Happy Thanksgiving

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."

- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863

Thanksgiving Day has always been one of my favorite holidays of the year. My memories as a young boy of travelling to Southwest Oklahoma to see family at my grandmother's home are fond ones. As the next to youngest of the more than thirty immediate members of the family, I was always chosen to assist in the cooking of the meal. I'm not certain if that occurred because I was talented or because my usual sleeping location was on a roll away cot just outside of the kitchen. Yet even today I look forward to spending hours toiling in the kitchen.

This is certainly a historical Thanksgiving for us all. With men and women of the Armed Forces and Foreign Service in Iraq and Afghanistan and the economy in such poor shape, it would be easy for us to dwell on what is bad. Yet we are fortunate that so many are willing to sacrifice on our behalf and to live in such a time with so many opportunities to make a real difference.

In particular I know that I'm truly blessed. I'm thankful to live in a country and state where we can experience a distinct change in government that occurs peacefully. I'm especially thankful to have my close friend Marc Young back safely from Iraq. I'm thankful for my health and that I'm imbued with the will to keep building a brighter future for this state and the optimism to always see a new way. To my friends and family who put up with me, I'm deeply grateful to have you in my life and I know you all enrich each day for me.

May God bless you and provide for you as He has for me.

65-21

What a game. I had cautiously said to friends and family that I thought we could maybe win this game - perhaps the biggest home game I've ever attended. After all, Mike Leach is one of the brightest coaches in college football and he had coached here before. He knew what to expect and how to prepare his team for what was coming.

Yet I was surprised, right from the beginning. The fans were more excited and more a part of this game than ever before. Lots of times fans will "make some noise" on a 3rd down, but after the opponents convert, many people sit down and quiet down. Not this time. The Memorial Stadium was as loud even after Tech would convert, or make a catch. I watched old men dance - dance - when House of Pain's "Jump Around" was played over the sound system. You could feel the enthusiasm flowing from the OU sidelines. The Pride and student section produced as much volume as the entire stadium on an average game.

The team didn't disappoint. Sam Bradford was as good as you could ever ask from any quarterback. The Defense looked as if they had read Tech's game plans - sacking Tech's Graham Harrell four times and twice in a row. After the game the team went to the middle of the field, then came to the sidelines to thank fans. Coach Stoops hung around and the crowd actually stopped leaving to applaud and cheer. In a move that shows what a class act Bob Stoops is, he actually tipped his visor to the fans, then bowed to them. He knew that he is loved, and that the fans has heard his call earlier in the week to help out.

It being an election year, I have been too busy to attend any other home games, so this was the only one I made it to - and what a game to see.* Years from now, those fans who were there will hold this game aloft as one of the greatest home games they ever watched, and recall how they were actually a part of the game, part of the defensive scheme that rattled a top-notch Texas Tech team and an outstanding quarterback from Lubbock. It was Sooner Magic in action and Sooner Legend in the making.

* Thanks to Jim and Pat Thompson who generously gave me the chance to go as a birthday present. Of course, I picked this game back in August as it was the only home game after the election, so it was especially nice as it became the biggest home game of the year.

Oklahoma City Councilman Mark Schwartz

Former Oklahoma City Councilman Mark Schwartz has passed away. A true leader in Oklahoma City, and later an official at the U.S. Department of Energy, he will be missed.

I was fortunate in getting to know Mark a bit during my time in Washington, D.C. where he was a great help to a displaced Okie. He was also loyal supporter during a couple of tough campaigns and did so because he truly wanted Oklahoma to have a bright future.

Tire Gauge Politics

Maybe you've missed the recent flap in the Presidential campaign over Senator Obama's recommending people properly inflate their tires to be safer and save fuel. If so, count yourself lucky.

Here it is in a nutshell: Senator Obama, as part of a week long push to promote his energy package (which is lacking by the way), mentioned that people should check the pressure in their tires to be safe and because it promotes fuel efficiency. Simple, right?

Wrong.

The McCain campaign, as if they had nothing else to talk about, have latched on to it as if it were Ford's slip up in '76. They have had surrogate speakers out attacking him (most notably Governor Tim Pawlenty, auditioning for the role of attack-dog Vice President), have issued statements and press releases constantly and even have tire gauges printed to hand out to donors and members of the press.

There are two problems with this strategy. First of all, Senator Obama is right, as anyone who took a driver safety course knows, or is a NASCAR fan. At the risk of sounding imperious, I will avoid making any jokes about Senator McCain here.

The bigger problem is what this type of thing does to the entire process. If you ever wonder why more people don't vote, or won't take you seriously as a candidate or even an elected official, it is this behavior. Senator McCain, the "maverick" of the U.S. Senate, was thought to be the kind of candidate who would avoid the political posturing. Who would talk about issues, whether it meant winning or loosing. I mean, his bus is the "Straight Talk Express" - is this what "straight talk" has become?

I'm not saying he won't win, because you can certainly win the race doing just this. My point is if in this election we have a chance to move the country forward, or stagnate, it seems this kind of campaigning certainly falls towards the latter. If you want people to listen again, and believe again you have to first give them something worth listening to and believing in. Tire gauge politics just won't cut it.

What If You Held An Election - And No One Cared?

I'm still working on my own breakdown of Tuesday's Primary Election and will have it posted soon. Until then, consider that less than 18% of the registered voters actually came out and voted in that race according to news stories. What's worse, with only 352,000 people voting, it means less than 10% of the state's actual population voted.

There are lots of theories going around as to why. My own? Very few exciting races were on the ballot. People can say that local races drive turnout, and that is true to some extent, but it is the high-visibility campaigns that get people fired up. There were really none of those on the ballot, especially on the Democratic side, leaving lots of people less than interested.

Is that a good reason not to vote? Of course not. But it is where we stand with most Oklahomans too apathetic to show up. I guess some of them might be offended that I called them that, but my guess is they just won't care.

Tom Coburn: Dr. No or Senate Savior?

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. is making the news in his usual way - by voting "no". This time, however, he is joined by forty of his senate colleagues in blocking the attempts of Senator Harry Ried to move his new "Omnibus" bill forward.

For those of you not following this daily drama over the last three and a half years, Senator Coburn has used a senate rule to put a "hold" on bills he doesn't like or agree with. This allows even one senator to keep practically any bill from moving forward, unless at least 60 of his or her fellow senators will vote to move it forward.

This comes as no surprise to me, or most Oklahomans, having become very familiar with then-Congressman Coburn's similar beliefs when he was in the U.S. House. Whatever you you say about him, and you can say a lot, the man is consistent in his actions to change how government works.

That is why I don't understand how Senator Reid, and the entire Democratic Caucus, seem to be so befuddled by Senator Coburn's actions. Even if you weren't familiar with his work in the House, they've had more than three years to see this. For more than a year and half in the majority! How, in all that time, do you not come up with a strategy?

Really, there are only two options:

1. Find a way to get 60 members to go against him.
2. Realize he isn't going to stop, and begin to draft bills in a manner that fit his criteria.

Since it is unlikely that even with a huge tidal wave of Democratic support this fall the Senate Democrats get to sixty seats, the first option is unlikely. Getting the Republican Caucus to break decisively on anything is as tough as getting a Sooner to cheer for Mack Brown, so Senator Reid will be stuck losing votes with a smaller than necessary majority.

That leaves option number two, changing the nature of how you do business. I admit, this is a tough pill to swallow. Yet with Congressional approval ratings in the single digits, it should soon become clear to someone that business as usual isn't going to work. If you believe the bills being blocked are actually quality legislation, and their passage is critical in nature, then it is time to find a new way to get them to the floor.

Working with other Republican Senators will be necessary in order to assure passage and even to bring them to a vote. This may not be the most effective method of work, but as elected officials sent to do a job, it is, as the saying goes, what you get paid the big bucks for.

Of course, this might not work. It requires bi-partisan cooperation in an election year, and that is pretty rare in D.C. - especially with an election coming up. But by doing the right thing, and putting individual Senators on the spot, is a fight worth fighting.

Time and history will judge if Senator Coburn is right or wrong, Senator Reid's job is to move the Senate forward and it is time that happens.

OKC NBA Team Name

I have to admit, I'm not much of an NBA fan. I'm really not a big basketball fan at all. I frequently say that is because I can't play basketball, but I can't play baseball either and I'll watch it.

Just the same, I'm pretty excited about the new big league team in OKC. I'm not sure I'll make it to a game right away, but here is a quick way I'll become a fan.

The team name.

The news is out that the NBA has filed trademark right for six team names. Barons, Bison, Energy, Thunder, Marshalls and Wind.

That's right, tucked away in that list is MARSHALLS!

If the powers-that-be see fit to give the new team a proud name like that, then who am I but to become a fan? You can be sure I'll buy hats, shirts and all of the other team related stuff they can sell. Tickets? Of course, what kind of Marshall would I be if I didn't attend?

So, only time will tell, but I have to say I just won't get as excited about cheering for the OKC Wind.