Jordan Eagle Road Walk-on at OU is Hope of a Nation

College Football seasons kicks off next Saturday in Norman with the University of Oklahoma hosting the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on Saturday night at Owen Field.  Coming out of the tunnel for the first time to the cheers and strains of Boomer Sooner will be Choctaw native son, Jordan Eagle Road, in his first appearance as a member of the Oklahoma Sooners.  OU had very few scholarships available this year so a preferred walk-on has a great chance to get a full ride football scholarship during his playing time at Oklahoma.  He is a very good athlete and student which will take him far in life.  Children of the Choctaw Nation as well as other tribes will be rooting for this young man along with whole the Sooner Nation.

You see so much bad written about college athletes this year like those at the University of Miami, Ohio State, USC, North Carolina, and more who were more worried about the almighty dollar than loyalty to their team and their university.  The lack of values by some of these football players cast a shadow on college football.  The problem is we get so many stories about those who break the rules and so little about the college athletes who are also good students who don't get into trouble.

That is what made it great to read a story of a young man, Jordan Eagle Road, who turned down a full ride scholarship at a smaller school to fulfill his dream of playing at the University of Oklahoma as a preferred walk-on.  When I saw this in the Norman Transcript this morning I thought it was a great story to restart Voices from the Heartland this weekend as summer is coming to close hopefully along with 100+ days with little to no rain.  To look on the bright side, my lawnmower has not had much of a workout this summer.

Boomer Sooner!

August 28, 2011Walk-on is hope of a nation
Talahina Choctaw shuns full scholarship to play for D-I OU
By Michael Kinney The Norman Transcript 

NORMAN — Residents of tiny Talihina — population pushing 2,000 — hope a native son will put them on the map.

Oklahoma wide receivers coach Jay Norvell (left)
 gives instructions to freshman walk on Jordan Eagle
Road during the Sooners' first practice of the
 season, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011. (Transcript photo
by Jerry Laizure)

Centered in the middle of Choctaw country, Talihina’s greatest export soon may be Jordan Eagle Road. The freshman for the University of Oklahoma football team is not only carrying his own hopes and dreams with him around campus, but also those of his family and the Choctaw people.
 
“We are from a very small Southeastern town,” Eagle Road’s mother, Teresa, said. “No one in this area ever gets looked at. This is just exciting for all youths to see Jordan accomplish a goal like going to a D-I school and participating in football.”
Eagle Road has been part of the Sooner program for a few weeks. He hasn’t played in a single down and most likely will not this season.  

The 6-2, 185 pounder is a preferred walk-on trying to learn an entirely new position.
“I have never been through anything like this before,” Eagle Road said. “I knew it was going to be hard when I came up here. But it has been real fun and I’ve learned a lot. Every day it’s competitive. Every day you go out there you are going to be competitive or you are going to get yelled at.” 

Yet, just his presence on the Oklahoma roster has already put Eagle Road in a very unique standing. He is only one of the few full-blooded American Indians currently on a Division I football team. 

“I think there’s a reality to that; you are going to find less than a handful of female American Indian athletes playing at Division I programs across the country,” said Cedric Sunray, an adjunct instructor in American Indian Studies at Bacone College. “You are not even going to find that many male American Indian athletes across the country. You are talking about the heart of Indian territory, the University of Oklahoma. And to have a kid like him on the team is a blessing. Not only for the Choctaw nation, but also other tribes in the state. For OU as well.” 

According to Sunray, many college coaches are reluctant to recruit American Indian students because of the stereotype that they will just leave school. Those who come from a rural reservation-based community and into an urban center can have a culture shock and have been known not to stay. 

“You have to see yourself in a mirror to be impacted very, very strongly,” Sunray said. “It’s one thing to see a young man out there, who is successful in the field, has good grades but doesn’t happen to be American Indian. That person can impact lives too. But when an Indian kid sees Jordan Eagle Road, they say. ‘That’s me.’ When these Indian kids see Jordan, they just automatically go to him. They see themselves in him and then know they can be successful.” 

Eagle Road’s high school career was one of legendary status in Talihina. As a senior he quarterbacked the Golden Tigers to a 12-1 record with 770 yards passing and 11 TDs to go along with 1,890 yards rushing and another 29 scores. For his career he racked up more than 100 touchdowns for the 2A squad. 

But when recruiting season started, he was getting lukewarm interest from Division I schools.
“He got a lot of letters, no offers, but letters from OU, OSU,” Eagle Road’s father, Bill, said. 

“They were kind of interested. We went down to TCU to visit that school. We were going to go with whatever offer we had. UCO came looking around Christmas time. Then Northeastern came calling about a month before signing day. We always thought about what if he had that chance to go to a bigger school?” 

That is when Sunray took an interest in Eagle Road. He was working as the American Indian athletic recruiter at Bacone when he heard about the prep star. Sunray approached the Eagle Road family to learn more about Jordan. He came away impressed with what he found out and decided to do something about it. 

“I was a Bacone College at the time we were certainly recruiting him and I noticed there were no Division I programs recruiting him,” Sunray said. “I thought to myself, a kid that scores 112 rushing touchdowns in his four-year career, has a 3.5 GPA, 25 ACT, he’s an identifiable straight up Indian boy and he didn’t have any D-I offers? He would have had a full ride at our small college, which is the oldest historically Indian college in the country. I couldn’t sleep one night. And I talked to my wife and she said you need to go down to athletic department at OU.” 

Sunray met with Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Bruce Kittle, the on-campus recruiting coordinator. He presented them with a portfolio of Eagle Road to go along with game tapes the Talihina coach had sent them. They soon extended Eagle Road an invitation to walk-on at Oklahoma. 

The family had already made the decision that if the Sooners offered an invite, they would turn down the full scholarship offers he had gotten from smaller programs. They felt he would make a larger impact being part of Oklahoma. 

“Everyone looks up to Jordan,” Teresa Eagle Road said. “He’s a good student. Having a Native American set that standard, it’s something that would show to all Indians that if he can make it at OU and get on a scholarship, it can happen to another youth who could be in his place one day. Work hard, study hard academically, athletically, put them all together you have a great student and athlete. For him to go to OU, they are looking up to him.” 

Jordan Eagle Road could have saved his family money, gotten a good education and had a great career at NSU, Bacone or any of the other schools who had an interest in him. But for him to make his biggest impact, Sunray said he felt Oklahoma was the only place for Jordan. 

“It’s because of how people can view him,” Sunray said. “If he had gone to play at Bacone or NSU in front of a small amount of people, it wouldn’t have that prestige quite honestly associated with it. Whereas the change he can create in the lives of young American Indians as a player for the No. 1 team in the nation at the Division I level is much greater. With that forum, there is so much he can do.” 

Eagle Road already has been contacted by the Oklahoma Indian Health Center and other places that have asked him to come speak to the youth. America Indians have one the highest rates of suicide, substance abuse and other social problems among any ethic group in the country. But Sunray said they do not get the attention that others do. Having a player like Eagle Road succeed can shine a light on them. 

Eagle Road is taking it all in stride. Even though he knows he has responsibilities that have a far-reaching effect, his first job is to help the Sooners in anyway possible. 

But Eagle Road does recognize his story will carry weight when it spreads throughout Talihina and the rest of state. 

“You can dream big if you want,” Eagle Road said. “But if you work hard at it, you can get to where you want to be. I really wasn’t thinking about coming here. It wasn’t on my mind because I am at a small school. I thought it was kind of far-fetched for me to dream about being here. 

Every Oklahoma kid grows up dreaming about playing for Oklahoma. It’s really awesome to be here right now.”
Source:  Norman Transcript

Red State: Horserace for July 21, 2011

We are bringing this site back to life with an analysis of the Presidential Republican Primary candidates that is now featured on Red State by Erick Erickson.  We will continue to spotlight what candidates are doing in their run for President along with starting to track announced candidates for the US Senate like Ted Cruz from Texas.  We believe that 2012 is going to be an even better Republican year as we take the Senate back along with the White House.  Good analysis by Erickson and we have added our own comments in red to each candidate.

Horserace for July 21, 2011

Posted by Erick Erickson

Thursday, July 21st at 12:36PM EDT

For all intents and purposes, from here on out, we have to presume Rick Perry is a candidate for the Presidency of the United States until he declares otherwise. I think it is safe to conclude he’s in.

As Perry rises, Pawlenty falls as does Bachmann. Cain implodes. Romney stagnates. And then there’s the funny tale of Jon Huntsman. It kind of makes me chuckle. There’s a lot to get into this week in the horserace for the White House.

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann is down again this week.
Let’s be clear. I don’t think the headache story is a big deal. I don’t think it really hurts Bachmann. The story that hurts Bachmann though is that some of her former staffers are a brood of vipers out to get her. I have heard many horror stories myself, but most of what we’re getting now is designed specifically to undermine Bachmann as she continues to gain major momentum. She raised $2 million in a day and that spooked a lot of people.

What we are seeing is what I predicted. The pile on has begun. Given her press operations thus far, I think Bachmann is going to have a tough time staying ahead.

More troubling for Bachmann, she signed the cut, cap, and balance pledge then voted against the related legislation. A number of outside conservative groups who were moving her way now tell me they have pulled back. Her rationale for voting against Cut, Cap, and Balance does not compute after signing the pledge.

Backmann followed the lead of Ron Paul who did not sign the pledge -- she attends his weekly meetings and if anyone paid attention to her questioning to the Fed Chair, it was right out of the Paul playbook.  As to her aides, she has gone through more Chiefs of Staff and aides while in Congress in two plus terms then some go through in ten years which says something about her managing style.  She is totally disorganized and eventually seeing mail stack up would get to anyone.  As for the headaches, no one with that kind of migraine should have even considered running for President when you know you are incapacitated at times.  There is also a problem with her husbands lack of credentials even though he calls himself doctor.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain could have been an awesome candidate. He is a turn around artist. You eat at Burger King because Herman Cain brought it back from the brink. Same with Godfathers. He could have been the outsider’s Mitt Romney with a real record of job growth.

Instead, Cain became the guy who hates Muslims. And now that’s all the press wants to talk about. I don’t know if Cain is just not listening to his advisers or if his advisers are misleading him. But I think the first step for him to turn around his campaign is to fire Mark Block, his top adviser. He needs a dramatic overhaul to prove he is serious and not fringe.

A lot of variables outside of Herman’s control must break his way for him to be viable. He can influence them, but not control them. Right now, they are breaking against him in part because of the influence he is exerting on the variables. He has no path to victory and no more shot at even the Vice Presidency as things are going right now.

The day Herman Cain said he wouldn't sign a bill over 3 or 4 pages showed a total lack of understand of the Office of President and how government works.  Anyone who has followed government knows that budget and appropriation bills are huge as they have to cover everything or an agency won't be able to buy something.  His attacks on Muslims have been over the top and even if people agree with him, most don't want to see that out of a President because it sets us up for another attack and paints all Muslims with the same paintbrush.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich’s campaign is over. He came out against the McConnell “Pontius Pilate Act”, but was not able to get traction from it. I’m writing off Gingrich’s campaign. When the Speaker of the House who led the GOP through the last major government shutdown is unable to get media attention as Washington is now on the verge of a shutdown, he’s yesterday’s news.

We honestly think he is still in the race as a holding place for Governor Perry.  It is no secret the two are good friends and Newt even wrote the  foreward for the Governor's book, "Fed Up."  Newt's biggest problem is he is a policy wonk which doesn't translate to a lot of support.  Not to mention he traveled and worked with Hillary and Pelosi -- not something that the vast majority of Republicans will overlook.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman peaked on the day in January Newsweek reported he might be running. Even the day he announced got less press. He has been unable to make headway. Yes, there is plenty of time, but the oxygen has been sucked out of the room.

Even the media that turned him into a darling has started ignoring him. Foreign policy is not the major issue. His backing Obama’s stimulus in 2009 hurts him with the base. Heck, he’s even losing Utah — a state in which he served two terms as Governor.

He can turn it around, but it will be very hard to do. And just today comes word his campaign manager is out. Things are not looking good. Whew!

One question:  Why is he running as a Republican after the 2008 when it seems he was an admirer of Obama and then went to China as the US Ambassador after resigning as Governor of Utah.  No way would he have received that appointment if he had not been in Obama's corner.  Obama doesn't reward anyone who was against him in 2008 because you have to remember Obama saying "I WON!" which set the stage for the problems we are in today along with some of his lackluster appointees not to mention his own short comings as the inexperienced President.

Thaddeus McCotter

I see no reason to keep McCotter on this list unless something changes in the next week.

Another why is he running?

Sarah Palin

Last week I reported that people close to Palin are beginning to change their mind and think she might run. Thus far, there have been no signs that she actually is running and I maintain that she is not going to run. I think Rick Perry getting in keeps Palin out, unless she’s getting in to run interference for Perry.

With her high negative numbers would be foolish to get in the race after saying if the right conservative got in the race she wouldn't run.  Don't think she will run and will endorse Rick Perry.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul will not be the nominee. However, a lot of conservatives are giving Paul, unlike Bachmann, a pass on opposing Cut, Cap, and Balance because he did not sign the CCB pledge and previously pledged to never raise the debt ceiling. It will not, however, help him.

Not going to win and has less support today than in 2008 which was almost nil.

Tim Pawlenty

With Rick Perry presumably getting in, I think the game is almost over for Pawlenty. He did everything right. His polling is headed in the right direction. He has gotten key support. But the slow and steady pace is about to get overshadowed.

However, we should be mindful that Pawlenty is boots on the ground in Iowa and is largely camped out there. He could surprise in a big way and we shouldn’t count him out. It’s great to have a national perspective on this, but we shouldn’t be ignorant of what is happening on the ground. And in Iowa, folks tell me that Pawlenty is being seen plenty. The same people, however, tell me they feel like the oxygen is being sucked out of the room by Bachmann and the anticipation of a Perry run.

Gov Pawlenty has not caught fire like I thought he would.  Will someone please tell me why he hired someone from Romney's campaign in 2008?  He has some great ideas but he does not generate the enthusiasm among a lot of people.  I could support him for President and believe he would be a very good addition to the cabinet of the new President in 2012.

Rick Perry

From here on on, we treat Perry as a candidate. News reports say Perry is meeting with donors and meeting with briefers on national issues. He has a ready supply of funders at his call based on his very successful tenure as head of the Republican Governors Association.

When Perry gets in — it is no longer an if in my book — Bachmann goes down in the polls, Pawlenty’s struggles increase, Gingrich gets out, and Cain is toast. But polling also shows Perry takes votes from Mitt Romney, which must have Governor Romney troubled.

Perry will, immediately upon entry, be the subject of withering attacks he’ll have to survive. I suspect he’ll be able to do it.

Rick Perry has been through the rough and tumble Texas polical scene where they have thrown everything but the kitchen sink and in 2008 some of the backers of Kay Bailey did just that at the request of Bush 41 and his band of KB supporters with Karl Rove getting involved and Mitt Romney endorsing KB.  Can tell Mr. Romney one thing -- Rick Perry will never forget that endorsement of Romney and neither will his supporters.


Perry brings enthusiasm to the campaign that has been missing since it first started way too soon.  The former Aggie yell leader is full of energy and has a family that backs him 100%.  The minute Rick Perry announces excitement will hit the campaign trail.  It will be the 800 lb gorilla land in the race ready to hit the ground running. 


Obama will have an opponent that won't lay down and will confront him on the many issues that have affected not only Texas but a lot of states in Middle America.  Oil and gas people are waiting to write those checks to the Governor in big numbers the way Obama has been after oil and gas.  TX and OK have been in the target zone for the EPA for so long and it has gotten worse under Obama.  This Oklahoman and former resident of Texas is proud to support Rick Perry as are many others I know.

Mitt Romney

The most important issue of the day is the debt ceiling and Mitt Romney is not leading on it as the presumed frontrunner for the GOP. He has played it too safe and refused to be out there aggressively. While Rick Perry is authoring op-eds with Nikki Haley on cut, cap, and balance, Mitt Romney is largely crickets.

Having played it too safe and held on to a lead, I think Romney is going to get hurt. He has a definitely ceiling in support and as other candidates start dropping out, I think they’ll gravitate to others, not Romney.

Not only do I not support Romney, but would have a hard time voting for him as his policies are too liberal and he is too attached to his church no matter what he says.  We have seen first hand how the Church influences elected officials -- no thanks.  His endorsement of Kay Bailey in the 2008 Governor's race makes him a non-starter for me on top of everything else.  Also he was the MA Governor and after living in that state for the longest nine months of my life while my husband was on an Industry Assignment for the Air Force, I would never vote for anyone who was Governor of MA.

Rick Santorum

This will be Rick Santorum’s last appearance in the Horserace. I now consider him a former candidate. 

We agree 100% -- he never caught on as a candidate.

Source:  Red State

George Will: Rick Perry: A Texan’s ‘exceptionalism’

On the while this is a very positive article by George Will but we would be remiss if we didn't point out a few things that are not quite right.  Rick was raised a Methodist and the family are members of a Methodist Church in Austin.  He attends a church at times that is closer to the rental house they are living in while the Governor's Mansion is renovated from the fire.   That church is one of the non-denominational mega churches that has sprung up around the Country.  There are a lot of people that have been put off over the years by the mainstream churches as they have trended farther left.  To say that Governor Perry is an evangelical is stretching it a wee bit.

Perry says that as governor, he regularly attends numerous churches to speak. As for why he ultimately chooses to go to one place and not another, he said he administers a simple test. 

"If I remember on Wednesday what the message was on Sunday, it was a good message," Perry said.

Would bet a lot of people who go to church could relate to that last statement.   There are times while listening to a sermon you wonder what a pastor is talking about as they ramble on and on.  We had a Lutheran Church in the town I grew up where the pastor said if it cannot be said in 20 minutes, it is not worth saying and had his wife time his sermons who would give him a heads up when he was approaching 20 minutes.  His messages were ones you did remember.

Would like someone to explain this paragraph to me because most of it makes little sense to people outside the beltway:

 Mitt Romney, the Republican front-runner, might be easier to elect than to nominate. The reverse might be true of Perry. Is he a wine that will not travel? To win the White House, a Republican must be competitive among independents, including women, in places like Montgomery County outside Philadelphia. Perry — his accent, his Westerner’s body language, those boots — is proof that, in spite of the culture’s homogenizing forces, regional differences remain remarkably durable. But so, too, do regional antipathies, some of which have intensified as voters have become more polarized, partly because of a Texas governor who became president.

Speaking for a lot of us in Middle America, Mitt Romney is not someone we want to see as President and after his gaffe in Florida don't think we are alone.  Saying that "I am unemployed" was not a joke and if I was unemployed I would be highly insulted to think a millionaire considers himself unemployed.  All he wants to do is run for President or he could go back to work any day he chooses and if he chose not to work, he has plenty of money not to worry.  It shows that Romney is totally out of touch with grassroots America.

Another thing about the paragraph above that bothers me is why would a Republican candidate worry about what women outside Philadelphia think of our candidate.  When was the last time we could count Pennsylvania as a reliable red state?  Ronald Reagan?  It is what Middle America including Ohio and the south think of Gov Perry and he gets a huge thumbs up from us.

Governor Perry was very well received in NYC by the Republicans but then that doesn't fit the narrative that a Texan cannot win the Presidency again.  Why not?   Would rather have the plain spoken Texan any day than someone who changes their views to get elected.

Rick Perry: A Texan’s ‘exceptionalism’By George F. Will, Published: June 24San Antonio 

In the 1850s, on the steps of the Waco courthouse, Wallace Jefferson’s great-great-great-grandfather was sold. Today, Jefferson is chief justice of Texas’s Supreme Court. The governor who nominated him also nominated the state’s first Latina justice. Rick Perry, 61, the longest-serving governor in Texas history and, in his 11th year, currently the nation’s senior governor, says these nominations are two of his proudest accomplishments. 

French cuffs and cowboy boots are, like sauerkraut ice cream, an eclectic combination, but Perry, who wears both, is a potentially potent candidate for the Republican presidential nomination because his political creed is uneclectic, matching that of the Republican nominating electorate. He was a “10th Amendment conservative” (“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people”) before the Tea Party appeared. And before Barack Obama’s statism — especially Obamacare’s individual mandate — catalyzed concern for the American project of limited government. 

Social issues, especially abortion, are gateways to the Republican nominating electorate: In today’s climate of economic fear, a candidate’s positions on social issues will not be decisive with his electorate — but they can be disqualifying. Perry — an evangelical Christian, like most Republican participants in Iowa’s caucuses and the South Carolina primary — emphatically qualifies. 

Pausing in his enjoyment of a hamburger the size of a hubcap, Perry, the Eagle Scout son of Democratic tenant farmers, says that he entered politics as a Democrat: “I never met a Republican until I was in the Air Force.” Perry’s father had been a B-17 tail gunner flying out of England in 1944. Perry, stationed abroad flying C-130 transports, became a captain and a believer in American exceptionalism. 

He matriculated into the culture wars in the riotous year of 1968. As the University of Texas at Austin was becoming a bastion of liberalism, Perry headed to Texas A&M, which was transitioning from an all-male military school but not from conservatism. He became a Republican in 1989 — “I made both parties happy” — at a younger age than Ronald Reagan did, and he has never lost an election. 

(snip) 

Between 2001 and last June, Texas — a right-to-work state that taxes neither personal income nor capital gains — added more jobs than the other 49 states combined. And since the recovery began two Junes ago, Texas has created 37 percent of America’s net new jobs. 

Excerpt:  Read More at the Washington Post

Senator Rubio: "We Must Save Medicare"

Senator Rubio is not afraid to speak the truth while Obama and the Democrats continue with their well known scare tactics to senior citizens.

Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) Gives Republican Weekly Address -- Oil

Gov Rick Scott (R-FL) Email: Promises Made -- Promises Kept

We would like to tell Governor Rick Scott:  "Job Well Done!"   Most politicians make campaign promises during the heat of the campaign and the minute they take office they are put on the back burner.  Not Governor Scott as he hit the ground running and has never stopped.

Floridians can be extremely happy they elected Rick Scott because if they had elected Alex Sink instead of property tax reductions, they would have been looking at higher taxes to balance the budget.  No way would she be cutting state agencies or anything else as her plan was to increase taxes and grow services from the Government.

It shows what can happen when you elect a businessman to be the Governor instead of a career politician.   This gives us hope that Florida is going to return to Red State American in 2012 with no more votes in Central Florida by Mickey, Minnie, and the gang even though we love the characters.

Dear xxxxxx, I promised to get Florida back to work and turn our state around by cutting taxes, holding government accountable, reducing spending and expanding educational opportunities. Today with the help of the Legislature, I am proud to say that we are on our way to creating 700,000 new jobs for Florida. Under my leadership, we closed a more than $3 billion deficit and balanced the budget, while slashing overall spending by over $2 billion. We began reducing government spending by requiring government workers to contribute directly towards their own retirement, saving taxpayers over $1 billion. We will continue to reorganize government functions, reform the regulatory and rule-making processes, and optimize state agencies to focus on job growth and economic development. In addition, we expanded educational opportunities with passage of virtual education legislation and the expansion of charter schools. There will be more school choices for parents than ever before. I also signed the Student Success Act which rewards the best teachers through a merit pay system while eliminating tenure, allowing under-performing teachers to be more easily replaced. Most important, I kept my promise to reduce property taxes. With the Legislature's help, we will reduce the property tax burden on Florida taxpayers by $210 million. And we began phasing out the business income tax. Almost half of Florida's small businesses will no longer be burdened with this tax. It is through these reforms we are holding the government accountable to the most important person in the state, the taxpayer. With your continued support I will fight to make government more efficient and ensure a brighter future for Florida. Be sure to share our accomplishments here in Florida with your friends and family by encouraging them to check out my website or by sharing my page on Facebook. Regards, Governor Rick Scott

Roger Hedgecock: Donald Trump: The new Perot?

Some friends from San Diego first told me I would really enjoy listening to Roger Hedgecock's program and they were correct. Many times I have turned into his program on the net and never am disappointed.  This latest article from Hedgecock says what a lot of us have been thinking and what is driving the elitist, establishment Republicans up a wall.  Former President George HW Bush and his cronies who support Romney most likely are behind the pit bull, Rove who has gone way over the top with his attacks on Trump.  Unlike some others Rove has taken out, The Donald is fighting back!

For any one who doesn't know, Karl Rove got his start thanks to George HW Bush while he was the head of the RNC during the Nixon years and is still loyal. Bush 41 pushed Mitt Romney in 2008 and is once again pushing him for President. Why? Makes no sense unless it is the connection to his Dad. Romney does not go over well with a lot of the activists and grassroots. Most of us went to McCain instead of Romney which speaks volumes.

Donald Trump has tapped into the Republican grassroots community because unlike what so many of the GOP candidates are doing by being differential to Obama and his Administration, Trump is taking them on with their failed policies and Obama's secret records.

If I see one more political official say they know that Obama was born in Hawaii and let's move on, I am going to scream. First of all, how do they know where he was born as the Certificate of Live Birth is useless. At that time any Tom, Dick, or Harry could walk up to their local issuing place and give the details of when a child was born with zero proof and then fill out the birth announcement for the paper to go along so the birth would be announced. Hawaii was looking for citizens which is even more reason for Obama to provide the long form. 

Only the certified copy of the long form can be used to get a passport. Are these politicians afraid to admit that if Barack Obama the elder was the father that Obama doesn't meet the qualifications to be President from the rules in effect at that time he was born since his mother was 17?  Is there something on it Obama doesn't want people to see?  If that is the case, then have the Speaker of the House and his leadership team along with Pelosi (who has never seen it) and her leadership view the document and certify that Obama is qualified to have run for President.  Speaking of passports, did Obama have an American passport before he became a Senator?  Thanks to Bush 41 who sealed passport records, we cannot find that out either.

Can guarantee you that if any Republican wouldn't release their records, the Obama media would never stop demanding access to the records.  Look what happened to Pres GW Bush on his grades which he finally released. They never quit on his guard records actually reporting on phony records that were proved false but it didn't stop Dan Rather from continuing to say the documents were not correct but it didn't make them not true. HUH?

Donald Trump being willing to get out front of all of this has made a lot of us take notice as he is saying what we have been saying. He has a backbone and will say what needs to be said and has tapped into support of the grassroots who are tired of the elites deciding who to run as being witnessed right now as Rove and others try to take out Trump and it is not working.

Trump is as appalled at the waste and corruption riddling the Obama government as more and more Americans are. Trump has put his reputation on the line, betting that his saying what everyday Americans are thinking will help shape the 2012 debate, force politicians to address the fiscal emergency and maybe even propel him into the White House.

I don't know about the latter, but if Trump succeeds in speaking for an increasingly gloomy America and makes the 2012 election a real debate about solutions, he will have performed a patriot's duty and, like Perot, be honored by his countrymen for his sacrifice.

If Trump makes it to the White House, I'm sure critics will have plenty of fodder for columns like this one, but who else would you rather have as president negotiating for America? I'll take the author of "The Art of the Deal."

Roger Hedgecock is correct who he would rather have negotiating for America -- we agree with him the author, Donald Trump, who wrote "The Art of the Deal" because Trump will be a tough negotiator.

Donald Trump: The new Perot?
Roger Hedgecock
Posted: April 25, 2011
1:00 am Eastern

Donald Trump, like Ross Perot 20 years ago, is a rich, successful, supremely confident salesman and patriot intensely dissatisfied with the competence of the present ruling political elite of both parties.

Trump is speaking out and speaking truth to Obama power like no one else. Like Perot before him, he's used to speaking his mind in blunt terms. He's not beholden to anyone. He scares the ruling elite. To the establishment, Trump has gone rogue.

I've seen this movie before.

In 1992, rich outsider Ross Perot loudly voices dissatisfaction that mirrors widespread public concerns not addressed by existing politicians. Insiders panic, fearing the power of a rogue voice unbeholden to the usual agendas and rich enough to be heard.

Critics tear at "gaffes" ("Larry, they doctored the photo"), paranoia ("they tried to kill me"), past business practices (Didn't his business make millions computerizing Medicare?), charge "racism" ("you people") – anything to stop the public from believing and following the outsider.

But Perot seemed right about a lot of things in 1992 and seems more right today than ever.

His prediction about the ultimate insolvency of Medicare was spot on. His opposition to wars not declared by Congress found support then and certainly rings true four ruinous wars and 20 years later. His criticism of NAFTA and "free trade" sounded like evil protectionism in 1992, but sounds like prophesy to many American ears today. Perot's 1992 advocacy of a balanced federal budget brings moans of "if only we had followed that advice" today.

Blocked from the presidential nomination by either party in 1992, Perot sought third-party recognition as the Reform Party in all 50 states, got it, dropped out of the race at the peak of his popularity, dropped back in right before the election and still got nearly 20 percent of the vote – enough to defeat the incumbent and elect Clinton.

Remembering the Perot experience, I doubt the closed-shop mentality of the political class will allow Trump a fair fight for the Republican presidential nomination.

The insider's character assassination of Donald Trump is intensifying.

Can The Donald starring as The Donald in "The Donald" be serious? Isn't this just another stunt to flatter his considerable ego? Critics flacking for the insiders call Trump a "clown," a "birther," "ignorant," "crazy" in print and worse in private.

But the rising hysteria of the insiders is in direct proportion to Trump's exploding out of political nowhere to capture a significant following and the pole position in early presidential opinion surveys.

In 2011, a significant majority of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, that a government-directed economic recovery funded with borrowed trillions is not working, that the Libya war-that-is-not-a-war is wrong on every level.

With persistent high unemployment, jobs fleeing overseas, constant war, government regulation, taxation and nanny state intrusions turning Americans off, Trump is the loudest voice telling us the Emperor has no clothes, no matter what the New York Times says.

When Trump points out that every country in the world except Obama's America is drilling for oil, gas, coal, gold, copper, etc, etc., to make money, create jobs and improve their citizens' standard of living, Americans are listening. Maybe to the Sierra Club it makes sense that we should not use the riches literally bubbling up under our feet, but to Trump and a majority of Americans, this is just plain nuts.

The Chinese are hacking our computers, threatening our aircraft carriers and undermining our economy. Not one American politician wants to talk about this.

Excerpt: Read more: Donald Trump: The new Perot?

For too long our elected officials at times have been very weak and deferential when talking to foreign leaders especially Obama. We loved it when George Bush stood on the ruins of the World Trade Center and told the terrorists:

“I can hear you! I hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked down these buildings will hear all of us soon!” George Bush at WTC site on September 14, 2001

Then he named the Axis of Evil in his speech following 9/11. What happened to that President who wasn't afraid to take on the world?

We need a President who is as tough as nails and stands up for America from day one to the last day of his term. We want a President who the rest of the world respects but fears. We are seeing daily what it is like to have a wimp for a President who only stands up to our allies like Great Britain and bends over for people who harbor our enemies along with our enemies. Obama has tried his best to get Chavez to really like him but Chavez does not respect a weak President and takes full advantage. Some negotiating team we have -- Obama and Hillary Clinton -- horrible combination.

Right now of all the people who have said they are considering running, only Donald Trump has the proven business and negotiating experience, with a backbone. The chattering class are being driven up a wall as they once again figured they could choose the next Republican nominee -- not going to happen this time. No more Bob Dole's or John McCain's period -- men who were rewarded by the establishment clearing the way for them to run for President.

This time the establishment is not going to move Donald Trump out of the way no matter what. Americans want a real leader who believes we are an Exceptional Country and no one is going to take advantage of us -- Donald Trump is the ONLY person we see that meets that criteria.

Nate Beeler: Sir Barack the Valiant

Scott Brown: 'That Life Made Me the Man I Am Today'

Some people have asked what I don't like about certain elements of the Tea Party such as the Tea Party Express (TPE). Scott Brown is a perfect example along with Olympia Snowe of their short sightedness. They see everything as liberal versus 'true' conservative -- it is not always that way. Massachusetts and Maine are not two Conservative Republican states but this group has the capability of costing us two Senate seats with their tactics if they come into MA like they did Alaska.

Both Scott and Snowe should talk to Lisa Murkowski about the Tea Party Express and their underhanded tactics. Truth means nothing to that group and are a blight on the legitimate Tea Party people. TPE is all about getting people to donate for their choice of who is the best candidate when they don't even live in the State. Our Country Deserves Better PAC is who gets the donations not the Tea Party Express. Don't understand how the Our Country Deserves Better PAC could fund the Tea Party Express because they are nothing like TPE which frankly is out of control and has been almost since it was formed.

They were big time behind Joe Miller who turned out to be a horrible candidate who never could keep a job and broke rules wherever he landed, then Christine O'Donnell of "I am not a witch fame" while wearing a black dress, Sharron Angle who ran one of the worst campaigns ever in NV and refused to listen to long time strategist, and John Raese in WV who keeps running and losing and spends over half his time in Florida. We probably lost the Senate race in Colorado because Ken Buck who should have won could not lose the Tea Party label when trying to say he was a grassroots candidate to bring in the independent votes. He was right he was a Colorado grassroots candidate but the media kept calling him the Tea Party candidate.

Some people from the TPE want to kick out the grassroots of the Republican Party but we are not leaving and will continue to support candidates who can WIN like Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe who vote with us most of the time on the very important issues. Both are very much on board with the military. The Don't Ask Don't Tell was going to be overturned sooner or later and to use that as a wedge issue is stupid.

We support Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe for reelection in 2012 and hope the Tea Party Express finds out that they are not calling the shots in individual states. In fact I hope the American people wake up to their underhanded tactics they used in places like Alaska in 2010 along with their arrogance and quit contributing to their PAC.

We applaud Scott Brown for having the courage to write this book. Don't remember hearing of child abuse cases when I was growing up but over the years more and more has come out as people are no longer afraid to talk about abuse. IMHO, adults who abuse children should be thrown in jail and have the key thrown away. Brown uses nothing for an excuse but talks about how it made him a better person -- how refreshing not to play the victim act.

If I lived in Massachusetts, Scott Brown would definitely have my vote!

Scott Brown: 'That Life Made Me the Man I Am Today'
Feb 21, 2011 – 11:01 AM
Michele McPhee

Sen. Scott Brown gave the first copy of his memoir, "Against All Odds," to his mother, Judith, weeks before news broke that he was sexually abused as a child by a camp counselor, the Massachusetts Republican told AOL News.

It was also the first time his mother would learn about the physical attacks allegedly inflicted on him by her husbands -- childhood traumas he had never shared with anyone.

"I told her, 'I think you need to read this, Mom.' I gave a copy to my sister [Leeann], and she tried to get her to read it too,'' Brown said. "She didn't. She was dealing with some health issues, and I'm not sure she wanted to really know what was in it. It's a difficult process now, but I don't regret writing the book."



                                                                        Josh Reynolds AP
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts says he
has no  regrets about revealing that he was
sexually abused by a camp counselor  as a child.

 Brown said his mother still hasn't read the book, but they've spoken and she told him she's proud of him.

He wrote the book, which hit bookstores today, because "I want people to understand where I came from; why I have voted the way I have voted," he said.

Brown stunned the nation last January when he won a special election for the Senate seat that had been held by Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy for decades -- a startling result in a state that had not elected a Republican since 1972. Kennedy had represented Massachusetts in Congress for 47 years before he died of cancer in 2009.

The memoir details Brown's hardscrabble upbringing in the blue-collar suburbs outside of Boston. It starts with a look at his tumultuous childhood, which was marred by violence against him and his mother, and the poverty that forced him at times to steal food.

"By the time I turned 18, I had moved 17 times and lived in 12 different homes," he wrote. The homes belonged to "relatives and whatever man my mother was married to at the time. We were visitors there; they were never our own."

Brown's mother was married four times. ''Constrained by her choices, good and bad, my mother worked hard, often at multiple jobs, to keep a roof over us, put clothes on our backs, and pay baby sitters, and she bought food and a few extras with whatever was left over," he wrote.

His father was an unfamiliar entity in his life, gone before Brown was a year old. He would materialize only on "rare weekends,'' the senator wrote.

The sexual abuse Brown describes allegedly happened the summer after he finished the fourth grade, when the 10-year-old was sent to a Christian camp on Cape Cod. While he will not name his alleged abuser and said he will not seek prosecution against the man, Brown can recall everything about the assault.

"I can remember how he looked, every inch of him: his long, sandy, light brown hair; his long, full mustache; the beads he wore; the tie-dyed T-shirts and the cutoff jeans, which gave him the look of a hippie,'' Brown wrote. "I was standing there with my pants down, and he came right up next to me and asked me if I needed help, and then he reached out his hand."

What happened next was an account of a brutal fondling that ended only when Brown screamed. He didn't tell a soul because his abuser said, "If you tell anybody, I will kill you."

It was a threat Brown took seriously, citing the incident as one of the reasons he was such a strong proponent of victims' rights in the Massachusetts State House.

"When I am attacked for some of my votes, for not voting in lockstep with the Republican Party, there are reasons for it,'' Brown told AOL News. "I hope these revelations will bring a better understanding to some of the fights I have waged as a legislator."

The alleged childhood abuse is a small part of "Against All Odds." The book describes the life experiences that shaped a politician whose unexpected win was described by his voters as "the Scott heard around the world."

It describes a troubled teenager who was arrested for shoplifting and chastised by a judge who told him to write an essay and concentrate on his athleticism -- advice he heeded. It also explains some of the decisions Brown made as he mounted his political career and some of the obstacles that provided unexpected direction.

Brown joined the National Guard because in the Blizzard of 1978 he saw it as the only organization not helpless in the face of that infamous storm. His prowess on the basketball court got him into college.

After graduating from Tufts University, he found a way to pay for law school by modeling, including a nude spread in Cosmopolitan that earned him the title "America's Sexiest Man.'' He's grateful for that job, he said, because it helped him meet his wife, Gail Huff, a former Boston television reporter. The couple raised two daughters -- Ayla, a former "American Idol" contestant who remains a celebrated singer, and Arianna, who is in medical school.

Looking ahead, Massachusetts Democrats have been very careful about picking a candidate to run against Brown in 2012. The senator hopes to raise $25 million for his re-election bid, which he knows will be more problematic because hard-line tea party activists have taken umbrage at a number of his more moderate votes, including his support of repeal for the military's don't ask, don't tell policy for homosexuals.

Sponsored LinksHe said he doesn't regret a single thing.

"I look back on my life now, though, and I can honestly say that there isn't one thing I would change -- not the arrest, not the violence, not the hunger, not the beatings and the brute struggles, not even cleaning up someone else's vomit in the stairwell of my dorm at Tufts for $10 in quick cash from the resident adviser because I had no money for extra food,'' Brown wrote.

"I wouldn't change any of it. ... Those years and that life made me the man I am today."

Norman, OK, Sanitation Rate Information

Unlike many Republicans that reside in Norman who don't believe in any increase ever for anything, I support the rate increase. The Mayor is correct that we have the best sanitation service. We have lived in other parts of the Country and nothing has ever compared to the great service we get in Norman. Too many Republicans who don't even live in Norman jump on the anti-rate increase for not only the city but for the school issues. If you don't live here, stay out of our elections but then they couldn't grandstand.

There are some people here who vote "no" on everything no matter what it is. Is that a thinking person who cannot decipher what is important and what is not? Not in my book!

Mayor Rosenthal I believe has done a very good job as Mayor and why I supported her for both of her elections.  She may be the best Mayor we have experienced.  It is a non-partisan position so I voted my conscience.  In her first race, the Republicans ran a developer who hardly voted -- will never vote for a developer for Mayor any place after having them on the County Commission in San Bernardino County, CA,  because they do not have the best interest of the citizens in mind.

In the last Mayor election a Republican challenged Rosenthal and ran on 'Don't hump my Norman' about all the speed bumps in neighborhoods. Then we find out he was the first Council Member to request the speed bumps in his neighborhood. Guess they figure voters are not going to catch on or do any research. When the truth came out the spin and the misinformation increased on his behalf. It was disgusting but then we have some in this County that love to keep things stirred up and why I have essentially dropped out of County Party politics.

Hope this is one time that the local members of the Republican Party get their head on straight and support this increase of around 8 cents a day to keep our great sanitation service. I wouldn't bet on it.

Dear Friend,

Across the state, Norman sets the standard for top notch services and a high quality of life, and for the two years in the row, our community was recognized for its leadership by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful. On March 1, Norman voters will decide whether to continue that record of quality public services or take a step back.

You are being asked to approve an increase in sanitation rates in the City of Norman to sustain the great garbage services in this community. Since the last rate increase in 2004, the cost of disposing a ton of garbage has gone from $73 to $112, a 53 percent increase. We have achieved significant efficiencies, using less fuel today than in 2008 and serving 14% more customers per employee than in 2004. The rate request is a modest one (about 8 cents more a day).

No one provides the quality of service that our sanitation workers do, and our services are very efficient and cost-effective. Independent experts have described our services as "well-run." Our service costs per customer per square mile are less than half or two-thirds of other cities. Even with the increase, Norman's rates also will remain at or below other cities around the state.

Nothing is more basic than dependable garbage service, and this is no time for Norman to take steps backwards. Our current rates will not support the current services, and we project a $2 million deficit within three years without a rate increase.

The choice is simple - for 8 cents more a day we can continue high quality sanitation services for our homes and businesses. Please vote "Yes" on March 1.

Sincerely,

Mayor Cindy Rosenthal

Mike Pence: America Wants You

Of all the candidates we keep hearing about with the media pushing them -- Romney, Huckabee, Palin, and Newt -- none of them come close to Mike Pence in our book. Are members of the mainstream media pushing those four so hard because they know they would have a hard time beating Obama? It is not going to be easy to beat Obama, but we believe a man who is a Conservative Champion Mike Pence from Indiana, part of the Heartland of America, gives us the best chance and would make an outstanding President.

Little known fact on Mike Pence is in his teenage years he worked for Democrats but then heard Ronald Reagan and decided the GOP was the way for him. We are extremely happy he made that decision. Know a lot of people who did the same thing. Our Republican Party is better today because of those people who followed the lead of Ronald Reagan and became Republicans!

If you are looking for a candidate with energy and who brings a positive outlook to the scene, it is Mike Pence. His speeches bring you to your feet with optimism on how to make things better in America and get this Country back on the right track after the drift toward socialism we have been experience.  You see an energy level you don't see in many candidates when they speak because when Mike Pence speaks, he speaks from the heart.  You will never have a harder worker than Mike Pence as President.

Some have said he doesn't have executive experience and comes from the House. My reply is that he was head of his fraternity which gives more experience as an executive than other job. Try getting fraternity members all on the same page -- judging by my son's experience as President of his fraternity, it is not an easy task. Pence had his own law firm and was also a talk show host before joining the House. The last two years, he was the head of the Republican Caucus which is some ways is like being President of a fraternity and just as difficult to get them all on the same page.

What I remember most from speeches by Mike Pence is his comment that he is a Christian, Conservative, and Republican in that order. We support him because he is not an 'in your face' type of person, but stands on principle and some things are non-negotiable like being pro-life but also is able to reach out to various groups and doesn't throw someone under the bus because they don't agree with him 100%!

Now ABC News has picked up on this effort to encourage Mike Pence to run:

Less than two weeks before Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., is expected to make an announcement about his political future, conservative leaders are urging him to jump into the 2012 presidential race.

"Seize this moment, Mike," Ryun, along with conservative leaders L. Brent Bozell, Dick Armey and Morton Blackwell, wrote in a letter they sent to Pence on Thursday. "Now is the time for you, as one of this generation's leaders, to take your rightful place in the pantheon of American leadership, to cast aside personal considerations, and defend this God-blessed nation that has given us, and the world, so much."

We think Mike Pence is what this Country needs as President. He would win over voters who are not sure who he is if they listen to him speak or watch him in a debate. He is smart, articulate, and speaks from the heart which we think are character traits necessary in a President. When you hear Pence speak, you know he is not going to waffle, put his finger in the wind to see which way it is blowing or do flip flops like candidates in the past and some office holders have done -- what you see is what you get with Mike Pence.



We support this effort 100% and sincerely hope that Mike Pence is hearing the voices of concerned conservatives who are looking for someone they can get behind and who can reach out to all voters without snarkiness, negativity, or in your face. He has a sense of humor and doesn't take himself too seriously when he gives speeches. There are two members of the House who can say more in their one minute speeches then most can say in five minutes -- Mike Pence of Indiana and Steve King of Iowa who also happen to be good friends.

We believe that in 2012, our Republican candidate needs to come from the Heartland of America where a love of America is instilled at a young age, where we still value what is great about America and believe her best days are still ahead, have been blessed to be born in such a wonderful Country, and it is our obligation to help make things better in America with hard work and sacrifice.

We need to get that Spirit of America back to the White House and cannot think of a better person to do just that than Mike Pence, who comes from Indiana and is a member of the People's House.

January 21, 2011

Dear Sharon,

Thank you for adding your name to the call for Mike Pence to declare his candidacy for presidency. There now are thousands of us.

We are working hard to show Mr. Pence the kind of enthusiasm the idea of his candidacy inspires. So:

1. Please join our Facebook group, The Conservative Champion, by clicking http://j.mp/fYCHSHand clicking on Like; and

2. Please forward this letter to your email friends, telling them that you have signed up at http://theconservativechampion.org/and urging them to click and join you by typing in their name and email address.

Mr. Pence told reporters that he woke to the news of this effort on his radio alarm. By published reports we are making a significant impact on his decision-making.

He reportedly will announce his decision within 10 days. There is no time to waste!

Thank you once again. We'll be writing you again soon to let you know how powerful an impact you are making and to ask you to double down by recruiting friends and acquaintances to come http://theconservativechampion.org/!

With respect,

Ralph Benko
Coordinator

PS, The momentum of our call to Mr. Pence is strong. Let's make it even stronger!

See you and your friends at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Conservative-Champion/183472778341064 and http://theconservativechampion.org/

Governor Mary Fallin is Inaugurated on January 10th, 2011

Bill Simmons (ESPN): Miller Lite Man Up (Skirvin Hotel, OKC)

The Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City which was completely remodeled is becoming legendary -- one of the players for the New York Knicks was the first to go public for everyone to read about the ghosts and now Simmons from ESPN. Can sit here and laugh but ask me if I would ever stay at the Skirvin on the ghost floors and the answer is "No Way!"  Wouldn't get any sleep waiting for something to happen. 

It is a beautiful hotel since all the remodeling and if you want to go first class while in Oklahoma City, it is a hotel I would recommend. 

Waiting for this hotel to show up on one of the ghosthunter shows. 

Enjoy!

MILLER LITE MAN UP
Bill Simmons
January 14, 2011

I flew to Oklahoma City on Wednesday to cross "See Durant play a home game" off my bucket list. After the Zombies thrashed the Nets, I joined some friends at Mickey Mantle's (a local restaurant) for a late dinner and a few beers before heading back to my room. I was staying at the Skirvin, a local hotel that's supposedly inhabited by a ghost named Effie. As legend has it, Effie got knocked up by the guy who owned the hotel back in the 1920s, then jumped out of a window with the baby. She's been allegedly haunting the place ever since.

When we were checking in, I jokingly asked the clerk to put me on one of the haunted floors. She claimed that she did. We laughed and that was the end of it. That night, I was so tired that the ghost stories never entered my mind. I got ready for bed, called my wife, watched 10 minutes of "SportsCenter" and fell asleep. So you know: I am a heavy sleeper. Once I'm out, I'm out.

That's what made it so strange when I woke up at 4:30 with my heart pounding. I swear on Tom Brady's ACLs that the following happened: At first, I heard a baby crying and realized that was why I woke up. I thought it was one of my own kids before remembering that my kids weren't babies anymore, then remembering that I was in Oklahoma City and not Los Angeles. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I wasn't alone. I had an overpowering sensation that someone else was in the room. Until you've experienced that feeling, you can't understand what it's like. Your blood is swishing through your veins at 200 miles an hour, only you don't understand why -- your body reacts a few seconds before your brain does.

I decided to turn on the light. Stretching to my right for the switch, out of nowhere, I heard the sound of (what sure as hell sounded like) a baby crying urgently to my far left (right near the window). Wahhhhhhh. Wahhhhhh. Wahhhhhh. Wahhhhhhh. The urgency freaked me out just as much as the crying itself. I fumbled for the switch, couldn't find it, fumbled, fumbled some more, then finally turned the light on. The crying sound stopped. I hopped out of bed and turned on every other light in the room. I turned on the television and jacked up the volume. Then I grabbed my BlackBerry and Googled "Skirvin crying baby."

A slew of results came up. See for yourself.

I kept the lights on. And the television. And that's how I spent the next three and a half hours -- half-asleep, half-awake and totally spooked. The words "Man Up" did not enter the equation. Not even a little. I came to Oklahoma City for Durant and Westbrook and left telling stories about Effie's baby. Just know that the next time someone tells me a ghost story, I will believe them.

Source:ESPN

Governor Fallin’s Inaugural Food Drive a Success -- Oklahomans Unite to Feed the Hungry; Food Drive Capped with Large Donation from Contractors

We could not think of a more worthwhile cause than this Food Drive by Governor Fallin in honor of her inauguration as Governor.  We hope this becomes a yearly event.  People who don't live in Oklahoma probably don't realize how poor some parts of the state are out in the rural areas.  Know I didn't until traveling around the state. The food banks also helps senior citizens who in the last two years have had no increase in what they receive while health care costs rose with social security.  Some who were on the edge have now become part of a group that has to choose between eating and medication.

The food banks around Oklahoma allow people of all ages to have nourishing meals that they wouldn't have otherwise.  It is a worthy cause and something we all can support. 

Our thanks to Governor Fallin for this event and spotlighting the needs of the Food Banks!

Governor Fallin’s Inaugural Food Drive a Success

Oklahomans Unite to Feed the Hungry; Food Drive Capped with Large Donation from Contractors

OKLAHOMA CITY - The statewide “Feeding Oklahoma” food drive organized by the inaugural committee of Governor Mary Fallin raised more than 20,000 pounds of food and $100,000, the governor announced today. The food drive was capped off with a donation Wednesday of 9,000 pounds of food from the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors. This food and fund drive, which ran through January 10, will provide nearly 680,000 meals to hungry families and seniors this winter.

“Oklahomans are the most caring and giving people around and they proved it by answering the call to participate in the Feeding Oklahoma food drive,” Fallin said. “I want to thank the Oklahoma General Contractors, all our corporate sponsors and everyone who brought in food items. Your willingness to help out our families and neighbors embodies the Oklahoma Spirit which makes our state such a special place to live and raise a family.”

The “Feeding Oklahoma” food and fund drive benefited the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Together, the two food banks serve all 77 counties in Oklahoma.

“We are delighted to be part of such an important initiative,” said Bobby Stem, AOGC executive director. “Our members are can-do men and women who willingly use our resources to benefit those in most need of assistance. We applaud the Governor on taking the lead in meeting such a growing demand in the state of Oklahoma.”

Food donation drop-off sites included: BancFirst locations statewide, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and all Oklahoma City metro area Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. UPS picked up and delivered all donations in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas and local food drive “champions” helped to collect food donations for partner agencies throughout the rest of the state.

In addition to food items, the food drive received significant monetary donations from: the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, SandRidge Energy, ConocoPhillips, the Choctaw Nation and FSB. The food drive raised more than $50,000, an amount that was doubled to $100,000 thanks to Chesapeake Energy, which agreed to match all monetary donations to the Regional Food Bank in the month of December.

“We want to thank Governor Fallin for joining the fight against hunger in our state,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “The Governor’s ‘Feeding Oklahoma’ initiative motivated Oklahomans to donate food and funds to help those who are struggling to keep food on their table this winter and the Oklahoma Food Banks are extremely grateful for the support.”

Oklahoma is the fifth hungriest state in the nation, where one in five children is at risk of hunger every day. The Oklahoma Food Banks serve more than 130,000 people each week, yet it still not enough to keep up with the increased demand.

John Kasich and Mary Taylor sworn in as Ohio Governor and Lt Governor, January 10, 2011

Governor Kasich and family as he is sworn in as Governor of Ohio

Lt Governor Taylor and family as she being sworn in as Lt Governor

Today 'Common Sense' returns to the State of Ohio as Governor Kasich and Lt Governor Taylor were sworn into office.  They have a huge job ahead of returning Ohio's economy to one of strength not weakness.  Ohio has lost so many jobs and saw so many people move out of the State that they lost two Congressional seats this time.

Was born and raised in Ohio but everytime we had a Democrat Governor, our economy tanked.  Couldn't believe it when Ohio elected Strickland, a Democrat, in 2006, who helped drive people out of Ohio with his policies and tax hikes of almost $1B in Ohio.

Now it is time for the Governor and Lt Governor to roll up their sleeves and work to bring some prosperity back to Ohio.  Personally think Ohio relied too much on the automobile industry with their labor union problems in the past.  Remember numerous times the GM works going on strike in Dayton over nothing especially around hunting season.

Love my adopted state of Oklahoma but wish Governor John Kasich and Lt Governor Mary Taylor the very best and hope they are successful in turning Ohio around.  Would love to see Ohio become prosperous again under their leadership. 

Senator Marco Rubio sworn in on January 6th, 2011

Sen Rubio was escorted to the floor of the Senate by Senator Bill Nelson (FL) who Republicans in Florida are looking to defeat in 2012 if he runs. Some have speculated that if the Republicans had taken the Senate that Nelson may have switched but that seems hard to believe.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani blasts Bloomberg over city snow cleanup snafu

Interesting interview with Rudy on the NYC snow cleanup snafu by Mayor Bloomberg.  In all fairness, it looks like the most blame belongs with the city unions and their slow down of the cleanup.  They should all be fired after that stunt!
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani blasts Bloomberg over city snow cleanup snafuLast Updated: 5:08 PM, January 7, 2011

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani hurled snowballs today at Mayor Bloomberg on how it handled last week's blizzard cleanup, saying "it was a big mistake" and that he would have never fouled up such an operation.

"It was a big mistake. [He] didn't declare a snow emergency when predictions were for a decent amount of snow," Giuliani said during an appearance on MSNBC's "The Morning Joe" show.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"Didn't get plows out on time. If there was a slowdown ... you should have picked [the snow] up."

The criticism comes after Bloomberg admitted that the city's efforts to plow streets was not up to snuff.

You get a report every hour that says how many ... streets were plowed. This is computerized. This isn't guesswork," said Giuliani. "Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. Mike has been an excellent mayor and you make mistakes."

A Marist College poll released Thursday showed that attitudes toward Bloomberg's handling of the snowstorm was abysmal.

The mayor scored poorly with 71 percent of New Yorker's disapproving and only 21 percent approving.

Giuliani, known for fighting crime and going after quality of life issues plaguing the city, said the snow fiasco would have never taken place on his watch.

"I was a micro-manager. ... I liked going to the Sanitation garages at 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning," he explained. "People expect a mayor to pick up the snow, to pick up the garbage."

Bloomberg, who has reassigned some sanitation supervisors and demoted its EMS command chief, seized today's snowfall as a chance to restore its image as a government that smoothly handles emergencies.

Along with the GPS devices on some sanitation trucks, teams of workers were deployed throughout the city, toting video cameras that sent live feeds of street conditions back to commanders at emergency headquarters.

Source: New York Post

Presidential Campaign Rumors

We are back from the Fiesta Bowl where our Oklahoma Sooners beat Connecticut on January 1st.  Middle America wins again!  Now it looks like rumors are flying about who is considering running for President in 2012 -- we love Rick Santorum and could easily get behind him.

Today from the Washington Examiner comes this gem:

Seen and heard: You don't suppose he's running for president, do you?

By: David Freddoso 01/05/11 6:23 PM

Online Opinion Editor

A reliable source tells Beltway Confidential that former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is at the Capitol Hill Club tonight, at an event honoring the three new Republican members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation -- Rep. Charlie Bass, Rep. Frank Guinta, and Sen. Kelly Ayotte.

******
We have this gem from Hot Air:

Are You Ready for a President Bachmann  by Allahpundit, 5 Jan 2011

ABC News has learned that Bachmann, R-Minn., also is seriously weighing whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

A source close to the three-term congresswoman said Bachmann will travel to Iowa this month for multiple meetings to seek advice from political forces there and party elders close to the caucus process before coming to a final decision regarding a potential presidential run. Bachmann, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, also is set to deliver a keynote speech at an Iowans for Tax Relief PAC fundraiser Jan. 21 in Des Moines, Iowa…

“Nothing is off the table,” Bachmann chief of staff Andy Parrish told ABC News when asked whether the Iowa trip signaled Bachmann’s intent to run for president. “The congresswoman is excited about her first trip to Iowa this year.”

Anyway. I don’t think she’s serious about this, just looking to capitalize on the media’s primary fee-vah to earn some buzz for a possible Senate run in 2012 when Klobuchar’s seat is up.

We agree with Hot Air that she probably would not get the nomination but we also agree that she would be a prolific fundraiser.

Why not a Santorum/Bachmann ticket. Bachmann is fantastic when interviewed and doesn't do gaffes?  You know where she stands.  All for someone articulate -- no more candidates that have trouble answering questions from the pundits.  Articulate is the name of the game!

We will be following the rumors of new people running.  All of you who read this already know all about Romney, Huckabee, and Palin.  Frankly we support new people running this time and get away from ANYONE who ran in 2008.  Time to go for the Gold and nominate someone new and refreshing to be our nominee to get everyone fired up for the 2012 election.