American Minute - Mar. 31 - Hawaii's First Missionaries

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Henry Opukahai'a was an orphan raised by his uncle to be a pagan priest but he became disillusioned with rituals and chants and left Hawaii for New Englandwith a friend, Thomas Hopu.

They were befriended by Yale students and became the first Hawaiian Christians.

Henry studied Greek and Hebrew and translated parts of the Bible.

In his memoirs, which sold 500,000 copies after his death in 1818, Henry Opukahai'a wrote:

"My poor countrymen, without knowledge of the true God, and ignorant of the future world, have no Bible to read, no Sabbath."

This inspired Thomas Hopu and Hiram Bingham to be the first missionaries to Hawaii, arriving MARCH 31, 1820.

Devising a 12-letter alphabet, they translated the Bible, set up a school, a church, a newspaper and convinced women to wear dresses.

Idolatry and human sacrifice had previously been ended by King Kamehameha II and his Queen mother Ka'ahumanu.

Just prior to her death, Queen Ka'ahumanu, who had helped spread the Gospel in the islands, was presented with the newly completed version of the New Testament in the Hawaiian language.

Her last words were: "I am going where the mansions are ready."

American Minute - Lincoln's Fasting & Prayer Proclamation

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

During the Civil War, after issuing his Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln set a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, MARCH 30, 1863, stating:

"It is the duty of nations...to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins...with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy...

The awful calamity of civil war...may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins."

Lincoln continued:

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven...

We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own."

Lincoln concluded:

"Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for...forgiveness."

American Minute - John Tyler, 10th U.S. President

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Tenth President John Tyler was born MARCH 29, 1790.

He was the first Vice-President ever to assume the Presidency when William Henry Harrison died after only one month in office.

To mourn Harrison's death, President John Tyler's first act was to proclaim a National Day of Fasting and Prayer, in which he stated:

"When a Christian people feel themselves to be overtaken by a great public calamity, it becomes them to humble themselves under the dispensation of Divine Providence, to recognize His righteous government over the children of men...and to supplicate His merciful protection for the future."

In his 2nd Annual Message to Congress, December 6, 1842, President John Tyler stated:

"The schoolmaster and the missionary are found side by side." In his 4th Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1844, President John Tyler stated:

"The guaranty of religious freedom, of the freedom of the press, of the liberty of speech, of the trial by jury, of the habeas corpus...will be enjoyed by millions yet unborn....

Our prayers should evermore be offered up to the Father of the Universe for His wisdom to direct us in the path of our duty so as to enable us to consummate these high purposes."

American Minute - Mar. 28 - Salvation Army begins in the USA, 1885

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

On MARCH 28, 1885, the Salvation Army was organized in the United States.

It was begun in England by "General" William Booth in 1865, who conducted meetings among the poor in London's East End slums.

Originally named the Christian Mission, he designed uniforms and adopted a semi-military system of leadership.

On December 1, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson remarked to the Salvation Army in New York:

"For a century now, the Salvation Army has offered food to the hungry and shelter to the homeless-in clinics and children's homes, through disaster relief, in prison and welfare work, and a thousand other endeavors.

In that century you have proved time and again the power of a handshake, a meal, and a song.

But you have not stopped there. You have demonstrated also the power of a great idea."

President Lyndon Johnson continued:

"The voice of the Salvation Army has reminded men that physical well-being is just not enough; that spiritual rebirth is the most pressing need of our time and of every time; that the world cannot be changed unless men change.

That voice has been clear and courageous-and it has been heard.

Even when other armies have disbanded, I hope that this one will still be on the firing line."

It's Medieval Fair time !!!!!!!!!

Admission is free!

Journey to a time of kings, queens, and knights and shining armor at the Medieval Fair.

Held annually since 1976, this event relives the Middle Ages with arts and crafts, food, games, jousting tournaments, human chess games, costume contests, and more.

Entertainment for the whole family includes minstrels, dancing, theater and reenactments, jugglers, magicians, knights jousting on horseback and human chess games. Brightly costumed characters include King Arthur, mermaids, and the fair's king and queen.

The Medieval Fair of Norman is the state's largest weekend event and the third largest event in Oklahoma, and was selected by Events Media Network as one of the top 100 events in the nation.

Browse through the medieval village of over 200 art and craft booths offering unique and handcrafted wares. Offerings include pottery, wood crafts, stained glass, armor, costumes, fairy wings, jewelry, leather crafts, hair garlands, and much more...

Dates: April 3,4 & 5, 2009

Hours: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Admission is free!

The Medieval Fair is located at:

Reaves Park
2501 South Jenkins Avenue
Norman, Oklahoma 73072

Norman is located in central Oklahoma, just 17 miles south of Oklahoma City on Interstate 35.

ReavesPark is located on Jenkins Avenue between Lindsey St. and HWY 9 East. From I-35 take HWY 9 East to Jenkins Avenue. Turn north (left).

Free parking is available one block from the park at Lloyd Noble Center, located just north of HWY 9 East on Jenkins Avenue. (Handicapped parking is available on the park grounds.)

Weapon Policy

All weapons must be in a sheath or peace-tied at all times. Demonstrations involving weapons are allowed only in secured and pre-approved areas. No weapons may be sold to minors. Schools are responsible to enforce and inform their students of school policies regarding weapons.

American Minute - Mar. 27 - John Adams, JQA & Henry Adams

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

President John Adams' son, John Quincy Adams, was U.S. Minister to Russia.

In September 1811, John Quincy Adams wrote from St. Petersburg to his son, Charles:

"My dear Son...You mentioned that you read to your aunt a chapter in the Bible...every evening. This information gave me real pleasure..."

John Quincy Adams continued:

"So great is my veneration for the Bible, and so strong my belief, that when duly read and meditated on, it is of all books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy-that the earlier my children begin to read it...the more lively and confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens of their country."

This correspondence was published after his death as Letters of John Quincy Adams to his son, on the Bible and its Teachings.

President John Quincy Adams' grandson was Henry Adams, an American historian.

From his unique perspective of being related to some of America's founders, Henry Adams, who died MARCH 27, 1918, wrote in his 9-volume work, History of the United States:

"The Pilgrims of Plymouth, the Puritans of Boston, the Quakers of Pennsylvania, all avowed a moral purpose, and began by making institutions that consciously reflected a moral idea."

Daniel Hannan KICK ASS !

Daniel Hannan, MEP for South East England, gives a speech during Gordon Brown´s visit to the European Parliament on 24th March, 2009. And KICK ASS !

The one thing people is not seeing is how new media push this, just read what Mr. Hannan has to say on his blog...






My speech to Gordon Brown goes viral
Posted on Mar 25, 2009 at 19:14:00


The internet has changed politics - changed it utterly and forever. Twenty-four hours ago, I made a three-minute speech in the European Parliament, aimed at Gordon Brown. I tipped off the BBC and some of the newspaper correspondents but, unsurprisingly, they ignored me: I am, after all, simply a backbench MEP.

How the EU throws our money away

When I woke up this morning, my phone was clogged with texts, my email inbox with messages. Overnight, the YouTube clip of my remarks had attracted over 36,000 hits. By today, it was the most watched video in Britain.

How did it happen, in the absence of any media coverage? The answer is that political reporters no longer get to decide what's news. The days when a minister gave briefings to a dozen lobby correspondents, and thereby dictated the next day's headlines, are over. Now, a thousand bloggers decide for themselves what is interesting. If enough of them are tickled then, bingo, you're news. (Huge thanks to all those who linked: Guido, Iain Dale, Tim Montgomerie, James Delingpole, Donal Blaney, Dizzy, Devil, James Forsyth, PoliticalBetting, Gerald Warner and the rest. And jumbo thanks to all the American bloggers: you chaps are way ahead of us in this regard.)

What caught their attention? To be honest, I'm slightly perplexed. I have been making similar speeches every week and posting them on YouTube for the past seven months. I made one just now: 60 seconds on how Brussels is spraying money at the European Investment Bank (see above clip). Perhaps people felt frustrated about the way Gordon Brown had carried on without once asking for their votes. Perhaps they would have loved to tell him what they thought of him, but lacked the opportunity.

Breaking the press monopoly is one thing. But the internet has also broken the political monopoly. Ten or even five years ago, when the Minister for Widgets put out a press release, the mere fact of his position guaranteed a measure of coverage. Nowadays, a politician must compel attention by virtue of what he is saying, not his position.

It's all a bit unsettling for professional journalists and politicians. But it's good news for libertarians of every stripe. Lefties have always relied on control, as much of information as of physical resources. Such control is no longer technically feasible.

American Minute - Mar. 26 - Richard Allen, AME founder

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Richard Allen was born to slave parents in Philadelphia and sold with his family to a plantation in Dover, Delaware.

With the permission of his master, he began attending the Methodist meetings and learned to read and write.

Richard Allen was converted at age 16 and is said to have worked harder to prove that Christianity did not make slaves worse servants.

Richard Allen then invited a minister to visit and preach to his master, resulting in his master's conversion after hearing that on the Day of Judgment slaveholders would be "weighed in the balance and found wanting."

His repentant master made arrangements for Richard, now 26, to become free.

Richard Allen became a licensed exhorter and founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Their first church building was dedicated in 1794 by America's first Methodist Bishop, the circuit-riding preacher Francis Asbury.

By the time of Richard Allen's death, MARCH 26, 1831, the African Methodist Episcopal Church had grown to over 10,000 members. Richard Allen stated:

"This land, which we have watered with our tears and our blood, is now our mother country, and we are well satisfied to stay where wisdom abounds and Gospel is free."

Oklahoma Senate Opposes China’s Proposal to Replace the Dollar as the World’s Standard

Republican State Sen. Dan Newberry has won Senate passage for a measure opposing the creation of a new currency to replace the dollar as the world’s standard.

The full Senate approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 on Wednesday. Newberry, R-Tulsa, said China’s proposal to create a new currency would undermine America’s dominance in global economics.

“This outrageous proposal is set to be debated at the upcoming G20 meeting in London,” Newberry said. “This poses a huge threat not only to our nation’s economic standing but to our sovereignty. This move would benefit China, and it would be to the detriment of the United States.”
SCR 16 declares the Oklahoma State Legislature’s strong opposition to the proposal to shift the world’s currency away from the dollar.

“Despite the current economic situation, the United States remains the greatest nation on earth,” Newberry said. “Now is the time for people of Oklahoma and across the United States to let our Congress and the President know that we will not tolerate this or any other proposal that would weaken our sovereignty or our world standing.”

Statewide office holders are one legislative step away from not being able to become entrenched in office with passage of term limits legislation by a House committee today.

Senate Joint Resolution 12 by Senator Randy Brogdon, would place term limits on most statewide office holders.

The change would have to be approved by a vote of the people if passed by the Legislature.

Currently, state lawmakers are limited to 12 years in office, and the governor is restricted to serving two consecutive, four year terms. SJR 12, by House author Rep. Jason Murphey, would instead limit the governor to serve no more than eight cumulative years in office.

That same eight total years rule would also apply to the Lt. Gov, State Auditor and Inspector, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Commissioner of Labor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Insurance Commissioner, all of whom serve 4-year terms.

The resolution also would limit anyone from serving as Corporation Commissioner for more than a total of 12 years.

“We know the Oklahoma people support the idea of term limits, and this legislation would ensure fresh faces and new ideas are continuously entering the political process,” said Murphey, R-Guthrie.

The resolution passed the House Rules Committee today and will now be considered for final passage by the full House.

House Committee Approves Voter ID Legislation

Legislation requiring photo identification to cast a ballot passed a House committee today.

Senate Bill 4 would require citizens to provide “proof of identity” before voting. Under the bill, proof of identity could be established by producing a document containing a photograph of the voter that was issued by a state, federal, county, municipal, or tribal government.

The legislation also would allow voters to cast a ballot if they showed their free voter identification card issued by the state election board.

“It has been proven that requiring a voter ID card does not suppress voting, and in fact several states with similar laws in place saw increased turnout last November,” said Rep. Sue Tibbs, House author of the bill. “This legislation will not prevent a single Oklahoman from voting, but will in fact improve the confidence voters have in the process.”

If the voter is unable to provide any proof of identity, they would be allowed to sign a statement under oath swearing to his or her identity. Anyone found to have signed the oath falsely would be subject to felony punishment.

“This legislation is important to protecting our democratic process and ensuring that every voting Oklahoman is eligible and can know with certainty that their vote will count,” said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa.

The bill also extends the state’s early voting, allowing Oklahomans to start voting at 1 p.m. the Wednesday prior to a general election. Currently, Oklahomans can vote early on the Friday, Saturday and Monday prior to an election.

“The extension of early voting will ensure that all Oklahomans who wish to vote, and are eligible, have ample time to do so,” said Tibbs, R-Tulsa. “This bill is about protecting the process, pure and simple.”

Senate Bill 4 passed the House Rules Committee today and will now move to the full House for consideration. Senate Bill 692 also passed the committee, which would send similar language to a vote of the people.

Legislature Honors Fallen Volunteer Firefighter

The state Legislature this week approved a resolution praising volunteer firefighters and mourning the loss of John Adams, a volunteer member of the Silver City Fire Department.

The 45 year-old Silver City resident died on duty, after fighting a 12-hour wildfire west of Mannford. The fire covered 600 acres and required a total of nine fire departments, 23 brush trucks, three tankers, a Blackhawk helicopter and 60 firefighters to contain. Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 was authored by Sen. Brian Bingman and Rep. Skye McNiel to honor Adams.

“We can never do enough to thank John Adams for his years of volunteer service, and the example he set for his family and community,” said Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “He had a passion for serving his community and laid down his life for those he loved and those he did not know. His leadership and selflessness should serve as an example to all of us.”

Adams, his wife Marcie Adams and their son Drew all trained to become fully qualified for wildland firefighting, structural firefighting, vehicle firefighting, rescue and extraction and medical response. John Adams had been a Silver City Volunteer Firefighter for the past three years and was a board member of the Fire Department. He was a 1981 graduate of Sand Springs High School and was a manager at Lowe’s.

“John Adams is a real Oklahoma hero, and so is his wife, Marcie, who continues to serve as a volunteer firefighter,” said McNiel, R-Bristow. “She has actually fought several fires since John’s passing and it is my honor to recognize her and all of John’s family as well.”

American Minute - Mar. 25 - "Old Hickory" Andrew Jackson

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

"Old Hickory."

During the Revolution, young Andrew Jackson refused to polish the boots of a British officer and was slashed on the arm with a sword and jailed.

His mother died of prison fever while caring for captured American soldiers.

Jackson carried a bullet in his body from a duel defending his wife's honor.

In the War of 1812, General Andrew Jackson defeated over 2,000 British in the Battle of New Orleans.

On January 30, 1835, President Andrew Jackson survived an assassination attempt when Richard Lawrence fired two pistols at him at point blank range. Davy Crockett, who was with the President, disarmed the assailant.

On MARCH 25, 1835, Andrew Jackson wrote in a letter:

"I was brought up a rigid Presbyterian, to which I have always adhered.

Our excellent Constitution guarantees to every one freedom of religion, and charity tells us (and you know Charity is the real basis of all true religion)...judge the tree by its fruit.

All who profess Christianity believe in a Saviour, and that by and through Him we must be saved."

Andrew Jackson concluded: "We ought, therefore, to consider all good Christians whose walks correspond with their professions, be they Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Baptist, Methodist or Roman Catholic."

American Minute - Mar. 24 - Rufus King & the Anti-Slavery Movement

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

William Jay, son of the First Supreme Court Chief Justice, helped found New York City's Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.

His son, John Jay, was manager of New York Young Men's Anti-Slavery Society in 1834.

Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story helped establish the illegality of the slave trade in the 1844 Amistad case.

Salmon P. Chase, appointed Chief Justice by Lincoln, defended so many escaped slaves in his career he was nicknamed "Attorney-General of Fugitive Slaves."

Cassius Marcellus Clay, diplomat to Russia for Lincoln and Grant, founded the anti-slavery journal True American in 1845 and helped found the Republican party in 1854.

Rufus King, born MARCH 24, 1755, was one of the youngest signers of the U.S. Constitution, only 32 years old.

A Harvard graduate, Rufus King was an aide to General Sullivan during the Revolutionary War.

Rufus King later served as U.S. Minister to England and was a Senator from New York.

In a speech made before the Senate at the time Missouri was petitioning for statehood, Rufus King stated:

"I hold that all laws or compacts imposing any such condition as slavery upon any human being are absolutely void because they are contrary to the law of nature, which is the law of God."

Senator Brogdon Announces Formation of Exploratory Committee for Governor of Oklahoma

In response to the groundswell of support calling on him to run, State Senator Randy Brogdon announced the formation of an exploratory committee for the Governor of Oklahoma in 2010.

“As State Senator, I have tirelessly worked to improve the lives of all Oklahomans,” said Brogdon. “From protecting our constitutional freedoms from Washington-style politicians to reducing our incomes taxes, I have always put the needs of all Oklahomans above the wishes of any lobbyist or special interest group.”

Brogdon continued, “And as a native Oklahoman, I think it’s time we have a Governor who believes in right and wrong, not just right and left. That’s why I am proud to announce the formation of my exploratory committee for Governor of Oklahoma.”

When asked for the timeline of his official announcement for Governor, Brogdon replied, “There are several actions that need to take place before we make the official announcement. Until then, we are currently raising money and laying down the groundwork for my upcoming campaign.”

Randy Brogdon is the State Senator for District 34 which covers Northeastern Tulsa County and portions of Rogers County. He and his wife of 37 years, Donna, currently reside in Owasso, OK. For more information about Randy Brogdon, please visit www.RandyBrogdon.com

American Minute - Mar. 23 - Give me liberty or... - Patrick Henry

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Britain imposed the 1764 Currency Act, 1764 Sugar Act, 1765 Stamp Act, 1765 Quartering Act, 1766 Declaratory Act, 1767 Townshend Act, 1773 Tea Act, 1774 Boston Port Act, 1774 Justice Act, 1774 Massachusetts Government Act, 1774 Quartering Act, 1774 Quebec Act, and 1775 Proclamation of Rebellion.

On MARCH 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke to the 2nd Virginia Convention, which was meeting in Richmond's St. John's Church due to British hostilities:

"I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery...

We have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated...We have prostrated ourselves before the throne...

Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence."

Patrick Henry continued:

"There is a just God who presides over the destines of nations...who will raise up friends to fight our battle for us.

The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave...

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!

I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

American Minute - Mar. 22 - Jonathan Edwards & grandson Timothy Dwight

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

On MARCH 22, 1758, Princeton University President Jonathan Edwards died from a smallpox inoculation.

Valedictorian of his class at Yale, Jonathan Edwards' preaching began the Great Awakening, a revival so widespread history credits it with uniting the colonies prior to the Revolution.

Of the awakening, Ben Franklin wrote:

"It was wonderful to see...From being thoughtless or indifferent...it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in...every street."

Jonathan Edwards' grandson was Yale President Timothy Dwight.

On July 4, 1798, Timothy Dwight explained how Voltaire's atheism inspired the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, 1793-1794, where 40,000 people were beheaded:

"The...ends proposed by the Illuminati...are the overthrow of religion, government and human society...Murder, butchery and war...are declared by them to be completely justifiable...

No villainy...can be named which was not vindicated...Satanic lips polluted the pages of God...inundated the country with...immorality...

Where religion prevails, Illumination cannot make disciples, a French Directory cannot govern, a nation cannot be made slaves."

Timothy Dwight concluded:

"To destroy us therefore...our enemies must first...seduce us from the house of God."

American Minute - Mar. 21 - Johann Sebastian Bach

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Johann Sebastian Bach was born MARCH 21, 1685.

By age 10 his parents had died.

At 18, Bach was a church organist, followed by positions in royal courts.

Once Bach was imprisoned because a duke did not want him employed elsewhere.

Widowed with 7 children, he remarried and had 13 more.

Considered the "master of masters," Johann Sebastian Bach's works include Passion According to St. Matthew, and Jesus, Meine Freude (Jesus, My Joy!).

Johann Sebastian Bach stated:

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. If heed is not paid to this, it is not true music but a diabolical bawling and twanging."

On February 22, 1990, President George H.W. Bush stated:

"The Bible has had a critical impact upon the development of Western civilization. Western literature, art, and music are filled with images and ideas that can be traced to its pages."

Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson wrote in McCollum v. Board of Education, 1948:

"It would not seem practical to teach either practice or appreciation of the arts if we are to forbid exposure of youth to any religious influences.

Music without sacred music would be incomplete, even from a secular point of view."

American Minute - Mar. 20 - Sir Isaac Newton

American Minute
wiith
Bill Federer

Sir Isaac Newton died MARCH 20, 1727.

With his mother widowed twice, he had been raised by his grandmother before being sent off to grammar school and later Cambridge.

Newton discovered calculus, the laws of gravity and built the first reflecting telescope.

Using a prism, Newton demonstrated that a beam of light contained all the colors of the rainbow.

President of the Royal Society from 1703 till his death, Sir Isaac Newton wrote in Principia, 1687:

"This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being...

All variety of created objects which represent order and life in the universe could happen only by the willful reasoning of its original Creator, whom I call the Lord God."

In Optics, 1704, Newton wrote:

"God in the beginning formed matter."

Regarding the Bible, Newton wrote:

"The system of revealed truth which this Book contains is like that of the universe, concealed from common observation yet the labors of the centuries have established its Divine origin."

In A Short Scheme of the True Religion, Sir Isaac Newton wrote:

"Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors."

State Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee named in a federal tax lien filed by IRS

State Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee is named in a federal tax lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service last year that sought $28,822 in federal taxes owed for almost two years.

The documents indicate that Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, paid off his over IRS due tax bill within one month after the lien was issued by the government. The lien was prepared on Oct. 27, and a certificate of release of the lien was issued on Nov. 26, according to documents on file in the Oklahoma County clerk's office.

"I think he should step down as pro tem of the Senate," Sen. Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, said Friday.

Coffee, an attorney, knows the importance of paying personal income taxes on time, said Lerblance, assistant Democratic floor leader in the Senate.

"He's the elected pro tem of the Senate and he hasn't paid his taxes on time," Lerblance said. Although the taxes have been paid in full, there was a period of time in which Coffee maintained a tax debt with the federal government, he said.

"I think he still has an obligation to make sure it gets paid on time. The responsibility lies with the taxpayer."

Coffee, the first Republican leader of the Senate in state history, declined to comment on whether his private tax issue should reflect on his public leadership.

"That's for others to decide," Coffee said.

Coffee, who is affiliated with the Phillips Murrah law firm in Oklahoma City, said he takes responsibility for the matter.

"I did owe the money. There were extenuating circumstances. I borrowed the money to pay it off," said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

The lien was filed the same year that former House Speaker Lance Cargill resigned from the House's top job following a series of embarrassing revelations that included submitting late property tax payments and not filing state personal income tax returns.

A lien is a legal claim on property that makes it collateral against money that is owed. Property that carries a lien can be forced into sale in order to collect.

The tax lien lists Coffee's residence and names himself and his wife, Lisa. It is for the tax period that ended on Dec. 31, 2006. The taxes were assessed in November 2007.

Coffee, who cannot run for re-election next year due to term limits, said he sought an extension of time in which to file his income tax return but that the time lapsed before the taxes were paid.

"Taxes are due on April 15," Coffee said. "I got an extension and it didn't get done on time."

He said he was attempting to secure a bank loan to pay the $28,822 tax bill when the lien was filed.

Coffee indicated he works with an accountant to prepare his taxes but that he takes responsibility for the tardiness.

"I am always personally responsible for my own taxes," Coffee said.

The Senate's Democratic caucus chairman, Sen. Kenneth Corn, said Coffee's tax problems reflect on his leadership of the Senate.

"I think it calls into question the standard of leadership which he offers," said Corn, of Poteau. But Corn stopped short of calling for Coffee's resignation.

"We do have a responsibility as policymakers to set an example for the rest of the state. But we are human and make mistakes," Corn said. "It sounds like Senator Coffee tried to correct it."

Several Democratic senators declined comment. Senate Democratic Leader Charlie Laster of Shawnee said he would withhold comment until he gets all the facts.

"That's the first I've ever heard of that," Laster said. "Sometimes there are tax disputes and the IRS files tax liens."

The Second American Revolution

Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense," returns to modern times to pleas for a second revolution to take back America, Now!

American Minute - Mar. 18 - Johnny Appleseed

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

70-years-old, he visited his friend William Worth one evening, ate some milk and bread, read out loud from the Bible, laid down on the floor to sleep and never woke up.

This was how John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, died on MARCH 18, 1845.

Johnny Appleseed's father, Nathaniel, was a Minuteman who fought the British at Concord in 1775.

Johnny Appleseed collected seeds from apple cider presses in western Pennsylvania and planted nurseries from the Alleghenies to central Ohio, giving thousands of seedlings to westward bound pioneers.

He lived at harmony with Indians, bringing them medicinal plants.

During the War of 1812, Johnny Appleseed heard the British had incited an Indian attack, so he ran 30 miles from Mansfield to Mount Vernon, Ohio, to warn settlers.

Bare foot, wearing a mush pan over his eccentric long hair and an old coffee sack over his shoulders, Johnny Appleseed had a unique devotion to nature and the Bible.

He called an apple blossom a "living sermon from God" and often quoted the Sermon on the Mount.

Poet William Henry Venable wrote:

"Remember Johnny Appleseed -

All ye who love the apple -

He served his kind by word and deed -

In God's grand greenwood chapel."

2 Earthquakes Rattle Oklahoma Senate District 43

See:
Earthquake hits Southeast OKC,
SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2009


Is someone trying to tell Oklahoma State Senator Jim Reynolds something ? LOL

Three earthquakes shook the Oklahoma City metro Tuesday afternoon.

The United States Geological Survey reported a 2.4 magnitude earthquake at 3 p.m. south of Norman a couple of hours after two other minor quakes were reported in Oklahoma Senate District 43.

A 2.7 magnitude earthquake occurred at 12:25 p.m. and a 2.5 magnitude quake at 12:41 p.m. near S.E. 15th Street and Bryant Avenue, according to the USGS.

2.7 quake at 12:25 p.m.

2.5 quake at 12:41 p.m.

2.4 quake at 3 p.m.

There were no immediate reports of damage. A 2.5 to 3.0 magnitude quake is normally the smallest felt by humans.

Workers at nearby Tinker Air Force Base reported feeling the quake and noticed desks shaking during the noon quakes.

There have been 13 earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past six months, according to USGS records.

Researchers from Purdue University and Northwestern University say that seismic activity from the the midwestern New Madrid Seismic Zone is shifting to adjacent faults in the nation's midsection, including those in southern Illinois, Arkansas or Oklahoma.

Other scientists called those conclusions premature, in part because the study was based on a relatively narrow time period from the area that remains seismically active.

Sen. Brogdon to Speak This Morning at 10th Amendment Rally

Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdon will be a featured speaker at a 10th Amendment Rally this morning in Harrisburg, PA. The rally is to bring attention to the need to defend the sovereignty of the 50 states as guaranteed by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Senator Randy Brogdon is the author of SJR 10, ordering the federal government to cease all activities that fall outside of their Constitutional powers. The measure was approved by the full Senate and is now awaiting House action.

Similar legislation is under consideration in other states, including Pennsylvania. Senator Brogdon is the invited guest of Pennsylvania Representative Sam Rohrer. To see live coverage of the rally and Senator Brogdon’s speech, go to www.RepRohrer.com.

For more information, contact Senator Brogdon’s office at 405-521-5566.

Unity '09: Dem groups quietly align

By BEN SMITH

A broad coalition of left-leaning groups is quietly closing ranks into a new coalition, "Unity '09," aimed at helping President Barack Obama push his agenda through Congress.

Conceived at a New York meeting before the November election, two Democrats familiar with the planning said, Unity '09 will draw together money and grassroots organizations to pressure lawmakers in their home states to back White House legislation and other progressive causes.

The online-based MoveOn.org is a central player in the nascent organization, but other groups involved in planning Unity '09 span a broad spectrum of interests, from the American Civil Liberties Union to the National Council of La Raza to Planned Parenthood, as well as labor unions and environmental groups.

The group is still in its early stages, and its organizers have adopted a secretive posture: Several of the people involved did not respond to emails over the last two days, even though one of them, former MoveOn executive director Eli Pariser, has programmed his MoveOn email account to assure correspondents that he is using the account for messages "including Unity '09 work."

People familiar with the planning said that the White House is not directly involved in the group's formation, though Unity '09's main day-to-day staffer, Aaron Pickrell, was a senior aide on Obama's presidential campaign. Aides to Obama and to Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel didn't respond to inquiries about whether they were familiar with the group.

Unity '09 comes at a time of increasing coordination on the left, including an effort this week by the Democratic National Committee, Obama's grassroots network and other groups to defend Obama's budget and attack the GOP as obstructionists.

But Unity '09 is setting a broader, and longer-term agenda, aiming to exert grassroots pressure on lawmakers in their home states over the next several years on the entire spectrum of political issues.

"When progressive activists are working in concert and the right is forming a circular firing squad, you know it's a new day," said consultant Paul Begala, who said he's not involved in the new organization.

Unity '09 is, informally, the field organizing compliment to another new organization, Progressive Media , which launched a month ago to coordinate the liberal groups' messages and their attacks on Republicans and on critics of Obama's policies. That group's 8:45 a.m. daily conference call has helped bring such unlikely groups as the League of Conservation Voters into an effort to cast Rush Limbaugh as the leader of the Republican Party, and has coordinated attacks on two leading critics of Obama's health care plans.

But while Progressive Media is an in-house project of two existing organizations, the Center for American Progress and Media Matters.

Unity '09 requires more commitment from its members in the form of a $25,000 contribution to the group's future organizing campaigns, a source said.

Unity '09 is conceived as ultimately including 20 to 30 organizations, people familiar with the planning said.

The groups have overlapping, but different, groups of members and financial resources at their disposal, and the idea behind the organization is that they can share resources to fill in geographical and organizational gaps. Labor unions could, for instance, put their weight behind environmental campaigns in regions where environmental groups are relatively weak, and vice versa.

Along with the groups previously mentioned, others involved in planning discussions include the Sierra Club, Media Matters for America, and Health Care for America Now.

Unity '09 is not to be confused with Unity '08, a bipartisan group of political operatives that sought to nominate New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg as the top of an independent presidential ticket last year.

The new organization is likely to stir fears among conservatives already feeling organizationally outgunned and flatly alarmed by the new progressive infrastructure.

"This, ladies and gentlemen is, a threat to America," Fox News's Bill O'Reilly said, responding Saturday night to POLITICO's report on the birth of Progressive Media and its morning conference call. "The Obama administration would be wise to avoid this crew. If the new administration gets involved in this, it would be like the Nixon dirty tricks squad."

American Minute - Mar. 16 - The Capitol burned & Madison's Proclamation of Fasting

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Called the "Chief Architect of the Constitution," he wrote many of the Federalist Papers which helped convince States to ratify the Constitution.

He introduced the First Amendment in the first session of Congress.

This was James Madison, born MARCH 16, 1751.

During the War of 1812, Madison proclaimed two National Days of Prayer, 1812 and 1813.

Then the British marched on Washington, D.C., citizens evacuated, along with President and Dolly Madison.

On August 25, 1814, as the British burned the White House, Capitol and public buildings, dark clouds began to roll in.

A tornado sent debris flying, blew off roofs and knocked chimneys over on top of British troops.

Two cannons were lifted off the ground and dropped yards away.

A British historian wrote:

"More British soldiers were killed by this stroke of nature than from all the firearms the American troops had mustered."

British forces fled in confusion and rains extinguished the fires.

Madison proclaimed a National Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting & Prayer to Almighty God on November 16, 1814.

Two weeks after the War ended, Madison proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving & Devout Acknowledgment to Almighty God, March 4, 1815.

Army modernization project faces uncertain future

If the Army must be ready for both high-intensity combat and low-intensity counterinsurgency, what is to become of the service's main modernization program, the awkwardly named and hugely expensive Future Combat Systems?

With a new administration and a worsening economy, there is unprecedented pressure to trim the complex program -- originally envisioned as an integrated set of armored vehicles and aerial and ground robots, plus a mobile computer network with 95 million lines of code to coordinate their operations.

The idea was first outlined by then-Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki in 1999. The problem then to be solved was how the Army could deploy heavy forces in time to stop, say, Iraqi aggression in Kuwait in 1990 or Serbian ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in 1999, both situations in which hostile nation-states with Soviet-built tanks were able to move faster than the Pentagon could.

Gen. Shinseki sold the FCS as a rapidly deployable replacement for the Army's main battle tank, the M1 Abrams, which was too heavy to be flown in large numbers to a crisis spot.

The FCS would use advanced technology to cram all of the firepower and protection of 70-ton heavy tanks into 20-ton vehicles light enough to be airlifted en masse to trouble spots worldwide.

Slow, grinding wars against elusive guerrillas were not on the FCS agenda.

But the original vision got one critical part of the future right: Watching urban sprawl envelop the planet, Army planners predicted that the FCS would have to fight its battles in cities. So they outlined an FCS brigade structure that incorporated not only long-range precision weapons to kill enemy tanks but also additional foot soldiers to fight house-to-house, armored personnel carriers to get them to the target under fire, and abundant unmanned systems -- flying drones, crawling robots, and static sensors -- to scope out hidden enemies, with a computerized communications network to coordinate it all.

Those same four components -- armor, infantry, drones, and networks -- have proved vital in city fighting in Iraq. So it might seem that the FCS would be perfect for hybrid warriors.

The problem, however, is that for years the Army has played chicken with Congress over the $160 billion -- some say $200 billion -- FCS program. Capitol Hill chafed at the Army's insistence on treating the array as a single program: a single line item in its budget with a single contract. Lawmakers were also unhappy that the FCS was aimed not at modernizing existing Army units but at creating "FCS brigades" equipped for the most part with Future Combat Systems hardware.

The Army argued that the program's 17 components were too interdependent for legislators to pick and choose and that because the FCS made up so much of the Army's modernization budget, the service had no alternative plan. To put the Army's argument bluntly: Future Combat Systems is too big to fail and too tightly integrated to pick apart, so let us do what we want.

"If FCS were canceled, the Army does not really have a plan for the future, and it was so thoroughly integrated you couldn't kill any one piece of it because the whole thing would collapse," said Loren Thompson, a Lexington Institute analyst and a consultant for major defense firms. "That approach has turned from a form of protection to a liability. It simply isn't executable. I suspect the service will have to disentangle those elements."

Congress has proved increasingly willing to call the Army's bluff. In 2007, legislators forced the service to list one of the eight planned variants of the FCS's armored vehicles as a separate line item in its budget. Last year, the Army on its own announced it would accelerate some of the less ambitious robotics and buy them for existing light infantry units. In recent months, under pressure from Defense Secretary Robert Gates to control costs, the Army has hinted that it will cherry-pick the most promising of the eight FCS manned vehicles and use them to modernize existing heavy armored units. Instead of a "pure" FCS brigade, one congressional staffer said, "it sounds like they're headed for a future heavy brigade with a mix of FCS vehicles, current vehicles, and Strykers," an armored vehicle with huge tires that has been effective in Iraq.

As for the sprawling FCS program, it should be divided into three parts, like Gaul, the staffer said, voicing a sentiment not uncommon around Washington. "You could pursue the vehicle variants under one R&D program because you have a common chassis," he argued. "The [computer] network, I think, just needs to be a separate program. [And] the robots and such, those could be separate programs. If they end up being useful, great, buy them for the entire Army. I think they could stand or fail on their own."

As for the FCS's brigade design, applying it to current armored units would give them almost 20 percent more foot soldiers -- the truly decisive weapon in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The Army's program makes sense in both the organization and the equipment," Frank Hoffman, a retired marine with no dog in the Army's fight, said of the Future Combat Systems. "I think the Army's right for the wrong reasons. They may have thought this thing was designed for high-end warfare, but it turns out to be the best posture for the medium."

Russia weighs Cuba, Venezuela bases for bombers

Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday.

"This is possible in Cuba," General Anatoly Zhikharev, chief of the Russian air force's strategic aviation staff, told the Interfax-AVN military news agency.

The comments were the latest signal that Moscow intends to project its military capability in far-flung corners of the globe despite a tight defence budget and hardware that experts consider in many respects outdated.

Zhikharev said Cuba had a several air bases equipped with the long runways needed by the heavy bombers and said the facilities there were "entirely acceptable" for use by the Russian aircraft during long-distance patrols.

"If the will of the two states is there, the political will, then we are prepared to fly there", the agency quoted Zhikharev as saying.

The general also said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had offered to let Russian strategic bombers use a military airfield on La Orchila island, a military base off the west coast of the country.

"Yes, there has been such a proposal from the Venezuelan president," Zhikharev said.

"If a relevant political decision is made, this is possible," he added.

Russia resumed patrols by its long-distance strategic bombers in August 2007 after a 15-year hiatus, noting at the time that it was mirroring the United States which never suspended its global bomber patrols after the Cold War.

Last year, Russia temporarily based a pair of Tu-160 bombers at an airbase in Venezuela in a carefully-choreographed display of force regarded by as a warning message to the United States.

A Russian flotilla led by the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great also joined Venezuelan navy vessels for manoeuvres in the Caribbean late last year, timed to coincide with a visit to the region by President Dmitry Medvedev.

Last July however, a top US air force officer warned that Russia would cross "a red line" if it were to base nuclear capable bombers in Cuba.

"If they did, I think we should stand strong and indicate that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America," said General Norton Schwartz said on July 23.

The Interfax report said there were three types of Russian aircraft capable of long-distance bomber patrols: The Tu-95MS, the Tu-160 and the Tu-22.

It was Tu-160 strategic bombers that were sent to Venezuela for temporary basing last year. Each aircraft of this type is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles that can be fitted with nuclear warheads.

American Minute - Mar. 15 - Ronald Reagan & School Prayer

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

On MARCH 15, 1984, the Senate voted down voluntary prayer in public schools. President Reagan said:

"I am deeply disappointed that, although a majority of the Senate voted for it, the school prayer amendment fell short."

On September 25, 1982, Ronald Reagan said:

"Unfortunately, in the last two decades we've experienced an onslaught of such twisted logic that if Alice were visiting America, she might think she'd never left Wonderland.

We're told that it somehow violates the rights of others to permit students in school who desire to pray to do so.

Clearly this infringes on the freedom of those who choose to pray, the freedom taken for granted since the time of our Founding Fathers."

Reagan continued:

"To prevent those who believe in God from expressing their faith is
an outrage...

The relentless drive to eliminate God from our schools...should be stopped."

Ronald Reagan said February 25, 1984:

"Sometimes I can't help but feel the First Amendment is being turned on its head."

Reagan told the Alabama Legislature, March 15, 1982:

"The First Amendment was not written to protect the people of this country from religious values;

it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny."

American Minute - Mar.14 - Albert Einstein

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Born in Germany MARCH 14, 1879, he began teaching himself calculus at age 14.

With a doctorate from the University of Zurich, he wrote papers on electromagnetic energy, relativity, and statistical mechanics.

He predicted a ray of light from a distant star would appear to bend as it passed near the Sun.

When an eclipse confirmed this, the London Times headline ran November 7, 1919,

"Revolution in science-New theory of the Universe-Newtonian ideas overthrown."

This was Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein.

Einstein's first visit to the U.S. was to raise funds for Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

On his 3rd visit, 1932, he took a post at Princeton.

When Nazis took over Germany, Albert Einstein stayed in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1940.

Einstein's theory of relativity is the basis for applying atomic energy.

Einstein's warning that Nazis could create an atom bomb led FDR to set up the Manhattan Project.

Three years before Einstein died, he was asked to be Israel's 2nd President, but declined due to age.

The periodic table's 99th element, discovered shortly after his death in 1955, was named "einsteinium".

Princeton University's Fine Hall has inscribed Albert Einstein's words:

"God is clever, but not dishonest."

Coffee Talk

March 12 was the deadline for considering legislation introduced in the Senate and approved by committee. In the past, many innovative approaches and reforms were simply not heard. Now that Republicans have the majority in the upper chamber, those bills are getting the debate and consideration they deserve, and as a result, our key agenda items for this session now have an excellent chance of reaching the governor’s desk.

Among the key pieces of legislation approved by the full Senate is SB 646, creating the State Office of Accountability and Innovation. This office represents a step toward greater efficiency in state government. It would conduct regular performance audits of agencies, recommend best practices to improve efficiencies in government, review the effectiveness of tax incentives and bring new innovations to government. This office would actually pay for itself by identifying cost savings in government.

Senate Bill 1111, by Senator Clark Jolley, the Educational Accountability Reform Act, will ensure the integrity of test data, giving us a true indication of how well are students are doing in core subjects. The measure calls for testing oversight to be moved to an impartial third party. With objective data, we can do a much better job of helping students master the material necessary for success in school and in life.

Senate bill 834, by Senator John Ford, will remove several unfunded mandates and give local school districts greater control over how state appropriated dollars are used. Majority Floor Leader Todd Lamb authored Senate Bill 609, a measure that reforms the workers compensation courts, which are currently in great need of overhaul.

The full Senate also approved Senate Bill 4 by Senator Ford, which is voter identification legislation to ensure clean and fair elections. A recent story by the Wall Street Journal supports the argument we’ve made for this important reform. This past year, states like Indiana and Georgia which have the strictest voter ID requirements in the country actually saw increases in voter turnout. No one was disenfranchised, and voters had confidence that their ballot would not be cancelled out by someone attempted to commit voter fraud.

Senate Bill 899 would revoke state retirement benefits from state or county officials convicted of felonies. It is an insult to taxpayers when an elected official has been convicted of a serious crime, but continues to draws thousands of dollars each month in pensions because, they argue, the crime they were convicted of really didn’t have anything to do with their oath of office. If an official violates the public’s trust, that person should be held accountable and suffer real consequences for violating the law.

These measures all represent good public policy, and I hope our colleagues in the House will work quickly to add their stamp of approval.

House Approves Bill to Require Candidates to Provide Proof of Citizenship

Legislation requiring candidates filing with the Oklahoma State Election Board and any county election board in Oklahoma to provide documentation of their citizenship has been approved by the House.

House Bill 1329, by state Rep. Mike Ritze, would require prospective candidates to provide a birth certificate showing U.S. citizenship, a non-birth U.S. citizenship certificate, a certificate of naturalization or a passport in order to file. U.S. presidential and vice presidential candidates would not be able to use either certificate of naturalization or passport. It would also make those documents subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

“I think that it would be a travesty for a non-citizen to get elected to a government position,” Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, said. “I also think that it puts aside any doubts by those who would question a legitimate candidate. It is a common-sense bill and I am glad to see the House pass it.”

House Bill 1329 now awaits a hearing in the Senate.

Ten Commandments Bill Headed to Senate

Legislation allowing the placement of a privately funded Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma Capitol is headed to the state Senate.

House Bill 1330, by state Rep. Mike Ritze (R-Broken Arrow), would create the “Ten Commandments Monument Display Act.” The bill would allow for a Ten Commandments monument to be displayed on the Capitol grounds in accordance with existing U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

“The Ten Commandments are a foundation for modern law and this monument will recognize their contribution to our society,” said Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “Acknowledgments of the role played by the Ten Commandments in our nation's heritage are common throughout America and may lawfully be included among the historical displays on the Capitol grounds.”

Under the bill, the monument would be privately funded and no taxpayer expenditures would be required.

House Bill 1330 notes that the Ten Commandments are “an important component of the moral foundation of the laws and legal system of the United States of America and of the State of Oklahoma” but also states that the monument “shall not be construed to mean that the State of Oklahoma favors any particular religion or denomination …”
House Bill 1330 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on an 88-6 vote. It now proceeds to the state Senate.

Lawmakers Seek Oversight of Government Attorney Contracts

State lawmakers voted today to increase oversight of government contracts awarded to private attorneys.
House Bill 2167, by state Rep. Mark McCullough, would create the “Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act.” The bill would require state agencies to use a more transparent, competitive legal service solicitation process when services (fees and expenses) are expected to exceed $5,000.

“This legislation will provide extra safeguards to prevent Oklahoma taxpayers from footing the bill for overpriced legal services,” said McCullough, a Sapulpa Republican and attorney. “It’s just common sense: If you have an open bidding process, it will drive down prices. Currently, the public perception is that it’s too easy for politically connected law firms to get contracts outside a bidding process, which opens the door for those firms to jack up their prices. In a year when we face a budget shortfall, it doesn’t make any sense to leave the door open for government waste.”

The bill would require agencies to issue and publicly post a Request for Proposals for legal services and then publicly list all attorneys and law firms that are awarded contracts.

Under the bill, if a proposed contracts for legal services is expected to exceed $500,000, state agencies would be required to file a copy with the governor’s office. The governor would 30 days to review and recommend changes to the proposed contract. If no changes are recommended, the contract could then be executed. If changes are recommended, the agency would have to review them and, if those changes were not incorporated, agency officials would then have to explain their decision.

At the conclusion of any legal proceeding where a state agency has retained outside counsel on a contingency-fee basis, the bill also requires the lawyer to provide a statement of hours worked on the case, expenses incurred, the aggregate fee amount, and a breakdown as to the hourly rate based on hours worked divided into fee recovered, less expenses.

House Bill 2167 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 59-41 vote today. It now proceeds to the state Senate.

Funding for Adult Stem Cell Research Advances

Lawmakers unanimously voted today to provide more than $1 million for adult stem cell research that does not involve embryo destruction.

House Joint Resolution 1035, by state Rep. John Enns, would send a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people that would allow 10 percent of the interest earnings on the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund to be used for adult stem cell research.

“Adult stem cell therapies may hold the cures for many diseases – Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, heart failure, cancers – and there are already nearly 70 research treatments that use adult stem cells,” said Enns, R-Enid. “By focusing on this promising research, Oklahoma can attract new businesses, create new high-paying jobs, potentially save lives, and do it all without the ethical compromises required by funding embryonic stem cell research.”

Because stem cells have the potential, under suitable conditions, to develop into almost all types of cells, there is wide interest in potential research applications. There are two main types of stem cells used in research – adult stem cells obtained without loss of life, and embryonic stem cells, obtained through the destruction of embryos.

Last year, the Legislature approved the “Advancement in Stem Cell Cures and Therapies Act” (also authored by Rep. Enns) that authorized state funding and support for stem cell research so long as that research is conducted “without the use of a human embryo.”

“Adult stem cell therapies are already showing great promise and are being employed successfully in clinical trials,” said Enns, who holds a bachelor’s in natural science, biology and chemistry. “In comparison, embryonic stem cells are notorious for turning into tumors in test subjects. I believe the smart money is in adult stem cell research and want Oklahoma to be at the forefront of that growing industry.”

Last year, the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund generated more than $15.8 million in interest earnings. Enns wants 10 percent of those earnings designated for adult stem cell research in the future, providing more than a million dollars in annual appropriations for research every year.

Enns, who previously taught college courses on microbiology, was in an accident several years ago that confined him to a wheelchair, making him a potential recipient of future stem cell therapies.

“Local research institutions have already told me that state funding will also draw private investment to Oklahoma,” Enns said. “Private funding combined with state funding will draw brainpower. And drawing brainpower will draw results.”

House Joint Resolution 1035 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 99-0 vote today. It now proceeds to the state Senate.