State Rep Caught on Tape
Chad Stites, a state representative from Tulsa, has apologized for threatening and swearing at Tulsa city/county officials who ordered him to repair a burned duplex owned by his company. Representative Stites got caught when his threatening outbursts were recorded by the city workers he was trying to bully. Someone released the audiotapes to the media and Stites, who had denied he made any threats, had to "fess up". The taped conversations recorded Stites using profanity, threatening to retaliate against the workers with legislation and claiming his legislative post made him immune from code enforcement violations.

Stites', whose wife is a minister, later told the media he had not really denied making the threats, just that he had told reporters he "didn't recall making the statements. I never said I didn't make them," he said. Oklahomans may just wonder exactly what the Representative takes them for. We will see. Stites is running for re-election in his district. On November 5th the citizens have a chance to let him know if they think it is ok to abuse one's position as elected representative. The state Republican Party chairman has stated they will support Stites nonetheless.

What the citizenry doesn't know however, is just how common this type of behavior is from elected representatives. Anyone who knows a government employee knows how common it is for State Senators and Representatives and others to lean on or threaten state workers to bend or break the rules for them. The honorable bureaucrats who take their mission seriously and refuse to give in to the Legislators heavy-handed behavior are never recognized or rewarded for their integrity. Usually, they just lose their jobs.

It seems that President Bush came out swinging on Israel's destruction of Arafat's compound today. After the destruction was over the President told Sharon his actions "were not helpful". That, no doubt, will make Sharon shake in his boots. The Israeli military, great sports that they are, sent Arafat some clean underwear as a token of their esteem.

I actually spotted Steve Largent today, tooling around in his black SUV. He's working the powers hard. He needs to work the people harder. No one seems to know him.

Is there a full moon in Palestine tonight?

It's a beautiful full-moon evening in Oklahoma. The sky is clear, the temperature perfect, it's quiet. I can see the "man in the moon" from my window as I type out my thoughts. A fat spider crosses the moon man's face as it weaves a web across my window. What a perfect place to be.

It's not so perfect in many places around the world tonight. One of those places is at Palestinian leader Arafat's compound, or what's left of it. Israeli forces have been methodically blasting the compound into rubble this weekend. The Israeli press releases say they are looking for 20 wanted men that are supposedly in the compound but Israeli military leaders admit openly that the real objective is to force Arafat into exile. This is Ariel Sharon's stated wish as well. The Israelis cut off water to the compound and were even taking the air conditioners off of the one remaining building today. It's hard to feel too sorry for Arafat however. When he turned down Barak's offer to give the Palestinians 90% of what they wanted he assured Sharon's election a couple of years ago. Arafat's stupidity aside, what the Israelis are doing is nothing less than outrageous. As a democratic people they should be ashamed, not only of their leader's dishonesty, but what they have done to the Palestinian people in making them second-class citizens in their own homeland. Are they surprised that the Palestinians hate them so much? Here's one American that is pretty fed up with the cruelty and stupidity of both sides.

Ariel Sharon has been waiting for a call from President Bush, Colin Powell or Condi Rice - telling him to stop the transparent attempt to force Arafat into exile by making him homeless. No call has come. Sharon proceeds with the understanding that the Bush Administration condones his actions. President Bush may condone it but many, many people in America do not.