fiddle-faddle: trifling talk or action

F R I D A Y

F I D D L E F A D D L E
A hodgepodge of some of the events of the week with comments from Steve Fair

MONDAY JUNE 8, 2009:

On May 12th, a 64 year old man from Wister, Oklahoma pleaded guilty to first degree rape and forcible sodomy and was sentenced to just ONE YEAR in prison. Evidently, it was a PLEA deal with prosecutors. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News called Governor Brad Henry who didn’t return the call. AG Drew Edmondson did talk with O’Reilly, but said he was “too busy” to look into the case. If Henry and Edmondson care about Oklahoma children and about justice, they will take a personal interest into this case. Remember Edmondson is expected to run for Governor and Blackjack Henry is not “retiring” from politics when his second term is up in 2010.

Tuesday night, O’Reilly had Pat Campbell on his program who did a good job representing the opinion of most Oklahomans. He said that people should contact Blackjack Henry and Edmondson and urge them to get involved in this situation. Senator Randy Brogdon, R, Owasso, said he was going to write legislation that would prevent this from happening in the future. The judge still refuses to explain why he gave the guy such a light sentence.

TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2009:

Governor Tim Pawlenty, the Republican from Minnesota announced he is not running for re-election. When he was interviewed on Hannity, he wouldn’t say he was or wasn’t going to run for President in 2012. Pawlenty can’t be a bad guy- his dad was a milkman. His mom died of cancer when he was 16. Pawlenty is a very strong conservative and has appeal to the Christian right. He and his wife are active members of a Baptist church in Minnesota.

Radio talk show host, Mark Levin was on Hannity Tuesday evening and addressed “Statism.” I have written a couple of articles on Statism- search the archives if you want to read it. Levin’s book Liberty and Tyranny has sold over one million copies and is #1 on the Times Best seller list. Levin indicated he has NOT been contacted by any major media outlet. His view on how to energize the GOP is correct- ignore the moderates and get back to the core principles of our Party.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2009:

Today, an 88-year-old man with a very GERMAN name- James Von Brunn- shot and killed a security guard at the National Holocaust Museum in DC. The analysis began almost immediately on what killed the guard- was it the gun Von Brunn used? If only he had not had access to a gun? Was it the “hate” he harbored in his heart? If only his mother had given him frosted flakes instead of the plain ones. The more I live, the more I understand that few understand the depravity of the heart of all men.

Drew Edmondson finally announced he is running for Governor and also conveniently decided to investigate the one-year rape sentence controversy in McAlester. Coincidence? Not likely.

THURSDAY JUNE 11, 2009:

What has happened to The Oklahoman? In a rambling editorial today, they asked if the Conceal & Carry provision in Oklahoma should be reviewed. What prompted it was the case of the Pharmacist who killed a 16-year-old robber two weeks ago. The “mental” state of those that get C&C permits should be taken into account according to the paper. What they fail to adequately state was armed robbers were robbing the Pharmacy. This whole situation would not happened if the criminal element would have not started it. The Oklahoman management and editorial staff, once decidedly conservative, are moving more to the left. Advertisers and subscribers should express their opinion the only way the management will understand- with their pocketbook.

President Obama has appointed a “pay czar” to monitor the pay of top executives at publicly traded companies. Under the guises of “looking out for the stockholders,” the administration will impose subjective rules to private industry. Some businesspeople are concerned it will ultimately impact companies that are not publicly traded. They challenged Obama to put the same restrictions on union bosses. There is no doubt that some companies and their boards abused compensation. Some were making millions while their employees were drawing food stamps, but the responsibility of that oversight should be with the STOCKHOLDERS, not the government. Most of those companies are no longer in business, because it’s the era of lean and mean, not fat and sassy.

FRIDAY JUNE 12, 2009:

The Oklahoman had an op/ed piece this morning entitled, “Stout group of candidates for 2010 governor’s race.” The article touted the strength of the field of announced candidates without mentioning State Senator Randy Brogdon, R, Owasso on the Republican side. Photos of the three perceived “frontrunners” was included with the intent being that only one of these three could possibly win the race. While I have not made up my mind who I will support in the primary, I can’t help but think of how a little known State Senator named Brad Henry upset the applecart in 2002 when virtually everyone had Congressman Steve Largent sworn in as Governor. Brogdon’s strength will be his grassroots appeal and “outsider” image. He should emphasize that to every group he addresses.

Oklahoma Congressman John Sullivan, R, Tulsa, is at the Betty Ford clinic in rehab for alcoholism. That is a tragedy that may result in his getting beat next year. But now Congressman Patrick Kennedy, D, RI, has returned to treatment for alcoholism and drugs. Kennedy, who is said to suffer from bi-polar disorders, crashed his SUV into a Capitol barricade a couple of years ago. His office hasn’t disclosed where he is or how long he will be gone. Oh, the rigors of public office- the pressure and the stress must be overwhelming compared to the rest of America- earning only $165K a year with bennies!