Oklahoma Citizen » oklahoma

Oklahoma Greens Mark 10th Anniversary

News Editor — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:00:38 +0000

You’re invited!

Green Party of Oklahoma 10th Annual State Convention
July 28, 2010, 4-6 p.m.

Best Western, 1200 North 8th Avenue, Stroud, OK
(located right off of the Turner Turnpike/I-44, for a map to the location please go to: http://goo.gl/maps/rlfBW )

All Green Party members and friends are welcome to attend and participate in our discussions, but our bylaws limit voting to those who have been Green Party members for at least 30 days.)

Agenda items include: discussion of endorsements for 2012, local chapter caucus meetings to choose delegates to the state cooperative council, and discussion on how to engage in organizing for Green issues in Oklahoma — as well as other topics and concerns brought by those attending.

Our meeting will be held in the Club Room of the hotel restaurant. (the restaurant waitstaff will be available for anyone who wants to order something to eat or drink during our meeting).

Following the convention, an informal social hang-out will be happening at the nearby Rock Cafe (a route 66 landmark in downtown Stroud).

We hope to see you there!

James Branum
Acting Secretary on behalf of the GPOK Cooperative Council

Oklahoma’s best known homophobe joins Chick-Fil-A controversy

News Editor — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:38:50 +0000

You can’t possibly be surprised that our state’s premier drama queen felt the need to weigh in on this pressing national issue with a press release calling for public demonstrations of moral outrage.

Kern Urges Oklahomans to Support Chick-Fil-A

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Sally Kern is urging Oklahomans to support Chick-Fil-A and to participate in the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day event scheduled for next Wednesday.

“Chick-Fil-A is a company that has incorporated traditional values into its business model, the same values that a large majority of Oklahomans adhere to,” said Kern, R-Oklahoma City. “This is a company that respects its employees and customers and creates jobs for young people. The hate and intolerance they have been subjected to in the past week is astonishing, and I encourage Oklahomans to rally behind this company and show our support.”

Kern noted that voters overwhelmingly passed a state Constitutional amendment in 2004 that stated that prohibited same-sex marriage and declared marriage to be between one man and one woman.

“Seventy-six percent of Oklahoma voters believe that marriage is an institution for one man and one woman,” said Kern, noting the percentage of voters who approved the state question. “What the owner of Chick-Fil-A said is nothing controversial to Oklahomans.”

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has created the “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day” Facebook page to encourage citizens across the nation to support the company by dining at their local franchises on August 1. So far, more than 290,000 people have indicated they plan on participating nationwide.

According to the company’s website, there are 13 locations across Oklahoma.

Maybe gay-friendly Okies need to stage their own actions at the restaurants next Wednesday, to give those who follow Kern’s advice a real show.

Just don’t buy anything.

“Monumental” more Mental than Monument… by Mark Burkett

Fannie Bates — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:15:23 +0000

Although I’m certainly old enough to remember, I never really followed the career of former teen sitcom star KIRK CAMERON enough to know if he was ever the Justin Bieber of his day, some twenty years ago. I do know that, sometime after leaving the “Growing Pains” show, Cameron starred in the original “Left Behind” movie, which was an adaptation of the bestselling book. And, even though mainstream critics mostly ignored and/or dismissed the apocalyptic book and movie series, its phenomenal popularity struck a cord in the American public that still resonates, both culturally and politically. Cameron fared no better when it came to the critics, but that didn’t stop him from garnering a sizable fan base of Christian evangelicals over the last several years.

Nowadays, he’s emerged as a major force in certain evangelical and Christian Right circles, and witnessing for Christ, saving souls, and/or selling movies and DVDs is apparently no longer enough to satisfy his larger ambitions.

In February, he spoke to the annual meeting of the CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ACTION CONFERENCE (CPAC). In March, he was on CNN, telling host Piers Morgan that homosexuality is “… unnatural. I think that it’s — it’s detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.”

All of these appearances were part of the PR rollout of his latest epic: “MONUMENTAL: In Search Of America’s National Treasure.” In it Cameron joins with some of the biggest names in far-right extremism to advocate for a “return” to America’s “Christian Roots.”

From the movie’s title and marketing, the unsuspecting may think that “Monumental” is action-adventure saga piggy-backing on the box office successes of the movies “National Treasure” and “National Treasure: Book Of Secrets”. Although “Monumental” is presumably a non-fiction “documentary”, for anyone who enjoyed either of the latter two films, it’s clear that Cameron and the filmmakers used them as something of a template when it comes to following a series of “clues” in narrative pursuit of the ultimate “reveal” at the end of their ninety-minute polemic.

Ever since mandatory, sectarian prayer in our public schools was banned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962, the more extreme elements of the American right-wing — especially those in the Christian right-wing — have been thoroughly convinced that every major calamity to befall the nation since then can usually be traced directly back to that dark day when the “liberal humanists” in black robes first steered America “away from God.” Teen pregnancy, illegal drug use, family breakdowns, divorce, suicides, riots, recessions, the 9/11 attacks — all these social ills and assorted crises can be directly attributed to a series of “illegitimate” Supreme Court decisions that supposedly expelled God and/or Jesus from the schoolrooms of America, as well as from the “public square” in general.

Unlike similar “documentaries” that regularly turn up on religious broadcasting channels, “Monumental” is curiously non-specific when it comes to identifying the Dark Forces that have gradually maneuvered America away from its “Bible-believing, Christian roots.” (Unless I missed it, I didn’t notice any explicit reference to any one of the usual suspects you might expect to hear in propaganda of this type, such as: liberals, secular humanists, atheists, homosexuals, militant feminists, Socialists, Communists and/or Democrats. The harshest pejorative I can recall is one reference to “government-run schools.”) This makes the movie all-the-more subtle and ingenious when it comes to luring in the gullible.

At the start of the movie Cameron is sitting in his backyard fretting about the future of America, and of his kids, who are seen playing nearby. America is falling apart, our colossal national debt is about to explode any minute and social collapse is just around the corner. How did things ever get this bad?

“The Left blames the Right, and the Right blames the Left,” he sighs. But the answer must lie somewhere beyond the politics of the day. Hence his multi-continent quest to find out just where (if not when) America first went off track.

Once again, we get the usual Christian Right spiel. The Pilgrims, persecuted for daring to doubt the legitimacy of King James to rule over them, courageously braved an Atlantic crossing in a tiny ship under horrendous conditions. Blessed by several obvious miracles, and with God watching over them, they established their little Christian colony in the New World.

King James (the only explicit villain in the movie), the vicious tyrant they risked life and limb to flee, was at the apex of an illegitimate royal “theocracy.” The Pilgrims, by contrast, established for the first time in human history the ideal, non-theocractic, democratic government of white male Puritans, albeit a really tiny one. (How their fledgling government could be both “Christ-centered” AND non-theocratic is never really explained. Furthermore, if the Pilgrims really had such antipathy toward King James and fear of his monarchy, why did they refer to him in the much-vaunted Mayflower Compact as “our … SOVEREIGN LORD, King James by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland King, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, etc.?”)

Retracing their odyssey, Cameron interviews along the way HERB TITUS, DAVID BARTON and DR. MARSHALL FOSTER, who’s billed as a “historian.” Interesting choice of “experts.”

Since he didn’t write or direct the film, I’ll give Cameron the benefit of the doubt that he’s probably not that familiar with the questionable backgrounds of at least two of the leading “experts” highlighted in his movie: Titus and Barton.

Outside of ridiculing Harvard University in Cameron’s movie, I don’t know what else Herb Titus has been up to lately. Back in 1998, he was a member of the COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL POLICY, an umbrella group of far-right organizations and right-wing fat cats. The first president (and co-founder) of the CNP was TIM LaHAYE, co-author of the “Left Behind” series of novels I referred to earlier. Other CNP stalwarts have included PAT ROBERTSON, JERRY FALWELL, D. JAMES KENNEDY, PAUL WEYRICH, JESSE HELMS, TOM DELAY, TRENT LOTT, DICK ARMEY, OLLIE NORTH, GROVER NORQUIST, DAVID KEENE, DICK SHOFF (convicted felon and former state secretary of the Indiana KU KLUX KLAN), HOWARD PHILLIPS (champion of CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISM), and R. J. RUSHDOONY (FOUNDER of CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISM).

Rushdoony, in his lunatic masterpiece “The Institutes Of Biblical Law,” decreed that “democracy is heresy” and called for replacing the U.S. Constitution with an out-and-out “Christian” theocracy in which homosexuality, adultery, “blasphemy,” and astrology would all be CAPITAL offenses, with BEHEADING or STONING being the preferred method of execution. (Sound familiar?)

When he was Dean of Pat Robertson’s Regent University Law School, Titus included Reconstructionist texts as part of its curriculum, although, when pressed, he claimed not to “subscribe” to Rushdoony’s more extreme views about what should constitute capital crimes.

David Barton has literally made a cottage industry out of his claim the “separation of church and state” is a liberal/Democrat/secular humanist myth.

Here’s how Barton was described by Max Blumenthal in an April 2005 posting on the website of The NATION:

The recent right-wing fixation on impeaching judges was conceptualized
by David Barton, Republican consultant and VICE CHAIRMAN of the
Texas GOP. In 1996 Barton published a handbook called “IMPEACHMENT:
RESTRAINING AN OVERACTIVE JUDICIARY”, which was timed to
coincide with TOM DELAY’S bid for legislation authorizing Congress to
impeach judges. “The judges need to be intimidated,” DeLay told reporters
that year. In 1989 Barton published a book titled “THE MYTH OF SEPARATION”,
which proclaims, ‘This book proves that the separation of church and state is
a myth.’ The BAPTIST JOINT COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS, in a
critique of his 1995 documentary “AMERICA’S GODLY HERITAGE”, stated
that it was ‘laced with exaggerations, half-truths, and misstatements of fact.’
Barton is on the board of advisers of the PROVIDENCE FOUNDATION, a
CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONIST group that promotes the idea that
BIBLICAL LAW should be instituted in America. In 1991 Barton spoke at
a Colorado retreat sponsored by Pastor PETE PETERS, an adherent of racist
CHRISTIAN IDENTITY theology with well-established neo-Nazi ties. During
the 2004 presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee hired him
as a paid consultant for ‘evangelical outreach.’ The RNC sponsored more than
300 events for him.

(In case you hadn’t noticed, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have all been talking the Christian Right talk. Romney: “President Obama says he wants to TRANSFORM America. I want to RESTORE America.” Gingrich has called for both impeaching and PROSECUTING “liberal” judges, and Santorum went out of his way to say that John Kennedy’s famous speech about church-state separation made him want to “throw up.”)

The foremost “expert” in “Monumental”, interviewed at great length by Cameron, is “historian” Dr. Marshall Foster. It is mostly from his work and views that the title of the film refers.

Foster believes that an obscure — though visually impressive — statue in Plymouth, Massachusetts — the “monument” referred to in the film’s title — is the perfect symbol of the kind of worldview and values to which America must return if our nation is to survive much longer. The monument is called the National Monument to the Forefathers, which the Pilgrim Society spent thirty years financing and/or constructing. It was designed by artist and architect Hammatt Billings, who clearly intended it to either complement or to compete with the Statue of Liberty that was also capturing the public’s imagination around this same time period.

Although the Statue of Liberty is never referred to in “Monumental,” I can’t imagine a more stark and clear contrast, visually and symbolically, between two fundamentally different views of what America stands for today, and what so many Americans still believe it USED to stand for.

As Foster and Cameron walk around the monument discussing its elaborate symbology, I couldn’t help but compare and contrast it with the far more familiar and famous statue in New York Harbor. The central figure of the Forefathers Monument is a massive, Lady Liberty-like sculpture of a robed female representing FAITH in God. (For denser observers, it is conveniently labeled with the word FAITH.) Unlike the Statue of LIBERTY, whose female avatar grips the glowing TORCH of ENLIGHTENMENT with her right hand, the right hand of Lady Faith, index finger extended, points skyward to HEAVEN, from which, according to the Christian Right, we get all our fundamental rights, and governments get their legitimacy. (SEE ATTACHED PIX.) In her left hand, the Statue of Liberty holds a tablet representing the Declaration Of Independence, wherein the ACTUAL Founding Fathers of the UNITED STATES made it clear that legitimate government comes from the “consent of the governed,” not from heavenly dispensation. In stark contrast, in HER left hand, Lady Faith holds a massive representation of the BIBLE.

There are four smaller figures surrounding Lady Faith, representing Education, Law, Morality and Freedom. (The latter sculpture includes broken chains and shackles at his feet; the Statue of Liberty also has broken chains and shackles at her feet.)

The National Monument to the Forefathers was created by AMERICAN Christian patriots to emphasize the “fathers” in “forefathers.” The Statue of Liberty was designed and built by a bunch of FRENCHMEN.

On his website, “historian” Foster opines as follows:

The world is immersed in the greatest crisis since World War II.
Americans are groping for answers, without success. Just as the trillion
dollar bailout was being passed, Congressman John Boehner glanced at the
words emblazed [sic] in granite over the Speaker’s chair. He wisely said,
‘when this bill passes, remember those words, ‘In God we Trust,’ because
we are going to need His help.’ Americans have been turning away from

Him and history, His story, for decades. At the start of the 20th century

our true history was rewritten (‘REVISIONIST HISTORY’), and has since

been forgotten. As C.S. Lewis says, ‘It is the forgotten past that enslaves us.’

If we had not forgotten history, we would have known that every time people

turn away from GOD, IMMORALITY, CORRUPTION and eventually

ECONOMIC DEPRESSION result. We would have also remembered

that America has had a number of ECONOMIC MELTDOWNS. Each

time, Americans repented, a great renewal resulted and America’s

prosperity and stability were restored.

My favorite scene in “Monumental” is near the end of the film. Cameron and some guy I never heard of are “on location” inside the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC musing about how the separation of church and state is this huge MYTH that an uninformed American public keeps accepting without challenge. During this absurd exchange they stand almost literally in the shadow of Thomas Jefferson’s statue. (Unseen in the shot, but still carved into the wall nearby is Jefferson’s famous quote: “I have sworn upon the alter of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”)

Cameron has the irritating habit of not looking directly into the camera when he speaks directly to the audience. Having spent the entire movie earnestly arguing for a “Christ-centered,” faith-based government, he sort of looks in our general direction in the final few minutes and proclaims that he doesn’t want to see a top-down “theocracy” in America. Just a bottom-up, “Christ-centered,” faith-based government. Neat trick, that. Just exactly how do we remix religion and politics without ending up with more politics than we do religion?

As a born-again Christian myself, I have no problem with faith-based FAITH. In fact, I wholeheartedly recommend it. However, when it comes to faith-based government, faith-based “history,” faith-based “science,” faith-based economics, faith-based medicine, and/or faith-based contraception, I seem to remember that Jesus said “my Kingdom is not of THIS WORLD.” When it comes to tax policy, I don’t remember him insisting on tax cuts. All he said was “[r]ender unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” (But what do I know . . . I’m not an expert.)

To sum up, Kirk Cameron & Co. make “Monumental” more “mental” than monument.

Mark Burkett is a resident of Oklahoma City. (This article was not written by Fannie Bates, even if it says it was.)

BREAKING: Personhood Act dead in OK state legislature

News Editor — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:22:22 +0000

From a press release issued moments ago:

Speaker comments on personhood bill

House Speaker Kris Steele today issued the following statement on Senate Bill 1433, the personhood bill:

“The House Republican Caucus voted today not to hear the personhood bill on the House floor. This decision was not made unilaterally, but as a caucus collectively. I accept the will of our caucus. The fact is this bill sends a statement Oklahoma has already made. We’re already perhaps the most pro-life state in this country, having passed at least 30 various pro-life measures in the past eight years alone. You will not find a bigger friend of the unborn than this Legislature, but this bill would not have any substantive policy effect.” – House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee

ALEC protested in OKC during reception hosted by Gov. Fallin

News Editor — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:33:16 +0000

The American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC, is a “nonpartisan” organization that works to have “pro-business” legislation passed in state legislatures. Yet somehow ALEC legislation keeps seeming to restrict voting by Democratic-leaning citizens, limit reproductive rights, and generally curtail or eliminate other progressive policies.

So, of course, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and other state GOP leaders are all over it. But their soiree was greeted by demonstrators holding signs and banners while chanting “We want democracy, not a corporatocracy.”

There were about 30 demonstrators at the protest, which was organized by MoveOn.org Oklahoma City chapter, Change Oklahoma and Occupy Norman.

Photo slideshow by New Media Active.

Senate Committee Rejects Amendment to Require Drug Tests for Legislators

News Editor — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:56:55 +0000

This press release is from the office of Rep. Mike Shelton:

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 27, 2012) Some lawmakers have no qualms subjecting to drug tests citizens who receive taxpayer dollars, but they are apparently unwilling to submit themselves to the same indignity.

HB2388 by Senator David Holt, and Rep. Guy Liebmann, both Republicans from Oklahoma City, would require drug testing for recipients under the program Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

TANF is funded by a block grant from the federal government. Recipients of aid must work at least 30 hours per week to continue to receive assistance.

Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, filed an amendment to the bill on the House floor which would have required legislators to take a similar drug test to run for office. The bill, with the amendment, passed the House 82-6. The House author of the measure, Rep. Liebmann, also supported this language.

However, yesterday in the Senate Health and Human Services committee, Sen. Holt removed the language requiring legislators to take drug tests before moving the bill to a vote.

The bill passed along partisan lines by 5-3, and now awaits a hearing by the full Senate.

“This is a disappointing development,” said Rep. Shelton. “If citizens are required to undergo drug tests, then so should potential legislators who are entrusted with decisions critical to the welfare of our state.”

According to news sources, when the bill arrived in the Senate, Sen. Holt dropped the amendment from the legislation, describing it as a “stunt.”

Of interest, in the 2010 legislative session, the Senate passed by a 44-0 vote SB1392, by Senator Anthony Sykes, R-Newcastle. That bill contained an amendment to require all state elected officials to undergo the same standards of drug testing.

“Sen. Holt claimed that the amendment to HB2388 was a ‘stunt,’’ said Rep. Shelton. “If this is such a stunt, then why did 44 members of the Senate vote to approve the same thing back in 2010?”

SB1392 bill was never granted a hearing in the House, and subsequently stalled for the session.

“It is hypocritical of us as lawmakers to take state pay, and conduct the state’s business, but ask those who receive benefits to take a drug test, but then refuse to take the same drug test ourselves,” said Rep. Shelton. “I plan to re-submit this amendment when the bill comes back to the House for final consideration.”

Obama & Keystone XL

News Editor — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:56:03 +0000

By Earl Hatley

I was [s]orry I could not be in Cushing [on Thursday] as I had planned…

I don’t hate our President. In fact I defended him by chastising the fact that our Governor and other elected officials choose not to meet his plane. Last time Air Force 1 landed a tinker was for Kennedy and Nixon if my memory serves well. I think our officials met those arrivals. I am Chair of the Craig County Democrats, I will fight for Obama’s second term without hesitation.

That said, the pipeline project being debated is bad for our country and does not serve the Nation’s best interest. I have written extensively why this is on more posts than I can remember, so I won’t do that now unless you want me too.

Thing is, I stand for the First Nations in Canada who’s traditional lands are being destroyed to dig up the sand layer below. A precious boreal forest, the Amazon of the northern hemisphere, is being destroyed, people are dying from cancer and other diseases they never had there before and don’t exist other communities, or at the same rate of population. Several tribes in the lower 48 are also formally against it, and are being ignored by TransCanada.

Three tribes along the route here in Oklahoma have resolutions against this pipeline and all say they stand with their relatives in Canada who are suffering so much. As a member of Cherokee Nation I would think you could understand why I am doing all I can to stop the destruction by stopping the pipeline that will enable BP, Shell, Exxon/Mobile and more who are digging up the forests, and shipping shipping the tar to their own refineries in Houston. Much of the oil will either be sold directly to China (their largest customer) or will be exported as products.

The US is a net exporter of oil products, contrary to what we are told on the news. We export more oil products, amountiing to more oil than we import. Is it worth crimes in Canada, in order to have a pipeline here, to sell products elsewhere? Do you support taking the tops off of mountains in southeast, Alabama to Virginia?? Tars sands extraction is even worse. Making more people sick.

So, I like Obama and support him, I just disagree with the pipeline. By the way, I don’t hate anyone, nor do the people I organize with. They are also Obama supporters against the pipeline. No one hates him except the Tea Party crowed, who , unlike us were allowed to line the sidewalks of the motocade . Democrats who support Obama but not the pipeline and the Indian peoples that came there to speak were put in a park in a cage 6 miles away from our President. By doing this, you, he, whomever, saw hate from the Republican Tea Party not from our people, Most of whom are on my Facebook for you to read. You won’t find hatred here, you find frustration, determination and organization.

Earl Hatley, M.A. is a tribal consultant, Grand Riverkeeper and President of Local Environmental Action Demanded. He resides at Vinita, Oklahoma.

Note: No part of this was written by Fannie Bates. If you see the name Fannie Bates anywhere on this article, it is a clerical error.

To learn more about Earl Hatley: http://www.leadagency.org/EHBio.pdf

Democratic Party Chairman Condems State GOP Leadership for Snubbing President During His Recent Visit

News Editor — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:13:28 +0000

Wallace Collins, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, just sent this out.

Republicans Snub President Obama

I could not believe it when I read and heard the news about the Republican leadership of Oklahoma snubbing President Obama during his recent visit to our state! As a native Oklahoman, I am usually proud to hear comments from travelers or visitors about how friendly Oklahoma is, how we welcome strangers and make them feel right at home here. Thank you to OKC Mayor, Mick Cornett for doing his part.

That certainly was not the case when President Barack Obama visited on Wednesday and Thursday! I don’t doubt that Governor Fallin had planned her family vacation in the Caribbean, leaving Lt. Governor Lamb in charge. When he left the State, allegedly on State business, he left someone else in charge. There is protocol to cover such instances, because any state or government always has to have someone in charge to make decisions during an absence by the elected leader (governor or president). It is my understanding that the burden fell to Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman, (R) Sapulpa. Senator Bingman had to know that he was the designated “governor” while the other two were out of state, so why did he fail to meet the President at some point in the visit? It was reported that the senator said the president did not contact his office. I say it was not the president’s duty to contact someone he is not even aware of, it is the duty and obligation of Governor Fallin, then Lt. Governor Todd Lamb to make sure that the “baton” has been passed to the appropriate “governor” in their absence. “Bingman’s boner” is inexcusable!

In addition to this obvious snub, I think the remarks attributed to Governor Fallin were completely out of line. She did not even extend a “Welcome to Oklahoma” to the visiting dignitary, President Barack Obama! She simply launched into a critique of him and his policies which turned into a very partisan political rant. It reminded me to be very proud of our recent Democratic Governor, Brad Henry. Governor Henry was just the opposite of the Republican Governor in his treatment of President George W. Bush on any of his visits to Oklahoma. Governor Henry did not criticize any of President Bush’s policies, nor did he accuse Bush of lying our country into an unnecessary war in the Middle East. He simply acted with dignity and respect toward a visiting president, even if that president was of a different party. What a shame that the Republican leaders in Oklahoma could not have acted with dignity toward President Barack Obama and been pleased enough that he cared to come to Oklahoma!

-Wallace Collins, Chairman
Oklahoma Democratic Party

Cushing’s Little White Lie

Fannie Bates — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:23:25 +0000

Cushing, Oklahoma looks like a lovely little town with an affluent past. It is, some would say, one of the key oil centers of the United States. The people of Cushing have thrived for generations due to the wealth brought in by oil. But have all of the people of Cushing thrived, or just the Caucasian ones?

If you go to Cushing to see President Obama Thursday morning, be sure to ride through the old Black community and see how it looks. It is a symbol of what Cushing did to the Blacks who lived there. Many of the Black folks have died of cancer and the ones still living there seem to be plagued with mysterious illnesses.

The Caucasians forced all the Blacks to live in the Northwest area next the refinery. They released the chemicals through the creek that ran right down the middle of the Black community. The chemicals turned the houses brown. Eventually, all the houses were torn down and the land was taken, piece by piece. Somebody seems to have worked diligently to hide the evidence of the crime against humanity that happened in Cushing.

There are two superfund sites in the town of 8,000.

When you come into Cushing, look to your North. You will see an empty field. That is where the refinery was located and the Black communty was right next to it. They have all those piplelines there. I wonder how many Blacks you will find working at the refineries…

They have taken the land from most of the Blacks. If someone dies, they watch the house. If the grass doesn’t get cut, the city cuts it, puts a lien on the land, goes in and tears the house down and charges the family $8,000 and $10,000 for tearing it down. If the family doesn’t pay, they take the land. Then they turn around and sell it to Caucasians for little or nothing.

The Black folks in Cushing have called the White House and asked for an investigation. No reponse, to date. They wonder if their story will ever be told. Or maybe it has been told. Have you seen “The Lorax”?

Letter to County Commissioners re: Keystone XL

Fannie Bates — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:51:22 +0000

Dear Commissioner,

Scattered out across Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, there are dozens of huge lime green TransCanada trucks, headed our way. Loaded with pipe and heavy equipment, they weigh over 200,000 pounds each. They are taking their time as they meander across the country, cutting through Indian reservations and county roads in order to avoid costly weigh stations. Some are heading for the six Oklahoma counties where the most toxic and dangerous pipeline on earth will be installed. Some will go straight through to Texas.

TransCanada has gone to great lengths to avoid any potential liability for the havoc they intend to wreak on our counties, our state and our region.

Why didn’t they just run their pipeline across their on country? Because the people of Canada understood how toxic this tarsand oil really is, and they knew TransCanada’s poor safety record. The Canadian people said “No”, so they decided to bring their pipeline right down through the middle of Indian country.

You’ve probably been told that TransCanada is going to pay a lot of ad valorem taxes. The amount of taxes they will pay will be small in comparison to the damage they will do to our roads and bridges, not to mention our underground water.

You have probably been told that this is just another pipeline. Nothing could be further from the truth. Tarsand oil is too sluggish to move smoothly through the pipe on it own, so it will be heated. There has never, in the history of our planet, been a pipeline that big carrying hot oil laced with benzine and arsenic.

I urge you to look at the easements TransCanada pressured your friends and neighbors into signing. Unless your friends are very wealthy and spent a great deal of money on attorneys, the easements leave TransCanada blame free. When that pipeline leaks (and it will leak sooner or later) your county, your state and your constituents will be left holding the bag.

Perhaps you think you are off the hook because the pipeline does not come through your county. That doesn’t mean that TransCanada’s Trojan trucks won’t cut through your county, tearing up your roads and bridges.

I urge you to strictly enforce all existing weight limits on county roads and bridges, and to decrease those limits where appropriate to keep TransCanada’s truck from doing permanent and irreparable damage to our roads and bridges.

I am attaching a link to a brief video where three Texas landowners talk about how TransCanada trespassed on their land and pressured them into signing easements they didn’t want to sign:

Click on the title: “Texas Landowners Fight Keystone XL Pipeline”

The third speaker on this video is a pipefitter/mechanic/welder named Mike Hawthorne. Mike explains:

It’s a dangerous pipeline. This is a tarsand under high pressure and high temperatures, and I know what sandblasting does to metal. It’s gonna eat is up, and it’s gonna eat it up pretty fast.

This pipeline can leak 1.7 million gallons of tarsand oil per day without triggering any alert system. Eventually, it will leak into our Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer.

Thank you for your careful consideration of this important matter.

Sincerely,

(Your name goes here)

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