Happy Birthday Pete

I want to wish my friend Pete Liesenfeld a Happy 34th Birthday. I'll share in his embarrassment with the photo above from back in 1992 when we were both in the Norman High School Band. All these years later he still puts up with me...

Happy Birthday Mom!

I'm smart enough not to mention her age, but I do want to wish her a Happy Birthday today. The picture above is from her birthday party last year at Blu in Norman.

October 2nd

The date October 2nd might not mean much to you, but it matters a great deal to me. You see, it's my birthday.

But you're asking yourself "Why does he have a picture of Gandhi with this post?" Simple - it's his birthday, too.

Lots of other famous people actually. Some well known in modern culture such as Sting (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) or Kelly Ripa (who is older than me born in 1970 though she looks much better). Yet other celebrities like Groucho Marx (of the Brothers), Don McLean (American Pie) and Bud Abbott (and Costello) were also delivered on the 2nd.

If you're a Star Trek fan - and make no doubt I am - both Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine) and Persis Khambatta (Ilia from The Motion Picture) share my birthday.

Significant to history both Cordell Hull (American Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize recipient) and Richard III (King of England and of Shakespeare fame) came into the world this day.

The more literate might be interested to know Graham Green (author of books including The Quiet American) and Wallace Stevens (American poet) also celebrated 10/2 as a birthday.

A few significant events occurred on the 275th day of the year, unless it was a leap year when it would have been the 276th day.

The Texas revolution began in 1835 which was notable because they lost their first battle. In 1789 George Washington sent a list of proposed amendments for the new American constitution to the states for ratification. These you will remember as the Bill of Rights.

For Charlie Brown fans this day is remembered for the first publication of Charles Shultz's Peanuts comic strip in 1950. Just a few years later we first were invited to travel into The Twilight Zone which premiered on this day in 1959.

One of my personal heroes, Thurgood Marshall, was sworn in as the first African American Supreme Court justice on an October Thursday in 1967. Another great American, President Woodrow Wilson, suffered a debilitating stroke on the second day of the month in 1924.

Perhaps this doesn't interest anyone or maybe you find it amusing I would ramble on with such. It does interest me and has shaped my world. Rather than simply looking at this day as a party, I've spent a good part of my life learning a little bit about people born on the same day or historical occurrences. Why else would I know Vasily Shukshin died on the very same day I was born? Or that he was on the Volga river filming the Russian epic They Fought For Their Motherland?

It is all a little bit of me and now you know some of it as well.

Shirley Phelps-Roper Is Not A Sooner

Racism is dead? Hate doesn't exist?

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church brought both to Norman on Friday as they protested the beginning of a Jewish holiday. The University of Oklahoma's Hillel Foundation, and their Jewish membership, were celebrating one of the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah.

Yet the Topeka-based church members chose to come Oklahoma and protest with signs such as "God Hates Israel" and "Fag University". They sang their own rendition of "Hey Jude" retitled "Hey Jew".

Here's my point: The leader of the Westboro Baptists, a woman named Shirley Phelps-Roper, was reported to have worn a University of Oklahoma ball cap. The same cap and logo we all so proudly don for sporting events and to show our passion for our University.

What Ms. Phelps-Roper doesn't understand is at OU we don't hate. We aren't racists. We aren't homophobic. At OU we don't discriminate and we don't uphold intolerance. We respect all religions and we have no place for her and her band of protesters.

In short, Shirley Phelps-Roper isn't a Sooner.

I'm proud of the members of Hillel who didn't respond, and instead went on with their day. I'm just as proud of the University students and Norman citizens who counter-protested. I'm not often the kind of guy who thinks protesting does a lot of good, but this is one of those times. No reporter could simply say the Westboro Baptist hate group came to town, but had to also report the people of Norman and OU showed up to say they didn't agree.

I'm sad to say hate and and intolerance live on, but that isn't what we Sooners believe.

Saturdays Have Meaning Again

College Football season has begun once again - Sooner Football in particular.

Good games, bad games and even games between two teams about which I don't care. At least it is my favorite sport. I just have to watch all I can between now and January.

I should also mention my favorite place to read about OU - SoonerGuys.com. Check it out, great site. Run by some pretty good guys too.

Edward Kennedy 1932 - 2009

Senator Edward Kennedy was, without question, an institution himself.

Though the Senate existed before him, and will go on without him, it won't be the same. The voice and passion he lent to an issue will not easily be replaced. Nor will his extraordinary ability to work in the Senate to accomplish so much no matter which party was in the majority.


In 2001 I went to work on the Hill in Washington, DC and few events had a greater impact upon me than the first time I actually saw Senator Kennedy in person. It was just in passing, walking down a corridor, but it was seeing a legend in person.


The way many felt about being near Joe DiMaggio or Elvis Presley, this was how I felt. A man who was larger than life and whom I had grown up listening to, as had so many before me.


His legacy was one I loved and for which I had an undying respect. It was, more than anything else, a literal lifetime spent in the US Senate. Crafting the actual mechanics of our country and toiling in the trenches of democracy. He understood the difference he could make there and the lasting change he could offer.


He fought for fairness and equality. For working men and women and for those who had no voice in the great marble Capitol. His unyielding dedication was an inspiration to me as a young boy, as a naive staffer and is still today.

"I seen Red Dawn"

I have good news for all you 80's action movie fans - Red Dawn is being remade! Yes, the Patrick Swayze cult-classic will be retold with a new cast and improved special effects.

For those of you who aren't fortunate enough to have seen this movie, it tells the tale of a band of rural teenagers who repel invading Soviet forces. Trust me, in 1984 my friends and I had planned how we would protect our neighborhood when the "commies" came!

I'm not sure how this will play with the youth twenty five years later, but you can bet I'll be there when it debuts.

(As for the title of the post, it refers to a classic line heard on the campaign trail when discussing the Second Amendment.)

Southern Fried Hypocrisy?

I guess after a scandal, you want to get back in the game at some point, right? After the trouble passes it's time to go back to work and do your job.

For Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who it turns out had some fun with prostitutes, this means representing his constituents and voting in the US Senate. Of course he would take a position on issues relating to the country and his home state, that is only to be expected since he has chosen not to resign his seat.

Yet he chooses to enter the fray like this? He's going after Ohio Senator George Voinovich who yesterday claimed the GOP has been hijacked by the South. OK, even this isn't too bad.

Except Vitter chose to attack him on VALUES!

He actually said "I'm on the side of conservatives getting back to core conservative values." To what values, I wonder, is he referring?

Senator Voinovich, who Vitter referred to as "a moderate, really wishy-washy" is retiring after a distinguished career of public service. Not that I've always agreed with him, but at least he didn't bring public shame to his state. Vitter though seems determined to press on and even claimed "there are a lot of us from the South who hold those values".

I suppose if you're flawed enough to abandon your marriage vows with hookers, you have to truly embrace hypocrisy at a level I just don't understand.

Rush Thinks Doctors Do It For Money

Today I heard Rush Limbaugh discussing health care reform on his radio show. In particular, he claimed if the system were reformed, physicians would earn less. This, in turn, would mean fewer talented people entering medical school.

Now, I like to believe most men and women who enter medicine as a profession do so because of a desire to help people. I don’t think they do it just to get rich.

I know it is a rigorous process getting through school and a residency, but there is some financial reward for the years of work and huge student loans necessary for many. I think we all want our doctors to be smart, so it should be tough.

Sure, there are a few jerks out there. However, most of the doctors I've encountered have been kind and caring men and women who care a great deal about their patients.

I guess Rush just doesn’t have as much faith in people.

Happy Independence Day

My favorite holiday of the year. Not due to the weather, the lake, cookouts or fireworks. Just because it is nice to remember why I live in the greatest country in the world and be thankful for the revolutionaries who started it all.

A Classy New Senator

Say what you will about Senator-elect Al Franken, and you can say a lot, but he handled his first "controversy" this week and it was fun to watch.

It seems Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, in his gentle and charming way, referred to him as a "clown".

Signaling he could be a dignified addition to the Senate, Mr. Franken said "I don't know how Senator Inhofe regards clowns, but it might be an incredible compliment."

Class act indeed.

Stonewall - Forty Years Later

Mostly missing from the news in the state of Oklahoma is the anniversary of the police raid on the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. This isn't unlike the lack of coverage which occurred in 1969, but surely we've become a more enlightened society since then, right?

Not just yet.

Homosexual men and women, those whom Baltimore Sun columnist Tim Smith refers to as "people who go to work, pay taxes, take deep delight in family and friends, treat animals with affection, keep a neat yard, watch old movies" are still treated as second-class citizens by the laws of this country.

The attacks continue from the self-proclaimed moral right and the lunatic fringe. Elected officials such as Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern base entire careers on such bigotry. Fortunately for them, the leaders of their movement are living lives of chaste decency. You know, Senator John Ensign or Governor Mark Sanford.

Still, I have hope. I meet more and more young people who, like me, feel rights denied to anyone are rights denied to everyone. Just because I'm not gay doesn't mean this isn't my fight too. It is a battle of education and exposure of people to ideas. I believe a people who love individual freedom will naturally come around to the principles of equality.

Let's just hope it doesn't take another forty years.

Goodbye To The Little Red Schoolhouse

If you haven't been to Washington, DC in the last few years, you might not have seen this "landmark". Even if you have been, it isn't usually on the regular tour. Yet people always ask when traveling between the Washington Monument and the Capitol why this red facade is in front of the Department of Education.

I know, it looks like something from a bad state fair.

This has been the front of the building for several years now, placed there when No Child Left Behind legislation was passed in the first term of President George W. Bush.

Now, we can have a rational and serious policy discussion on the merits of the law. I, for one, can find both good and bad in the changes made. However, no matter which side you fall on the controversial education law, this attempt at message control has to make you laugh.

When it first went up many people assumed it was temporary. Lots of message "props" are created for just this reason. I was living in DC then and each time I drove past it I just knew it was coming down soon.

How wrong I was.

As the years passed the structure became a joke. Teachers across the country began to ridicule the "Little Red Schoolhouse". It came to stand for everything the opponents of the education reform policy distrusted in government.

Now, it has seen it's last day. President Obama's administration officials have announced it is coming down. Perhaps it can be reused. Surely there is a state fair going on somewhere...

Happy Father's Day

I'm a little late posting this, but still wanted to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day. We had a pretty low-key celebration. We got him a dvd player - his request - as he is now on Netflix. Does it all himself. The man emails, reads more news than me and shops online - all at 76! Next up, facebook...

Happy 50th Ben Odom!

I want to wish my good friend, Ben Odom, a happy 50th birthday! I met Ben seventeen years ago at Boys State where he was one of the instructors and I was but a young delegate. He may have wished it didn't happen, but I'm sure glad to have had him as a friend, counselor and mentor all these years.

Here's to many more Ben!

Taylor Made For Tulsa

Last week, in a move that shocked most Tulsa residents, Mayor Kathy Taylor announced she wasn't running for re-election in T-town. I have to admit I was caught off guard as well. Especially as I had attended her campaign kickoff event just four months ago.

Not to offer too strong an opinion, but this is bad news for Tulsa. It could possibly be a return to the days of no momentum and bitter partisanship that gripped the town for almost two decades.

The entire state watched during this period as Oklahoma City moved forward in a progressive manner and did so with bi-partisan if not non-partisan support. In that same time frame Tulsa literally began to fall apart. Good ideas were shot down for entirely personal and partisan reasons and the whole community suffered.

Mayor Taylor said last week she was dropping out of the race for just this reason, to take politics off the table. I'm not certain if her lack of candidacy will help or not. There are some in Tulsa who just don't want to play nice in the sand box and it prevents progress from occurring.

At least the Mayor will have some bold accomplishments of which she can be proud. The city streets program and the remarkable BOK center are just a couple that come to mind.

It is a shame that Tulsans will lose this gifted public servant who honestly ran for all the right reasons. Maybe a loss for all Oklahomans too.

How Much Does Freedom Cost?

Remember D-Day

June 6, 1944

Kim Henry To Lead Sarkeys Foundation

Most of the Oklahoma political world has been wondering what Governor Brad Henry's next move would be after he leaves office. Speculation began almost as soon as he won re-election in November of 2006. Turns out, everyone was looking in the wrong direction!

It was announced yesterday First Lady Kim Henry will be taking over the Sarkeys Foundation as the new Executive Director. I've long been a big fan of Mrs. Henry and have said on more than one occasion she is my favorite part of the Henry administration!

Sarkeys is a great organization that fills a critical role in our community. Her addition is a great benefit to the both the foundation and our state. I certainly wish her the best of luck.

Happy Mother's Day

This is me and my mom on the way to, wait for it, a political event! Way back in the 1980's. She looks great then and still does.

Love you mom.

April 19, 2009 - 14 Years Later

Texas - It's Like A Whole Other Country

So it seems Texas Governor Rick Perry thinks he's making a pretty serious threat about Texas leaving the United States. Well, I for one think it isn't a bad idea.

First of all, we're in a recession, and this could create jobs. Think of all the new 49 star flags that would have to be made and the new maps printed. This is an economic stimulus plan in action.

Also, all of those annoying Texans might take on a new image in our minds. They will be residents of a foreign country and somehow more alluring because of it. No longer just rednecks, we can say it's part of the culture of that country.

For those so concerned about illegal immigration, now we can pass this problem on to another country. Texas will have to handle the border security issues and quit looking to our federal government for help. I can think of more than a few "good 'ol boys" who would happily guard the Oklahoma side of the Red River to keep foreigners out - and by that I mean Texans.

Then there is the football angle. No longer does Mack Brown have to anoint himself as the Big 12 South Victor, now he can play for a national title in Texas. Imagine how happy Texans would be to know that the winner of the Texas-Texas Tech game would be the the national champion?

And of course, there's poor old Rick Perry. As the protege of former President George Bush, he's watched his political stock fall faster than GM. The once shining star of GOP politics now faces a primary challenge just to keep his current job. But wait! If Texas secedes he could be President and achieve his goal after all.

All and all, I'm for it. So long Texas - Happy Trails to you!

Protecting The Children

April is national Child Abuse Prevention month. You wouldn't know it from all the news being generated about taxes, tea parties and grumbling about the government.

Yet some people took notice at the state Capitol and attempted to draw the attention of the elected officials there. They placed flags there to note the number of children who died as a result of abuse. In our state alone, 32 children died from this horrific crime last year.

One elected official, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, was there to take a stand and he called upon our legislators to keep funding programs that help prevent child abuse:

"They want to be tough on crime, but the harm has been done if we’re prosecuting someone. We cannot incarcerate this crime away.”

Of all the places to cut the budget, why would this be one? What crime is more insidious than the harm done to a defenseless child? Yet cuts in this area are under consideration by the legislature.

Experts who study the trends tell us that instances of child abuse increase when the economy falters, as it is now. This is a place government can do good and has a responsibility.

So while so many spent this week worrying about government that is too big or a tax burden that is too great, perhaps we should pay attention to a more significant issue. We should discuss it now before we read about the death of another child.

I ask of each chest-thumping politician who attended an anti-tax rally, or took the time to speak out against them, what did you do for those who can't protect themselves? For the defenseless children in our state who are being hurt? Did you do something to protect them, with the same fervor you showed for other issues? If so, then you've done your job and while there may be no press coverage, you've earned a special place in heaven.

If not, if you worked to leap in front of a camera or get ink without helping these children who will be hurt, how do you sleep at night?

Ward Meeting Next Week

Norman City Council members Bob Thompson and Tom Kovach, who represent Wards One and Two respectively, are holding a joint Ward Meeting next week. They will be discussing Norman Regional Hospital, the Neighborhood Watch Program, the development of voluntary neighborhood associations, the proposed Stormwater Master Plan, and new ethics policies for municipal boards and commissions. The event details are:

Wards One and Two Meeting

Monday April 2oth

6:00pm

City of Norman Council Chambers

201 West Gray Street

I plan to attend and hope lots of other interested Norman residents do as well.

Happy Easter

Turkey Season

Don't worry though, the turkey are safe from me. My friend Ben Odom (pictured above) and I made a quick trip down to God's Country Thursday and Friday to hunt. The cold and wind must have kept them home though, because we didn't hear or see any, even in the usual places.

For those of you wondering, God's Country is Southwest Oklahoma and Kiowa County in particular. The area my family is from and some of the most beautiful landscape in our state.

Oklahoma City - True West

Last weekend, thanks to my sister, I had the fortunate opportunity to see Sam Shepard's True West performed live in Oklahoma City. The local Actors Warehouse Studio staged the performance and the cast was outstanding.

If you haven't seen or read True West, and I hadn't, it is both painful drama and painful comedy. I don't say such disparagingly, rather that it makes you laugh in a dark way and touches on the rather remote parts of your emotions too.

Jon Haque and Barrett Davidson, in the two lead roles, were simply amazing. The play demands an exciting level of physical acting and they delivered without hesitation. I can say, having watched from the front row, I don't know how they could possibly have done another performance the next day. I was tired just having watched them.

It's also fair to state, and if your familiar with the play you'll understand this, I'm not having toast for some time.

I'm glad to have found a new venue to watch live performance at Actors Warehouse Studio. If you haven't been, make certain to follow their upcoming calendar to check out this gem in Oklahoma City.

General Motors Chief Steps Down

In attempting to stay within my own guidelines for this blog, I want to consider the resignation of GM CEO Rick Wagoner. It is far too easy to just take one side or another on this subject: "He needed to go" or "It's none of the Government's business".

Of course, this has implications in my own world. Under his leadership the General Motors plant in Oklahoma City was closed and had a large impact felt by many in the state of Oklahoma. I personally had a number of friends and acquaintances who were affected by the loss of jobs or were forced to move.

That is a good place to begin I suppose, with Mr. Wagoner's many changes in the company structure. For almost 15 years he was at the helm of America's largest automotive corporation. During his tenure the value of GM stock has collapsed and it's share of the US auto market has fallen from 33% to just 18%. The company was restructured three times during this period, leading to the elimination of numerous manufacturing plants and the loss of thousands of jobs.

So one can see where it makes sense to go after Mr. Wagoner. He led a failing company and never turned around a slide that had gone on for decades. If the US taxpayer is going to invest in bailing out the automotive industry, certainly a wise move would be to have better executives at the helm, right?

Perhaps not. While I don't intend to defend Mr. Wagoner's years leading GM, what occurred might not be all his fault. While so many cable television pundits are making a great deal of noise about what all he did wrong, he wasn't the only executive to lead a car company that saw sales slip and it's position in the US market fall. His time running GM coincides with the increase in popularity of foreign, and less expensively produced, cars and trucks. It is, in fact, Toyota that replaced GM as the globe's best selling automotive company.

One journalist, Micheline Maynard, pointed out that Mr. Wagoner spent his entire career at GM, starting there right out of Harvard in 1977. Also noting that his background was in the finance side of the industry, never sales or any other revenue generating department.

So perhaps it is that Rick Wagoner was never a good choice to run GM? Or was it that such a behemoth was bound to fail as the industry changed and foreign competition increased? Should we look at the quality of products offered by the differing companies? Though a sensitive subject, how do American auto companies compete while providing union members benefits and livable wages? Will the introduction of more fuel efficient cars and trucks help save GM and others, or is it too late?

These are all issues that need to be considered if the American automotive industry is going to survive. Normally left to poorly attended panel discussions between economists, this now springs to the forefront as the government is forced to invest in the future of these companies. Just the same, it is important that we all react with initiatives based on sound economic study. Leaping to conclusions and taking actions that simply feel good may leave us wanting not that far down the road.

Mayor Kathy Taylor Friendraiser

I ran up the turnpike last night to attend Mayor Kathy Taylor's campaign kickoff event. Wow! Was it worth the drive. Hundreds of people in attendance and all excited about the direction Tulsa is headed.

The Mayor gave a brief speech, but mostly took time to visit with everyone who wanted to chat with her during the evening. It was just another example of why she's been such a strong leader for that great city and why Tulsans would be wise to keep her on the job this November.

It was also fun to see so many friends and catch up on what is going on in Green Country and the 918.

If you haven't had a chance, check out the Taylor campaign site at taylorfortulsa.com and do all you can to help the campaign.

Thee and Thou

Having a drink at the Lobby Bar in Oklahoma City the other night, our group was joined (having been evicted from his own table...) by a delightful fellow by the name of Jon Haque. He claimed to be an actor and after much lively conversation, invited us to attend a play in which he was currently performing entitled Thee and Thou.

I enjoy the theatre, though I truly don't attend often enough, and I do believe that even a bad play is often better than any sitcom. Fortunately, this was a great production. Several of the cast members were truly talented and brilliantly entertaining. This is not a review, and I am certainly not qualified, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Jon in particular had us laughing to the point of tears.

The play is a Shakespearean farce, set at the Globe Theatre in 1599. Interestingly enough it is written by an Oklahoman, Bret Jones, who has penned a hilarious work. Unfortunately, the show's run has ended at the Jewel Box Theatre, but if you ever have the opportunity to see a performance, leap at the chance.

The Legislature is back...

Of course, this event makes the hearts of political junkies, capitol reporters and editorial writers flutter a bit. It is never boring when the Oklahoma Legislature is in session, and with the new Republican majorities in control, it should prove to be especially interesting.

There is much work to be done by these public servants. While the economy in our state remains stronger than that of many others, it is still failing. Finding ways to keep government working, without harming those who most depend on it, will be difficult. Students, the elderly and those who can't care for themselves must not be harmed at the expense of scoring political points - by either political party.

And, in the end, after four months of committee battles, floor fights and palace intrigue, the best that might be accomplished is having done no harm and heading back home. Worse than that is the likely scenario that next year, it will be even worse.

John Updike 1932-2009

Requiem

It came to me the other day:

Were I to die, no one would say,

'Oh, what a shame! So young, so full

Of promise - depths unplumbable!

Instead, a shrug and tearless eyes

Will great my overdue demise;

The wide response will be, I know

'I thought he died a while ago.'

For life's a shabby subterfuge,

And death is real, and dark, and huge.

The shock of it will register

Nowhere but where it will occur.

- John Updike

From the forthcoming collection "Endpoint"