Commentary

Something strange is going on down at the state Capitol, where an Oklahoma artist named Narciso Argüelles has a show of his photography in the North Gallery. Two of his pieces were censored, and then he said he was told to keep quiet about it. The show, called “Human Landscapes,” depicts Chicano people and their […]

August news bulletin: 29 arrested during a drug raid in Clinton. Yippee!   After the raid, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics director was quoted in a press release, saying, “I believe that the ripple effect after the MOT (Mobile Operations Team) unit has conducted an operation will have a paralyzing presence because drug violators will […]

By now you have seen them on the corner, you have endured the commercials: businesses that promise to give you the cash you need right now, and all you have to do is leave a postdated check for payday. More and more people are beginning to see that these outlets are nothing more than loan […]

Critics of business and industry love to point out cases of corporate greed. Rarely do they praise industries for doing the right thing. One of Oklahoma’s largest industries is energy, employing tens of thousands of people in high-paying, technologically advanced careers. It’s also generated the revenue to support a lot of farmers, ranchers and private […]

Clean-burning natural gas or abundant, less-expensive coal? The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has been asked to approve a new power plant to be built in Red Rock, a joint venture between OG&E Electric Services and American Electric Power-Public Service of Oklahoma.   As submitted, plans for the $1.8 billion, 950-megawatt generating facility propose it will burn […]

Through last week’s headlines, you can mourn the loss of a great newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, which will go the way of FOX News, with Bill O’Reilly doing guest editorials. Or, you can argue over whether Michael Moore’s “Sicko” is over the top (of course), instead of whether its message is on target (yes, […]

When you say “James Inhofe,” you get an opinion. The senior senator from Oklahoma invites controversy. He is the core conservative critic of the climate-change movement, an advocate for the recreational pilot and a staunch defender of national defense. He is also less than diplomatic in his opinions, vicious in his political campaigns and occasionally […]

I would like to respond to Richard Prawdzienski’s commentary in the July 11, 2007, issue of Oklahoma Gazette, in which he states that “social host laws destroy families and family values.”   Prawdzienski seems to believe that government is overstepping its authority by enforcing social host laws.   However, the reality is that there is […]

By all reliable accounts, former District 1 Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth brought integrity and wisdom to county government.   Roth, who was appointed recently to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission by Gov. Brad Henry, defied stereotypes and political punditry. He was elected county commissioner in a state viewed as close-minded to diverse lifestyles. Oklahoma voters […]

A quarter-century ago, Penn Square Bank failed spectacularly in Oklahoma City, ushering in the untimely end of a previous oil boom, indelibly changing the landscape of banking throughout the state and hastening the emergence of national mega-banks.   And yet, after a generation of national consolidation in the banking industry, we enjoy one of the […]