Commentary

Beginning in 613 AD, Muhammad proclaimed “Islam” as a religion for nearly 10 years with virtually no success. His “new revelation” was soundly rejected by the Christians, Jews and polytheists in Mecca. After brokering peace with several warring Arab tribes in Medina, Muhammad’s message changed as history verifies and the contrast between the “Meccan Verses” […]

I don’t know which is worse in Oklahoma: Islamophobia or ignorance of Islam altogether. Islamophobia is using crazy scare tactics to convince people that they should fear Islamic culture, race or people. The ignorance comes in when a person uses these same tactics without the knowledge of the thing they’re scaring people with, but proceed […]

Well, the confetti has been cleaned up, the banners removed, and the signs all across the state will slowly be coming down. Election Day came and went. In our 103 years of statehood, the GOP has never had a night like Nov. 2. Every statewide Republican candidate won, and none of those races were even […]

Everyone knows the contemporary story of the addict who bottoms out only to find recovery and redemption later. In statewide race after race, Oklahoma Democrats bottomed out in the Nov. 2 elections, but at this low point, there remains for them an opportunity to re-create their brand. Sometimes it takes a breakdown for renewal. Nationally, […]

You’ve heard a lot by now: “It’s all for the kids.” “We’re going to be a contender.” “We’ll go from No. 47 to head of the line, nationally.” All that’s missing is the Music Man saying, “Right here in River City!” The National Education Association, with its million-dollar ad campaign, teamed up with the Oklahoma […]

I have a short list of heroes, but Justice Marian Opala made the cut with me a long time ago. Justice Opala died Oct. 11 at the age of 89 after 32 years of service as an Oklahoma Supreme Court justice. His life’s work was the law, carried out with a degree of precision and […]

Here’s a breakdown of a recent lunch break: Leave office. Head toward the Midtown area for sustenance. At N.W. 18th and Classen, narrowly avoid being sideswiped by a driver going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit and not watching where he’s going; his eyes are focused somewhere below his steering wheel. Perhaps he […]

There are three state questions on the ballot this November that symbolize the deep ideological morass that has come to define Oklahoma’s current political climate. State Questions 751, 755 and 756 will probably pass by landslides as voters vent some anger or make larger political statements. But is it really worth the trouble? SQ 751 […]

Asked in a recent poll to cite the most pressing problems facing the state, Okla-homans named the state’s economy and unemployment as their greatest concerns.   At 23 percent and 22 percent, respectively, the state’s economic and unemployment woes weigh heaviest on the minds of Oklahomans struggling to make their way through the worst economic […]