Governor Stitt: vote for safety by voting No on SQ 805

Governor Kevin Stitt sent the following statement to supporters yesterday, urging them to vote against State Question 805.

As an Oklahoman, you’ve probably heard a lot about State Question 805. I’m urging you to vote no on SQ 805.

As you know, since the beginning of my campaign for Governor, I have been an advocate for smart criminal justice reform, one that gives non-violent offenders a true opportunity at a second chance and reform that modernizes our criminal code.

Friends, SQ 805 is not criminal justice reform. It is a veiled effort by big out-of-state donors to change our State Constitution and handcuff Oklahomans’ ability to overhaul the criminal code.

Proponents of this bill are floating false narratives around the state about Oklahoma crime and incarceration. Here are some of the real facts:

House Ed Committee to hear Auditor on Epic Charter audit this afternoon (livestream link)

House Education Committees to Hear Auditor Presentation on Epic Charter Schools 

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House Common Education Committee and Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Education, chaired by State Reps. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, and Mark McBride, R-Moore, will hold a joint meeting Wednesday, Oct. 21, to hear from State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd and Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister regarding Part 1 of Byrd’s audit of Epic Charter Schools.

Byrd’s 120-page audit, which was requested by Gov. Kevin Stitt, outlines concerns with how Epic Charter Schools has handled cost accounting and student enrollment figures.

Because of ongoing construction at the state Capitol, the meeting will be held at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Gandy Auditorium, 940 NE 13 St. in Nicholson Tower, Suite 5900. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m.

The meeting will be livestreamed at https://www.okhouse.gov/Video/Default.aspx. 

State Election Board alerts voters about false polling place text message

Election Officials Alert Voters About False Polling Place Text Message

(Oklahoma City, October 19th) – Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax issued a voter alert today, warning voters about a text message that was received by a voter last Friday, that falsely claimed the voter’s polling place had changed. The complaint has been referred by election officials to law enforcement.

The text message falsely advised the voter that her polling place had changed, then asked the voter to reply to the text to confirm her name. It then provided a phone number to call to be removed from the notification list. The phone number provided in the text message is reportedly for a male escort service.

“Disinformation about the voting process is a real threat. Voters should be very cautious about phone calls, emails, social media posts and text messages containing false information about elections – and report suspicious communications to election officials immediately,” Ziriax said.

Citizens' group announces 3 new petitions to reform Norman city government

3 NEW PETITIONS FILED: Unite Norman Announces Reform Package to Improve City Government

NORMAN (October 20th) – Unite Norman, the grassroots group aiming to restore accountability and return city government to the people, announced today a sweeping package of reforms for creating more accountability and transparency for the people of Norman. It will also put forth a proposal to increase professionalism with regard to the way city council conducts its business.

This afternoon, Unite Norman unveiled a reform package that includes: 

OCPA column: Explaining Epic Charter’s appeal

Explaining Epic Charter’s appeal

By Jonathan Small

Ask the average citizen what they know about Epic Charter Schools, an online public K-12 school, and you’ll typically hear two responses. First, the school’s critics are vocal, fierce and determined to shut down Epic and second, the school is increasingly popular among parents.

Some will consider those two facts incompatible. Why would parents flock to a school that is constantly under fire from bureaucrats and teacher unions who regularly remind us they know better than the rest of us? The answer is simple. Because parents believe that Epic provides a better educational product than many local brick-and-mortar schools, particularly in the state’s urban centers. If Epic’s back-end business functions have been questioned by a flawed state audit that encouraged Epic to make inaccurate calculations, that’s of little concern to parents focused on the welfare of their child.

One parent of an Epic student, addressing members of the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, put it bluntly: “A lot of the parents that are inside Epic think that brick-and-mortar schools are mad because they’ve had too many kids pulled from them and they’re losing too much money and they’re trying to get Epic shut down.”

Oklahoma Pro-Life group: vote NO on State Question 805

Oklahoma Pro-Life group: Vote NO on State Question 805
Measure Would Grant Leniency to Serial Abortion-Law Violators

(October 15th, 2020 -- Oklahomans for Life) We urge your strong opposition to State Question 805 because of its effect on abortion in Oklahoma. State Question 805 is a proposed constitutional amendment which is on the November 3rd General Election ballot.

State Question 805 prohibits increased sentences (sentence “enhancements”) for repeat offenders who continue to commit “non-violent” felonies, thus limiting the time habitual criminals spend behind bars. Under State Question 805, abortion is classified as “non-violent.”

Even under the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, there are circumstances under which states can protect the lives of unborn children, and Oklahoma’s legislature has done so. Our state has passed laws prohibiting certain types of particularly heinous abortions – for example, partial-birth abortions – the commission of which are felonies.

Partial-birth abortion is a procedure in which the abortionist pulls a living baby feet-first out of the womb and into the birth canal, except for the head. The abortionist punctures the base of the baby’s skull with a surgical instrument, then inserts a tube into the wound and removes the baby's brain with a powerful suction machine. This causes the skull to collapse, after which the abortionist completes the delivery of the now-dead baby. Committing this heinous act in Oklahoma is a felony. Incredibly, under State Question 805, this is classified a “non-violent” felony. 

Two other pro-life laws, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, would be similarly impacted by State Question 805. These are precisely the types of crimes for which State Question 805 would bestow on abortion criminals a “get-out-of-jail” card.

Oklahoma has had a particularly sordid history with abortion-industry practitioners. In the years since Roe v. Wade, media reports have chronicled two different instances in which Oklahoma-City-area abortionists have killed their wives. One of the abortionists was convicted of murder. [see link]

The other abortionist was convicted of manslaughter in his wife’s death. [see link]

According to court records, another abortion-mill operator, this one at an infamous Tulsa facility, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. The intended target of the murder-for-hire plot was his partner in the abortion mill. [see link]

Press reports indicate that yet another notorious abortionist was shut down for exploiting women and committing fraud, in some cases telling women they were pregnant when he knew they were not, and then selling them abortion-inducing drugs. Imagine the anguish of going through life believing you had aborted your baby – when, in fact, you had not actually been pregnant – just so a greedy shyster could exploit a woman’s panic in order to get a big fee. [see link].

It is against this appalling and despicable backdrop that State Question 805 would treat abortion criminals as “first-time offenders” – even if, for example, they committed partial-birth abortions repeatedly as a business model – imposing on them only the same light fine or penalty each time. Compounding the injustice, State Question 805 is a constitutional change, which means the legislature could never go back and add partial-birth abortion to the list of “violent” crimes eligible for enhanced sentences for repeat offenders.  

For these reasons, we urge you to vote No on State Question 805.

Thank you.

Tony Lauinger
State Chairman, Oklahomans for Life

OK Health Dep't issues Halloween guidance, recommendations on safe festivities

State Department of Health issues Halloween guidance, releases recommendations on safe festivities

State and local health departments encourage families and communities to stay safe

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 13, 2020) – The Oklahoma State Department of Health released today its guidance for people planning for Halloween and other fall festivities this holiday season as some traditional celebrations do not allow for proper social distancing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are a multitude of ways people can safely enjoy the holiday season this year, and connect with loved ones without putting anyone in unnecessary risk,” said Dr. Lance Frye, Oklahoma Commissioner of Health.  “Celebrate, but celebrate wisely, and continue following the three W’s: wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance.”

Celebrating virtually or with members of your own household poses low risk for spread and is encouraged. If you have COVID-19 – or think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 – you should not participate in in-person Halloween or fall festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.

1889 Institute: Covid-19 response casts doubts on value of local control

Covid-19 Response Casts Doubts on the Value of Local Control

By Mike Davis

Is local control better than state control? Conservatives tend to prefer state control over national government; isn’t local control a logical progression?

Recent responses to Covid-19 offer a counterargument. While Oklahoma mostly refrained from onerous restrictions, the same isn’t true of her cities. Norman’s city council was so abusive they faced recall campaigns. Edmond responded quickly to a surge, swiftly passing a mask mandate that would start a mere 4 weeks later. Oklahoma City and Tulsa have closed schools to the children they are entrusted to educate. Except that Oklahoma City’s schools were only mostly closed. These are the acts of local governments run amuck.

If local government doesn’t always do what’s right, and state government can't even be counted on to consistently do what’s wrong, what are the advantages of local control? If your rights are trampled, does it matter how big the government doing the trampling is? It isn’t any easier to beat a city in court: all levels of government enjoy the presumption that their actions are “right,” or at least “not wrong enough for the courts to step in.”

70+ Sheriffs oppose SQ 805, urge citizens to vote 'No'

Photo posted to Twitter by Angelica Brown of OKC FOX 25.
OSA press release says over 70 sheriffs are represented by this view.

Oklahoma Sheriffs and the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association urge
citizens to vote “NO” on SQ #805

As sworn defenders of the public, Sheriffs across Oklahoma understand the importance of defeating State Question 805. If passed, SQ805 will create a culture that crime is okay in Oklahoma by reducing penalties for career criminals.  With SQ805, habitual offenders of serious crimes will spend less time in prison, and put them back on the streets where they can continue committing crimes like home burglaries, child trafficking, soliciting sex from minors using technology, animal cruelty and domestic violence; just to name a few.

While proponents of 805 claim it only applies to non-violent offences, many horrible crimes against people and animals are classified as non-violent, creating a pass for the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, because each crime has the same sentence range as a first time offense.

Proponents FALSELY claim SQ805 will only address repeat felons who commit drug, property or non-violent crimes.  However many of the repeat career criminals who will benefit commit destructive crimes that harm families, businesses, and communities all across Oklahoma. 

Stitt appoints three agency heads to permanent positions

GOVERNOR STITT APPOINTS THREE STATE AGENCY LEADERS TO PERMANENT POSITIONS

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 15, 2020) — Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the appointment of Carrie Slatton-Hodges as Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Dr. Lance Frye as State Commissioner of Health and Rachel Holt as Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

Slatton-Hodges, Frye and Holt will continue serving in interim capacities pending Senate confirmation in the 2021 legislative session.

“These leaders have provided strong visions and steady leadership for our state agencies and the people they serve while operating in their current roles,” said Gov. Stitt. “I am proud of the work they have collectively accomplished throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and I look forward to seeing how they will continue to move the needle in the health and care of our people as we work to become Top 10 in these critical categories.”

Tulsa Beacon: Don’t retain Judge Jane Wiseman

From the Tulsa Beacon:

Don’t retain Judge Jane Wiseman

Judge Jane Wiseman, who is on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, will be on the November 3 ballot for a retention vote.

In Oklahoma, voters can retain or dismiss judges on the Oklahoma Supreme Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Civil Appeals. Those are the three appellate courts in the state. (District court judges are not subject to retention votes but people can file and run against them). All judicial retention votes and races are nonpartisan.

Since the judicial reforms in the 1960s, Oklahoma has not dismissed a judge during a retention vote.

That’s an amazing statistic.

Why do judges always seem to get two-thirds yes and one-third no in statewide retention elections?

There are several reasons. One is that the vast majority of voters know nothing of the judges who will be on the ballot. So people tend to vote yes on all of the judges or no on all of the judges. No one – especially the liberal news media – delves into the records of the judges up for retention. It’s almost impossible to find information about them on the Internet.

And most of all, no one seems to care if bad judges get confirmed every six years.

Six years ago in October of 2014, Wiseman conducted the first legalized homosexual marriage in Oklahoma. The U.S. Supreme Court decided to make law by forcing states to permit men to marry men and women to marry women.

1889 Institute: Auditor Byrd abuses office, demonstrates she doesn't understand charter schools

Cindy Byrd Abuses Office Demonstrating She Doesn’t Understand Charter Schools

By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.

Epic Charter Schools, with 60,000 students, has gotten too big and successful for the public school establishment to ignore. Unfortunately, State Auditor Cindy Byrd has joined in a witch hunt by ignoring the philosophy behind charter school laws and the purpose of state audits, issuing a hit piece masquerading as a special audit. Her excuses for not following standard audit protocols remind one of Dean Wormer’s double-secret probation in the movie, “Animal House.”

There are three basic ideas behind charter school laws. First, public schools are more costly and less productive than they could be because they are monopolies. Second, parents facing relatively easy educational choices would choose to the benefit of their children. And third, charter schools must compete for students. This competition regulates charters far better than any government agency could, and because they compete, charter schools need less regulation that public schools.

Unfortunately, policymakers constantly try to shoehorn charter schools into the public education system, Cindy Byrd being a prime example. Charter schools are private contractors with whom the state has uniquely contracted to provide education. It’s unique that parents, not bureaucrats, independently determine the school attended. The nature of education makes the deliverables ill-defined, which means payments to charter schools, as well as to traditional public schools, are only contingent on enrollment. But, with charter schools, parents can instantly move their children other schools as they wish.