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Mr. Pruitt Goes to Washington a Fringe Ideologue’S Improbable Journey from Back-Bencher to Presidential Cabinet

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Mr. Pruitt Goes to Washington a Fringe Ideologue’S Improbable Journey from Back-Bencher to Presidential Cabinet • An Independent JournAl of CommentAry • JANUARY 2017 • VOLUME 49 NUMBER 1 • $5.00 Mr. Pruitt Goes To Washington A Fringe Ideologue’s Improbable Journey From Back-Bencher To Presidential Cabinet – Cover story begins on page 24 Observations www.okobserver.net Welcome! VOLUME 49, NO. 1 With this, the first issue of our 49th year as Oklahoma’s premier jour- PUBLISHER Beverly Hamilton nal of free voices, The Observer welcomes nearly 200 new readers – EDITOR Arnold Hamilton many joining us thanks to the generosity of loyal subscribers who re- sponded to our annual holiday gift campaign. DIGITAL EDITOR MaryAnn Martin As way of introduction, you’ll soon discover The Observer is the antith- FOUNDING EDITOR Frosty Troy esis of the state’s lockstep, conservative mainstream media. While they shamelessly trumpet the interests of the deep-pocketed, silk-stocking ADVISORY BOARD 1%, we champion equality and fairness for all – regardless of race, gen- Marvin Chiles, Andrew Hamilton, der, religion, sexual preference or socio-economic status. Matthew Hamilton, Scott J. Hamilton, Trevor James, Ryan Kiesel, We are unabashed liberals, staunch supporters of public education, George Krumme, Gayla Machell, separation of church and state, and civil liberties. We believe that to- Bruce Prescott, Robyn Lemon Sellers, gether we have a moral obligation to take care of children in the dawn of Kyle Williams their lives and seniors in the twilight of theirs – everyone else is on their OUR MOTTO own, unless they need a hand-up, not a handout. To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the We don’t agree with every viewpoint we publish, but we believe few Comfortable. things contribute to a healthy democracy quite like a raucous public square, full of diverse ideas and respectful debate. OUR CREDO So then to all their chance, to all their Despite the Republican supermajority’s financial mismanagement at shining golden opportunity. To all the NE 23rd and Lincoln Blvd. and the election of Donald Trump as presi- right to love, to live, to work, to be dent, we are optimistic that Oklahoma’s and America’s best days are themselves, and to become whatever ahead – if good-hearted, fair-minded folk are given the facts necessary to thing their vision and humanity can combine to make them. This seeker, demand good-hearted, fair-minded public policy from our elected lead- is the promise of America. ers. - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe Please let us know what you think. We welcome other points of view – minus any name-calling, innuendo or slander. If you like what you FOUNDING PUBLISHER Helen B. Troy see, we’d be forever grateful if you’d help us introduce others to The 1932-2007 Observer. Our annual holiday gift campaign – with bargain-rate $35 subscrip- [ISSN 0030-1795] The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] tions – continues through January. [See page 47 for details and a sub- 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. POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. SUBSCRIPTIONS 1-Year [12 issues] $50. Send check to The Yes! Please send me a one-year subscription for only $50. Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, This special offer includes my certificate for a free book courtesy Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Online: Visit of Full Circle Bookstore [a $20 value]. See page 41 for details. www.okobserver.net to use a credit card. UPDATE ADDRESSES Please notify us at least two weeks before your move to ensure uninterrupted service. E-mail address changes to subscriptions@ okobserver.net or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. LETTERS TO EDITOR E-mail to [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113- 0275. 2 • JANUARY 2017 Observerscope Lots of chatter in GOP circles Tulsa’s U.S. Rep. Jim Briden- We believe in redemption, but that ex-House Speaker T.W. Shan- stine to NASA as administrator? our good nature is sorely tested in non trashed Gov. Mary Fallin dur- Shouldn’t a Luddite automatically the case of Glenn Beck, who now ing Trump administration audi- be disqualified from leading an says he’s sorry for all the bile he tions. Fallin is a lousy governor, agency built on space-age technol- spewed during the Obama years but we’d take her over five-alarm ogy? and the damage it did to America. phony Shannon. Dart: To Seminole Rep. Tom New- Dart: To OK Retail Liquor As- Dart: To ex-AG Mike Turpen, ell, resigning a month after win- sociation, suing to block voter- praising Scott Pruitt’s selection as ning re-election. His joining the approved liquor law changes. Why EPA chief – the fox guarding the rightwing Foundation for Govern- not work first with Legislature this henhouse. Turpen’s ass-kissing ment Accountability stink tank spring to ensure all sides are treat- forever cements his DINO status. will cost taxpayers thousands for ed as fairly as possible? March 7 and May 9 special elec- The Legislature’s Family Values tions. Gov. Mary Fallin’s annual Feed- crowd spent $44,500 of your tax ing Oklahoma Drive yielded more dollars as hush money to make Our friend Don Sherry reports than 2.6 million meals for hungry a sex harassment charge against medical science unveiled a new Sooners – $303,991 in donations Tulsa Rep. Dan Kirby go away. procedure – the Trumpectomy – in and 1.3 million pounds of food. Now, he refuses to leave office – which the president-election’s for- withdrawing his resignation. merly fierce GOP opponents have Laurel: To Oklahoma Supreme their spines removed. Court, unanimously nullifying yet Laurel: To term-limited Sen. another legislative attack on re- Mike Mazzei, recently delivering Laurel: To Oklahoman Jay Par- productive rights. How many more his annual check to Foundation mley, named Alaska Democratic tax dollars will be squandered de- for Tulsa Public Schools equal to Party executive director. He served fending clearly unconstitutional at least 10% of his Senate salary. marvelously in the same capacity measures? Classy. here from 2001-05. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 3 Letters Editor, The Observer: for Donald Trump. Simply calling up one day and found that his par- Thank you for keeping us in- them names is intellectually lazy ty and its leaders, its politicians formed and encouraging us to take and obscures far more than it en- spend most of their time playing an active interest in local govern- lightens. And sadly, it also insures footsie with or catering to the fat ment, state government and na- they will never pay attention to cats on Wall Street, bankers, in- tional government. anything you have to say. vestors, and corporate Democrats. Mr. Albert [the late U.S. House Bruce Johnson Many are corporate Democrats Speaker Carl] always reminded me Durant themselves. that freedom of the press and pub- So what the hell do you think lic education were absolutely vital Editor, The Observer: that this guy is going to think? to a democracy. A democracy will An open letter to the Democratic And when you figure that out, ask not survive without them. It seems Party: yourself how do you think that to me both are in jeopardy now. The traditional base of the Dem- this guy is going to vote if he both- Sara Lane ocratic Party was the working ers to vote at all. McAlester man, the working class, the guy John Karlin who made a living at the end of a Tecumseh Editor, The Observer: shovel. I suggest you reconsider print- Over the last five presidents, this Editor, The Observer: ing puerile cartoons and then working class guy, the working Here’s the letter I just wrote to work to temper your language – man who makes his living at the President Obama: e.g, hired by Hitler, congratulated end of a shovel, has seen his take Please pardon Edward Snowden. by the Devil and the constant rant home pay at best stay stagnant or He drew the curtain back on the of fascist, xenophobic, misogy- decrease in relation to the cost of insidious unconstitutional spying nist, etc., etc. You are starting to living. He has watched the middle done by our so-called “national se- make Trump’s rhetoric sound re- class of America that he aspired curity apparatus” on ordinary, in- strained, reasoned and measured to, once the largest middle class in nocent citizens. by comparison. the industrialized world, become Edward Snowden deserves to You really should try to under- the smallest. come home, not only a free man, stand why almost two-thirds of This guy who makes his living but a veritable hero never to be Oklahoma voters – the vast major- at the end of a shovel, the work- prosecuted for the invaluable in- ity middle or working class – opted ing man, working class guy, woke CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 4 • JANUARY 2017 Arnold Hamilton Lots Of Hot Air In Debate Over Wind Incentives here was no small amount of irony in more [$100 million-plus in 2015] than they are worth: Google’s recent announcement that its Pryor $78.4 million in direct economic benefits plus $17.1 data center will be powered entirely by re- million in tax revenue. newable energy sometime in 2017. Those are the sorts of numbers the Republican- TThe tech giant’s grand goal is attainable, of course, dominated Legislature should have been studying because two new Oklahoma wind farms begin opera- closely for years – and not just those involving wind tion this year – near the time lawmakers will decide subsidies.
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