Hung Le Execution Delayed at Vietnam's Request

Cam Edwards (a very interesting blogger by the way) says he can't believe that Governor Henry has delayed the scheduled execution of convicted murderer Hung Le at the request of the Vietnam Ambassador to the US. Hung Le, reportedly still a citizen of Vietnam, was convicted of murdering a friend. Vietnam's Ambassador to the US paid a quiet visit to Oklahoma last week to meet with state officials in person. On behalf of Vietnam the Ambassador asked for time to review the case before Hung Le is executed. Cam says he can't believe that Henry is listening to the Vietnamese Government instead of his own Pardon and Parole Board. Of course the Governor is not dismissing the recommendation of the Board - just delaying its implementation briefly.

I'm no fan of Governor Henry but the Governor is doing the right thing in this case. The last time Oklahoma executed a foreign national we broke international law by neglecting to alert the convicted person's government of the sentence. The last goof-up was under Governor Keating and involved the Mexican Government. In that case President Fox of Mexico phoned Keating to plea for a stay but was turned down. The whole affair received a lot of negative publicity in Mexico for Oklahoma and the US. It played right into the stereotype of Americans as arrogant folks thinking of themselves as being above international law. On the practical side we should realize that if Americans do not abide by international law we will have a hard time insisting on others doing the same when our citizens are arrested and punished in foreign nations. We would be rightfully upset if another country executed one of our citizens without informing our country as required.

This time we need to make sure we do this right. Henry has wisely chosen to delay a few days or weeks so the Vietnamese can do their review. Undoubtedly the execution will proceed after the review and both sides will have done things in complete compliance with both Oklahoma and international law. A little patience will do much good in this case.

Just a few months ago Oklahoma State University threw a wrench into Oklahoma - Vietnam relations by removing Vietnam's flag from the rotation of international flags on the Stillwater campus after a Vietnamese-American student complained and insisted on flying the defunct South Vietnam flag instead. A struggle ensued between anti-communist Vietnamese-American students and a number of Vietnamese students who argued that their nation's flag should be flown - just like every other country's flag was. Many pointed out that it made no sense to refuse to fly Vietnam's flag while flying China's flag. Both are communist countries recognized by the U.S. A spineless OSU official decided that rather than deal with the matter she would just forbid the flying of either flag. This cowardly non-decision solved nothing and only irritated the Vietnamese Government - whom our nation recognizes.

Since Oklahoma opened the first trade promotion office in Vietnam in the 90s exports from Oklahoma to Vietnam have increased dramatically. Oklahoma's oil and gas companies have been especially active in exporting products and services to Vietnam. It makes no sense to jeopardize a growing beneficial relationship with Vietnam - especially when there is no reason to do so.

Passion of the Christ Overload

The movie hasn't even started yet and I've already heard enough. Two weeks in a row the violent video promo has been shown in church as the preacher exhorts us to buy tickets for our heathen friends. Every newscast and feature show on TV has been talking about it for a week. Churches have even taken out commercials on TV urging us to see the movie. It's everywhere!

Some have seen the movie and are shocked by the violence. David Denby of The New Yorker sez "The despair of the movie is hard to shrug off, and Gibson’s timing couldn’t be more unfortunate: another dose of death-haunted religious fanaticism is the last thing we need. "

I'm going into seclusion for a week.

Urban Tulsa sez Religion is Relevant

Urban Tulsa Weekly, the Oklahoma Gazette wannabe, has a cover story this week on "the Relevance of Religion" - timed to coincide with the opening of the movie the "Passion of the Christ". Unfortunately, the UT's reporter (Katharine Kelly) interviewed only Christian preachers to find out if religion is relevant. Predictably, they all thought religion was relevant. It would have been interesting to hear some diversity on the issue - there are Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, humanists and even real live atheists that might have opinions on the matter. But the UT might have had to reduce the amount of space given over to escort service ads to make room for these additional viewpoints.

Shurden Defeated on Right-to-Work Re-do

Senator Shurden of Henryetta had his bill calling for a revote on the Right-to-Work issue killed in committee this week. Shurden, an oddity even in the Oklahoma Legislature, wasn't happy with the passage of Right-to-Work in a statewide vote a couple of years ago so he thought we might like to spend a few million on a re-do vote. Fortunately, the Legislature didn't go along. The State Chamber pulled out the stops to kill Shurden's bill.

Shurden is still trying to get a similar re-do vote on the cockfighting ban Oklahomans also passed recently. Shurden just doesn't like the way we are voting when we get a chance.

Cornett wins in OKC

Mick Cornett, a former sportscaster, won the election today for Oklahoma City mayor despite being outspent 3 to 1 by businessman Jim Tolbert. Tonight at 9 pm Tolbert conceeded. I must admit I did not pay much attention to this race but I wonder if Cornett's famous name in OKC was a factor in his win. Not only has he been in media in the city but his father, Jack Cornett, was a city councilman for a million years.

Cheap Breakfasts and a Hon

There are many wonderful things about Oklahoma that deserve praise - the speed at which one can obtain a driver's license, cheap biscuits, and colorful Indian names for places on our maps are three that leap to mind - but none is more outstanding than the friendliness of the people.

When I entered Duffy's Diner at the crack of noon today for breakfast the waitresses received me as if the one thing that had kept them from happiness was the absence of me in their lives. I did not know them - I had not been to Duffy's in years - but the waitress with the sandy blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail called me "hon" and showed me to my very own plastic laminate table by the window. She did not say, 'So do you want coffee or what,' which I believe is the traditional greeting in New York eateries.

This is the kind of welcome you can expect to receive in a cafe in Oklahoma - even some of the chain restaurants. But the independents are my preference. These are places where the owners are workers also - like Duffy, the friendly Lebanese-Oklahoman that inquired after my well-being. And a hearty breakfast cost less than $5! Everytime I travel I look forward to returning to this place - Oklahoma.