Invited to appear before OCPAC this Wednesday are the 3 remaining Republican candidates for the state senate who will face off against Democrats in November. They are former OSU President James Halligan who is running for the term limited seat of Mike Morgan. Running for the seat currently held buy Richard Lerblance (D-Hartshorne) is Kenny Sherrill of McAlister. Of all the Republicans running against Democrat incumbents, this could be the sleeper race. Mr. Sherrill is well known in the area and Lerblance is very liberal and easily offends people. The final invitee will be the winner of the Senate District 37 primary race in the Tulsa-Sand Springs area which will probably be Dan Newberry. This is the seat currently held by Nancy Riley, formerly a Republican who got her feeling hurt 2 years ago because Republicans didn’t nominate her for their Lt. Governor candidate. She got back at Republicans by switching parties. This seat is priority number 1 for the Republican Senators in the State of Oklahoma.
– A COUPLE OF POINTS ON THE OCPAC BLOG
– TUESDAY’S ELECTION, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION?
– A COUPLE OF POINTS ON THE OCPAC BLOG
Log on to the OCPAC Blog and find the link to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. They have a story on their e-mail blast which is written by Dr. Walter E. Williams, the famed black economist from George Mason University and frequent guest host for the Rush Limbaugh show. Dr. Williams has written an article called, OKLAHOMA REBELLION, featuring State Representative Charles Key (R-Bethany-West OKC). This is a must read article about HJR 1089 authored by Key and passed by the House this past session. Unfortunately it languished in the Senate. Of course, if you are a subscriber to the Tulsa Beacon, Oklahoma’s conservative weekly newspaper, you could read it there as it is featured in the current edition.
The other item on the blog is the question of the week. What name would you pick for the new NBA team coming to OKC? I have listed two that were ideas of mine and two of those under serious consideration by the team. Of the latter two, I don’t care for Thunder, but I think Barons might just be reflective of the team’s owners. In Great Britain the meaning of the word was a title or degree of nobility; or a lord according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Of course if you have a different idea, just go to the comment page and express yourself.
– TUESDAY’S ELECTION, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION?
Often times the most important election is actually the primary elections. One reason is that some legislative seats are considered to be "SAFE" for the Republican party because of the registration numbers and past voting habits of the residents in a district. In those districts it would be very unlikely for a Democrat to have much chance of winning. In addition, many times the safe seats don’t even have a Democrat file for office. Therefore the selection of a particular Republican in the primary race is very important as to what kind of a lawmaker will serve in the legislature.
In addition, if the Republican primary voters select a liberal Republican like Dr. Doug Cox (R-Grove) or Shane Jett (R-Tecumseh) then the November election comes down to the lesser of two liberals. With the 2 mentioned above, a conservative Democrat may well govern better than either of these Republicans. In that case, what good is it to elect a Republican if you have a strong numerical majority in the legislature?
So how does a voter determine who is the more conservative candidate in a primary race? I would suggest it is not the positive "pink, puff and piffle" found in most campaign literature and political commercials? It is not the warm, fuzzy pictures of the kids, the over used "faith and family values" slogans, or the biggest campaign abuse of all is the use of the word "conservative." Often times that word is used by candidates who don’t even know the meaning of the word.
In reality the most important information to evaluate a candidate is what is commonly called "negative campaigning" or "mud slinging." In reality, the purpose of a political campaign is to understand the distinctions between the candidates. Unless it is pre-emptive, candidates will not tell anyone the information about themselves they don’t want the voters to know. That is the job of their opponents. Of course that goes both ways.
Here is where is gets touchy. What is the difference between important information that really defines the difference between candidates verses the lies, old information which no longer represents the position of a candidate, or irrelevant information which is meaningless to the person or how they will govern? That information is not always easy to distinguish and is why only well informed voters can do a good job of sifting through all the verbage to make a quality decision.
For instance, in house district 96, Lance Cargill’s old seat, opponents of Mike Idleman are making the case that Mike is or was a member of the NEA-OEA in an attempt to paint him in a negative light as most conservatives have little regard for either of these two organizations. It is true that Idleman was a member of both while teaching at an Edmond high school almost 10 years ago. However, Idleman got so fed up with those uniions that he resigned both of them while still teaching and suffered a great deal of pressure because of his decision. Today he can’t stand either of these two organizations, so is his past membership relevant? No, and in fact it might be good, kind of like an ex-smoker is often the person with the most zeal against smoking.
Another example is the race between Andrew Winningham and Jason Nelson in their effort to replace Trebor Worthen in the house district 87 race. Winningham has been exposing Nelson as a lobbyist who may not be able to win in what is expected to be a close race against the Democrat in Novermber. He has exposed Nelson as being a big advocate of corporate welfare, (he was a lobbyist for the owners of the Sonics) which is nothing more than socialistic re-distribution of wealth.
Winningham has also exposed many of the financial backers behind Nelson, such as Clay Bennent, Howard Barnett and even Pat Hall, former head of the Democrat party. Is that relevant information? Absolutely, as it may have a bearing on weather or not Nelson will be a puppet for these powerful people who often want tax dollars for their pet projects. Nelson has also been a lobbyist for and received contributions from at least one of the Indian tribes. Is that important? Absolutely, as it appears the tribes are on a quest to gain every more wealth as well as political control over the state of Oklahoma. Because of the sovereignty issue, tribally owned businesses have major advantages over businesses owned by the general population and you can bet those tribes don’t want any changes in the law that might weaken their growing power.
Of course Nelson, with plenty of money, has fired back exposing Winningham as a recent convert to the Republican party. Is that important? It could be if Winningham was little more than a political opportunist. However, after listening to him speak, it appears to me he has had a real conversion from liberal leanings to become a hard core conservative. In addition, he actually understands the definition of a conservative. Kind of like David Horowitz (former Communist, now public enemy number 1 of liberals on college campuses) or our good friend Russ Reinhardt who describes himself as a recovering liberal. Russ was a fan of Horowitz when they were both liberals and now a fan as they have both become conservatives.
In trying to wound Winningham, Nelson has fired back declaring, Winningham supported a presidential candidate who opposed an amendment to the Constitution to declare marriage as between one man and one woman. Is that relevant? It could be, though in this case it is not as Winningham is not for homosexual marriages but simply supported a candidate who believed in American Federalism, or in other words, it should be a state’s rights issue rather than a federal government issue. That was and is the position of both Ron Paul and John McCain, neither of them favoring homosexual marriages but both believe the issue should be handled at the state level. That way each state opposed to homosexual marriage would not be forced by the federal government or liberal judges to recognize the marriage of homosexuals in a state which did allow such. While I personally favor the constitutional amendment banning such marriages as an easy fix, I also understand the principle of federalism and know that the position is also correct.
Another example would be the pathetic radio commercials made by former lawmaker Leonard Sullivan, (former RINO nominee) who is standing by and supporting the liberal and incompetent Oklahoma County Clerk, Carolynn Caudill in her re-election bid. Sullivan, leader of the court house gang (Oklahoma County mafia) sounds like a little child, bringing up the old information about Stan Inman paying too much for a chair and that he and Brent Rinehart "CONSPIRED" to do all kinds of bad things to the county. Has Sullivan become a "black helicopter conspiracy theorist" or does he have some information he has been holding back, as any conspiring between Inman and Rinehart would have been a violation of the open meetings laws?
A big ata-boy to Mark Shannon, afternoon talk show host from 4 to 7 p.m. on KTOK 1000 AM. In the Shannons monologues, when it comes to what is going on with what he calls the court house gang of five, Mark really gets it. Shannon understands the power struggle that ensued when Rinehart and Inman tried to wrestle control of county government from the courthouse gang. They had the voting power on the budget board to cover for themselves from any performance audits that might uncover waste, fraud or corruption, especially centered around the sheriff’s office. A former popular talk show host never understand it regarding the struggle at the court house. He repeatedly called for them to all just get along and joked about calling for the Super-Nanny to come and teach everybody how to behave.
I could go on and on about these skirmishes in the political battles but suffice it to say, it takes a lot of work and effort to search for the TRUTH in these matters. Sometimes you are only dealing with half truths or irrelevant information. To be certain, it is not always easy to find out what is truth and what is not. Therefore the voters have a real challenge before them. As always, elections are first and most about the character and quality of the voters. Good voters elect good candidates, uninformed or misinformed voters are likely to fall for the meaningless pink, puff and piffle.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday
Charlie Meadows
charliemeadows@peoplepc.com
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Charlie’s Picks - Republican Primary Election, 2008
Due to my political involvement over the years, many people have asked my opinions about candidates or issues. As time went on the number of people contacting me grew to such an extent that time no longer permitted personal conversations. Therefore I created "Charlie’s Picks" which are simply my opinions and not necessarily those of OCPAC. I am often asked if these can be forwarded, by all means feel free to do so.
Many of the candidates I have heard multiple times or perhaps I have had conversations with them. If they have been interviewed by the members of OCPAC, it will be the toughest, most intense grilling they will undergo. I am looking for candidates based on some of the following qualities. Do they appear to be articulate, passionate, honest, do they believe moral absolutes still exist or do they believe in situational ethics? Do they care about moral perspectives regarding issues? Do they understand the philosophy of a republican form of government, are they willing to adequately fund the proper functions of government and get government out of the things the private sector should be doing? As they do so, are they willing to reduce or eliminate those taxes which hinder a vibrant economic atmosphere where people have an equal opportunity to succeed?
Most candidates have some of these inclinations in varying degrees. However, very few are rock solid on all issues. Some of the readers may have done their own research, know things of which I am unaware and disagree with me. That is fine, I simply hope this is helpful to those who have not. If you would like to receive the weekly OCPAC e-mail on a regular basis with my conservative commentary and insider information about Oklahoma politics, government and the culture war, please e-mail me at charliemeadows@peoplepc.com with your request.
U.S. Senate - Jim Inhofe: Though Senator Inhofe is not perfect he is one of the best in all of Washington. None of the other 3 candidates are viable and probably would lose to the Democrat, Andrew Rice in the November election.
Corporation Commission - Dana Murhpy: By training and professional experience at the commission, Dana is better qualified to serve in this capacity. I believe Dana has a passion to serve and does not see being elected to the commission as a stepping stone to higher office as so many seem to try and do. I am not so sure about this when it comes to Rob Johnson. One final issue, I believe Dana will not be controlled by the people she will regulate, whether or not they contribute to her. I think she has the character to stay independent and be an advocate for the people like Bob Anthony, while still wanting to see businesses prosper.
Tulsa County dist 2 Commission - Sally Bell: Bell is a die hard conservative running to unseat a the liberal Republican Randy Miller. The Bells as well as the citizens of Tulsa have suffered by Millers vote to force their amusement park to close. The city of Tulsa has also lost badly needed revenue as a result of such a poor decision.
Ok County dist 2 Commission - Brent Rinehart: This is a tough decision for me as I usually shy away from a candidate with such a cloud of legal problems surrounding them. However, I believe his political enemies, (he has many) have exaggerated most of his problems and you will never convince me the allegations against him (a small amount of contributions of which he returned, much like Attorney General Edmondson returned questionable contributions) have not been delayed for over 4 years to harm him politically. Bottom line, besides the power struggle over the budget board, Rinehart had done a good job taking care of the needs and improving his district. I also believe it is valuable to have at least one person in office who will not just go along to get along. Someone to ask the tough questions. Based on his performance as mayor of Bethany, J.D. Johnston should never hold elected office again. I believe Brian Maughn sees this as his opportunity to win an election. I like Brian, but I am concerned he will try so hard to go along to get along, he may become a part of the "court house maffia". If you just cant vote for Rinehart, vote for Maughn, not Johnston.
Canadian Co dist 2 Commission - Richard Engle: Besides being the loyal and reliable Vice Chairman of OCPAC, since its beginning, Richard is highly intelligent, hard working, and conservative. Several years ago he was the conservative leader on the Bethany city counsel, where he turned out to be the get it done without a tax increase man as well as the watch dog for the citizens money. Canadian County is the fastest growing county in Oklahoma. They really need an "out of the box" type conservative leader on the Commission.
Ok County Clerk - Stan Inman: Stan was actually an excellent County Commissioner, adept at administrative skills and he has great instincts when it comes finding the truth of a matter, especially beyond the superficial. Stan is another person who will not go along to get along. The Court House gang (Maffia) has gathered around the very liberal Carolynn Caudill to try and convince everyone she is a "conservative." Perhaps the most humorous is the 12 year old picture and quote from former Governor, Frank Keating, the Republican spend, borrow and spend some more Governor. Carolynn could really be in trouble with Keating’s endorsement. By the time his 8 years in office were up, Oklahomans so suffered from "Keating fatigue" that they have elected John Sullivan over Kathy Keating, elected Brad Henry over Steve Largent, elected Howard Barnett over his twin brother Dan Keating and David Dank over his son Chip Keating. Caudell is such a fine Republican that she has a Jim Roth (the liberal Democrat homosexual) campaign sign in her yard.
State Senate # 27 - Your Choice: This is Owen Laughlin’s term-limited seat which covers the panhandle down to Woodward. Neither Bryce Marlatt or Kevin Evans showed up for the OCPAC interview process. Sources tell me Marlatt is the choice of the establishment, so look for him to win.
State Senate #35 - Jeff Applecamp: This Tulsa area seat belonged to Jim Williams who is term-limited. Jeff’s survey and performance during the OCPAC interview were very good. Many of the conservatives in Tulsa including Senator Williamson are backing Gary Stanislawski. I believe Gary has the right instincts, he just needs to fully develop his conservative ideology. Most believe it is a 2 way race between Stanislawski and the very liberal Cason Carter. If you can’t bring yourself to voting for Applecamp, then by all means vote for Stanislawski as Carter would rival Harry Coates for the RINO (Republican In Name Only) award each year.
State Senate #37 - Dan Newberry: This Tulsa, Sand Springs area seat currently held by the turn-coat Nancy Riley is one of the most important senate races in the state. Dan is a serious Christian who has been working toward this effort for well over a year. I have had a couple of conversations with him and believe he has the ability to take Riley out. If he wins he has been invited to appear next week at our meeting, where our members can get to know him much better.
State Senate #45 - Kyle Loveless: This is the Southwest OKC to Mustang seat held by the term-limited Kathleen Wilcoxson. Kyle won the endorsement of OCPAC with a good appearance as a solid conservative. He has been working for over a year and a recent voter ID poll has him ahead of the former OKC Councilman Jerry Foshee by 4 points and he is 15 points ahead of Steve Russell. Unless something changes, it will be a run-off between Kyle Loveless and Foshee.
State House #36 - Your Choice: This Pawhuska, Wynona, Hominy area seat was open 2 years ago and the Republican nominee, Eddie Fields almost won the general election. He came to the OCPAC interview but, like so many rural Republicans, really lacked conservative instincts. However, he would be far better than the incumbent Scott Bighorse, who is the next to the most liberal Democrat in the House. Only the homosexual Democrat Al McAffrey is more liberal.
State House #41 - Your Choice: John Enns is the incumbent in this seat that reaches from Yukon to Enid. Enns has a 2 year average of a 70 which is acceptable. I don’t know anything about the candidates from Kingfisher or Yukon, but this district voted very provincial 2 years ago with the majority of people in the Enid area so look for Enns to win again.
State House #45 - Aaron Stiles: This is the East Norman seat currently held but the very liberal Democrat Wallace Collins. Stiles and Les White are the 2 conservatives in the race and the city councilman Hopper, and the former mayor Henderson are the 2 liberals in the race. I think the world of Les White, but he got into the race late with Styles way ahead of him in door knocking. Look for a run-off between Stiles and Henderson.
State House #47 - John Paul Jordan: This is the seat formerly held by Susan Winchester and runs from Chickasha up to Mustang. Mr. Jordan received our endorsement over Jane McNeff, though he is fairly green. The establishment candidate, Leslie Osborn didn’t attend so I don’t know how conservative she is. Osborn may win this one without a run-off.
State House #48 - Matt Cunningham: This is the Ardmore seat formerly held by Greg Piatt. Sources tell me Mr. Cunningham is the conservative in this race though I have not been able to make contact with either of them. Ownbey is the establishment candidate. This will be a seat that will be difficult to hold for the Republicans.
State House #53 - Randy Terrill: This South Moore and part of Norman race is one of the top 5 most important primaries in the state. Powerful special interest forces are spending huge sums of money to defeat Terrill, mainly because he is so effective when it comes to the illegal alien issue.
State House #54 - Paul Wesselhoft: This is the North Moore area. Though Wesselhoft drives me crazy with some of his legislation (such as extending the school year), when it comes to fiscal issues he is a rock solid conservative. He has the second highest lifetime conservative index score and is ranked 3rd most conservative out of 57 Republicans for this year’s rating.
State House #57 - Your Choice: This is the Weatherford - Clinton area seat formerly held by Representative Covey. The eventual winner will be eligible to appear before OCPAC.
State House #59 - Your Choice: This Kingfisher, through Hennessey seat formerly held by Rob Johnson has 3 Republicans in the race. I just don’t know anything about any of them.
State House #68 - Your Choice: This is the Tulsa area seat held by Speaker Benge. While Benge is a social conservative, he is not a fiscal policy conservative. If the young challenger Brian Jackson is conservative on all issues, then by all means vote for him. There is no Democrat in this race.
State House #74 - Robert Jerome: This is the Owasso area seat currently held by David Derby. I like Derby, but his votes on the subsidies for the Sonics, the bond issue and his lack of opposition to the Tulsa River Tax have given valid issues to the more conservative Jerome to take issue with the incumbent. Jerome was also endorsed by the Tulsa area Republican Assembly.
State House #80 - Dr. Mike Ritze: This is the Broken Arrow seat formerly held by Ron Peterson. Dr. Ritze is one of the most prepared and conservative candidates we have ever seen at an OCPAC interview. It is one of the top 5 most important primary races in the state with Dr. Ritze being a bonafide conservative and his opponent being the establishment’s last minute moderate candidate.
State House #87 - Andrew Winningham: This seat, formerly held by Trebor Worthen, is centered around May, Portland and 50th street in Northwest OKC. It is one of the 5 most important primary races in the state. Winningham, while young, is a bonafide conservative. Mr. Nelson may be a nice fellow but he perfectly fits the profile of a "Republican Groupie." Defined as someone interested in politics at an early age but never develops a conservative ideology. Therefore, he gets stars in his eyes when around Republican office holders and powerful people. He is willing to labor to serve them but without a conservative ideology he serves the moderate and liberal Republicans such as Frank Keating, Bob Dole and Krik Humphreys, all the while thinking they are conservative! Then he becomes a lobbyist for the millionaire-billionaire owners of the Sonics to twist the arms of lawmakers to give the team owners a $60 to $100 million subsidy over the next 15 years. Now he wants to hold office, and surprise, Nelson has received money from Sonics owner Clay Bennett. Maybe the thinking is, if you can get your "puppet on a string" elected you won’t need to spend so much on lobbyists in the future. In addition, Nelson has received $2,500 from Tulsa’s liberal Republican Howard Barnett who, until recently was on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood. He has even received money from the lobbyist, Pat Hall, former head of the Democrat party. The choice is clear, vote for Andrew Winningham, not Jason Nelson
State House #91 - Mike Reynolds: This race in Southwest OKC is the most important primary in the State. Mike Reynolds has done more to clean up corruption and expose the powerful elites who try to control and use government for their personal benefit than anyone else in the state. Some of these powerful forces are behind Mr. Echols. I have had several conversations with Mr. Echols and believe he is a bonafide conservative. However, as I have expressed to him, can he be independent of those powerful forces? The voters would be foolish to take a chance on this race. Why replace the best lawmaker in the House (voted 3 times as lawmaker of the year by OCPAC members) by a young man that should run 6 years from now after Reynolds is term limited.
State House #96 - Mike Idleman: This was Lance Cargil’s seat which runs from East Edmond through Harrah and parts of Choctaw. OCPAC endorsed Idleman by the slim margin of 2 votes. Both of these candidates need to develop their conservatism.
State House #98 - John Newhouse: This Broken Arrow seat is currently held by John Trebilcock, who was arrested on a DUI within the past 2 years. Trebilcock is a moderate Republican who is problematic when it comes to education reform. Newhouse is a conservative running for all the right reasons.
While these opinions are mine and not necessarily those of OCPAC, if you would like to receive the weekly OCPAC e-mail, notify me at charliemeadows@peoplepc.com.
Charlie Meadows
Many of the candidates I have heard multiple times or perhaps I have had conversations with them. If they have been interviewed by the members of OCPAC, it will be the toughest, most intense grilling they will undergo. I am looking for candidates based on some of the following qualities. Do they appear to be articulate, passionate, honest, do they believe moral absolutes still exist or do they believe in situational ethics? Do they care about moral perspectives regarding issues? Do they understand the philosophy of a republican form of government, are they willing to adequately fund the proper functions of government and get government out of the things the private sector should be doing? As they do so, are they willing to reduce or eliminate those taxes which hinder a vibrant economic atmosphere where people have an equal opportunity to succeed?
Most candidates have some of these inclinations in varying degrees. However, very few are rock solid on all issues. Some of the readers may have done their own research, know things of which I am unaware and disagree with me. That is fine, I simply hope this is helpful to those who have not. If you would like to receive the weekly OCPAC e-mail on a regular basis with my conservative commentary and insider information about Oklahoma politics, government and the culture war, please e-mail me at charliemeadows@peoplepc.com with your request.
U.S. Senate - Jim Inhofe: Though Senator Inhofe is not perfect he is one of the best in all of Washington. None of the other 3 candidates are viable and probably would lose to the Democrat, Andrew Rice in the November election.
Corporation Commission - Dana Murhpy: By training and professional experience at the commission, Dana is better qualified to serve in this capacity. I believe Dana has a passion to serve and does not see being elected to the commission as a stepping stone to higher office as so many seem to try and do. I am not so sure about this when it comes to Rob Johnson. One final issue, I believe Dana will not be controlled by the people she will regulate, whether or not they contribute to her. I think she has the character to stay independent and be an advocate for the people like Bob Anthony, while still wanting to see businesses prosper.
Tulsa County dist 2 Commission - Sally Bell: Bell is a die hard conservative running to unseat a the liberal Republican Randy Miller. The Bells as well as the citizens of Tulsa have suffered by Millers vote to force their amusement park to close. The city of Tulsa has also lost badly needed revenue as a result of such a poor decision.
Ok County dist 2 Commission - Brent Rinehart: This is a tough decision for me as I usually shy away from a candidate with such a cloud of legal problems surrounding them. However, I believe his political enemies, (he has many) have exaggerated most of his problems and you will never convince me the allegations against him (a small amount of contributions of which he returned, much like Attorney General Edmondson returned questionable contributions) have not been delayed for over 4 years to harm him politically. Bottom line, besides the power struggle over the budget board, Rinehart had done a good job taking care of the needs and improving his district. I also believe it is valuable to have at least one person in office who will not just go along to get along. Someone to ask the tough questions. Based on his performance as mayor of Bethany, J.D. Johnston should never hold elected office again. I believe Brian Maughn sees this as his opportunity to win an election. I like Brian, but I am concerned he will try so hard to go along to get along, he may become a part of the "court house maffia". If you just cant vote for Rinehart, vote for Maughn, not Johnston.
Canadian Co dist 2 Commission - Richard Engle: Besides being the loyal and reliable Vice Chairman of OCPAC, since its beginning, Richard is highly intelligent, hard working, and conservative. Several years ago he was the conservative leader on the Bethany city counsel, where he turned out to be the get it done without a tax increase man as well as the watch dog for the citizens money. Canadian County is the fastest growing county in Oklahoma. They really need an "out of the box" type conservative leader on the Commission.
Ok County Clerk - Stan Inman: Stan was actually an excellent County Commissioner, adept at administrative skills and he has great instincts when it comes finding the truth of a matter, especially beyond the superficial. Stan is another person who will not go along to get along. The Court House gang (Maffia) has gathered around the very liberal Carolynn Caudill to try and convince everyone she is a "conservative." Perhaps the most humorous is the 12 year old picture and quote from former Governor, Frank Keating, the Republican spend, borrow and spend some more Governor. Carolynn could really be in trouble with Keating’s endorsement. By the time his 8 years in office were up, Oklahomans so suffered from "Keating fatigue" that they have elected John Sullivan over Kathy Keating, elected Brad Henry over Steve Largent, elected Howard Barnett over his twin brother Dan Keating and David Dank over his son Chip Keating. Caudell is such a fine Republican that she has a Jim Roth (the liberal Democrat homosexual) campaign sign in her yard.
State Senate # 27 - Your Choice: This is Owen Laughlin’s term-limited seat which covers the panhandle down to Woodward. Neither Bryce Marlatt or Kevin Evans showed up for the OCPAC interview process. Sources tell me Marlatt is the choice of the establishment, so look for him to win.
State Senate #35 - Jeff Applecamp: This Tulsa area seat belonged to Jim Williams who is term-limited. Jeff’s survey and performance during the OCPAC interview were very good. Many of the conservatives in Tulsa including Senator Williamson are backing Gary Stanislawski. I believe Gary has the right instincts, he just needs to fully develop his conservative ideology. Most believe it is a 2 way race between Stanislawski and the very liberal Cason Carter. If you can’t bring yourself to voting for Applecamp, then by all means vote for Stanislawski as Carter would rival Harry Coates for the RINO (Republican In Name Only) award each year.
State Senate #37 - Dan Newberry: This Tulsa, Sand Springs area seat currently held by the turn-coat Nancy Riley is one of the most important senate races in the state. Dan is a serious Christian who has been working toward this effort for well over a year. I have had a couple of conversations with him and believe he has the ability to take Riley out. If he wins he has been invited to appear next week at our meeting, where our members can get to know him much better.
State Senate #45 - Kyle Loveless: This is the Southwest OKC to Mustang seat held by the term-limited Kathleen Wilcoxson. Kyle won the endorsement of OCPAC with a good appearance as a solid conservative. He has been working for over a year and a recent voter ID poll has him ahead of the former OKC Councilman Jerry Foshee by 4 points and he is 15 points ahead of Steve Russell. Unless something changes, it will be a run-off between Kyle Loveless and Foshee.
State House #36 - Your Choice: This Pawhuska, Wynona, Hominy area seat was open 2 years ago and the Republican nominee, Eddie Fields almost won the general election. He came to the OCPAC interview but, like so many rural Republicans, really lacked conservative instincts. However, he would be far better than the incumbent Scott Bighorse, who is the next to the most liberal Democrat in the House. Only the homosexual Democrat Al McAffrey is more liberal.
State House #41 - Your Choice: John Enns is the incumbent in this seat that reaches from Yukon to Enid. Enns has a 2 year average of a 70 which is acceptable. I don’t know anything about the candidates from Kingfisher or Yukon, but this district voted very provincial 2 years ago with the majority of people in the Enid area so look for Enns to win again.
State House #45 - Aaron Stiles: This is the East Norman seat currently held but the very liberal Democrat Wallace Collins. Stiles and Les White are the 2 conservatives in the race and the city councilman Hopper, and the former mayor Henderson are the 2 liberals in the race. I think the world of Les White, but he got into the race late with Styles way ahead of him in door knocking. Look for a run-off between Stiles and Henderson.
State House #47 - John Paul Jordan: This is the seat formerly held by Susan Winchester and runs from Chickasha up to Mustang. Mr. Jordan received our endorsement over Jane McNeff, though he is fairly green. The establishment candidate, Leslie Osborn didn’t attend so I don’t know how conservative she is. Osborn may win this one without a run-off.
State House #48 - Matt Cunningham: This is the Ardmore seat formerly held by Greg Piatt. Sources tell me Mr. Cunningham is the conservative in this race though I have not been able to make contact with either of them. Ownbey is the establishment candidate. This will be a seat that will be difficult to hold for the Republicans.
State House #53 - Randy Terrill: This South Moore and part of Norman race is one of the top 5 most important primaries in the state. Powerful special interest forces are spending huge sums of money to defeat Terrill, mainly because he is so effective when it comes to the illegal alien issue.
State House #54 - Paul Wesselhoft: This is the North Moore area. Though Wesselhoft drives me crazy with some of his legislation (such as extending the school year), when it comes to fiscal issues he is a rock solid conservative. He has the second highest lifetime conservative index score and is ranked 3rd most conservative out of 57 Republicans for this year’s rating.
State House #57 - Your Choice: This is the Weatherford - Clinton area seat formerly held by Representative Covey. The eventual winner will be eligible to appear before OCPAC.
State House #59 - Your Choice: This Kingfisher, through Hennessey seat formerly held by Rob Johnson has 3 Republicans in the race. I just don’t know anything about any of them.
State House #68 - Your Choice: This is the Tulsa area seat held by Speaker Benge. While Benge is a social conservative, he is not a fiscal policy conservative. If the young challenger Brian Jackson is conservative on all issues, then by all means vote for him. There is no Democrat in this race.
State House #74 - Robert Jerome: This is the Owasso area seat currently held by David Derby. I like Derby, but his votes on the subsidies for the Sonics, the bond issue and his lack of opposition to the Tulsa River Tax have given valid issues to the more conservative Jerome to take issue with the incumbent. Jerome was also endorsed by the Tulsa area Republican Assembly.
State House #80 - Dr. Mike Ritze: This is the Broken Arrow seat formerly held by Ron Peterson. Dr. Ritze is one of the most prepared and conservative candidates we have ever seen at an OCPAC interview. It is one of the top 5 most important primary races in the state with Dr. Ritze being a bonafide conservative and his opponent being the establishment’s last minute moderate candidate.
State House #87 - Andrew Winningham: This seat, formerly held by Trebor Worthen, is centered around May, Portland and 50th street in Northwest OKC. It is one of the 5 most important primary races in the state. Winningham, while young, is a bonafide conservative. Mr. Nelson may be a nice fellow but he perfectly fits the profile of a "Republican Groupie." Defined as someone interested in politics at an early age but never develops a conservative ideology. Therefore, he gets stars in his eyes when around Republican office holders and powerful people. He is willing to labor to serve them but without a conservative ideology he serves the moderate and liberal Republicans such as Frank Keating, Bob Dole and Krik Humphreys, all the while thinking they are conservative! Then he becomes a lobbyist for the millionaire-billionaire owners of the Sonics to twist the arms of lawmakers to give the team owners a $60 to $100 million subsidy over the next 15 years. Now he wants to hold office, and surprise, Nelson has received money from Sonics owner Clay Bennett. Maybe the thinking is, if you can get your "puppet on a string" elected you won’t need to spend so much on lobbyists in the future. In addition, Nelson has received $2,500 from Tulsa’s liberal Republican Howard Barnett who, until recently was on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood. He has even received money from the lobbyist, Pat Hall, former head of the Democrat party. The choice is clear, vote for Andrew Winningham, not Jason Nelson
State House #91 - Mike Reynolds: This race in Southwest OKC is the most important primary in the State. Mike Reynolds has done more to clean up corruption and expose the powerful elites who try to control and use government for their personal benefit than anyone else in the state. Some of these powerful forces are behind Mr. Echols. I have had several conversations with Mr. Echols and believe he is a bonafide conservative. However, as I have expressed to him, can he be independent of those powerful forces? The voters would be foolish to take a chance on this race. Why replace the best lawmaker in the House (voted 3 times as lawmaker of the year by OCPAC members) by a young man that should run 6 years from now after Reynolds is term limited.
State House #96 - Mike Idleman: This was Lance Cargil’s seat which runs from East Edmond through Harrah and parts of Choctaw. OCPAC endorsed Idleman by the slim margin of 2 votes. Both of these candidates need to develop their conservatism.
State House #98 - John Newhouse: This Broken Arrow seat is currently held by John Trebilcock, who was arrested on a DUI within the past 2 years. Trebilcock is a moderate Republican who is problematic when it comes to education reform. Newhouse is a conservative running for all the right reasons.
While these opinions are mine and not necessarily those of OCPAC, if you would like to receive the weekly OCPAC e-mail, notify me at charliemeadows@peoplepc.com.
Charlie Meadows
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
AL GORE DESERVES AWARD, BOONE PICKENS’ IDEAS DESERVE ATTENTION.
Members and friends of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC)
We meet for lunch every Wednesday, 12 noon at Italiano’s, 4801 North Lincoln in OKC. Over the next 2 weeks we will invite the Republican Senate Candidates who will take on a Democrat in the November elections. Invited this week will be Patrick Miller, a Republican from Snow Oklahoma who is running for the seat currently held by Senator Jerry Ellis. Invited from Tecumseh will be Donald Rominger who is challenging Senator Charlie Laster of Shawnee. Also invited will be Gary Casey of Tulsa who is taking on Senator Tom Adelson, also of Tulsa.
– OCPAC NOW HAS A BLOG SITE!
– AL GORE DESERVES AWARD, BOONE PICKENS’ IDEAS DESERVE ATTENTION.
– NEW NAME FOR THE SONICS NBA TEAM MISSES THE MARK
– HAS SENATOR COBURN BECOME A HYPOCRITE?
– WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OCPAC
– OCPAC NOW HAS A BLOG SITE!
Anyone that knows me well understands that bringing me into the world of technology is like dragging me up a sidewalk with two black heal marks all the way behind me. However, this past Wednesday I met with Randy and Sherri Allsbury (www.GetRealVideo.com) so they could share some of their innovative ideas with me. Among other things, springing out of the meeting, the Allsburys have created a blog for OCPAC with the main purpose being to make the OCPAC e-mail available to a much wider group of people than currently receive the weekly e-mail.
We have a domain name which is www.ocpac.info and there is also another address which is http://ocpacnews.blogspot.com. I am amazed at how quickly they have put this together and developed links to other organizations as well as web-sites for the candidates OCPAC has endorsed. Also, we will have a poll question each week, so log on and register your vote on the poll question. This week’s poll question is about the primary direction we should take in the development of energy to produce electricity. Should it be coal, natural gas, wind, solar or nuclear?
– AL GORE DESERVES AWARD, BOONE PICKENS’ IDEAS DESERVE ATTENTION.
A few days ago Al Gore, exalted leader of the “earth in the lurch crowd,” threw down the gauntlet and challenged America to switch to alternative energy sources (primarily wind and solar) in 10 years and to get completely off hydrocarbons for the production of electricity. For that suggestion, I believe he deserves another Nobel Peace Prize or perhaps the IDIOT OF THE YEAR AWARD. I consider both awards to be much the same, the only difference is the Nobel Peace Prize comes with some serious money. More on Gore’s lunatic idea in a minute.
On the other hand, if you have watched much TV or listened to radio this past week you have probably been informed of some of the ideas Boone Pickens has about an energy policy and the need to become independent of imported foreign oil. He was also featured on a segment of ABC’s Night Line program this past week. The basic gist of his ideas are to generate our electricity from wind and then use natural gas to power our vehicles.
I found the Night Line portrayal of a chummy relationship between Boone Pickens and the head of the ultra liberal Sierra Club to be unconvincing that somehow Pickens is now a dedicated and concerned environmentalist. According to Night Line, Pickens owns one of the world’s largest natural gas companies and he is currently building the largest wind generation facility in the U.S. Looks like big money for Pickens under the guise of environmentalism?
Somebody needs to tell the Sierra Club fellow that Pickens will still have to “drill” to get the gas out of the ground. Truth is Pickens stands to make tons of money off of gas and wind. I don’t have a problem with that as he is going to be producing vitally needed power from 2 different sources. However, there is one major problem with his suggestion and that is the need for adequate “base load” generation capacity. When the wind doesn’t blow, electricity can’t be produced.
Therefore, the utilities must have enough generation capacity to produce sufficient electricity during peak demand from “RELIABLE” power sources such as coal, gas or nuclear. I agree with Pickens that rather than producing electricity with natural gas, that commodity should be used to powers our vehicles which would then reduce the demand for oil. That would only leave coal and nuclear as options for electrical generation. While I favor both, the cost to build clean burning coal fired facilities is much less up front money and those generation plants can be built much quicker than a nuclear facility.
Picken’s ideas have some merit, Al Gore’s idea that we could completely switch from hydro-carbons to wind generation comes from someone who has a brain the size of a pin head. As I have said before, the CO2 produced from burning hydro-carbons is actually good for plant life and thus the environment. CO2 is not harmful and it is not a cause of global warming, which doesn’t exist, which is also why Al Gore is such a fraud.
– NEW NAME FOR THE SONICS NBA TEAM MISSES THE MARK
It appears the new name for the Sonics will be The Oklahoma City THUNDER! While it will have a great ring in the arena, I just believe it really misses the mark when it comes to representing the team. During the recent euphoria over the deal reached by the owners of the Sonics and the City of Seattle, it was stated that the owners were looking at massive losses for the team to stay in Seattle but there was a belief they could be profitable in OKC.
Therefore one must ask, how can you be profitable in a small market city which will have some $10 seats in the nose bleed sections of the Ford Center for “poor folks” and not be profitable in a city with 4 times the population base and a much higher average salary for its residents who could well afford to pay more for tickets? I believe the only answer is the super sweetheart deal the owners will get from the city of OKC as well as state taxpayers.
I am speculating that the millionaire and billionaire owners went to mayor Mick and the leadership in the legislature and told them what they wanted in the form of subsidies to make their bringing the team here such a sweetheart deal that they could make a profit off of their hobby. While we still don’t know all the details about such a deal at this time, another detail was unveiled this past week.
The Ford Center will be enlarged and re-modeled, at taxpayer expense, partly to provide permanent corporate office space inside the facility itself. An arrangement I believe to be quite unusual in and of itself. However, since those offices won’t be ready for perhaps a couple of years, the team owners are looking for top of the line office space in downtown OKC to serve as temporary corporate headquarters. Nothing unusual there, until we found out this past week that the city will pay the rent for the temporary office space until the permanent space is available. That’s right, the taxpayers will be paying for the first class temporary office space rather than the owners.
Add that to the $20 million dollar practice facility that the city will provide for the owners who, out of the goodness of their hearts, are willing to pay $100,000 per year for using (at that low lease rate, it will take OKC 200 years to recoup their investment) and you begin to see the definition of a sweetheart deal.
On top of that, at the state level, all of the players, coaches and office personal will pay income taxes into state coffers, just like everyone else who pays Oklahoma state income taxes. However, the state will then rebate back to the OWNERS 5.5% of their total payroll to help out with their profit margin. Estimated to be about $4 million per year at current salary levels. In addition, they will get that corporate welfare (tax credit) for the next 15 years.
Put it all together and the name should be the Oklahoma City SUBSIDIES, or the SWEETHEART DEALERS, or perhaps the OKC PROFITEERS. The last one almost sounds like it would represent a bunch of conniving, manipulating and thieving pirates. As time goes on I believe we will find out more that adds up to an even greater sweetheart deal. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to the team coming to the city, for moral reasons I am opposed to all corporate welfare, because by its very nature, it is nothing more than a re-distribution of wealth scheme, a degree of socialist capitalism or in other words, legalized plunder. Hey, another idea, the OKC PLUNDERERS.
– HAS SENATOR COBURN BECOME A HYPOCRITE?
One can only imagine how disappointed I was to find out that Senator Coburn voted to spend $50 billion American taxpayer dollars around the world in a “global war on AIDS.” According to an editorial in today’s (7.21.08) Oklahoman titled, Making a difference - Global AIDS program is money well spent, the paper quoted Coburn as saying: “This is by far the only true foreign policy program that’s working.”
What I want to know is, since when did the effectiveness of a global welfare program become the validation for our involvement? Where is all of his rhetoric about deficit spending and saddling our kids with an unbearable debt load? Where do you get the constitutional authority to spend that money all over the world Senator Coburn? What is the difference in this and the earmarks (some of which are for proper government functions) you are always telling everyone you are so concerned about? Too bad he didn’t read or couldn’t understand the little book we gave him about Davy Crockett, when Congressman Crockett came to a realization that the taxpayer dollars he voted to spend in situations such as this, really was not his money to give away in the first place.
After the most recent change in congressional districts, I attended the first town hall meeting in Guthrie held by Frank Lucas since Logan County is now in his district. I had an opportunity to ask 2 questions of the large audience before I asked the first question of Congressman Lucas. First question to the audience: how many of you would like to see your taxes raised so our government could send (then $15 billion) to Africa to fight AIDS? Not a single hand went up. I then asked, how many of you want to see the federal government borrow $15 billion and saddle your children and grand children with more debt so we can send $15 billion to Africa to fight AIDS? Again, not a hand went up. Of course my final question was to Congressman Lucas as to why he had voted to send $15 billion to Africa to fight AIDS, especially since his constituents didn’t want him to do so?
At this point Congressman Lucas’ answer is irrelevant, but similar questions should be directed to Senator Coburn like I have suggested above. The Oklahoman, with its ever more liberal editorial page suggested, “Bush deserves credit for a visionary idea, one where the WEALTH OF AMERICA could be brought to bear on a global crisis.” Has the editorial page at the Oklahoman gone nuts? Tell me what is visionary about spending other peoples money?
And what do they mean by the Wealth of America? Someone needs to inform them that with our nation debt now exceeding $9 TRILLION dollars, we really aren’t wealthy any more. We just have a lot of inflated paper currency floating around. The financial condition of America is similar to a corporation that has filed for a chapter 11 re-organization bankruptcy. The only difference is, in the corporate world they only get to do that one time. With the federal government, we just keep filing for a re-organization every time we raise the debt ceiling and the debt load just keeps getting heavier and heavier.
If there is anyone out there who wants to have your taxes raised or money borrowed to send $50 billion around the world for a so called “effective program,” please send me an e-mail and let me know who you are. But be warned, I will ask you how much of your own money you have already or are willing to send on your own. I have already sent money on my own to a ministry and I darn sure DO NOT want my tax dollars going there, probably to be spent through some UN program.
– WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OCPAC
With so many people on the OCPAC e-mail list I end up on a fair number of e-mail forwarding lists. I was recently surprised and humbled to have this e-mail forwarded to me. It says:
If you think who runs the state is important, and are looking for a genuinely CONSERVATIVE organization, who are true stewards of any contributions they receive, then you will want to support Candidates through OCPAC.
They support only those candidates who actually VOTE the way they campaign. Smaller government, no money to abortion providers, no government facilities to abortion providers, a TRUE balanced budget (unlike what was just passed in the OK legislature) Support 1804.
We have a great opportunity to replace “term limited” RINOs with the real thing and Charlie Meadows is faithful to follow their daily activities and hold them accountable. Freedom isn’t free, and it is important that we give where our gift will give us LIBERTY - we feel we get the most for our money by contributing and belonging to OCPAC. Hope you will join us! Roland and B.J. Benbow (these folks are from Tulsa)
Their opinions of OCPAC are at least our goals and what we strive to accomplish. It is also my desire to earn that kind of respect from all the folks who read the OCPAC e-mails. I would like to urge others who have not joined as yet to do so now by becoming a member. The instructions to join follow my sign off.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday.
Charlie Meadows
charliemeadows@peoplepc.com
We meet for lunch every Wednesday, 12 noon at Italiano’s, 4801 North Lincoln in OKC. Over the next 2 weeks we will invite the Republican Senate Candidates who will take on a Democrat in the November elections. Invited this week will be Patrick Miller, a Republican from Snow Oklahoma who is running for the seat currently held by Senator Jerry Ellis. Invited from Tecumseh will be Donald Rominger who is challenging Senator Charlie Laster of Shawnee. Also invited will be Gary Casey of Tulsa who is taking on Senator Tom Adelson, also of Tulsa.
– OCPAC NOW HAS A BLOG SITE!
– AL GORE DESERVES AWARD, BOONE PICKENS’ IDEAS DESERVE ATTENTION.
– NEW NAME FOR THE SONICS NBA TEAM MISSES THE MARK
– HAS SENATOR COBURN BECOME A HYPOCRITE?
– WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OCPAC
– OCPAC NOW HAS A BLOG SITE!
Anyone that knows me well understands that bringing me into the world of technology is like dragging me up a sidewalk with two black heal marks all the way behind me. However, this past Wednesday I met with Randy and Sherri Allsbury (www.GetRealVideo.com) so they could share some of their innovative ideas with me. Among other things, springing out of the meeting, the Allsburys have created a blog for OCPAC with the main purpose being to make the OCPAC e-mail available to a much wider group of people than currently receive the weekly e-mail.
We have a domain name which is www.ocpac.info and there is also another address which is http://ocpacnews.blogspot.com. I am amazed at how quickly they have put this together and developed links to other organizations as well as web-sites for the candidates OCPAC has endorsed. Also, we will have a poll question each week, so log on and register your vote on the poll question. This week’s poll question is about the primary direction we should take in the development of energy to produce electricity. Should it be coal, natural gas, wind, solar or nuclear?
– AL GORE DESERVES AWARD, BOONE PICKENS’ IDEAS DESERVE ATTENTION.
A few days ago Al Gore, exalted leader of the “earth in the lurch crowd,” threw down the gauntlet and challenged America to switch to alternative energy sources (primarily wind and solar) in 10 years and to get completely off hydrocarbons for the production of electricity. For that suggestion, I believe he deserves another Nobel Peace Prize or perhaps the IDIOT OF THE YEAR AWARD. I consider both awards to be much the same, the only difference is the Nobel Peace Prize comes with some serious money. More on Gore’s lunatic idea in a minute.
On the other hand, if you have watched much TV or listened to radio this past week you have probably been informed of some of the ideas Boone Pickens has about an energy policy and the need to become independent of imported foreign oil. He was also featured on a segment of ABC’s Night Line program this past week. The basic gist of his ideas are to generate our electricity from wind and then use natural gas to power our vehicles.
I found the Night Line portrayal of a chummy relationship between Boone Pickens and the head of the ultra liberal Sierra Club to be unconvincing that somehow Pickens is now a dedicated and concerned environmentalist. According to Night Line, Pickens owns one of the world’s largest natural gas companies and he is currently building the largest wind generation facility in the U.S. Looks like big money for Pickens under the guise of environmentalism?
Somebody needs to tell the Sierra Club fellow that Pickens will still have to “drill” to get the gas out of the ground. Truth is Pickens stands to make tons of money off of gas and wind. I don’t have a problem with that as he is going to be producing vitally needed power from 2 different sources. However, there is one major problem with his suggestion and that is the need for adequate “base load” generation capacity. When the wind doesn’t blow, electricity can’t be produced.
Therefore, the utilities must have enough generation capacity to produce sufficient electricity during peak demand from “RELIABLE” power sources such as coal, gas or nuclear. I agree with Pickens that rather than producing electricity with natural gas, that commodity should be used to powers our vehicles which would then reduce the demand for oil. That would only leave coal and nuclear as options for electrical generation. While I favor both, the cost to build clean burning coal fired facilities is much less up front money and those generation plants can be built much quicker than a nuclear facility.
Picken’s ideas have some merit, Al Gore’s idea that we could completely switch from hydro-carbons to wind generation comes from someone who has a brain the size of a pin head. As I have said before, the CO2 produced from burning hydro-carbons is actually good for plant life and thus the environment. CO2 is not harmful and it is not a cause of global warming, which doesn’t exist, which is also why Al Gore is such a fraud.
– NEW NAME FOR THE SONICS NBA TEAM MISSES THE MARK
It appears the new name for the Sonics will be The Oklahoma City THUNDER! While it will have a great ring in the arena, I just believe it really misses the mark when it comes to representing the team. During the recent euphoria over the deal reached by the owners of the Sonics and the City of Seattle, it was stated that the owners were looking at massive losses for the team to stay in Seattle but there was a belief they could be profitable in OKC.
Therefore one must ask, how can you be profitable in a small market city which will have some $10 seats in the nose bleed sections of the Ford Center for “poor folks” and not be profitable in a city with 4 times the population base and a much higher average salary for its residents who could well afford to pay more for tickets? I believe the only answer is the super sweetheart deal the owners will get from the city of OKC as well as state taxpayers.
I am speculating that the millionaire and billionaire owners went to mayor Mick and the leadership in the legislature and told them what they wanted in the form of subsidies to make their bringing the team here such a sweetheart deal that they could make a profit off of their hobby. While we still don’t know all the details about such a deal at this time, another detail was unveiled this past week.
The Ford Center will be enlarged and re-modeled, at taxpayer expense, partly to provide permanent corporate office space inside the facility itself. An arrangement I believe to be quite unusual in and of itself. However, since those offices won’t be ready for perhaps a couple of years, the team owners are looking for top of the line office space in downtown OKC to serve as temporary corporate headquarters. Nothing unusual there, until we found out this past week that the city will pay the rent for the temporary office space until the permanent space is available. That’s right, the taxpayers will be paying for the first class temporary office space rather than the owners.
Add that to the $20 million dollar practice facility that the city will provide for the owners who, out of the goodness of their hearts, are willing to pay $100,000 per year for using (at that low lease rate, it will take OKC 200 years to recoup their investment) and you begin to see the definition of a sweetheart deal.
On top of that, at the state level, all of the players, coaches and office personal will pay income taxes into state coffers, just like everyone else who pays Oklahoma state income taxes. However, the state will then rebate back to the OWNERS 5.5% of their total payroll to help out with their profit margin. Estimated to be about $4 million per year at current salary levels. In addition, they will get that corporate welfare (tax credit) for the next 15 years.
Put it all together and the name should be the Oklahoma City SUBSIDIES, or the SWEETHEART DEALERS, or perhaps the OKC PROFITEERS. The last one almost sounds like it would represent a bunch of conniving, manipulating and thieving pirates. As time goes on I believe we will find out more that adds up to an even greater sweetheart deal. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to the team coming to the city, for moral reasons I am opposed to all corporate welfare, because by its very nature, it is nothing more than a re-distribution of wealth scheme, a degree of socialist capitalism or in other words, legalized plunder. Hey, another idea, the OKC PLUNDERERS.
– HAS SENATOR COBURN BECOME A HYPOCRITE?
One can only imagine how disappointed I was to find out that Senator Coburn voted to spend $50 billion American taxpayer dollars around the world in a “global war on AIDS.” According to an editorial in today’s (7.21.08) Oklahoman titled, Making a difference - Global AIDS program is money well spent, the paper quoted Coburn as saying: “This is by far the only true foreign policy program that’s working.”
What I want to know is, since when did the effectiveness of a global welfare program become the validation for our involvement? Where is all of his rhetoric about deficit spending and saddling our kids with an unbearable debt load? Where do you get the constitutional authority to spend that money all over the world Senator Coburn? What is the difference in this and the earmarks (some of which are for proper government functions) you are always telling everyone you are so concerned about? Too bad he didn’t read or couldn’t understand the little book we gave him about Davy Crockett, when Congressman Crockett came to a realization that the taxpayer dollars he voted to spend in situations such as this, really was not his money to give away in the first place.
After the most recent change in congressional districts, I attended the first town hall meeting in Guthrie held by Frank Lucas since Logan County is now in his district. I had an opportunity to ask 2 questions of the large audience before I asked the first question of Congressman Lucas. First question to the audience: how many of you would like to see your taxes raised so our government could send (then $15 billion) to Africa to fight AIDS? Not a single hand went up. I then asked, how many of you want to see the federal government borrow $15 billion and saddle your children and grand children with more debt so we can send $15 billion to Africa to fight AIDS? Again, not a hand went up. Of course my final question was to Congressman Lucas as to why he had voted to send $15 billion to Africa to fight AIDS, especially since his constituents didn’t want him to do so?
At this point Congressman Lucas’ answer is irrelevant, but similar questions should be directed to Senator Coburn like I have suggested above. The Oklahoman, with its ever more liberal editorial page suggested, “Bush deserves credit for a visionary idea, one where the WEALTH OF AMERICA could be brought to bear on a global crisis.” Has the editorial page at the Oklahoman gone nuts? Tell me what is visionary about spending other peoples money?
And what do they mean by the Wealth of America? Someone needs to inform them that with our nation debt now exceeding $9 TRILLION dollars, we really aren’t wealthy any more. We just have a lot of inflated paper currency floating around. The financial condition of America is similar to a corporation that has filed for a chapter 11 re-organization bankruptcy. The only difference is, in the corporate world they only get to do that one time. With the federal government, we just keep filing for a re-organization every time we raise the debt ceiling and the debt load just keeps getting heavier and heavier.
If there is anyone out there who wants to have your taxes raised or money borrowed to send $50 billion around the world for a so called “effective program,” please send me an e-mail and let me know who you are. But be warned, I will ask you how much of your own money you have already or are willing to send on your own. I have already sent money on my own to a ministry and I darn sure DO NOT want my tax dollars going there, probably to be spent through some UN program.
– WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OCPAC
With so many people on the OCPAC e-mail list I end up on a fair number of e-mail forwarding lists. I was recently surprised and humbled to have this e-mail forwarded to me. It says:
If you think who runs the state is important, and are looking for a genuinely CONSERVATIVE organization, who are true stewards of any contributions they receive, then you will want to support Candidates through OCPAC.
They support only those candidates who actually VOTE the way they campaign. Smaller government, no money to abortion providers, no government facilities to abortion providers, a TRUE balanced budget (unlike what was just passed in the OK legislature) Support 1804.
We have a great opportunity to replace “term limited” RINOs with the real thing and Charlie Meadows is faithful to follow their daily activities and hold them accountable. Freedom isn’t free, and it is important that we give where our gift will give us LIBERTY - we feel we get the most for our money by contributing and belonging to OCPAC. Hope you will join us! Roland and B.J. Benbow (these folks are from Tulsa)
Their opinions of OCPAC are at least our goals and what we strive to accomplish. It is also my desire to earn that kind of respect from all the folks who read the OCPAC e-mails. I would like to urge others who have not joined as yet to do so now by becoming a member. The instructions to join follow my sign off.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday.
Charlie Meadows
charliemeadows@peoplepc.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Jeff Cloud, Chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to Speak July 17th
Members and friends of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).
We meet for lunch every Wednesday, 12 noon at Italiano’s Restaurant,
4801 North Lincoln in OKC.
This week our speaker will be Jeff Cloud, Chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The Commission is made up of 3 members who serve 6 year terms each. This is Mr. Cloud’s first re-election cycle and he will have a Democrat challenger on the ballot in November. The commissioners have some level of regulation over the production and delivery of oil and gas as well as the publically owned utilities and their delivery infrastructure. They also regulate the trucking industry as well as other businesses. With the rising attention given to energy needs and their costs, the importance and visibility of this office has certainly increased. Come and learn about the responsibilities of this office as well as meet Chairman Cloud.
THIS ISSUE:
– RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S MEETING AND VOTE.
– ANNOUNCEMENTS , FREEDOM 21, TERRILL’S FUND RAISER & BOB BARR.
– RECLAIMING OKLAHOMA FOR CHRIST WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
– WHAT IS A CULTURE WAR & HOW DO CHRISTIANS BECOME INVOLVED?
– TWO KINDS OF CONSULTANTS, WHICH KIND IS LANCE CARGILL?
– TULSA BEACON RECOGNIZES OCPAC WORK - MEMBERSHIP UP-DATE
– RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S MEETING AND VOTE.
Congratulations to Dr. Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow for winning our endorsement and a substantial contribution for his election effort. If you have time google his web-site and check out his endorsement page.
It is the most impressive list of endorsements of any house candidate I have ever seen.
In addition, in a very close vote, Mike Idleman won the endorsement and financial support from OCPAC for his election effort to fill Lance Cargill’s recently vacated seat. I believe either of these candidates have the chance to be a good lawmaker but Mike Idleman was selected by our members and I believe we made the right choice. He has conservative instincts and is certainly teachable when it comes to contemplating conservative positions on the many issues any new lawmaker will face.
There is an unjustified whisper campaign against Idleman, accusing him of being a member of the OEA/NEA. It is true he was a member over 10 years ago while teaching in the Edmond school district. However, he withdrew his membership and denounced those organizations while still teaching and under much duress for his actions. Those kinds of irrelevant allegations are a part of the political process. It is the job of the voters to look through the blue smoke and mirrors and on to the bottom line for truth and relevance.
– ANNOUNCEMENTS, FREEDOM 21, BOB BARR & TERRILLS FUND RAISER
The re-claiming seminar is over and the next important educational event will be the 9TH annual FREEDOM 21 CONFERENCE, which will be held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Addison, Texas, July 24th through the 26th. The title of the conference is "Connecting the Dots."
This year’s conference will focus on connecting the dots from the UN’s Agenda 21 and its policy of Sustainable Development to issues like gun control, education, animal rights, property rights, privacy rights, religion and much more. The conference will also focus on the latest developments concerning the North American Union and the Trans Texas Corridor (NAFTA Superhighway).
Featured speakers include former Georgia Congressman and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr; best selling author Jerome Corsi, Canadian Action Party leader Connie Fogal, pastor, writer and Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin, Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly, U.S. Senate Environment Committee Communications Director Marc Morano and Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center.
Other featured speakers include Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, State Senator Karen Johnson (R-AZ), Oklahoma’s own State Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso), State Representative Sam Rohrer (R-PA) the dynamite speakers on education, Dr. Alan Quist and Michael Chapman of Edwatch. Also speaking will be Michael Shaw of Freedom Advocates, William Jasper, with the John Birch Society and the New American Magazine, Michael Coffman, an environmentalist and global warming fraud buster, Oklahoma’s Amanda Teegarden of OK-SAFE, Terri Hall, David and Linda Stall of Corridor Watch and even more in this jam- packed three day event.
There is a $275 fee to attend but this conference is much broader in its scope and more in depth than say the Re-claiming Oklahoma for Christ conference which was underwritten by some very generous folks.
There is probably no better place in the nation to be informed on the concepts of the intentions of the United Nations to control virtually every activity in life through its Agenda 21 program which plays out through the buzz words, "sustainable development." For more information log on to http://www.freedom21.org/.
BOB BARR
Speaking of the Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr, he will be in Oklahoma City tomorrow night, July 15th at 7:00 p.m.. He will appear in the Student Center on the campus of Rose State College. To cover the cost of refreshments and the building rental, there will be a $10 fee. I have had the privilege to meet former Congressman Barr on at least 2 maybe 3 occasions and he is quite an interesting fellow. He was the Congressman, with the help of the John Birch Society, who got the ball rolling for the impeachment of Bill Clinton.
Unfortunately, the liberal main stream media was successful in diverting the reason for impeachment to the sordid Monica Lewenski affair rather than the real reason which was the transfer of vital missile guidance technology to Communist China for campaign contributions to Bill Clinton’s re-election purposes. I don’t believe he will be able to get on the ballot in Oklahoma, but it would be well worth the time and $10 to go hear him.
RANDY TERRILL
People all over the state love and appreciate State Representative Randy Terrill for his hard work to pass HB 1804 last year. He has also been unwavering in its support, though many of the special interests would like it repealed. This Friday evening some of his Tulsa supporters will hold a fund raiser for him from 7 to 9:00 p.m.. The location will be the Tulsa Technology Center Auditorium (Jenks Airport Campus) Northwest corner of 91st and Elm. The cost is $25 per person or $50 per couple. Of course the maximum a person can contribute is $5,000.
TAXPAYER CHAMPION LAWSUIT TO BE HEARD TUESDAY Jerry Fent, semi-retired attorney who frequently brings legal action against the unconstitutional actions of the legislature and state agencies, will have a case heard tomorrow about "amnesty for dead-beat taxpayers." This might be a good deal, but if it is unconstitutional then it shouldn’t take place. The hearing will occur in the Supreme Court chambers at the state capitol tomorrow, Tuesday the 15th at 1:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend and see our judicial system in action.
– RECLAIMING OKLAHOMA FOR CHRIST WAS A HUGE SUCCESS Over the past 2 years the seminar had great speakers but only about 250 attendees the first year and maybe 400 last year. However, this Friday evening we had somewhere between a thousand and 1200 people and a little less on Saturday morning. It was great to see and meet many of you that receive the e-mail as well as obtain several pages of new names to add to the OCPAC e-mail list. We even had 5 new members join during the seminar.
Most important is the fine job pastors Paul Blair, Dr. Steve Kern, Oklahoma Christian, Bott radio and others did in organizing the seminar and especially all the volunteers from Fairview Baptist Church in serving to make this event a success. I believe the biggest decision for next year will be whether or not we stay in the wonderful location of Oklahoma Christian or seek a larger venue as we were nearing the capacity of the Hardeman Auditorium.
– WHAT IS A CULTURE WAR & HOW DO CHRISTIANS BECOME INVOLVED?
A few years ago at the Republican National Convention Pat Buchanan spoke of a culture war and was ridiculed as being too harsh and too militant in his rhetoric. Yet today, anyone with any discernment knows how true his description was in reference to the many forces vying for the control and direction of society and our government.
Some years ago the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson used to march across university campuses leading others in the chant "hey hey hi ho - Western civ has got to go." What did Jackson mean by Western Civ has got to go? Western Civilization of course, which was founded on Judeo- Christian values and principles. Jackson was then as he is today, a hate stirring, self promoting, race baiting, Marxist agitator. That is not to say that there haven’t been serious problems between the various grouping of people in the human race. However, my point is that Jackson and others like him are the last people in the world wanting those problems to be solved as it would completely eliminate a need for their so called "leadership" and thus their empowerment to name, fame, reputation and wealth.
However, Jackson is but one example of the many forces vying for control and direction of society. Basically it comes down to what is "good and light" as defined by God’s Word verses that which rises itself up and exalts itself as an alternative. The Bible is chock full of military terms. When it comes to application, there are many ways and means to be involved in spiritual warfare with the hopes solving problems before things manifest into violent, physical warfare.
I never want to take away from prayer, because when God moves by the power of his Spirit on "behalf" of his people and for His purposes, that which is good will be accomplished. However, too many Christians hide behind prayer (as well as do little of it) and refuse to be a "manifestation" of salt and light, as well as the manifestation of a "standard" that God wants to raise up against the rising tides of evil.
God is looking for culture warriors. People who will live a Godly life in His righteousness and at the same time be willing to engage their culture. People who will support that which is good and respectfully decline to support that which opposes what is good. What I am talking about is taking a stand, tacking action and living with some CONVICTIONS.
As an example, one of the most effective organizations in our nation is the American Family Association. Over the years I have participated in numerous boycotts they have organized. I don’t think boycotts ought to be undertaken carelessly but only after much effort to communicate with a business or corporation, explaining the problem and giving that business a chance to change their policies. Because of the support of hundreds of thousands of people and sometimes millions, AFA has succeeded in bringing many major corporations to their knees and to a policy change.
According to the AFA, the fast food giant McDonalds recently refused a request to remain neutral in the culture war, choosing to continue support of the homosexual agenda. AFA wrote McDonald’s asking the company to do two things: 1) Remove McDonald’s name and logo from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) web site listing McDonald’s as a "Corporate Partner and Organization Ally" of NGLCC.
2) Remove the endorsement of NGLCC by Richard Ellis, Vice President of Communications for McDonald’s USA, from the NGLCC web site.
McDonald’s refused both requests. McDonald’s donated $20,000 to NGLCC in exchange for membership in the NGLCC and a seat on the group’s board of directors. The NGLCC lobbies Congress on a wide range of issues including the promotion of homosexual marriage.
This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals, or homosexuals eating at McDonald’s, or how homosexual employees are treated. It is about McDonald’s, as a corporation, CHOOSING TO PUT THE FULL WEIGHT OF THEIR CORPORATION BEHIND PROMOTING THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA, INCLUDING HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE.
According to the AFA, Mr. Ellis is openly homosexual and I would suggest represents the kind of dedication he and many other homosexuals exhibit toward their agenda which is gaining ground every day. The question remains, will Christians find some convictions in their lives and stand for something? Will they be willing to join the boycott effort organized by the AFA and hurt that corporation in the pocket book, the only place many corporations feel pain?
As for me, I dearly enjoy a sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle for breakfast and an occasional double cheeseburger for lunch or dinner, especially when I am on the road. But they are gone in my life forever or until McDonald’s changes their policy. Some might say that boycotts hurt a local franchise owner who might be a neighbor or friend. That is very true, but we are in a culture war and the pain the local owner might feel will cause that owner to put pressure on the corporation to change their policies. Wars of any kind are not fun, they require sacrifice, loss, pain and suffering. The question is, are we going to join the fight and engage our culture or are we going to lose it?
Which will it be? For more information log on to http://www.afa.net/.
– TWO KINDS OF CONSULTANTS, WHICH KIND IS LANCE CARGILL?
The political process is both an art and a science. There are some people who get very good at discerning the mood of the voters and developing a strategy to win elections. Some of these folks hire out their expertise to candidates running for elected office. Sometimes the fees are quite lucrative and many of these hired guns make a lot of money like anyone in any kind of business desires to accomplish. I don’t have a problem with any of that. However, I have respect for consultants who will only work for the candidate or on an issue that aligns with a particular ideology. I consider consultants that work for either or both sides of an issue or any kind of a candidate to be a whore or one who prostitutes their skills to the highest bidder.
In the Oklahoman this past week it came out that Lance Cargill was consulting for Lewis Moore, one of the Republicans wanting to fill Lance’s vacated seat. In addition the article mentioned that Lance wanted to help a Democrat running for county commissioner. While Lance wouldn’t confirm he was running the campaign for John Echols, the candidate trying to unseat Representative Mike Reynolds, as well as the re-election effort for Representative Doug Cox (RINO - Grove), the Oklahoman confirmed that information from Echols as well as Representative Cox.
I thought I would never say this, but when Lance decided to run the campaign for the most liberal Republican in the House, this year’s winner of the RINO (Republican In Name Only) award, and then approach a Democrat, I must consider him a political prostitute, whoring himself for money.
– TULSA BEACON RECOGNIZES OCPAC WORK - MEMBERSHIP UP-DATE What a pleasant surprise to get my weekly TULSA BEACON Newspaper last week and see a front page article featuring those lawmakers OCPAC chose as outstanding for this legislative session as well as those winning the dubious RINO (Republican In Name Only) awards. It was a great article and certainly mentioned the efforts of OCPAC. I subscribe to 5 newspapers and two of them I wouldn’t do without. The Tulsa Beacon which is a weekly and the Oklahoma Constitution which is a quarterly. Every conservative in the state ought to be subscribing to one or both of these 2 newspapers. For more information log on to http://www.blogger.com/www.tulsabeacon.com and http://www.blogger.com/www.oklahomaconstitution.com. If you will hurry on the Constitution and get your $10 dollars paid you can get the next issue, due out sometime next week, which will have this year’s Conservative index in it. The Beacon is $30 a year for those living in Tulsa County and $35 for those outside the county. For 52 issues, it is worth every penny of the cost.
Since last week’s e-mail went out we received $500 in contributions and 6 more members. We are very close to obtaining $2,000 which will be matched dollar for dollar by a very generous donor. If you have not joined as yet, please consider doing so now. It looks like we will again go over $30,000 to contribute to various candidates. I believe we are seeing some very good candidates, some of whom will win and work to make more conservative policy for the state of Oklahoma. To join OCPAC, see the instructions following my sign off.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday.
Charlie Meadows
charliemeadows@peoplepc.com
We meet for lunch every Wednesday, 12 noon at Italiano’s Restaurant,
4801 North Lincoln in OKC.
This week our speaker will be Jeff Cloud, Chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The Commission is made up of 3 members who serve 6 year terms each. This is Mr. Cloud’s first re-election cycle and he will have a Democrat challenger on the ballot in November. The commissioners have some level of regulation over the production and delivery of oil and gas as well as the publically owned utilities and their delivery infrastructure. They also regulate the trucking industry as well as other businesses. With the rising attention given to energy needs and their costs, the importance and visibility of this office has certainly increased. Come and learn about the responsibilities of this office as well as meet Chairman Cloud.
THIS ISSUE:
– RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S MEETING AND VOTE.
– ANNOUNCEMENTS , FREEDOM 21, TERRILL’S FUND RAISER & BOB BARR.
– RECLAIMING OKLAHOMA FOR CHRIST WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
– WHAT IS A CULTURE WAR & HOW DO CHRISTIANS BECOME INVOLVED?
– TWO KINDS OF CONSULTANTS, WHICH KIND IS LANCE CARGILL?
– TULSA BEACON RECOGNIZES OCPAC WORK - MEMBERSHIP UP-DATE
– RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S MEETING AND VOTE.
Congratulations to Dr. Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow for winning our endorsement and a substantial contribution for his election effort. If you have time google his web-site and check out his endorsement page.
It is the most impressive list of endorsements of any house candidate I have ever seen.
In addition, in a very close vote, Mike Idleman won the endorsement and financial support from OCPAC for his election effort to fill Lance Cargill’s recently vacated seat. I believe either of these candidates have the chance to be a good lawmaker but Mike Idleman was selected by our members and I believe we made the right choice. He has conservative instincts and is certainly teachable when it comes to contemplating conservative positions on the many issues any new lawmaker will face.
There is an unjustified whisper campaign against Idleman, accusing him of being a member of the OEA/NEA. It is true he was a member over 10 years ago while teaching in the Edmond school district. However, he withdrew his membership and denounced those organizations while still teaching and under much duress for his actions. Those kinds of irrelevant allegations are a part of the political process. It is the job of the voters to look through the blue smoke and mirrors and on to the bottom line for truth and relevance.
– ANNOUNCEMENTS, FREEDOM 21, BOB BARR & TERRILLS FUND RAISER
The re-claiming seminar is over and the next important educational event will be the 9TH annual FREEDOM 21 CONFERENCE, which will be held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Addison, Texas, July 24th through the 26th. The title of the conference is "Connecting the Dots."
This year’s conference will focus on connecting the dots from the UN’s Agenda 21 and its policy of Sustainable Development to issues like gun control, education, animal rights, property rights, privacy rights, religion and much more. The conference will also focus on the latest developments concerning the North American Union and the Trans Texas Corridor (NAFTA Superhighway).
Featured speakers include former Georgia Congressman and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr; best selling author Jerome Corsi, Canadian Action Party leader Connie Fogal, pastor, writer and Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin, Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly, U.S. Senate Environment Committee Communications Director Marc Morano and Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center.
Other featured speakers include Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, State Senator Karen Johnson (R-AZ), Oklahoma’s own State Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso), State Representative Sam Rohrer (R-PA) the dynamite speakers on education, Dr. Alan Quist and Michael Chapman of Edwatch. Also speaking will be Michael Shaw of Freedom Advocates, William Jasper, with the John Birch Society and the New American Magazine, Michael Coffman, an environmentalist and global warming fraud buster, Oklahoma’s Amanda Teegarden of OK-SAFE, Terri Hall, David and Linda Stall of Corridor Watch and even more in this jam- packed three day event.
There is a $275 fee to attend but this conference is much broader in its scope and more in depth than say the Re-claiming Oklahoma for Christ conference which was underwritten by some very generous folks.
There is probably no better place in the nation to be informed on the concepts of the intentions of the United Nations to control virtually every activity in life through its Agenda 21 program which plays out through the buzz words, "sustainable development." For more information log on to http://www.freedom21.org/.
BOB BARR
Speaking of the Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr, he will be in Oklahoma City tomorrow night, July 15th at 7:00 p.m.. He will appear in the Student Center on the campus of Rose State College. To cover the cost of refreshments and the building rental, there will be a $10 fee. I have had the privilege to meet former Congressman Barr on at least 2 maybe 3 occasions and he is quite an interesting fellow. He was the Congressman, with the help of the John Birch Society, who got the ball rolling for the impeachment of Bill Clinton.
Unfortunately, the liberal main stream media was successful in diverting the reason for impeachment to the sordid Monica Lewenski affair rather than the real reason which was the transfer of vital missile guidance technology to Communist China for campaign contributions to Bill Clinton’s re-election purposes. I don’t believe he will be able to get on the ballot in Oklahoma, but it would be well worth the time and $10 to go hear him.
RANDY TERRILL
People all over the state love and appreciate State Representative Randy Terrill for his hard work to pass HB 1804 last year. He has also been unwavering in its support, though many of the special interests would like it repealed. This Friday evening some of his Tulsa supporters will hold a fund raiser for him from 7 to 9:00 p.m.. The location will be the Tulsa Technology Center Auditorium (Jenks Airport Campus) Northwest corner of 91st and Elm. The cost is $25 per person or $50 per couple. Of course the maximum a person can contribute is $5,000.
TAXPAYER CHAMPION LAWSUIT TO BE HEARD TUESDAY Jerry Fent, semi-retired attorney who frequently brings legal action against the unconstitutional actions of the legislature and state agencies, will have a case heard tomorrow about "amnesty for dead-beat taxpayers." This might be a good deal, but if it is unconstitutional then it shouldn’t take place. The hearing will occur in the Supreme Court chambers at the state capitol tomorrow, Tuesday the 15th at 1:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend and see our judicial system in action.
– RECLAIMING OKLAHOMA FOR CHRIST WAS A HUGE SUCCESS Over the past 2 years the seminar had great speakers but only about 250 attendees the first year and maybe 400 last year. However, this Friday evening we had somewhere between a thousand and 1200 people and a little less on Saturday morning. It was great to see and meet many of you that receive the e-mail as well as obtain several pages of new names to add to the OCPAC e-mail list. We even had 5 new members join during the seminar.
Most important is the fine job pastors Paul Blair, Dr. Steve Kern, Oklahoma Christian, Bott radio and others did in organizing the seminar and especially all the volunteers from Fairview Baptist Church in serving to make this event a success. I believe the biggest decision for next year will be whether or not we stay in the wonderful location of Oklahoma Christian or seek a larger venue as we were nearing the capacity of the Hardeman Auditorium.
– WHAT IS A CULTURE WAR & HOW DO CHRISTIANS BECOME INVOLVED?
A few years ago at the Republican National Convention Pat Buchanan spoke of a culture war and was ridiculed as being too harsh and too militant in his rhetoric. Yet today, anyone with any discernment knows how true his description was in reference to the many forces vying for the control and direction of society and our government.
Some years ago the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson used to march across university campuses leading others in the chant "hey hey hi ho - Western civ has got to go." What did Jackson mean by Western Civ has got to go? Western Civilization of course, which was founded on Judeo- Christian values and principles. Jackson was then as he is today, a hate stirring, self promoting, race baiting, Marxist agitator. That is not to say that there haven’t been serious problems between the various grouping of people in the human race. However, my point is that Jackson and others like him are the last people in the world wanting those problems to be solved as it would completely eliminate a need for their so called "leadership" and thus their empowerment to name, fame, reputation and wealth.
However, Jackson is but one example of the many forces vying for control and direction of society. Basically it comes down to what is "good and light" as defined by God’s Word verses that which rises itself up and exalts itself as an alternative. The Bible is chock full of military terms. When it comes to application, there are many ways and means to be involved in spiritual warfare with the hopes solving problems before things manifest into violent, physical warfare.
I never want to take away from prayer, because when God moves by the power of his Spirit on "behalf" of his people and for His purposes, that which is good will be accomplished. However, too many Christians hide behind prayer (as well as do little of it) and refuse to be a "manifestation" of salt and light, as well as the manifestation of a "standard" that God wants to raise up against the rising tides of evil.
God is looking for culture warriors. People who will live a Godly life in His righteousness and at the same time be willing to engage their culture. People who will support that which is good and respectfully decline to support that which opposes what is good. What I am talking about is taking a stand, tacking action and living with some CONVICTIONS.
As an example, one of the most effective organizations in our nation is the American Family Association. Over the years I have participated in numerous boycotts they have organized. I don’t think boycotts ought to be undertaken carelessly but only after much effort to communicate with a business or corporation, explaining the problem and giving that business a chance to change their policies. Because of the support of hundreds of thousands of people and sometimes millions, AFA has succeeded in bringing many major corporations to their knees and to a policy change.
According to the AFA, the fast food giant McDonalds recently refused a request to remain neutral in the culture war, choosing to continue support of the homosexual agenda. AFA wrote McDonald’s asking the company to do two things: 1) Remove McDonald’s name and logo from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) web site listing McDonald’s as a "Corporate Partner and Organization Ally" of NGLCC.
2) Remove the endorsement of NGLCC by Richard Ellis, Vice President of Communications for McDonald’s USA, from the NGLCC web site.
McDonald’s refused both requests. McDonald’s donated $20,000 to NGLCC in exchange for membership in the NGLCC and a seat on the group’s board of directors. The NGLCC lobbies Congress on a wide range of issues including the promotion of homosexual marriage.
This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals, or homosexuals eating at McDonald’s, or how homosexual employees are treated. It is about McDonald’s, as a corporation, CHOOSING TO PUT THE FULL WEIGHT OF THEIR CORPORATION BEHIND PROMOTING THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA, INCLUDING HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE.
According to the AFA, Mr. Ellis is openly homosexual and I would suggest represents the kind of dedication he and many other homosexuals exhibit toward their agenda which is gaining ground every day. The question remains, will Christians find some convictions in their lives and stand for something? Will they be willing to join the boycott effort organized by the AFA and hurt that corporation in the pocket book, the only place many corporations feel pain?
As for me, I dearly enjoy a sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle for breakfast and an occasional double cheeseburger for lunch or dinner, especially when I am on the road. But they are gone in my life forever or until McDonald’s changes their policy. Some might say that boycotts hurt a local franchise owner who might be a neighbor or friend. That is very true, but we are in a culture war and the pain the local owner might feel will cause that owner to put pressure on the corporation to change their policies. Wars of any kind are not fun, they require sacrifice, loss, pain and suffering. The question is, are we going to join the fight and engage our culture or are we going to lose it?
Which will it be? For more information log on to http://www.afa.net/.
– TWO KINDS OF CONSULTANTS, WHICH KIND IS LANCE CARGILL?
The political process is both an art and a science. There are some people who get very good at discerning the mood of the voters and developing a strategy to win elections. Some of these folks hire out their expertise to candidates running for elected office. Sometimes the fees are quite lucrative and many of these hired guns make a lot of money like anyone in any kind of business desires to accomplish. I don’t have a problem with any of that. However, I have respect for consultants who will only work for the candidate or on an issue that aligns with a particular ideology. I consider consultants that work for either or both sides of an issue or any kind of a candidate to be a whore or one who prostitutes their skills to the highest bidder.
In the Oklahoman this past week it came out that Lance Cargill was consulting for Lewis Moore, one of the Republicans wanting to fill Lance’s vacated seat. In addition the article mentioned that Lance wanted to help a Democrat running for county commissioner. While Lance wouldn’t confirm he was running the campaign for John Echols, the candidate trying to unseat Representative Mike Reynolds, as well as the re-election effort for Representative Doug Cox (RINO - Grove), the Oklahoman confirmed that information from Echols as well as Representative Cox.
I thought I would never say this, but when Lance decided to run the campaign for the most liberal Republican in the House, this year’s winner of the RINO (Republican In Name Only) award, and then approach a Democrat, I must consider him a political prostitute, whoring himself for money.
– TULSA BEACON RECOGNIZES OCPAC WORK - MEMBERSHIP UP-DATE What a pleasant surprise to get my weekly TULSA BEACON Newspaper last week and see a front page article featuring those lawmakers OCPAC chose as outstanding for this legislative session as well as those winning the dubious RINO (Republican In Name Only) awards. It was a great article and certainly mentioned the efforts of OCPAC. I subscribe to 5 newspapers and two of them I wouldn’t do without. The Tulsa Beacon which is a weekly and the Oklahoma Constitution which is a quarterly. Every conservative in the state ought to be subscribing to one or both of these 2 newspapers. For more information log on to http://www.blogger.com/www.tulsabeacon.com and http://www.blogger.com/www.oklahomaconstitution.com. If you will hurry on the Constitution and get your $10 dollars paid you can get the next issue, due out sometime next week, which will have this year’s Conservative index in it. The Beacon is $30 a year for those living in Tulsa County and $35 for those outside the county. For 52 issues, it is worth every penny of the cost.
Since last week’s e-mail went out we received $500 in contributions and 6 more members. We are very close to obtaining $2,000 which will be matched dollar for dollar by a very generous donor. If you have not joined as yet, please consider doing so now. It looks like we will again go over $30,000 to contribute to various candidates. I believe we are seeing some very good candidates, some of whom will win and work to make more conservative policy for the state of Oklahoma. To join OCPAC, see the instructions following my sign off.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday.
Charlie Meadows
charliemeadows@peoplepc.com
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