Wicca, astrology and the Dalai Lama

I stopped in at Gardner's Used Books on Mingo in Tulsa today to get my fix of musty tome air freshner and a book or two. I love a ramshackle used bookstore like Gardner's - with its stained easychairs and nooks to hide in. On a rainy day you can't beat the ambiance under the metal roof. But today I was looking for a book by the Dalai Lama. I found the religion section and looked through everything. Lots of books on Christianity and a smattering of Jewish and Islamic books but nothing on Buddhism or Hinduism. Rather than ask (I'm a man) I gave up and wandered into the business section where I happened to pass sections labeled "New Age" and "Philosophy". The books on Buddhism and Hinduism were scattered throughout these sections! Most of the Hinduism books were in New Age and most of the books on Buddhism were in the Philosophy section. Philosophy? Maybe in a stretch but what nitwits would put books on these ancient and major religions in the New Age section with books on astral projection and Wicca! What stupidity.

Somewhere in Bombay or Bangkok I hope there's a bookstore that has the holy books of the Abrahamic religions stuck away in a section on New Age and Astrology. That would be Karmic.

Show Me the Moonie

If you aren't familiar with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon or the Moonies you should be. This cult leader has a lot of power in Washington DC (he owns the Washington Times) and a very interesting blog keeps track of his crazy antics and our politicos involvement with him. Check out Where in Washington, DC is Sun Myung Moon?

The latest discovery by the blog is the involvement of a former Reagan official with the Top Moonie:

Elliot Abrams, former Reagan official and ex-convict, took to the road in 1998 to appear at events attacking "deprogrammers," kidnappers hired by parents to retrieve young people from Reverend Moon's movement.

There are three guiding principles for the world to choose among: democracy, communism and Godism…It is clear that democracy as the United States knows and practices it cannot be the model for the world. - Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Open Records Fever

The Tulsa World today touts a journalists victory in getting Oklahoma State University to release grade records to the university's Daily O'Collegian newspaper and the Tulsa World. The university had complied with the open records request earlier but had provided the data in hardcopy form and not in the electronic form demanded by the newspapers. Seems that the Daily O'Collegian wanted the data in an easily number-crunchable format for their convenience so they made a big issue over this as if the university was somehow denying access. The newspapers doth protest too much.

When I first read the article in the World (sorry, the World wants you to pay for looking at them so I can't link to the story) my first thought was, "what the &^% are they doing releasing students' grade records to newspapers?" - but it appears the university did delete names from the data. In a sloppy bit of journalism the World article never explains just what the objective is of the O'Collegians open records request. Do they suspect some sort of hanky panky with grades? Not atypically, the newspapers make the story about the press rather than about the story behind the story. The reader is left to wonder what all this is really about?

I'm no fan of the current OSU administration but I sympathize with them having to take time off their focus to deal with journalists with open records fever. Now don't get me wrong - I'm all in favor of public access to public records but I have little patience with journalists who believe that the records must be delivered to them in a form most convenient for them. Does OSU charge the O'Colly for the time and expense of providing the data in a form that makes the O'Colly journalist's life easy? Somebody has to pay for it.

Journalists are valuable. Good journalists are indispensable. But journalists need to remember they aren't the story.

It's My Party

The Chinese New Year is this week and while it is being celebrated around the world wherever ethnic Chinese people have settled, there's one group that finds itself excluded in some of the celebrations. Even in democratic Australia members of the Falungong martial arts group find themselves banned from participating out of fear of reprisal by China's Communist dictators. Organizers of a New Year parade in Sydney told the Falungong they couldn't come to the party because of Beijing's opposition to Falungong.

A few years ago the Communists declared the Falungong to be an "evil cult" out of fear of the movement's growing influence in China. Millions of followers were persecuted in China. It's as if the US Government went after Pilates. The irrational fear Beijing showed toward Falungong reveals how weak the dictators really are. Unfortunately Beijing's persecution is allowed to extend far beyond China's borders.

Humiliating Defeat?

I received a form letter in the mail from the National Republican Congessional Committee that addressed me as "Dear Loyal Republican," and included an "Emergency 2005 Legislative Priorities Survey". You've gotten those fake surveys in the mail before - the one that ask a few loaded questions and then ask you how much you want to contribute. I doubt if they even count the votes as their mail order company rips open the envelopes and deposits the checks.

This letter, from Tom Reynolds, NRCC Chairman is humorous to read. Keep in mind that the presidential election was quite close - about 49/51. But Reynolds says "after suffering a humiliating defeat, the Democrats are desperately trying to block Republican efforts to" - blah, blah, blah. Reynolds goes on to claim a "clear mandate" and accuse the liberal Democrats of using "dirty tricks" to block the President.

The Democrats use the same direct mail lies to solicit money for their side but when I compare the appeals from both extremes I can see the current Republican Party takes it further, skews more, lies more. A mandate? Tom Reynolds, don't kid yourself.

Unflattering Proximity

A few days ago I was in a lady's office and noticed a framed 8x10 on her credenza. It was a Glamour Shots photo of an attractive young lady so I asked if it was her daughter. "No, that's me!" she said. Wow, it's amazing what Glamour Shots can do I thought to myself. Let me recommend that if you get a Glamour Shot photo of yourself to always keep it in a different room than the one you are in.

An Almighty Wind

I just don't know what to say about the Almighty Wind. See what you think.

Four Horsemen and an Antichrist

Last Sunday Pastor continued his series on Revelations and the end times. The tsunamis, mudslides, wars etc are telling us something. He focused on the "signs and wonders" that portend the Rapture and the Tribulations by showing us slides that proved that the stage for the European antichrist was set - just as foretold in Revelations! One slide was a photo of the symbol of the EU, a lady on a beast (foretold in Revelations!) and a parliament building recently erected in Strasbourg, Germany that closely resembled the Tower of Babel (oh those Europeans! - they're playing with fire) etc etc. Since the sermon I've been looking for a reference to Europe in the Bible but I can't find it.

While listening to the Pastor go on and on about the end times and all the details (four horsemen, two wardrobe malfunctions, three cracks in the Earth, seven vials and an iPod) I was thinking that the Big Father in the Sky looking down on this must be rolling with laughter over how silly we are and how far off the mark we've gotten. We're so wrapped up in the meaningless minutiae of dogma that we don't see what's really important.

It Started with SpongeBob

Until the Rev. James Dobsen of Focus on the Family brought it to my attention in regard to SpongeBob SquarePants I really hadn't noticed it. SpongeBob does occasionally hold hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." Maybe there really is an insidious conspiracy to turn our children into flaming homosexuals!

Once tuned in to the subliminal conspiracy I've begun to notice it everywhere. Last week it was Oklahoma State Senator James Williamson holding hands with Tulsa City Councilor Jim Mautino in a photo on the front page of the Tulsa World! Williamson's anti-gay marriage bills have been a clever diversion from a truth too painful to face? Then on Thursday night I just about spilled my TV dinner when none other than President George W Bush, after delivering his State of the Union speech, reaches out and kisses US Senator Joe Lieberman! Good God, I thought. Is Dr. Dobsen watching this? This nasty strain of mano e mano love is no longer restricted to our animated heros - it goes all the way to the top. Dr. Dobsen save us!

Volunteering isn't So Easy

I went recently to the Victory Christian Center's Dream Center in north Tulsa to try to volunteer to help the low income people that come to the center for assistance or recreation. I didn't realize I'd get the third degree. I was given a questionaire only slightly shorter that what I imagine the CIA would use. Among the questions I was asked to answer were:

• Have you kept yourself from immoral sexual activity such as fornication and adultery for at least the last 12 months?
• Have you kept yourself from pornography (including movies rated R, X, or NC-17) for at least the last 12 months?
• Have you kept yourself from ever practicing homosexuality or incest?
• Do you pray regularly?
• Are you currently living with your spouse?
• Do you read the Bible regularly?

They also wanted a personal testimony, a criminal records check, a history of my residences.

I'm currently looking for an opportunity to volunteer somewhere that will let me help without doing a total dump of my private information and my most personal thoughts and beliefs.

Wait, wait, don't tell me

Oklahoma was again the butt of jokes on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" the popular NPR radio program today. It seems that Senator Frank Shurden's proposal to legalize "electronic cockfighting" in Oklahoma continues to entertain the nation. One comedian on the show joked that all he had to hear were the words "an Oklahoma Senator" and he knew it was going to be something ludicrous.

The deceivers

Today I received an important looking envelope bearing only the words "Explanation of Benefits" and a New York City address on the front cover. Must have something to do with insurance I supposed as I opened the envelope. It was a piece of junk mail from Forbes magazine. The benefits? That would be the "professional benefit price" of $19.99 of course.

Maybe I take lying and deception too seriously when it comes to advertising and direct mail but I think we get so used to it that we fail to even recognize the deception as deception.

Big Brother and Blue States

Scientific American's December issue had an interesting article on the various levels of personal information protection US states provide to their citizens. Oklahoma's protections are rated as "intermediate" while every state that surrounds us (except New Mexico and Colorado) is rated as having "low" protection of personal information.

The author, Rodger Doyle, points out that the federal government has been lax in moving to protect citizens from private data theft and exploitation. Federal laws do not shield medical and library records and give only partial protection to financial records.

California has been most active in enacting laws to protect its citizens privacy as well as courts that are vigilant in enforcement. Wyoming is singled out as the worst at protecting its citizens.

Oklahoma used to place everyone's Social Security number right on our drivers licenses but now we have the option of a randomly-generated drivers license number (which I opted for).

In looking at the ratings map in the Scientific American article I couldn't help but notice a rough correlation between red states and low privacy protection and blue states and high privacy protection. Has a historic flip-flop taken place? The John Wayne Republicans used to focus on individual rights but this seems to have become a Democratic issue in recent years.

I'm just speculating here, but I wonder if the Republican states aren't too friendly with corporate interests that want to utilize private data for business purposes. There's also the Patriot Act mentality that sacrifices individual liberty for collective security. Could this be it?

For more information see: Privacy Journal

Virtual Cockfighting

What did Oklahoma do to deserve the curse of State Senator Frank Shurden? The Senator from Henryetta that distinguished himself with his efforts to defend cockfighting and to enact laws to castrate sex offenders has come up with another bizarre idea that is already earning Oklahoma a new round of national ridicule. Now he wants to legalize cockfighting sans blades. He wants to put boxing gloves and pressure-sensitive electronic vests on the fighting birds.

Shurden has been the feature of several national interview programs such as this appearance on NPR's All Things Considered program. Shurden's uberhick accent and cognitive difficulties feed the stereotypes of the hayseed Okie. As an Oklahoman I just want to cry when I hear this fool being interviewed. We can spend years and millions of dollars on tourism and economic development advertising to improve our state's image and Shurden's can undo it in one minute on NPR.

Shurden's buffoonery aside, of course the reason he wants to make "virtual cockfights" legal in Oklahoma is because he knows the real deal can function under the pretense of non-lethal cockfighting. The cockfight pits can continue to function and rural sheriff's will fail to "monitor" the fights - just like they failed to monitor the rampant illegal gambling that accompanied cockfights during the decades when the fights themselves were legal. It's just another dishonest way to ignore the law.

Here in Oklahoma we know what's behind the cockfighters' deceptions but on the national level all our fellow Americans who hear Senator Shurden must think that we Oklahomans must be from a different planet.

To all my fellow Americans I just want to say that Shurden is an Oklahoma anomaly, really, he is. In fact, I think he was born in Idaho or something.

The Comedian

At the time I was reluctant to stand in line to get the ticket - it meant getting up early and fighting the traffic to Burbank and then coming back again in the afternoon to get in line again, long before the show started. But now I'm glad I did it, three times. Getting to see Johnny Carson host the Tonight Show was great fun once I got into a seat but now I appreciate just being a small part in a piece of Americana.

The set, or stage, seemed a lot smaller in person than it did on TV. Carson though, was the same. Friendly and funny. He was also part of the family. Setting down to watch Carson after the news was part of a family tradition - we didn't have worry about being embarrassed by offcolor humor. Carson was funny without being ribald. How many late night TV shows can the whole family set down to watch now?

After his retirement I only saw him in person one more time - on a flight to LA. He was in first class and I watched the back of his head through the curtains of economy class for two hours.

Johnny's passing reminds me of how much I miss him.

China's Weak Leaders

We may complain about our money-influenced political system but it sure beats the pathetic dictatorship in China. One of the primary architects of China's economic reforms, Zhao Ziyang, died last week but because he was removed from the Premier's position in 1989 after he objected to using force against the students in Tiananmen, the pathetic politicians of China now want to ignore his death. The fact that they are so afraid to even acknowledge Zhao's death shows just how weak they are and how tenuous they fear their hold on power is.

OkiePundit's Rules of Etiquette (continued)

Ears needs to be cleaned periodically, but this is a job that should be done in private using one's OWN truck keys.

Dirt and grease under the fingernails is a social no-no, as it tends to detract from a woman's jewelry. Excessive grease also alters the taste of finger foods.

Always offer to bait your date's hook, even if he says he can do it himself.

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.