Commentary

Oklahoma’s new illegal immigration bill, considered one of the strictest such laws in the country, should become a catalyst for state leaders from diverse political backgrounds to come together to oppose it and educate the public about its unintended effects.   Those leaders opposed to House Bill 1804, now the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection […]

Oklahoma and Oklahoma City have been enjoying several years of prosperity. Some of the credit goes to former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick for his visionary leadership on MAPS. Norick convinced voters that taxing themselves would give the city new life. Few politicians ever have been willing to promote a tax increase ” and lived […]

I am not a basketball fan. I do not follow the NBA and only pay attention to college basketball in March. Yet, I am keeping a keen eye on recent developments with the Seattle SuperSonics’ potential move to Oklahoma City.   Already I am hoping against hope that I can go to games with friends […]

The conversation at a pastoral conference in the Northeast some years ago went something like this:    “Pastor, you head up one of the largest yet poorest churches in the region and today, you’re dressed in the finest apparel and you drive one of the nicest and most expensive cars here.”   “Yes, son, that […]

There are plenty of things to be worried about these days, but few of them are as frightening as what is happening in Pakistan. Right after Sept. 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush saddled up to fight the war on terror and “smoke out” Osama bin Laden, then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is […]

It is a slow news week for politics, so Dr. Stones pulled out the “little smart pill machine” to look into the year to come:   Jan. 3, 2008: In a stunning upset, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wins the Iowa Caucus. He announces “ultramarathoner” Dean Karnazes as his running mate, “not that being a […]

When city officials recently dedicated a Bricktown alley in honor of The Flaming Lips, they did more than just honor a local rock band that has become world famous.   They also sent this clear and long overdue message to the city’s artistic and creative community: We want you here.   Just a few years […]

An Affair of the Heart, the annual arts and crafts show that has been an Oklahoma City tradition since 1985, became a legal battleground in late October, when representatives of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University allegedly arrived to confiscate merchandise that bore OU and OSU emblems.   At least 15 vendors filed […]

It appears that narrow partisanship has trumped the national interest yet again. Reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program has been held up by a Democratic Congress too eager to emulate Canadian health care and a president who wields a veto pen without having any credibility on spending restraint. Oklahoma’s congressional delegation voted along […]

Just when you think Oklahoma is truly on its way to becoming a more enlightened place, 17 lawmakers refuse to accept a copy of Quran. The best line belongs to Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, who said that he did not want to accept the holy book of Islam because it encourages Muslims to kill […]