Multicultural Morass

Keith Ellison (D.-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.

This would be a dangerous precedent and should not be allowed.

Atheists, communists, and jews all have taken oathes of office with a right hand on the Bible, and all of those groups don't take the Bible as truth. So why should we allow a mohammedan to do it?

In fact, it would be extremely important for Mr. Ellison to swear on the Bible. His religion does not remotely recognize a separation of State and Church.

This is highly symbolic. To swear on the Bible would mean that he accepts our system of government. He is saying that he will uphold its tenets.

To take his oath on the Koran would be highly symbolic too. It would say to all of America that we no longer care about our system of government. That we as a nation no longer think that the Bible is the highest Truth we have available to us. That somehow, we are surrendering our soverignty and will to that of a foreign system.

There should be no exception made for Keith Ellison.

Sick Exploitation

Follow this link to read about O.J. Simpson's upcoming release of a book about the murders he was acquitted of in 1994.

It looks like O.J. is either low on money and/or craves the spotlight. This is a sick example of exploitation of a bizarre situation and a callous disregard of the feelings of the families involved.

My advice: Skip the interview and skip the book. Let O.J. fade further into the obscurity he is already in.

We Can't Sit Still

Bell's has been operating at the Tulsa Fairgrounds since 1951. Now, on the eve of our State Centenial the CEO and the Board of the fairgrounds seem determined not to extend the lease for Bell's, giving them only 120 days to vacate the premises.

Next, they will most likely blow up the Golden Driller!

Apparently, with all the county money that has been poured into the fairgrounds, the Board doesn't think that Bell's brings in enough dinero. NOTE TO THE FAIRGROUNDS AUTHORITIES: There is more to life than money! Bell's means much more to real Tulsans! It is one of the few landmarks for us that still remains. Like the Golden Driller, it is a comforting reminder of continuity for Tulsa.

We hate to see the shape of the old Rose Bowl on 11th Street. We were dismayed to see the Meadow Gold sign come down. Mayo Meadow is now history. But Bell's is something we can prevent. Tulsa's loss of Bell's will be another coup for one of our suburbs.

Sure, Zingo makes noise and is a nuisance to neighbors, that has been addressed. But it is good clean, family fun! A rare place for Tulsans to have a good time.

Fellow Tulsans, we need to let the fairgrounds authorities know what we think of this decision! There is not much time.

No-Show Brad Henry

I Googled imaged up this picture of our Governor Brad Henry. I like it because it is candid and not one of the air-brushed versions put out by the political hacks. The person standing next to him (Henry is on the right foreground) is a Dr. "Chat" from Arizona.

Brad Henry chose not to come to T-Town to debate Ernest Istook in this election. How can he afford to stiff the second largest city in the state?

Vote NO on State Question 725

I do hope that you go out and vote tomorrow, come rain or shine. Right now the forecast is for good weather.

When you pick up your ballot upon checking in at your precinct, you will be overwhelmed by the number of things to vote on both on the front and back of the ballot. Don't forget to turn the ballot over and vote on the State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges. I concur with Michael Bates to vote no on every one of them perhaps with the exception of Marian Opala. For years they have been out of touch with the average Oklahoma voter and citizen. What a system we have when we are asked to vote on people we know nothing about! There should be a better way to inform the public about these judges.

But that is not my real reason for blogging today. Vote NO on question 725. (Vote YES on all the others). A yes vote on 725 means you a) trust our state officials and b) you don't have a problem with what is termed "corporate welfare".

There is increasing evidence of corruption at all levels of Oklahoma government, especially at the State level. The latest exposed example would be of the former state insurance commissioner. Citizens feel their elected officials are out of touch and in the pocket of various special interests. Graft and corruption go hand in hand and at least their judgment can be questioned by taking significant sums of money from PACs and industry associations. Influence peddling is alive and thriving in the Sooner State. At this stage, why would we care to give the state legislature a bigger slush fund to spend to pet companies in a pathetic attempt to induce them to stay here?

I detest the idea of corporate welfare. Why reward a failing company? In a free market economy they should be allowed to fail. They must feel the consequences of previous bad decisions. When Citgo relocated to Houston awhile back, the politicians came out of the woodwork. We had Senators, Congressmen, Mayors, and the Governor involved. Of course, it was to no avail. How pathetic they all looked! Grovelling at the feet of an arrogant Board of Directors. They still have egg on their faces and appear powerless in the face of the exodus. Now they think if they just had a pot of money to throw at the problem.....It is bad fiscal policy to use rainy day funds to influence a company to stay in Oklahoma!