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Oklahoma State Senator Clark Jolley: Political Hack

Oklahoma State Senator Clark Jolley has done an about-face and voted in support of HB 3399, which removes the legislative mandate requiring adoption of Common Core State Standards. The measure calls for the State Board of Education to develop Oklahoma standards. Jolley’s reversal comes after public backlash against Common Core led the House to pass the measure removing the mandate. The Senate Education Committee had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the table, but approved it for consideration by the Senate, which passed it 37-10.

Senator Jolley was a driving force behind bringing Common Core to Oklahoma, authoring the legislation in 2010 that implemented it. I have read numerous complaints from parents and others that Jolley and other legislators completely ignored their concerns about Common Core. Jolley and Senate Education Committee Chairman John Ford, also a Common Core supporter, killed bills that would have examined the cost of Common Core before they could even have a hearing before the […] → Keep reading

Profiting From Criminal Justice

Being a far right-wing person I have always been very pro law & order and believe that those who violate our laws should pay the consequences. More often than not I have found myself thinking that our criminal justice system is not harsh enough. But, it is the system we have and I would not trade it for any other in the world. One of the cornerstones of our system is supposed to be the impartiality of the justice that is dispensed. Without impartiality, can the punishments meted out still be considered just? Sometimes, no.

The impartiality of the justice system is supposed to begin on the street with law enforcement personnel. When their motives for enforcing the law become tainted by profit, anything that happens to the accused after that should be immediately suspect. Case in point. Here in Oklahoma, Caddo County District Attorney Jason Hicks signed a contract with Desert Snow LLC, a Guthrie Oklahoma based company, to […] → Keep reading