Three candidates for City Council, one of whom is an incumbent, are getting local tea party backing in their campaigns. Ward 5 Councilman Brian Walters, along with Ward 6 candidate Adrian Van Manen and Ward 8 candidate Cliff Hearron, have all received endorsements from the Sooner Tea Party, and the organization’s co-founder Al Gerhart said […]
state
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Quality control
Bill Bishop’s Commentary (“Counterpoint: Paying the price,” Jan. 19, Gazette) is frustrating and loaded with half-truths. The idea that Texas liquor laws have a negative impact on selection and price in that state is an outright fallacy. Most major cities in Texas have robust selections in grocery and chain stores, and have thriving niche liquor […]
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Counterpoint: Separation anxiety
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 […]
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Evolution alternatives
Both bills rely on the language of “academic freedom,” but science professionals are concerned that science education is not the actual goal of the legislation. According to the Gallup poll, 54 percent of Americans support the idea that human beings evolved over time from lower life forms. Sixteen percent of that total believe God had […]
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Board games
Well, that didn’t take long. The honeymoon period for newly elected state Superintendent Janet Barresi came to an abrupt end at the Jan. 27 state Board of Education meeting. The meeting, Barresi’s first as chair of the board, quickly turned into a sandbox of heated exchanges, name-calling and general animosity between Barresi and the members […]
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Liquor store owner needs some cheese with his ‘whine’
After reading the Point/Counterpoint Commentary in the Jan. 19 issue, I felt it necessary to write down some thoughts. I must agree with Roy Williams (“Point: Revise outmoded liquor laws”) that discussions about such hot-button topics as expanding the sale of wine and beer into grocery stores are healthy to a free-market economy and should […]
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Islam within the law
Regarding State Question 755: Are we reaching a point in which voters no longer need vote, as judges and courts continually negate the wishes of its citizens? In the case of Shariah law, two examples come to mind: Christian Scientist parents have been prosecuted for denying medical treatment to their children. Mormons are forbidden to […]
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Decisions, decisions
Regarding Clifton Adcock’s “Raising Arizona” (News, Jan. 12, Gazette): Gov. Mary Fallin faces a huge dilemma when state Rep. Randy Terrill’s antiimmigrant bill reaches her desk. Does she veto it and risk infuriating her Tea Party supporters who elected her? Or does she sign it and infuriate the fat cats in the State Chamber of […]
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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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PR BS
—“ON 199th ANNIVERSARY OF NEW MADRID QUAKE, FEMA URGES PUBLIC TO BE PREPARED” —“Nature’s Toiletries brings one-stop shopping for men’s organic toiletries” —“Graymark Healthcare Signs Five New Provider Contracts for Sleep Medicine Services” —“Omnicell’s OmniLinkRx Honored with KLAS Award in Medication Order Management Systems” —“Garth Brooks Announces New Concert Dates for Wynn Las Vegas” Also, […]