Regime Change at OSU Looks like a Texas Occupation - an expensive one perhaps.
OSU's new president, David Schmidly, is said to be close to a faculty revolt. As he moves longtime OSU loyalists out and moves more fellow Texans in to surround him he seems to be going out of his way to irritate folks in Stillwater. A series of perfunctory, single-candidate "searches" for new VPs have quickly resulted in hiring his friends from Texas Tech - where Schmidly came from. The new president is moving everyone out of Whitehurst to make room for his new Texas Tech wing for his new hires that surround him. At a time the state budget is under severe pressure Schmidley is paying his new hires an incredible $180,000 per year. Meanwhile, OSU is planning on spending heavily to move the OSU Center for Health Sciences from its current modern home on 17th Street in Tulsa to the OSU-Tulsa campus on North Greenwood. The move of about 2 miles will cost the state $40 million.
Saturday, April 26, 2003
Continental Airlines' "Frequent Flyer Awards"
In the mail recently I received from Continental Airlines an official-looking envelope with "Frequent Flyer Reward Vouchers" inside. Thinking my membership in their OnePass frequent flyer reward program had finally paid off and I had gotten one of those long-promised free tickets to some destination I opened the packet designed to look like airline tickets and found...coupons!!! And advertisements... for Mastercard, AT&T, Best Buy etc. I would get 10,000 miles on my Continental account if I signed up for Mastercard. So much for the "frequent flyer reward vouchers" the cover promised inside. Will I be getting a Mastercard. No. Does this type of direct mail gimmick endear Continental to me? No. I don't reward misleading advertising.
In the mail recently I received from Continental Airlines an official-looking envelope with "Frequent Flyer Reward Vouchers" inside. Thinking my membership in their OnePass frequent flyer reward program had finally paid off and I had gotten one of those long-promised free tickets to some destination I opened the packet designed to look like airline tickets and found...coupons!!! And advertisements... for Mastercard, AT&T, Best Buy etc. I would get 10,000 miles on my Continental account if I signed up for Mastercard. So much for the "frequent flyer reward vouchers" the cover promised inside. Will I be getting a Mastercard. No. Does this type of direct mail gimmick endear Continental to me? No. I don't reward misleading advertising.
Friday, April 25, 2003
We should have known...
that the religious extremists in Iraq would want to create a theocracy once Saddamm was gone. Now the Shiites want to create an Islamic religious state and force everyone else to obey their religious laws. It's disgusting yes, but didn't we know this would happen? Shouldn't we have known these clerics would be completely ungrateful for our sacrifices to remove their secular dictator? A dictatorship of the clerics is coming I'm afraid. And the fools dance in the streets of Iraq slashing themselves with knives, beating themselves with chains, and demanding a religious dictatorship. Were these people worth it?
Ironically, as we try to create a secular democracy in Iraq our own administration moves ever closer to mingling religion and government in our own country. One Texas Congressman, Tom DeLay, recently said he did not believe in a separation of church and state. I would invite that Congressman to consider Basra as a place he'd be more comfortable in.
that the religious extremists in Iraq would want to create a theocracy once Saddamm was gone. Now the Shiites want to create an Islamic religious state and force everyone else to obey their religious laws. It's disgusting yes, but didn't we know this would happen? Shouldn't we have known these clerics would be completely ungrateful for our sacrifices to remove their secular dictator? A dictatorship of the clerics is coming I'm afraid. And the fools dance in the streets of Iraq slashing themselves with knives, beating themselves with chains, and demanding a religious dictatorship. Were these people worth it?
Ironically, as we try to create a secular democracy in Iraq our own administration moves ever closer to mingling religion and government in our own country. One Texas Congressman, Tom DeLay, recently said he did not believe in a separation of church and state. I would invite that Congressman to consider Basra as a place he'd be more comfortable in.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Oklahoma slams door shut on Eco-terrorists
The whip-smart bunch at the Capitol in Oklahoma City have taken strong measures to put a stop to terrorism in Oklahoma - eco-terrorism that is. In response to a veritable avalanche of imagined animal rights activists overrunning Oklahoma farms and "disrupting" farm operations, the State Legislature passed a law making it a felony to "disrupt" farm operations. And our Governor signed it with dispatch.
Rep. James Covey, D-Custer City, House author of the anti-terrorist bill said the bill is a preventative measure to head off actions by "radical animal rights" groups. Then, if something happens, at least there is some teeth in the law," Covey said. Others said it was time to protect corporate hog farms and factory farms from complaints filed by uppity neighbors and journalists. "The environmentalists and animal rights nuts haven't actually done nuttin yet," said Delmer Hinks of Pookville, "but this here law will keep em from even tinkin about it. It was jus' real smart of those senators to make it look like it had somethin' to do wit terrorism."
The whip-smart bunch at the Capitol in Oklahoma City have taken strong measures to put a stop to terrorism in Oklahoma - eco-terrorism that is. In response to a veritable avalanche of imagined animal rights activists overrunning Oklahoma farms and "disrupting" farm operations, the State Legislature passed a law making it a felony to "disrupt" farm operations. And our Governor signed it with dispatch.
Rep. James Covey, D-Custer City, House author of the anti-terrorist bill said the bill is a preventative measure to head off actions by "radical animal rights" groups. Then, if something happens, at least there is some teeth in the law," Covey said. Others said it was time to protect corporate hog farms and factory farms from complaints filed by uppity neighbors and journalists. "The environmentalists and animal rights nuts haven't actually done nuttin yet," said Delmer Hinks of Pookville, "but this here law will keep em from even tinkin about it. It was jus' real smart of those senators to make it look like it had somethin' to do wit terrorism."
Monday, April 21, 2003
Ouch! Brad Henry Gets it from Both Sides
Talking on KOSU this week conservative Neva Hill and liberal Frosty Troy laid into Governor Brad Henry with tooth and nail. Both agreed that the Governor has been nowhere to be seen and has flubbed pushing his agenda forward. Frosty Troy said he hadn't seen a worse performance since 1960. He quoted one Democratic lawmaker as saying he "never thought he'd miss Frank Keating." Ms. Hill agreed that not only has the Governor not talked to the media to explain anything but has relied on incredibly inept political advice from an insulated group of advisors.
When you've got both the Republicans AND the Democrats after you like this you've got major problems.
Talking on KOSU this week conservative Neva Hill and liberal Frosty Troy laid into Governor Brad Henry with tooth and nail. Both agreed that the Governor has been nowhere to be seen and has flubbed pushing his agenda forward. Frosty Troy said he hadn't seen a worse performance since 1960. He quoted one Democratic lawmaker as saying he "never thought he'd miss Frank Keating." Ms. Hill agreed that not only has the Governor not talked to the media to explain anything but has relied on incredibly inept political advice from an insulated group of advisors.
When you've got both the Republicans AND the Democrats after you like this you've got major problems.