Coburn Responds to County Democrat Column

Sen. Coburn responds to a column that ran in last Sunday's Muskogee Phoenix by Muskogee County Democrat chairman Calvin Rock. Rock's column was about the leftist conspiracy over the D.C. group called "The Family" that Coburn has ties to.

Incidentally, the Phoenix did not post Rock's article on their website, as is usually the case. I can't remember the last time something on their Opinion page was not placed online.

Don’t waste time with conspiracy theories; let’s talk policy
by Sen. Tom Coburn

In a recent op-ed on your page the president of the Muskogee County Democratic Party, Calvin Rock, asks readers to believe that I, Sen. Jim Inhofe, former Rep. Steve Largent and other Republicans are part of a secret, fundamentalist conspiracy bent on controlling our nation. Also, according to Rock, we exclude females and nonwhites, and we tolerate rape.

I normally ignore bizarre personal attacks and conspiracy theories of this nature, but it’s important for readers to understand why Rock is making these outlandish claims.

Rock, I believe, is attempting to participate in a broader debate about faith in the public square.

First, however, it’s telling that the chairman of the Muskogee Democratic Party isn’t using his platform to express the ideas of his party, such as their health care plan, but is instead spending his time recycling conspiracy theories of the radical left.

I’m more than happy to discuss any of my votes or policy positions with Rock or any Oklahoman, Republican or Democrat.

Yet, Rock is not interested in debating policy. Instead, he is engaging in crass, partisan and amateurish character assassination. The people of Oklahoma want constructive solutions from their party leaders, not conspiracy theories.

Second, Rock’s op-ed, I believe, expresses a hostility toward faith in the public square that runs throughout much of the criticisms I’ve seen regarding the “C Street” house and the foundation — which Rock describes as “The Family” — that helps members of Congress host the National Prayer Breakfast every year.

In politics, I’ve found that those who accuse others of harboring secret, nefarious agendas often have hidden agendas of their own. The fact is, the moral failings of some of my roommates at C Street and the subsequent media frenzy about congressional prayer gatherings have given those on the far left ammunition to make their case that anyone who aims to bring faith into the public square has a secret theocratic agenda.

Rock tries to make his case with an argument that is riddled with factual errors and innuendo. In fairness to Rock, some of his errors may be the fault of another author, Jeff Sharlet. What Rock calls “The Family” is hardly an “elite fundamentalism” but a loose and disjointed affiliation of thousands of national and international individuals who have been active in areas of faith, business and politics and who have attended one of the National Prayer Breakfasts in the past 50 years.

People come to the National Prayer Breakfast from all backgrounds for all sorts of reasons. Some are devout Christians, some are Jews, and others have no faith at all. Some come to mingle with politicians while others are seeking answers to life’s most important questions.

The alleged elite fundamentalist organization pulling the strings behind all of this doesn’t have a formal hierarchy or membership roll because they are trying to elevate Christ rather than any organization or individual. It’s true that those involved describe themselves as “followers of Christ,” which is another way of saying Christian. In fact, it is their faith as “followers of Christ” that has led various lay ministers involved in The Family to not only reach out to members of Congress but to children living in inner-city Washington, D.C., and in some of the poorest parts of the world.

If this organization has a secret plan to take over our government, they aren’t having much success. In spite of my best efforts to bend my colleagues to my will, two of the more active participants in congressional prayer breakfasts, Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark., still vote the other way most of the time.

If Oklahomans want to understand the true, “secret” agenda of this group they should read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and study groups like Young Life and the Navigators.

I believe our country needs more, not fewer, elected officials who acknowledge an authority higher than party or government in their lives.

As Americans, the freedoms we enjoy are a gift from God. We have thrived as a nation because we’ve always understood that our rights as individuals do not come from a king or the state but from a creator.
The public square is not merely a place for faith. It was built on faith.

I make no apologies for that belief, nor do I apologize for trying to live out my faith when I’m away from my home church in Muskogee. I hope readers will put in proper perspective the views of a party operative who would rather attack my faith than my votes.

Calvin Rock's column was based on the recent conspiracy book by author Jeff Sharlett, "The Family - the Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power". Rock is also the president of the Muskogee-area PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) group (real Muskogee/Oklahoma values, wouldn't you say?).

The Conservative View: Hurry Up and Sign

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner.

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Hurry Up and Sign

All of us have experienced a pushy salesman. Whether we are shopping for an automobile or furniture, there is always a good supply of salesmen that will pressure you to sign the bottom line because the good deal is a onetime offer. We need to remind ourselves that there is always a good deal around the corner. When I bought my last computer, I thought that the price had bottomed out and I would never be able to buy the computer I needed for less money. In less than two months, I could have bought a computer with much more memory at a far cheaper price. Before we get into the frenzy of the moment, we need to look at all options available. The latest frenzy is the health care debate and, just like buying a lemon car, we could be paying a high price for signing the bottom line too soon.

We Americans are notorious for wanting a good deal. We are also notorious for not wanting to pay for the things we need, but we are willing to pay any price for luxury items that we only want. I have noticed that many people don’t have a good concept of running a business or paying their bills. When you look at some of their credit card statements, many people have went so far into debt they cannot make their payments and don’t have a clue to how they got there and how to solve the problem. I have found that for us to have anything of value, we must use discipline to acquire them. For example, if we want a new car a person might have to get a second job or cut back on some other expense to save the money to purchase it.

I feel that many Americans don’t want to be bothered about health care and would rather the government take care of it. They also think that when they need a doctor all they would have to do is to go to the local clinic and not pay anything. Without some type of sacrifice by the patient our system would be totally swamped. I am concerned about catastrophic illness, but for the run of the mill ailments we need to be willing to take care of it ourselves. We need to remember that signing too fast can be far worse than what we have now.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, click here.

Muskogee Tea Party - Rain or Shine!

The Muskogee Tea Party will go on, rain or shine! The location is covered, so everyone should be out of the rain, if or when it comes.

September 12th TEA PARTY

Are you worried about our nation’s future, with escalating budget deficits and increasingly oppressive national debt?

Come join fellow patriots for a TEA PARTY!!

When: Saturday, September 12th from Noon to 1:00pm.
Where: Muskogee’s Civic Center Plaza (4th & Okmulgee)

Special emphasis on “Health Care Reform”

Learn how government-run healthcare will affect you and your family!

Speakers on health care: Dr. Jay Gregory, Dr. Tim Robison and Ronald Reagan (see below)
Comparing the US and Canadian health systems: Bert Heibert
American Majority speaker: Trait Thompson

Hear RONALD REAGAN speak on socialized medicine. (Radio address)

Discover what we can do to take our country back!

This is a NON-partisan event open to all patriotic Americans who want to protect their freedoms and futures. Let your voice be heard!

For more information go to: www.teapartymuskogee.com
or contact Jamison Faught at (918) 869-6000.

Never Again, Never Forget

It's been eight long years since that fateful day. May we never forget...

Muskogee Republican Fall Picnic

The Muskogee County Republican Party is hosting their annual fall picnic this Thursday at Honor Heights Park (North Pavilion).


I highly encourage you to come join in the festivities. Hopper Smith will be delivering a dynamic talk to those present, and you won't want to miss it!

The Obama School Speech

The White House has released President Obama's prepared remarks for his back-to-school address that will take place tomorrow.

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military?
You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Nothing too controversial in this speech, after all.

The Conservative View: The Mark Of A Society

The Conservative View of the week, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner.

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

The Mark Of A Society

I once heard a man say that you can tell a lot about the integrity of a person by how he treats someone who has nothing to offer him. It is sad when a society does not take the time to watch out for each other. We need to remember that none of us will ever get to the point where we don’t have to rely upon someone else at some point in our lives. When I was a child in Sunday school I remember the story of the GOOD SAMARITAN, the Samaritan helped a man who had been beaten and robbed even though the beaten man had nothing of value left to repay the act of kindness. Over the past few years I have noticed a problem that appears to be growing; it is the increased frequency of child molestation.

I know that humans for thousands of years have committed crimes against each other but instead of evolving to a point where we are a kinder and gentler species, we seem to be going the other way. We owe our children much; they will be the ones who will be in control when we adults cannot take care of ourselves anymore. At that time we will be relying upon their kindness and compassion. There are a couple of bills that will be introduced in the upcoming session of the Oklahoma State legislature. State Rep. Rex Duncan plans to file legislation that will allow child molesters to face life in prison without parole or even the death penalty. The proposal comes after the recent arrest of Marcus Berry, a two-time convicted sex offender who kidnapped a two-year-old girl from her front yard in Tulsa. Although Berry was convicted in 1986 and again in 1993 when he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, he served less than 13 years of that sentence before being released. Under current law, a child molester can face a sentence of 25 years to life for a first offense. Duncan’s legislation will increase the penalty to include a maximum sentence of life without parole. His legislation will also allow the death penalty to be considered for those convicted of a second offense.

Another State Representative, John Trebilcock will author a bill patterned after a Kansas law where convicted sex offenders could be involuntarily committed to a mental institution after completing their prison sentence. If we Americans don’t start taking the crime of child abuse seriously we will no longer be a great society.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, click here.

The Obama Halo Appears Again

The reappearance of the halo of President/Saint Barack Hussein Obama, courtesy of WhiteHouse.gov (also on the White House's Flickr account).

The next picture is also from the same event, his town hall in Belgrade, Montana, on August 14th.

Where is that halo coming from? Is it a spotlight? It doesn't seem like there is a light behind the president from the first picture, or a light hanging from the ceiling. Is it photoshopped?

I remember all the halo pictures during/after the election, and inauguration. But were any of them actually on the White House website?

Sept. 12th Muskogee Tea Party

September 12th TEA PARTY

Are you worried about our nation’s future, with escalating budget deficits and increasingly oppressive national debt?

Come join fellow patriots for a TEA PARTY!!

When: Saturday, September 12th from Noon to 1:00pm.
Where: Muskogee’s Civic Center Plaza (4th & Okmulgee)

Special emphasis on “Health Care Reform”

Learn how government-run healthcare will affect you and your family!

Hear RONALD REAGAN speak on socialized medicine. (Radio address)

Discover what we can do to take our country back!

This is a NON-partisan event open to all patriotic Americans who want to protect their freedoms and futures. Let your voice be heard!

For more information go to: www.teapartymuskogee.com
or contact Jamison Faught at (918) 869-6000.

Congrats to McCarville on 30 Years

The McCarville Report Online, what I consider to be Oklahoma's premier political blog (and conservative, to boot), is celebrating its 30th year in existence today.

Originally in newsletter form as The McCarville Report, TMRO has undergone name and format changes in its thirty-year life.

TMRO is probably the most widely read and most influential political blog in the state. I highly recommend putting TMRO on your must-read blog list.

So here's a big congratulations to Mike McCarville on this milestone, from the Muskogee Politico and his readers!

Benge Won't Run For Treasurer

Speaker of the House Chris Benge announced today that he will not be seeking the Republican nomination for State Treasurer next year, contrary to recent speculation otherwise. His press release is below.

Benge Announces Commitment to Remain House Speaker

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 3, 2009)—Despite speculation that House Speaker Chris Benge may enter the race for State Treasurer, Benge said today he does not intend to seek any other political office at this time.

"Though I am honored by the encouragement of my family, my friends, and many others, I don't plan to be a candidate for State Treasurer or any other office in 2010," said Benge, R-Tulsa. "I have plenty to focus on as Speaker of the House, and I look forward to leading the House in my last year as we work to position Oklahoma to prosper in the future."

Benge was elected House Speaker by unanimous consent in 2008. Since then, Benge has been known as a leader who negotiates fairly and builds consensus among the various factions of House members to accomplish policy objectives.

Benge has enjoyed success in many areas of policy over his legislative career, and looks forward to continuing to work in these areas during his last year in the Legislature.

As both Appropriations and Budget Chairman and then as Speaker, he helped craft the two largest tax cuts in Oklahoma history, and has worked to significantly increase funding for Oklahoma's roads and bridges.

Most recently, Benge received nationwide attention and praise for his plan to rely more on natural gas-powered vehicles as a way to help reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

This year he also worked to secure funding for the Oklahoma State Medical Center, which provided stability to its residency program while also continuing needed indigent care in the Tulsa region.

Benge was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, at the age of 36. By the time his current term ends, he will have served the full 12 years in the Legislature allowed under the Oklahoma Constitution.

Benge had been rumored in the past few months to have been considering jumping in the race for either State Treasurer or Governor.

I did notice one thing in his statement, which was released this afternoon. It stated that "[H]e does not intend to seek any other political office at this time." (emphasis mine)

Does the Speaker still have an eye on higher office? Only time will tell. You can be sure that you can find any new developments right here at Muskogee Politico, once they happen.

Schwartz Drops Out of Lt. Gov Race

State Rep. Colby Schwartz has dropped out of the race for Lieutenant Governor. The Yukon Republican issued the following statement this morning:

"Over the last 90 days it has become obvious to me that the current economic climate has hindered my ability to raise the needed financial resources to effectively fund a statewide race for Lt. Governor. Therefore, I am removing my name from consideration for the Republican nomination for Lt. Governor of Oklahoma."

"During my past campaigns for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, my support has always come from everyday, hard-working Oklahomans. It is these same supporters who have felt the pinch of the economic downturn the hardest; and now have less disposable income to contribute to a political campaign."

"I remain as passionate about Oklahoma and its future as I did when I entered this campaign; but I understand the political reality that an effective statewide bid for public office requires sufficient funds to communicate my message to the entire state."

"I will continue to diligently serve the citizens of the Yukon and Mustang communities, as I have throughout my service to the House of Representatives. This is a humbling honor that has always remained my top priority even during the course of exploring a bid for Lt. Governor."

"My wife Brenda and our family would like to thank everyone who has offered their prayers and thoughts throughout this process. I have made many new friends across this great state and will continue to work with them to move Oklahoma forward."

"As a fourteen-year Republican Party activist, I look forward to fully supporting the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, as well as the other slate of Republican candidates."

Schwartz was one of three Republican candidates for the office. The remaining candidates are State Sen. Todd Lamb of Edmond, and State Rep. John Wright of Broken Arrow.