Small: Kamala-proofing Oklahoma's children

Kamala Proofing Oklahoma’s Children

By Jonathan Small

If Oklahoma wants to stop the socialist and anti-American offensive being waged by politicians like Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, Oklahomans must act to “Kamala Proof” what is being taught to Oklahoma kids.

Consider the dangerous rules adopted by the Democrat leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives. Under those rules, House legislation will no longer refer to a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, nephew, niece, husband, wife, etc. Instead, legislation will use phrases such as parent, child, sibling, parent-in-law, and child-in-law.

The new House rules even ban the use of the words “himself or herself” and instead mandate that “themself” will be used instead.

Democrats don’t want to “risk” referring to someone as male who wants to be referred to as female, regardless of biological reality. In fact, U.S. House Democrats and some Oklahoma Democrats are trying to force boys and men in girls’ bathrooms and males in girls’ sports.

To her credit, Oklahoma Congressman Stephanie Bice, a mother of two girls who represents Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District, saw right through the scheme and voted against this insane rule.

1889 Institute: Gov't permission to be a plumber is unjustified

GOVERNMENT PERMISSION TO BE A PLUMBER IS UNJUSTIFIED

Do Oklahoma toilets flush better than London toilets where plumber licensing does not exist?

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (January 7, 2021) – The 1889 Institute has published “Plumber Licensing in Oklahoma,” the latest in its Licensing Directory series of reviews of licensed occupations in the state. As with every other review of licensed occupations, the conclusion reached is that there is no sound reason to license plumbing as an occupation, keeping in mind that licensing is the most onerous of labor regulations short of outright banning an occupation.

“It’s interesting to note that Great Britain does not require licensing of plumbers,” said Tyler Williamson, the study’s author and Research Associate at the 1889 Institute. “In fact, plumbers in Great Britain use a system of private certification to signal to consumers of their services that they know what they’re doing,” said Williamson.

The 1889 Institute has proposed a policy and has published a model bill that would encourage private certification whereby organizations meeting certain consumer-protection criteria could register with the state and receive criminal fraud law protection from anyone falsely claiming a credential. Consumers would benefit from the resulting competition.

Oklahoma Dems call for Sen. Lankford, OK's 5 Congressmen to resign

Yeah, this sounds like it will go about as far as any demand the Oklahoma Democratic Party has made in the past few years.

Oklahoma Senator, Representatives Must Resign

Oklahoma City—January 7, 2021—In the aftermath of the mob riot at the US Capitol yesterday, the Oklahoma Democratic Party is calling out the traitorous actions of Oklahoma’s Washington delegation.

“While we are thankful that our Republican Senators and Congressional Representatives are safe, we recognize that their public stance and comments helped fuel the flames of insurrection,” said Alicia Andrews, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair.

“They contend that their open encouragement of the unconstitutional effort to stop the Electoral College recount has nothing to do with a violent and deadly insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol is absurd,” she continued.

Op-Ed: Come to Abolition Day and be the voice for the unborn

Come to Abolition Day and be the voice for the unborn

by Carisa Roberson (Ada, OK)

On February 9, Abolition Day 2021 will commence in front of the state capitol in Oklahoma City. We are sure to see that the movement to abolish abortion in Oklahoma is bigger than ever, but why? This is because the abolition movement is not only about stopping the torturous murder of innocent children, but, also, unto granting these Americans their God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The abolition movement gained much ground in 2020 and proved that many throughout our state desire to see abortion made illegal though not all would use the term “abolitionist”. 

In the 2020 Primary Election, 15 abolitionists vied for legislative seats across our state and acquired more than 19,000 votes from Oklahoma voters. As one of those abolitionist candidates, I spoke with many Oklahomans who wholeheartedly desired to see abortion made illegal. Most of these people had not heard the word “abolitionist” in terms of abortion, but they truly were abolitionists. Further, many were often perplexed as to why Oklahoma lawmakers could not simply make abortion illegal- a frustration shared by those who call themselves abolitionists, as well as those who do not. The truth is our state lawmakers can make abortion illegal in Oklahoma, but have yet to find the political will to do so. A large presence at this year’s Abolition Day will send a clear message to our state lawmakers that the people want abortion made illegal. 

In the midst of the current Constitutional revival in America, it only makes sense that this most egregious, unconstitutional practice of legalized abortion comes to an end. To the aborted child, what good is an American flag waving in the sun? That child will never experience the warmth of the sun nor the life and liberty that the American flag so symbolizes. Oklahoma, let us be a voice for these babies. Abolition Day 2021 is not only for the long-time abolitionists, but for all Oklahomans who believe that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is meant for all Americans, even those not yet born.

Lankford addresses Wednesday's events, rumors, legal and historical context, challenges, and more

U.S. Senator James Lankford sent out the following in a special edition of his periodical newsletter, specifically dealing with the events of Wednesday. It's very lengthy, but informative.

In it, he addresses what occurred during the Joint Session and later on the Senate floor, when proceedings were interrupted by rioters. He then has detailed sections addressing rumor clarification, historical election context, the Constitutional and legal background, current election challenges, and how we can solve the problems in the future. I encourage you to read it in full, even if you find yourself in disagreement with him on the issues.
 

Dear Oklahoma friends and neighbors:

I am aware this is a long letter, but it is a serious issue that requires a serious response. 

January 6, 2021, was a terrible day for our country and for our democracy. Americans do not all agree, but we settle issues through elections, legislation, and conversation. Ronald Reagan once said, “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” Obviously that did not happen January 6. At 1pm eastern, the Joint Session of Congress started normally. Within a few minutes, a small group of Senators and House members, including me, challenged the election of Arizona to start a two-hour debate in each chamber on election integrity. 

About 30 minutes into the debate in the Senate, I stepped up to speak. I gave some background on how an election challenge has happened to the last three Republican presidents and how previous Democratic Senators have challenged electors in 1969 and 2005. I stated my desire to get all the facts out about any election problems in the country for the sake of transparency and building trust for people who do not believe this year’s election was fair. As I started to transition my speech into specific election irregularities and my call for a 10-day commission to audit the election results, Secret Service ran into the chamber and removed the Vice President from the presiding desk, then the presiding officer gaveled the Senate into a recess and a floor staff member came to me and told me that protesters were in the building.

None of us had any idea what was going on outside the Senate chamber. But within a few minutes, the protests had turned very violent around the Senate, and security was forced to move all Senators and staff out of the Capitol for our safety. For the next five hours, they kept all of us secure in a separate building while Capitol police worked to clear the Capitol building after rioters trashed multiple offices, broke windows, and occupied the Capitol. Those painful images will forever be burned into my mind. 

I am very grateful for the Capitol police, Secret Service, area law enforcement, and National Guard who all played a part in securing the Capitol during such a tumultuous time. They were professional but clearly overwhelmed at the size and determination of those coming to occupy the Capitol. Violence and terror are not acceptable ways of handling disagreements. In fact, they completely undermine any peaceful conversation to get answers and enact reforms. Doing the right thing is important, but it must be done in the right way. 

Oklahoma Senate re-elects Greg Treat as leader, sets rules for 58th Legislature

Oklahoma Senate re-elects Greg Treat as leader, sets rules for 58th Legislature

OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 5, 2021) – The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday unanimously re-elected Senator Greg Treat as president pro tempore and adopted rules for the coming 58th Legislature.

This will be the third session for Treat to serve as pro tem, the Senate’s top leadership position. The Oklahoma City Republican’s nomination was made by Senate Majority Floor Leader Kim David, R-Porter, and was seconded by Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City.

Treat was re-elected in November to his final four-year term in the Senate. He and his wife Maressa have three children: Mason, Cooper and Olivia. He represents District 47 in the Senate, which includes northwest Oklahoma City and portions of Edmond, Deer Creek, and Bethany.

The Senate met Tuesday for Organizational Day, a constitutional requirement of the Legislature to meet before the start of each two-year session. The Senate also approved rules for the 58th Legislature and committee memberships.

“I am honored that once again my Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate have put their faith in me as their leader. I also am very thankful for the love and support of my wife Maressa and our children: Mason, Cooper and Olivia. Without them, I would not be able to serve,” Treat said.

“As pro tem, I pledge to lead the entire Senate with honesty, humility and courage. By working together, we can achieve more positive outcomes for our state. Our state faces a difficult situation as we look to recover and rebound from the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Oklahoma Senate and its members and staff are ready to rise to the challenge and I look forward to leading the chamber as we work together to make Oklahoma an even better place for our families, friends and neighbors,” Treat said.

Treat also announced the leadership team for Senate Republicans, the chamber’s Majority Party. They include:

• Senator Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, president pro tempore
• Senator Kim David, R-Porter, majority floor leader
• Senator Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, Appropriations Committee chair
• Senator Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, Majority Caucus chair
• Senator Greg McCortney, R-Ada, Majority Caucus vice chair
• Senator Frank Simpson, R-Springer, assistant majority floor leader
• Senator James Leewright, R-Bristow, assistant majority floor leader
• Senator Rob Standridge, R-Norman, majority whip
• Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, assistant majority whip
• Senator Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, assistant majority whip
• Senator Casey Murdock, R-Felt, assistant majority whip
• Senator Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, Rural Caucus chair

Treat previously announced his appointments of Senate committee chairs and vice chairs as well as Republican committee assignments. Those appointments were formalized Tuesday. Click here for a complete list of committee chairs and Republican committee assignments.

The First Session of the 58th Legislature convenes Monday, Feb. 1. The deadline for bills to be filed is Jan. 21.

Oklahoma's congressional delegation comment on US Capitol riot

[Photo source]

Here are statements from all members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation, with the exception of Sen. Inhofe, regarding the vandalism and rioting that took place at (and inside) the U.S. Capitol in the aftermath of a rally held on the National Mall by President Trump and his campaign:

Oklahoma Democrats fail in effort to remove gender language from House Rules

Oklahoma Democrats seek removal of gender language

by Ray Carter - Director, Center for Independent Journalism

(January 5, 2021) Democratic members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives called for elimination of gender-specific language in the House’s operating rules during that chamber’s organizational meeting on Tuesday.

Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, authored the gender-language amendment to House Resolution 1001, saying it is part of an effort to make Oklahoma “an equitable” and “truly representative” state.

Turner’s amendment called for “removing all gender-based pronouns or gender-based references wherever those references appear in the House Rules and replacing or substituting those references with gender-neutral language.”

Turner is the first Muslim elected to the Oklahoma Legislature and self-describes as “gender non-conforming.”

Lankford: We deserve confidence in the election results

 

Oklahomans and the Nation Deserve Confidence in the Election Results

By U.S. Senator James Lankford

(Jan. 6th, 2021) If you randomly catch any 10 Oklahomans on the street today and ask them if there was at least some voter fraud in the November election, my suspicion is a majority of them would say yes. In the last two months, my office has received thousands of calls and questions from Oklahomans in every corner of the state about the 2020 presidential election. I’ve also had conversations with people at the grocery store, gas station, through text messages, and on personal phone calls. Some Oklahomans say Biden obviously won, like it or not, accept it. Some say, clearly Trump won, and the election was stolen. But a majority of the people who have contacted me just want to know what happened and how we fix this for the future. I would hope that everyone agrees we should ask, “How does this not happen again?”

I am disappointed when some people say to me, “We always have dead people who vote or double voting, no big deal.” If we know there is a problem, let’s fix it. Some states have ignored problems in their voting systems for too long, and now we are reaping the consequences. President Trump spoke often about voting problems in 2016 and 2020, especially with mail-in voting. Some states took action to strengthen their voting verification, but some actually loosened their voting requirements without increasing security. There is no question that there were some problems across the country with signature verifications, people receiving multiple ballots in the mail, different rules in some states for mail-in ballots than in-person ballots, double voting, last-minute election rule changes, ballot harvesting, delayed receipt of ballots, inconsistent curing of ballots, and a lack of meaningful access to the polls or counting processes for partisan poll watchers. Even after many of these questions have been reviewed by state leaders and courts, questions still persist. 

We need to rebuild trust in our elections.  

On Saturday, I joined 10 of my colleagues to demand the establishment of an electoral commission of five Senators, five Representatives, and five Justices of the US Supreme Court to study the election and make recommendations. This is loosely modeled after the electoral commission of 1877 when electors from four states were in dispute because of possible voter fraud. The commission would begin immediately and would have 10 days to investigate the claims of voting irregularities and potential fraud and provide their findings to the states before the constitutionally required inauguration on January 20. The commission would not choose the president that is against the Constitution.

In our system, states choose the President through electors, so states would receive the findings of the commission and make their own decision. It’s a tight timetable, and it’s not a perfect solution. But we cannot ignore the millions of people who want the facts to come out and want resolution for this election. 

Rep. Bice: I will vote to challenge electoral votes for fair and secure election process

Bice Statement on Electoral College Vote

"Today, I will be voting to challenge the electoral votes of certain states to ensure the security of our nation’s election process. Unfortunately, some states did not follow their own state election laws, jeopardizing their citizens’ confidence in our election process. In my home state of Oklahoma, we conducted a fair and transparent election that should be a model for states across the nation. All Americans deserve to have the same level of confidence that Oklahomans have in our state’s electoral system."

INHOFE: Challenging electoral certification would violate my Constitutional oath

Just issued:

Inhofe Statement on Electoral College Count Tomorrow

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) made the following statement ahead of Wednesday’s Joint Session of Congress:

“On Sunday, I was sworn in for my fifth full term in the United States Senate. While being sworn, I took an oath to ‘support and defend’ the Constitution and to ‘bear true faith and allegiance to the same.’ It is an oath I take very seriously, and in my 34 years in federal office, I have not and will not violate my oath.

“When talking about my work in the Senate, I often reference the Constitution – it’s the guide for my legislative priorities: defending America and infrastructure. Just as the Constitution is clear about what should be Congress’ top priorities, it is also clear that the power to govern our Presidential elections, including certification and recounts, is explicitly delegated to the states in Article II, Section I. Furthermore, any questions about the electoral process or validity of results may only be constitutionally adjudicated in the courts.

Gov. Stitt appoints Jess Kane to Wildlife Conservation Commission

GOVERNOR STITT APPOINTS JESS KANE TO OKLAHOMA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan 4. 2020) - Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the appointment of Jess Kane to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. Kane will fill the District 1 seat currently held by Robert S. Hughes II, whose appointment expires on July 1, 2021. If confirmed by the Senate, Kane will serve an eight-year term beginning July 2, 2021. 

"Jess Kane is an experienced attorney and rancher from rural Oklahoma who understands the importance of our land and wildlife," said Gov. Stitt. "I look forward to him bringing his strong agriculture perspective to the Commission to help foster wildlife conservation effortsacross our state." 

"The joy of observing and hunting game is one of the greatest dividends of successful farm and ranch management," said Kane. "In an industry not known for prodigious profits, this return is of high value to farmers and ranchers. I hope to add this perspective to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conversation Commission and will be honored to help preserve Oklahoma’s long heritage of wildlife conservation." 

Jess Kane has practiced law with the firm Robinett, King, Elias, Buhlinger, Brown & Kane with offices in Bartlesville and Pawhuska since 2009 and was named a partner in that firm in 2015. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South (Sewanee, TN), a Certificate of Ranch Management from the Texas Christian University Ranch Management Program, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, College of Law.

A 5th generation rancher, having grown up on his family’s diversified cow/calf, stocker and grain farming operation headquartered in Bartlesville, Kane is a partner with his brother, Richard, in Clover Leaf Cattle Co., LLC, a stocker enterprise with operations on owned and leased land in Washington and Rogers Counties in Oklahoma and Kiowa County, Kansas. Additionally, Jess and his wife Ashley are partners in a cow herd based in Tillman County, Oklahoma.