucky governor-elect and Tea Republicans have duped them into caring about so- Party favorite Matt Bevin just won 55% of the vote. cial issues like abortion, guns and gay marriage. All logic suggests that Pike County should vote There is a lot to be said for that line of analysis, but Democratic, and it used to do so pretty much every Alec MacGillis has a different theory. election, “but 30% fewer people voted in the coun- As he explains in a new piece for ProPublica and ty last month than did in 2003 – 11,223 voters in a The New York Times, the problem isn’t that poor county of 63,000, far below the county’s tally of food- white people who have tended to vote Democrat now stamp recipients, which was more than 17,000 in

24 • DECEMBER 2015 2012.” If all of Pike County’s 17,000 food stamp recipients had come out to vote, we could be talking about how What I Learned that county was a Democratic stronghold in a sea of red. But that didn’t happen, and now we’re left with the same old problem of a county – and a state, for that On My Red matter – that should go Democratic but instead falls to Republicans. The situation is pretty similar in other former Dem- State Book Tour ocratic shoe-in-states like West Virginia, Arkansas and Tennessee, where pretty much no one comes out BY ROBERT REICH to vote, except white middle- and upper-class Repub- licans. recently returned from three weeks in “red” Not surprisingly, West Virginia, Arkansas and Ten- America. nessee are also states that have now flipped red after It was ostensibly a book tour but I wanted to years of going blue, again, because Democrats are talk with conservative Republicans and Tea Par- Itiers. not showing up to vote. All this, of course, raises the question: Why are poor I intended to put into practice what I tell my stu- people, especially poor white people in red states, not dents – that the best way to learn is to talk with peo- showing up to vote? ple who disagree with you. I wanted to learn from red This is obviously a complex question with a com- America, and hoped they’d also learn a bit from me plex answer, but to me, at least, there’s one really big [and perhaps also buy my book]. reason why. But something odd happened. It turned out that It’s because with the exception of a few people like many of the conservative Republicans and Tea Par- Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown and Al Franken, tiers I met agreed with much of what I had to say, and Democrats don’t run as Democrats any more. I agreed with them. Ever since the “centrist” [aka corporatist] “New For example, most condemned what they called Democrats” staged their coup back in the late 1980s “crony capitalism,” by which they mean big corpora- and recruited Gov. Bill Clinton, most Democrats have tions getting sweetheart deals from the government run for office and governed as Republicans-lite. because of lobbying and campaign contributions. Instead of pushing progressive values and populist I met with group of small farmers in Missouri who economics, they call for welfare “reform,” talk about were livid about growth of “factory farms” owned and how cutting Social Security might be a good idea, and run by big corporations, that abused land and cattle, support awful trade deals like NAFTA and the TPP. damaged the environment, and ultimately harmed Oh, and if that wasn’t bad enough, they also take in consumers. millions of dollars in donations from the fat cats on They claimed giant food processors were using their Wall Street, big Pharma and the so-called “defense” monopoly power to squeeze the farmers dry, and the industry. government was doing squat about it because of Big Aside from just adopting Republican talking points, Agriculture’s money. you really couldn’t ask for a better way to alienate I met in Cincinnati with Republican small-business the poor – people who already have every reason to be alienated from the political process. The takeaway here? Easy: It’s time for Democrats to embrace and run on their party’s core values, the kind of values rep- resented by people like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson and Bernie Sanders, who up until recently didn’t even call himself a Democrat! That’s the only way Democrats can hope to win elections in red states again. It really is that simple, because, as Harry Truman once said, “Given a choice between a Republican and a Democrat who acts like a Republican; the voters will pick the Republican every time!” It’s time for the Democratic Party to stop promoting Democrats who act like Republicans, and return to the progressive roots and values laid out and champi- oned by truly progressive presidents like FDR. © Truthout

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 25 owners who are still hurting from the bursting of the believe “the system favors the wealthy.”] housing bubble and the bailout of Wall Street. The more conversations I had, the more I under- “Why didn’t underwater homeowners get any help?” stood the connection between their view of “crony one of them asked rhetorically. “Because Wall Street capitalism” and their dislike of government. has all the power.” Others nodded in agreement. They don’t oppose government per se. In fact, as Whenever I suggested that big Wall Street banks be the Pew Research Center has found, more Republi- busted up – “any bank that’s too big to fail is too big, cans favor additional spending on Social Security, period” – I got loud applause. Medicare, education, and infrastructure than want to In Kansas City I met with Tea Partiers who were an- cut those programs. gry that hedge-fund managers had wangled their own Rather, they see government as the vehicle for big special “carried interest” tax deal. corporations and Wall Street to exert their power in “No reason for it,” said one. “They’re not investing ways that hurt the little guy. a dime of their own money. But they’ve paid off the They call themselves Republicans but many of the politicians.” inhabitants of America’s heartland are populists in In Raleigh, I heard from local bankers who thought the tradition of William Jennings Bryan. Bill Clinton should never have repealed the Glass- I also began to understand why many of them are Steagall Act. attracted to Donald Trump. I had assumed they were “Clinton was in the pockets of Wall Street just like attracted by Trump’s blunderbuss and his scapegoat- George W. Bush was,” said one. ing of immigrants. Most of the people I met in America’s heartland want That’s part of it. But mostly, I think, they see Trump big money out of politics, and think the Supreme as someone who’ll stand up for them – a countervail- Court’s “Citizens United” decision was shameful. ing power against the perceived conspiracy of big cor- Most are also dead-set against the Trans Pacific porations, Wall Street, and big government. Partnership. In fact, they’re opposed to trade agree- Trump isn’t saying what the moneyed interests in ments, including NAFTA, that they believe have made the GOP want to hear. He’d impose tariffs on Ameri- it easier for corporations to outsource American jobs can companies that send manufacturing overseas, for abroad. example. A surprising number think the economic system is He’d raise taxes on hedge-fund managers. [“The biased in favor of the rich. [That’s consistent with a hedge-fund guys didn’t build this country,” Trump recent Quinnipiac poll in which 46% of Republicans says. They’re “getting away with murder.”]

26 • DECEMBER 2015 He’d protect Social Security and Medicare. empower the people they represent? I kept hearing “Trump is so rich he can’t be bought.” Power to the voters would mean eliminating the pri- Heartland Republicans and progressive Democrats vate money financing public elections. Big commer- remain wide apart on social and cultural issues. cial interests nullify votes, and turn most elections But there’s a growing overlap on economics. The into low-grade ditto days of tedious repetition. Well- populist upsurge is real. promoted voluntary checkoffs up to, say, $300 can I sincerely hope Donald Trump doesn’t become make public financing of elections into a more politi- president. He’s a divider and a buffoon. cally acceptable reform. But I do hope the economic populists in both par- But to strengthen the power of voters there must ties come together. also be more voices and choices on the ballot lines, That’s the only way we’re going to reform a system the Electoral College should be abolished and state that’s now rigged against most of us. legislators must stop gerrymandering districts that Robert B. Reich served in three national adminis- ensure seriatim one-party domination. Same-day trations, most recently as secretary of labor under voter registration and a binding none-of-the-above President Bill Clinton. He also served on President choice can give more voters significant leverage as Obama’s transition advisory board. His latest book well. is Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Fu- Voters themselves must demand that legislative ture. His homepage is www.robertreich.org. votes by their representatives be immediately put on their public website with their justification. Taxpayers lack the tools and resources to chal- lenge the many hundreds of billions of federal tax The One Question dollars that each year are used illegally, corruptly or are shockingly wasted. Taxpayers have no standing, under our laws, to sue to stop such abuses. They are rendered weak and meek by this exclusion. When will Reporters Never voters hear a candidate pledge to give them their day in court? Another way to increase taxpayer power is to pro- Ask Candidates vide for a voluntary checkoff on the 1040 tax return that makes it easy for taxpayers to voluntarily con- BY RALPH NADER tribute funds and band together with a full-time staff of watchdogs focused on the government’s waste, andidates for public office, especially at the fraud and abuse. Big-time leverage is likely with this state and national levels, are never asked taxpayer searchlight. this central question of politics: “Since the Workers are empowered when they demand that people are sovereign under our Constitution, candidates stand for the repeal of the notorious Taft- Chow do you specifically propose to restore power to Hartley act of 1947 – the most handcuffing law ob- the people in their various roles as voters, taxpayers, structing union organizing and union rights in the workers and consumers?” western world. Enforcing fairer labor standards that Imagine that inquiry starting the so-called presi- are already on the books, protecting pensions from dential debates of both the Republican and Demo- looting by corporate management [see http://www. cratic presidential candidates. I’m not sure any of the pensionrights.org/], establishing full improved Medi- candidates – so used to saying, “I will do this” and “I care for all [see http://www.singlepayeraction.org/] propose that” – would even know how to respond. and lifting the minimum wage [see http://www.time- Regardless of their affiliation with either of the two foraraise.org/] – all of these initiatives increase the dominant parties, politicians are so used to people power of workers. being spectators rather than participants in the run- Finally, how can it be that the “customer is always up to Election Day that they have not thought much right” when the consumer has no might? about participatory or initiatory democracy. Too Consumers are becoming serfs in many ways – de- many of them, backed by the concentrated wealth of ceived and tied up by fine print contracts that exclude plutocrats, have perfected the silver-tongued skills of them from the courts, even if wrongfully injured, and flattery, obfuscation and deception. allow vendors, using the same fine print, to unilater- Many voters oblige candidates by not doing their ally change contract terms whenever they want. Con- homework about the candidates, their records and sumers have no way to easily band together either for the issues they want addressed. Such passivity low- collective bargaining or collective justice, such as ne- ers expectations of what voters should demand from gotiating away those fine-print contracts and restor- the elected officials who, after all, are supposed to ing the exercise of trial by jury. hold their delegated power in trust and not sell it to Corporate power, led by the cruel U.S. Chamber of big-money donors. Commerce in Washington, DC, is stripping consum- Let’s begin with voters. How could elected officials ers of class action remedies, imposing severe pen-

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 27 alties and fines in the marketplace and intimidat- ing them from complaining for fear of lowering their credit ratings and credit scores. Add to this the gouging prices for drugs and health A Year care, malpractice, near-zero interest rates on their savings, high rates on credit cards, and vulnerabil- ity to unregulated foreign imports of food, medicines From Now and other products, and you have a compelling case BY HARRY T. COOK for a power shift from vendors to consumers. Inserts in billing envelopes or online required by hinking of my five grandchildren – four teens vendors – such as electric, gas and water utilities, and one toddler – makes me worry about banks and insurance companies – inviting consum- where their country will be after the general ers to band together in non-profit advocacy organiza- election of 2016. tions, with full time champions, can be a great step TMy concern is about the kind of life my grandchil- forward in getting consumers seats at the tables of dren will have. The older four have already learned in power [see http://www.citizensutilityboard.org/]. civics class that the America in which they were born Consider how much of your money and assets the is a democracy. I suspect that they have been taught government spends to facilitate business organiza- that democracy is the rule of the majority. tions – with subsidies, handouts, bailouts and give- I was taught that, too, and my youngest grandchild aways, with tax credits and deductions and with eventually may be told that in her school. By that privileged bankruptcy laws to give mismanaged or time, it may clear that such is not the case. reckless companies second and third chances. In fact, America is not a democracy. It is turning Consumers and taxpayers pay for all these good- into an economic oligarchy based on a brash capital- ies. Where is the reciprocity, where is the modest istic venture in which the accumulation of vast wealth payback for all these exactions? Let consumers have is protected by bought-and-paid-for elections. Why easy ways to organize, with full time advocates, as would everyone in the lineup seeking the Republican bank customers, insurance policyholders, car own- nomination for president have a tax plan that, when ers, energy and credit users, and those simply want- scrutinized even by us non-economists, reveals sure ing food that is safe to eat. When enough consumers and certain signs of tax cuts for the wealthy at the can organize, through easy checkoffs, they can de- unmistakable disadvantage of the poor and middle fend themselves and make for an efficient and equi- class. table economy. It took the election of the nation’s first African- The appeal of these power shifts is that they come at American president to awaken the Fafner that has little or no cost to citizens. No more than the equiva- become the Tea Party. It’s all about anger. It’s all lent of one week of the Pentagon’s budget would com- about the government being the enemy of the peo- prise the aggregate costs of all of these resets for a ple. Since Obama is a Democrat, we should all vote functioning democratic society. Republican to put him in his place. By their own accomplishments, they would save So tens of thousands of the angry voted Republi- consumers, workers, taxpayers and voters more dol- can in 2010, sending a very strange lot to the House lars than the entire Pentagon budget. Not to mention of Representatives and, in 2014, to the Senate – the the quality of life, peace of mind and life-saving jus- pièce de résistance of which was the woman hog tice that cannot be measured just in dollars. castrator from Iowa. Things have been getting worse Meet your candidates; ask your candidates “The ever since. Question Never Asked!” Suddenly the program is to do away with Social Se- To find more ideas for citizen empowerment, check curity and Medicare. “Medicaid” is a bad word. Food out the introduction to the Public Empowerment Act stamps are the spawn of socialism. Taxes are grand of 1997 at http://csrl.org/model-laws/introduction- larceny. The poor and struggling? Give us liberty and the-public-empowerment-act-of-1997/. give them … well, what? Nader.org The nation’s electrical grid, its highways and bridg- es, its railroads, its basic infrastructure are being left “Polarizing people is a good way to deteriorate, because, heaven forefend, the gov- ernment should spend any money. All that is a lesson to win an election. And also a good in how to reduce your country to Third World status. way to wreck a country. Many a Speaking of my grandchildren and the air they time freedom has been rolled back will grow up breathing, the water they will grow up drinking and the climate they will have to learn to – and always for the same sorry endure, how is it that the best a serious candidate reason: fear.” for the Republican presidential nomination could manage when asked about global warming and cli- – Molly Ivins, 1944-2007 mate change was: “I’m a skeptic.” Translate that into 28 • DECEMBER 2015 policy, and you’ve got nothing. as well as their one-time owners, does not suggest This man is from Florida, where sea levels are that the permanence of equality’s original creation already rising. Ask the guy in Miami who picks up depends on how many boots of others are licked or a sodden newspaper outside his condo door four bootstraps pulled up in singular effort. It means that mornings out of seven. There’s no leak in the out- the dignity of everyone thus blessed in a kingless door plumbing. It’s the Atlantic Ocean come to call. democracy shall be respected and not overrun by in- Every dependable poll not manipulated by Fox stitutions, corporations or political blocs but encour- News shows clearly that the American people are aged and assisted in realizing that equality. anxious about climate change. When species native That’s what a democracy is and ought to be about. to the subtropics appear in Georgia and South Caro- That is not what the United States of America is or is lina, when birch trees begin to die off in northern about at present. lower Michigan, something is up, and it isn’t good. What happens between now and Nov. 8, 2016, Wind and solar energy sources have every conceiv- will tell us whither we shall go and under what ae- able roadblock thrown before them by a Congress gis. We will elect someone who wants to be presi- and legislatures in thrall to the oil and gas lobbies. dent because it’s a really cool job, or someone who This nation is not a democracy. It is a plutocracy would remind us of such giants as Abraham Lincoln moving toward an absolute oligarchy in which hedge or Franklin D. Roosevelt – presidents who came to funds are thought to approximate the acme of com- see so much that was wrong about what was sup- merce and hedge fund proprietors the demigods of posed to have been a democracy and gave their lives society. Men and women out of work are blithely told to fix it. in effect that the education they were given and de- I hope for my grandchildren’s sake it is the latter. grees earned no longer make them eligible to partici- Is it too much to hope that Lincoln’s vision of a gov- pate in a global economy. Have a nice day. ernment of, by and for the People – that is, an actual The idea that “all men are created equal,” as the democracy – may be realized in this century? composers of the Declaration of Independence had Harry T. Cook is an Episcopal priest, journalist and it, and as Abraham Lincoln applied it to former slaves author living in Michigan. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 29 Thinking About The Earth: Taking Care of Mother BY JAMES L. STOVALL n the opening words of the Pope’s encyclical ad- While there are many major changes in public pol- dressing climate change and the environment, icy needed to deal effectively with climate change, we are invited to think of the Earth as a mother many faith leaders argue that the effort must begin who opens her arms to us and embraces us. Too with a change in how we see the earth. Is the Earth Ioften we have thought about the earth as something just inert matter to be used in any way we want? Or simply to be used and exploited. While I’m sure that is it sacred and deserving of our utmost care and con- some mothers feel that way, the end result is that we cern? are in big trouble with our mother. The vast majority of religious leaders around the At the end of November and the beginning of De- world are recognizing and speaking out about the cember, leaders from around the world will gather in threat of climate change and the urgent need for co- Paris to consider strategies that can combat global ordinated action. While religious leaders are paying warming and the dramatic rise in temperatures cur- close attention to what the scientists are telling us, rently taking place. Leaders of nearly every country the call for action grows out of a deeper truth about have come around to recognize that climate change the fundamental connectedness that exists between is, in fact, a serious problem that deserves a serious humans, other living creatures and the earth itself. response and that time is running short. Most scien- Historically, native and indigenous tribes around tists agree that this may be the last opportunity to the world operated out of a story in which human respond in order to prevent a major planetary catas- beings were fundamentally connected to the Moth- trophe. er Earth. They believed that the Earth was infused 30 • DECEMBER 2015 with the presence of a sacred spirit. This core belief about the Earth gave shape to their ways of using the natural resources available to them and also to their economic systems. They understood that the air, the water and the trees were relatives because the breath Dear Future: of the Spirit was in them. In the native view, we are surrounded by the sacred. There is a “green” tradition that is a part of Chris- If Only We’d tianity but in the past several centuries Western reli- gion has too often viewed nature and the Earth quite differently from native people. Since the Enlighten- ment, much of Western Christianity has focused Acted Sooner upon matters of the spirit as separate and apart from matters of a physical nature. BY BILL MCKIBBEN The uneasy truce between science and religion cen- tered upon science being concerned with the natural This is part of the Letters to the Future cam- world and religion focusing upon spiritual matters. paign, a national effort to encourage people from This split had at least two tragic consequences: first, all walks of life to write six generations into the religion was now reluctant to draw upon the natural future about climate change. The campaign puts world as a means of experiencing the divine; second, a spotlight on the importance of world leaders science was now able to relate to the earth as mere agreeing to a global climate treaty at COP21 in stuff lacking any sense of the sacred. Paris. Respect for the Earth grows out of seeing the Earth he first thing to say is, sorry. We were the as an aspect of the divine and seeing our responsi- last generation to know the world before bility to care for the Earth as sacred as well. A large full-on climate change made it a treach- part of our current predicament with climate change erous place. That we didn’t get sooner to Twork slowing it down is our great shame, and you is that modern society generally sees nature as inert, lifeless stuff to be manipulated and messed with as live with the unavoidable consequences. long as it serves our purposes. The divine is too of- That said, I hope that we made at least some ten seen as something out there or up there but not difference. There were many milestones in the something to be found in the real, physical world. Re- fight – Rio, Kyoto, the debacle at Copenhagen. ligion often challenged people to transcend the natu- By the time the great Paris climate conference of ral world in order to connect with the divine. 2015 rolled around, many of us were inclined to Being able to detach from the physical world in that cynicism. manner allowed modern people in the West to probe, And our cynicism was well-taken. The dele- explore, and analyze the stuff of the earth in a new gates to that convention, representing govern- and unprecedented manner. This leads us to the in- ments that were still unwilling to take more than credible explosion of science and technology of the baby steps, didn’t really grasp the nettle. They present age. looked for easy, around-the-edges fixes, ones This view of the Earth and failure to view the Earth that wouldn’t unduly alarm their patrons in the as sacred has now turned against us in an incredibly fossil fuel industry. destructive manner. We are up against centuries of But so many others seized the moment that theological interpretation that regarded the natural Paris offered to do the truly important thing: Or- world with outright hostility – as a misery to be tran- ganize. There were meetings and marches, dis- scended and an “allurement” to be resisted. As a re- ruptions and disobedience. And we came out of it sult, we may be on the verge of stretching the limits more committed than ever to taking on the real of the Earth’s capacity to tolerate human activity. power that be. In more recent years, science and religion both have The real changes flowed in the months and begun to recognize a fundamentally different way of years past Paris, when people made sure that seeing the Earth. Rather than seeing the universe in their institutions pulled money from oil and coal all of its separateness and individual parts, science stocks, and when they literally sat down in the has begun to see reality as fundamentally connected way of the coal trains and the oil pipelines. Peo- in much the same way native people have regarded ple did the work governments wouldn’t – and as the Earth. they weakened the fossil fuel industry, political As people living on one fragile planet, it is no longer leaders grew ever so slowly bolder. appropriate to say, “your end of the ship is sinking.” We learned a lot that year about where power The survival of the planet depends upon a new way lay: less in the words of weak treaties than in the of thinking based upon this sense of connectedness zeitgeist we could create with our passion, our that most religious traditions recognize. This aware- spirit, and our creativity. Would that we had done it sooner! CONTINUED ON PAGE 42 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 31 Jim Hightower

Building Monopolies, One Merger After Another

orporate World is experiencing a surge in the choice. urge to merge. Oh, they also claim to be champions of the people’s Control of market after market – from ca- will – even though the clear will of the vast majority of ble TV to chickens, banking to washing ma- Americans is to stop the merger-mania and anti-con- Cchines – has been seized by less than a handful of sumer monopolization that corporate America and enormous corporations. Rather than compete, they its political servants are hanging around our necks. collude to set prices, cut quality, shrink service and That’s not just ironic. It’s cynical, hypocritical ... and squeeze out any would-be competitors. disgusting. There was a time, not that long ago, when monopo- Even our brewskis are falling to monopolists. Bel- lies, duopolies and oligopolies were not only frowned gian conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev is set to upon by our public officials and watchdog agencies swallow South American-owned conglomerate SAB- but also aggressively challenged and busted up. In re- Miller. The merger, they gloat, will be the first “truly cent years, however, corporate giants feel free to get global brewer.” Indeed, it will control a third of all ever-gianter by gobbling up their competitors, know- beer sales in the world and a whopping 70% of all U.S. ing that the watchdogs will barely bark, much less sales. bite. The monopolizers assert there’s no anti-trust prob- In fact, now that the Supreme Court has turned lem because hundreds of small breweries are popping corporate campaign donations into legalized bribes, up like dandelions all over America and the world, our so-called “public” officials – including congress thus creating wide-open competition. The winner, critters, governors, judges and even presidents – have says the Anheuser-Busch behemoth with a wink and become tail-wagging accomplices to the amalgama- a crooked smile, will be the one that gets the most tion of corporate power. customers. The Bush-Cheney regime was infamous for cheer- How free-enterprise-y! And fallacious. The “winner” leading this consolidation, including mergers that will be the one with the key to the marketplace gate. allowed AT&T and Verizon to capture 70% of all wire- To get customers, you first have to be able to get less phone subscribers. But this is not just a Repub- your beers in the bars and on store shelves, which lican phenomenon. is mostly controlled in the U.S. by beer wholesalers Obama’s Justice Department, Federal Trade Com- who distribute beers from various breweries to the mission and Federal Aviation Administration genially retailers. These wholesalers can simply refuse to dis- waved through American Airline’s takeover of US Air- tribute the brews of smaller “competitors.” ways and United’s consumption of Continental, effec- Now, guess which big honking beer-maker has tively leaving air travelers to the brutish mercy of one been aggressively buying up wholesale distributors or two bullies in every major airport – and no service in recent years in order to fill the shelves with their at all in smaller cities. brands and lock out the new independents? Now come dominant health-care giants Aetna, Hu- If Anheuser-Busch InBev is allowed to become the mana, Anthem and Cigna, as well as Walgreens and first global brewery, it won’t be because it makes the Rite Aid, demanding to merge into behemoths that best beer but because it’s rigging the marketplace to would control the availability of health insurance and slam the door on its “free enterprise” competitors. essential medicines to millions of Americans. Ironi- The word “free” in “free enterprise” is not an adjec- cally, the very lawmakers, corporate lobbyists and tive, it’s a verb; i.e., let’s “free up” the enterprise of pundits who push and praise each of these merg- small businesspeople by stopping giant monopolists ers are also the noisiest preachers of the virtue of from locking them out of the marketplace. competitive markets, small business and consumer © Creators.com 32 • DECEMBER 2015 installation of high-tech control systems; the gener- ation of renewable energy to power the electric en- Let’s Get On gines; the development of new businesses to serve rail passengers, and more] and would be a sustained source of good, permanent jobs running and main- Board With taining the network. • HSR is a boon for passengers, providing a compet- itive alternative to airline rip-offs and traffic conges- tion. Travellers get access to more cities, safer and High-Speed Rail more comfortable rides and the ability to work or just relax on the road. ractically every wealthy nation today is mak- • HSR trains are powered by electricity, thus they ing major investments in building high-speed substantially reduce consumption of grossly pollut- rail networks to transport their people: Ja- ing fossil fuels. pan, Canada, France, Russia, India, England, • HSR crisscrossing America would be a monumen- PMorocco, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, China, Mexico, tal achievement by and for our people, on a par with Poland, Spain, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Turkey the 10-year moon-landing effort launched by Presi- and more. dent Kennedy or the interstate highway system initi- But not us, the wealthiest nation, with dozens of ated by President Eisenhower. cities dotted across a continent with millions of peo- It would be a history-making project, worthy of a ple who need fast, convenient rail connection. nation with unsurpassed wealth and under-used tal- Why are we stuck in traffic on roadways and run- ent. Creating such a treasure for future generations ways and left with a pokey, out-of-date rail system would re-engage our people’s can-do spirit, and it just while nations with a small fraction of our resources might rekindle some sense of national unity. – such as Morocco, Poland and Turkey – are cruising The U.S. is in the caboose of transportation inno- on HSR networks? vation because special-interest politics continue to Because our leaders sold us out to corporate huck- thwart our national will, leaving you and me with a sters who fed us ideological lies. Their fairy tale was rickety, malfunctioning rail system that is a national that mass transit is creaky, inherently inefficient, embarrassment. and socialist – and that Americans deserve the inde- It’s unforgivable that corporate and political lead- pendence that comes from a one-person-one-car doc- ers have intentionally failed to maintain, much less trine. improve, the quality of America’s rail infrastructure As early as the 1930s, giant corporate consortiums for future generations. formed to buy out more than 100 of America’s very And the cowardice of Congress critters, who take effective networks of streetcars and interurban train special-interest money to oppose the best policies for systems. the common good, is not only shamefully corrupt; it’s Not to run them, but to rip out the tracks and pave a firing offense. over the rail right-of-ways to make roads. That’s where we come in. Likewise, corporate profiteers mounted a new of- High-speed rail offers such huge benefits for us fensive in the 1990s to undermine the higher-speed that we need to push it to the center of our policy potential of Amtrak’s Acela trains, hiring such Koch- demands, especially with a national election cycle al- funded front groups as Cato Institute, Heritage Foun- ready on us. dation and Reason Foundation to spread hokey “anal- To learn more, contact the National Association of yses” that brand Amtrak as a slow train to collectivist Railroad Passengers [www.narprail.org] and US High hell. Speed Rail Association [www.ushsr.com]. – Jim High- They also bought trainloads of politicians, who’re tower still promoting the fabricated stud- ies and talking points of the corpo- rate-cabal to derail HSR proposals. Despite attempts to kill the no- tion of a national passenger rail system, trains are only getting more popular. Here are just a few things that HSR would offer our county: • HSR construction creates a start-up economic boom [from the manufacturing of trains and equip- ment; the construction of every- thing from bridges to stations; the THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 33 How To Stop Getting Ripped Off By Forced Mandatory Arbitration

BY AL FRANKEN

orced arbitration rigs the game in favor of likely has significant financial incentive to rule in fa- big corporations and against consumers and vor of the corporation. employees. And recently, a New York Times That arbitration clause was likely buried deep in investigation has exposed just how prevalent the fine print in a lengthy terms-of-service agree- Fthis damaging practice is; indeed, the story almost ment. Even if you had read [and correctly interpreted] certainly affects you, personally. the entire contract, and decided to take your busi- If you’ve ever opened a credit card, rented a car, or ness elsewhere, odds are you would have seen the engaged in any number of other routine interactions same clause in every competing company’s terms-of- with big corporations, you’ve probably had to sign service agreement, too. away your right to go to court, or band together in a Consumers are left with no real recourse: you sign, class action with other customers. or you do without a cell phone, or cable TV, or Inter- Instead, you have legally [if unwittingly] agreed net service. that, if a dispute occurs, you will seek justice only Now, imagine facing the same dilemma when plac- through a secret, profit-driven arbitration process – ing a loved one in a nursing home – or even look- one in which no comprehensive records are kept, no ing for a job. Believe it or not, more than 30 million meaningful appeals are allowed, and the arbitrator American workers are bound by forced arbitration 34 • DECEMBER 2015 clauses as a condition of their employment. es, he and the other members of the court’s conserva- Make no mistake: These clauses, which are prac- tive majority have systematically slammed shut the tically impossible to avoid, are designed to make it courtroom door on millions of Americans. easier for big corporations to break the law and rip These cases may not garner the same headlines as you off without facing any real consequences. It’s un- those involving public displays of religion or govern- believably unfair. And it shouldn’t be legal. ment surveillance, but they affect the rights, and the That’s why we have introduced the Arbitration Fair- pocketbooks, of nearly all of us – something to keep ness Act, which has been co-sponsored by 16 Demo- in mind when evaluating not just the current Court’s crats in the Senate and another 74 in the House. record, but also future nominees. Our legislation doesn’t ban arbitration. If both par- Americans are beginning to understand that the ties want to arbitrate instead of going to court, they game is rigged. Now we must take action to level the can. But you would get to make that decision after a playing field. dispute arises. Democrat Al Franken represents Minnesota in the Corporations wouldn’t be able to force you to pre- U.S. Senate. emptively waive your right to go to court or pursue a © Reader Supported News class action – often your only real avenue for holding these giant companies accountable. Congress isn’t the only place where we can level the playing field. In early November, the Consumer Labor’s Fealty Financial Protection Bureau [CFPB) announced it was considering a proposal to ban arbitration clauses that block class action lawsuits in consumer finan- To Establishment cial contracts. While we would like to see the CFPB go further and eliminate the use of forced arbitration clauses alto- gether in consumer financial service contracts, this Democrats Is proposed rule would be a big win for consumers. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medic- aid Services [CMS] has proposed reforming its re- quirements for long-term care facilities like nursing Killing Unions homes, acknowledging the negative impact of these clauses on residents and suggesting some ways to BY C. ROBERT GIBSON make these clauses more transparent and easier to illary Clinton’s recent endorsement from understand. the 2.1 million member Service Employees That is a start. But forced arbitration clauses have International Union [SEIU] is another exam- no place in these agreements, and we urge CMS to ple of union leadership prioritizing political ban them altogether. Hconnections in high places over the best interests of We are hopeful that these processes will result in its members. real progress for consumers. But the law requires As In These Times reported, the SEIU endorsement that any CFPB proposal must undergo an arduous angered local chapters so much that they’re breaking review before being finalized and implemented, and off from the main union and endorsing Bernie Sand- CMS, which has already received thousands of com- ers, as they already have in New Hampshire, the first ments on their relatively modest proposal, will likely official presidential primary state. engage in a lengthy rulemaking process, as well. And Rank-and-file dues-paying members of the SEIU that leaves plenty of room for the Chamber of Com- said the executive board’s announcement came too merce and other corporate-backed pressure groups early, and point out that while Clinton’s proposal for to make their mark. a $12 an hour minimum wage flies in the face of the It’s up to ordinary Americans everywhere whose SEIU’s own Fight For $15 campaign. rights are at stake to weigh in, as well. Both of Clinton’s opponents in the Democratic pri- There’s one more arena where this fight will play mary, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley, have got- out: the Supreme Court. After rulings this summer ten behind the call for a $15 an hour minimum wage. to protect health insurance subsidies and make mar- The SEIU’s Facebook page was full of angry rants riage equality the law of the land, many thought that from dues-paying members upset with the endorse- perhaps concerns about the Roberts court’s conser- ment. Daily Kos collected some of the more descrip- vative bent were overblown. tive posts from the page’s wall: But as the Times revealed, Roberts himself was a “Please retract the SEIU endorsement for Hillary driving force behind the creation of the forced arbi- Clinton. She does NOT represent the average work- tration scheme a decade ago. And in a long series of ing American. She takes funding from Wall Street 5-4 decisions, including the two that paved the way PLUS foreign donations as well as contributions for these unbelievably unfair forced arbitration claus- CONTINUED ON PAGE 42 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 35 How To Fight ISIS? With Cartoons

BY DARYL CAGLE

undits like to complain that there are few By now Americans should see how powerful car- voices from the Islamic world that condemn toons can be; clearly the terrorists see this, as car- terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists. I run toonists are among their primary targets. It is dif- a small business that distributes editorial ficult for Americans to comprehend that editorial Pcartoons from around the world. With every major at- cartoons are important and effective in the Middle tack, including the recent attacks in Paris, I see a East because we view cartoons as trivial jokes, lead- chorus of cartoons from Arab countries condemning ing us to miss many opportunities. the terror. The pundits must not be looking at the Until recently, the U.S. State Department had pro- cartoons. grams that brought American cartoonists on speak- Editorial cartoonists are typically the most influen- ing tours to the Middle East to meet their colleagues, tial voices in newspapers throughout the Middle East, and had reciprocal programs to bring Arabic lan- reflecting the views of their readers. Newspapers re- guage editorial cartoonists to America. The programs main important in everyday life in the Middle East. sought to spread common values to countries where Editorial cartoons grace the front pages throughout persecuted and influential cartoonists typically are the Middle East. Arabic language cartoonists are typi- barred from drawing their own presidents. cally anti-American and anti-Semitic, but on issues These effective State Department speaking pro- of terrorism they are largely voices of reason. grams for editorial cartoonists were dropped at the I often hear politicians complain about how the time of the “sequester” budget cuts. USAID support- war with Islamic extremists is a battle for hearts and ed journalism education initiatives in the Middle East minds and we need to step up our role in an informa- ignore and exclude cartoonists. tion war that we are losing. Editorial cartoons could As international respect for America has plum- be a weapon on the front lines of that battle. meted, respect for many of our institutions still runs 36 • DECEMBER 2015 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 37 high. American cartoonists are respected around the own editorial cartoon Web site, Cagle.com, is suffer- world, like American jazz musicians and basketball ing hacker attacks that appear to originate with ter- players. Middle Eastern cartoonists are eager to have rorists and despotic regimes who fear cartoons. their work appreciated by American readers and by Terrorists and despots have a weakness in com- the star American cartoonists who they respect and mon; they can’t take a joke. emulate. The Arab cartoonists push back against the America needs to wake up, deploy and support the press restrictions imposed by their regimes and envy world’s best soldiers in the modern information war, America’s press freedoms. American cartoonists. Every act of terror brings new recruits to the Islam- President Obama recently claimed that he is already ic extremists in ISIS; they seek glory, selling an im- doing most of the things that his political opponents age of bravery, striking back against the arrogant in- demand in the war with ISIS; he called on his crit- fidels in the West. Brandishing a gun demands a kind ics to contribute new and constructive ideas on what of respect. Fighting for religious values, no matter should be done. My recommendation is inexpensive how twisted, demands a kind of respect. ISIS craves and powerful: bring back and greatly expand the State respect; what they can’t bear is ridicule. Islamic ex- Department’s shuttered editorial cartoon programs tremists who are widely seen as the butts of jokes around the world. won’t find many eager converts. Daryl Cagle is the editorial cartoonist who runs the Cartoonists are masters of disrespect and are a CagleCartoons.com newspaper syndicate, distribut- continuing threat to the Islamic extremists. It is no ing editorial cartoons to more than 850 newspapers surprise that editorial cartoonists are prime targets around the world, including The Oklahoma Observ- for terror. er. Comments to Daryl may be sent to editor@cagle. Along with other web sites around the world, my com. Read Daryl’s blog at www.darylcagle.com CALM DOWN! ‘We’ll Be Fine ... But You Must Vote’ BY VERN TURNER

his sage advice would serve us all well, es- minds” of the masses we still see today. pecially in light of the hysteria occurring It is especially upsetting to this writer to see our around the world and around the country. own political animals denying refuge to those who The French, remarkably, are “maintaining are being mindlessly killed by mindless wars waged Tan even strain” while finally taking pointed action by mindless, hysterical forces who feel that their against the forces who use hysteria as a recruiting tribe is the only tribe while all else must die. tool. Good for them. The crazed lunatics who bring Nobody told these deeply disturbed people to calm mindless killing to the fore of modern society seem down. No, they were given or sold guns and tanks and to be asking for retribution from the majority of sane explosives with which to conduct their mayhem and people in sane societies led by sane governors. killing. The mindless Nov. 13 slaughter in Paris must also How does this work? Who, in conscience, sells ter- serve as a reminder of our origins as a stone-age cave rorists weapons in 2015? There are obviously some dweller where tribalism led the league in intellectual very bad people out there. By the way, the United processing. In Rebecca Costa’s very interesting book, States is the world’s leader in weapons manufactur- The Watchman’s Rattle, she posits that humans have ing and sales. evolved much more quickly socially than biologically. One school of thought shows how western petro- Groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda and some raving lip- dollars used by kingdoms and caliphates in the Mid- strummers in Iowa seem to corroborate that thesis. dle East are funneled to religious schools that are The primitive, tribal imperative in all things obviously specifically committed to destroying western civiliza- evolved as a survival mechanism for tribes still need- tion. Ironic, huh? ing to hoard and defend food and shelter resources Why would those schools be so committed to an from human and non-human competition. Along entire civilization? The answer most often floated is the way, somebody invented religion or shaman-ism revenge for the Crusades, the first major religious as power forces to explain the unexplainable to the wars between Christians and Muslims. Much like the “masses” and thus control their behavior. American Civil War, animosity was woven into the There were certain aspects of this arrangement fabric of the culture that keeps manifesting itself in that were probably valuable to survival, but there also ugly, violent, hysterical ways. Now, it’s because the must have been power struggles for the “hearts and West is entrenched in the oil business there and sim-

38 • DECEMBER 2015 ply can’t leave. off. Cheers to those who can dismiss the nonsense Worse, these major religions have sects fighting with a shrug and return to the fact that actually 75% each other over ideology and who owns the truth. of the Republican Party is rational and able to think Ironically, there is no hard evidence whatsoever that ... even a little. there is even a truth that exists regarding the mani- The bottom feeders like Christy, Santorum, Jindal, festation of a deity, or the veracity of the prophets. Paul, Huckabee and Fiorina who are transparent The conflicts seem to be not so much about justify- with their lies, nonsense and fictions, are easily dis- ing religion in general as it is questioning what is its missed. purpose. Ted Cruz seems to glory in being the most danger- So, why the hysteria? Well, when the human mind ous and disliked person in Congress, EVER. Yet, he lacks rational and tangible evidence and proof, it continues to feed the maw of hysteria and nonsense. tends to default to emotion, the primitive, life-saving It’s all he’s got. Truth and Ted Cruz rarely cross paths. reactions and behavior that most mammals exhibit. Trump and Carson must take turns applying clown Sometimes that tangible evidence evokes emotions, face makeup to each other. Their bigotry and disre- too, but then we say those emotions are justified and spect for the American people is profound. behave a lot less irrationally and violently. The only Republican candidate who exhibits adult Clearly, the group emotion of the United States behavior and rational thought at the same time is while fighting fascism in World War II was predicated John Kasich. So, naturally, his poll numbers remain on forthright attacks on our homeland and well being in single digits. like Pearl Harbor, 1941. The media, bless their ratings-addicted hearts, run You may have noticed that our politicians who pro- around like scalded cats to follow the latest iteration mote hysteria and emotion are still beating the Sept. of hysterical nonsense from this collection of excep- 11, 2001 drum whenever they want to secure atten- tionally primitive candidate strategies. It’s about sell- tion or votes from a particular demographic. There ing advertising, after all. was certainly an emotional gathering after that date, My message to the media is: calm down. These but what we got from our “leadership” at the time was guys and lady will do your job for you. Crazy sells in a hysterical response that plunged our fighting men America. Hysteria sells in America. It’ll be OK. Relax. and women into two irresponsible wars in two coun- Having said all this, my message to the American tries that had no significant military forces that could voter is: calm down. It’s OK. We’ll be fine, but you threaten our shores. must vote. The progressives, black and brown people We also got a major tax cut for the richest among tend to stay home on Election Day that isn’t a Presi- us, while we borrowed money to fight the wars. Tax dential event. Bad decision. This allows hysteria to loopholes were expanded, not reduced. The result win. was a multi-trillion dollar debt. We quickly received I mean, look at the House of Representatives pop- the infamous Patriot Act from the fear mongers that ulated by loonies like the “Freedom” caucus. These suspended the letter of the Fourth Amendment. We people were elected by a voting population of less invoked our panic by creating the Department of than 40% of the eligibile voters. Look at what Texas Homeland Security and doubled our military budget. elects as governors and its Republican caucuses in Meanwhile, corporate America was sending millions Washington and Austin. The Texas governor – who of jobs to China, Mexico and Indonesia. also denies access to Texas for fleeing Syrian refu- These collective behaviors have to be described gees – “won” election with a whopping 17% of the eli- as hysteria on steroids. Imagine the scenario had gible electorate. Only 32% of eligible voters showed the Supreme Court allowed all Florida ballots to be up. Guess who votes. Yup! Hysteria votes. counted in 2000. Imagine the scenario had Al Gore The only way around that is for rational and calm been president, something denied him and us even voices to vote. Vote like your country depends on it, though he won the popular vote. If there was ever a because it does. If rational people don’t vote, we will need to relegate the Electoral College to the ash heap become like “them” – those led by hysterical dema- of bad ideas, this should have been it. gogues who have no idea about a complicated, peace- We are now in the throes of a presidential campaign loving way of life. that is as hilarious as it is hysterical, especially from Vote out the warmongers and there likely will be the GOP candidates. These people have never met a no war. Listen to the experts who KNOW how to dis- fear that they wouldn’t exploit. Truth is out the win- mantle hysterical organizations. They can only be dow. Rationality and facts are almost entirely absent. utilized by rational and calm leaders ... like Barack The Republican campaign and the dumb-show de- Obama and Hillary Clinton. bates remain an emotion-based, mud-slinging exer- Take a deep breath and vote the right way for the cise in nincompoopery that has rational people roll- United States. Vote. ing on the floor with laughter ... or acute indigestion, Vern Turner lives in Marble Falls, TX and is a regu- depending on emotions invoked on their individual lar contributor to The Oklahoma Observer. His latest psyche. book, Racing to the Brink: The End Game for Race Blessed be those who can laugh these “candidates” and Capitalism, is available through Amazon.com.

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 39 Books

How Investing In Anti-Poverty Programs Pays Future Dividends

As Political Scientist Robert Dahl states: “If you OUR KIDS are deprived of an equal voice in the government, the The American Dream In Crisis chances are quite high that your interests will not By Robert Putnam be given the same attention as the interests of those Simon & Schuster who do have a voice. If you have no voice, who will speak up for you?” 400 pages, $28 Public officials, Putnam explains, are much more responsive to those with privilege over those who BY JOHN WOOD don’t. Therefore, there is an “opportunity gap,” un- dermining “political equality and thus democratic le- n Putnam’s book, he explains the problem with gitimacy.” upward mobility through the widening gap be- Second, is a much more subtle, yet more of an em- tween rich and poor. phasis in his book and even potentially more disas- A book any Bernie Sanders fan would certainly trous for democracy – that of alienated or estranged Ilove. citizens. Putnam is most famous for his classic Bowling Putnam argues past scholars have noted such peo- Alone [2000] in which he surveyed the weakening of ple are only a minimal threat to democratic stabil- “social capital” in this country since 1950. ity. However, during times of stress – either through Social Capital is the relationship between people international threats or internal economic crisis, with the approach that “if I do this for you,” I do so not unlike the 1930s – this mass of people could be with a confident expectation that someone will like- highly manipulated by “antidemocratic demagogues wise do something for me in the future. However, at the ideological extremes.” this norm has deteriorated, as evidenced from the Putnam cites The Politics of Mass Society, arguing decline in active civil engagement required for a vi- that those in the 1930s who were most susceptible to brant democracy – i.e., voting on all levels, knowing Nazism in Germany or even McCarthyism here, had your neighbors, participating in social clubs, and the “fewest opportunities to participate in the formal even other activities such as participating in bowling and informal life of the community.” leagues. This leads us to Our Kids, the disadvantaged chil- Putnam blames pressure on time, disintegration of dren – such as those he devotes short vignettes to in the family, our focus on the media, especially televi- the first half of the book – that provide background sion, and intergenerational change – all of which have for his statement, “to ignore these kids violates our divided us. “Social Capital,” Putnam argues, needs to deepest religious and moral values.” be strengthened to better drive productivity, increase He shows how upper- and lower- class kids are health, and provide for education, safety, and the treated using scissortail graphs. All of which have the economy – through reconnection. upper-class kids’ line moving up progressively while Our Kids is based off Bowling Alone’s premises, but the lower-class kids’ stagnate and/or fall back. with a greater emphasis on the differences between For example, when it comes to divorce, upper-class upper- and lower- class engagement found both in his parents are only 10% likely to divorce vs. 70% for low- interviews and statistical analysis. This is important, er-class parents. Lower-class parents spend on aver- Putnam finds, for two reasons. age only $700 on extracurricular activities, such as The first is political voice, where the upper class on soccer, camps, and tutoring versus 10 times that voices are amplified and the lower classes are muf- for upper-class parents. Also, he found that students fled. For example, as the upper classes pour more with the bottom third of test scores, but from upper- money to political coffers, the lower classes are not class families, were much more likely to go to college voting – exaggerating differences in representation. than students who tested in the top third, but were 40 • DECEMBER 2015 from lower class families. Putnam wonders how is that even moral? When it is not merit that gives op- portunity, but money? On top of this, there is a “savvy gap” where upper-class families have built up informal networks of people who have achieved and can mentor young children – not the case typically in lower-class fami- lies. Putnam says this gap between rich and poor is handed down from generation to generation and such disparity is untenable. Putnam said that he once visit- ed the White House where he met G.W. and Laura Bush. Putnam was explaining his ideas to G.W., but he seemed to not get it. Laura turned to her husband and explained: “If you don’t know if you can keep your job or house, you have less energy for your kids.” This be- came the Laura Bush hypothesis because she got it. At least one person in the household did. What can be done? We need to support contraception access, Putnam said, increase money to head start, preschool and elemen- tary programming, expand earned income credit [EIC], expand the child tax credit, and protect pover- ty programs, such as food stamps, housing vouchers and child care. Beyond families, we need to re- duce nonviolent crime sentencing, increase rehabilitation, more job training, etc. I think it’s interesting that Put- nam gives a pat on the back for Oklahoma’s early childhood edu- WHY WAIT? cation initiative begun in 1998, partly funded by the Kaiser Foun- Now you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer dation. Obama recently called this at the Full Circle Books checkout counter program “The Oklahoma Project,” and receive your free book certificate on the spot! an investment shown to help in pre-writing, pre-reading, and pre- IMPORTANT RESTRICTIONS To take advantage of this offer, visit Full Circle Books, where you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer at the checkout arithmetic skills. Such an initia- counter and receive your free book certificate immediately. You also may subscribe to The Observer using the coupon on page 3 of this issue or by visiting our web site www.okobserver.net. You then will receive via U.S. Mail a certificate from Full Circle Books for a tive is an investment in your poor- free book [$20 limit]. The certificate is not transferable and must be presented in person at Full Circle Books in order to receive your est children. Wow, the state of free book. No facsimiles, printouts or photocopies will be accepted as a substitute for the original Full Circle certificate. This book Oklahoma is known for something offer is for new subscribers only. Not valid with any other offer. positive outside of sports? and solutions to alleviate the dif- documenting squalid living condi- While Putnam seems to de-em- ference between rich and poor as tions in New York City slums in the phasize the macro sources of the well as social mobility. 1880s, Putnam brings to life chil- difference between rich and poor, Not unlike How the Other Half dren’s lives, rich and poor, painted Bernie Sanders alternatively fo- Lives: Studies among the Tene- with vivid picture with a palate of cuses on the micro-causes – such ments of New York [1890], a book words, describing their lives in the as greedy bankers, billionaire’s that shocked the upper classes, first half of this book. gluttony, and money in politics – filled with photos by Jacob Riis, While this book is well written,

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 41 it is also packed with information to enlighten the J.K. Rowling, Obama, and someone much less suc- reader in understanding not only what poverty looks cessful – me. like but also how it feels. John Wood, PhD, is an assistant professor of politi- The book resonated with my past living in child- cal science at the University of Central Oklahoma hood poverty. Investment in those who are in poverty and a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observ- can pay dividends in the future. Just ask Lincoln, er.

of relationships in a unified whole. tionship with the Earth and with Biology reveals that, in a totally one another. Earth interrelated system, the principle Francis explains, “We lack an CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 of survival of the fittest has new awareness of our common origin ness of our fundamental unity meaning. The “fittest” is now seen and our mutual belonging. We can must form the basis for a new way as that species that best contrib- no longer regard nature as some- of relating to the Earth. utes to the well being of the whole thing separate from ourselves or Recent discoveries offer a way system. Ecology provides the un- as a mere setting in which we live. of overcoming this split way of derstanding that all parts of a liv- We are part of nature, included in thinking that has been present for ing system are interconnected and it and thus in constant interaction several centuries. Physics dem- that greater stability results from with it.” onstrates that nothing exists in increased diversity. James L. Stovall, M.Div., is direc- isolation. All of matter – from sub- These and other “discoveries” tor of the Mediation Institute in atomic particles to the galaxies in reveal a new paradigm and point Oklahoma City and an ordained space – is part of an intricate web us in the direction of a new rela- United Church of Christ minister.

SEIU endorsement, AFSCME mem- nated or dropped. bers revolted at the national lead- In 2012 research from the Eco- Unions ership’s decision to endorse Clin- nomic Policy Institute’s research CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 ton, saying an endorsement this found that the share of the work- from Private Prison Corporations. early only served to divide mem- force that had union representa- So just exactly who does she work bers, and that union leadership tion dropped from 26% to 13% be- for?” wrote Cathy Bosell Haye. should instead focus on issues tween 1973 and 2011. That time “This is scandalous, shameful, that unite the union’s members. period covers three Democratic counterintuitive, problematic, de- Clinton’s first union endorse- and four Republican administra- feating, and divisive. Pathetic,” ment came from the American Fed- tions. wrote Angel Rodriguez. “SEIU’s eration of Teachers [AFT], which Regardless of the party in power, biggest national campaign is the represents public K-12 teachers as union membership and wages con- Fight for $15 and a union. Across well as college-level instructors. tinued to decline. the country, we are organizing As with SEIU and AFSCME, AFT The numbers bear out – labor workers to strike and demand a members resisted the leadership’s unions’ longtime ties to estab- $15 minimum wage. Despite this: endorsement of Clinton, as it only lishment Democratic politicians Hillary Clinton is on public record served to stifle debate that is es- hasn’t won them more member- as opposing a federal minimum sential to the Democratic process. ship, and hasn’t grown the mid- wage of $15 per hour.’’ A petition circulated by AFT mem- dle class. On the contrary, both So if the SEIU’s endorsement bers calling for national leadership parties have overseen large gains wasn’t due to Clinton’s progres- to pull back their endorsement of in wealth for the top 1% of Ameri- sive values, why did they endorse Clinton garnered over 5,500 signa- cans, and the simultaneous evapo- her? tures by late November. ration of the middle class. Other unions that have endorsed As CounterPunch pointed out, If labor unions really want to Clinton’s 2016 campaign paint a unions steadily have been declin- hold power again, they should fo- clearer picture. ing as labor leaders continue to cus instead on pushing members The Association of Federal, implore members to trust “friend- of both parties to support their State, County, and Municipal Em- ly” parties rather than try to make goals, rather than aligning with ployees [AFSCME] also endorsed the unions a political force in and politicians to have a seat at the Clinton earlier. As Huffington Post of themselves. table of power. reported, AFSCME was largely re- Curiously, over the past 60 years, The future of organized labor sponsible for the rise of Bill Clin- union membership has declined at may depend on it. ton in 1992, and endorsed Clinton the same time as wages have stag- © Occupy.com in 2007 during her last attempt at the Democratic nomination. Read The Observer On-Line And just as happened with the www.okobserver.net 42 • DECEMBER 2015 Observations Better Information, Better Policy Oklahoma Policy Institute provides timely and credible information, analysis and commentary on state policy issues. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 See our latest issue briefs, fact sheets and blog posts at: can purge the Legislature of the far right fools who wouldn’t know a good, smart deal if it bit them in the keister. David Blatt, Director n 918.794.3944 n [email protected] State Secrets The Observer recently joined forces with the Ameri- can Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and a nurs- ing home watchdog in a lawsuit demanding Gov. Mary Fallin comply with the state’s Open Records Act. The ACLU filed the suit in Oklahoma County Dis- trict Court nearly 1½ years after The Observer and A Perfect Cause first requested Fallin Administration documents – which they still haven’t received. On July 15, 2014, The Observer requested all re- cords and communications “from or to” Fallin’s of- fice regarding the executions of Garry Thomas Allen on Nov. 6, 2012 and Brian Darrell Davis on June 25, 2013. The state Pardon and Parole Board had recom- TOM and SHERRI mended clemency for both – a rarity for death row inmates – but the governor rejected the calls for leni- GOODWIN ency. Cheyenne, OK In October, Fallin’s office sent The Observer four CDs loaded with what it said were 41,697 pages of Readers and supporters of The Observer “non-privileged and privileged documents responsive to your open records request regarding any execu- for over 30 years and counting. tions that occurred or were scheduled in 2014.” The CDs amounted to nothing but a document dump. None addressed the Allen or Davis cases. This, after waiting nearly 17 months for the governor’s of- fice to provide what are clearly open records under the law. In response to The Observer’s suit, Fallin’s then- spokesman, Alex Weintz, repeatedly emphasized that the governor’s office had released 357,000 pages of documents since 2012 – asserting the administration is arguably most responsive in state history. Baloney. Fallin’s office provided the same CDs to the Oklahoma ACLU that it provided The Observer. This is the transparency the ACLU discovered: The first 677 pages of the governor’s document release contains duplicated copies of Oklahoma Policy In- stitute newsletters, page after page of Google Alerts, media alerts from Oklahoma City television station KFOR, clippings from the Republican Governor’s or indifference … which translates into contempt for Association and political clippings from Politico, a the law and Oklahoma taxpayers. Washington, DC-based newsletter. The fact is, government wields no greater power Fallin’s administration actually is among most se- than imposing the death penalty. Oklahomans have cretive in state history. a right to know what went into the governor’s deci- To take nearly 17 months to respond to The Ob- sions to reject the Pardon and Parole Board’s clem- server’s request, then deliver documents that had ency recommendations. nothing to do with it, suggests either incompetence It shouldn’t require a lawsuit to find out. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 43 Observerscope

11701 N. MacArthur Blvd. Oklahoma City, Ok. 73162

[405] 721-3252 springcreekbc.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

American Exceptionalism? The U.S. now has rough- ly the same number of people with criminal records as four-year college degrees. – Brennan Center for Justice

Dart: To Gov. Mary Fallin, intervening in a State Board of Medical Licensure investigation of a Tulsa surgeon – at the behest of ex-Texas Gov. Rick “Oops” Perry. The surgeon, one of Perry’s donors, kept his license.

Former journalist and political aide Mike Carrier is new director of communications and outreach at OU’s Political Communication Center. He replaces the late Leroy Bridges.

Laurel: To Sue Ann Arnall, giving $4.8 million to the state Department of Human Services to help young men and women aging out of the state’s foster care system. Arnall is billionaire Harold Hamm’s ex.

Nineteen House members and 11 senators are term-limited next year. Republicans remain smug they won’t lose any seats, despite driving the state into a financial abyss.

Dart: To Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett, urging Amer- ica slam its doors on Syrian refugees after the Paris terrorist attack. How about quarantining Bartlett’s brain instead?

The Oklahoman’s 2016 propaganda machine al- ready operates full throttle, nearly two full “news” pages squandered on an amateurish screed, “Is there a Democratic war on youth?” It was the work of the far right Washington Examiner, a freebie publication with less credibility than the National Enquirer.

Laurel: To Oklahoma Southern Baptists, figuring out – finally – that pro-life also includes after a child is born. SBC is launching a campaign to help care for 10,000 children in state custody.

Good news: Tea Party U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R- Tulsa, intends to keep his pledge to serve only three terms. Bad news: He’s likely to run for something else.

44 • DECEMBER 2015 Letters

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 WORSHIP AT MAYFLOWER CHURCH column in her final paragraph, questioning wheth- er misplaced legislative priorities contribute to a For religion that is biblically responsible, dearth of mental health treatment options. intellectually honest, emotionally satisfying, and socially significant. Services at 9 and 11 a.m. Full church school. Editor, The Observer: rd Oklahoma’s prison system is fraught with problems Located on NW 63 Street, one block west of Portland, 405/842-8897. – crowding, substance abuse, idleness, mental health, medical costs for geriatrics, and officer staffing prob- Dr. Robin Meyers, Minister lems. Incarcerated Oklahomans need programs to Rev. Lori Walke, Associate Pastor deal with substance abuse, sex offender treatment, Mayflower Congregational Church education and vocational training, and re-entry if the 3901 NW 63 Street, Okla. City, OK 73116 cycle of dependency and crime is ever to stop. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy re- cently participated in a public conversation with Har- vard Law School Dean Martha Minow, which was re- ported in the Oct. 22 edition of the Harvard Gazette. In that discussion, he identified the three prison scourges: long sentences, solitary confinement, and overcrowding. “It’s an ongoing injustice of great pro- portions,” he said. Kennedy’s view is that solitary confinement “drives men mad,” that mandatory minimum sentences are “terrible” and that sentences in the United States are eight times longer than sentences in some European countries for equivalent crimes. He lamented the fact that nobody pays attention to these wrongs, not even lawyers. “It’s everybody’s job to look into it.” In case someone believes Kennedy is a liberal, he was nominated by Ronald Reagan, and the U.S. Sen- ate confirmed him on Feb. 3, 1988 by a vote of 97-0. When his nomination was voted upon, Kennedy re- ceived bipartisan support. Maureen Hoch of PBS has written that he “virtually sailed through the confir- mation process and was widely viewed by conserva- tives and liberals alike as balanced and fair.” No one makes a single decision that leads to prison; it is a series of little decisions. Why are Oklahoma’s politicians so afraid of doing the right thing for the okea.org right reasons? Why is it so hard for first-time offend- ers to get a second chance. Jonathan Staines THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER Lexington Editor’s Note: Jonathan Staines is an inmate at Your Passport To Oklahoma’s Most Progressive, the Joseph Harp Correctional Center. Socially Responsible And Intellectual Audience Advertising rates start as low Editor, The Observer: as $40 per issue. It appears that this movement to force vaccinations Call 405.478.8700 for details. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 45 on all the children of Oklahoma is heating up. I don’t les of violence.” understand why those pro-vaccination folks who vac- My state of Oklahoma is guilty of promoting war by cinate their children are so concerned about having making 50,000 bombs a year at our Army munitions unvaccinated children around their vaccinated chil- plant in McAlester. dren. It’s time to stop making bombs because after one of That leads me to believe that they are acknowledg- our Iraq air raids that killed innocent people a survi- ing that vaccinations don’t work because if vaccina- vor said, “We will take revenge on you if it takes nine tions do work, then how could an unvaccinated child generations.” be a threat to those who are vaccinated? The state of Violence begets violence. Oklahoma needs to keep its nose out of forcing par- Virginia Bluejeans Jenner ents to vaccinate. And if the state does force vaccina- Wagoner tions then the state needs to accept all responsibility for any harm present and future. Editor, The Observer: Jim Maxey, DDS It is so refreshing to receive your paper each month. Tulsa The Daily Oklahoman is such a disappointment. We enjoy many of your regular contributors but Editor, The Observer: especially like Cal Hobson’s articles – such a smart Just because you’re opposed to abortion doesn’t man and excellent public servant. Thank you for hav- make you “pro-life.” Your morality could be deeply ing him. lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child We look forward to The Observer to keep informed fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. about what is really happening. Why would I think that you might not? Because you Betty Carson don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro- Yukon life, it’s just “pro-birth.” We need a much broader conversation on what the Editor, The Observer: morality of pro-life is. The Sooner-born Kristin Chenoweth was featured Frank Silovsky in the Oklahoman’s “Healthy Life” section, Nov. 24, Oklahoma City for her appearance at a local breast cancer awareness and funding event. She is an angel as well as a super- Editor, The Observer: star. Blood from the Paris slaughter is on the hands of In 2005, however, organizers of the Oklahoma Barack Obama. Women of Faith Conference disinvited Chenoweth And, like Lady Macbeth, no matter how often he from performing for them at the last minute because washes his hands, the president can never get it off. they learned that she was an advocate of LGBT rights. His endless wars in the Middle East are the cause of Chenoweth would not budge from her position. “I the murders of 129 innocent people. read my Bible and I pray and all of that. I really do,” One terrorist shouted, “This is for Syria.” she told one publication. “But at the same time, I Former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, an don’t think being gay is a sin. Period.” opponent of the Iraq War, warned that this would hap- She asked, “What would I do if it was a sin to be pen when he said, “America cannot put its foot on the short? I’m 4-feet, 11-inches, and that’s the way God accelerator of war and advocate peace. made me, so what could I do? That’s what I believe “Freedom bids us to free ourselves from the shack- about homosexuals.” So, listen carefully, all remaining anti-gay religious zealots: You can be as deeply religious as Kristin Chenoweth and believe in universal human and civil rights for LGBT people. For purely rational humanists the conclusion of professional health organizations is persuasive: Sex- ual orientation – whether gay or straight – has been officially declared a normal human characteristic by the American Medical Association, Psychiatric Asso- ciation, Psychological Association, and National As- sociation of Social Workers. Someone tell Rev. Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond: “There is still time, brother. You can repent your sins and be forgiven.” Nathaniel Batchelder Oklahoma City Editor’s Note: Nathaniel Batchelder is director of the Peace House in Oklahoma City.

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