So, now that Randy Brogdon’s running for Gov., who’s running for his seat?

I had a chance to speak this afternoon with Tim Coager, a Republican who is running for the Oklahoma State Senate seat being vacated by Randy Brogdon, also a Republican, who is running for Oklahoma Governor. Brogdon’s shoes will be hard to fill, but this 14 year Marine Veteran feels he’s up to the job. Coager is currently a refining engineer, and according to his website is a “strong social and fiscal conservative.” More from his website:

Tim has been active in church and community affairs for many years and has demonstrated his commitment to public service through his extensive civic involvement.

Tim’s conservative values are rooted in his Christian faith, the values he was taught in the U.S. Marine Corps, and his love for family and country. Tim believes in personal responsibility and hard work. He is uncompromisingly pro-life and is a passionate defender of our second amendment right to keep and bear arms. He is strongly committed to reducing the size of government by returning tenth amendment rights to the states. Tim believes our personal liberty and freedoms are conferred by God and not by the government.

To find out more check him out here, or on Twitter (@TimCoager) and Facebook.

 

UPDATE: ACLU Tries to Intimidate Sally Kern over the Oklahoma Citizens’ Proclamation for Morality

UPDATE 07/11/09: Rep. Sally Kern reports that the ACLU of Oklahoma is now trying to intimidate her, regarding state resources being used for the Oklahoma Citizens’ Proclamation for Morality:

Rep. Sally Kern has been contacted by the Oklahoma Chapter of the A.C.L.U. requesting information about state resources being used for the Oklahoma Citizen’s Proclamation for Morality to the proclamation

As an elected official, Rep. Kern has the House resources at her disposal to use to inform her constituents as to her policy positions and issues that affect them. There are numerous legislators all across the country whose political beliefs are influence by their religious beliefs.

A poll by Cole Hargrave Snodgrass taken about four years ago showed that Oklahoma has the highest percentage of church attendees in the nation.  Oklahoma’s people by and large are a religious people.  They are concerned about the economy and our nation’s morals.  Rep. Kern’s Oklahoma Citizen’s Proclamation for Morality was a statement calling on those in Oklahoma who are concerned for their state and nation to take a stand.

And now the ACLU is attempting to silence Rep. Kern’s voice.

Also see: This Nation will Self Destruct In… by Kristin Estes of The Hard Truth

UPDATE 07/02/09: Following is video from the press conference. For more information, see Michael McNutt’s report on The Oklahoman.

 

UPDATE 06/30/09: There is now a petition for a National version of this, HERE. Also, Oklahomans who are not able to make it to the Courthouse on Thursday can sign the petition online HERE.

ORIGINAL POST, 06/30/09: The following proclamation, authored by OK State Rep. Sally Kern, will be signed by religious leaders, elected officials, and citizens of Oklahoma at noon on Thursday, July 2, 2009 on the steps of the Capitol in Oklahoma City:

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We the People of Oklahoma,Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of Liberty; to secure just and rightful Government; to promote our mutual Welfare and Happiness, do establish this proclamation and call upon the people of the great State of Oklahoma, and our fellow Patriots in these United States of America who look to the Lord for guidance, to acknowledge the need for a national awakening of righteousness in our land.

WHEREAS, “It is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by Religion and Morality” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious people” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government…but upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God” (James Madison); and

WHEREAS, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God (Benjamin Franklin); and

WHEREAS, “God who gave us life gave us liberty and can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God” (Thomas Jefferson); and

WHEREAS, “Whether any free government can be permanent, where the public worship of God, and the support of Religion, constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state” (Joseph Story); and

WHEREAS, “We hold sacred the rights of conscience, and promise to the people…the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion” (Roger Sherman); and

WHEREAS, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians” (Patrick Henry); and

WHEREAS, “When you…exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed upon your mind that God commands you to choose just men who will rule in the fear of God” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, “The principles of genuine Liberty and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the Bible” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, the people of Oklahoma have a strong tradition of reliance upon the Creator of the Universe; and

WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater national moral crisis; and

WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and

WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America is forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was built; and

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the president of these United States has refused to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the president of these United States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we the undersigned elected officials of the people of Oklahoma, religious leaders and citizens of the State of Oklahoma, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world, solemnly declare that the HOPE of the great State of Oklahoma and of these United States, rests upon the Principles of Religion and Morality as put forth in the HOLY BIBLE; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, believers in the One True God and His only Son, call upon all to join with us in recognizing that “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord,” and humbly implore all who love Truth and Virtue to live above reproach in the sight of God and man with a firm reliance on the leadership and protection of Almighty God; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, humbly call upon Holy God, our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, to have mercy on this nation, to stay His hand of judgment, and grant a national awakening of righteousness and Christian renewal as we repent of our great sin.

Signed on the second day of July in the year of our Lord Christ Two Thousand and Nine.

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#TeaParty Pics: Broken Arrow, OK (Tulsa Area)

I don’t have an official estimate yet, and counting crowds is not my forte’, but we had an impressive number of people braving the rain on this holiday to voice their support for the Fair Tax movement, for liberty-minded local candidates, for measures to stop illegal immigration, and wishing each other a Merry Christmas (just because we could!) Here are some unedited photos of the event. A good time was had by all.

 

Drew Edmondson is at it again

From Oklahomans for Responsible Government:

Drew Edmondson, a man who wants to be the leader of Oklahoma, is once again using his powers as Attorney General to confuse voters by changing language of ballot initiatives set to be up for a vote in 2010. You may remember that Edmondson changed the language of the term limits ballot measure making it sound like it did not allow any re-elections. Well, he’s done it again with two other measures.

Senate Joint Resolution 13 passed overwhelmingly in the Senate (42-2) and the House (78-17) and is now known as State Question 750. It changes the calculation for the number of signatures needed to put a measure on the ballot, basing it on the last race for Governor in stead of alternating between the last presidential election and the last gubernatorial election. Here’s what lawmakers wanted you to see on the ballot…Continue reading on OFRG.org >>

 

Twitter’s Left-o-Sphere Spews on Queue

For a prime example of what passes for “debate” in liberal circles these days, one need to do nothing more than do a Google Search or a Twitter Search for “Sally Kern.” Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern, in case you don’t remember, found herself rather unintentionally on the front lines of the war on marriage last year when some of her comments to a Republican gathering were recorded, and then played on YouTube and the Ellen DeGeneres show.

Since then, she’s been the target of gay activist groups nationwide, who were unsuccessful in unseating her from her district seat in Oklahoma City in 2008.

What I find incredible is the utter lack of intelligent debate coming from the left on this matter.

Sally’s remarks regarding her support of traditional marriage and family values are always straightforward, consistent, well-documented, and delivered with a respectful tone. Her language is clean, and she does not resort to name-calling, slurs, or derrogatory language. For an example, listen to my interview with her shortly before Christmas last year on Tolerance, ‘Hate Speech,’ and Agendas.

Here’s a more recent example, from an opinion piece by Sally, published in on her website, and in The Oklahoma Gazette, entitled “Preserving Traditional Values“:

For centuries, traditional marriage has been the bedrock institution of society, providing stability and sustainability. Only traditional marriage produces children, which perpetuates future generations.

While same-sex couples can adopt, or be inseminated, this is not the norm. For posterity, society has a vested interest in preserving traditional marriage. Countless studies prove that children thrive best when reared in a home with a mother and a father. Children need the unique qualities that each gender brings into the nuturing process. Also, a monomagamous relationship between a man and a woman helps protect from STD’s.

Biology is important in that same-sex marriage debate. It doesn’t take a genius to know that a man’s and a woman’s body parts naturally fit together. The anatomy of opposite sexes was made to compliment each other. Two men or two women can’t physically compliment one another. There are also other differences between the sexes than just physical. Emotional and psychological differences exist. A man cannot meet all the needs of a man and vice versa.

Homosexuals say same-sex marriage is their civil right, comparing their quest for marriage equality to blacks in their struggle for equality. But homosexuals have always had all the rights of citizenship, unlike blacks. They can vote, own property, hold a job. They’ve never been bought and sold as slaves, or had separate bathrooms or drinking fountains. Homosexuality is not self-evident the way black is.

Homosexuality is not inborn. If it were, from which parent was it inherited? No validated scientific study has ever proven there is a “gay gene.” Everyone is equal and worthy of respect, but not all ideas or behaviors are equal. Granting legal status to a behavior is wrong. Is adultry morally equal to infidelity?

The Bible gives a historical perspective of marriage….Continue reading on The Oklahoma Gazette >>

Perez Hilton (remember him? Here’s a precious video if you need a reminder), and a few other prominent gay marriage activists got a hold of the above opinion piece, and what do you suppose they did? Did they present well-reasoned arguments to counter Rep. Kern’s remarks?

Not exactly. Like Pavlov’s dogs, the liberal automatons began to salivate and spew on queue. See HERE, if you think you have the stomach for it. If not, let’s just say that their comments, sans all of the vile language, boil down to, “Like, I totally can’t believe that stupid, hateful woman said that,” with an enormous amount of re-tweeting of the same.

What inspirational, progressive brilliance!

Crunch time on Cap-and-Trade: House vote this week!

By Lt. Col. (R) Stuart A. Jolly, State Director for Americans for Prosperity-Oklahoma

Let your voice be heard on this issue. This bill in more about power than it is about global warming. It’s a hidden tax on everyone – pure and simple.

FYI: The Hill is reporting today that Democrats have reached an agreement to move forward with a House vote on the huge cap-and-trade energy tax known as Waxman-Markey this week. The details aren’t known yet, but you can bet that this already-disastrous bill that will send energy prices skyrocketing while having no discernible impact on global average temperature will only get worse as even more special interests are bought off at the expense of taxpayers.

It’s crucial that you contact your Congressman immediately and tell him to vote no cap-and-trade.

You can call the Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121
or use this form on the AFP web site.

Grassroots can make the difference! Thank you.

I’ve also pasted the letter (below) sent to Rep. Boren this week from many organizations including AFP concerned about the ramifications of cap-and-trade and the vote this week. See below and get involved. It’s crunch time!!

An Open Letter to Representative Boren
Oppose Cap-and-Trade Tax Hike!

June 18, 2009

The Honorable Dan Boren
United States House of Representatives
216 Cannon House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Boren:

On behalf of the thousands of Oklahomans represented by the undersigned organizations, we urge you to oppose H.R. 2454, the Waxman-Markey “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.” This “cap-and-trade” system constitutes a mammoth tax hike and would crush our already-ailing economy.

H.R. 2454 would be a massive new tax heaped on top of existing burdens. Capping emissions and requiring entities to purchase additional allowances from the federal government will lead to an explosion in revenue. President Obama’s own aides have admitted that it could drain as much as $2 trillion from hard-working Americans.

This is a burden that would fall most heavily upon the least fortunate among us, many of whom are struggling without the imposition of such a tax. H.R. 2454 would increase taxes to the tune of $3,100 on every American family and raise their annual energy bills by $1,500. This is especially troublesome for poor American families who spend 26 percent of their income paying for energy, compared to just 4 percent for the median family. Your 2nd district already has a median household income roughly $15,000 below the national average, and a poverty rate over 20 percent, much higher than the national average. Adding to the economic pain your constituents are suffering is an unconscionable policy in these difficult times.

If Congress deems carbon dioxide emissions to be a problem worthy of attention, then it should confront them without raising taxes on struggling American families in the process.

If you do not support enacting the largest tax hike in history, which would be the unavoidable consequence of Waxman-Markey, then we urge you to sign the simple pledge attached to this letter which states that you will oppose any climate change legislation that would lead to a net increase in revenue. Only by signing such a pledge can one claim to protect taxpayers.

Again, we urge you to defend hard-working Oklahomans and oppose H.R. 2454, the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill.

Sincerely,

Duane Parde
National Taxpayers Union

Brian M. Johnson
Alliance for Worker Freedom

Susan A. Carleson
American Civil Rights Union

Tim Phillips
Americans for Prosperity

Stuart Jolly
Americans for Prosperity Oklahoma

Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform

Dan Varroney
American Solutions

Jeffrey Mazzella
Center for Individual Freedom

Phyllis Schlafly
Eagle Forum

Max Pappas
FreedomWorks

Mario H. Lopez
Hispanic Leadership Fund

Brian Dutcher
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Inc.

Karen Kerrigan
Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council

Also on: AFPHQ.org

Governor Henry Vetoes Common-sense Reform

Rejects bill that passed by a combined 128-1 vote!

From Oklahomans for Responsible Government:

Governor Brad Henry showed how out-of-step he is with the average citizen in the state Friday by vetoing a bill that passed by a combined 128-1 vote in the legislature – House Bill 2246, a common-sense reform that would have improved the ability of citizens to petition their government.

HB 2246 would have extended the period for a citizen-led initiative petition to gather signatures from 90-days – currently the second-shortest period in the country – to one year. It also would have provided protections for those gathering the signatures from being harassed by opponents.

“For the Governor to veto a bill which could have easily been overridden if the legislature was in session goes beyond petty politics,” said Brian Downs, Executive Director of Oklahomans for Responsible Government. ““With his action, Governor Henry delivered a slap to the face of citizens who want to petition their government and leaves Oklahoma with one of the highest barriers for citizens to put a measure on the ballot in the country.”

In his veto message, Governor Henry claimed that a provision to protect petition circulators from being harassed or intimidated by opponents has, “the effect of discouraging and even criminalizing such basic constitutional rights as free speech and freedom of assembly.”

“Apparently Governor Henry doesn’t care about the rights of citizens to be free to petition their government without being intimidated or threatened by opponents,” said Downs.

“In a year when initiative petition reform bills got overwhelming support in the legislature, Governor Henry decided that he would play Supreme Court Justice with his veto pen,” said Downs. “It continues to amaze that the Governor thinks he knows what is constitutional and what is not when a bill he signed last year was declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court.”

OFRG will continue to fight for the rights of the average citizen to petition their government despite the actions of Governor Henry to maintain the status quo.

 

Ask Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry to Sign OK HB 2246!

From Oklahomans for Responsible Government (OFRG.org):

This past legislative session was a very successful one for our policy agenda, but there is still an important bill left for the Governor to sign.

House Bill 2246 makes important reforms to the initiative petition process, including extending the period to gather signatures from 90-days to one year. The right of citizens to petition their government is an important one and HB 2246 will improve what is currently a very burdensome initiative system.

Call Governor henry’s office at 405-521-2342 or follow this link to message the Governor from his webpage.

With your help, we can make it easier for the average citizen to try and get a measure on the ballot!

Also see: Oklahoma House Bill 2246, 2009 on Ballotpedia, and read the text of the bill HERE.

And remember to become a fan of the Oklahomans for Responsible Government Page on Facebook, to receive more updates like these.

 

Ronald Reagan In The News

Our beloved Ronald Reagan will be honored with a statue in London and the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act is signed by an afro-Marxist who stands opposed to the very American values Reagan stood for.

Activities surrounding the centennial will include nationwide celebrations, educational programming and a complete renovation of the galleries within the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. As the legislation included no federal funding, all centennial activities and events will come through private fundraising efforts, spearheaded by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

Emphasis mine. So Obama gets a wonderful photo op, spares federal money for his beloved ACORN and La Raza Supreme Court nominee for free! Fu*#ing tragic… My cables not hooked up yet in my new old farm house, but this should definitely be tonight’s Daily Show  “Moment of Zen.”

 

Your Daily Dose of Absurd Liberal Legislation

The complete inability of the ruling elites to grasp the economic effects of their “feel good” legislation reached an unprecedented level yesterday. U.S. Representative Alan Grayson (FL-8) has just introduced the Paid Vacation Act of 2009, which would:

• Require one week of paid vacation for employees of companies with at least 100 employees. Three years after passage, the bill extends this requirement to companies with at least 50 employees, and requires two weeks for companies with 100 employees.
• Covers workers after one year on the job. Part-timers must work 25 or more hours a week to be covered.

The impact of this bill, if it were to ever become law, would be disastrous. Small companies across the country would be saddled with an incentive to keep their workforces low, lest they cross the Grayson Vacation Line and incur new costs. Medium-sized firms who fall just above the threshold will be given another reason to trim their payrolls by a critical few employees to fall just below the line that would mandate new costs on their operations. Multiply these layoffs and reduced growth incentives across the entire economy and the impact would be profound.

As the nation grapples with recession-induced record unemployment, how can anyone think that making employing people, which will be critical to our recovery, more difficult is a good idea? Could it be because Grayson’s district includes Disney World? He did hatch the idea while strolling through the Magic Kingdom.

The bill is also being pushed by Take Back Your Time, a group dedicated to helping Americans balance their work and home lives: a laudable objective. In their materials they offer the following piece of advice, “It’s time we traded some of our productivity gains for time instead of money and stuff. We’d all be happier.”

Maybe so, but should we really legislate happiness? Does the big government absurdity know no ends?
Read it here on our AFP Blog.

Stuart Jolly Lt. Col. (R), US Army is the Oklahoma State Director for Americans for Prosperity-Oklahoma.

Call Governor Henry; Let Oklahoma Vote

From Norma Sapp, Executive Director of Oklahomans for Initiative Rights:

Here in Oklahoma we have the toughest ballot initiative process in the country. With only 90 days to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures, it’s no wonder that only three initiatives have made the ballot in the last ten years! Right now, we have a historic chance to change that, but only if you contact Governor Brad Henry today.

Ask Governor Henry to do his part to clean up the initiative process and give Oklahomans time to petition by signing two important initiative reform bills that passed the legislature overwhelmingly.

These bipartisan bills—Senate Bill 800 and House Bill 2246—make important improvements to the initiative process. HB 2246 increases the 90 day time limit for circulating a petition to one year, giving citizens enough time to collect signatures. SB 800 streamlines the process and protects citizens from having petitions unjustly thrown out on a mere technicality.

I have traveled all over the state in the past few weeks talking to citizens at the grassroots level about the initiative process. After going to 70 cities and towns and braving nearly as many tornadoes, I can tell you firsthand that the people of Oklahoma want an accessible initiative process. Right now we can have it.

Both of these bills are on the governor’s desk waiting for his signature. These changes are desperately needed to give Oklahomans back a voice in government. Pick up the phone right now and call the Governor’s office at (405) 521-2342. You can also email the governor by clicking here.

 

Another Reform to Oklahoma’s Initiative Petition Laws Passes

From Oklahomans for Responsible Government:

Common-sense bill makes ballot more accessible to citizens

Oklahoma’s very restrictive laws governing ballot initiatives will be opened up under House Bill 2246 which got final approval in the Senate last night and is now going to the governor for his signature. It’s the third major reform to the system which allows citizens to come up with laws and put them up for a vote.

“It’s a fundamental right of Oklahomans to petition their government,” said Brian Downs, Executive Director of Oklahomans for Responsible Government. “But the laws limited that to the point where only well-funded and well-organized groups could mount such an effort.”

There are several provisions to HB 2246, but the main components will:

• lengthen the amount of time to gather signatures from 90-days to one year
• require legal challenges to petition language be handled before signatures are collected
• create a Task Force that will look at other aspects of the initiative and referendum process

HB 2246 is the third measure to deal with the initiative petition process this session. Senate Joint Resolution 13, which already passed both houses, will ask voters to change the law so that the number of signatures needed to put a measure on the ballot is based only on the last election for governor. Senate Bill 800 deals with the legal challenges to ballot initiatives. It got final approval earlier this week and also awaits the governor’s signature.

“Changing the initiative petition process has been a major policy agenda issue for OFRG this session,” said Downs. “We commend the legislators for supporting the initiative petition process and encourage the governor to sign them into law.”

 

Oklahoma SB 800 Now Goes to Governor Henry

More good news from Oklahoma: The State House just passed Senate Bill 800 by a vote of 83-12. The Senate passed it last week, 39-0. Now it goes to Governor Brad Henry for his signature.

SB 800 changes the ballot title process to the beginning of the petition process, so that proponents of initiatives cannot be thrown off the ballot after doing all the work to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures.

Since emerging from conference committee, House Bill 2246 has also passed the House, by a vote of 87-1, and is expected to be on the Senate floor tomorrow or Thursday. HB 2246 lengthens the petition period from the current mere 90 days to a full year.

If passed by the Senate before Friday’s scheduled adjournment, this bill would also go to Governor Henry.

We would be surprised if the Governor were to veto either bill. These are common sense reforms. Further, the margin of victory in both chambers is so whopping and thoroughly bipartisan that it ought to discourage any veto.

But the governor has been busy with his veto pen this session and we’re taking nothing for granted.

A week ago, we switched over to getting postcards urging Governor Henry to sign the bills. Oklahomans for Initiative Rights continues to visit more cities (63 thus far) and grab more news coverage. The 10-foot tall state replica is concentrating on the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas for the remainder of the campaign. Oklahomans for Responsible Government is beginning an effort asking thousands of Oklahomans to call the governor’s office. A number of prominent supporters have sent or are sending op-ed columns urging the governor to sign the reform legislation passed by legislators.

Already this session, the constitutional amendment, SJR-13, that lowers the signature requirement passed the legislature. It awaits a popular vote next year.

Now two important statutory reforms inch closer to enactment. Once the bills reach the his desk, Governor Henry will have 5 days to sign. So, this week and next will tell the tale for Oklahoma this year.

As for Colorado, California, Missouri, Nevada, etc., well, the fight goes on.

Attorney General Keeps Biased Language in Term Limits Ballot Question

From Oklahomans for Responsible Government:

Despite calls for change, Edmondson refuses to take out misleading sentence

The Attorney General’s Office has submitted the final language for State Question 747 and despite calls for biased language to be removed, it will remain.

Oklahomans for Responsible Government pointed out earlier this month that the Attorney General was changing the proposed language for the ballot measure to impose term limits on statewide elected officials. Specifically, the Attorney General’s version included the following sentences:

It limits the ability of voters to re-elect statewide elected officers. It limits the number of years a person may serve in each statewide elected office.

Now, despite calls for the elimination of the first sentence which is biased and misleading, the final language has been submitted. The only change was combining the two sentences into one:

It limits the ability of voters to re-elect statewide elected officers by limiting how many years those officers can serve

OFRG believes term limits will pass despite the political retaliation of Attorney General Drew Edmondson. Voters overwhelmingly supported legislative term limits in 1990 and polls indicate it’s a winning issue for statewide elected officials, too. It’s just a shame that the Attorney General, who personally lobbied against such a measure last year, would again try to interject politics in an attempt to defeat the ballot measure by confusing voters.

Playing politics with term limits?