Saturday, January 22, 2005

Tulsa's Conservative Alternative Press

You know you've got a conservative state when even your "alternative" press is conservative. Urban Tulsa, the community's weekly, is an annomaly among alternative weeklies in the US. It's an odd mixture of conservative editorial opinion, news features, movie reviews, and adult-oriented advertising.

Urban Tulsa doesn't compare well with Oklahoma City's "Oklahoma Gazette". The Gazette is noteworthy for its very good investigative reporting - something the Urban Tulsa just doesn't invest in.
Sponge Bob Outed by Dobsen

You couldn't have gotten through the week without hearing that a Christian group had attacked our beloved Sponge Bob Square Pants for supposedly promoting homosexuality in a video being distributed to schools. And, if you've been paying attention it should have come as no surprise that it was James Dobson, founder of the right-wing Christian group Focus on the Family, that did the attacking. If you missed the story read what the British Broadcasting Co (BBC) had to say about it.

I watched the video in its entirety on MSNBC and I couldn't find even a hint that the video, created by the non-profit group "We Are Family", had anything at all to say about gay anything. The video promotes tolerance in general - but that must be what the Dobsen-Christians object to. After all, we've got to draw the line on inclusiveness somewhere!

This little episode says a lot about the credibility of Dobsen and his Focus on the Family. It also demonstrates just how wacked out these people are. It should be a wakeup call to reasonable people how dangerous the fundamentalists of all religious stripes are. As we elect people of this ilk to public office we can expect Dobsen-like stupidity to begin to affect all of us. They begin with faith-based initiatives and end up banning harmless cartoon characters. We better stop them now.

In Oklahoma Dobsen's group has an affiliate called the Oklahoma Family Policy Council that is very active in trying to influence state policy. OFPC claims to be non-partisan but a read of their website would leave one with the distinct impression they are heavily involved on the GOP side.
Thirty Years Ago in our Legislature

Thirty years ago this month then Oklahoma State Representatives John Monks argued on the floor of the Legislature against passing a bill to ban cockfighting in Oklahoma. During his remarks he noted that the "British Empire began to fade when it got too big and supressed the sports of the people."

State Representative George Vaughn of Big Cabin said the country was founded with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other.


Friday, January 21, 2005

Honoring the Kings of Soft Money

Leadership Oklahoma is honoring Chesapeake Energy Corporation of Oklahoma City as an outstanding company at their sixth annual Excellence in Leadership Gala on February 19th in Tulsa. Did Chesapeake buy this award like they've bought US Senator Tom Coburn and US Congressman Tom Delay? These are the people that spend millions in soft money contributions to buy rightwing Repubs. This is not a corporation that should be honored.
The Gambinos of Oklahoma

The Native Times reports:

In response to an alleged conspiracy by figures in the East Coast underworld that reached all the way to an Oklahoma Indian reservation, the New York Racing Association is severing ties with four active wagering sites. One of those is on the Tonkawa Indian Reservation in Tonkawa, Oklahoma.

This is one of those stories you wonder what's behind the story. What could the Tonkowa Tribe of Oklahoma be doing with the Gambino Family of New York? Who scammed who in this deal? Will the Oklahoma press pick up on this story?

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Moon Over the White House

Looks like anybody, including a self-proclaimed messiah can buy their way into the Inauguration and the inner circle of American government. See the details at I Approve of this Messiah.com
Moon Over the White House

Looks like anybody, including a self-proclaimed messiah can buy their way into the Inauguration and the inner circle of American government. See the details at I Approve of this Messiah.com
Moon Over the White House

Looks like anybody, including a self-proclaimed messiah can buy their way into the Inauguration and the inner circle of American government. See the details at I Approve of this Messiah.com

Read the January 6th post at I Approve of this Messiah regarding who Bush is considering for the top US trade job! Yeesh.

Monday, January 17, 2005

Spanish Broadcasting in Oklahoma

The Sun-Sentinel reports that Telemundo has expanded its national coverage with a new affiliate in Oklahoma City.The network began airing its programming on full-power station KTUZ-Ch. 30 on Dec. 31.KTUZ, owned and operated by Tyler Media, is the first full-service station to serve the booming Spanish-language market in Oklahoma City, which is currently ranked the 54th largest Hispanic market.
Oklahoma Gains from Outsourcing

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a software development company in Colorado is setting up an operation in Oklahoma City to outsource work to. Lower wage Oklahoma (and Arkansas etc) was preferred over India because of the security and stability of the workforce.

I'd add that we Okies are easier to understand. You'd know what I mean if you've ever had to try to discuss your credit card bill with a "customer service technician" in Bombay.