 Conservative commentator Erick Erickson asks a good question: What's the data on other genders getting COVID? Read more » by Jamison Faught - August 31, 2021 at 11:20AM |
 Good question: What's the data on those 59+ "other genders" getting COVID? Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Good question: What's the data on those 59+ "other genders" getting COVID?
Monday, August 30, 2021
OCPA: Afghanistan debacle is big government in action
 Afghanistan debacle is big government in action By Jonathan Small
The ongoing debacle in Afghanistan has become a military rout, international humiliation, and humanitarian crisis for the United States. But it’s also a lesson in the fallacy of thinking bigger government is better government. It’s notable that many stories of successful rescues from Afghanistan are the result of private individuals and organizations acting independently of the U.S. government. That’s not surprising. Independent actors respond to changing circumstances … by changing tactics. With big government, the tendency is to stick with a flawed process regardless of outcomes and any change in course must first wade through a morass of red tape. Big government is also plagued by hubris. Those in charge too often think they really are smarter than the average citizen and stubbornly insist their choices are best. Thus, when President Joe Biden was asked about the sight of Afghans desperately clinging to the outside of aircraft to escape and plummeting to their deaths, he dismissively responded, “That was four days ago, five days ago.” Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 30, 2021 at 11:33PM |
OCPA: Afghanistan debacle is big government in action Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Columnist: OK Educators need to read, and follow, directions
 Oklahoma Educators Need to Read, and Follow, Directions By Mike Davis
Read all the directions. Teachers used to say this before every test. Following them was implied. Students who skipped directly to the first question often made mistakes. Sometimes extra credit was hidden in the directions. Unfortunately, Oklahoma educators seem to be having trouble with both reading and following directions. For example, at a school board meeting on June 7, Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent McDaniel talked about the impacts of SB658 on the district’s continuing plan to mandate masks in schools. While Dr. McDaniel correctly pointed out that the bill requires the school board to put a mask mandate on the agenda of every board meeting until they are repealed, the law also requires that the county must be “under a current state of emergency declared by the Governor.” The governor recently affirmed his plan not to impose a new emergency order. Superintendent McDaniel fell into one of the classic blunders: he failed to read all the directions. Educators seem to have asked an unreliable friend to describe the directions contained in HB1775. Based on the unreliable friend’s abysmal summary, they are loudly announcing their intent not to follow. Numerous statements on Twitter, some by self-identified teachers, show a profound misunderstanding of the law’s directives. Here’s what the bill actually says: schools can’t force students to learn that they are inherently bad because they are a certain race. Schools can’t discourage students from treating people of every race equally. Every requirement of the law falls into one of those two categories. It specifically allows the teaching of historical facts, including any atrocity perpetrated by one race on another. It does forbid teachers from asserting that past atrocities by one race make current members of that race responsible for those atrocities, or predisposed to committing them again. Students of every race deserve the opportunity to forge their own path, free of racial baggage. While that may still be a dream, further burdening them at the schools they are required to attend is not the solution. Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 24, 2021 at 05:45PM |
Columnist: OK Educators need to read, and follow, directions Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Redistricting committees announce congressional map submission deadline
 Redistricting committees announce congressional map submission deadline Say work ongoing to modify legislative maps
OKLAHOMA CITY – The chairs of the Oklahoma Senate and Oklahoma House of Representatives redistricting committees announced Oct. 10 as the deadline for public map submissions for congressional redistricting. The public can submit congressional redistricting maps to the Senate via email at redistricting@oksenate.gov or to the House via email at redistrictingoklahoma2020@okhouse.gov. Public map submissions are limited to one submission per person. Submissions must be from Oklahoma citizens. Each map must include a statewide plan for all five congressional districts. More information on the parameters for public map submissions can be found here. Detailed instructions on how to submit a map can be found here. “Our series of in-person and virtual town halls were successful and helped us maintain our commitment to an open and transparent process that incorporates input from the public. Now is the time for the public to submit congressional redistricting maps, and we welcome their contributions to the process,” said Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle and chair of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting. The Senate and House redistricting committees earlier this month wrapped up a series of in-person and virtual town hall meetings on the congressional redistricting process. The Senate and House held 29 town hall meetings about both legislative and congressional redistricting around the state and online. Recordings of those meetings are available on the redistricting websites of the Senate and the House. “We are counting on the public to take ownership of congressional redistricting just as they did for legislative redistricting,” said Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, chairman of the House State and Federal Redistricting Committee. “Oklahoma will maintain five congressional seats that will require adjustments to account for population growth and other factors prescribed in law. Public input will once again be vital to getting these districts drawn properly for the next decade.” Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 24, 2021 at 11:48AM |
Redistricting committees announce congressional map submission deadline Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Former Democrat OK Gov: Biden's handling of Afghanistan "a boneheaded mistake" and moral disaster
 Former Democratic Oklahoma Governor David Walters (1991-1995) made the New York Times with some sharp criticism for President Joe Biden over the unmitigated disaster which has been the closing days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Read more » by Jamison Faught - August 23, 2021 at 11:46PM |
Former Democrat OK Gov: Biden's handling of Afghanistan "a boneheaded mistake" and moral disaster Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Friday, August 20, 2021
Nursing home group: Biden's mandate could cause unprecedented workforce catastrophe
 Care Providers Oklahoma Responds to President Joe Biden’s Nursing Home Vaccine Mandate
New Requirements Could Cause Unprecedented Workforce Catastrophe OKLAHOMA CITY – Care Providers Oklahoma, the association representing Oklahoma’s skilled nursing professionals and residents, today released the following statement in response to President Joe Biden’s announcement that all skilled nursing staff must be vaccinated: “Oklahoma’s skilled nursing facilities, through a combination of successful vaccination campaigns and rigorous safety protocols, are now clearly the safest places in Oklahoma for vulnerable seniors when it comes to COVID protection. In the week of August 8-14, for example, the state’s Epidemiology Report indicates that skilled nursing and long-term care (LTC) settings had just 44 new COVID cases among residents across over 600 facilities, representing just .28% of the state’s total portion of new cases. That number has fallen precipitously since the last week of December 2020, when skilled nursing/LTC reported 443 new cases among residents, representing 2.4% of the state’s total caseload. As the Delta variant continues to explode across the state and country, Oklahoma nursing homes have largely kept COVID under control and offered the most successful protection to their residents available anywhere. “For that reason, it is extremely frustrating and disappointing to see the Biden Administration single out nursing homes as the only health care provider facing a federal vaccination mandate. More importantly, this mandate will transform the current workforce shortage in the skilled nursing profession (where administrators report upwards of 20% of jobs are going unfilled) into an untenable crisis that could result in facility closures and the complete abandonment of vulnerable seniors. Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 20, 2021 at 08:14AM |
Nursing home group: Biden's mandate could cause unprecedented workforce catastrophe Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Wednesday event to reflect on Coburn's legacy, why the national debt matters
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In this age of absolutely wild government spending, the wisdom of voices like that of the late Dr. Tom Coburn are greatly missed. While he may have been a voice crying in the wilderness of Washington, rejected and dismissed by both sides of the aisle, there are some who have taken up his mantle in seeking to promote fiscal sanity as we approach catastrophic levels of national debt.
The Millennial Debt Foundation is hosting a discussion this coming Wednesday, in downtown Oklahoma City, about the legacy of Dr. Coburn, the fiscal future of the country and why the national debt matters. Featured speakers will include elected officials such as U.S. Sen. James Lankford, who has in his own way carried forward Dr. Coburn's annual "Wastebook" project, highlighting some of the monstrous wastes of taxpayer funds by the federal government.
Read more »More:  Join state and federal officials as the reflect on the legacy of U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. and why the national debt matters. by Jamison Faught - August 19, 2021 at 08:52PM |
Wednesday event to reflect on Coburn's legacy, why the national debt matters Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Former State Senator Mike Mazzei announces bid for State Treasurer
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With the State Treasurer position coming open in 2022 following incumbent Randy McDaniel's announcement that he would not be seeking reelection, another former GOP legislator is joining the race. The other candidates thus far are Republicans State Rep. Todd Russ and David Hooten.
 FISCAL CONSERVATIVE MIKE MAZZEI LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR STATE TREASURER
“INVESTING IN OKLAHOMA’S FUTURE IS MY PRIORITY” “I am excited to launch my campaign and it comes with my commitment that I will be a strong fiscal conservative watchdog for the state. I have built a successful small business in Tulsa by leading with trust and sound financial advice. I will take that same leadership to serve the citizens of Oklahoma.” TULSA, OKLAHOMA – Mike Mazzei announced today that he is officially launching his campaign for State Treasurer. “We need leaders in our state that have the private sector experience that can navigate the chaos surrounding our country. We need to prioritize our investments and we need to ensure that our state is fiscally sound. Mazzei continued, “As a conservative, I have always made decisions on what is best for the people I serve, whether it is in business or in public service. I have built my business out of trust and confidence, and it is the same approach that I will take as the State Treasurer. There are many challenges facing our state and we must have a common sense approach to solving those.” “Governor Stitt placed his trust in me, and I am now asking the voters to do the same for this next chapter for our state. Protecting and investing in our state’s future has never been a higher priority and we can do it together.” Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 19, 2021 at 08:11AM |
Former State Senator Mike Mazzei announces bid for State Treasurer Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Thursday, August 12, 2021
OK Attorney Gen O’Connor calls for faster implementation of Anti-Robocall technology
 Attorney General O’Connor Calls for Faster Implementation of Anti-Robocall Technology OKLAHOMA CITY - Attorney General John O’Connor today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight back against illegal robocalls and caller ID spoofing by moving up the deadline for telephone companies to implement caller ID technology. The current deadline for compliance for some companies isn’t until June 2023. Attorney general O’Connor said the deadline is too far away. “Oklahomans are being victimized by these unlawful robocalls and spoofing,” Attorney General O’Connor said. “That is why the deadline for companies to comply needs to be sooner than later. Oklahomans, mainly our elderly, who are our most vulnerable are being preyed upon and in some instances having their identities stolen or having money stolen from them. That is why I joined the large, bipartisan group of my colleagues to encourage the FCC to move up the deadline.” There were 51 attorneys general who signed the letter to the FCC. Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 12, 2021 at 02:24PM |
OK Attorney Gen O’Connor calls for faster implementation of Anti-Robocall technology Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Lankford successfully saves pro-life Hyde Amendment in $3.5T mega-spending bill by 50-49 vote
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A little bit of sanity amid the insanity that is the United State Congress. The fact that this vote was so narrow shows just how devoted the modern Democratic Party is to their religious sacrament of abortion.  Lankford Protects Lives of the Unborn, Successfully Prevents Taxpayers from Being Forced to Fund Abortions WASHINGTON, DC (August 10th) – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) this evening offered an amendment, which he introduced earlier today, to the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion Fiscal Year 2022 budget to prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars for funding of abortions and abortion-related discrimination. The amendment ensures that the budget will comply with the long-standing Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal dollars to pay for abortion, and the Weldon amendment, which protects health care providers who refuse to participate in abortion from discrimination. The amendment was adopted by a vote of 50-49. A 2020 Marist poll found that 60 percent of Americans, including 37 percent of people who identify as pro-choice, oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion. Earlier this year, Lankford introduced a similar amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Reconciliation bill to ensure health-related funding was compliant with the Hyde amendment. The amendment failed and Lankford voted against the reconciliation bill in part because it would fund abortion for the first time since 1976. Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 12, 2021 at 07:57AM |
Lankford successfully saves pro-life Hyde Amendment in $3.5T mega-spending bill by 50-49 vote Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Small: OU, OSU have more ‘diversity’ staff than history faculty
OU, OSU have more ‘diversity’ staff than history faculty By Jonathan Small
New departments, centers, and programs are popping up left and right on college campuses across the country. Their stated focus? To promote “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) on campus. Unfortunately, those benign-sounding words don’t necessarily mean what you think they mean. Instead, DEI is all about identity politics, equality of outcomes (with reparations, if necessary), and attacks on freedom of speech and other principles foundational to the American way of life. At the University of Oklahoma there is a specific office devoted to DEI efforts. Oklahoma State University likewise has a division dedicated to “institutional diversity.” And more and more DEI-focused programs means more and more diversity bureaucrats needed to run them. A new study from The Heritage Foundation examined how many DEI staff were employed at 65 major universities across the United States. They found most universities’ DEI staff outnumbered the schools’ history faculties. And Oklahoma was no exception. The Heritage Foundation scholars found that OU and OSU combined employ 61 DEI staff members. (In reality, the study says, this is a very conservative count and is in fact “an undercount of the true extent of DEI activities at universities.”) Meanwhile, the combined history faculty count at OU and OSU is 50. The folks in executive positions leading DEI programs at these schools both take home hefty six-figure paychecks for their efforts. The OU bureaucrat who oversees the school’s “diversity” efforts receives $230,000 while OSU chief diversity official is paid $200,299. Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 07, 2021 at 08:30AM |
Small: OU, OSU have more ‘diversity’ staff than history faculty Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Friday, August 6, 2021
House Dems want special session for purpose of school mask mandates
 Democrats Call for Special Session as Delta Variant Spreads OKLAHOMA CITY -- House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, and several members of the House Democratic Caucus released statements today calling for a special session to repeal Senate Bill 658, which prevents local school districts from implementing a mask policy. House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman:
Rep. Merleyn Bell, D-Norman:
Rep. Denise Brewer, D-Tulsa:
Rep. José Cruz, D-OKC: Read more »by Jamison Faught - August 06, 2021 at 08:30PM |
House Dems want special session for purpose of school mask mandates Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
OK Attorney General calls on U.S. Supreme Court to overturn or limit McGirt decision
 Attorney General O’Connor Calls on U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn or Limit McGirt Decision OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General John O’Connor today filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the court to overturn the 2020 McGirt ruling that held the state does not have jurisdiction to prosecute major crimes committed by Native Americans in a large portion of eastern Oklahoma, including the City of Tulsa. Today’s petition also asks the court to narrow any application of the McGirt decision, including allowing the state to continue to imprison violent felons convicted before the McGirt ruling. Also, the petition asks the court to affirm the state’s authority to prosecute non-Native Americans who commit crimes against Native Americans in the former Muscogee (Creek) reservation revived by the Court in McGirt . Attorney General O’Connor said the McGirt decision is “recklessly overbroad” and has thrown Oklahomans into danger of having no law enforcement respond to a call for help. “Victims of atrocious crimes are being revictimized by going through the legal process a second time, and, in some instances, seeing their loved one’s killer set free because federal prosecutors cannot file the claims against the released convicts,” Attorney General O’Connor said. “Some theories sound good in concept but don’t work in the real world. The U.S. Supreme Court got this decision wrong and we are respectfully asking the Court to overturn its decision or to limit it to certain federal crimes. The most effective way to right this terrible wrong is for the court to overturn the McGirt decision. Without action, the negative consequences will damage Oklahomans for years to come.” The case is centered on the conviction of Shaun Bosse, a non-Native American, who brutally murdered a Chickasaw mother and her two young children. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to keep Bosse on Oklahoma’s death row while they considered reviewing the questions about Oklahoma’s criminal jurisdiction. In the petition, the State argues that the case should be overruled and submitted evidence of the drastic consequences on the ground in Oklahoma. “Oklahomans were not notified or afforded due process before their rights were so severely taken. The Biden administration was quick to seize upon the McGirt ruling and to assert control over Oklahoma surface mining,” Attorney General O’Connor said. The Attorney General sued the Biden administration to undo that incursion into Oklahoma’s sovereignty over land within its borders. The Attorney General’s office retained Kannon Shanmugam and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to assist in providing legal representation to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt . Shanmugam is one of the nation’s most renowned appellate litigators, having argued 32 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The attorney general also worked with Ryan Leonard, an Oklahoma City attorney retained by Governor Kevin Stitt, related to this case. Beginning with Governor Stitt’s words earlier this year describing the fallout from McGirt as the “most pressing issue” for the future of Oklahoma, the petition outlines how the fundamental sovereignty of an American State is a stake. “For the reasons stated by the Chief Justice in his dissent, McGirt was wrongly decided, and its disruptive effects in Oklahoma are unprecedented,” the petition reads. “While the Court believed that compromise or congressional action could limit the disruption from its decision, it is now clear that neither is forthcoming.” “The tribes do not agree among themselves, much less with the State, on the proper path forward and Congress is unlikely to adopt any proposal not supported by all of the parties involved,” it continues. “Only the Court can remedy the problems it has created, and this case provides it with an opportunity to do so before the damage becomes irreversible.” Read the brief here: https://bit.ly/3fDZDbX. by Jamison Faught - August 06, 2021 at 07:13PM |
OK Attorney General calls on U.S. Supreme Court to overturn or limit McGirt decision Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |
Lankford joins Lee, Hawley, Rubio, and others in introducing "Don't Draft Our Daughters" resolution
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It should be pointed out that Sen. Jim Inhofe, who never met military pork (or really, any pork) that he didn't like, has praised the NDAA bill that includes registering women for the draft. He has given the limp-wristed explanation that he voted against the draft inclusion during committee markup, but voted for the overall bill anyway.
There are sadly very few Republicans on Capitol Hill who seem willing to stand up against this issue. Below is a press release from Sen. James Lankford, joining a select few who are likeminded:
 Lankford, Colleagues Do Not Want Women to Have to Register for the Draft
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) to introduce a resolution expressing that the Senate should not pass legislation mandating the registration of women for the Selective Service System. “Our all-volunteer military is the finest fighting force the world has ever known,” said Lankford. “Women have shown they are more than capable of fully serving in our Armed Forces, and I commend our brave daughters, sisters, and mothers who serve our nation. There is no reason to add women to the outdated Selective Service System to prepare for a draft. When we have faced national security threats over the past four decades, men and women who love our country have volunteered in massive numbers to protect our nation with great distinction. Women are eligible to serve in any role in our military that they choose, but they should not be compelled to sign up for selective service.” “Forcing our daughters into the draft creates a burdensome and disproportionately increased risk of injury and fatalities for our nation’s women, as readiness data shows,” said Lee. “This policy change is rushed and unnecessary in our current time of peace, and unduly harms women more than advancing any notion of equality. While American women should be empowered to serve in our Armed Forces, they should not be forced to fight.” “Montana has a rich legacy of service that is carried on today by both men and women who voluntarily serve our country,” said Daines. “We do not need to be forcing our nation’s daughters to enter the draft.” “Women have heroically served in and alongside America’s fighting forces since our nation’s founding. It’s one thing to allow American women to choose this life, it’s quite another to force it upon our daughters, sisters, and wives,” said Hawley. “Missourians feel strongly that compelling women to serve is wrong and so do I.” Earlier this summer, the Senate Armed Services Committee included in the markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 a provision that would require women to register for the draft. The draft, in its rare instances of use, primarily serves as a pipeline to replace combat forces. However, data from the Marine Corps demonstrates that injury rates in combat roles are significantly higher for women over men. The Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force found that musculoskeletal injuries were twice as high for women; and research conducted at the Infantry Training Battalion demonstrated an injury rate for enlisted women six-times higher than the rate for men. Additionally, the physical fitness required for combat roles are only achievable for a small percentage of women. Data from Army’s gender-neutral Combat Fitness Test show a fail rate ranging between 65 percent to 85 percent for women, compared to 10 percent to 30 percent for men. by Jamison Faught - August 06, 2021 at 06:53PM |
Lankford joins Lee, Hawley, Rubio, and others in introducing "Don't Draft Our Daughters" resolution Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico |