Oklahoma Politics

In case you missed it from the corporate media over the weekend, here is the recap on the presidential race and its candidates:

Hillary Clinton’s political career is, well, over.

Barack Obama cannot win the presidency if he becomes the Democratic Party nominee because of the mean way he has treated Clinton.

John McCain’s campaign is in such disrepair that no one can expect the GOP candidate to win in November.

So it’s all over, folks, before it even really began, according to The New York Times. No new person will actually be elected president in November because the pundits and infotainers have decreed it. I guess we’re stuck with Bush for another eight years.

Meanwhile, take a deep breath, and read these recent excerpts from Okie Funk posts. I’ll be back tomorrow.

“Now that John McCain has repudiated the Rev. John Hagee and Barack Obama has repudiated the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, maybe we can repudiate all the country’s leading religious freaks and irrationality in general.”—Irrationals Warp Political Process, May 23, 2008.

“My description here of the interview makes it seem somewhat linear. Inhofe often rambles off topic, sounds egotistical, and seems like a fool who believes in vast political conspiracies. Of course, environmental groups are going to come after Inhofe, who is the unspoken GOP leader on denying the dire effects of global warming, but is it, really, a conspiracy, whose members, as he puts it, include George Soros, Michael Moore and Barbara Streisand, or just concerned citizens exercising their rights in a democracy? McCain’s recognition of credible science and his recent proposals, of course, are just one more mark against Inhofe, who seems increasingly incoherent and pathetic.”—Inhofe’s Fantasy World, May 21, 2008.

“Coburn’s stunts do nothing to help those state voters who elected him. It may be great on a short-term visceral level to some voters here, for example, that George Will has become a Coburn sycophant, but for every adoring pundit like Will there is another pundit or another organization that vehemently opposes the Senator and considers him a cruel egomaniac. The bad publicity outweighs the good. Coburn’s controversial stances continue to harm the state’s image.”—Coburn 7 Stops World AIDS Relief, May 16, 2008.

“But, then, who else besides a prominent Oklahoman Republican, backed by the state’s ultra-conservative, GOP-adoring corporate media and energy companies, could get a free media pass when defending on a de facto basis the botched Iraq occupation, the torturing of foreign prisoners by the U.S. government, the continuing war on basic civil rights in this country and the tanking economy? Who else would even do it? Maybe someone from Utah or Mississippi? Maybe.”—Cole’s Sinking Ship Brings Bad PR Vibes To State, May 12, 2008.

“Conservative pundits, from Rush Limbaugh to Robert Novak to George Will to Charles Krauthammer, dish out the witty vitriol and clever snark about Democratic Party candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but the real story is these commentators—blustering, pontificating cartoon figures—are as intellectually bankrupt as the Republican Party they so adore. The corporate media feeds these narcissistic, loony right-wing ideologues with petty guilt-by-association plots and Clinton-family obsession. What did the Rev. Jeremiah Wright say today? Did Chelsea look sad the other night? Is she out of touch with her generation? Limbaugh, Novak, Will and Krauthammer (and so many, many others in the mainstream media) crowd around the pig trough.”—Dead GOP Ideologies, May 9, 2008.

(It has been a mixed year for progressives in Oklahoma, but the fight continues. In this post, you will find excerpts from Okie Funk blogs published from January to June in 2007. The next blog will feature posts from the rest of the year. Here’s wishing you a great 2008.)

Oklahoma Creationists Try Textbook Trick

As predicted, the Oklahoma creationist movement is back this year in the state legislature.
Anti-evolution bills attacking the scientific method, the foundation of modern medicine, have a fair to decent chance of passing because the legislature is dominated by neoconservatives, whose bills are most often based on ideology or cultural wedge issues.

Want better health care and wages? Want to make sure your children have decent jobs here? Don’t ask a Republican. All you’re going to get from the Oklahoma GOP (and even some supposed Democrats) these days is pathetic, religious-driven legislation that makes the state one of the biggest laughingstocks in the nation. Yeah, right, it always helps to be known as a place of ignorance and intolerance when you’re trying to create economic development.

We can only hope this neoconservative strategy of activating the conservative, uneducated masses through cultural wedges has almost run its course here in Oklahoma. People are now waking up throughout the country. But will it happen here?

January 18, 2007

Cargill’s Petty Politics

Oklahoma House Speaker Lance Cargill’s petty move to ban a Norman legislator from serving on an important committee that is vital to his district shows again how Republicans consistently put politics above people in the state.

Cargill (R-Harrah) has denied a request by state Rep. Wallace Collins (D-Norman) to serve on the mental health subcommittee. Collins’ House District 45 is home to Griffin Memorial Hospital, a mental health facility. Traditionally, legislators from the district serve on mental health committees, according to Collins, who has complained publicly about Cargill's action.

But this doesn’t matter to Cargill, of course. Collins beat Thad Balkman, a religious extremist who wants to force Oklahomans to live under his narrow-minded views, for the House seat last November.

So here’s the kicker: Cargill and Balkman, two slick buddies, are operating the mysterious 100 Ideas initiative, which will not reveal its funding because government is secret in Oklahoma these days. The initiative seems designed to further Cargill’s and Balkman’s political careers and bolster the GOP chances to further dominate the Lege in years to come.

So Cargill and the Oklahoma power structure reward the religious fanatic and election loser Balkman but won’t even let Collins serve on a significant committee for his district. Collins won the election. Balkman lost. Essentially, it means secret individuals or corporations operate the political landscape here, not voters in Norman or elsewhere. What else is new?

Here’s an idea for your secret He-Man Woman Haters Club and its 100 big shot ideers, Cargill: Give Democracy a chance. Put Collins on the committee.

February 13, 2007

Terrill The Terrible

The bill states, “The State of Oklahoma finds that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship and lawlessness in this state and that illegal immigration is encouraged by public agencies within this state that provide public benefits without verifying immigration status.”

Those are lies. Undocumented workers (the key word here is “workers”) contribute to economy here and the vast majority of them are decent, hard-working people. They are here only because they want better lives for themselves and families. Terrill, who represents the Moore area, says illegal immigration costs the state $200 million a year. But how much do they actually add to the local economy? In addition, no public agencies here are actively encouraging illegal immigration. That’s absurd. They are merely dealing with a major federal problem just like other states.

The Republicans have failed on a national level to do anything about the growing numbers of undocumented workers in this country so Terrill and his GOP comrades say they are taking things in their own hands.

March 1, 2007

Impoverished Women Attacked By Anti-Abortion Bill

The bill is one of many anti-abortion bills introduced in the legislature this session. Will Gov. Brad Henry sign the bill? He signed four anti-abortion bills last year, of course, but if he wants to veto this bill he will have the medical community on his side. The Oklahoma State Medical Association opposes the bill.

Oklahoma is fast becoming a state with some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation.

But the larger view about the abortion issue in Oklahoma is this: Those women with the financial resources can always leave the state and obtain a discreet, safe abortion. For impoverished women, especially those with health problems, this could be problematic. This law could force some Oklahoma women to seek out back-alley abortions.

Our state government is openly attacking poor women. What else is new, right? If you’re rich, you can fly to California to get an abortion. If you’re poor, you probably don’t even have the money to travel to nearby states.

April 4, 2007

Head Lunatic

On the same day The Daily Oklahoman editorial page argued Gov. Brad Henry should veto state Rep. Randy “The Terrible” Terrill’s draconian illegal immigration bill, it carried a story about how U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe wants similar strict actions on a federal level.

The newspaper has consistently supported Inhofe despite the senator’s outlandish and bizarre statements about global warming, the Iraq occupation, and individual rights, and now it seems to contradict itself. The Inhofe story, of course carried no refutation or opposing views of the senator’s claims and supposedly it’s “news” not an endorsement. But did The Oklahoman interview anyone in the state who would argue against the tyrant Inhofe? No. We’re not allowed to speak in the state’s largest newspaper. Inhofe, meanwhile, gets to use the newspaper as his free, personal public relations firm.

May 5, 2007

Coburn Supports DDT Interests

Inhofe and Coburn are the tools of big corporations, which are damaging the environment and making our food supply unsafe. The state’s corporate media, especially Daily Oklahoman reporter Chris Casteel, who is a Washington bigwig “correspondent” (a big joke since he really writes editorials), allow the two politicians to consistently lie to Oklahomans without offering dissenting views. (Some media insiders say Casteel is under strict orders issued by Executive Editor Ed Kelley to give the gay-bashing Coburn and Inhofe positive coverage despite their lies, contradictions and rhetorical gaffes. The somber Kelley, for example, appeared recently in a personal video lauding bigot Coburn as a Senator. What type of metropolitan newspaper editor would take the personal time to kiss the tushy of one of the weirdest right-wing Senators in the history of the United States?)

June 2, 2007

Arrgh. Shiver me gobbler, lasses and lads. This is Planksy, a pirate turkey, filling in as guest blogger for DocHoc. (That's me mug to the right.) Imagine yers truly and a crew of me turkey brethren, pirates to the bird, sailing through high seas on the Canadian River to bring ye the news ye need to know. So do ye get yer thanks or do ye walk the planks on me dastardly, fowl driven vessel? So swab the foredeck, mateys, and read on.

Planks: The great pretender himself, land lubber U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe for his gnarly snarls on rational, scientific thought. It makes the turkey blood boil, folks. Global warming a hoax the ole plucker says, and when he spouts his bluff like a beached whale he makes us Okies—even of the ye ole pirate turkey variety—fools I tell ye in the eyes of the world.

Thanks: Mr. Wayne Coyne, pirate extraordinaire, pirate cool, pirate of pirates, and all the other funkadelics in the Flaming Lips for making hoot and holler right here in the streets of Oklahoma City. Ye makes a pirate turkey laugh and sing and dance, me lads. Aye. Ye pipes “arrgh” always welcome aboard me ship. No charge for me pirate turkey autograph (“Good luck, Wayne, With regards, Planksy”) either, sirs, no charge at all, my pleasure.

Planks: The Daily Oklahoman for all the lying scurvy and rotting fish heads of stinking, slimy, son of land lubbers smears on its snarlacious opine page. Ye can smell the rotten fish stench all the way up the Turner to Tulsa. In a word: smarmy. In two words: smarmy smarmy. In three words, smarmy . . . ye get me drift, lasses and lads?

Thanks: The progressive, pithy, pugnacious, powerful pugilistic pirates over at the Democrats of Oklahoma Community Forum for all ye fire and brimstone. Aye. Keep it boiling, me friends, keep it boiling real hot. We need yer hearty progressive stew in 2008.

Planks: State Rep. Randy Terrill for tooting his own tootles and zootles and kalootles galore as he dances and plays his Rove pipes on the backs of poor people. The problem isn’t illegals in Oklahoma, man, the problem is ye and yer right-wing snakes in the grass are always in a snarly, smuggy snit. Ahoy, say it, ye ole GOP is the party of snarl, smug and snit, me lasses and lads. Planksy guarantees a tofurkey in every pot if Terrill shuts his piehole for just one ye ole second on this smarmy immigration deal.

Thanks: Democrat Brad Henry for becoming the most popular ship captain in the history of the state, nay, in the history of the known world methinks. A thousand, nay two million, pirate gobbler hugs for ye, sailor, from Planksy and his crew. Keep yer governor’s ship tacking true in these new leeward winds. Tighten the mainsails and fly, sea dog, fly.

Planks: The Republicans in the Oklahoma Congressional delegation (U.S. Reps. Mary Fallin, John Sullivan, Tom Cole, Frank Lucas and U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn ) for stealing medicine from the mouth of innocent babes to give more money to the sniveling, rapscallion, son of turnips, son of sniffing stoats, land lubber George Bush so he can plunder and pillage to his ye ole heart’s desire.

Thanks: Pirate turkeys the world over for their good looks, charm and wit. Aye aye. These ”arrrgh” not yer albatrosses, folks, if you catch me drift. Methinks these are the birds ye need to know when ye need to know, ye know? Aye aye.