Frank Shurden, Cockfighters and Castration

Just two days after the people of Oklahoma overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to ban cockfighting Senator Frank Shurden Democrat of Henryetta told the Daily Oklahoman that he would introduce legislation next session to weaken the law the citizenry passed. Shurden said his objective was to reduce the penalties for the new law from a felony to a misdemeanor with no chance of jail time for cockfighters. Shurden was reported to have stated, erroneously, that the new law would make it illegal just to own gamefowl. Voters on Tuesday passed the question, 565,967 votes, or 56.2 percent, to 441,220, or 43.8 percent. A hefty margin in light of a campaign of disinformation by cockfighters whose advertising had tried to convince voters that the cockfighting ban would threaten hunting, rodeos and even raising chickens.

So who is this State Senator with so little regard for the voters of Oklahoma? He's the same Senator who tried every trick in the book to keep the vote on cockfighting off the ballot and then when those efforts failed, to put another question on the ballot to double the number of voters' needed to get any animal-related issue on the state ballot. The citizens of Oklahoma roundly defeated that attempt at creating two classes of voters when they defeated SQ 698 this week also. Among many others, the Daily Oklahoman and the Tulsa World had voiced their opposition to Shurden's attempt to make animal-related initiative petitions nearly impossible to get on a ballot. The Daily Oklahoman called the measure "the cockfighters' revenge" because it was introduced by Senator Shurden in an attempt to keep the cockfighting vote off the ballot. The Daily Oklahoman, a very conservative newspaper, had this to say about Shurden's bill:

Last spring the Legislature, not in one of its finest moments, placed the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot at the behest of Sen. Frank Shurden. The Henryetta Democrat was highly critical of the anti-cockfighting petition that circulated statewide, as an effort to outlaw cockfighting once and for all.

Shurden is also the Senator that introduced legislation last session to chemically castrate first offense rapists and sex offenders. When Governor Keating vetoed the bill because it clearly was a potential violation of the U.S. Constitution's 8th Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment Shurden called the Governor a "liar" and an "arrogant smart aleck". Keating responded:

"What would you do if Frank Shurden came up to you and said, 'Are you going to sign my castration bill?' You'd probably laugh and say, 'Oh sure, I'll sign your castration bill.' I mean it was considered by most (as) silly season then and it's silly season now," To have a castration law that could apply to a person who is found innocent years later "is reckless and not progressive criminal justice policy," the governor said.

Shurden had tried for several years to pass a castration bill but they had never reached the House floor until the 2002 Legislature finally passed his bill.

So, the question to Henryetta, Oklahoma is this: is Frank Shurden representative of Henryetta? I hope not.

America's Most Liberal Newspaper Right Here in River City?

The "Friends of Jim Inhofe" took out a full-page ad in the Tulsa World today to run a copy of the Daily Oklahoman's editorial endorsing Jim Inhofe for US Senate. The Tulsa World, endorsed former Governor David Walters for the Senate race. The Jim Inhofe ad reproduces the Daily Oklahoman editorial and takes a swipe at the Tulsa World by calling it "one of the most liberal newspapers in America" and refering to the Daily Oklahoman as "the largest newspaper in Oklahoma". Amazing that the World would even run such an ad, but it's admirable. It's something I cannot see the Daily Oklahoman doing.

Perhaps if you were a rightwing conservative like Jim Inhofe and his friends, and viewing the world from that extreme vantage point, you could call the Tulsa World "one of the most liberal newspapers in America". But not if you are a reasonable person. A look at the list of candidates that the World endorsed would put the lie to the Jim Inhofe ad. The World endorsed almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans this election cycle. They endorsed Republican Steve Largent for Governor, Democrat David Walters for US Senate, Republican John Sullivan for Congress, and Democrat Ed Edmondson for Attorney General. The Daily Oklahoman, in contrast, endorses Republicans straight down the line. Now tell me who is predictable? Who is more balanced?

Since being called "America's Worst Newspaper" by the Columbia Review of Journalism a couple of years ago, the Daily Oklahoman does seem to have improved a bit. They were ruthless in their attacks on Oklahoma Coalition Against Cockfighting founder Janet Halliburton a couple of years ago but the DO has since called for the banning of cockfighting and the defeat of SQ 698, the cockfighters attempt to change our constitution to their benefit. That editorial position could not have been expected a few years ago.

The Tulsa World, while still maintaining a moderate editorial position, does seem to have become a little more conservative lately. Let's hope for more pragmatic, independent moderation from both paper's editorial boards. Let's hope Jim Inhofe comes to moderation soon.