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By Charles M. Phipps on November 18th, 2021 
Time is running out for Governor Stitt to make his decision whether or not to commute the death sentence of Julius Jones. The Pardon & Parole Board has voted to recommend that Stitt commute Jones’s sentence and spare him from getting the needle.
Jones was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1999 murder of Paul Howell during a carjacking. Jones shot Paul Howell in the head in front of his sister and his daughters in order to steal his vehicle. After exhausting all his appeals, his execution is set for tomorrow, November 18th, at 4:00 PM.
Celebrities, media people, and politicians alike have voiced their support for Julius Jones getting clemency, claiming either outright innocence or that the conviction is dubious enough to cast doubt upon his guilt. I saw a petition on change.org supporting Jones that was signed by several million people, urging Governor Stitt to spare Jones from getting the needle tomorrow afternoon. Probably more than 99% of […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on October 7th, 2021 
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has announced that she is switching parties from Republican to Democrat in order to run for Oklahoma Governor in 2022, hoping to oust incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt in the November general election. First, she will have to get past former State Senator Connie Johnson in the Democratic primary.
Hofmeister had a difference of opinion with Governor Stitt about a new state law that prohibits local school boards from mandating face masks for students. She also expressed anger at Stitt in September when he announced a full audit of the State Department of Education for the first time ever after evidence was uncovered of misuse of funds in an audit of EPIC Charter Schools. Hofmeister called the audit an “attack on public education.” Her defensive response to the audit is political posturing to distract the public from the lack of fiscal accountability in her department. With her alleged felonious activity with regard to campaign finances, it is […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on September 27th, 2021 
Oklahoma Representatives Stephanie Bice, Frank Lucas, and Tom Cole have voted Yes on HR4350, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. The vote totals were 181 Democrats & 135 Republicans voting Yes and 38 Democrats & 75 Republicans voting No. Part of this $777.9 billion authorization contains a provision that would allow military courts to use protective orders that include red flag gun confiscation.
If you aren’t familiar with them, a red flag law is a gun control law that allows a family member or law enforcement to petition to the courts to order the temporary removal of all firearms that a person possesses if the court agrees with the petitioner that the person may present a danger to themselves or others. This petition and granting of a removal order could be done completely without notice to the person possessing the firearms and that person would be given no opportunity to respond until after their firearms are confiscated.
[…] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on September 22nd, 2021 
Oklahoma State Senator Nathan Dahm has teased a ‘Special Announcement’ on Twitter, scheduled to be made on Tuesday, September 28 in Broken Arrow, OK.
While the subject of the announcement is not being previewed, it has been learned that the website Dahmforsenate.com was created on September 20th. The only entry on the site is a message about the announcement and a link to RSVP on another site. Was this domain created for a U.S. Senate campaign or is it a holdover from his campaigns for the Oklahoma Senate?
A run for the U.S. Senate in 2022 would mean that he would be going against incumbent Senator James Lankford in the Republican primary. The timing of this is interesting because if he defeats Lankford in the primary he would most likely win the general election against whatever sacrificial candidate the Democrats field against him. If Lankford wins the primary, Dahm would still retain his State Senate seat for another two years. […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on April 30th, 2019 
After seeing a news report of a man with a firearm walking down SE 29th Street in Midwest City, Oklahoma, I stumbled upon a growing trend that had escaped my attention until now. The man with the weapon was a self-described Second Amendment ‘auditor’ and was openly carrying the weapon to test the police response. He had a camera filming as Midwest City police stopped to contact him and verify he was in compliance with state laws regarding open carry of firearms. He was and they left. This same man had also been walking through a park in Edmond, OK and filmed the response as a half-dozen police officers surrounded him with their weapons at the ready.
This man and many others around the nation have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours doing First and Second Amendment ‘audits’ in various cities. Their process for what they call a First Amendment audit is to go to a public building, such as […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on October 30th, 2018 
In my entire life, I’ve never voted for a Democrat. Longtime readers of my blog know of my disdain for Democrats and their policies. I have always maintained the position that even voting for moderate Democrats in local and state elections lends support to the Democrats on the national level, where the more hardcore and socialist Democrats are found. All that said, I will be voting for a Democrat next Tuesday, November 6th. One Democrat and one only.
For an explanation, we need to briefly revisit a battle in the Oklahoma state legislature over the last year. Republicans, who hold the majority in both the House and the Senate, fought to raise taxes. No, that wasn’t a typo; Republicans wanted to raise taxes. I detailed this in an appropriately titled post I wrote back in February called I May Have to Start Voting Democrat. The House, led by Speaker Charles McCall, passed massive tax increases after blowing off any thoughts […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on October 25th, 2018 
Oklahomans will be voting on five state questions in a couple of weeks. Here are the questions and my take on each.
State Question 793 – Right of Optometrists and Opticians to Practice in Retail Establishments Initiative
This measure adds a new Section 3 to Article 20 of the Oklahoma Constitution. Under the new Section, no law shall infringe on optometrists’ or opticians’ ability to practice within a retail mercantile establishment, discriminate against optometrists or opticians based on the location of their practice, or require external entrances for optometric offices within retail mercantile establishments. No law shall infringe on retail mercantile establishments’ ability to sell prescription optical goods and services. The Section allows the Legislature to restrict optometrists from performing surgeries within retail mercantile establishments, limit the number of locations at which an optometrist may practice, maintain optometric licensing requirements, require optometric offices to be in a separate room of a retail mercantile establishment, and impose health and safety standards. […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on June 13th, 2018 
In just two weeks, Oklahoma voters will go to the polls for the primary elections and, in a rare instance, a State Question. This will be the first time since 2005 that a date other than a general election has been set for an initiative. State Question 788, if passed, would legalize marijuana in Oklahoma for medical purposes.
The ballot title is as follows:
This measure amends the Oklahoma State Statutes. A yes vote legalizes the licensed use, sale, and growth of marijuana in Oklahoma for medicinal purposes. A license is required for use and possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes and must be approved by an Oklahoma Board Certified Physician.
The State Department of Health will issue medical marijuana licenses if the application is eighteen years of older an Oklahoma resident. A special exception will be granted to an applicant under the age of eighteen, however these applications must be signed by two physicians and a parent or legal […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on February 5th, 2018 
‘Do you prefer tax-and-spend liberals, tax-and-spend conservatives, or tax-and-spend moderates?’
What’s the point in voting for Republicans to run the Oklahoma government? If you’d told me a few years ago that the GOP-controlled legislature would have a ‘meh’ attitude about out-of-control spending in our state agencies, I would have said you were crazy. If you’d told me a few years ago that our Republican governor would be calling for massive tax increases, I would have said you were crazy. If you’d told me a few years ago that the GOP-controlled legislature would be scheming to pass tax increases at the beginning of the legislative session, I would have said you were crazy.
But here we are, on opening day of the 2018 legislative session, and the Republicans are planning to bring a “quick vote” on tax increases. Of course, they want a quick vote before their constituents get wind of what they’re up to and jam the capitol […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on January 30th, 2018 
Liberals are determined to make health care a right. It isn’t a right, but since when did truth stop liberals from squawking on and on about what they want. By calling health care a right, what they’re really saying is that the government should pay for it for everyone There’s a word for that – socialism. But that’s the Democratic Party today, socialists one and all.
While there can be no argument that health care is a necessity, that does not make it a right. Food, shelter, and clothing are all necessities but that doesn’t mean the government should provide everyone with them.
Ask a liberal to find health care in the Bill of Rights. Pack a lunch because you’re going to be there a while. Most liberals probably have no clue what is in the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence says that we have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Having those […] → Keep reading
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