Dick Cheney Kills 70
As reported by the HSUS:
Upon his (Cheney) arrival at the exclusive Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier Township, gamekeepers released 500 pen-raised pheasants from nets for the benefit of him and his party. In a blaze of gunfire, the group—which included legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with major fundraisers for Republican candidates—killed at least 417 of the birds. According to one gamekeeper who spoke to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cheney was credited with shooting more than 70 of the pen-reared fowl.
Saturday, December 20, 2003
PETA
The group called the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and OkiePundit share a general interest in humane treatment of animals but PETA's tactics are very detrimental to the humane movement. They use shocking tactics that do nothing but fuel the erroneous stereotype of the misanthrope humanitarian (talk about oxymoron). I know a lot of humanitarians, animal-rights activists, vegetarians, etc in Oklahoma and I don't know any that would fit in the universe of PETA. The ones I know care about both humans and animals (non-humans).
PETA seems to be a Hollywood-oriented group of people whose hearts are in the right place but have not a clue about persuasion or a shred of common sense. I sometimes wonder if PETA isn't secretly funded by the NRA in an effort to discredit humanitarians. For the reasonable person I would refer you to the Humane Society of the United States - a much larger, and saner organization.
The group called the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and OkiePundit share a general interest in humane treatment of animals but PETA's tactics are very detrimental to the humane movement. They use shocking tactics that do nothing but fuel the erroneous stereotype of the misanthrope humanitarian (talk about oxymoron). I know a lot of humanitarians, animal-rights activists, vegetarians, etc in Oklahoma and I don't know any that would fit in the universe of PETA. The ones I know care about both humans and animals (non-humans).
PETA seems to be a Hollywood-oriented group of people whose hearts are in the right place but have not a clue about persuasion or a shred of common sense. I sometimes wonder if PETA isn't secretly funded by the NRA in an effort to discredit humanitarians. For the reasonable person I would refer you to the Humane Society of the United States - a much larger, and saner organization.
Rising Tide of Vicious Blogs
Have you noticed the growing number of really vicious blogs out there? It's great to have strong opinions voiced through blogging but some bloggers don't even pretend to reason. An example of the kind of blog I'm talking about can be found at Dog Snot (aptly named). It's full of foul language (warning) and hate but it's the kind of blog we see more of these days. While political extremists on both the left and right are falling into this genre an unscientific survey indicates that bloggers on the extreme right are most numerous. There's a lot of angry people out there but the depth of the viciousness we see in these blogs is enough to be worrisome.
Have you noticed the growing number of really vicious blogs out there? It's great to have strong opinions voiced through blogging but some bloggers don't even pretend to reason. An example of the kind of blog I'm talking about can be found at Dog Snot (aptly named). It's full of foul language (warning) and hate but it's the kind of blog we see more of these days. While political extremists on both the left and right are falling into this genre an unscientific survey indicates that bloggers on the extreme right are most numerous. There's a lot of angry people out there but the depth of the viciousness we see in these blogs is enough to be worrisome.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Tar Creek
Wow! The Tulsa World is all over US Senator Jim Inhofe on his opposition to buying out the residents of Superfund Site Tar Creek. The World has run a five-part series on the controversy and at least two editorials in recent days. According to the World Inhofe wants to spend $45 million more to try to clean up the site or sell the homes to some company that for some unexplained reason wants to buy homes in a Superfund site. Governor Henry seems to want the feds to buy out the Tar Creek residents but Inhofe says the Governor doesn't really want that. Congressman Brad Carson (who is running against Inhofe's buddy, Kirk Humphries, for US Senate) also wants a buyout for the residents.
The very suspicious part of this story is how Inhofe brought Bush's new Secretary of the EPA into the Tar Creek site the day before Thanksgiving - all in secrecy and without meeting with any of the locals - because Inhofe didn't want them embarrassing the new EPA chief. Like that's the most important thing to worry about while hundreds of families are living in a toxic waste site.
Wow! The Tulsa World is all over US Senator Jim Inhofe on his opposition to buying out the residents of Superfund Site Tar Creek. The World has run a five-part series on the controversy and at least two editorials in recent days. According to the World Inhofe wants to spend $45 million more to try to clean up the site or sell the homes to some company that for some unexplained reason wants to buy homes in a Superfund site. Governor Henry seems to want the feds to buy out the Tar Creek residents but Inhofe says the Governor doesn't really want that. Congressman Brad Carson (who is running against Inhofe's buddy, Kirk Humphries, for US Senate) also wants a buyout for the residents.
The very suspicious part of this story is how Inhofe brought Bush's new Secretary of the EPA into the Tar Creek site the day before Thanksgiving - all in secrecy and without meeting with any of the locals - because Inhofe didn't want them embarrassing the new EPA chief. Like that's the most important thing to worry about while hundreds of families are living in a toxic waste site.
Travelling PR Man
Word on the Street is that Jim East, formerly of Tulsa Mayor Susan Savage's office, then Government PR man for the Benham Group, then PR "consultant" for the Tulsa Vision 2025 campaign has a new job - working for the husband of Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Kathy Taylor. He owns a couple of rental car companies. Word in the public sector is that they're glad East is back in the private sector.
Word on the Street is that Jim East, formerly of Tulsa Mayor Susan Savage's office, then Government PR man for the Benham Group, then PR "consultant" for the Tulsa Vision 2025 campaign has a new job - working for the husband of Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Kathy Taylor. He owns a couple of rental car companies. Word in the public sector is that they're glad East is back in the private sector.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
OSU Faculty Unhappy with Schmidly's Strategic Plan
The Daily O'Collegian of OSU has a story in today's edition wherein several faculty members describe OSU President Schmidley's strategic plan as a disaster and his administration a "mushroom administration". Good thing those professors are tenured.
As the O'Colly points out, "The university is paying a consultant $150,000 plus expenses to help with the (strategic) planning and $20,000 plus expenses to audit the university's integrated marketing efforts. The consultant, Mary Chicoine, was Texas Tech's strategic planning adviser during Schmidly's tenure there. "
As OkiePundit has previously reported, Schmidley, who came from Texas Tech last year has surrounded himself with old friends and acquaintancesnces from his Texas days. OSU faculty and students report deep frustration over the president's apparent belief that the yokels in Oklahoma need an imported army of Texans to tell them how to run a university.
The Daily O'Collegian of OSU has a story in today's edition wherein several faculty members describe OSU President Schmidley's strategic plan as a disaster and his administration a "mushroom administration". Good thing those professors are tenured.
As the O'Colly points out, "The university is paying a consultant $150,000 plus expenses to help with the (strategic) planning and $20,000 plus expenses to audit the university's integrated marketing efforts. The consultant, Mary Chicoine, was Texas Tech's strategic planning adviser during Schmidly's tenure there. "
As OkiePundit has previously reported, Schmidley, who came from Texas Tech last year has surrounded himself with old friends and acquaintancesnces from his Texas days. OSU faculty and students report deep frustration over the president's apparent belief that the yokels in Oklahoma need an imported army of Texans to tell them how to run a university.
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
Snow
There's a soft snow in Oklahoma tonight. Even in the city it's quiet. Only a few cars are on the streets - even then, the sound of the machine is muffled by dense snow. Only the crack of wind-whipped flags can be heard.
There's a soft snow in Oklahoma tonight. Even in the city it's quiet. Only a few cars are on the streets - even then, the sound of the machine is muffled by dense snow. Only the crack of wind-whipped flags can be heard.
Gore endorses Howard Dean
So what? I agree with Gore on a number of issues but not on his choice for the Democratic nominee. Howard is too angry to be Prez. He would do to the nation what Bush has done to it - polarize the people - and alienate the rest of the world. No thanks.
So what? I agree with Gore on a number of issues but not on his choice for the Democratic nominee. Howard is too angry to be Prez. He would do to the nation what Bush has done to it - polarize the people - and alienate the rest of the world. No thanks.
Sunday, December 07, 2003
You Must Pay for the privilege
Sometimes it's difficult to figure out if commerce is making our lives easier or figuring new ways to rip us off. I dashed into a Taco Bell today to buy a quick dinner for the family and ran into a new twist. I didn't have enough cash with me so I was hoping they'd accept a credit card. When I asked the teenager-in-charge if his fine establishment would honor my credit card he pointed to an ATM machine near the doorway. The look on his face said he pitied my inability to just know these things.
Reading the hieroglyphics on the ATM I see that it does not dispense cash. One slides one's debit or credit card through the unit and asks for a credit at the cashier. It says you will get some change if your purchase is less than the credit you request. I was still reading all this when I noticed a small sign at the cashiers that advised that I would pay a $1.25 fee for using this "ATM". So I'm supposed to pay Taco Bell $1.25 so I can buy $8.00 of their refried beans? No thanks, I thought, and I left for the grocery next door. As I did I wondered if Taco Bell would find enough fools to make this system work. I hope not.
Sometimes it's difficult to figure out if commerce is making our lives easier or figuring new ways to rip us off. I dashed into a Taco Bell today to buy a quick dinner for the family and ran into a new twist. I didn't have enough cash with me so I was hoping they'd accept a credit card. When I asked the teenager-in-charge if his fine establishment would honor my credit card he pointed to an ATM machine near the doorway. The look on his face said he pitied my inability to just know these things.
Reading the hieroglyphics on the ATM I see that it does not dispense cash. One slides one's debit or credit card through the unit and asks for a credit at the cashier. It says you will get some change if your purchase is less than the credit you request. I was still reading all this when I noticed a small sign at the cashiers that advised that I would pay a $1.25 fee for using this "ATM". So I'm supposed to pay Taco Bell $1.25 so I can buy $8.00 of their refried beans? No thanks, I thought, and I left for the grocery next door. As I did I wondered if Taco Bell would find enough fools to make this system work. I hope not.
Friday, December 05, 2003
It was a boy!
One story all over the media yesterday was the shocking news that a 425-million-year-old fossil crustacean found in England had a penis. It's the oldest penis ever found in the fossil record. This is because the soft tissued genetalia do not usually fossilize. Of course we are speaking of pre-Viagra epochs here. The first uncomfortable thought I had when I heard this news was what if this happened to me? I just hope they don't find my remains in 400 million years.
One story all over the media yesterday was the shocking news that a 425-million-year-old fossil crustacean found in England had a penis. It's the oldest penis ever found in the fossil record. This is because the soft tissued genetalia do not usually fossilize. Of course we are speaking of pre-Viagra epochs here. The first uncomfortable thought I had when I heard this news was what if this happened to me? I just hope they don't find my remains in 400 million years.
If the Primary were Today (but it's not)
According to an e-mail from the Lieberman for President Campaign a Daily Oklahoman poll found that if the primary vote were held today, the Democrats would vote for:
The Daily Oklahoman Poll Results
Lieberman 10 %
Clark 9
Dean 9
Gephardt 8
Kerry 5
Edwards 3
Sharpton 2
Braun 2
Kucinich 1
I think this bodes well for Wes Clark who just having gotten started is neck and neck with Dean and just one percentage point behind Lieberman.
According to an e-mail from the Lieberman for President Campaign a Daily Oklahoman poll found that if the primary vote were held today, the Democrats would vote for:
The Daily Oklahoman Poll Results
Lieberman 10 %
Clark 9
Dean 9
Gephardt 8
Kerry 5
Edwards 3
Sharpton 2
Braun 2
Kucinich 1
I think this bodes well for Wes Clark who just having gotten started is neck and neck with Dean and just one percentage point behind Lieberman.
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Kwikset May Leave
Black and Decker's Kwikset Lock Company in Bristow is considering moving its plant out of the US to lower costs. This would put 1,000 people out of work and endanger Bristow's survival. Black and Decker is one of the multinational corporations that has stopped manufacturing anything of its own and turned itself into a brand marketer. They do not move jobs to places like Mexico and China they get out of the jobs business altogether by contracting out all manufacturing. In China Black and Decker drives such hard bargains that even their Chinese subcontractors make virtually nothing - and pay their Chinese employees next to nothing. These multinationals are ruthless to both Americans and to Chinese and Mexicans. But whose to blame? We consumers are. It is our choice to purchase either the cheapest items at Wal-Mart or to look at the label and pay a little more for goods made in our own country.
It's up to you.
Black and Decker's Kwikset Lock Company in Bristow is considering moving its plant out of the US to lower costs. This would put 1,000 people out of work and endanger Bristow's survival. Black and Decker is one of the multinational corporations that has stopped manufacturing anything of its own and turned itself into a brand marketer. They do not move jobs to places like Mexico and China they get out of the jobs business altogether by contracting out all manufacturing. In China Black and Decker drives such hard bargains that even their Chinese subcontractors make virtually nothing - and pay their Chinese employees next to nothing. These multinationals are ruthless to both Americans and to Chinese and Mexicans. But whose to blame? We consumers are. It is our choice to purchase either the cheapest items at Wal-Mart or to look at the label and pay a little more for goods made in our own country.
It's up to you.
Senator Shurden does it Again
It seems that Henryetta's State Senator Frank Shurden has come down on the wrong side yet again. He was reportedly the author of a bill that makes it illegal for municipal police to confiscate illegal firearms. The bill was passed by the Oklahoma Legislature and is now the law. The Police say this Shurden Law ties their hands in their effort to crack down on gangs.
Senator Shurden has been bad news for Oklahoma since he was sent to the Legislature. As mentioned before in this blog, this goober has spent his time making a laughing stock of Oklahoma by trying to, among other things, legalize castration of some criminals, defending the loathsome cockfighters, and doing whatever the NRA wants him to do. Now he wants to protect carriers of illegal firearms? And we pay him tens of thousands of dollars for this?
It seems that Henryetta's State Senator Frank Shurden has come down on the wrong side yet again. He was reportedly the author of a bill that makes it illegal for municipal police to confiscate illegal firearms. The bill was passed by the Oklahoma Legislature and is now the law. The Police say this Shurden Law ties their hands in their effort to crack down on gangs.
Senator Shurden has been bad news for Oklahoma since he was sent to the Legislature. As mentioned before in this blog, this goober has spent his time making a laughing stock of Oklahoma by trying to, among other things, legalize castration of some criminals, defending the loathsome cockfighters, and doing whatever the NRA wants him to do. Now he wants to protect carriers of illegal firearms? And we pay him tens of thousands of dollars for this?
Sunday, November 30, 2003
I've had a number of replies regarding my posting regarding the Gospel of John movie and the book "Beyond Belief". For those of you interested in this subject you may find an upcoming webcast of interest as well:
"an upcoming live Webcast series on spirituality.com titled "America the Spiritual." This groundbreaking new series showcases some of today's leading thinkers speaking to the unique phenomenon of the nation's third great spiritual awakening. The first event in the series, "Women and Spirituality - Breaking the Code," will take place on Friday, December 5, at 6:30 pm, Eastern Time
Spirituality.com, www.spirituality.com, is an open-faith community where people from various beliefs and backgrounds share spiritual ideas, inspiration, experiences and prayers. Please consider letting your site visitors know about this exciting series and posting a link to http://www.spirituality.com/americathespiritual/ for more information.
"an upcoming live Webcast series on spirituality.com titled "America the Spiritual." This groundbreaking new series showcases some of today's leading thinkers speaking to the unique phenomenon of the nation's third great spiritual awakening. The first event in the series, "Women and Spirituality - Breaking the Code," will take place on Friday, December 5, at 6:30 pm, Eastern Time
Spirituality.com, www.spirituality.com, is an open-faith community where people from various beliefs and backgrounds share spiritual ideas, inspiration, experiences and prayers. Please consider letting your site visitors know about this exciting series and posting a link to http://www.spirituality.com/americathespiritual/ for more information.
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Oklahoma Legislature Takes Away a Basic Right
Oklahoma is one of 33 states that have, at the request of the National Rifle Association, passed legislation to ban all lawsuits from being brought against gun manufacturers and distributors for damages resulting from their product. So, apparently in our state you can suffer loss of life or limb at the wrong end of a gun and you do not have the right to sue the manufacturer or distributor. Isn't that nice? Thanks again Oklahoma Legislature for watching out for us. I'm sure the NRA's generous political campaign contributions had nothing to do with your action to take away from the voters the basic right to take legal recourse.
Oklahoma is one of 33 states that have, at the request of the National Rifle Association, passed legislation to ban all lawsuits from being brought against gun manufacturers and distributors for damages resulting from their product. So, apparently in our state you can suffer loss of life or limb at the wrong end of a gun and you do not have the right to sue the manufacturer or distributor. Isn't that nice? Thanks again Oklahoma Legislature for watching out for us. I'm sure the NRA's generous political campaign contributions had nothing to do with your action to take away from the voters the basic right to take legal recourse.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Rubin Gant Still Boohooing over "Stadium"
I was at a neighborhood conference given by the South and East Association of Tulsa (SEAT) last week and heard former athlete Rubin Gant give the keynote speech. His talk was embarrassingly inappropriate for the occasion. He was supposed to talk about neighborhood improvement and all he could talk about was how he thought Tulsa didn't need an 18,000 seat events center in downtown Tulsa. Got news for you Rubin, the people already voted on it - it's a done deal. Get on with your life.
This guy is president of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. For those of you not familiar with Tulsa, Greenwood is adjacent to downtown Tulsa. You'd think this guy would have a clue about what a nearby modern events center ("stadium" to Rubin) would do to boost Greenwood's growth.
I was at a neighborhood conference given by the South and East Association of Tulsa (SEAT) last week and heard former athlete Rubin Gant give the keynote speech. His talk was embarrassingly inappropriate for the occasion. He was supposed to talk about neighborhood improvement and all he could talk about was how he thought Tulsa didn't need an 18,000 seat events center in downtown Tulsa. Got news for you Rubin, the people already voted on it - it's a done deal. Get on with your life.
This guy is president of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. For those of you not familiar with Tulsa, Greenwood is adjacent to downtown Tulsa. You'd think this guy would have a clue about what a nearby modern events center ("stadium" to Rubin) would do to boost Greenwood's growth.
Kirk Humphreys Campaign Staff Grows
Heard today that Marion Free of Lt. Governor Mary Fallin's staff has left and joined the campaign staff of Mayor Kirk Humphreys who is running for US Senate. No confirmation on this.
Speaking of Mary Fallin - is she ready to take on Brad Henry in 2006? Or will Kirk Humphreys run for Governor if he loses the Senate election?
Heard today that Marion Free of Lt. Governor Mary Fallin's staff has left and joined the campaign staff of Mayor Kirk Humphreys who is running for US Senate. No confirmation on this.
Speaking of Mary Fallin - is she ready to take on Brad Henry in 2006? Or will Kirk Humphreys run for Governor if he loses the Senate election?
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Adventures in Canceling a Phone Service
In a week full of challenges my greatest triumph was yesterday. I succeeded in canceling most of those extra services I had foolishly signed up for with SBC (formerly Southwestern Bell). I retained my caller ID but I canceled the long list of other services such as call forwarding, call back, etc, etc. I was paying a monthly fee for a long list of extra services I never used. The last straw came when the SBC voice mail service screwed up my online computer connection. As you would have discovered if you've ever tried to cancel a service with SBC, it is not an easy task.
I called the number for SBC residence service and after a few selections on an automatic caller routing menu I found a person to talk to. I told him I wanted to cancel everything but the caller ID. He wanted to know why. I explained but he thought I should try to work out my problems with the computer. I insisted that I wanted just caller ID. He questioned my reasoning. I asked how much it would cost to drop my superduper all-services package and just pay for caller ID. He answered by asking if I had their DSL service and told me if I added it I could lower the price I was paying on the superduper package. No, I don't want that, I said. Then he gave me some other options of combining this and that and somehow paying less while paying more. This went on for several minutes. I was so confused I almost fell for it. It was like one of those cup shuffling game scams you see on the streets of New York. My head was spinning but I marshaled my synaptic resources and ultimately said no, I just want caller ID and NOTHING ELSE! How much will that cost me? Reluctantly, he gave me the cost, processed the order and I now save enough each month to buy a large pepperoni pizza to celebrate my triumph.
After I hung up however, I thought wow! How could someone with a feeble mind ever survive that? The SBC guy was a master at selling by overwhelming the customer with confusion. He wouldn't give up! While I admire his cognitive abilities I do not admire SBC for using such tactics. It may add to their bottom line this quarter but over the long term it creates deep dissatisfaction among customers and a bad reputation for the company. SBC is no longer a monopoly in local phone service - others, such as Birch, now compete with them. If SBC hopes to hang on to customers it needs to treat them as customers to be served rather than bamboozled.
In a week full of challenges my greatest triumph was yesterday. I succeeded in canceling most of those extra services I had foolishly signed up for with SBC (formerly Southwestern Bell). I retained my caller ID but I canceled the long list of other services such as call forwarding, call back, etc, etc. I was paying a monthly fee for a long list of extra services I never used. The last straw came when the SBC voice mail service screwed up my online computer connection. As you would have discovered if you've ever tried to cancel a service with SBC, it is not an easy task.
I called the number for SBC residence service and after a few selections on an automatic caller routing menu I found a person to talk to. I told him I wanted to cancel everything but the caller ID. He wanted to know why. I explained but he thought I should try to work out my problems with the computer. I insisted that I wanted just caller ID. He questioned my reasoning. I asked how much it would cost to drop my superduper all-services package and just pay for caller ID. He answered by asking if I had their DSL service and told me if I added it I could lower the price I was paying on the superduper package. No, I don't want that, I said. Then he gave me some other options of combining this and that and somehow paying less while paying more. This went on for several minutes. I was so confused I almost fell for it. It was like one of those cup shuffling game scams you see on the streets of New York. My head was spinning but I marshaled my synaptic resources and ultimately said no, I just want caller ID and NOTHING ELSE! How much will that cost me? Reluctantly, he gave me the cost, processed the order and I now save enough each month to buy a large pepperoni pizza to celebrate my triumph.
After I hung up however, I thought wow! How could someone with a feeble mind ever survive that? The SBC guy was a master at selling by overwhelming the customer with confusion. He wouldn't give up! While I admire his cognitive abilities I do not admire SBC for using such tactics. It may add to their bottom line this quarter but over the long term it creates deep dissatisfaction among customers and a bad reputation for the company. SBC is no longer a monopoly in local phone service - others, such as Birch, now compete with them. If SBC hopes to hang on to customers it needs to treat them as customers to be served rather than bamboozled.
Sunday, November 16, 2003
The Gospel of John
I saw this movie at the big screen today. It was quite excellent because it followed the written gospel with precision and kept one's interest throughout the three-hour long movie. It's a relief to see a religious movie that wasn't "over the top" like those done in the 1930 - 1970 period. Now I'd like to see something on the Gospel of Thomas and the other gospels left out of the Bible by the early Christian church.
What I've come to appreciate in recent years is the different viewpoints the various apostles had and the role that early power brokers in the church played in manipulating the teachings by leaving out huge chunks of the early writings and gospels. 1800 years later most Christians have no idea how the early church officials filtered and limited the knowledge passed on. Some of the early writings were destroyed (by the Church) and lost forever but many were found hidden in jars in Egypt in 1945.
Today, you have access to the Gospel of Thomas, but not through your church. They don't want you to know about it. The latest book on the subject is "Beyond Belief" by Elaine Pagels. This is a readable book that will open your eyes.
I saw this movie at the big screen today. It was quite excellent because it followed the written gospel with precision and kept one's interest throughout the three-hour long movie. It's a relief to see a religious movie that wasn't "over the top" like those done in the 1930 - 1970 period. Now I'd like to see something on the Gospel of Thomas and the other gospels left out of the Bible by the early Christian church.
What I've come to appreciate in recent years is the different viewpoints the various apostles had and the role that early power brokers in the church played in manipulating the teachings by leaving out huge chunks of the early writings and gospels. 1800 years later most Christians have no idea how the early church officials filtered and limited the knowledge passed on. Some of the early writings were destroyed (by the Church) and lost forever but many were found hidden in jars in Egypt in 1945.
Today, you have access to the Gospel of Thomas, but not through your church. They don't want you to know about it. The latest book on the subject is "Beyond Belief" by Elaine Pagels. This is a readable book that will open your eyes.