Ornithologists (British at that) with a good sense of humour.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
What's 3 million people?
Can anyone tell me how someone that had almost 5 out of every 10 people vote against him - how that person can say he has a mandate to do as he pleases? Do the wishes of the 49% of the people not count at all?
The President got 3 million votes more than Kerry did - out of 115 million votes cast. That's not insignificant - but it's about the same as the population of Oklahoma. But we get ignored by national politicians all the time.
Can anyone tell me how someone that had almost 5 out of every 10 people vote against him - how that person can say he has a mandate to do as he pleases? Do the wishes of the 49% of the people not count at all?
The President got 3 million votes more than Kerry did - out of 115 million votes cast. That's not insignificant - but it's about the same as the population of Oklahoma. But we get ignored by national politicians all the time.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Danger from the Heartland
Sometimes it's difficult to see the larger social trends that are swirling about. In this culture we have a saying that it's "hard to see the forest for the trees" - meaning that when we are too close to a phenomenon we can't get a good perspective on it. Yesterday's elections, especially in Oklahoma, clearly revealed the growing power of the evangelical Christian vote and the weakness of the youth vote.
In Oklahoma I am surrounded by evangelicals. I have them in my family, living next door, at the workplace, they are everywhere here. And they are voting. The churches have become a center of partisan (Republican) agitation. Every week there is a voting information table at my church and it is loaded with right-wing Christian propaganda. The pastor tells us to vote for Godly people and leaves little doubt as to who those people are. It's difficult to get through an entire day here without an evangelical trying to "save" me into his or her particular brand of Christianity.
Today I was talking with a friend who told me she voted for Bush because he "had a spiritual seed" and was "a born-again Christian". From previous discussions I knew she had no grasp of the issues but she never had a doubt about who she was voting for. She votes straight party Republican because, as she repeatedly says, it's the Godly party. I've learned from innumerable conversations with evangelicals that it is futile to try to have what I'd call a logical discussion on issues with them. To try is akin to speaking with someone who speaks an entirely different language. As they themselves say, they are not concerned with "the natural world" - the world the rest of us live in and think in terms of.
The deficit is ballooning, the war in Iraq is a mess, most of the world hates our guts and all this is trumped in the minds of evangelicals by the thought of a couple of dudes kissing.
Karl Rove was brilliantly conniving to enlist the aid of the evangelicals by bringing social issues into the political discourse. At first, the silk stocking Republicans (country club Republicans to some) balked at the strategy but Rove has proven that the evangelicals will fall for the bait on gay marriage and abortion and do, perhaps unwittingly, the ground work for the rich and ravenous who bankroll the cause (and reap the tax cuts). It's a nice combo for the Republicans. Disaster for America.
From here in the midst of the Bible belt, the evangelical hotbed of mid-America, I'm telling you the evangelicals are not only one of the greatest dangers to a liberal democracy in the United States but a threat to the world at large if they take control of this superpower. More on that later.
Sometimes it's difficult to see the larger social trends that are swirling about. In this culture we have a saying that it's "hard to see the forest for the trees" - meaning that when we are too close to a phenomenon we can't get a good perspective on it. Yesterday's elections, especially in Oklahoma, clearly revealed the growing power of the evangelical Christian vote and the weakness of the youth vote.
In Oklahoma I am surrounded by evangelicals. I have them in my family, living next door, at the workplace, they are everywhere here. And they are voting. The churches have become a center of partisan (Republican) agitation. Every week there is a voting information table at my church and it is loaded with right-wing Christian propaganda. The pastor tells us to vote for Godly people and leaves little doubt as to who those people are. It's difficult to get through an entire day here without an evangelical trying to "save" me into his or her particular brand of Christianity.
Today I was talking with a friend who told me she voted for Bush because he "had a spiritual seed" and was "a born-again Christian". From previous discussions I knew she had no grasp of the issues but she never had a doubt about who she was voting for. She votes straight party Republican because, as she repeatedly says, it's the Godly party. I've learned from innumerable conversations with evangelicals that it is futile to try to have what I'd call a logical discussion on issues with them. To try is akin to speaking with someone who speaks an entirely different language. As they themselves say, they are not concerned with "the natural world" - the world the rest of us live in and think in terms of.
The deficit is ballooning, the war in Iraq is a mess, most of the world hates our guts and all this is trumped in the minds of evangelicals by the thought of a couple of dudes kissing.
Karl Rove was brilliantly conniving to enlist the aid of the evangelicals by bringing social issues into the political discourse. At first, the silk stocking Republicans (country club Republicans to some) balked at the strategy but Rove has proven that the evangelicals will fall for the bait on gay marriage and abortion and do, perhaps unwittingly, the ground work for the rich and ravenous who bankroll the cause (and reap the tax cuts). It's a nice combo for the Republicans. Disaster for America.
From here in the midst of the Bible belt, the evangelical hotbed of mid-America, I'm telling you the evangelicals are not only one of the greatest dangers to a liberal democracy in the United States but a threat to the world at large if they take control of this superpower. More on that later.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Voting is a Breeze in Oklahoma
When I went to vote this morning I had to wait longer than ever to vote - about a minute to get the ballot. I've never had to wait even a few seconds before. I'm outraged!
Oklahoma has the best voting system in the nation - a uniform statewide system of computerized paper ballots. The ballots are easy to understand. We have enough polling places so lines are never a problem. I wish I knew who to thank for this great system.
When I hear of people waiting in lines in Ohio for two hours to vote I wonder how voting can be so screwed up in other places. It's a no brainer folks - just look at Oklahoma. Of course, you'd never do that. The national media certainly never talks about our excellent system when they are doing reports on voting problems. Meanwhile, Oklahomans, are on to other business while the rest of the country stands in line.
When I went to vote this morning I had to wait longer than ever to vote - about a minute to get the ballot. I've never had to wait even a few seconds before. I'm outraged!
Oklahoma has the best voting system in the nation - a uniform statewide system of computerized paper ballots. The ballots are easy to understand. We have enough polling places so lines are never a problem. I wish I knew who to thank for this great system.
When I hear of people waiting in lines in Ohio for two hours to vote I wonder how voting can be so screwed up in other places. It's a no brainer folks - just look at Oklahoma. Of course, you'd never do that. The national media certainly never talks about our excellent system when they are doing reports on voting problems. Meanwhile, Oklahomans, are on to other business while the rest of the country stands in line.
Monday, November 01, 2004
The Lorton Touch
Last week I wondered in this blog why the Tulsa World, whose editorial board leans toward the moderate Democrat part of the political spectrum, has not endorsed a Democrat for president since Roosevelt days. In looking through the campaign contributions records at Fundrace I see that the World's publisher, Robert Lorton, has given the maximum of $2,000 to the Bush campaign. Seems that his spouse, Roxanna, director of the World Publishing Company, also gave $2,000 to the Bush campaign. Could it be that the Lortons overruled their editorial board?
Speaking of the Lortons, there was a full-page ad in the Sunday World that purported to score Oklahoma Legislators on their economic development voting records. The scoring and the ad were sponsored by something called the Research Institute for Economic Development based in Edmond, Oklahoma. Democrats didn't fair well in REID's scoring scheme. I'd never heard of the REID so I checked it out at www.probizok.com . Wow! There's Bobby Lorton again - on the Board of Directors. I recognize a bevy of Republican CEOs on REID's board - Paula Marshall Chapman to Bob Funk of Express Personnel. In neither the ad nor their website does REID explain their scoring method or the criteria used to score the Legislators. I guess we lowly plebians are just expected to accept the REID Boards' executive wisdom. Why confuse us with facts?
Last week I wondered in this blog why the Tulsa World, whose editorial board leans toward the moderate Democrat part of the political spectrum, has not endorsed a Democrat for president since Roosevelt days. In looking through the campaign contributions records at Fundrace I see that the World's publisher, Robert Lorton, has given the maximum of $2,000 to the Bush campaign. Seems that his spouse, Roxanna, director of the World Publishing Company, also gave $2,000 to the Bush campaign. Could it be that the Lortons overruled their editorial board?
Speaking of the Lortons, there was a full-page ad in the Sunday World that purported to score Oklahoma Legislators on their economic development voting records. The scoring and the ad were sponsored by something called the Research Institute for Economic Development based in Edmond, Oklahoma. Democrats didn't fair well in REID's scoring scheme. I'd never heard of the REID so I checked it out at www.probizok.com . Wow! There's Bobby Lorton again - on the Board of Directors. I recognize a bevy of Republican CEOs on REID's board - Paula Marshall Chapman to Bob Funk of Express Personnel. In neither the ad nor their website does REID explain their scoring method or the criteria used to score the Legislators. I guess we lowly plebians are just expected to accept the REID Boards' executive wisdom. Why confuse us with facts?
Tulsa World Doesn't Make Pick in 1st District
The Tulsa World made endorsements in the presidential, US Senate, Corporation Commissioner, and dozens of state legislative races. The World even made endorsements in two Congressional races outside of Tulsa proper - but declined to make an endorsement in the Congressional contest in Tulsa itself. Neither Doug Dodd nor John Sullivan (incumbant) are listed in the World's endorsements.
Six out of fifteen World endorsements went to Republicans and nine went to Democrats.
The Tulsa World made endorsements in the presidential, US Senate, Corporation Commissioner, and dozens of state legislative races. The World even made endorsements in two Congressional races outside of Tulsa proper - but declined to make an endorsement in the Congressional contest in Tulsa itself. Neither Doug Dodd nor John Sullivan (incumbant) are listed in the World's endorsements.
Six out of fifteen World endorsements went to Republicans and nine went to Democrats.
Ground breaking poll at a critical time
This may come as a surprise to some, but the Oklahoma Poll found last week that Oklahomans think that gasoline is too costly. In related polls Oklahomans also let it be known that they think the weather changes too often and that people in other countries talk with an accent.
This may come as a surprise to some, but the Oklahoma Poll found last week that Oklahomans think that gasoline is too costly. In related polls Oklahomans also let it be known that they think the weather changes too often and that people in other countries talk with an accent.