Commentary

Sarah Palin scares me. Not because she shoots guns or talks tough to good ol’ boys or wants more money for her state. Palin scares me because she could become president of the United States and not only is she unqualified, unprepared and uninformed, she makes it clear that while she’s free to make choices […]

I went to the Democratic National Convention in Denver because I could not help myself. As a lifelong and long-suffering Democrat, I wanted to be present for the making of American history. I heard lots of speeches and talked to lots of people, but on the whole, I thought the DNC was long on policy […]

District court judges in Oklahoma have sealed at least one record of a case in more than 2,300 court cases between 2003 and 2007 ” typically because attorneys in the cases had simply asked, the Tulsa World recently reported. Wrongful-death, medical malpractice and product liability lawsuits were among the cases the newspaper found with at […]

The official motto for the Olympic Games is “Citius, Altius, Fortius” ” Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” After watching University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton compete in the men’s horizontal bar competition during the Beijing games, I think it’s time to add Horton’s motto to all the official paraphernalia:  “Go big or go home.” Horton […]

DENVER ” I write this from the Democratic National Convention in Denver as a Clinton delegate representing Oklahoma. Only halfway through the week’s events, I have heard Sen. Hillary Clinton at three events already, Michelle Obama at two, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I’ve also heard speeches from numerous other male and female dignitaries, both elected […]

A year ago, our state’s business outlook appeared bright. But over the horizon, storm clouds were gathering and a malaise of Seventies-style stagflation ” higher prices, falling asset prices and sluggish growth ” that began on the coasts is now encroaching upon America’s midsection. Oklahoma’s energy-dominant economy, bane of the Eighties, so far has shielded […]

The speculation has begun for the open governor position in 2010. Be it a Republican or Democrat, the next governor will face many of the same obstacles Oklahoma governors have battled for decades.  Our education system’s performance has never been rated anything better than poor to, at best, mediocre. Despite the efforts of Gov. Henry […]

One of the biggest scandals of the current Bush administration was what it tried to do to the U.S. Department of Justice. In order to destroy its political opponents, only right-wing Republicans got interviews for top jobs, while belonging to the The Nature Conservancy was a sure sign that an applicant was a communist. There […]

In deciding between presidential candidates, we usually stop to consider the direction we want the country to go for the next four years. In this election, the stakes are much higher. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided numerous important cases recently by the slimmest of margins. The next president will most likely appoint the judges […]

This election season, the Oklahoma Senate is a one-seat map with Democrats and Republicans tied at 24-24. There is room for either party to gain one seat, perhaps two. The Democrats need to take three seats to gain control of the Senate, two to tie. Of these target districts where gains ” or losses ” […]