Free Republic

OKLAHOMA CITY (Legal Newsline)-Oklahoma Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson is featured in a county commissioner's anti-gay campaign comic book. In the comic created by Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart, a devil threatens a small child with a pitchfork, saying" "If I can get the kids to believe homosexuality is normal!" while an angel yells, "Not with Brent around you won't!"

One of the unappreciated casualties of the War of 1861, erroneously called a Civil War, was its contribution to the erosion of constitutional guarantees of state sovereignty. It settled the issue of secession, making it possible for the federal government to increasingly run roughshod over Ninth and 10th Amendment guarantees. A civil war, by the way, is a struggle where two or more parties try to take over the central government. Confederate President Jefferson Davis no more wanted to take over Washington, D.C., than George Washington wanted to take over London. Both wars are more properly described as wars of...

Your states have passed significant changes in enforcement of immigration laws. What do you see around you? Have you observed changes in your schools, workplaces, markets?

TULSA — While dog-sitting for his mother earlier this month, Bryan Whalen discovered video recordings of his mother and two other people engaging in sex acts with three dogs, according to an affidavit filed Monday in Tulsa County. Authorities have charged Diane Whalen, 54, and Donald Roy Seigfried, 55, with crimes against nature, a felony that includes bestiality, said Capt. John Bowman of the Tulsa County sheriff's office. Seigfried was arrested and released Tuesday on $10,000 bail. Bowman said Whalen had not been arrested, but authorities were in contact with her lawyer. Bryan Whalen was feeding and taking care of...

AUSTIN — The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday selected San Antonio's Zachry Construction Corp. and a Spanish toll road developer to plan a superhighway from Texarkana to Brownsville. The $5 million contract calls for Zachry American Infrastructure and ACS Infrastructure to create a financial plan for the Interstate 69 segment of the Trans-Texas Corridor. "This team represents the best in the balance of local and global expertise necessary to complete a project of this scope," said David Zachry, chief operating officer of Zachry Construction Corp. The private developers' plan calls for seven new loops around Corpus Christi and other cities...

While much of the U.S. Constitution invites legitimate debate as to the “Framer’s Intent,” the twenty-eight words which comprise the Tenth Amendment are as unambiguous as they are forgotten. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” One of the clearest and most compelling proofs that our Founding Fathers indeed envisaged a limited federal government, the Tenth Amendment is a vital safeguard against an overreaching central authority. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most routinely discarded pieces of our...

Steamed over a perceived increase in federal usurping of states' rights, Oklahoma's House of Representatives told Washington, D.C., to back off. Joint House Resolution 1089, passed by an overwhelming 92-3 margin, reasserts Oklahoma's sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and, according to the resolution's own language, is "serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates." The Tenth Amendment states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." Traditionally, this language has meant that...

STATE OF OKLAHOMA 2nd Session of the 51st Legislature (2008) HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1089 By: Key AS INTRODUCED A Joint Resolution claiming sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over certain powers; serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates; and directing distribution. WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."; and WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment defines...

Oklahoma City (AP) - Democratic Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma said Tuesday Barack Obama is "the most liberal senator" in Congress and he has no intention of endorsing him for the White House. ... Boren, the lone Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegate, said that while Obama has talked about working with Republicans, "unfortunately, his record does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion."

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., said Tuesday he will not endorse Barack Obama for president. "I still remain very concerned about the (Obama) voting record being the most liberal of the United States Senate," said Boren, a superdelegate to this summer’s national Democratic convention in Denver. He expressed support for what he described as a "centrist" agenda, adding his party’s presumptive nominee’s record does not reflect that approach.

A federal judge today blocked enforcement of employer-related provisions of the state's controversial immigration law, ruling it likely interferes with federal regulations regarding the hiring of unauthorized workers. Several business groups challenged House Bill 1804 — which has been called the toughest immigration statute in the nation — in federal court in Oklahoma City. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The State Chamber, the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chambers of commerce, and the Oklahoma restaurant and hotel and lodging associations contend the law places unreasonable burdens on businesses, according to the lawsuit filed Feb. 1 by the National Chamber Litigation Center....

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Jack Mildren, a former lieutenant governor and the first quarterback in the University of Oklahoma's vaunted wishbone offense, died on Thursday, his brother said. He was 58. Mildren, who had been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer, died at Integris Baptist Medical Center, spokeswoman Brooke Cayot confirmed. Mildren was diagnosed two years ago with cancer but had continued to serve as a vice chairman for Arvest Bank and host a daily sports radio show on WKY 930-AM. Legislators at the state Capitol observed a moment of silence for the former lieutenant governor, who walked the halls there in...

Posted at 6PM on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 OWASSO, OK Police are seeking the help of residents to identify a woman. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19686350&BRD=2754&PAG=461&dept_id=597380&rfi=6 "The Owasso Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the person shown in this photograph. This person is not a suspect in a crime, but needs to be identified as soon as possible so her well being can be established," said Owasso Police Chief Dan Yancey. Anyone with information about the identity of the woman should contact Detective Jason Woodruff at 272-COPS (272-2677). ©Neighbor Newspapers 2008

A tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border killed several people as severe storms raked the nation's heart Saturday, taking at least 11 lives, mangling buildings and trapping people in rubble in the storm-weary region. At least six people were killed as the tornado flattened the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher before the funnel struck about 15 miles away near Seneca, Mo., and killed at least three, authorities said. The death toll in Oklahoma could climb, said state Emergency Management spokeswoman Michelann Ooten. The tornado in Picher — a depressed and pollution-scarred mining town that many residents had already fled...

Exponential growth in addiction met with a dramatic reduction in supply, creates a situation where a large number of people get sick and desperate. Prices spike as addicts clamor to find the drugs they need so badly. Alternative, and often illegal, methods for raising funds are employed. Progressively risky behavior and criminal associations occur. People lose jobs, lose housing, and lose families, dismantling a network of support systems that are challenging, if not impossible, to rebuild. The magnitude of people potentially involved will send shockwaves through the criminal justice, social services, health care, and criminal justice service delivery systems as...

SAMHSA announced in March 2008 that Oklahoma topped the nation in prescription painkiller addiction. Effective law enforcement strategies by the DEA and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs have abruptly shut down many of the online pharmacies, loose physician prescription practices, and multiple doctor sourcing. The result is a dramatic reduction in supply. The huge growth in painkiller addiction fueled by cheap and easy supply is being faced with a shutdown in supply. The result will be a sudden overwhelming number of sick and desperate people. Before we become too judgmental of such people, let us not forget...

HOWDY FREEPERS!!!!!!!As the day begins one of the web sites I frequent in my first rounds of web surfing is the Oklahoma Political News Service. (http://www.okpns.com) This web site has won critical acclaim as a reliable source for poltical information here in Oklahoma and has been mentioned in news stories on radio stations here in Oklahoma such as KTOK.Recently, OKPNS did an analysis of the race between Inhofe and Rice. The analysis made reference to a blog in the Daily Kos that Rice writes in which he spouts off talking points that quite frankly are more appropiate for San Fransisco...

Senator Inhofe Excerpt: "Despite this gloomy EIA analysis, proponents of Lieberman-Warner are still claiming the bill will not impose economic harm to America. Only in Washington could higher energy prices be characterized as not negatively impacting the U.S. economy. If Democrats have their way, Americans will pay significantly more at the pump, in their homes, and in many cases, with their jobs, all to accomplish an undetectable impact on the climate. "The question now is which U.S. Senator will dare to stand on the Senate Floor a month from now to vote in favor of significantly increasing the price of...

EDMONTON - TransCanada Corp. alone plans to ship more than one million barrels a day of oilsands production to the United States with an expanded pipeline construction program unveiled today. The Alberta oil and gas delivery mainstay added a second leg to its new Keystone export service that would more than double the system's capacity and extend it to the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico. TransCanada president Hal Kvisle said the added route is a companion instead of competition for projects underway by Enbridge Inc., which is also advancing more than one million barrels daily in new oilsands...

Oklahoma's unemployment rate, which was a seasonally adjusted 4.3% and 4.4%, respectively, in September and October 2007 (4.1% and 4.2% unadjusted), has fallen to a seasonally adjusted 3.1% in both February and March of this year (3.5% and 3.2% unadjusted). The unemployment rate in most states has gone up from September 2007 to March 2008. In states where the rate has gone down, none has shown an improvement like that seen in the Sooner State -- not even close. Why is that? What has happened in Oklahoma that hasn't happened elsewhere? Well, one thing Oklahoma did last year was to...

For years, Texas has been planning a privately financed super turnpike from Mexico to the Oklahoma border. But like rush-hour traffic, the plan for a Trans-Texas Corridor is only inching along. "It ran into a firestorm of controversy in Texas,� said Neal McCaleb, a former Oklahoma transportation secretary. Critics have a wide range of concerns about the corridor, which has a key stretch that would parallel Interstate 35. (Another stretch would extend from the Texarkana/Shreveport area to Mexico.) Particularly upset are landowners who may be in the corridor's path. The Texas Transportation Department calls many concerns myths. The department says,...

A Tulsa County judge heard legal arguments Friday in a court action that challenges the constitutionality of a new state law dealing with illegal immigration. District Judge Jefferson Sellers did not rule on the matter and did not set a date for a decision. Attorneys now have the opportunity to submit proposed "findings of fact and conclusions of law." Those pleadings are due two weeks after a transcript of the court hearing is prepared, and the transcript is expected to be ready in a week. The plaintiff in the case is Michael C. Thomas, identified as a resident taxpayer of...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sB4k_ejTPw The most notable statements in this video are from the ACLU officer in Arkansas Rita Sklar who compares immigration reform activist to 1930's Nazi activist in Germany. Rita Sklar's claim of scapegoating is partially correct, but the scapegoating is from bankers in Oklahoma trying to blame economic downturns on immigration reform activist for their sub-prime loans to illegals! The study put forth by the Arkansas Friendship Coalition is lie! I got this message from IRON- "The Oklahoma economy is going to maintain a stronger economy than all states around us because we cut off at least 6,000 off medicaid...

Members of KeepArkansasLegal, along with other immigration reform activist protested a press conference held by a pro-illegal immigration group. Here is the link to our blog with video footage and a description of what happened: http://keeparkansaslegal.blogspot.com/2008/04/video-footage-of-illegal-immigration.html and the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng1cg4HmzIU

As the state's population continues to grow in its urban centers, expansion plans for the highway system continue to be the focus for transportation improvements. The Trans Texas Corridor proposal is aimed to alleviate traffic congestion, improve air quality and provide safer traveling for drivers, among other goals. In 2002, Texas Governor Rick Perry released the plan to create the passageway, which spans northeast from Laredo to Oklahoma and is set to total 4,000 miles in the next 50 years. The $140 billion project calls for the incorporation of new toll roads, commuter railways, power lines and gas pipelines, while...

Several Oklahoma legislators are concerned that individuals and organizations are quietly working on plans to create a privately-operated tollway in Oklahoma. Many referred to Spain-based Cintra, which has been involved in the development of a proposed Trans-Texas Corridor. Cintra also took over the operation of the Indiana East-West Toll Road from the Indiana Department of Transportation in 2006. Oklahoma State Sen. Randy Brogdon and state representatives Eric Proctor, Richard Morrisette, Scott Inman and Charles Key all expressed concern that efforts to open up Oklahoma to a privately operated tollway system were being kept out of the view of the general...

For Peyton Gilbert, the battle over the Trans-Texas Corridor is reminiscent of the moment in 1836 when Lt. Col. William Travis drew a line in the sand at the Alamo and invited those willing to fight thousands of Mexican soldiers to step across. "That line in the sand is the Trans-Texas Corridor, and it's a threat to our sovereignty again, just like at the Alamo," said Gilbert, 14, who is from Whitehouse, near Tyler. Gilbert was among a large crowd of people who marched down Congress Avenue to the Capitol on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate against the proposed highway-rail-utility corridor...

BELTON - There appears to be no easy way to address the challenges that inflation has brought to the Texas Department of Transportation. “We’ve seen 60 percent inflation over the last five years for transportation projects,” said Chris Lippincott, a TxDOT spokesman. To look to the federal government for assistance would appear foolhardy at this point as the Federal Highway Trust Fund is expected to become insolvent by 2009. The fund was created in 1956 to ensure a dependable source of financing for U.S. interstates and highways. “The Federal Highway Trust Fund is expected to go into the red very...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The federal government is investigating whether the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety violated the civil rights of Iranian immigrants by refusing to provide them with driver's license tests in their native Farsi language. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched the investigation in March after a complaint filed on behalf of two Iranian nationals living in Bartlesville accused the state agency of unlawful discrimination based on their national origin, according to a letter from the NHTSA to Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Ward. Public safety officials said Tuesday that offering state driver's license tests in Farsi could force...

FORT WORTH -- The Trans-Texas Corridor is now so controversial, merely uttering the words in most political circles is taboo. "We're calling it a 'regional loop' because you can't say 'Trans-Texas Corridor' in the state of Texas anymore," said Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. "The Trans-Texas Corridor is a lightning rod," he told visiting state representatives this week while explaining how the corridor would connect to regional highways by 2030. Opposition to the proposed construction of a $184 billion network of toll roads during the next 50 years is so strong statewide that...

SH 130 Concession Company LLC finalized the legal details of a financial close with Texas DOT on a $1,360m toll concession to build SH130 segments 5&6 Thursday and Friday last week in bankers' offices in New York City - at Orrick, 666 Fifth Avenue. The actual money flows should occur on Thursday or Friday (Mar 13 or 14) this week, Jose Maria Lopez de Fuentes, president of Cintra North America, told us this morning. Hundreds of documents and over 20 lawyers were involved last week representing TxDOT, private equity people, banks, mostly European, the TIFIA loan group from FHWA, and...

Topeka — Agreements with Mexico and Canada are setting the stage for construction of a huge highway that will gobble up Kansans’ property and jeopardize U.S. security, representatives from a wide range of groups said Monday. “Through incrementalism, apathy and inattention, our national sovereignty is being sacrificed on a cross of greed, socialism and globalism,� said state Rep. Judy Morrison, R-Shawnee. Morrison has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 5033 urging Congress to withdraw from further participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement and Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. At a hearing before the House Federal and State Affairs...

Concealed weapons on college campuses gets House approvalBy TIM TALLEY, Associated Press Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Oklahoma was approved by the state House Thursday despite opponents who said putting more guns on campus makes no sense following recent massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. “This has to be the craziest thing I have ever seen,” said Rep. Ray McCarter, D-Marlow, one of several lawmakers who said the measure is opposed by college administrators and most Oklahomans but is supported by the National Rifle Association. “How silly can...

A lone Cherokee Indian walked the barren earth where bulldozers had cleared the way for construction of a monument to the people who were at the Blythe Ferry staging area prior to the Trail of Tears in 1838. Alva Crow of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee from Cherokee, N. C., arrived at Blythe Ferry Landing, west of Georgetown, two hours early. It was a difficult journey for Crow, who is undergoing chemotherapy. “I am blessing the people who were here that made the removal on the Trail of Tears is here,” he said. “The people who passed away is...

Driving down to Austin lately has become a real trip. I-35 is usually packed for most of the 185 miles, and what used to take three or four hours now can take five or six. Flying down can take almost as long, when you figure in airline security delays, more flight delays, and the time it takes getting into and out of crowded airports. But what if it took 45 minutes to travel from the Metroplex to Austin by train or an hour to make a trip to Houston? Advocates of high-speed rail lines are floating these ideas once again...

AUSTIN - When it comes to road improvement and maintenance, by most accounts, the South Plains and Panhandle are fortunate. Despite a $1.1 billion accounting error, the Texas Department of Transportation recently reported no projects in the region have been canceled or delayed while cities like Dallas, Houston and Laredo had at least a half dozen highway projects delayed. But the $1.1 billion-error, which occurred because TxDOT inadvertently counted some bond money twice and consequently allocated more funding than it had, is just the latest problem plaguing the beleaguered agency. For months, TxDOT executive director Amadeo Saenz and other transportation...

Oklahoma's crackdown on illegal immigration draws Texas lawmakers' interestCrackdown on illegal immigration draws criticism, Texas interest 11:31 PM CST on Wednesday, February 13, 2008By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News rtgarrett@dallasnews.com OKLAHOMA CITY – Welcome to the nation's laboratory for a crackdown on illegal immigration. Last year, Oklahoma's Legislature passed, by huge margins, the nation's toughest law on illegal immigrants, making it a felony to harbor, transport, shelter or conceal undocumented immigrants. This summer, the same law also will allow U.S. citizens to sue employers if they think they were fired in favor of illegal workers. Employers in...

HOUSTON -- Illegal immigrants are coming into Texas, but not from where one might think. The rush is coming from Arizona, Oklahoma and other states -- places that have recently passed tough new anti-illegal immigrant laws. The two toughest measures are in Arizona and Oklahoma. The Oklahoma statute, which took effect in November, makes it a crime to transport, harbor or hire illegal immigrants. Effective Jan. 1, the Arizona law suspends the business license of employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers. On a second offense, the license is revoked. Anecdotal information seems to indicate that illegal immigrants are leaving these...

OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York took the lead Tuesday in the Oklahoma primary over rival Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race. On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain of Arizona jumped into the lead early, while former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts battled it out for second, unofficial results from the Oklahoma Election Board said. Clinton received 52.71 percent of the vote to 31.60 percent for Sen. Obama of Illinois, with 118 precincts of 2,220 precincts reporting. McCain captured 39.06 percent in the early going, with...

LUTHER, Okla. -- A local father has expressed concern over allegations that classes at his son's school have turned into Movie Appreciation 101. When Justin -- who asked not to be identified -- started asking his son for a list of lessons learned at Luther High School, his ninth-grader rattled off a list of new releases.

"I just read in an Indian depredation claim I copied from the National Archives last summer that Black Kettle was understood by everyone in 1868 as being a spy for the raiding Indians. He would profess peace and all the time he was gathering information he would later share with the Dog Soldiers to assist them in their raids, etc." Dr. Jeff Broome, author of the very important book "Dog Soldier Justice", the most accurate depiction of the Indian massacres of 1868 "Some of the raiders came from Black Kettle's camp. As was the case on numerous previous occasions, his...

Immigration Reform in Oklahoma Now (IRON) awards Republican Presidential hopeful Duncan Hunter it's only "EXCELLENT" rating and endorsement! Meanwhile, frontrunner's John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney come up short. "The only conservative candidate, Duncan Hunter Effective in getting border security fence in San Diego area, wrote the Secure Fence Act of 854 miles to complete the southern border. Has worked diligently to stop illegal immigration in California and America over the past 8-9 years. Current ranking member of House Armed Services Committee He is not part of ‘free trade’ crowd. He believes the industrial base should be...

The McCain camp says their candidate will get a "major endorsement" today in Greenville, South Carolina. MSNBC is reporting that Senator Tom Coburn will endorse John McCain. Don't get me wrong. It's a solid endorsement, but I don't know if you would consider it a "major endorsement." To be a major endorsement, a person really has to have national name recognition. If you line ten people up, nine out of ten probably couldn't tell you who Coburn is. Having said that, Coburn is a nice feather in the cap. He's known for shaking up Washington because of his fights against...

Oklahoma passed one of the toughest laws on immigration enforcement in the nation, arguably tougher than an Arizona bill that has convinced illegal aliens to leave the state. Oklahoma's "1804" has had the same dramatic impact as its employment enforcement provisions have yet to take effect. Thousands of people have simply left their jobs, leaving some business owners struggling to adjust: Autumn had arrived in eastern Oklahoma, and workers at the sprawling Greenleaf Nursery were prepping for deadly frosts. They needed to ship plants, erect greenhouses and bunch trees together to protect them against the cold. But in late October,...

An Oklahoma man was arrested after police say he stabbed another man in the neck with a pork chop bone during a food fight. Police in Ardmore, Oklahoma responded to call of a fight outside a local business New Year's day. When they arrived, they found the victim covered in blood with a puncture wound to his neck.

Oklahoma's local law against illegal immigration is among the toughest in the nation. The law went into effect Nov. 1, and advocates for undocumented workers and activists for tougher immigration measures both say that since then, thousands of immigrants have left Oklahoma. Among other things, the new law makes it a felony to harbor, transport or aid an illegal immigrant. Hispanic leaders say the law is causing widespread fear in the Hispanic community. Builders say they can't get enough workers and are threatening a lawsuit to try to block the law. But backers of the measure say it's doing what...

Can't find it online but I'm dial up cursed and it may be there somewhere. In a nutshell the article reports that the President of the University of Oklahoma is hosting a bipartisan group whose possible intent is to field another presidential candidate. The "illustrious" attendees are reported to be Bloomberg, Charles Robb, Bill Brock (fmr Tenn senator(R) , Jim Leach (fmr congressman Iowa (R), and TA-DA Gary Hart (D) of former Monkey Busniss fame and some sort of political figure in the dim dark past.

Many Oklahoma businesses that cater to or are owned by Hispanics have been bleeding profits in recent months. Business leaders in those communities attribute the losses to passage of HB 1804, the state's new immigration law. Grider Food Stores, a major distributor of Hispanic foods, reported sales declines of more than $500,000 in the last three months. Carniceria El Torito in the 2300 block of S Western has been a purveyor of meat for more than nine years. In that time, the owners say they have never seen such sudden sales declines. The owners are trying to sell the meat...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Two employees who claim they were forced to remove Christian-themed decorations from their office and breakroom put the items back on display while a legal battle continues over whether the employees' rights were violated. A judge on Wednesday denied a temporary restraining order to two Oklahoma City employees who filed a lawsuit claiming the city violated their constitutional right to display religious symbols at work. The employees had asked for the order so they could continue to display the religious items. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy DeGiusti said a restraining order wasn't necessary because City Manager Jim...

TULSA — U.S. District Judge James Payne, in a very strongly worded opinion, dismissed a lawsuit against Oklahoma's controversial immigration bill, House Bill 1804, Wednesday evening (Dec 12th). Payne found that half the complainants lacked standing and said those with standing — a handful of "illegal alien complainants” — were attempting to use the court to openly violate federal law. Payne questioned the validity of plaintiffs identified anonymously as John and Jane Doe. He wrote that “these plaintiffs admit their violation of federal law and then ask this court to allow them to file suit anonymously, so as to avoid...