GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
by Steve Fair

Are Oklahoma Democrats an endangered species? In a National Review online article entitled, ‘The Coming Extinction of Oklahoma Democrats,’ http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/55887/coming-extinction-oklahoma-democrats Jim Geraghty raises the issue of Democrat policies being out of touch with Oklahoma voters and the recent growth in the number of Republicans in Oklahoma. Geraghty uses Representative Dan Boren, (D-Oklahoma), the lone Democrat in the Oklahoma federal delegation as an example. Boren, who is often labeled a DINO (Democrat in name only) by liberals and sits on the board of the NRA is a proud member of the Blue Dog Democrats. Boren attempts to ‘brand’ himself a conservative, but that may not be enough in 2010. In November, the three term Congressman will face one of five Republicans fighting it out in the GOP primary.
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The Republican House Committee has listed Boren’s seat as a ‘targeted’ race, but realistically it’s a long shot for Republicans to pick up the seat. Boren represents ‘Little Dixie’- aka SE Oklahoma. What got the national GOP interested was the district voted overwhelmingly for McCain over Obama in 2008(two to one). But Boren has good political instincts. Even though his father and grandfather endorsed then candidate Obama, Boren did not publicly. In June of 2008, Boren said, “I still remain very concerned about the (Obama) voting record being the most liberal of the United States Senate.” But Boren went on to say, “Having said that, I am voting for Democrats this year.” Since Obama was the only Democrat running for President in November, it’s clear Boren voted for him. His ‘non-endorsement’ was for political expediency only.

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Boren’s conservative press release doesn’t match his voting record. Boren’s lifetime Conservative Index http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=46182 ranks him at 23%, meaning that 77% of the time, he is on the wrong side of the issue. But the only vote that voters may be interested in is the one Boren cast for Speaker of the House. In spite of Boren’s conservative talk, he toed the party line and voted for Nancy Pelosi. Boren can’t press release that vote away and it will cost him in November. Will Boren go down in November? Based on the anti-incumbent climate, this could be the year.
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Is Geraghty right- are Oklahoma Democrats endangered? Oklahoma Democrats have traditionally been more conservative than the national party, but when party leaders adopted a more liberal state platform in 2006, they proved they were out of touch with the average Oklahoma voter. The Dems have steadily lost the registration war and conservative Democrats are changing party affiliation in droves. But I wouldn’t schedule a memorial service quite yet.
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Remember when Republicans gained control of the U.S. House in 1994 after more than forty years of Democrat rule? Conservatives promptly declared the Democrat Party dead. Democrat elected officials wanting to save their political careers changed parties. It was a time of rejoicing and celebration in the GOP. That was until November 2006. That election day the Democrats regained control of both chambers and promptly proclaimed the old GOP dead. It seemed they might be right because in 2008, the GOP lost the White House. Some Republican elected officials in order to save their political careers changed parties. The Dems were overcome with joy- they had decimated the Republicans. But, like George W on the deck of the carrier, they declared victory a little early. It appears 2010 will be a big Republican year, so the pendulum will have swung the other direction again.
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But Geraghty was talking specifically about Oklahoma. Are Democrats losing ground in Oklahoma? According to the Oklahoma State Election Boardhttp://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Registration/Voter_Registration_Reports/index.html, the latest registration numbers show Democrats are below 50% in registration and Republicans are over 40% for the first time in state history. According to Sooner Polls, more than two thirds of Oklahomans identify themselves with the Republican Party. Democrats are likely to lose seats in the legislature in the 2010 elections and are polling behind in statewide races, partially because of the drag of the national party. When you consider that just six years ago, Democrats controlled both chambers of the Oklahoma legislature and had for almost a century, that is a striking trend. But don’t start dancing on the Oklahoma Dems grave just yet. As the national Republicans have proven, if Oklahoma Republicans don’t act like Republicans, the people will go another direction.
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When reading Geraghty’s article, I’m reminded of when Mark Twain’s obituary was mistakenly published in the New York Times, Twain sent a cable from London stating, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL

by Steve Fair

Oklahoma state government faces over a billion-dollar budget shortfall in fiscal year 2011. Democrats blame the revenue shortage on the personal income tax cuts implemented after Republicans took control of the House in 2004. Democrats and at least one Republican blame tax credits for the lack of money flowing to state government.

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State Representative David Dank, (R-OKC) believes the ‘transferable’ type tax credits that can be bought and sold like commodities, have been abused. Dank cited a couple of examples. "In 2001, our Legislature gave approximately $18 million in transferable tax credits to developers of a proposed spaceport at Burns Flat," Dank said. The company, Rocketplane Holdings, sold the credits for $15 million and made $3 million dollars. Back in 2006, Dank says the state was trying to increase coal production and granted $4 million in ‘transferable’ credits to the coal industry. Instead of more coal being produced and more miners, Dank says the credits were sold to companies not in the coal industry. These remarks were made during an interview with http://capitalbeatok.com/

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The tax credits the Democrats want to reduce or eliminate are corporate tax credits for rural venture capital companies and small businesses. They also want to reduce the corporate tax credits for venture capital, income tax credit for investment in small business and the states Quality Jobs program.
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“We believe we should be looking at these and many other tax credits and incentives that were put into place with the best of intentions, but which we can ill afford in the current situation,” said Democratic Leader Danny Morgan of Prague. “Another thing we could modify is the vendor discount on sales tax, which allows big companies to retain as much as $3,000 per store out of the sales tax they collect each year. “ Rep. Morgan added.
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Over half the states with a sales tax offer a discount to the retailers collecting the sales tax. In Oklahoma it can be as much as 2.25% of the amount they collect up to a maximum of $3,300 annually. The Oklahoma Tax Commission says the discounts cost the state $25.9 million last year. Morgan must think businesses that receive the discount don’t pass it along to the consumer and just take it to their bottom line. If so, he is woefully ignorant of the competitive retail marketplace. Dank is on the right track- Morgan is not.
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Here is how the Oklahoma State government deficit(or any deficit) should be addressed in order of priority:
First, cut spending. When facing a deficit, the first thing to do is cut spending. As Bill Earle says, “If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.” The legislature should identify wasteful and unnecessary spending and use this ‘hard time’ to make some tough decisions. One size doesn’t fit all.

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Second, implement zero-based budgeting. Across the board cuts at every state agency is not the right solution. Oklahomans must have vital, essential services like police protection, prisons, and inflasture the state government provides. But there are other services that are not so essential. Every state agency should be required to present a comphensive itemized budget every year that justifies every dollar they are requesting (zero based budgeting). One size doesn’t fit all.

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Third, modernize/consolidate government. Millions of dollars could be saved if Oklahoma government did what the private sector has done for the past thirty years- consolidate. The largest employer in Oklahoma is the State of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has seventy seven counties and we could easily cut that number by one third- maybe more. Millions could be saved if Oklahoma education would simply share administrative services. Our cost per student on administrative costs is much higher than other states in the region. Politicians don’t like the ‘C’ word, but at some point some tough decisions will have to be made if Oklahoma is to compete in the modern marketplace. If legislators vote to just do ‘across the board’ budget cuts, then they are missing an excellent opportunity to make longterm, significant changes to Oklahoma government. One size doesn’t fit all.

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Fourth, empower the private sector. The long term solution to any budget deficit is to either grow the number of taxpayers or help the current taxpayer base to grow their income. We can’t just tax business and blindly believe they will absorb increases. Business is not a sponge, it’s like a pipe, providing a conduit for revenue to flow through.

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Ronald Reagan once said, “We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefiting from their success- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progress and free.”

Straw Poll Results

from the 6th annual Stephens County Fish Fry

Polling sample included 364 total ballots and attendees at the Fish Fry could only vote once.

GOVERNOR

Fallin: 48.3%

Brogdon- 47.2%

Hubbard-1.1%

Jackson- 0

Undecided- 3.4%

LT. GOVERNOR

Todd Lamb-46.2%

John Wright- 25.2%

Undecided- 28.6%

STATE TREASURER

Owen Laughlin- 44.7%

Ken Miller- 21.8%

Undecided- 33.5%

LABOR COMMISSIONER

Costello- 49.4%

Reese- 20%

Undecided- 30.6%

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Leonard- 39.1%

Pruitt- 35.3%

Undecided- 25.6%

4TH DISTRICT CONGRESS

Cole- 70.1%

Harris- 17.3%

Pritchard- 1.6%

Diaz- 0

Undecided- 11%

2012 PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE POLL

Participants in the poll selected their top three preferences.

(1) Mike Huckabee-17.5%

(2) Sarah Pallin-15.9%

(3) J.C. Watts-15.6%

(4) Mitt Romney-13.7%

(5) Newt Gingrich-9.9%

(6) Bobby Jindal-8.6%

(7) Ron Paul-5.5%

(8) Paul Ryan-5.5%

(9) Jeb Bush-4.1%

(10) Tim Pawlenty-3.6%

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

ONE AT A TIME PLEASE!
by Steve Fair

Article 5, Section 57 of the Oklahoma State Constitution, states, ‘Every act of the legislature shall express but one subject, which shall clearly be expressed in its title.’ The provision is commonly called ‘the single subject rule.’ The provision’s stated purpose is to insure the citizens of Oklahoma are not confused by legislation. For example at the federal level, often times an ‘Omnibus bill’ is passed that has something in it totally unrelated to the title of the bill. The ‘single subject’ rule was enacted to prohibit such deceit and the practice known as ‘logrolling.’
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When Democrats were in control of the Oklahoma legislature- 1907-2004- they regularly passed legislation that had multiple subjects and whose title did not accurately reflect the actual legislation. During that time, state courts largely ignored the ‘single subject’ rule. That is why is so puzzling Oklahoma courts have just recently started to enforce the ‘single subject’ rule since Republicans gained control of the state legislature in 2004.
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In 2008, the legislature passed a pro-life bill (Freedom of Conscience Act) that had several different provisions. Bear in mind, all the legislation was related and was pro-life, but it covered a variety of different areas. The state supreme court said it violated the ‘single subject’ rule and struck it down. One has to think it more than mere coincidence this happened on a pro-life bill. This year, the State legislature spilt the bill into two bills and passed them overwhelmingly. One bill, written by Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore) would require women to undergo an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before they undergo an abortion. Several other states have similar ultrasound pro-life laws, so this is not unique legislation.
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Governor Henry vetoed both bills as expected, but the legislature overwhelmingly voted to override the Governor’s veto. Because the measure had an ‘emergency’ clause, it was required to get ¾ of the legislature, not the normal 2/3 to vote to override the Governor’s veto. Several conservative pro-life Democrats joined with Republicans to override the veto- a true bi-partisan effort.

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Within hours, the courts had placed a restraining order on implementation of the new laws. A hearing is scheduled in July. Unlike the last delay in implementation, this lawsuit was not filed based on the single subject rule. Filed by an abortion provider, the suit claims the ultrasound measure is unconstitutionally vague, violates women's and abortion practitioner's constitutional speech rights, is an impermissible special law, and "impermissibly burdens the fundamental rights of plaintiffs' patients to terminate a pregnancy and avoid unwanted speech in a private setting."

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What about the rights of the unborn child? Shouldn’t they have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Now back to the single subject rule.

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Senate Pro Tem Senator Glenn Coffee, (R-OKC) has authored Senate Bill 213, which requires every bill to contain a separate provision that clearly expresses the subject of the bill. That means future legislative bill titles will be longer and will have subtitles outlining specifically what that each tenet in the bill is about.

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Pro Tem Coffee explained that SB 213 resulted from the court ruling that found the Freedom of Conscience Act, was unconstitutional because it violated the single subject rule. As a result, SB 213 now requires a court to provide written findings detailing each of the multiple subjects in a bill if the court finds the measure to violate the one subject rule.

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“Senate Bill 213 creates a legislative record that a particular piece of legislation has been debated and defended, in committee and on the floor, regarding its single subject,” said Coffee. “Regardless of what subject matter a bill deals with, this legislation will create a way for courts to give us guidance in how to improve legislation, by citing specific areas we did not comply with Oklahoma law.”

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Senate Bill 213 now goes to the House of Representatives where it is expected to pass. Who knows if Governor Henry will sign or veto it. Henry has become progressively more liberal as he winds down his two terms as Governor. Thanks to Senator Coffee for authoring legislation that will address the ‘single subject’ provision. Keeping courts out of ‘lawmaking’ and/or legislating from the bench is a good thing. We have enough of that at the Federal level.

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

OPTING OUT IS THE RIGHT OPTION!
by Steve Fair

House Joint Resolution #1054 passed the Oklahoma State House last week by a vote of 71-27 and now heads to the Senate. If it passes the Senate, Oklahomans will be voting in November to amend the state constitution to allow Oklahomans to opt-out of the recently passed federal health care system aka ObamaCare.
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"This legislation will give Congress and President Barack Obama pause to see this strong show of opposition to the federal legislation," Representative Mike Ritze, (R-Broken Arrow), the House author of the resolution said. Ritz, a physician and a surgeon said. "In Oklahoma, there is great opposition to mandating that everyone buy expensive health insurance. The federal system represents a radical change towards socialized medicine and could easily hurt rural Oklahoma’s access to quality care. That’s why we are going to do our best to fight it."

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House Joint Resolution 1054 would protect any person, employer or health care provider in Oklahoma from being compelled (forced) to participate in any health care system. It also prevents Oklahomans from being financially penalized (fined) if they choose not to purchase insurance mandated by the federal health care plan, and doctors would still be allowed to accept direct payment without fear of financial penalty.

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The Resolution also gave the legislature the authority to sue the federal government over the health care bill. Because Attorney General Drew Edmondson refused to join other states in suing the feds over the behemoth health care bill, the legislature had to take matters into their own hands.

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A couple of thoughts on the health care mandate passed by Congress and why Oklahomans should have the option of saying, ‘no thanks’ to ObamaCare:

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First, nowhere in the United States Constitution does it say health care is a federal granted ‘right.’ Sure, it’s nice to have good health care when you are sick. The fact is most Americans enjoy excellent health care. According to the Congressional Budget Office, America is spending 16-18 percent of the GDP on health care. But access to good health care is not a constitutionally guaranteed right- it is a privilege. Health care wasn’t included in the ‘bill of rights,’ but in our entitlement society, some believe anything they ‘want’ is a right.

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What’s the difference between a right and privilege? A right is "something that is due to a person by law, tradition, or nature. A privilege is "a special benefit given to a person.” Our Creator does not endow us with the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and good health care. Good health care may make us happier and help us live longer, but it is not a right in spite of what some say.

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U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, (I-Vermont) would disagree. Sanders, a liberal who caucuses with the Democrats, believes health care is a civil right. Sanders says, “at the end of the day, as difficult as it may be, the fight for a national health care program will prevail. Like the civil rights movement, the struggle for women's rights and other grass-roots efforts, justice in this country is often delayed - but it will not be denied. We shall overcome! “ Sanders’ argument has many problems, not the least of which is- ‘who will pay for it?’ The answer is the taxpayers and the bill will be expensive. If you think health care was expensive before the government got involved, wait until the government is running it.

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Second, the misconception the ‘Commerce Clause’ of the Constitution grants the power to the federal government to promote a particular business is asinine. The Commerce Clause was added to allow states to conduct ‘interstate’ business anyway they wanted and therefore promote capitalism. Health insurance didn’t even exist at that time. Obamacare requires all individuals to purchase health insurance and the government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States.

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Experts believe there is a better than odds on chance the federal health care bill will be overturned by the courts for violating the U.S. Constitution. But, in the meantime, the Oklahoma legislature did the right thing by giving Oklahomans the option to opt out.

CULTURE SHIFT
Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth
By R. Albert Mohler Jr.

A review by Steve Fair

Written in 2008 by Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, this little book is a must read. Mohler is a devout Calvinist (believes God is really God) and Culture Shift reflects that view. The twenty chapters are insightful and thought provoking. EVERY AMERICAN BELIEVER SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. It is not a quick read or an easy read, but Mohler confronts the issues of our day with a worldview that challenges believers. Here is a chapter-by-chapter outline/recap of the book:

CHAPTER 1- Christian Faith & Politics
Citing Augustine’s City of God, Mohler encourages the reader/believer to engage the culture with a ‘love for their neighbor.’

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CHAPTER 2- Christian Morality & Public Law
Mohler offers examples of America’s being more ‘secular.’ Quoting Robert Audi, a liberal philosophy professor from Nebraska, Mohler lists Audi’s three principles of ‘civic virtue in a liberal democracy.’ They are:
(1) Secular Relational- no law should be passed that is not totally secular.
(2) Secular Motivation- those who got involved in public policy must have purely secular motives.
(3) Ecclesiastical Political Neutrality- church/individuals should not use religious motivation to press for laws or public policies that restrict human conduct.

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CHAPTER 3- Christian Morality & Public Law- 3 secular Myths
Mohler counters Audi’s points with three myths about secularism. The myths are:
(1) The myth of the secular state- one cannot be genuinely secular and indifferent to the existence of God.
(2) The myth of a secular argument- debating morality from a purely secular position is impossible.
(3) The myth of secular motivation- no person can separate themselves from their own motivations.
Mohler uses well-known liberal Peter Singers statements about infanticide- ‘infants are not worthy of protection until they have the ability to relate and to use language.’

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CHAPTER 4- Christian Morality & Public Law- 5 thesis
(1) A liberal democracy must allow all participants in the debate to speak and argue from whatever worldviews or convictions they possess.
(2) Citizens participating in public debate over law and public policy should declare the convictional basis for their arguments.
(3) A liberal democracy must accept limits on secular discourse even as it recognizes limits on religious discourse.
(4) A liberal democracy must acknowledge the commingling of religious and secular arguments, motivations and outcomes.
(5) A liberal democracy must acknowledge and respect the rights of all citizens, including its self-consciously religious citizens.
The Christian should always conduct themselves in the public square following two principles- (1) Love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind, and (2) Love our neighbor as ourself.
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CHAPTER 5- The Culture of Offendedness
Mohler devotes this chapter to examining the meaning of offended and how our modern society has become easily offended. Offended in the scripture did not mean causing emotional distress or being inconvenienced or neglected. Christians should only be offended in defense of the Gospel.

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CHAPTER 6- The growing Cloud of Confusion
Mohler cites the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court rulings on two 10-commandment monument cases. In one, the monument was deemed to be appropriate (Texas) and in the other it was not (Kentucky). He explores the inconsistency of the rulings.

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CHAPTER 7- All that Terror teaches
What has terror taught us in America? Mohler lists five lessons:
(1) The terror has taught us to accept reality- we live in a dangerous, evil world.
(2) The terror has taught us to distinguish between good and evil. That has forced people to confront their value systems.
(3) We learned either God is in control or we are lost in a cosmos of chaos.
(4) We were reminded the Gospel has enemies.
(5) We learned that spirituality is not substitute for Christian Faith. Mohler says, ‘Spirituality is what is left when authentic Christianity is evacuated from the public square.”

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CHAPTER 8- Torture and the war on Terror
Mohler examines the ethical dilemma some face when confronted with the use of torture to find out information from terrorist. He says, ‘what we must not do is compound the problem of dirty hands by adopting dirty rules.’

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CHAPTER 9- Needed: An exit strategy from public schools
This chapter was the one that got Mohler in trouble with conventional education. He says all Christian believers must had ‘an exit strategy from the public schools in place.’ He quotes John Dewey, the recognized father of American common education and a humanist who said his goal in education was ‘a common faith.’

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CHAPTER 10- The God gene
Do some people have a chemical propensity to worship God and that is their motivation? Mohler dispels that myth in this insightful chapter.

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CHAPTER 11- Are we raising a nation of wimps?
Mohler takes a nostalgic look at how each generation has become softer in America. He says, ‘let’s be thankful for the lessons learned from skinned knees, routine disappointments, and hard work.’

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CHAPTER 12- Hard America- Soft America
Examines Michael Barone’s book of the same name.

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CHAPTER 13- The Post-truth era
Mohler examines lying and how causal lying has invaded America. He says, ‘as a culture, it’s about time we faced the truth about our acceptance of untruthfulness.’

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CHAPTER 14- Is Abortion a Moral Issue?
The debate brewing among the pro-choice crowd is examined.

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CHAPTER 15- Who is afraid of the Fetus?
Mohler cities statistics on how ultrasound has changed the abortion debate. The unborn child is making their own case with their mother from the womb.

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CHAPTER 16- God and the Tsunami: theology in the headlines
Mohler says, ‘Christians must respond to a crisis like this- by weeping with those who weep, praying with fervent faithfulness, offering concrete assistance in Christ’s name, and most importantly by bearing bold witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ- the only way to bring life out of death.’

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CHAPTER 17- God and the Tsunami: a Christian response
(1) A Christian response must affirm the true character and power of God
(2) We must avoid attempting to explain what God has not explained.
(3) We must respond with the love of Christ and the power of the Gospel.

Mourn for those who are mourning

Be at the forefront of relief efforts

Point out this ‘disaster’ is nothing compared to the judgment of God

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CHAPTER 18- Nineveh, New Orleans and the City of Man
Citing Augustine, Mohler examines the response to the Katrina in New Orleans. Augustine said, ‘the earthy city will not be everlasting: for when it is condemned to the final punishment, it will not longer be a city.’ Mohler emphasizes the ‘temporal’ nature of the City of Man.

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CHAPTER 19- Hiroshima and the Burden of History
Confronts the moral dilemma the atomic bomb presented America and the world.

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CHAPTER 20- The Content of our Character-Kings dream and ours

In this chapter, Mohler confronts racism. “Christians must begin with the affirmation that all human beings are equally created in the image of God,” Mohler says.

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

WILL SENATE PRO-LIFERS STAND UP TO THE GUV?
by Steve Fair

Governor Brad Henry vetoed two pro-life bills last week, including one that would require a woman to see an ultrasound of their unborn baby before having an abortion. Henry vetoed similar legislation in 2008, but the Republican led legislature overrode the veto, but the bills were overturned in court because they were “bundled.” Opponents say they are prepared to challenge in court again if the bills becomes law- particularly HB #2780.
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In his veto message Henry said,“This bill was an unconstitutional attempt to insert government into the private lives and decisions of its citizens. State policymakers should never mandate that a citizen be forced to undergo any medical procedure against his or her will, especially when such a procedure could cause physical or mental trauma.” Are you kidding me??? What about the physical and mental trauma forced onto the unborn child by an abortion?
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HB #2780 was authored by State Representative Lisa Billy, (R-Lindsay), and Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore). Sykes, an attorney, said one of the primary reasons for the measure is to provide women with additional information before they have an abortion. When HB #2780 (the ultrasound bill) came up for a vote in the legislature it passed the Senate 35-11 and the House by a margin of 87-7. Because this bill would take effect immediately, ¾ of the legislature must vote to override the Governor’s veto. That means the Senate needs to have 36 votes. Will the conservative Democrats in the Senate vote to override the Governor’s veto? The House seems pretty safe, but the Senate is where the battle will be waged.
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Tony Lauinger of Oklahomans for Life says overturning the veto in the Senate is crucial. Lauinger thinks that Senate Democrats who voted for the bill the first time will be pressured to waffle on the veto vote. Lauinger says "Senate Democrats who voted pro-life will be subjected to intense pro-abortion pressure to switch their votes if the Governor vetoes any of the bills. Thus it is essential that these pro-life Democrats hear from us."
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One who is likely not to vote for the bill is Senator Jim Wilson, (D-Tahlequah). Wilson says, "The Legislature and the Senate are acting like an amateur gynecologist. This is not about abortion. This is about the Bible." Wilson is right about abortion being a biblical issue. The Bible clearly teaches that life begins at conception.
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A passage in what is widely believed to the oldest book in the Bible- Job 10:18, the scripture says, "Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me." This passage shows without a doubt that Job believed he had a spirit inside the womb. This proves that the unborn child is alive. Since "the body without the spirit is dead, " then the spirit is essential to life. The unborn child has a spirit so he has life. What kind of life? Human life, that's easy. If it were a dog, it would be dog's life, since it is a human we are discussing, it would be human life.
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In his book, Culture Shift, Engaging Current Issues, Dr. Albert Mohler talks about the use of ultrasound technology by crisis-pregnancy centers. Mohler says, “The abortion-rights movement has finally met its match. The abortion industry is scared to death of the fetus, knowing that the mere image of a living baby in the womb is the refutation of every argument they can assert and all the coercion they would employ.”
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Mohler contends liberals are scared of the fetus- the unborn child making their case for life from the womb. And it is effective! According to Care Net Pregnancy Centers, 86% of women who see the image of their unborn child before the abortion procedure choose not to go ahead with it.
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Oklahoma is a politically conservative state. According to Sooner Polls, 63% of Oklahomans consider themselves pro-life and over 75% disapprove of abortion. Governor Henry is out of touch with Oklahoma! Senate Democrats better stand up for the unborn by voting to override the Governor’s veto, or they will face the wrath of the voter in November.

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UPDATE

Both the State House and Senate voted to overturn the Governor's veto- the Senate with exactly the number of votes needed- 36, so #2780 will become law immediately.