Religious proselytizing in the state’s public schools will be virtually sanctioned under bills introduced in the Oklahoma Legislature for this upcoming session, a clear violation of basic church and state separation. The bills would also appear to directly violate Article 2, Section 5 of the Oklahoma Constitution, which states: “No public money or property shall […]
Commentary
Posted inNews
Point: Legislate morality
The church-state separation fetishists are at it again. Now the Oklahoma chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State are decrying efforts by the Oklahoma Legislature to teach creationism in public schools, create vouchers or other mechanisms for school choice and define the beginning of human life. The creationism debate will not go […]
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What’s going on at the state Board of Education?
The Board was created by Oklahoma’s Constitution and its powers are found in our state’s laws. I’ve attended some meetings that were dull and a few with heated debate. But, this last meeting was a doozy and I’d like to tell you about it. By law, the Board is responsible for the hiring, firing, salaries, administration […]
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Revisionist history by state board members won’t whitewash their deplorable actions
But Gilpin’s revisionist picture is clearly refuted by the facts, as anyone who attended the meeting (or listened to the recording online) knows. The recent meeting was not only dominated by the partisan obstruction of board members, but also by the misogynist actions of Herb Rozell and Gilpin. As everyone now knows, Rozell referred to […]
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Mayor McModern
Whenever I look at Mick Cornett, I see Bill Hartsfield. Any Oklahoman who ever flew on Delta knows Bill Hartsfield. The airport in Atlanta exists because of Hartsfield, who as a councilman aggressively promoted aviation. As mayor, he was first and foremost a booster of innovations and of Atlanta business. When Atlanta confronted critical challenges […]
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Commentary: Grade expectations
And with Todd Lamb, Ken Miller, Mark Costello, John Doak and Gary Jones all cruising to victory last November, a new level of control was granted the state GOP, while creating an immediate expectation for change by those who supported this outcome. There will be pressure on the entire cadre of statewide officeholders to meet […]
Posted inNews
Point: Revise outmoded liquor laws
That’s right — the bulk of these laws remain unchanged since the birth of Oklahoma more than 103 years ago. We live in a world where change is all around us, yet some resist the notion to even examine laws that were put in place more than a century ago. The business community in Oklahoma […]
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Counterpoint: Paying the price
A current law states you must live in the state of Oklahoma for 10 straight years in order to own a liquor store. Every store you see on every other corner is owned by Oklahomans. If you change the laws and allow Whole Foods Market, headquartered in Texas, and Walmart, based in Arkansas, to sell […]
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Counterpoint: An internationalist agenda
Agenda 21 is a 40-chapter document spelling out how all activities on the planet are to be brought under the control of the United Nations to create a “sustainable” future for all, forever. George H. W. Bush signed on to this agreement at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. A year later, […]
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Point: Sustainability is ‘good stewardship’
Edmond called a meeting to discuss a “sustainability plan,” but protesters disrupted the meeting and shouted down citizens. The protesters believe Agenda 21 — a United Nations plan for sustainable development — is an effort to impose a global socialist government run by a small ruling elite. They must think the U.N., under a green […]