OkieBrent's Soapbox

For more please visit the Center for American Progress

Some news worth reading or watching:

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Two Party System At Risk

- by Major General Paul D. Eaton, Huffingtonpost.com

In her diatribe last night, Ms. Cheney accused the President of being an apologist for America, for abandoning our allies and for appeasing our enemies. She truly accepts the notion that if all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks to be a nail.

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Hate-crimes exclusion bill killed

- by Barbara Hoberock, Tulsa World

A controversial hate-crimes bill did not get a hearing Monday in a House committee.

Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, became the House author of Senate Bill 1965, by Sen. Steven Russell, R-Oklahoma City. Shelton said he took control of the bill to kill it and asked that the bill not get heard in the House Judiciary Committee.

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Rachel Maddow on Senator Tom Coburn

- MSNBC

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Late Friday night or sometime Saturday, I will post the results from my 10 question survey.  If you have not yet taken the mini poll, please do so NOW!

Click here and Thanks!

On Sunday, my friend Jim Roth and I flew out to Birmingham, Alabama.  Our good friend John Smallwood, who came to Oklahoma last year to help us, was running a couple of local campaigns in Birmingham.  So we went out to try and help him for the last 48 hours of the campaigns.  The vote was Tuesday, and that is the day we flew back to Oklahoma.

We helped with GOTV (Get Out The Vote) efforts, hanging reminders to vote and where to vote on the doors of voters who had been identified as supporters.  Boy!  Did I get a workout. 

Next time I hear any Oklahoma Democrat complain about having to do door-to-door campaigning, I’m going to bring out photos from our little trip to Alabama and tell them to be thankful they’re not having to do it in Birmingham.  When you see the photos below, you’ll see what I’m talking about!

As you can see, one must climb many, many stairs to reach the front doors of almost every home!

I’ve loved photography for just about as long as I can remember.  I bought my first 35mm camera when I was 16 years old.  In high school I had a nickname – JoePhoto – because I carried my camera just about everywhere I went.  Most of the non-posed photos in the 1984 Hollis Tigers yearbook are mine.

I was very fortunate in the summer or fall of 1983 by getting to attend the Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain.  It was not the regular Institute for high school students, but rather one set up for adults.  A local pharmacist in Hollis paid my way, as well as at least one other Hollis student (I think in the Drama section).  For the photography session, we had two instructors: Oklahoman David Fitzgerald taught us about photographing landscapes and Bernard Pluso from Paris, France taught us about photographing people.

My family generally only sees photos I’ve taken of family.  Friends generally only see photos I’ve taken of them.  And most of my practice pics – ones I take just playing with my camera, usually only I see.  But I’ve decided to share some of my favorites by posting a slide show on my Flickr account.

I’ve started with 41 photos from the last two years.  I’ll add many more as time allows.  I haven’t added many political pics – yet – but many of my favorites are in the political category.  I have way too many of those and it will take me a long time to sort through and find the few I really like and want to share.

You can view my slideshow by clicking on the photo below.  If you want to know where and when the photo was taken, at the beginning of the slideshow, click on “Show info” in the top right-hand corner.  You can control the speed of the slide show by clicking on “Options” or control the photos yourself by clicking “next” or “prev” in the top center of the screen.  “Pause” and “Play” are on the bottom left-hand corner of screen.

OkieBrent's Flickr Slideshow

I listened to the BBC’s Newshour today on KGOU at 3:00 p.m.   Where did they decide to go to for President Obama’s 100th Day in Office?  Oklahoma.  The people they interviewed made me feel ashamed to be an Oklahoman.

You can listen to it online here.  It will only be available until next Wednesday, May 6th.  The section on Oklahoma begins at 02:35 – How embarassing!

If J.C. Watts is seriuously thinking about running for Governor, he may have second thoughts if he hears these racists and ignoramuses from Medicine Park, OK, even though he did serve as their Congressman in the past.

One more point, one lady raises the issue of abortions (“they’re coming out the ears”).  I’m certain this woman voted for George W. Bush.  FACT:  The number of abortions declined every single year Bill Clinton was President.  The number of abortions increased every year G.W. Bush was President.  How sad that Okies are so ill-informed.

UPDATE: The good Mayor of Medicine Park issued the following statement.

To whom it may concern,

 

Over the past few days the Town of Medicine Park has been thrust into the national and international spotlight portrayed in a very negative manner. The comments of two of our citizens that found their way onto a nationally syndicated talk show expressing negative and bigoted opinions have been perceived by the “outside world” to be representative of the rest of the population of Medicine Park. Nothing could be further from the truth! The response that I have received from many of our citizens has been that of revulsion and anger over having been smeared with this distasteful label. All the hard work that people have done for the last ten years to show the true image of this town as a warm and accepting place has been overshadowed in less than a minute. Overshadowed by narrow-minded, hateful and offensive opinions voiced so clearly and loudly for the rest of the world to hear as a reflection on our town.

 

The other point that I have been making to people in this matter is that as true Americans we must accept and even celebrate the free speech of others no matter how offensive it may be. However, we do not have to agree with it or condone it. And for those that know us, the people of Medicine Park, you know that we do not condone these viewpoints and will not be party to them.

 

Those of you who don’t know us, I will personally invite you to come and experience for yourself what we know, that this is a beautiful, accepting and open-minded community that welcomes diversity. We are extremely proud of our home and love to share it with others. All others!

 

Sincerely,
Dwight Cope
Mayor
Medicine Park, OK

 

I should have added in my original post on this, but did not, that I know people in Medicine Park and they are great people.  They are nothing like the two ladies on the BBC report.  Medicine Park is a beautiful community and I would encourage anyone who has not at least driven through the town, to do so.

The Oklahoma Democratic Party’s bi-annual precinct organizational meetings were held tonight.  I hosted the Minco area precincts at our office here.  Only three people bothered to attend (and we had a story about it in the local newspaper).  All three were from the same precinct (the smallest one)…so the other precinct (with more than 500 registered Democrats) has no Chair, Vice-Chair, or Secretary.

For the past 10 years or so, we’ve conducted all the Grady County precinct meetings together in Chickasha.  But to hopefully encourage more participation, we had meetings in Chickasha, Minco and Rush Springs.  It didn’t work in Minco, I hope it did in the other areas.

County Conventions to elect to county officers and delegates to the Conressional Districts and State Conventions will be held on April 4th.

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Possible candidates for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District made The Hill today.  Here is what the DC newspaper had to say on the Democratic side:

Early possibilities include former state Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth and state Sen. Andrew Rice, who ran against Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) last year.

 

Both lost statewide campaigns in November but ran stronger than Obama.

 

Roth, an appointee and former Oklahoma County Commissioner, lost only 52-48 in a very conservative state despite the fact that he is openly gay. Most see him as the best potential Democratic candidate, given that he won Oklahoma County by six points.

 

Rice, a 35-year-old up-and-comer, sounded nonplused about the race and said Roth would be the stronger contender. Unlike his campaign against Inhofe, Rice would have to give up his state Senate seat to run for Congress.

 

Rice lost Oklahoma County by 8 percent and lost statewide by 18.

 

While not ruling the race out, Rice said: “Frankly, it’s probably more winnable a couple cycles down the road.”

 

Other potential candidates include state Rep. Ryan Kiesel, another young state lawmaker, and state Treasurer Scott Meacham, who is also looking at the statewide office.

 

Kiesel said he has talked to Meacham and both are likely to wait to decide until after the current legislative session ends in May.

To read the complete article, click here.

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Saturday Night Live included a portrayal of Senator Tom Coburn in their piece on “The Rock Obama”….watch it here!

Here is an interesting bit on the creation of the Obama logo.  You can see logos that were not chosen, and how they evolved to the one the campaign used.  Hat tip to Politicalwire.

Click on Logo to visit story