University of Oklahoma Sooner Women's Softball National Champions Visited the White House Yesterday

Most impressive Women's Softball Team I have ever seen -- they were simply the best last year after being runner-up the year before.  One of the neatest things was seeing the number of male athletes from other sports especially football that were there to support them during the spring and in the College World Series.  Class all the way when meeting the President and representing The University of Oklahoma!

Head Coach Patty Gasso about President Obama's comments on female athletes:

“One thing that really stuck with me was that he was appreciative of the female athletes that were there,” Gasso said. “He talked about how far we had come and our role as leaders for the future and young women. I really appreciated that he recognized female athletes and the importance of what we do.”

This President has done a lot for equality and love having a President who is into sports!  

The Sooners visited Washington D.C. and met with President Barack Obama to celebrate OU's 2013 national championship, which they capped with a 4-0 over Tennessee.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS VISIT WHITE HOUSE

March 11, 2014

NORMAN, Okla. – The celebration of Oklahoma’s 2013 national championship culminated Monday afternoon with an invitation to the White House to meet President Barack Obama.

“It was fantastic,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “It was one last grand celebration, and to do it this way in getting to see a piece of history and meet the most powerful man in the world who was recognizing your accomplishments, it was phenomenal.”

The team arrived in Washington D.C. on late Sunday night, around midnight local time. The next day the Sooners ate breakfast before heading to the U.S. Capitol Building to meet United States Congressman Tom Cole (4th District – Oklahoma) and get a tour.

“Each state has a representation of a statue and Oklahoma’s is Will Rogers so we took a photo around him,” Gasso said. “There’s a story that one of his shoes has the shine off and there’s a legend that you touch his shoe for good luck, so everyone was rubbing on the shoe.

“We got to see some neat history, statues and art; it was all very interesting and kind of an ‘awe’ moment to see all of that in front of us.”

After spending approximately two hours at the U.S. Capitol, the Sooners departed for lunch and then back to the hotel to change before leaving for the White House. After passing through multiple security checkpoints, the team was permitted to explore certain areas like the Green Room and the Red Room.

“I used to watch the show The West Wing in history class, and then I found myself looking out the window starting at it, so it was interesting to see all the different areas you’ve heard about,” junior Lauren Chamberlain said. “Being in those same rooms where so many historic political figures had been and the history of it all was pretty cool.

“I was surprised at how many rooms there were; it’d be easy to get lost there are so many rooms. They’re all connected and there were a lot of little things about each room that were unique.”

The team then gathered back up and was assigned to Green Room, along with a few other national championship teams, for their meeting with President Obama.

“We were the fourth team he was going to meet and he talked to each of us and shook each of our hands,” Chamberlain said. “He talked about how his niece played softball and basketball, but ended choosing basketball. He said he was a fan of softball and talked about how competitive it was getting and congratulated us before heading off to the next room.

“I thought it was really incredible because we were shaking the President of the United States’ hand. To be in the same room as one of the most powerful men in the world and have him take time out of his day to meet with us, congratulate us our season, commend us on our work ethic and handle stress on a daily basis like he does, I thought was pretty cool.”

Gasso said that when she spoke with the President he asked how many games they played in a season, how the current season was going and who the seniors were.

“He shook everyone’s hand and they got to introduce themselves,” Gasso added. “When he got to Michelle [Gascoigne], she introduced herself and he said Michelle was a great name. He was very friendly and engaged with us.”

After the photo opportunity, the team was escorted to the South Lawn where the President gave a short speech to welcome the teams and congratulate them.

“One thing that really stuck with me was that he was appreciative of the female athletes that were there,” Gasso said. “He talked about how far we had come and our role as leaders for the future and young women. I really appreciated that he recognized female athletes and the importance of what we do.”

Once the ceremony had ended, the Sooners headed to dinner before stopping to visit the Lincoln Memorial and then headed back to the U.S. Capitol to see it lit up in the night.

“I talked to Lauren, Jessica Vest and Callie Parsons over dinner and we were talking about some of the things that this team has gotten to do and experience over the last six to eight months,” Gasso said. “It has been amazing. They’ve gotten to do more things in that short amount of time than most people get to do in their whole lifetime.

“I think it all caught up to me when I was standing in that Green Room with this team, this is the last and biggest icing on the cake.”

See more on the Sooner Softball visit to The White House  

House Republicans are Still Trying to Extract Demands via Blackmail with Debt Ceiling Default Looming

Senator Sanders (I-VT) once again tells it like it is about what is happening in this video:


Senator Sanders (I-VT) takes on the Koch Brothers and their support of Congressional GOP. Well worth viewing! The Koch billionaires taking on the American people over Affordable Care Act. Koch Bros want to repeal every piece of legislation that has been passed in the last 80 years that helps the middle class, seniors, and poor. Koch Bros want to abolish the minimum wage which says all you need to know about the hard right extremists Koch Brothers.


This picture says it all about the Republican hard right -- next time you hear someone from the hard right Tea Party claim to be a Patriot, tell them to shove it. Taking the Confederate flag to the White House as part of a so-called veterans march, says it all about the hard right Tea Party. Veterans are livid that they are being used by Palin, Cruz, Lee, and other hard right when a lot of the march were people from the Values Voter Summit who never served but marched like they did.

This flag in front of White House shows how low the Tea Party has gone with their un-American activities - guess they think we are still fighting the Civil War?

It is beyond disgusting what we are seeing out of the hard right so-called Republicans who are responsible for so many of us no longer supporting or helping Republicans.  We are taking our support, our efforts, and our votes to the Democrats to oust these lowlifes.  Taking the Confederate Flag to the White with being a symbol of slavey shows the hard right has no integrity or sense of history as they attack our President.

The Koch Bros and hard right have managed to destroy the Republican Party of our parents who would not recognize this bunch of jerks.  My Father fought in WWII, my Grandfather in WWI who was gassed in Europe and died when my Dad was five, our family served in the Civil War from SE Ohio fighting for the Country and an end to slavery, and my ancestors who were here before the Revolutionary War in Virginia fought for American Independence.  

My great, great grandfather wrote a letter to President Johnson after the end of the Civil War demanding that veterans of that war receive the benefits they were promised.  Come from a long line of activists it seems.  Been around the Air Force most of my adult life and our family has been moved around the Country over the years by AFMC.  Everyone we know from our travels around the Country for the Air Force is disgusted with the Koch Bros GOP.    

The fact that a majority of the House GOP wants to continue the shutdown and default on the debt is mind boggling. House GOP is torpedoing the Senate negotiations that were almost finished.  Boehner let it be known that he was not happy with the Senate negotiations.  Now McConnell has backed off until Boehner makes a decision.   House Republicans are still trying to extract demands via blackmail.  

We cannot trust the Republicans of today as they have no ethics, honesty or now patriotism as they put facing a primary threat from the Tea Party above the Country and all of us!  Will Speaker Boehner finally stand up to the hard right or will he continue to be spineless and allow this Country to default along with keeping the Country shut down.  He has been telling the media he was against the shutdown and won't let the Country default but does he have to spine to back it up by having Democrats join with a few Republicans to pass the Senate bill.  Is Boehner's Speakership more important then the Country? We are going to find out very shortly.  I sure wouldn't bet on Boehner getting a backbone.  

Update at 4:30 p.m.:  Heritage Foundation just told Tea Party not to vote for Boehner bill tonight so the Koch Bros GOPHouse has their marching orders as they are under the thumb of Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint not the American people.  

God help us all as the House Republicans are prepared to default and nothing we can do as the Koch Bros plan is put in motion by the GOP.  Koch's should be arrested and tried for sedition IMHO along with some others like DeMint who have been cheerleading the default.