Oklahoma's Most Wanted - The latest thing in political felonies: a petition drive

OpinionJournal.com ^ | November 19, 2007 | The Editors

[gpapa]

A veteran political activist is facing 10 years in prison and a hefty fine for attempting to petition government for redress of grievances. The latest news from Pakistan? No, this is happening in Oklahoma.

Last month Paul Jacob, the former head of U.S. Term Limits and current head of Citizens in Charge, was led out of an Oklahoma City courtroom in handcuffs after pleading not guilty to charges that he conspired to defraud the state. Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who's overseeing this bizarre prosecution, has accused Mr. Jacob and two fellow petition organizers--Rick Carpenter of Oklahomans in Action and Susan Johnson of National Voter Outreach--of bringing out-of-state petition gatherers to Oklahoma to collect signatures.

In 2005 Mr. Carpenter, a Tulsan, launched a signature campaign to get a state-wide vote on a Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Tabor, as it is known, would cap the rate at which state government spending could increase. Mr. Jacob and Ms. Johnson were later brought on board to assist the effort. Not surprisingly, politicians and interest groups that favor big government have developed an intense dislike for Tabor spending limits, even though, like lawmaker term limits, they tend to be popular with voters.

[FormerACLUmember]

We are a lot closer to a Chavez or Mugabe type totalitarian state than our denial permits us to see.

[JSteff]

Sounds like another Nifong type DA.

All we need is an “exotic dancer” and some university faculty to take out a full page advertisement.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Another Government fearing the people

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Nifong

Prosecutors will have to face charges of behaving like Nifong (a conveniently short but unusual name) from now on.

This case certainly has a Nifong tone to it. It certainly seems open to question whether a law can forbid out-of-state political activism at all - least of all, out-of-state activism on only one side of an issue.

[Copernicus]

Does this mean you cannot bring outside marketing consultants to buy TV or Radio Ads?

Best regards,

[P8riot]

Another Government fearing the people

That's as it should be. We just need to stand our ground, no matter what.

[E.G.C.]

Here are my thoughts on the subject.

This is the very same story that I highlighted in a blog I posted yesterday morning in the chat section.

Our state goverment has become a mob rule criminal enterprise run by sorry, lazy miserable good-for-nothing shysters like Edmondson who clearly seek to turn Oklahoma into a conservative and christian free zone and to criminalize all christian and conservative political activity.

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, there is an exclusive video at okpns.com of one of Edmonson's hench people terrorizing someone trying to excersize her first admendment rights to petition the goverment.

This state goverment is a mob run criminal enterprise that needs to be put out of business. I hope people will remember all this at the ballot box in 2008. We can't continue to allow Oklahoma to be run like this.

Regards.........

[E.G.C.]

I might also add that there's a b**** named Nancy who apparently is a front girl for Edmonson and the Dems who want to turn Oklahoma into a christian and conservative free zone. She has been responding to some of the articles on okpns.

What I wonder is how life on the planet Zatox treating Nancy. I'll bet it must great living alongside all these goofballs with the I.Q. of a two month old.

[E.G.C.]

It has come to my attention that okpns has been threatened with a civil suit over the posting of a story from an Arkansas newspaper. Apparently this is over copyright issues.

I would bet that the Edmonson criminal mafia is behind this.