One Botched Execution in Oklahoma Last Night Brings Up the Question: Why was Governor Fallin Adament on Executing Two Men Last Night Risking a Constitutional Crisis?

Oklahoma court lifts stay of executions, heading off confrontation with governor.  Republican governor Mary Fallin had tried to defy supreme court by making executive order to go ahead with lethal injections (LA Times)

After the botched execution of the first inmate last night -- there were to be two but a stay was given for the second one, I can truthfully say I oppose the death penalty except in rare instances like Terry McVeigh who bombed the Federal Building and then mocked the survivors.  Even then his co-conspirator Terry Nichols is serving a life sentence.  When I found out that there is a percentage of people on death row who were wrongly convicted, then it led me to believe that these executions have to stop.  This was inhumane anyway you view it and am tired of he got what was coming to him.  How does killing someone in the name of revenge for what they did make it right.  Especially from people who declare themselves to be these big Christians I have seen in the comment sections of websites on this.

This went viral around the world and is my hope that it ends the cruel punishment of executing (killing) people who did commit heinous crimes.  Why not let the people live with what they have done by keeping them in prison with no chance of parole?  

Some of us were telling people on Twitter that Governor Fallin had almost caused constitutional crisis with her determination to kill two prisoners in one night with a drug concoction that is still secret where it comes from.  The two convicts asked for a stay to find out more details on the drugs that Oklahoma and other states are keeping secret.

Something about Gov Fallin ordering an investigation into what happens rings very hollow and Christie like.  IMHO Fallin and independent investigation do not belong in the same sentence.  Found out from someone in MO they want to buy the drugs from OK and keep secret where it came from and how it is being used.  What's wrong with these people?  What happened last night in OK was inhuman IMHO.  Death Penalty needs to get the death penalty IMHO!  Noticed that the hard right so-called Christians were gleeful at what happened and that we were putting people to death.  Something about being Christian and lovers of the death penalty don't go together.

Here is the background from last week that went viral around the Country and the world making Oklahoma look like a backwoods State but then after what the Governor has been up to it is probably appropriate.  After last night, it is definitely appropriate.  She has become very dictatorial now vetoing bills to make the OK House do what she demands.  This is what almost led to a Constitutional crisis in Oklahoma because of Fallin and AG Pruitt thinking they are above the Constitution.  Best report of what happened came from the London Guardian -- my bold and red emphasis:

Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin steps into a legal tussle over executions  

Katie Fretland in Tulsa, Oklahoma  

Wednesday 23 April 2014 21.48 EDT

The Oklahoma supreme court has dissolved its stay of the executions of two men who challenged the state's secrecy about its source of lethal injection drugs. The court reversed the decision of a district court judge who said the law that keeps the source secret is unconstitutional. 

The turnaround heads off a potential constitutional crisis sparked by the state's Republican governor, Mary Fallin, who had tried to override the stay by issuing an executive order to go ahead with the sentences. 

A day after the Oklahoma supreme court originally issued a stay of execution for the two convicted killers, the governor issued her own order on Tuesday that the state would carry out the sentences next week, but legal experts said she had no power to do so. 

The court's reversal on Wednesday came hours after a resolution by an Oklahoma House member to try to impeach some of its justices. 

In removing the stay, the court said the inmates had failed to demonstrate "actual injury" and that "the right of access to the courts does not include the right to discover a cause of action" to litigate.

Fallin had said the state supreme court acted “outside the constitutional authority” of its mandate in staying Clayton Lockett's execution. She granted a stay of seven days for Lockett, rescheduling his execution for 29 April, the same day condemned inmate Charles Warner is scheduled to be executed. But legal experts said the supreme court's stays had to be followed and the governor lacked the power to reset the date. 

"Governor Fallin is a politician and not a lawyer," said Randall Coyne, a constitutional law expert at the University of Oklahoma. "According to well-established precedent of the US supreme court, the courts – not executive officials – have the final word on what is constitutional. She of course has the right to disagree with judicial decisions but they remain the law. The governor is dangerously close to precipitating a constitutional crisis." 

The day before Lockett’s planned execution, the Oklahoma supreme court on Monday indefinitely delayed his and Warner's executions while they challenged the constitutionality of a law that keeps secret the source of the state’s execution drugs. The state's highest court stepped in after two weeks of legal tussles in which it and the court of criminal appeals both said they did not have the authority to grant a stay. 

On Tuesday the office of the attorney general, Scott Pruitt, asked the state supreme court to rehear the case, arguing the court had caused chaos for the bifurcated appeals system of the state. The supreme court denied that petition 6 to 3 on Tuesday, essentially rejecting Pruitt’s questioning of the court’s jurisdiction. 

Fallin then stepped in with an executive order, telling Pruitt’s office to file papers with the Oklahoma court of criminal appeals that would give her a blueprint as to how to implement the execution order.  

....  

Eric M Freedman, a constitutional law expert at Hofstra University, said Fallin's order was "pure political posturing". 

“The probability that the state will succeed in carrying out the executions in defiance of the stays entered by the Oklahoma supreme court hovers between zilch and zero," he said. 

Lockett and Warner challenged the constitutionality of an Oklahoma law that keeps the source of execution drugs secret. An Oklahoma county district court judge ruled in their favor in March, and judge Patricia Parrish said the statute violated their right to due process. Lawyers for Lockett and Warner say it would be "unthinkable" to carry out the executions while that challenge was unresolved. 

Oklahoma attorney Stephen Jones, a Republican who served as counsel to Republican governors, said Tuesday's developments were about politics and Fallin has made a power grab of the state judiciary. "It gives them something to campaign upon," Jones said. 

He said executing the men despite the court's stay would create a "nasty confrontation" that the governor and attorney general would legally lose. 

“She should have stayed out of it and let the courts work it out. She doesn’t really have a dog in the fight. Frankly I think it’s a sign of weakness on the part of the attorney general that he got the governor to do that. Scott Pruitt has not practiced much as a lawyer," Jones said. 

Brady R Henderson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, said the governor could delay an execution but resetting the execution date was unlikely to hold up legally. "The Oklahoma constitution simply does not give her the power to do that," Henderson said. 

"It is important to remember that the entire matter comes from a relatively simple request from two condemned men to find out about the drugs that would be used to kill them," he said. 

"There are serious concerns about the conduct of the lethal injection process, and an Oklahoma law attempts to bar the inmates and everybody else from finding out important information about the process. In other words, it puts a veil of secrecy over one of the most grave functions of state government – killing its own citizens." 

Seth Day, an attorney for the two men, said the secrecy surrounding the executions "undermines our courts and democracy". 

"It is unacceptable that Oklahomans have no way of knowing that the scheduled upcoming executions of Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner would be carried out in a constitutional and humane manner," Day said. "It's not even known whether the lethal injection drugs to be used were obtained legally, and nothing is known about their source, purity, or efficacy, among other questions."

As a citizen of Oklahoma, I do not understand why the drug sources and how the quanity was determined are kept secret because no one knows where they were obtained.  It is obvious after the botched execution that the secrecy should be ended if it takes the federal courts.  I am tired of this Governor's office and the Attorney General continually thinking they are above the law and playing politics in this state.  The AG continually suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act plus siding with a for profit business Hobby Lobby before the Supreme Court is over the top.  Pruitt is the worst type of Attorney General because he is a grandstander and now to learn from a Republican lawyer who has advised Republican Governors that Pruit has practiced very little law makes me question why he ran for Attorney General to begin with.  Wish I had NEVER supported or VOTED for him.  You can say the same about Fallin and Janet Barrisi the State School Superintendent.  My eyes are wide open now to the hard right Republican Party in Oklahoma and my answer to them is "JUST SAY NO!"

In case you missed it this is what happened with the execution last night which was botched (understatement) -- Los Angeles Times had the best coverage using AP and Tulsa World sources:

Oklahoma Halts Double Execution After One is Botched
Matt Pearce, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Paresh Dave
April 29, 2014, 10:30 p.m. 

A controversial double execution in Oklahoma was scrubbed Tuesday night after the first inmate to receive an experimental three-drug cocktail writhed and grimaced on the gurney, struggled to lift his head and died of a heart attack more than 40 minutes later, officials and witnesses said. 

Clayton Lockett's bizarre death came after a constitutional showdown in Oklahoma over state execution secrecy laws. It is likely to provoke strong criticism from death penalty critics at a time when similar policies for lethal injections have come under fire across the nation. 

The botched execution will have a huge effect, Deborah W. Denno, a professor at Fordham Law School and a death penalty expert, told the Los Angeles Times. "The entire world was watching this execution." 

According to reporters at the scene, Lockett, 38, received the first dose of the three-drug cocktail at 6:23 p.m. 

The drugs were midazolam, which causes unconsciousness; vecuronium bromide, which stops respiration; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart. They are administered in that order. The state has said the procedure is meant to involve three doctors with hand-held syringes, injecting the drugs into IV lines in both the inmate's arms. 

At 6:33 p.m., 10 minutes after the execution began, a doctor said Lockett was unconscious. But three minutes later, Lockett began to nod and mumble and writhe, witnesses said. 

A spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, citing comments by the department’s director, Robert Patton, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that Lockett did not die immediately after the lethal injection was administered. 

“The director did say that it appears that a vein [in Lockett's body] blew up or exploded, it collapsed, and the drugs were not getting into the system like they were supposed to,” spokesman Jerry Massie said. 

Massie said that after the new injection was administered, the condemned man “was obviously showing some movement.” 

“After several minutes, five minutes, he was not unconscious,” Massie said. “They made a decision to halt the execution, but at 7:06 he suffered a massive heart attack and expired.”
Massie said the inmate had a physician attending to him, a doctor who does not work for the department. Massie could not say whether that physician had ordered the inmate to be taken to a hospital. 

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin had strongly pushed for Tuesday night's double execution. She issued a statement acknowledging the botched death and ordered a two-week delay in the execution of Charles F. Warner, who was to die after Lockett on Tuesday night. 

Click Link to Read More at the LA Times

Latest from LA Times today on this atrocity,  I am using the Times as a source because they are not tainted by local Oklahoma politics.  Frankly having a member of the Oklahoma State Government do the investigation screams cover-up before they even start as the Fallin Administration has the transparency of a gnat:

Molly Hennessy-Fiske
April 30, 2014, 12:57 p.m.
Reporting from Oklahoma City— 

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin promised an independent review of the state’s execution protocols Wednesday after a bungled execution raised questions about the state's handling of capital punishment. 

The Republican governor emphasized, however, that she has faith that state officials were legally correct in proceeding with the execution over the objections of defense lawyers. 

“I believe the legal process worked,” Fallin said, “I believe the death penalty is an appropriate response and punishment for those who commit heinous crimes.” 

Witnesses have said that convicted murderer Clayton Lockett began writhing and mumbling after prison officials administered the lethal injection Tuesday and also was twitching on the gurney. Officials said Lockett subsequently died of a heart attack 

.....

Fallin defied the state Supreme Court’s order for a delay. A legislator sought to impeach the justices. But the unusual double execution was eventually cleared to proceed. 

Oklahoma is one of several states that have grappled with shortages of lethal injection drugs. 

Drug companies, fearful of protests, have refused to supply some of the drugs. Some states have responded by switching drugs, then declining to release information about the new drugs and who had supplied them, citing concern for the welfare of suppliers. 

Oklahoma officials have defended the drugs they use. 

After Fallin spoke, Oklahoma state lawmakers outraged by the execution called a briefing at the Capitol with local NAACP and ACLU leaders. They planned to discuss a proposed joint resolution that would call for a year-long moratorium on executions. A defense attorney was also expected to address the possibility of bringing a lawsuit against the state concerning its lethal injection methods and the drugs used.

Click Link to Read More at the LA Times 

If you live in in Oklahoma and vote, you may want to think twice before casting any votes for Governor Fallin or Attorney General Pruitt.  Will have more on Fallin's latest in vetoing bills to make the Oklahoma House do her bidding this week.

My support and my vote is going to Rep Joe Dorman (D) who speaks for all Oklahomans not just the wealthy donors of the GOP.

Snow, Sleet, Bitter Cold Affects Oklahoma and Heads East!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate winter and this winter in Oklahoma seems to be a lot longer than most.  Usually by now my daffodils are blooming but this year are just coming up through the snow/sleet that came down Sunday.  Daffodils get morning sun so they are always out early but this year full sun has not been that plentiful either compared to the past.

Yesterday at 2:00 in the afternoon it seemed like dusk it was so dark -- finally this afternoon the the temperatures are 23 degrees after spending most of the morning around 10 degrees and at one time the child factor hit -12 below.  Feel like I am back in Ohio not in Oklahoma.  Finally this afternoon snow is melting off the rooftops but now saying it will be dangerous driving tonight as it refreezes.  Hibernated yesterday and doing the same today.  There is absolutely no reason to go outside -- none!

Welcome to winter in Norman, Oklahoma that doesn't want to end!

Picture was taken in the afternoon and after that more came down and streets became totally covered in Norman.  This shows how dark it was yesterday afternoon.  (Norman Transcript)

March 3, 2014 

Layer of ice causes closures, wrecks 

By Jessica BruhaThe Norman Transcript 

NORMAN — After a layer of ice covered roadways this weekend, several area schools canceled classes and activities for today. School closures included Norman, Moore and Noble Public Schools, the University of Oklahoma and Moore Norman Technology Center. 

Oklahoma Highway Patrol stayed extremely busy responding to accidents due to the slick roadways. Lt. Brian Orr said officers responded to 25 to 30 accidents in Cleveland County alone Sunday, many being non-injury accidents. 

“There have been some minor injury accidents, but nothing major,” Orr said. “They’ve been mainly on the interstate.” 

Norman dispatch reported Sunday the police department stopped responding to non-injury accidents and no major collisions occurred. Norman Fire Department reported they did not respond to any weather-related calls Sunday. 

National Weather Service Meteorologist Marc Austin said the Norman area received anywhere from an eighth of an inch to maybe a half-inch of snow and sleet Sunday, with a half-inch possibly being a little inflated of a number. 

Austin said Sunday night there should have been a transition from sleet to snow with more cold air filtering into Oklahoma. There was a possibility for an inch to an inch-and-a-half of snow overnight in the area, he said. 

Low temperatures Monday morning were expected to be in the single digits with wind chills anywhere from -5 to -12, Austin said. In addition, any precipitation that fell Sunday night will most likely stick, causing roadways to still be slick today. 

Highs for Monday will be around 20 degrees, he said. However, it will warm up and melt off later in the week, with temperatures getting closer to the 50s by Wednesday. 

More stories at The Norman Transcript

When the University of Oklahoma closed early last night, you knew that the weather was getting worse and would be a mess today with the roads.  This has to be the most snow days for schools since we have lived in Oklahoma.  Just don't remember the bitter cold that we are seeing this year -- maybe once a year but this is becoming a habit.

After the win against University of Texas in men's basketball on Saturday, don't mind hibernating for two days!

Here's looking forward to warmer temperatures later this week but hearing another storm headed in next week.  Ready for spring!

Boomer Sooner!

Very Familiar Headline in Oklahoma: Abortion Bills Clear Oklahoma House Committee

Where is the Common Sense in Oklahoma?  Republicans have found a new way to attack abortion with feigning concern for the Mother's life in an abortion.  How about the Mother's life if she is forced to carry a child to full term when the child is not viable which could cause physical or mental issues after a doctor recommends a pregnancy be terminated?  You have many doctors who for their own personal reasons will not perform abortions but they will refer their patient to an abortion clinic if they feel an abortion is necessary.  Now the OK legislature is going to tell women they know more than their doctor?

How much more time is going to be spent in the Oklahoma Legislature on abortion bills when Oklahoma has pressing needs to debate like fixing the State Capitol from crumbling, the infrasture that is failing across Oklahoma, or our education system so that a student in rural Oklahoma receives the same high quality education as the larger school districts.  When are legislators going to be willing to bite the bullet and consolidate some of these small school districts and quit worrying if they will get reelected as they need to do the right thing.  Instead once again abortion is front and center in the legislature in a state with some of the toughest laws against abortion on the books.

It is a waste of our tax dollars as the decision should be between the woman and her doctor not the legislature when the procedure is legal across this Country.  Guess they missed the part that abortions are dropping.  Will someone explain to me how a Party that is so dead set against abortion for any reason is also against contraceptives.  What am I missing?  Never has made any sense.

February 13, 2014

Abortion bills clear Okla. House committee 

By SEAN MURPHY

Associated Press 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Two measures to further restrict abortion in Oklahoma easily cleared a House committee on Tuesday over the objection of outnumbered Democrats who argue the bills are unnecessary.

The first bill that the House Public Safety Committee approved would require abortion providers to have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their practice, while the second would restrict the use of abortion-inducing drugs. Both measures head to the full House.

The bills are among several anti-abortion measures that have been introduced this year in Oklahoma’s Republican-controlled Legislature, which has become a testing ground for some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

Rep. Mike Ritze, an osteopathic physician, said his clinical privileges bill is identical to one approved in Texas and is designed to provide a safety mechanism for women who may develop complications as the result of an abortion.

“It’s a safety issue. A person can hemorrhage to death very quickly,” said Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “If you’re dealing with minutes to save somebody ... you better have a backup plan in place.”

Oklahoma already has a law that requires doctors to either have privileges or an agreement with a local doctor with privileges, prompting the head of Oklahoma’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union to question the need for Ritze’s measure.

Read More at the McAlester News-Capital 

Is Rep Ritze (R) grandstanding hoping to run for higher office as his bill makes no sense.  Tired of these males being the judge and jury when it comes to women's health.  This state is regressing not moving forward.   There is one Republican lawmaker with Common Sense which is rare to find in Oklahoma today:

 Not every lawmaker in Oklahoma is pleased with the state’s constant quest to limit women’s access to reproductive health care, however. Last year, state Rep. Doug Cox (R) — who’s a practicing physician — admonished his fellow Republicans for waging a war on abortion and contraception. “What happened to the Republican Party that I joined?” Cox lamented in an op-ed. “What happened to the Republican Party that felt that the government has no business being in an exam room, standing between me and my patient? Where did the party go that felt some decisions in a woman’s life should be made not by legislators and government, but rather by the women, her conscience, her doctor and her God?” 

Maybe someone can explain to me why Oklahoma is emulating Texas.  Must not be Sooner fans because the last thing they would want to do is be like Texas in anything.  This is just dumb to copy a state that has been on the attack against women's rights by the white GOP male dominated State Government of Texas.  Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott who is running for Texas Governor is one of the leaders of the War on Women in Texas.  Abbott is opposed by Democrat Wendy Davis who polls close to Abbot almost across the board.  Could Davis flip Texas Blue?  It could happen with the neanderthal GOP and some of their male candidates in Texas where all common sense has been thrown out the window.

Oklahoma Considers Enacting Texas-Style Abortion Restrictions 

BY TARA CULP-RESSLER ON FEBRUARY 12, 2014 AT 10:30 AM 

Oklahoma lawmakers are currently advancing two measures intended to restrict abortion access even further in a state that already makes it incredibly difficult to end a pregnancy. On Tuesday, a House committee approved a harsh abortion restriction that’s directly modeled after a new law in Texas that has forced dozens of clinics to close in the Lone Star State. 

One of the proposed measures would require abortion providers in Oklahoma to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their practice. Essentially, doctors would need to enter into a partnership with a local hospital, just in case one of their patients experiences serious complications from an abortion procedure and needs to be transferred there — even though the rate of complications from abortion that are serious enough to require hospitalization is estimated at just 0.5 percent. 

This type of unnecessary state law is known as the “targeted regulation of abortion providers,” or TRAP. Oklahoma actually already has an existing TRAP law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges. It just doesn’t specify that the hospitals in question must be within a 30-mile radius. 

The state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is skeptical that it’s really necessary to enact additional legislation in this area. “We’re being given a rationale that’s grounded in providing a safe atmosphere for Oklahoma’s women, but at the end of the day that’s just smoke and mirrors,” the director of Oklahoma’s ACLU, Ryan Kiesel, noted.

Read More at Think Progress

Then there is the new Ohio law.  Shocked some Oklahoma legislator didn't file a bill like that for Oklahoma.  Maybe they did and I missed it since this was enacted last year in Ohio my home state which is getting just as hard right as Oklahoma.  Never thought I would see that happen.

Ohio’s New Abortion Ban Forces Women To Continue Doomed Pregnancies Against Their Doctors’ Wishes 

BY TARA CULP-RESSLER ON FEBRUARY 11, 2014 AT 11:48 AM

Thanks to harsh new abortion restrictions in place in Ohio, doctors are warning that they can’t provide the best care for their patients — and sometimes, women are being forced to carry nonviable fetuses to term against the recommendations of medical professionals. 

Last year, Ohio enacted several new laws that further regulate the way that doctors are allowed to practice. Abortion doctors are now required to obtain transfer agreements with local hospitals, an unnecessary requirement that is forcing clinics out of business. And doctors are prohibited from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy unless the fetus is nonviable; by 24 weeks, abortion is outlawed altogether. 

Since the new law doesn’t adequately distinguish between elective abortions and medically necessary abortions, doctors warn that it’s forcing them to withhold critical health services from their patients. Sometimes, serious fetal abnormalities aren’t evident until women are past the legal limit for termination. Thanks to Ohio’s new law, however, doctors’ hands are tied when they encounter those situations. 

Dr. Jason Melillo, an OB-GYN who does not perform elective abortions because he is religiously opposed to the procedure, told the Columbus Dispatch that he will still refer patients to abortion services if it’s medically necessary. For instance, he had a recent patient who discovered that her fetus had a fatal chromosome condition, and he recommended that she should terminate to avoid the risk of future complications. But it was too late. 

“By this point she was 27 weeks. The doctors were saying they can’t do it. There wasn’t even a medical debate about it. Everyone agreed she shouldn’t deliver but were afraid they would run afoul of this law,” Melillo explained. “What if she gets a blood clot? What if she needs a cesarean section? Now you’re putting this woman through risky medical procedures for no good reason.” 

“Nobody likes to end a pregnancy for a fetal problem. But it’s worse to leave a patient without medical care because doctors are afraid of violating the law,” he continued. 

Later abortion procedures are very rare, but they often occur in the most heartbreaking of circumstances: Wanted pregnancies that end up going terribly wrong. In states that have enacted bans on later abortions without adequate health exceptions, doctors have repeatedly warned that cutting off access to medically necessary abortions could end up forcing women to carry nonviable pregnancies to term, risking their health and their emotional well being. These type of later-term abortion bans also disproportionately harm young, low-income women.

Read More at Think Progress 

What is going on with all these abortion bills in the states?  Is this coming out of ALEC?

Kansas House approves bill to tweak state's abortion law
KMBC Kansas City‎ - 2 days ago

South Dakota Bill Could Ban Abortion as Early as Seven Weeks
RH Reality Check‎ - 1 day ago

Some of these are the same males that do not want an exception for life of the mother, incest, or rape. How can you make a woman who has been raped carry that child to full term and relive it every day -- most women could not handle it.

Anti-abortion all-stars. Federal lawmakers made news last year when an all-male House committee convened a hearing on abortion (twice). Male legislators dominate in proposing anti-abortion bills in the states, too. Of the 330 state lawmakers to sponsor such measures last year, 257—more than 75 percent—were men. Seventy-three were women. (According to the National Conference of State Legislators, about 75 percent of state lawmakers in 2013 were male.) About 1 in every 25 female legislators, and 1 in every 20 male legislators, sponsored an anti-abortion bill. The vast majority of the sponsors, 310 in all, were Republicans; 20 were Democrats.

The War on Women continues by the Republican dominated legislatures and House of Representatives.  Time to return Common Sense to this Country and throw out the social conservatives.  For a Party that wants smaller government, they sure do pass a lot of laws trying to regulate how a person handles their health or their lives. Personally don't think it is my business to tell another woman what she should do -- don't walk in their shoes and until someone does, then they have no business dictating.   Very sick and tired of the GOP and the hard right social engineering.  Will voters finally wake up to how much of our tax dollars are being wasted on the hard right's demand that only their agenda be followed.  Enough is enough -- vote them out in 2014!

Oklahoma GOP Legislator Wants to End Marriage in Oklahoma to Keep Out Gay Marriage! WHAT?

Thought I would have some fun today after spending my weekend laughing and talking to friends around the Country reminding them I said the OK GOP when we moved here January 1997 was on the loony side with the hard right seemingly playing a major role.  No one believed me and told me no way could it be that bad.  My friends, the skeptics, are skeptics no more after the latest out of an Oklahoma state representative from Edmond, OK, home of Sally Kern who I didn't think could be topped for some far out ideas, but I was wrong.

Oklahoma Representative wants to do away with all marriage to stop gay marriage in Oklahoma:

Lawmakers Consider Preventing ALL Marriage In Oklahoma 

Posted: Jan 24, 2014 4:51PM CSTMichael Konopasek, News 9 

State lawmakers are considering throwing out marriage in Oklahoma. 

The idea stems from a bill filed by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Edmond). Turner says it's an attempt to keep same-sex marriage illegal in Oklahoma while satisfying the U.S. Constitution. Critics are calling it a political stunt while supporters say it's what Oklahomans want. 

"[My constituents are] willing to have that discussion about whether marriage needs to be regulated by the state at all," Turner said. 

Other conservative lawmakers feel the same way, according to Turner. 

"Would it be realistic for the State of Oklahoma to say, ‘We're not going to do marriage period,'" asked News 9's Michael Konopasek. 

"That would definitely be a realistic opportunity, and it's something that would be part of the discussion," Turner answered. 

Such a discussion will be made possible by a current shell bill -- something that can be changed at almost any time to react to upcoming rulings on Oklahoma's same-sex marriage ban. 

"I think that, especially with issues like this, [these lawmakers are] out of touch with most Oklahomans," said Ryan Kiesel, ACLU Oklahoma executive detector. 

Kiesel says prohibiting all marriage is new territory. In fact, the ACLU was unable to find an example of where a state has ever tried to ban all marriage. Kiesel believes the entire idea just boils down to politics. 

"Moving forward I think we'll see less efforts like this," Kiesel said. 

Turner admits his idea makes a lot of people uncomfortable. He also says, "I accept that." Turner plans to wait until the federal appeals process plays out. The fight over Oklahoma's ban on same-sex marriage will now head to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver

Took to Twitter after my son sent me this link calling this guy "Idiot of the Week" which says a lot because there are any number of Oklahoma Republican elected officials who could fill that title, but this guy is a lock.

After taking to Twitter, I came up with a solution if the idiots at the Capitol in Oklahoma City pass this no marriage bill in the legislature as their answer to gay marriage and the governor signs the bill.  Here in Oklahoma as with other states the territorial lands of the Indian tribes are not subject to laws passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor or state referendums.  (Note:  On Indian reservations, however, only Federal and tribal laws apply to members of the Tribe unless the Congress provides otherwise.)  No tribe in Oklahoma is going to do anything but laugh about this idea.  They are too smart to even think this should apply to their territory.  

With that in mind, I came up with the idea that the casinos on tribal lands should open up wedding chapels as a lot of them have hotels and offer a package deal for the weekend.  There is one south of Norman so you get married, have your room with perks, and the casino gives you a gift of some tokens to spend.  Simple, legal, and a way for the tribes to thumb their nose at the state government.  Gays can already marry in Indian territory so why not include heterosexuals if OK State Government chooses to do away with all marriage in OK.

Lo and behold, I heard from several friends in the tribes saying that was an outstanding idea, and they should think about it.  I told them I want a cut for my idea and they laughed.  I laughed most of the afternoon yesterday because it was so funny to me that any member of the legislature could be this dumb and the fact he has support from others made it funnier.

It has gone viral around the Country that Oklahoma is considering doing away with marriage to stop gay marriage.  I keep hearing from people in various parts of the Country with their mea culpa to me on Oklahoma politics.  Anyone who has known me for years knows I have been complaining about OK GOP going back years since getting involved several years after we moved to Norman in January 1997.

On a more serious note,  The Journal Record had an article in the pay portion of their site:

Legislators’ attempts to maintain a stance against same-sex marriage in Oklahoma are difficult to market as an attractive reason for businesses to move to the state, economic development experts said.

When the Republicans took over state government in 2011, we had a surplus every year including when other states had deficits during the recession.  Our unemployment numbers were low, housing didn't take a huge hit, and the economy kept on going.  Now it is 2014 and our state has almost $200M less revenue than predicted for the budget.  

Oklahoma leads the nation in cuts to education per pupil since 2008, #49 in teacher pay and if they give a $2,000 pay raise, we will still be #49.  Today learned from The Oklahoma Policy Institute that a list by 24/7 Wall Street finds Oklahoma provides the fourth least government benefits in the nation, including pensions, education funding, and Medicaid payments. That is not all from OK Policy.Org today, there is more just today: 

226.7 percentJanuary 27th, 2014
Increase in Oklahoma’s diabetes rate from 1995-2010, the largest relative increase in the nation.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Oklahoma’s oil and gas tax breaks top $300 million
Tax breaks for horizontal drilling and other forms of oil and gas production are projected to cost the state over $300 million this fiscal year and next, according to new calculations by Oklahoma Policy Institute.  

We learned last week even though the state has an almost $200M shortfall in the budget that Gov Fallin wants to bring back the tax cut they passed last session that was overturned by the Court.  All I can do is shake my head at the abject stupidity of Republicans and their tax cuts that make the wealthy even wealthier and provide little to nothing for the middle class and poor.  Money doesn't flow back into the economy -- it flows into offshore accounts.  Just ask Mitt Romney.

There are rumblings that a few oil and gas owners think the rate for horizontal drilling should be raised but no one pays attention as the GOP is the party of the tax cuts no matter if it hurts education and infrastructure.  We have some people in our legislature who believe infrastructure should be financed on a pay as you go basis instead of with bonds which are a bargain today.  Any common sense in economics is missing from the GOP dominated OK Legislature but we have more than our fair share of hard right as witnessed by the bills to keep gay marriage out of the state, marriage laws to prevent divorce that some believe have increased spousal abuse, immigration laws, not to mention Oklahoma leads the nation in restrictions on abortions which keep getting overturned by the Courts as unconstitutional.

What is the answer from Republicans, we must change the way judges are chosen so their (unconstitutional) laws will stand -- constitution means nothing to these people.  We have people here who believe that the State Laws should always trump Federal Law.  We saw that play out with the Governor and the National Guard on spousal benefits for same sex couples where some Guard Members had to travel several hours to sign up for benefits.  These people protect us and because they don't fit the Republican idea of marriage in Oklahoma, they are to be punished?

Never thought I would be saying this, but I am ready to see Oklahoma turn back Blue and get some common sense in state government.  I miss Gov Henry and his low key approach to getting the job done.  Worst thing that happened was Republicans and ALEC taking full control of Oklahoma State Government.  I can name a few Republicans in State Government who believe in doing their job representing all Oklahomans but they can be counted on two hands compared to the large number of hard right now in charge in Oklahoma.  If not hard right, many elected officials bow down to them and their loony ideas.

If you live in Oklahoma or know someone from here, tell them to think long and hard before supporting Republicans because they are tanking this state with their hard right ALEC agenda.  The Democrats have come up with some good people to run for office in 2014 which will be spotlighting in the days ahead.   We need to roll up our sleeves and get some common sense back in this state and evict the loons from office with their 'my way or no way' agenda.  For a group of people who love to spout less Government, they love to tell the rest of us how to live and what we can do in our homes to which I say Bravo Sierra.

Have a great rest of the day!  

Why do Republicans in Red States Hate Public Education?

It is understandable with some of the cuts to all programs in a state with a bad recession but here in Oklahoma, the recession was so bad (sarcasm) it left the state with plenty of rainy day funds as they ran a surplus. This year for the first time I can remember since we moved here in January 1997, Oklahoma has almost $200M less incoming revenue.  We are $200M in the hole and Republican Governor Fallin wants a tax cut along with some of the legislature.  Trickle down economics is one of the biggest myths perpetrated on the citizens of this Country -- it doesn't work.  Here are the links to the facts:

When President Obama on Tuesday declared that decades of Republican trickle-down economics "never worked," conservatives were predictably apoplectic. 

But for all of their protests of "class warfare", "socialism" and worse, Obama was being kind to the Republican ideologues. After all, as the historical record shows, from economic growth and job creation to stock market performance and just about every other indicator of the health of American capitalism, the modern U.S. economy has almost always done better under Democratic presidents. Despite GOP mythology to the contrary, America generally gained more jobs and grew faster when taxes were higher (even much higher) and income inequality lower. And while the U.S. recovery from the Bush recession remains painfully slow, most economists - including the nonpartisan CBO and some of John McCain's own 2008 advisers - believe President Obama saved it from the abyss.

Excerpt:  Read more from Crooks and Liars 

Will someone tell me why Republicans have such a problem with reading comprehension and are dead set on giving tax cuts when you already in the red on income in your state?  The more I see and hear these GOP office holders pontificate, the possibility that these GOP office holders are bought and paid for by ALEC, Koch Bros, Chamber, and other major donors is rearing its ugly head.

Why would a state like Oklahoma that was not really affected by the recession cut Education spending per student from FY 08 to FY 14 by 22.8%.  As a parent here, I have heard the Republican evangelical anti-education mantra against public schools:

• Don't teach the Bible
• Don't allow organized Christian prayers
• Teach evolution in biology; refuse to teach creationism
• Teach the earth is 4.5 billion years old not 7,500 years 
• Visit Sam Noble Museum of Natural History
• Teach the Founding Fathers did not use the Bible when they wrote the Constitution (that blew my mind)
• Teach Sex Education instead of Abstinence Based

From the Center on Budget and Priorities:

The Republicans are all for using tax dollars for charter schools and vouchers.  Their voucher idea this term is a joke because the only schools parents would be able to send their students are evangelical schools not the good Catholic schools in Oklahoma City.  A lot of charter schools across the Country are owned by GOP donors (imagine that).   Why should tax payers have to support evangelical schools that are not subject to the same rules and regulations of the public schools?  Hard right Republicans may have taken over the State but there are a lot parents furious at what we see out of the legislature on the amount they are cutting education which is against the Oklahoma Constitution.  Teachers don't get pay raises, The Governor and State School Superintendent Barissi ignore what OU and OSU have to say about their plans on testing.  A bill is submitted on 3rd graders having to pass a reading test to move on that doesn't leave an exemption for special education.   Oklahoma is going back in time on education instead of forward.

Education is so important and time for Oklahomans to take this state back Blue and throw out the hard right Tea Party/ALEC Republicans to return some common sense to this state especially on education. What we are seeing on Oklahoma is a tragedy for our students.  If your child is not in one of the best school systems in the State and Country, then your child is going to be left way behind as they go to college in the future.  To lead the Country in cuts in education per student is a travesty that the Republicans need to answer to Oklahomans WHY?

Once again, Oklahoma did not suffer in the recession as much as other states but we are #7 in the Country for less dollars spent per student.  Bring it up to a Republican and get told we have other priorities.  They are unable to answer what priorities.  Since we are seeing the same bills submitted in OK and NM, assuming ALEC told them what to cut in the state and what needs passed so my next is "What do the Koch Bros have against education?"  Are these wealthy donors and GOP elected officials afraid that an educated America will catch on to their scams and lies they are spouting?

Oklahoma is #9 out of 15 states who cut student spending for FY 13 to FY 14 -- bet we lead the country next year on this with a $200M shortfall because education will probably #1 for cuts.  That's how much confidence I have in this GOP Legislature based on prior experience.  Will never understand how a state sitting surpluses with a lot in the rainy day fund manages to be one of the leaders in cuts to education.  If you look at infrastructure, it is the same deal.

Maybe if the Oklahoma Legislature stopped passing bills that keep getting overturned on social issues like abortion that cost our state money to defend in the courts, we might have more money.  Our AG is still fighting ACA.  How much has been spent on defending unconstitutional bills that any Civics student would know would never pass the court tests?  Where is the accounting?  Why are most of Oklahoma's bills written by lobbyists, ALEC, and Chamber not the representatives themselves?  Why is Oklahoma #2 in ALEC bills passed?  The list of Why's go on and on.  GOP answer to have bills overturned for being unconstitutional is change the way judges are selected.  First time I heard that I said WHAT?  They don't like a ruling so let's throw out the judge instead of taking responsibility for passing unconstitutional bills time after time by the Republican Legislature.

There is only one solution that this former Republican supporter can come up with and that is to throw out the religious right, hard right, Tea Party and Republicans as a whole from governing as they have proven since 2010 that they cannot handle being in control of all of State Government.  Who wants to move to Oklahoma when you find out it is #1 in cuts to education and #1 in anti-abortion bills passed and signed into law that keep getting overturned.  This is what happens when you have a hard right attorney general who puts religion above the law IMHO or he would be saying these bills will never pass the Courts.

The hard right is destroying Oklahoma IMHO with their 'my way or no way' attitude.  Their attacks on gay marriage are so far over the top I cringe.  They want to tell people when they can get married and divorced like they are the experts.  They need out of our bedrooms and out of our lives.  For a party that wants less Government in their lives, they sure do want the rest of us to have MORE Government in ours as long as it it conforms with their religious beliefs.

After Huckabee, Pierce (NM), and other GOP defending the two, this little bit of humor fits!

The Clean Energy Economy is Working!

When I received this email from The White House, it struck a chord as the home we bought in Yucaipa, CA, in 1982 had solar panels on the red tile roof to provide all the hot water we needed.  We had a 30 gallon back-up hot water tank that was barely used except for a few nights when the temperatures in the foothills were going below freezing.  The rest of the year we would be on 100% solar hot water with an 80 gallon hot water tank.  Our gas bills in the summer were $4.50 and that was fees.  It was a brand new home with the solar hot water that sold us on the home over another one that was similar with no solar hot water.  We were looking to buy after moving from Beavercreek, Ohio, when my husband was transferred from Wright-Patterson AFB to Norton AFB to work on the M-X Missile and Minuteman programs.  My favorite place to live was Southern California for a host of reasons.  Going back East was not my idea of a great transfer -- considered it the worst ever to end up in Massachusetts where they were still heating with fuel oil which came in big trucks to fill up this huge tank with the huge bill.  I grew up in a home in Ohio with natural gas.

We went from energy efficiency with clean water from our taps that came from mountains also sold by Arrowhead Water as bottled water to having to buy water because the water in that area was contaminated since their lakes were contaminated by dumping of chemicals from their manufacturing over the years. Less then impressed not to mention the people were rude.  All I wanted to do was go back to our home in California and forget I ever knew Massachusetts.

Funny thing was when we eventually got the transfer to Kelly AFB in San Antonio after a stop back at Wright-Patt, I ran into more women whose husbands had been stationed at Fort Devins who hated that area as much as I did -- not one person liked living there.  They didn't even have cable TV or video stores in the area like we had in SoCal and an archaic school system on top of everything else with small little groceries unless you drove 40 miles which I did.  Dukakis may be the worst education governor I have ever seen in the states where we have lived.  My daughter in 3rd grade was learning what she had in 2nd grade in CA.  Then there was the very old school which had the old floors like I had when I went to school before they built the new elementary in my small home town and we went there to school.

You cannot fathom my shock at going to fuel oil from natural gas, solar, and cheap electricity we had in Yucaipa.  Our average summer bill was $15 combined and our winter bill was $79 a month combined in Yucaipa. We went to over $600 a month in MA for inefficiency -- you could say I was less then happy which is an understatement.  Went from a laundry room off my kitchen to laundry in the basement where half the floor was dirt so I went to the laundromat -- not about to go down those rickety steps to a basement that flooded when the snow melted or it rained.

That was 1986 and we were paying $1400 a month rent -- only house we could find that could take our furniture which was an updated (their words) farm house.  No one we knew even thought of energy efficiency in that area.  We had little to no insulation in the house, couldn't use the fireplace -- too dangerous so we ran the hot water radiators with fuel oil.  When I asked about natural gas, the owner laughed in my face.  It was hard to take Massachusetts on many levels with energy efficiency being one of them.   That night at the end of May when the movers pulled out after loading the truck, I told my husband I am not spending one more night in this ... state so we drove to New York.

Our automatic windows quit working on our station wagon that spent most of the winter in a damp garage never leaving it because of the ice in the circular driveway.  The lady at the toll booth said not to open my door but to roll down the window to pay the toll -- I opened up the door, threw the money at her and told her to take the whole archaic state of MA and shove it!  Got back in my car and drove into New York with my kids laughing like crazy.  It was funny hearing my older two tell their Dad what had happened.

It took all these years with Republicans killing the solar energy credits to get a utility company which believes in clean energy here in Norman, OK.  My average bill a month for the whole year is $95 for OGE and ONG combined.  Getting natural gas back from all electric homes was awesome when we moved to this home in 2001.  Add to that OGE's clean energy efforts to keep from building more coal fired power plants by taking stimulus money and implementing the Smart Grid with Smart Meters across over 90% of Oklahoma in less time then they predicted along with installing wind mill farms across the state has made me one happy consumer.

Norman is on wind energy power today -- started with the University of Oklahoma and then spread to the City Norman.  Feel so fortunate to live in Norman where clean energy is supported by the residents. I am on 100% wind power and love the Smart Meter in the summer time which has cut my energy costs here.   Next up in becoming energy efficient is the sun porch with putting in new windows and a door. Already have done the insulation to the sun porch which helped a lot but now needs new windows and door.  Next winter plastic will not be over the windows to keep the cold out and the last several days it has been very cold.

Fully support the Clean Energy initiatives.  It is great to see the progress that is being made.  Don't think it is too much for all of us to ask for cleaner air, cleaner water, and less cost for energy we use every day by becoming more energy efficient.

Every month when I pay our utility bill from OGE, I donate to a fund to help people who cannot afford their electricity.   Was asked last year by a Republican I know after I said I donated every month to the fund, "Why?"  Went on to say the people taking advantage are losers and don't deserve help.  Told him what I thought of his statement and now he never comes near me.  All that pent-up anger at the selfish, self-centered, obnoxious, arrogant GOP came out.  I wouldn't want to talk to me again either.

The very idea that we are not supposed to help those less fortunate goes against everything I believe. When you have to decide between food, medicine, or heat because you are laid off, work for the minimum wage, or you get so little from social security then there is something wrong with the system. The vast majority of people are not unemployed because they want to be.  A lot of people who are working a full-time job at the minimum wage cannot afford everything which a travesty in this Country. We have lower ranking military who are on food stamps because they have a family to feed.  That's just wrong.  Will continue to contribute every month as many Oklahomans do across this State to help others.  It is not the average Oklahoman, it is our stupid elected officials who are sent to DC who are the problem.  Oklahoma is very giving state as we show in times of natural disasters -- shame our cheapskate elected officials missed the boat.

This news is great for America and American families from the Obama Administration initiatives for clean energy now we all need to do our part in making it even better!

The Clean Energy Economy in Three Charts

Dan Utech

January 06, 2014 

05:10 PM EST

Over the last five years, American inventors and investors have delivered significant progress in developing and deploying key clean energy technologies, supported by Administration policies.  Electricity production from solar and wind has doubled.  Our cars and trucks go further on a gallon of gasoline, saving families money at the pump.  And in 2012, U.S. carbon pollution fell to its lowest level in nearly 20 years. The simple fact is that key clean energy technology costs are continuing to come down, and these technologies are producing more American energy than ever before.

Wind Energy

In 2012, wind was America’s largest source of new electricity generation capacity, accounting for 43 percent of all new installations. Altogether the United States has deployed about 60 gigawatts of wind power — enough to power 15 million homes. This growth in wind deployment has spurred more U.S. manufacturing.  A recent DOE wind market report estimates 72 percent of the wind turbine equipment installed in the United States last year was made by domestic manufacturers, nearly tripling from 25 percent in 2006-2007. And according to the American Wind Energy Association, by 2012 there were well over 80,000 workers employed in wind-related jobs in the U.S. 

Supported by Administration investments, generation of electricity from wind and solar has more than doubled, and the costs of solar and wind technologies have come down significantly.  

Solar Energy

Since 2008, the price of solar panels has fallen by 75 percent, and solar installations have increased by a factor of 13. Administration support has helped to launch some largest solar projects in the world, and renewable energy permitting on federal lands has gone from virtually zero to nearly 50 approved solar, wind and geothermal utility-scale projects on public lands, since 2009, including associated transmission corridors and infrastructure to connect to established power grids. When built, these projects add up to more than 13,300 megawatts – enough energy to power 4.6 million homes and support more than 19,000 construction and operations jobs.

See White House website for details on Better Vehicles that are meeting clean energy standards as the third leg of the clean energy initiative.

Oklahoma ranks 46th in Spending on Mental Health

The hits keep on coming about the lousy state of affairs with healthcare in Oklahoma.  When it is not being dead last in Women's Health, it is being 46th in spending on Mental Health.

Had saved this story earlier to show how bad in Oklahoma it is with mental health when the state reverses cuts to add more and they are still ranked near the bottom.  Suicide is #2 in deaths trailing only accidental injuries according to a report from Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health.  The fact that people 15 to 34 are committing suicide at such an alarming rate should cause the Republican Legislature to take a few giant leaps as advocated by the Journal Record not give a 5.6% increase after years of cutting and neglect.

A story in the Journal Record cites a statistic from the state’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services that people with severe mental illness die 25 years sooner than those without. There is no available psychiatric diagnosis on Alexis or Lanza, but a police bullet is certainly one way those lives are shortened. Failure to seek medical treatment is another, as is failure to maintain a medicine regimen, and, unfortunately, suicide. In Oklahoma, suicide is the second most common cause of death among people age 15 to 34, trailing only accidental injuries. 

Oklahoma’s per capita spending on mental health in fiscal year 2010 was an appalling $53.05, 46th among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The average per capita spending in the United States is $120.56; that’s 2.27 times what Oklahoma spends. Every adjacent state except Texas spends more. It will improve slightly for fiscal year 2014 because Gov. Mary Fallin proposed and the Legislature passed a $17.4 million increase for the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Department. The money is desperately needed, but it’s only a 5.6-percent raise after decades of budgetary neglect. 

That’s a step in the right direction, but lawmakers must consider a few giant leaps.

Read more from AP which is not flattering to the Republican run Oklahoma: 

Oklahoma also cut mental health programs in 2010 and 2011. But Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, a conservative elected in the GOP landslide of 2010 on a promise to cut spending, reversed course last year after grim warnings about the effect on public safety, and after several teen suicides in Oklahoma City.

"There just weren't enough resources," said Harry Tyler, director of the Mental Health Association of Central Oklahoma. 

Fallin approved a 20 percent budget increase and has pledged to make mental health a priority again this year. 

"You'll see more emphasis on being able to identify people that might have mental health challenges," she said. 

Tyler said he would encourage Fallin to provide more money for screening teenagers who could endanger themselves or others.

This is the highlight of the major bills the Legislature Passed and the Governor signed.  BTW, the cost of driver's license are being raised by $12 to make up for the tax cut.  Typical Republican response -- cut taxes for the wealthy and raise fees.  The average taxpayer will save an average of $82 a year or around $1.50 a week while someone with a $250,000 tax bill will now pay $6,250 less or $120 a week.  Can someone explain to me why the legislature would pass a bill knowing it is against the State Constitution as a bill cannot contain more then one subject?  From the Tulsa World:

Tax cut: Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law House Bill 2032, which will reduce the state's top income tax rate to 5 percent from 5.25 percent in 2015 and further reduce it to 4.85 percent if the state sees enough revenue growth to cover the difference.  

If fully implemented at the 4.85 percent rate, the state would lose $253 million in income tax revenue.  

The drop to 5 percent will result in an average savings to taxpayers of $82 per individual income tax return, according to the Oklahoma Tax Commission.  

Efforts to reach a tax-cut agreement fell apart during the prior legislative session. 

Capitol repairs: The tax-cut bill also calls for spending $120 million to repair the Capitol building, which has structural, electrical and plumbing problems.  

"This is the seat of government," Fallin said of the building. "It is long overdue."
A legal challenge to the law is expected on the grounds that it deals with more than one subject.  

The Oklahoma Constitution requires that bills contain only one subject. If a bill deals with more than one issue, a lawmaker who favors one item but dislikes another would be forced to vote for or against the entire measure. 

Fees for driver's licenses will be increasing. Fallin signed Senate Bill 652, which increases the cost of a Class D driver's license by $12, bringing the total cost to $33.50 for a four-year license. Fees for other types of licenses are also increased under the measure, which is expected to generate $8.7 million to employ more workers to shorten lines for driver's licenses. 

Workers comp: Fallin also signed into law a State Chamber-backed workers compensation reform measure.  

Senate Bill 1062 changes the workers comp system from a court-based process to one that is administrative and reduces the amounts paid to injured workers. Supporters say it is necessary to attract businesses, adding that awards still remain higher than those in other states.  

Fallin called the measure "historic," noting that it will reduce costs and take care of injured workers.  

Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa, said companies that allow unsafe workplaces are the winners while those who are hurt on the job are the losers under the measure.  

Critics said the savings come at the expense of injured workers and that it did little to address medical costs.  

Excerpt:  Read More at the Tulsa World

The hits to the average person in Oklahoma just keep coming and yet so many voters keep sending the same people back to the legislature to pass bills they are told to pass by the Chamber and ALEC.  That doesn't even count all the social issue bills from the hard right that take up a lot of time.  We have way too many State Legislators for a state this size -- 101 in the House and 48 in the Senate.  They are also the highest paid in our region and get healthcare from the State for the whole year even though they only work for four months officially.

"ENOUGH ALREADY" in Oklahoma!

Cong Bridenstine (R-OK) Sinks to New Lows in his Floor Speeches Against President Obama

Mr. Speaker, the President’s dishonesty, incompetence, vengefulness and lack of moral compass lead many to suggest that he is not fit to lead.  (Cong Bridenstine, R-OK)

Once again the Republican Congressman Bridenstine from Tulsa, OK, proves why he should never have been elected.  He replaced John Sullivan who was much more attuned to doing what was best for the Country and Oklahoma.   Bridenstine is typical Tea Party with no class along with being extremely arrogant.  When I first heard about his rant against President Obama, I couldn't believe he was that dumb - I was wrong.  Judge for yourself what a no-class, unethical person this Freshman Congressman has shown himself to be in only a few months in office:


This one-minute speech made me cringe and is a total insult to the Office of the President.  Shows he has zero class and doesn't understand there is a certain docorum in the House.  He fits in perfectly with the Tea Party Caucus trying to outdo each other on attacks on President Obama.  The man should be censored but that would take backbone out of Speaker Boehner who has none at all as he plays up to the Tea Party.  Cong Issa must love Bridenstine.  This is all you to know about one of the most offensive members of Congress - guess he is trying to be Ted Cruz of the House.  He had this to say on 5 June 2013:

Mr. Speaker, the President’s dishonesty, incompetence, vengefulness and lack of moral compass lead many to suggest that he is not fit to lead. 

The only problem is that his vice president is equally unfit and even more embarrassing. 

Person unfit in all of this in my honest opinion, is the arrogant Mr. Bridenstine who is fronting for Issa the way it sounds.  When did Freshman Congressmen take to the floor in the past to be so hateful toward a sitting President?  You can tell he has zero respect for the Office of the President or Vice President which means, in turn, Mr. Bridenstine deserves every last bit of scorn thrown his way.  I would have said the same thing about a Democrat Congressman saying such trash against a sitting Republican President but don't remember a Democrat being so vile.

Have had it with the elected Tea Party people who think only they have all the answers and come across as arrogant, rude, and nasty.  Bridenstine fits all three.  The Congressman wasn't done as now he wants Obama to Apologize to Oklahoma for Investing in Climate Change Research.  The person who owes Oklahoma an apology is Bridenstine for being a jerk and taking tax payer dollars for his salary and expenses.

Anyone who doesn't see climate change in what we went through this past spring in Oklahoma is clueless or has their head buried in the sand.  There is a variety of facts that go into climate change and to deny they exist is stupid but he has a good teacher in Sen Inhofe who refuses to acknowledge any change at all to the weather.  It is a Democrat plot in their small minds.

Still cannot get over the remarks I hear in Oklahoma against wind power and the smart grid with the smart meter which I take full advantage here in Norman and saved almost $200 last year.  Another time I have been called a liberal Democrat recently.  If wanting to go more green and build less power plants that use coal is what a liberal Democrat is all about then count me in on energy.  I also recycle as much as I can at the huge recycling bins here in Norman - cardboard boxes, newspapers, plastics, paper - all go to recycling.

Don't know what it in the water supply in Tulsa, but suggest they get a new one as they have Inhofe and now Bridenstine who refuse to believe there is climate change:

Congressman Demands Obama Apologize To Oklahoma For Investing In Climate Change ResearchBy Rebecca Leber posted from Climate Progress on Jun 12, 2013 at 9:12 am   

Just as extreme weather season kicks off, freshman Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) demanded that President Obama apologize to Oklahoma for allocating funding to climate change research. Bridenstine, a climate denier who serves on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, plans to introduce a bill that defunds climate change research. 

Rep Bridenstine

“Even climate change alarmists admit the number of hurricanes hitting the U.S. and the number of tornado touchdowns have been on a slow decline for over 100 years,” Bridenstine said on the House floor Tuesday, according to Raw Story. “But here is what we absolutely know. We know that Oklahoma will have tornadoes when the cold jet stream meets the warm Gulf air, and we also know that this President spends 30 times as much money on global warming research as he does on weather forecasting and warning. For this gross misallocation, the people of Oklahoma are ready to accept the President’s apology and I intend to submit legislation to fix this.” 

Here is what Director of the National Climatic Data Center Tom Karl had to say about hurricanes, tornadoes, and climate change in 2011: “What we can say with confidence is that heavy and extreme precipitation events often associated with thunderstorms and convection are increasing and have been linked to human-induced changes in atmospheric composition.” Meanwhile, climate scientists are in near universal agreement that climate change is driven by human activity. 

Bridenstine also recently accused Obama of “dishonesty, incompetence, vengefulness” in an unhinged speech on the House floor. 

FYI, Bridenstine also voted against the Violence Against Women Act, voted against Hurricane Sandy relief, voted to Repeal Obamacare, and follows the Michelle Bachmann Tea Party Caucus line.  Check out his votes from only his first two months in office:

March 6, 2013	HR 933	Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013	Bill Passed - House (267 - 151)	Nay
Feb. 28, 2013	H Amdt 23	Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act	Bill Failed - House (166 - 257)	Nay
Feb. 28, 2013	S 47	Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013	Bill Passed - House (286 - 138)	Nay
Feb. 15, 2013	HR 273	Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees	Bill Passed - House (261 - 154)	Yea
Jan. 23, 2013	HR 325	To Ensure the Complete and Timely Payment of the Obligations of the United States Government Until May 19, 2013	Bill Passed - House (285 - 144)	Nay
Jan. 15, 2013	H Amdt 4	Offsets Cost of Disaster Relief Appropriations Through Discretionary Budget Cuts	Amendment Rejected - House (162 - 258)	Yea
Jan. 15, 2013	HR 152	Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013	Bill Passed - House (241 - 180)	Nay

Tulsa Democrats need to get busy and field a candidate that can win this seat even if it is the Tulsa area which is heavy Republican.  If Kathy Taylor wins the Tulsa Mayor's race in November, it should give  boost to Democrats as the current Mayor Dewey Bartlett leaves a lot to be desired.  More on that race later this summer.

Cong Bridenstine (R-OK): “Just because the Supreme Court rules on something doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s constitutional”

Knew it was bad news for the House of Representatives when the more centrist candidate Rep John Sullivan from Tulsa lost in the primary to a Tea Party candidate

Oklahoma's 1st District now has a Congressman in his first term who believes he knows more then the Supreme Court on whether a bill is Constitutional -- First Term Congressman Jim Bridenstine.  He obviously doesn't understand the 'Separation of Powers' if he thinks the Supreme Court has no say on bills that are passed by the Congress.  With his comments, why bother having a Constitution?  He also voted against Violence Against Women Act which should shock no one.

Didn't agree with the SCOTUS 'Citizens United' ruling and still don't but when SCOTUS rules, it is the law of the land.  Looks like Bridenstine fits in well with the loons of the House Tea Party who don't believe rules or laws they don't like apply.  How many times have the GOP voted to rescind the Affordable Healthcare Act? Up to 34 and counting even though it was ruled Constitutional.

Members of the GOP in Congress remind me of the people on some websites I belonged to some time ago where if they stood on principle, they didn't care if they lost.  At the same time they would do everything possible to destroy anyone who didn't agree with them.  The 'no way or my way' crowd which I like to call them is alive and well in the US Congress with their heads fully buried in the sand refusing to believe they actually lost the election and Romney is not President.  I thank the voters every day for turning their backs on Romney and reelecting President Obama.  We dodged a bomb that would have destroyed the Middle Class and poor of this Country - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

How can any member of Congress from first term to having been there for years say such a dumb thing about the Supreme Court.  Shows a gross lack of understanding how Government works or they think the House knows more than SCOTUS.  Wonder if he belonged to Americans for Prosperity because their knowledge of how Government works when I heard them speak, you can put in a thimble.  I have been gradually breaking with the Republican Party for sometime and didn't realize it until last year.  All the signs were in front of me that I didn't belong in OK GOP which is too hard right for what I believe.  This is just another example:

GOP Congressman Says Supreme Court Doesn’t Actually Get To Decide Whether Laws Are Constitutional 

By Scott Keyes and Ian Millhiser on Mar 13, 2013 at 2:50 pm 

Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) 

Still smarting over last year’s ruling upholding Obamacare, freshman Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) dismissed the idea that the Supreme Court decides whether or not laws are constitutional. 

“Just because the Supreme Court rules on something doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s constitutional,” Bridenstine said in a Daily Caller interview posted Sunday. 

After accusing Democrats of “stacking the courts in their favor” — five of the current nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents — Bridenstine dismissed the idea that Congress must write laws within the boundaries set by the Supreme Court. “That’s not the case,” the Oklahoma congressman said. 

The interviewer, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife Ginni Thomas, didn’t have the heart to correct Bridenstine’s peculiar view of the Court’s role. 

BRIDENSTINE: Just because the Supreme Court rules on something doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s constitutional. What that means is that that’s what they decided on that particular day given the makeup of the Court on that particular day. And the left in this country has done an extraordinary job of stacking the courts in their favor. So what we have to do as a body of Congress is say, “look, just because the courts” – and I hear this all the time from Republicans – they say that the court is the arbitrator and after the arbitration is done, that’s the rules we have to live under and we can go forth and make legislation given those rules. That’s not the case. A perfect example if Obamacare. Obamacare is not constitutional, the individual mandate.

Watch the interview at Think Progress

This was not his first interview with Ginni Thomas as I found another one when he didn't vote for Speaker Boehner for Speaker:

 GOP congressman explains why he didn’t support Boehner [VIDEO]

Freshman Oklahoma Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine told The Daily Caller’s Ginni Thomas why he didn’t support Speaker of the House John Boehner’s successful bid to keep his leadership post. 

“In August of 2011, when Congress voted to raise the debt limit and they created the super committee, the super committee failed, [and] that triggered sequestration. If I’m going to challenge an incumbent Republican based on voting for that, then it’s also incumbent upon me to challenge the leadership for creating that policy to begin with. And so it be came clear in my primary, from my constituents, that it would be appropriate for me to do that.”

See Video at The Daily Caller

Seems the Navy Reserve Lt Commander (Major in other branches) missed the part of his education that discussed the Separation of Powers.  In the campaign he used his Naval Reserve to be front and center so with Oklahoma being a very pro-military state along with being Southern Baptist, it was easy for him to convince voters he was the man from the job.

When this interview came out I received some emails from friends in the Tulsa area with "We have been duped - he is just like the rest of the OK Tea Party - no common sense and refuses to acknowledge that Congress is not the sole authority - obstructionist" - That was one of the nicer ones - one said three words, "Tea Party Loon" and others said they tried to tell people he is one of the earth is less than 10,000 year old crowd as he is part Tulsa Southern Baptist.  At least I have had my chuckle with the comments I have been reading in my email.  One friend said "He is a Romney person, what do you expect?  Rom didn't know how Government works as he thought he would be King."

Guess I have hung out with the wrong crowd all these years since moving here or it is a case of a lot of us who moved to OK from other states have had a hard time with the hard right beliefs here with zero common sense.  Their members in the legislature have caused OK taxpayers countless dollars with their legislation they pass that doesn't meet the State Constitution usually on social issues.

Suffice to say I am happy to be on the other side of the state and he is not my Congressman.  I am grateful that Congressman Cole (R-OK-4th) is not hard right and understands how Government works along with the need for compromise - a rare person in the GOP House.  I would be going nuts if Bridenstine was my Congressman.  Senator Inhofe (R-OK) must love him.

Add Bridenstein to the list of obstructionists in the GOP House which is growing.