Biblical Beasts

Among all the political brochures in the mail today I received this standout:




This appeal to the fear of evil beasts is not uncommon - the preachers usually tie such demons to social trends they don't agree with. When I was a kid I remember going to something like this - my parents let our neighbors take me - and it did scare the hell out of me but it wasn't the demons that scared me - it was the crazy adults! All I remember was the preacher breaking "rock n roll" records on the stage and demanding all the kids in the audience repent. I did, out of a fear of attracting more attention, all the while cursing (in my mind) the looney adults that surrounded me. I'm sure I was counted among the "saved" by the organizers of that event those many years ago - and I was - I was saved from ever being naive enough to go to one of these again.

Red Thinking / Blue Thinking

Cognitive scientist George Lakoff argues that the red state/blue state division of America reflects different world-views and moral philosophies. NPR talked with Lakoff about the ways liberals and conservatives see the world. Listen to the interview. But what about Purple Thinkers?

TV Stations Happy, Lesbians Run Rampant

The TV stations in Oklahoma are grateful for the advertising cash flowing in from out-of-state special interest groups trying to influence the Carson vs Coburn fight for US Senate. With the presidential campaigns completely ignoring Oklabushhoma it must come as a relief to the stations that the fight over control of the US Senate means money in their pockets. The Club for Growth, and its offshoot, clubforgrowth.net, are pouring money into Oklahoma for anti-Carson ads. So is the National Republican Senatorial Committee. To a lesser extent, moveon.org spent money earlier on in the campaign for anti-Coburn ads.

Both sides in the Senate fight have used negative advertising but the pro-Coburn side has excelled at the silly namecalling and ridiculous claims. The Club for Growth ad for example claims Carson is "a bigger spender than John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton combined." Do they really think we are so stupid as to believe that one?

The Club for Growth must be on pins and needles hoping Coburn stop sticking his foot in his mouth. A report in the Tulsa World quotes people in Southeast Oklahoma saying that Coburn told a crowd that SE Oklahoma had a rampant lesbian problem - so much so that girls weren't allowed to go to the school bathrooms at the same time. Sources such as IOL cover the lesbian remarks in detail. It's hard to believe Coburn would be so out of touch with reality but he's said some pretty outlandish things before. One thing I'm sure of is Oklahoma doesn't need a Zell Millerish nutcase in DC bringing ridicule upon our already mistreated state.

Rant-miester

If I start sounding like Dennis Miller would you promise to slap me up side the head with a tire tool? Tonight I suffered through a few minutes of his show on CNBC while he praised VP Cheney for being macho (like Dennis I guess). Watching Miller reminds me how lucky we are to have Jon Stewart around.

I have to admit that I don't agree with the acerbic Miller on much of anything but if he delivered his comedy with the style of Stewart I might be able to watch. Miller has published a book called "the Rant Zone" which nicely encapsulates his style - ranting.

Miller makes no bones about his political objectives for his show. About President Bush he says, "I like him, I'm going to give him a pass. I take care of my friends." Miller can talk to his friends all he wants - I'll be watching the Daily Show on Comedy Central.

A Letter the Tulsa World Wouldn't Print

J. Williams of Tulsa couldn't get the Tulsa World to publish his letter to the editor so at his request, I'm pleased to print it here so his voice can be heard. It's based on an interesting premise, what if...:

Dear Editor,

What if the US and Britain had not invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein? If that war had not happened where would we be today?

First, Saddam Hussein would probably (though not assuredly) still be in power and still be a cruel dictator to his people. He would still be a local menace. There would still be no weapons of mass destruction to be found or used – especially if the inspectors were still there. Most importantly, the over 1,000 American soldiers who have given their lives in service to their country – would still be with us. Our country would still have the $200-400 billion dollars we have spent on the war and its aftermath in Iraq. We could have put that money in our pockets or spent it on our own infrastructure. Our economy would be stronger and our deficits less critical.

On the terrorism front we would undoubtedly have spent the last two years focused on rooting out the terrorists that actually attacked us and may well have found the real target, Osama bin Ladin. We would have focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan where the real problem is and might even have had time to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threat and the nascent nuclear threat of Iran. Iraq would not be the real hotbed of terrorist activity it has become.

Our standing in the world would not be at the all time low that it is now. Our businesses and products would be more welcome around the world. Our nation would still be unified in its war on terrorism and we would not have spent so much time and energy with the Iraq distraction.

This would be a different world altogether if this Administration had not been hell-bent on taking us into the quagmire and distraction of Iraq. The price we and others have paid were not even close to being worth the benefits. Yet our President feels everything is just fine. What better reason do we need to remove him from office?

J. Williams
Tulsa

The Predictable Tulsa World

Today's Tulsa World carried an endorsement for George W. Bush for president. The endorsement would carry some weight were it not for its predictability. Those with a long memory know that the World hasn't endorsed a Democrat for president since Franklin Roosevelt ran for re-election in 1936.

Why would a newspaper that is often regarded by conservatives as a "Democrat newspaper" have such a predictable record of going for the likes of Nixon, Dole, and Goldwater? How could it be that a "balanced" newspaper has not found at least one Democrat in almost 70 years to be most suitable to lead the country?

I wish someone at the World would explain what's behind this partisan presidential predictability to me. Since 1936?

Face-to-face

We were eating pizza at the Incredible Pizza place tonight when in my peripheral vision I noticed two enormous pallid butt cheeks staring at me from a chair at the next table. Upon closer inspection (I couldn't help it) I saw that they belonged to an overweight man in a Hawaiian shirt. A huge gap between the back of his shirt and his trousers framed the hairest butt I've ever seen. A whorl of black hairs poked from the anterior crack - obscuring the elastic of his underwear.

This should be a criminal offense at an all-you-can-eat restaurant. I didn't get my money's worth tonight.

Looking Forward to Visiting DC?

Last week the US House of Representatives - led by its Republican leadership - voted to erase the 28-year handgun ban in Washington DC. Why would the House do such a thing in such a high-crime area? The citizens and city government overwhelmingly opposed the lifting of the ban.

Primarily - this is as good an illustration of how ideologically bound the House leadership - under Tom DeLay - has become. It is more important to the pro-gun interests to beat back gun restrictions than to seek pragmatic solutions to real problems. It doesn't matter to them that polls indicate the citizens of DC overwhelmingly oppose lifting the ban. Damn the citizens! We have a point to make!

This is also a clear illustration of how money politics works. The NRA and the gun industry have purchased most Congresspeople with campaign contributions and fear.

Cheney selects himself to succeed himself

During tonights VP candidates debate VP Dick Cheney considered Senator Edwards' application for the VP slot and after a condescending lecture, rejected Edwards. The VP then proceeded to select himself for the slot Edwards is applying for.

This is reminiscent of four years ago when Cheney was asked to head up Bush' VP selection committee and after careful consideration selected himself. At the time Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating was under consideration for the VP slot and went so far as to have a corporation invite Keating and Cheney on a fishing trip to Alaska to help Cheney get to know him better. Cheney dropped out of the trip just before anointing himself.

Now Keating is running an insurance industry lobby group in Washington DC and making a million a year.

Spin on the VP candidate Debate

Just minutes after the debate ended, the Communications director for the Bush-Cheney campaign tells an MSNBC reporter that Edwards supporters are walking around "dazed and in shock" apparently from the onslaught from VP Cheney.

Sen. Patrick Leahy adds some background to VP Cheney's accusation that Sen. Edwards must not be working hard because Cheney has never seen him at the Senate. Leahy points out that Cheney, unlike prior VPs, meets only with Republicans when he visits the Senate. Democrats like Edwards are cut out.

Istook Going to China

Congressman Istook will lead an Oklahoma delegation to China in November. The delegetion is said to be businesses which have been invited by the Oklahoma State Chamber. While the press release from Istook's office seems to say that Istook asked the State Chamber to organize his trip, sources in the State Chamber say that the trip was the idea of State Chamber President Richard Rush who asked Istook to lead their delegation. The State Chamber arranged for China's Ambassador to the US to officially invite Istook. A caller to the State Chamber last week was told that only invited businesses were allowed to participate.

Life in Non-hub America

Living in non-hub America can be a pain in the neck - at least when one wants to fly to another non-hub destination. Recently, I wanted to travel from Tulsa to Springfield, Illinois - about 100 miles NE of St. Louis. When I checked Travelocity and other Internet travel sites I discovered the least expensive flights for this 500-mile trip were $780 roundtrip. And to get to Springfield I would have to go via airports in Minnesota, Texas or Tennessee! I checked to see what it would cost to fly just to St. Louis. It cost $720. Then I checked to see what a ticket from St. Louis to Springfield would cost. $740! - to travel 100 miles!

I checked with Greyhound bus and it was about $200 RT - but it meant catching the bus in the middle of the night. I ended up renting a car for a weekend rate of $50 and driving from my inlaws home in Tulsa to Springfield and back. Took more time but saved me about $700. I just wasn't going to pay almost $800 to go to Illinois when I can get flights to London and back for the same amount.

Northeast Oklahomans used to be able to fly direct to St Louis on TWA until American Airlines gobbled up TWA and downsized St Louis operations. There are currently no direct flights from Tulsa to St Louis thanks to the airlines. American says they plan on adding back a daily flight between Tulsa and St. Louis on Trans States Airlines subcarrier in January. I fear this will be one of those cramped propeller jobs.

In the last 20 years the airlines have done more to kill the economic development potential of cities like Tulsa and Oklahoma City than have even our legislators. By going to the hub system and reducing competition through consolidation they have made air travel more difficult for those of us in non-hub America. When corporate executives have to fly in to Oklahoma on incredibly uncomfortable propeller jets it becomes very difficult to persuade them to relocate their business here.

Sucking Up

Sucking up works. As a report tonight on ABC's 20/20 revealed, studies have confirmed what we all thought - that bosses love suckups.

I've witnessed the extreme suckup's success in a number of organizations I've been in. Two of the best examples are recent. In one case a 50-year-old employee, a high-ranking officer in the Army Reserve, starting sucking up to our new boss the minute she stormed onto the scene. At group meetings he would periodically grab her coffee cup and leave to get her some fresh coffee. At first I thought he was just chivalrous but when he repeatedly ignored the other women in the meetings it became embarrassingly obvious he had his lips attached firmly to the the boss' butt. I say embarrassingly but the suck up showed no embarrassment of his own. We were embarrassed for him. Yes, and it was the suck up that was promoted.

In the other case I was on a project with a young lady that showed me suck up techniques I could only admire but did not want to emulate. She put extra effort into finding out where the boss would be and when and making certain she was there when he was and gone when he wasn't. When she talked to him she praised his wisdom and lamented that he had to depend on so many fools. When the three of us were together she would make it a point to ask me about tasks she knew I had not completed yet. When she and the boss were talking in her office next to mine I could hear her trying to convince the boss that my ideas were wrong. When I would confront her she would deny it. I couldn't bring myself to engage in these tactics and I soon found myself on the outside while she was invited into the executive meetings with our boss.

So yes, sucking up works. So why can't I bring myself to do it?

Mystery Trip Goes Sour for Governor

A few months ago Governor Brad Henry led a delegation to China to promote business between Oklahoma and China. The trip was a closely held secret until the final few days before the group left for China. Not that the press didn't try to get the facts - they found out about the trip weeks in advance but the Governor's office refused to talk. Sources in the Governor's office say the Governor didn't want the press to have time to make an issue out of the trip.

Since the delegation of educators, government reps and a few businesspeople returned from the trip to China there has been a steady flow of grumbling regarding the Governor's behavior in China. Several participants have been outspoken in expressing their disappointment that the Governor ignored his fellow Oklahomans throughout their time in China. "The Governor stayed holed up in his suite with his staff the whole time" said one source. "The Governor wasted a good opportunity to befriend a group of Oklahomans and instead earned a big fat zero in our book."

Other delegation members faulted the Gov for behaving like a prima dona and canceling long-scheduled events at the last minute - like an appearance at a sister state event - and upsetting the Chinese hosts.

Sounds like the Governor made enemies from one end of the Earth to the other.

Solid Republican Goes Wobbly

I have a friend that always votes a straight Republican ticket. She doesn't have a highschool diploma. She's a good person but understands very little about how the wider world functions. She's the type of person that quotes political ads when asked why she supports a candidate. I asked her tonight what she thought of the Presidential debate. To my surprise she said she thought Kerry won the debate. She's not ready to vote for Kerry but if a person that's never voted for a Democrat is toying with the idea I'd say Kerry did do well tonight.

Debate Transcript

Transcripts of tonights debate can be found here.

Let the spinning begin!

Security Mom?

Where did this "security mom" topic come from? Are women supposed to care more about security than men? Is this just a new media term dreamed up to give the media something to talk about between hurricanes?

Trouble Staying in Compliance

It's hard to stay out of trouble. In Norman recently I was parked near the campus to do some shopping. I put plenty of coins in the meter but when I returned to my car I found a $50 ticket on the windshield! I still had plenty of time left on the meter so what could this be about? Turns out my license plate was a few days expired and Normans' crack(ed) police had spotted it.

Since Oklahoma's Bureau of Keeping License Plates Up-to-date does not send out reminders or invoices anymore it's up to the driver to periodically look at ones' license plate or remember to go to the tag office to renew the license. This may be easy for some people but not for me. If I have more than two things to remember I can be certain of forgetting at least one of them. The sheer number of things one must do these days to "stay in compliance" is overwhelming. If you also have to go about earning a living this compliance thing is quite a distraction.

We forgetful citizens can depend however, on money-hungry jurisdictions like Norman, Oklahoma to find the wood in our eye and take a cut. The county I live in forgives such a fine if one gets the renewal within a week but not the City of Norman. When I called to inquire one of Norman's crack "administrative technicians" gave no ground and added a touch of cold disdain for good measure. I could hear her thinking "we don't need your kind in our city".

Next time, I'll go shopping in Stillwater.

Missing the Judds

When I leave the house I try to at least dress up in a t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes but, unless I have a meeting, I don't go beyond that minimal effort to look presentable. I must have looked pretty destitute a few months ago on a day when I decided to eat at the Route 66 Cafe in Tulsa.

As I was entering the cafe a scrawny fellow in blue jeans and what we call a "cowboy shirt" turned to me with a huge grin and an unusual greeting - "how ya doin'? Did you see the Judds last night?" For a moment, I thought he had said "juggs" but a synaptic spark ignited and reminded me the Judds were some sort of country and western singing group. "Uh, no" I said, "I missed them." Still enthusiastic, the cowboy must have felt my pain and tried to console me. "Well, the tickets were $15 and I guess you couldn't afford it - it was kind of expensive," he nodded in sympathy as he went through the door.