A COUPLE OF OUR INTERNS DID NOT

WANT THEIR IDENTITIES REVEALED!

We have four wonderful young ladies helping with registration, credentials, and hospitality at the National Convention. While I dearly love to tease them, they are a blessing to the delegation. They are so gracious and truly manifest "the fruit of the spirit" in their lives. They are involved in the Character Training Institute program in Oklahoma City. I'm trying to match them up with some good Christian young men- all four are beautiful and are of marrying age, so email me if you think you might be interested- maybe I can stop selling jelly and start a competitive operation with e-harmony.

Sunday August 31, 2008- Midnight

After picking our son Jeremy Fair, a minister from Arlington, Texas at the airport, we rushed back to the hotel and changed clothes to head to the official Welcoming Event at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We "walked the red carpet" and grazed on some "Little Food" as Rodney Dangerfield would say. There was lots of activity at the reception including a display of the former Air Force One- that was retired after George HW Bush. We were able to walk through and tour it. I got my photograph at the door waving and so did Debbie- see above.

I visited with several delegates from other states including a couple from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Their names were Stacy and Eddie Napolitano. Eddie is a Gulf War vet and a big McCain fan. "McCain is a great leader who has character and is a compelling guy," Eddie told me. Stacy and Eddie have been married twelve years and she has been battling cancer ten of those years. He is President of the SE Broward County GOP Club and is an Alternate delegate to the convention. It's his first convention.

I talked with Mary Jones, our State Party Chairman's wife. Mary Jane is a kindergarten teacher in Cache. She said she had enjoyed the evening at Game Works on Sunday evening. The Louisiana delegation had sponsored the event and because of Gustav, they had several extra tickets. Game Works is an adult game place kind of like Chuckie Cheese for adults. Mary works behind the scenes- laboring without recognition. Much of the time no one knows what Mary has done and she likes it that way, but her support of Gary and the party is under appreciated.

I also talked to Rebecca, a volunteer working the red carpet at the Welcoming Event. Rebecca isn't a Republican, she was only volunteering as her "civic" duty. She was gracious and said the Republican delegates had been very nice.

I saw my friend Representative Gary Banz and his lovely wife Linda at the event. Marc Nuttle, a Norman attorney and political operative was at the event and we visited. Marc is a principled man who ran Pat Robinson's campaign for President. Marc is a joy to be around.

After we got back to the hotel, we went to the hospitality suite where I visited with Lukus and Ellany Collins. Lukus is an investment analysis and an Alternate Delegate. He was elected at the 5th district convention. Lukus and Ellany have a beautiful two year old daughter they brought to the convention with them. He was home schooled and is a graduate of ORU. "I decided in the summer that I wanted to get involved in politics and really Ron Paul inspired me to get involved," Lukas said. Lukus worked on a local state legislative race- Andrew Winningham who narrowly lost to Jason Nelson. Collins plans to attend the Rally for the Republic which will be on Tuesday all day at the Target Center. Congressman Paul is speaking, as is Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr.

I also visited with Toby Pedford is a delegate from the 5th district. Toby is married and has two girls and this is his first convention. He works in investments and insurance. Toby is an African-American whose candor and openness was refreshing. "What black people are looking for in politics is liberty," Toby said. "In reality, that's what Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X were proclaiming to African-Americans," Toby said.

"Blacks vote primarily for someone who recognize that blacks are part of the community," Pedford stated. "It's amazing that African-Americans vote for Democrats when so much of what the Democrats stand for- same sex marriage, abortion on demand- the black community does not support," Toby said. I mentioned that former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts had pointed out that Republicans sort of "write off" the black vote and Pedford agreed that is a problem.

Pedford is also a big fan of Congressman Paul and said that Paul's proposal to allow non-violent inmates to retain their right to bear arms would impact the African-American community in a positive way. "It would reduce violence and allow fathers to protect their families," Toby said. Pedford is an intelligent, rational thinker. I I hope he seeks elective office someday. He has the iron rail up the shirt tail necessary to make a difference.

I visited with former Keating Chief of Staff Howard Barnett briefly. Howard is a Co-Chair of the McCain campaign. He said it is a possibility the Senator may accept the nomination via satellite hook-up due to Gustav. Howard is an unassuming, approachable gentlemen with an easy wit and outgoing personality. Too bad he was unsuccessful in his bid for State Treasurer- he would have been a good one.

Gary Jones and I went to the ballroom to check it out for tomorrow night's events when Grace Hickman, the 1st District GOP Chair cornered me and said that Wolf Bitzer from CNN was staying at our hotel and I should interview him. We waited in the lobby for thirty minutes until someone with a CNN badge came by. She is a producer for CNN and while she said I could not publish her name due to my blogging for Fox, she was candid and engaging. As we began the interview, others joined in until finally I was writing as fast as I could. She asked the following question:

What was our reaction to McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for Vice President?

State Representative Sally Kern said, "If you heard her speech on Friday, you understand this lady has passion and conviction." "She is not afraid to go after the good old boys," Kern concluded. Gary Jones, State GOP Chair, said "Palins primary assets are her integrity and judgement." Don Burdick from Tulsa pointed out to the CNN producer, "You note that none of us have mentioned Palin was picked because she is a woman." "She was picked because she has the ability to lead."

The unnamed producer pressed the point about Palin's inexperience, but with multiple voices attempting to point out that Palin's resume has more executive experience than McCain, Biden or Obama and that Obama's resume is thinner than a fruit rollup, I could not list all the names of those pointing that out. Over thirty people gathered in the lobby listening to the discussion. It was civil and gracious. During the discussion, Donna Brazil, a CNN contributor and a Democrat Super Delegate, listened in. Brazil publicly thanked the Oklahoma people for their response to Katrina and offers to help with Gustav. "I love Oklahoma and their people. I will continue to love them until after Gustav and when they play LSU," Brazil joked.

Several people asked the CNN producer about her political views, but her journalism training kept her from tipping her hand too much. "As a journalist, both tickets bring a historical perspective to the equation," she concluded. We never did see Wolf Bitzer- perhaps he was out howling at the moon.

The day was long and the events fun, but the highlight of the day was the spontaneous gathering in the lobby that had delegates stating their opinions in a civil way. As Toby Pedford had said earlier in the evening, "Sometimes we have to agree to disagree." But allowing people to express their opinions and listening to others speak about their political philosophy forces one to defend their own opinions- that's not a bad thing.

Sunday August 31, 2008- 4pm

Gustav has impacted the Convention schedule. It's been announced that we will not have a Monday evening session. We will have a short afternoon session to convene the convention. The schedule for the convention is up in the air at this point. It's also been announced that "W" will not be attending, nor will Cheney. That's disappointing, but the political experts say it will help McCain because Obama is trying to tie him to Bush. This will make it harder.

I attended the FoxNews.com Video Blogger meeting at The Local in downtown Minneapolis. Fox News will have 30 video bloggers on the floor of the convention. We just shoot video and interview people and then drop it off at the Fox News studios at the convention. I met several folks at the reception. One is the current Secretary of State of Kentucky- Trey Grayson. Trey is a Harvard educated attorney who is in his fifth year as SOS of Kentucky. Tall, good looking, articulate, intelligent- Trey reminds me a lot of myself. He lives in Independence, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati which is an hour and half from the state Capital. He said he might run for US Senate if Senator Jim Bunning decides not to run for reelection in 2010. Very engaging young man.

I also visited with Steve Baines who is running for Lt. Governor of Montana. Baines is a former Proctor & Gamble associate, so we talked consumer products for a while. In Montana, the Governor and the Lt. Governor run as a team and Steve and Roy Brown, the former Majority Leader of the Montana House, are running against Governor Brian Schweitzer- the guy who fired up the Democratic crowd right before Senator Hillary Clinton spoke in Denver. Steve is optimistic in his race, but he said it's going to be a fight.

I also visited with Ellen Lai, a Producer for Fox News. Ellen said that we have total control on what we film on the floor- be as creative as we want to be.

The Oklahoma delegation is slowly drifting in. We have a hospitality suite where most of the delegation gathers to visit.

The Minnesota Pioneer Press reported that five people had been arrested who planned to puncture the tires of Convention delegate buses, throw urine on police officers and generally disrupt the convention. It appears Gustav has done a more effective job than they would ever be able to.

The paper also listed eight planned protests by various groups in their publication. It included the times, where to meet and the details of the protests. St. Paul city fathers have been worried about protesters, so over 3,500 police officers plus volunteer or reserve officers, federal officers or the National Guard. The largest protest is planned for Monday and 50,000 people is expected.

When coming back from the Fox News meeting, I followed a small SUV with Nebraska plates. In the vehicle were five men. The four bumper stickers on the Rodeo were (1)OBAMA 2008, (2) ALLAH WILL ALWAYS SUPPLY OUR NEEDS, (3) I BUY WHERE I LIVE- A United Communications Workers Bumper Sticker, and (4) SOMALIA. I'm fairly confident these five guys were not delegates to the GOP Convention.

Some of the Oklahoma delegations went to an exclusive showing of An American Carol. Because of my Fox News meeting, I was unable to do it.

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

BRING ON THE MOOSE STEW!
by Steve Fair

“It’s very easy to underestimate Sarah Palin- she’s unabashed.” Those words come from John Binley, Palin’s former opponent for Governor of Alaska. When John McCain picked Governor Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate, most thought- who is Sarah Palin? I admit she was on my radar screen, but because Alaska is a solid red state, I didn’t think McCain would pick her. But McCain’s maverick streak came to the surface and he picked the first woman to be on a major ticket since Geraldine Anne Ferraro back in 1984.

Palin was born in Idaho to a family involved in education. Her dad was a teacher and track coach- her mom a school secretary. When she was just a baby, the family moved to Alaska. Her dad loved to hunt and Palin and her dad would get up at 3am to go hunt moose. She also ran in 5K and 10K races with the rest of her family.

Palin was head of the FCA and played point guard on her high school basketball team. In fact, like Ollie from Hoosiers, she helped her team win the state championship in 1982 by hitting a critical free throw in the final seconds. What she didn’t know was that she had an ankle stress fracture at the time. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play and was the leader of team prayer before games.

Palin finished second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant and won a college scholarship. She earned a BS degree in journalism from the University of Idaho. Palin worked in broadcasting and as a sports reporter for an Anchorage TV station while helping her husband run a commercial fishing business.

Palin, 44, and her husband of twenty years have five children. Palin gave birth to her youngest child, Trig, on April 18, 2008, while in office as governor. Her pregnancy is reported to have surprised Alaskans, including her staff; she didn't tell her staff that she was pregnant until March 5--seven months into the pregnancy She returned to the office three days after delivering the child. The baby has Down syndrome. Palin and her husband knew that before the child was born, but elected to have the baby. The pro-life community applauded the decision.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world wrote about Palin’s decision on his blog less than a month after the baby’s birth. Mohler wrote, when he was told the baby was likely to have Downs, Todd Palin quickly said, "We shouldn't be asking, 'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'"

The Palins never considered aborting the baby. That means that Trig Palin is now is a very rare group of very special children, because it is now believed that the vast majority of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome before birth are being aborted.

Mohler goes on to say, “Modern diagnostic tests are driving a "search and destroy mission" to eliminate babies judged to be inferior, disabled, or deformed. Some experts now believe that up to 90 percent of all pregnancies diagnosed as having a likelihood of Down syndrome end in abortion.”

What does Palin say about her five-month-old son? She loves her baby boy and is proud of him. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin told the Associated Press. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

Palin recognized life is precious and is a gift of God. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Governor Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

And it’s not just Sarah Palin’s stance on abortion that impresses. She’s a leader with the courage to shake up Washington. She has that frontier spirit that we is familiar to Oklahomans. She is not afraid to take on the good old boys. One of her political opponents says of Palin, “she’s driven by an inner feeling of right and wrong and is willing to suffer the consequences of doing what she thinks is right.” “She doesn’t mind going up against the system.”

With all their talk of change, Obama’s campaign picked a Washington insider Senator Joe Biden to be their Vice Presidential pick. McCain chose a woman with a frontier spirit that is strong on conviction and courage.

Palin speaks on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention. As a delegate, I will be in my chair listening to what this remarkable woman has to say. Step aside Hillary-America’s first woman President will likely be from the union’s largest geographic state. Bring on the moose stew!

RECIPE FOR MOOSE STEW

Cut moose into chunks. Add some bacon fat to the Meat Place in pot with water to cover. Add Celery, Onion and Carrots. Add salt, pepper, garlic, oregano sugar and accent. Remove vegetables and blend. Be sure not to over-cook as this will dry out your game meat. Side dish of boiled and buttered carrots. Side dish of boiled and buttered onions. Side dish of potatoes

Directions

Brown moose and sausage in a large pot, add all vegetable and sauté till lightly browned. Add red wine, broth and seasonings. Let simmer 30 minutes. Remove meat. Blend sauce and vegetables from the pot to to thicken. Put thickened sauce back into pot or serving dish and serve.

Serves five

Sunday August 31, 2008: 9am

Gustav is dominating the buzz at the convention. It's being reported that President Bush will not attend the convention due to the hurricane's likely path to New Orleans. The talking heads on TV are saying this is a real opportunity for Obama. It's amazing that politicians would exploit a national disaster for political gain- yeah right. We are praying the storm will shift and hit a more sparsely populated area than New Orleans.

The overall opinion of most delegates on McCain's pick for VP- Governor Sarah Palin- is positive. She is a lot like an Oklahoman. She loves hunting, fishing, has a frontier spirit and firm convictions. Obama's campaign team may try to make experience an issue, but how can they when he starting running for President after just 143 days as a U.S. Senator. Some are saying she reminds them of my friend Brenda Reneau, Oklahoma's former Labor Commissioner. That is a good thing- Brenda did a great job as Labor Commissioner. I actually had Palin on my radar screen, but because she was from a safe Red State, I didn't think McCain would select her. Just goes to prove that McCain is a maverick and "thinks outside the box." With all the Democrats "historical talk" during the primary, McCain may have trumped that card with this selection. Stay tuned- I'll keep you updated on what's happening in the Twin Cities.

Saturday August 30, 2008:

Debbie and I arrived in Minneapolis-St. Paul around 3pm this afternoon. Northwest was on time and while the Twin Cities airport is not the most user friendly in the country, it's not the worst either. We arrived at the Four Points Sheraton around 4pm. Ironically Gary Jones, the GOP State Party Chair was unloading luggage for some of the interns helping out as we drove up. We checked in and then changed clothes and then Debbie and I headed to Bethlehem Baptist Church. John Piper is the pastor. He is a very well known Christian writer and pastor. I had researched when he would be preaching this weekend and 5:30pm Saturday was the only time. We made it just in time- thanks to my Magellan GPS. The music was a little too contemporary for an old man, but the message was outstanding. Piper's subject was "Spiritual Wisdom." His text was Philippians 2:4 which says LET EACH OF YOU LOOK OUT NOT ONLY FOR HIS OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTEREST OF OTHERS. Here are some notes I jotted down from the message.

• Wisdom is the ability of of the soul to discern God glorifying, Christ exalting, Gospel spreading, and People serving ways to live with the knowledge we have.
• Until you are stunned by the grace of God, you will go through life with a sense of entitlement.
• Humility is the opposite of entitlement.
• Philippians 2:4 should be the Charter of a Christian's life.
• Republicans & Democrats will all bow their knee to the King of Kings.

Piper is leaving tomorrow to travel to England to preach a four day series on the book of Ruth. The thousand plus crowd reflected a diversity of races and cultural backgrounds. Debbie and I introduced ourselves to Dr. Piper and congratulated him on his newest grandson. After a trip to the church bookstore- which cost me close to a $100, we headed out to eat.

We ate at Ichiban Japanese Steak House in Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The food was good, but the company was a little suspect. A man of middle eastern origin was in the company of three "ladies of the night" who shared our table. Thankfully, we had a couple from Iowa also at the table who afforded us some normal conversation. The quartet at the other side of the table were crude and vulgar- I'm sure the girl's mothers would have been proud. One heard my southern twang and said, "you're from down south aren't you?" I replied, "I'm from New York City." Either I am very funny or the Saki was working well, because she and here companions roared with laughter.

We have several receptions and meetings tomorrow. Getting to bed early so we can rest up for the rest of the week.

LIVE FROM THE GOP CONVENTION!

Starting on Saturday August 30th, I will be blogging from the Republican National Convention. I have also been selected to blog for Fox News, the Oklahoma Gazette, KOCO channel 5 and several newspapers. If you want to know what's happening on the floor, check this blog or those listed above. BY THE WAY- Great choice Senator McCain on Governor Sarah Palin as the VP nominee- a solid conservative and way prettier than Joe Biden.

AD FROM THE SNYDER DEMOCRAT

click on image to enlargeA group calling themselves the Kiowa County Citizens for Economic Development are running ads in the Snyder and Hobart papers quoting Jimmy Cooper, the former CFO of Halliburton and former President of the Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation. Mr. Cooper’s ability to present Oklahoma and particularly Stephens County in a positive light as head of the DAEDF is well known. His success in recruiting industry is admirable, but the information being distributed by the KCCED is simply not true. Cooper claims the passage of Liquor by the drink is the reason Duncan and Stephens County has attracted industry and grown as a community.

I can assure you that Stephens County having Liquor by the Drink was not a deciding factor in the location of the Family Dollar distribution center or the Pre-paid Legal call center to Duncan. The outstanding work force, centralized geographic location, and taxpayer funded tax incentives were the main factors in their decision. As to Cooper’s statement that “restaurants, hotels and large industries insist upon location in Liquor by the Drink counties,” there is no evidence to support such a statement. Population and demographics are the primary factors restaurants and hotels consider when building facilities- not liquor by the drink. By the way, Duncan and Stephens County (which has four times the population of Kiowa County) have no chain restaurants that traditionally serve liquor; Cooper’s claim that expanding liquor consumption will attract chain restaurants is completely false. It hasn’t happened in Stephens County or Logan County- both counties with Liquor by the Drink and both with significant higher populations than Kiowa County.

Expansion of liquor consumption is never a positive move- either economically or morally. It’s just common sense. If restaurants are allowed to serve drinks, the number of drivers on the road who have been drinking will increase. That will lead to more alcohol related accidents. The expansion of liquor consumption will ultimately hurt families and cost government because of the increase in social ills. It’s just common sense. Cooper is a private citizen who has a right to get involved in a Liquor by the Drink drive or any other issue or campaign in another county, but when he uses his former title to add creditability to his claims, he crosses the line.

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

BIDEN A LOOSE CANNON!
by Steve Fair

Barack Obama has tapped Senator Joe Biden, D- Delaware, to be his running mate. Biden, 66, is a lawyer who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1973. Biden’s first wife and an infant daughter were killed in a car wreck right after he was elected to the Senate. He has two sons from that marriage. The sons were hurt in the wreck, but recovered completely. He considered resigning from the Senate to care for his sons, but was talked out of it. When he was elected, he was only thirty and one of the youngest Senators to have ever been elected in U.S. history. Both of his sons are now grown and are lawyers.

Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977. They have one daughter. Jill is an English professor. In his six terms in the Senate, Biden has never been seriously challenged at the polls in Delaware. Biden is a Roman Catholic with middle-class roots and at least some tie to the possibly-in-play state of Pennsylvania, all of which likely played into his selection as Barack Obama’s running mate. Senator Biden has twice run as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1988 and again this year.

Biden serves as Chairman of the powerful committee on Foreign Relations. According to the committee’s website, it is one of the oldest in the Senate, dating back to 1816. It has oversight over the foreign policy agencies of the U.S. government, including the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Peace Corps. The Committee reviews and considers all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to U.S. foreign policy.

But Biden is a loose cannon and his problem is his mouth. He set off a firestorm during the primary when he said about Obama, “he is an articulate, bright and clean African-American.” Black Americans were outraged. Instead of apologizing, Biden went into his characteristic “explanation” mode. After a week of enduring continual criticism, he relented and apologized.

Biden loves to talk. Many Americans first encountered Joe Biden during the high-profile hearings on Supreme Court nominees Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. He would ask for three more minutes from the Chairman of the committee and speak for forty-five without a breath. Americans just wanted him to shut up. His rambling questioning was redONEITt and meaningless.

The reputation for Biden’s inability to control his tongue came up at the first 2008 Democratic Presidential primary debate. When asked if he could discipline himself and control his tongue, Joe gave a one-word answer, “Yes" which was met with laughter, because he then began a long outpouring of explanation, reflection, analysis, and counterfactuals as to how he would do it.

Biden also has some creditability issues. When he was running for President in 1988, he was accused of plagiarizing a speech given by a British chap. Neil Kinnock, who was then head of the British Labour Party, gave a speech which included the lines: "Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Then pointing to his wife in the audience, he continued: Why is Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because all our predecessors were thick?" Biden gave almost the same speech- with an American twist- at a campaign stop and the Dukakis campaign secretly made a video showcasing the Biden/Kinnock comparison and distributed it to news outlets.

It was also discovered that, while law student at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article. Though the then-dean of the law school, as well as Biden's former professor, played down the incident of plagiarism, they did find Biden drew "chunks of heavy legal prose directly from" the article in question. Biden said it was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F, which was subsequently dropped from his record. Biden quitely withdrew from the Presidential race shortly thereafter.

Perhaps that’s why Obama choose Biden. They share the penchant for plagiarism. In a November 2007 campaign speech, Obama used the exact same words that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick had used 18 months before without crediting the Guv. The line was, “I am not asking anybody to take a chance on me. I’m asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations.” The Clinton campaign pointed out Obama had used Patrick’s line, but Obama just dismissed it as a mistake.

Plagiarizing seem like a small thing to most Americans but those who engage in it reveal one of two things about themselves- an unwillingness to credit others intellectual work or a dishonest spirit. Neither are acceptable traits for the highest office in the land. If the Democrat responses in the debates sound familiar, it may because the lines may have been used before.

CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLAR OBAMA

QUESTIONS LEGALITY OF SLAVERY BAN

by Ann Coluter-August 20, 2008

This week, Barack Obama's challenge is to select a running mate who's young, hip, and whose accomplishments in life don't overshadow Obama's. Allow me to suggest Kevin Federline. Read more at: http://anncoulter.com/

Now on the Hallmark aisle:

Gay marriage cards

By Sarah Skidmore, AP Business Writer

Hallmark, seeing a new market after California ruling, rolls out gay marriage greeting cards
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Most states don't recognize gay marriage -- but now Hallmark does.
The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says. Read more at http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080821/gay_wedding_cards.html?.v=8

The Hall family of Kansas City own Hallmark Corporation. The company was founded by Joyce C. Hall, a Methodist preacher's son- who liked to be called J.C. Coincidentally, one of J.C. Hall's favorite sayings was "Good taste is good business." Guess that taste and religious conviction skipped a few generations. Here is the link for the bio for Joyce Hall- very interesting. Steve

http://www.nndb.com/people/270/000164775/

COBURN TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL CONVENTION!

It is being reported that Senator Tom Coburn will be speaking on Tuesday night at the National GOP Convention. Coburn introduced Senator McCain at the CPAC conference earlier this year, some believe Coburn's support was a key reason McCain got the nomination. More information as it becomes available.

University Shields Obama Records from Press

By Mark Impomeni

The University of Illinois at Chicago finds itself in the middle of a growing controversy over the records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which it maintains at its Richard J. Daley Library. Sen. Barack Obama served on the Annenberg board of directors from 1995 until the project ended in 2001, spending three years as its first chairman. It was on the broad of the Annenberg Challenge where Sen. Obama served with the notorious former head of the 1960's radical group, William Ayers. The Annenberg Challenge was founded by Ayers and was responsible for administering a private grant of nearly $50 million to Chicago public schools. Read more at:

http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/21/university-shields-obama-records-from-press/?icid=100214839x1208027194x1200434029

THE BUCK STOPS HERE!

President Harry Truman

THAT'S ABOVE MY PAY GRADE!
Wanna be President Barack Obama

THE DEMOCRATS HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN SIXTY YEARS!

Russia impacts U.S. fall elections
by George Porter

Russia’s invasion of neighboring Georgia has a broader background often ignored by main-stream U.S. media. Modern Georgia came into being in 2003 with the “Rose Revolution”, a bloodless revolution that displaced Russian backed Eduard Shevardnadze. In January of 2004 Mikheil Saakashvili was elected president of Georgia by a large majority. Residents in two regions of the new Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, preferred to stay independent of the new Georgia and maintain closer ties with Russia.

When attempts by President Saakashvikli to get the leaders in South Ossetia and Abkhazia to accept the “broadest possible autonomy within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia” failed in recent weeks, he sent Georgian troops to put down an “internal rebellion” by force. Superior Russian troops quickly entered battle in support of the break-away provinces.

Nicolas Sarkozy, French President and currently head of the European Union, worked out a cease-fire that calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian combat troops from Georgia but allows Russian peacekeeping forces to remain and to conduct patrols within six miles of the separatist regions until international mediators can be put in place.

August 13, Russian leaders received in Moscow the leaders of the two break-away provinces and pledged “to guarantee on the ground and internationally whatever status the two pro-Russian provinces of Georgia choose.” Abkhazia has previously voted for independence, South Ossetia has voted to join Russia.

Mr. Saakashvili said he would never accept the loss on any Georgian territory and President Bush reiterated that he wouldn’t allow Georgia to be broken up.

The leaders of pro-western governments in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine flew to Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, to demonstrate their support for the territorial integrity of Georgia, and to condemn Russian aggression -- fearing Russian meddling with dissident groups within their own borders.

President Bush said his administration is “working closely with our partners in Europe and other members of the G-7 to bring a resolution to this crisis.” Seeking to exclude Russia from what is now the Group of Eight leading nations is one option being considered. Another option is to block Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization. The U.S. cancelled a planned joint military exercise with Russia.

Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, commenting on the Russian situation: “We’ve spent so many resources and so much attention on Iraq that we’ve lost sight of future threats down the road. The current conflict between Russia and Georgia is a perfect example.” Just before Congress recessed, Mr. Murtha’s subcommittee said it would fund an additional $523 million for 20 more F-22 fighters beyond what the White House asked for.

Now the Russian situation makes the debate over funding for the military a front burner issue. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ approach was stated in a recently released Defense Department strategy document emphasizing a balance between developing capabilities to carry out unconventional warfare missions while fielding forces capable of handily defeating adversaries like Russia’s or China’s militaries.

Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback, the nation’s largest evangelical church with over 200,000 members, located in Orange County, Calif., recently had John McCain and Barack Obama in a forum where each candidate had one hour, and Rev. Warren asked the same questions of each candidate. One question was: “Does evil exist? If so, should we ignore it, negotiate with it, contain it, or defeat it?”

Sen. Obama took the question apart and spent time explaining that evil does exist – in Darfur, in U.S. cities and in parents who abuse their children. He then said “It has to be confronted.”

John McCain answered “Defeat it,” and went on to again promise he would follow Osama bin Laden “to the gates of hell” to stop terrorism. McCain in a separate response condemned Russia’s attack on Georgia.

In an Aug. 14 Wall Street Journal article by Sen. McCain titled “We are all Georgians” he wrote: “Two years ago I traveled to South Ossetia. As soon as we arrived in its self proclaimed capital – now occupied by Russian troops – I saw an enormous billboard that read ‘Vladimir Putin, Our President.’ This was on sovereign Georgian territory…Russian claims of humanitarian motives were further belied by a bombing campaign that encompassed the whole of Georgia, destroying military bases, apartment buildings, and other infrastructure, and leaving innocent civilians wounded and killed.”

McCain wrote that we must make clear to Russian leaders that the benefits they enjoy from being a part of the civilized world require their respect for the values, stability and peace of that world.

Barack Obama has been silent. McCain should ask Obama to join him in a town meeting on lessons from Russia’s aggression. Does Obama still oppose U.S. missile defense efforts? Does Obama still favor Russia being a member of the G-8? Should China be admitted? Should Russia be admitted to the World Trade Organization? Does Obama consider Putin helpful regarding Iran?

George Porter is a retired insurance company executive and a Duncan Banner columnist. He may be reached at geo.porter@att.net

IN OBAMA'S OWN WORDS!

Senator Barack Obama wrote a book entitled, Audacity of Hope. In it, he reveals how he has come to understand truth, and that his political views are really an extension of his religious views. Without my comments, here are some excerpts from Audacity of Hope.

Speaking of his mother, he says In her mind, a working knowledge of the world’s great religions was a necessary part of any well-rounded education. (p. 203)

In our household, the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology. On Easter or Christmas day, my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese New Year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and the ancient Hawaiian burial sites. But I was made to understand that such religious samplings required no sustained commitment on my part…Religion was an expression of human culture, she would explain, not its wellspring, just one of the many ways…(p. 204)

And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I’ve ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct…Without the help of religious texts…she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school; honesty empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice, and scorned those who were indifferent to both. (p. 205)

But it was my mother’s fundamental faith—in the goodness of people and the ultimate value of this brief life we’ve each been given—that channeled those ambitions. (p. 206)

Almost by definition, faith and reason operate in different domains and involved different paths to discerning truth. Reason—and science—involves the accumulation of knowledge based on realities that we can all apprehend. Religion, by contrast is based on truths that are not provable through ordinary human understanding—the ‘belief in things not seen.’ When science teachers insist on keeping creationism or intelligent design out of their classrooms, they are not asserting that scientific knowledge is superior to religious insight. They are simply insisting that each path to knowledge involves different rules and that those rules are not interchangeable. (p. 219)

I am not willing to have the state deny American citizens a civil union…nor am I willing to accept a reading of the Bible that considers an obscure line in Romans to be more defining of Christianity than the Sermon on the Mount. (p. 222)

When I read the Bible, I do so with the belief that it is not a static text but the Living Word and that I must be continually open to new revelations… (p. 224)

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

ABOVE HIS PAY GRADE!

by Steve Fair

Saturday evening, Rick Warren, pastor of the mega Saddleback Church, in Southern California questioned the two Presidential candidates in what was billed as a civil forum. Each candidate was asked the same questions over the course of an hour with Senator Obama going first. The questions ranged from the candidate’s personal faith to their political views. Their style of answering questions as well as their answers reveal a great deal about the two candidates. I'm not a fan of Rick Warren's cheap grace theology, but the forum was fair and provided some valuable insight into the two candidates.

The most revealing moment of the two hours was when Warren touched on the subject of abortion. “When does life begin?” Warren asked both candidates. Recognizing answering this question with the right answer would alienate much of his liberal base, Obama stated that he couldn’t definitely say- either theologically or biologically. When asked most forthrightly by Warren as to when a child should have its God given rights protected, Obama, the father of two daughters, balked and claimed "knowing when something" that is obviously living, "begins to live" was, "above his pay grade."

Obviously uncomfortable with the subject, the Illinois Senator went into his patented tap dance. He said abortions should be limited and he was going to reduce them. He bragged about his insertion of a meaningless plank in the National Democratic platform that says abortions should be limited. This plank conflicts with another that states the government should provide funding for abortions.

Obama’s most outright lie was his claim that abortion rates had gone up over the last eight years. Within minutes pro-life groups like Americans United for Life and even the analyst panel on Fox News Channel had the stats in front of the American public. Abortion rates have actually decreased over the last eight years, and have done so in significant fashion. In fact in January of 2008 it was reported by the Guttmacker Institute and reported in UN News and World Report that abortions had reached a three decade low.

Obama said he would limit abortions in the late stages of pregnancy if there are exceptions for the mother's health. He said he knew that people who consider themselves pro-life would find his stance "inadequate."

McCain expressed his anti-abortion stand simply and quickly, saying human rights begin the instant a human egg is fertilized- at conception. McCain, who adopted a daughter from Bangladesh, also called for making adoption easier.

When Warren asked Obama a follow up question, “Have you ever voted to limit or reduce abortions, the Senator answered, “I am in favor, for example, of limits on late term abortions if there is an exception for the mother’s health. Now from the perspective of those who, you know, are pro life, I think they would consider that inadequate. and I respect their views. I mean one of the things that I’ve always said is that on this particular issue, if you believe that life begins at conception, then — and you are consistent in that belief, then I can’t argue with you on that because that is a core issue of faith for you.”

Has Barack Obama ever voted to reduce abortions? Obama never answered that question at Saddleback, but he hasn’t. He voted against the ban on partial-birth abortions, a bill that passed Congress on a bipartisan basis three times before finally becoming law. In Illinois, he voted to kill a bill that would have stopped Christ Hospital and other medical facilities from abandoning live infants from unsuccessful abortions so that they would die of neglect.

Why would Obama agree to participate in a forum where he knew the subject of abortion would come up? The reason is votes. In 1992 the presidential election was decided by fourty five percent of Christians who voted in favor of abortion and special privileges for homosexuals. The Clinton victory is particularly sour to those who supported Bush’s pro-life, pro-family stances. According to a Christian Coalition exit survey, 25 percent of all voters in 1992 identified themselves as white evangelical Christians – or 25 million voters. Only 55 percent of these voters supported George Bush Senior. The rest were divided: 28 percent supported Clinton; and 17 percent, Perot. This election stood in stark contrast to 1988, when Bush received 88 percent of the Christian vote. Those eight million Christians who switched over to Clinton or Perot, candidates who supported abortion on demand and homosexual rights, gave the election to Clinton. If this same group had supported Bush in 1992, he would have won by three million votes.

No matter what the political pundits are saying, Christians control elections. Obama knows that and that’s the reason he has been so cozy with Warren and other evangelicals. If Obama, like Clinton did in 1992, can convince Christians his post modern views are compatable with the Bible, he can get elected. Let’s hope that task is also above his pay grade.

SOAP BOX

by Charlie Daniels(CDB pictured above)

Posted August 11, 2008

More at http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox.htm

Last week I wrote a column about far-left liberals and some of you had some comments about what could be said about far-right conservatives. So in the interest of fair play we'll explore the other side of the equation. I am a far-right conservative. I believe in the accumulation of wealth earned by the sweat of your brow or the intelligence of your mind. I believe that everybody who is able should work for a living and nobody is entitled to lifelong benefits from an over-bloated government.I believe that a person should be able to keep the lion's share of what they earn. I believe in fair taxes but not in the nanny state, cradle-to-grave coddling that discourages productivity and encourages illegitimate birth of children to irresponsible parents who continue to create generation after generation of welfare families who actually think they're entitled to stay on the dole all their lives. I believe in charity to those who truly need it, but I believe that our welfare program surpassed that standard long ago and that a large share of the money paid out by government programs ends up in the pockets of drug dealers, in the cash registers of liquor stores and in the coffers of bookies. I also believe that charity should given from the heart and not be mandated by the government.I believe that when a man fathers a child he should be forced to provide for the child until it reaches the age of majority, whether it be one child or ten, and if they should fail to do so be kept in prison. I believe that life begins at conception, period. I believe that all Americans should be able to afford healthcare, but I don't believe the government is capable of handling it. Look at the fraud the Medicare program has brought on.I believe there should be a twenty-year minimum prison sentence for those who steal other people's identity.I believe in the death penalty in cases of cold-blooded murder and also in the cruel rape of a child. I believe that a child molester is the lowest form of scum walking on the planet and that anybody who cruelly violates an innocent child deserves a life sentence when the death penalty can't be applied.I believe that the Islamic crazies are blood enemies of the United States of America and all free men everywhere and it is an us or them situation. Either we destroy them or they destroy us. To think anything less is unbelievably naive.I don't have all the answers to our current energy crisis, but have enough gray matter to know that we can't make it through the decades we need to develop alternative energy sources without oil, and along with the help of a few new refineries. Yes, we can drill our way out of this situation and will need to, at least for the next few years.I believe that the United States should take a great national pride in what we have accomplished in the last century, the prosperity and technological advances, and be thankful that we are number one. I believe that we should do all we can to clean up our atmosphere and waters, but at the end of the day, if the rest of the world doesn't do the same thing it's not going to be enough.We should only bear our own responsibility, not be penalized for things we have no control over. If you've been watching the Olympics from China you'll know what I'm talking about.I've never seen a spotted owl but I know we have plenty of owls of some kind or another in my part of the country and they have no problem prospering where the timber is harvested and civilization abounds. Since snail darters are microscopic I don't know if we have them around or not, but I'm not really worried about them. Maybe they're all over at Al Gore's house.I believe that the Supreme Court should be apolitical, not influenced by the right or the left but a personal heartfelt interpretation of the Constitution.I want the government to protect my country, pave the interstates and get the heck out of the rest of my life. I don't need them to tell me which doctor I can go to, what kind of car I can drive or what light bulbs I can use and I know for a fact it doesn't take a village to raise my kids, it takes a family.If you ask me a question I will try to give you an answer, not ask you another question.My political philosophies will stand tall in the light of truth.I think Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi care much less about the American public than the proliferation of their own power. I believe they are extremely dangerous to the future of this nation.I believe that legal marriage can only exist between a man and a woman.I believe that this country… No, I know that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and no amount of revisionist history or politically correct parsing can change that truth. I believe that man was created by Almighty God and subject to His judgment, a fact that will become perfectly clear to every person ever born on this Earth in the days to come.I believe that the United Nations is a corrupt, sad joke and takes up space on valuable property in New York, which could be put to a much better use, even if it was used for a trash dump.I believe in the sovereignty of nations, I do not believe in global government or global controls. I believe America should look out for the interests of America and our allies and stop playing up to the people who want to harm us.I believe that we should be as friendly and cooperative as we can with European nations, but we have absolutely no reason to imitate them.I do not believe that America should be the policeman for the world.I believe that CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post and many of the weekly magazines and Internet sites are in the tank for the libs. They hate opposing opinions and have no qualms about playing fast and loose with the truth.As far as Fox News being fair and balanced goes, it's been so long since you libs have heard a voice of reason that you think every media source that doesn't totally agree with you is a mouthpiece for the Republican party.I believe that General David Petraeus is a military genius. I believe the surge is a smashing success and I believe our military is the best on the planet.I believe that not to maintain the strongest and most technologically advanced military and intelligence services on Earth would be the height of folly. I will readily admit that President George W. Bush has made mistakes, but show me one president who hasn't. I predict that down the road people will look back at his presidency and admit, some people very grudgingly, that he was a leader, not a follower of polls who stuck his finger into the wind every day to see which way opinion was blowing.I believe that America is the greatest country the world has ever known, with more freedom, more opportunity and the biggest heart of any nation on Earth.If you have a guilt complex about living in America and sharing in it's greatness and prosperity, there is an easy remedy. Empty your bank account, sell your belongings and give it all to a third world country and use the last of it to buy yourself a plane ticket there.What do you think?Pray for our troops. God Bless America Charlie Daniels

CHAIR OF DEMOCRAT PARTY IN ARKANSAS SHOT!

http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0808/Arkansas_Dem_party_chairman_shot.html

WHERE IS JIM ROTH GETTING HIS MONEY?

Part of it came from THE VICTORY FUND, the national organization committed to electing gay candidates to office.- Roth was a special guest at the funds annual fundraiser in DC- see below:

VICTORY CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH: The Victory Fund, the national organization committed to electing gay candidates to official positions, holds a fundraising event in order to support its cause. Special guests include Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth, Maryland State Delegate Anne Kaiser, as well as The Praise Team of The MCC of Washington, D.C., who will be performing at the event. Sunday, April 2, 2008 11:30 a.m. ­ 2 p.m. The Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW. $125. 202-842-7313 or www.victoryfund.org/brunch. To read the story, click on link below:
http://www.washblade.com/2006/3-24/calendars/bestbets.cfm

The Oklahoma Political News blog is reporting the openly gay Roth delivered the sermon at Mayflower Congretional Church? yesterday. According to his bio, he is a member of the "unapologetically" liberal church. For more on Mayflower click on the link below:

http://www.mayflowerucc.org/who/covenant.html

Dana Murphy, the Republican candidate for Corporation Commissioner's challenge will be getting the message out that she is running against an openly gay man- who flaunts his sexual perversion publically. No voter in Oklahoma should go into the voting booth November 4th without that information. Roth is gay and proud of it! He doesn't represent the values of the overwhelming majority of Oklahomans. Pass the word- Roth is Gay!

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

CHANGE NOT ALWAYS POSITITVE
by Steve Fair

In eighty plus days America will go to the polls and cast their ballots for President of the United States. Every four years, the same tune is played- “this is the most important election in our lifetime.” And each time, the tune is right- it is our most important election. Seldom have Americans had such a clear contrast between candidates than this year.

On the Republican side, you have a veteran U.S. Senator John McCain, R-AZ. McCain is a former POW and highly decorated veteran. On the Democrat side, you have freshman Senator Barrick Obama, D-IL, who did not serve in our nation’s armed forces, yet wants to command them.

Obama has gone on record that he would sit down and talk with terrorist leaders. He has also been against the war in Iraq from the beginning. While that makes Obama popular among the anti-war crowd, it doesn’t endear him to the majority in the military.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney said some conservative retired military leaders are concerned about Obama's "apparent lack of understanding on the threat of radical Islam to the United States."

Senator McCain has been consistent on Iraq. McCain says, “the best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq that poses no threat to its neighbors and contributes to the defeat of terrorists. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, American troops can return home.”

Even Obama supporters admit McCain has more experience than their candidate. So to compensate for Obama’s lack of experience, they have opted to sell “hope” and “change,” to the American voter. In fact, Obama’s book coming out next month is entitled, Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise. It will include a campaign photo album from the road, a collection of seven of the hit speeches and new essays outlining his policy proposals.

The first major change President Obama would make would be the increasing of taxes and fees on hardworking Americans. These would be necessary to pay for Obama’s expansion of social programs.

The second major change would be in the area of America’s foreign policy. Obama's foreign-policy pronouncements promise a break from those of the past twenty years. Two tenets are most prominent. One is to engage our enemies and be nicer to our allies. The other calls for leaving Iraq on a set timetable. If Obama is elected President, he has publicly stated all American troops would be out of Iraq in sixteen months.

Gas prices are soaring. Americans are frustrated that we continue to beg the Saudis to pump another half-million barrels a day on their soil and off their shores to ease global tight supplies, when we could pump much more than that in Alaska, off our coasts and on the continental shelf -- and thus save hundreds of billions of dollars.

Yet Senator Obama's change probably wouldn't include more drilling; more nuclear power plants; or fuel extraction from tar sands, shale or coal. Instead, his strategy emphasizes more conservation; mass transit; and wind, solar and alternate green energy. All that is certainly wise and could be a winning combination by 2030, but right now it won't fill our tanks.

McCain is a known commodity. He is pro-life. He is a fiscal conservative. He supports offshore drilling and drilling in ANWA. McCain has worked with Democrats across the isle. When asked why he is supporting John McCain, Oklahoma’s junior U.S. Senator Tom Coburn said, “John McCain is the only person running for President with the courage to veto any legislation that has earmarks in it.” “Americans need to understand that we are in a fiscal crisis and Senator McCain is exactly what we need at this time in our nation.”

The real difference between McCain and Obama is that McCain is a known commodity. Part of that is because he has been on the national scene for over twenty years and has not always followed the party line on issues. McCain has a bottom line- a core- and as his North Vietnamese captors found out, he will only go so far and then his pride or his sense of honor takes over.
Obama may have a similar bottom line, core principles for which, in some sense, he is willing to die. If so, we don't know what they are. Nothing so far in his life approaches McCain's decision to refuse repatriation as a POW so as to deny his jailers a propaganda coup. In fact, there is little evidence that Obama takes positions that challenge his base or otherwise threaten him politically. Change for changes sake is a fools game. America should go with the person they know the best- John McCain.

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

WORKERS COMP REFORM IS NEEDED!

By Steve Fair

Oklahoma Trial lawyers have come up with a clever way to contribute to political candidates. After an award settlement, they simply deduct some of the proceeds from their client’s award and write a check to an Oklahoma State Political Action Committee called Working Oklahomans Alliance. One lady said her attorney handed her a Working Oklahomans Alliance membership card "and told me I was a member. He had already subtracted it out of my check, so what was I to do?”

This practice is nothing new. Five years ago, The Oklahoman wrote about workers' compensation attorneys using donations from their clients to pad a fund that bankrolls liberal political causes and Democrat candidates. The donations were strictly voluntary, the attorneys claimed but their clients whose names appeared on the contribution cards said they felt pressured to do so, and others had no idea they had donated. This practice sounds a little like Stipe/Phipps/Mass/McMahan straw donor scheme. A though investigation should be pursued by the AG in Oklahoma, but don’t hold your breath. He may have come up with the scheme. Why are the lawyers so interested in keeping the Democrats in office? Because they don't believe the current system is broken.

Who governs workers comp in Oklahoma and who selects those that do?

The current Oklahoma's workers' compensation system is governed by the body of law found in Title 85 of the Oklahoma Statutes. This law provides for medical, indemnity and rehabilitation benefits to injured workers. Currently injured workers hire a lawyer to represent them before the Workers Compensation court.

The Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Court administers the Workers' Compensation Act. It is vested with jurisdiction to determine claims for compensation, the liability of employers and insurers, and any rights asserted under the Act. The Court's mission is to ensure fair and timely procedures for the informal and formal resolution of disputes and identify issues involving work-related injuries.

The Court is comprised of ten judges appointed by the Governor from nominees, including the incumbent judge, if any, presented by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Judges serve staggered six-year terms. A judge may be appointed to successive terms. A Presiding Judge is appointed by the Governor from among the Court's judges to serve a two-year term. Awards of the Court are final and conclusive unless appealed to a panel of three Workers' Compensation Court judges unrelated to the case, or directly to the Supreme Court. An order of the three-judge panel may be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The chief administrative officer of the court is an Administrator who, until 2005, was appointed by the Presiding Judge from a list submitted by a five-member selection committee. Thereafter, a vacancy in the position is subject to gubernatorial appointment for a six-year term. The Administrator supervises all departments of the Court. Departments include Docketing, Order Writing, Data Processing, Records, Medical Services, Insurance, Counselors, Form 3 Processing, and the Court Clerk's Office.

Because Oklahoma is one of only two states still settling workers comp disputes before a court, Republicans in the State Legislature have worked for decades to reform the system. Senator Jim Williamson, R-Tulsa, introduced a bill that would have required the State Senate confirm those nominated to the court by the Governor. The bill sailed through the State House, but hit a snag in the Senate.

In April of this year, because the Senate was tied at 24, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins broke the tie and helped Senate Democrats block consideration of Williamson’s bill. This highlights once again the importance of the 2008 election cycle for both Republicans and Democrats. The tie will likely change the Senate in November- ether back to the Democrats control or the Republicans will control the Senate for the first time in state history.

According to State GOP Chairman Gary Jones, "the Workers Comp Court is currently set up just the way Brad Henry likes it: stacked with anti-business pro-trial lawyer judges." Williamson's amendment would've brought balance and fairness by requiring Senate confirmation of the judges appointed to this critical court in Oklahoma, but unfortunately Lt. Gov. Askins and Gov. Henry have once again shown their true colors by putting the interests of trial lawyers ahead of the interests of everyday Oklahoma taxpayers," concluded Jones.

Texas enacted workers’ compensation reform in 2005. The bill addressed specific problems in the Texas workers' comp system, namely, high medical costs, poor return-to-work outcomes, and the structure of the state agency charged with administering the system. HB 7 transferred the functions of the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission (TWCC) to the newly created Division of Workers' Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)

The idea of moving to an administrative board to settle worker comp disputes has been proposed in Oklahoma for years. But Republicans have met major resistance from the Trial Lawyer lobby. What’s really at stack is the future payoffs for Trial Lawyers. They are unwilling to give up the workers comp income stream. The Governor is on their side and will do everything in his power to keep the disputed claims in a court he stacks. The loser in those circumstances is the Oklahoma consumer, who will pay more for goods and services due to the higher workers comp premiums paid by Oklahoma businesses.