The excitement of that day culminated in an incredible celebration of justice at the Cimarron Alliance Equality Center. Nearly 500 people gathered to laugh, cry, hug one another and lift up the day as a defining moment in American history. The ruling of the court, we all realized, moved the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender […]
constitution
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Hard rain’s a-gonna fall
Credit: Brad Gregg The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way last week for Cressman to proceed with a lawsuit concerning Oklahoma’s pesky state plates. In 2011, he filed suit against state officials because he does not want to be forced to advertise “images, messages and practices that he cannot endorse or accept.” […]
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The biggest problem with guns
The letter from Vance Armor (”Beware a well-armed government, Jan. 16, Oklahoma Gazette) indicates that he learned neither of those lessons, nor the ones taught in what was once called “civics.” I served on the committee for examining the “active shooter” issue for the American College of Forensic Examiners. Our conclusion was that the greatest […]
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Cars and guns
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, told a Tulsa radio station that he is working with some Senate Democrats on legislation that would require background checks for people buying a gun — the idea being to keep weapons out of the hands of convicted criminals and the mentally ill. That news, of course, has excited the easily […]
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A question of equality
Tamya Cox Photo: Mark Hancock Its proponents say the measure will advance equal opportunity. Authored by Sen. Rob Johnson, R-Kingfisher, State Question 759 would amend the state constitution to ban current policies requiring state agencies to submit annual affirmative action plans. Public offices would be prohibited from weighing inclusion or diversity when hiring. Although it […]
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Patriot acts
Before the end of that nine-day standoff, Weaver’s wife and son would be killed along with a deputy U.S. marshal. And the repercussions of the siege at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, would help fuel the anti-government militia movement of the 1990s. Now, the nation and Oklahoma are seeing a resurgence of the so-called patriot movement beyond […]
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The toll of Islamophobia
Michele Bachmann and others declare that the U.S. government has been infiltrated and compromised by Muslim terrorists. Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh contends that radical Islam is “trying to kill Americans every week” and that “it is a threat that is much more at home now than it was after 9/11.” In our own state, then-Rep. […]
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Funny people
Brad Gregg After President Obama voiced support for gay marriage, the Oklahoma Senate wasted little time passing what Tim Matheson in Animal House would have termed “a really futile and stupid gesture.” A resolution authored by Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, and overwhelmingly passed by the Senate on May 14 reaffirmed that the Senate supports marriage […]
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Read the constitution
The state now picks winners and losers. If you’re an asset that can be “beneficial” to the state, then you get preferential treatment; a liability, and you’re discriminated against. Free market government at its finest. Now if you need assistance, your government will automatically disparage your reputation then attempt to deny you services while invading […]
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‘A true statesman’
If there was any doubt about this public servant being a true statesman, one has only to read his commentary. Such wise words all of us can benefit from. Both Andrew and Apple Rice’s (his wife) understanding of community service, and their ability to work productively with others from different backgrounds and perspectives, bring to […]