Commentary

Spend any time around Oklahoma County politics, and Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel can make a clear case on why a new county jail is needed. The jail, according to Whetsel, is the state’s largest mental health facility, the state’s largest restaurant and the largest hotel (in a matter of speaking). However, two central questions […]

Birthright citizenship ” the concept of automatic citizenship for anyone born on American soil, even if the parents are here illegally ” has sparked debate about the 14th Amendment to our Constitution. Nobody seriously suggests repealing that amendment, nor should we. But how should the amendment be interpreted? That is a worthwhile discussion. A second […]

I wonder why some so-called “conservative” Oklahoma Republicans are echoing their national counterparts, favoring either circumventing or a change to the Constitution’s 14th Amendment that would forbid children of illegal aliens born in the state from becoming Americans. This is not only the equivalent of political Russian roulette, but it is “un-conservative,” cheap politics, bad […]

Over the past year, several commentaries have promoted wine sales in grocery stores. I wanted to offer the public safety and public health perspective on the grocery store sales debate. Oklahoma has 630 liquor stores, or one for every 5,800 people in the state. If every retail outlet that currently sells cigarettes were also allowed […]

How would you spend $25 million to improve Oklahoma City’s quality of life?   I have been asking that for more than a month, and I’ve been impressed with the diversity of ideas and thoughtful suggestions proposed by citizens willing spend a little time and imagination to dream up ways to enhance OKC.     Usually, […]

I drive down Grand Boulevard to get to church and work and smile a bit to myself when I see the construction site for Whole Foods Market. I was raised by a single father, so cooking has never been foreign to me, but only in the past couple of years have I learned that food […]

Most of Oklahoma’s approximately 6,000 annual abortions are performed in the area of Central Oklahoma served by the Oklahoma Gazette. Thus, it’s greatly disappointing that an Oklahoma County district judge has blocked enforcement of an important state law that provides much-needed information to pregnant women considering abortion. The “Ultrasound Law” requires abortion providers to perform […]

The injunction that prohibited House Bill 2780, the “Ultrasound Law,” from going into effect serves Oklahoma’s citizens well. This law requires a woman seeking to terminate a pregnancy to undergo an ultrasound whether or not it is medically necessary, and to view and hear a detailed explanation of the ultrasound image. In this law, Oklahoma […]