Oklahoma Government Gets More Mobile with OK.gov for Android

OK.gov, the official website of the state of Oklahoma, recently launched the release of a free Android government application, available now on your Android phone by searching for OK.gov.

OK.gov for Android gives Oklahomans convenient access to Oklahoma government directly from an Android mobile device. The new application provides real-time access to state agency news, office location mapping, and professional licensee lookups.

“The state of Oklahoma is excited to offer citizens the opportunity to use this innovative application to gain access and knowledge about our local government,” said Governor Brad Henry.

Features of the OK.gov for Android application include:

• Agency Lookup – Quickly find agencies by keyword or category search. The application displays contact information including main phone number, address, and website address. It also offers a built-in agency location mapping system featuring directions and the option to call directly from the application.

• Professional Licensee Search – Easily search or browse over 122 Oklahoma licensee types from over 20 state agencies.

• Oklahoma Government News – Keep up-to-date with the latest news and announcements from Oklahoma state agencies.

“We are pleased to announce that the new OK.gov for Android is the first state government portal application released for Google Android mobile devices,” said Mark Mitchell, General Manager of OK.gov. “Along with the OK.gov for iPhone app, this new Android application allows the public to access Oklahoma government conveniently and advantageously through handheld mobile technology.”

According to www.admob.com, Android is Google’s Linux operating system for mobile devices. With more than 100k daily activations, Google rapidly produces updates to the Android platform and is the first in total Web and App usage in the U.S. and is second in smartphone sales behind RIM’s Blackberry. There are currently 60 compatible devices,50 carriers, 48 countries, and 21 OEM’s supporting Android. This mobile device has more than 50,000 Android Applications with more than 180,000 developers.

Visit OK.gov's Mobile Site

Oklahoma Primary Election — July 27, 2010 (UNOFFICIAL RESULTS)

(DEM) FOR GOVERNOR 2244 OF 2244
JARI ASKINS 132,571 50.28%
DREW EDMONDSON 131,078 49.72%

(DEM) FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2244 OF 2244
SUSAN PADDACK 183,525 73.35%
JERRY COMBRINK 66,685 26.65%

(DEM) FOR U.S. SENATOR 2244 OF 2244
JIM ROGERS 157,926 65.36%
MARK MYLES 83,709 34.64%

(DEM) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 2 570 OF 570
JIM WILSON 21,491 24.44%
DAN BOREN 66,426 75.56%

(DEM) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 5 340 OF 340
TOM GUILD 16,059 43.17%
BILLY COYLE 21,139 56.83%

(DEM) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 4 55 OF 55
MARK CORNELL 2,245 19.74%
NEIL BRANNON 9,125 80.26%

(DEM) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 14 61 OF 61
DARRYL ROBERTS 3,665 52.30%
DONNA SPRING 3,343 47.70%

(DEM) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 48 56 OF 56
CLYDE E. MADDEN 296 4.68%
CONNIE JOHNSON 4,293 67.83%
MARK P. TEMPLE 1,138 17.98%
STEVEN DAVIS 602 9.51%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 3 24 OF 24
JAMES LOCKHART 1,054 18.62%
TRACI BARNES 921 16.27%
JAKE LEMING 947 16.73%
JARROD RIDENOUR 720 12.72%
DAVID M. HOGAN 601 10.61%
MATT WEBB 1,419 25.06%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 15 35 OF 35
ED CANNADAY 4,111 83.27%
ANNIE J. GOOLSBY 826 16.73%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 16 32 OF 32
JERRY SHOEMAKE 2,507 79.21%
JAMES BO DELSO 658 20.79%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 18 36 OF 36
CAROLYN McNATT HILL 1,465 24.45%
DONNIE CONDIT 1,995 33.29%
JOHN M. FREEMAN 1,144 19.09%
ROGER SHIRLEY 1,389 23.18%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 21 27 OF 27
CHRIS PIERCE 798 18.79%
JERRY TOMLINSON 1,393 32.79%
ODEN GRUBE 922 21.70%
NATHAN W. WILLIAMS 1,135 26.72%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 44 15 OF 15
EMILY VIRGIN 1,474 52.68%
TOM KOVACH 666 23.80%
ROBERT T. MURPHY 105 3.75%
ISAIAH McCASLIN 553 19.76%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 66 20 OF 20
ELI POTTS 665 38.09%
ANDREW THOMAS WILLIAMS 572 32.76%
DAVID PHILLIPS 509 29.15%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 68 17 OF 17
TROY ZICKEFOOSE 858 49.88%
SETH WATKINS 862 50.12%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 73 23 OF 23
JABAR SHUMATE 1,762 51.49%
KEVIN MATTHEWS 1,660 48.51%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 86 27 OF 27
JEFF COLLYGE 1,485 27.40%
WILLIAM T. WILL FOURKILLER 1,497 27.62%
JOHN AUFFET 2,438 44.98%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 93 16 OF 16
WANDA JO PELTIER 722 63.06%
WILFREDO SANTOS RIVERA 96 8.38%
JEFF PACKHAM 327 28.56%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 12 77 OF 77
JANICE STEIDLEY 7,124 64.73%
PATRICK ABITBOL 3,882 35.27%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 17 67 OF 67
DOYLE E. BLYTHE 833 7.78%
MARK MATLOFF 6,470 60.46%
LAURA ROSS WALLIS 3,399 31.76%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 18 66 OF 66
FARLEY WARD 4,748 54.04%
RUSSELL M. TACHEIRA 1,139 12.96%
TERRY HARRISON 2,899 33.00%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 23 54 OF 54
RICHARD L. SMOTHERMON 5,066 58.41%
BILL ROBERSON 3,607 41.59%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 27 115 OF 115
W. GRANT HUSKEY 6,076 34.29%
JERRY S. MOORE 11,642 65.71%

(REP) FOR GOVERNOR 2244 OF 2244
RANDY BROGDON 98,159 39.42%
ROGER L. JACKSON 6,290 2.53%
MARY FALLIN 136,452 54.79%
ROBERT HUBBARD 8,130 3.26%

(REP) FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR 2244 OF 2244
BERNIE ADLER 10,514 4.48%
JOHN A. WRIGHT 41,169 17.55%
TODD LAMB 156,807 66.84%
PAUL F. NOSAK 13,941 5.94%
BILL CROZIER 12,177 5.19%

(REP) FOR STATE AUDITOR AND INSPECTOR 2244 OF 2244
GARY JONES 151,685 69.57%
DAVID HANIGAR 66,358 30.43%

(REP) FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL 2244 OF 2244
RYAN LEONARD 105,331 43.95%
SCOTT PRUITT 134,313 56.05%

(REP) FOR STATE TREASURER 2244 OF 2244
KEN MILLER 145,391 63.04%
OWEN LAUGHLIN 85,231 36.96%

(REP) FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2244 OF 2244

JANET BARRESI 145,420 62.73%
BRIAN S. KELLY 86,410 37.27%

(REP) FOR COMMISSIONER OF LABOR 2244 OF 2244
MARK COSTELLO 127,389 57.06%
JASON REESE 95,857 42.94%

(REP) FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2244 OF 2244
JOHN P. CRAWFORD 92,906 41.67%
JOHN DOAK 87,263 39.14%
MARK CROUCHER 42,769 19.18%

(REP) FOR CORPORATION COMMISSIONER 2244 OF 2244
TOD YEAGER 70,641 30.79%
DANA MURPHY 158,755 69.21%

(REP) FOR U.S. SENATOR 2244 OF 2244
EVELYN L. ROGERS 15,087 6.09%
LEWIS KELLY SPRING 8,810 3.55%
TOM COBURN 223,968 90.36%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 1 353 OF 353
JOHN SULLIVAN 38,670 62.07%
PATRICK K. HAWORTH 1,736 2.79%
KENNETH RICE 10,394 16.68%
FRAN MOGHADDAM 1,213 1.95%
NATHAN DAHM 8,871 14.24%
CRAIG ALLEN 1,420 2.28%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 2 570 OF 570
DANIEL EDMONDS 6,882 28.31%
CHARLES THOMPSON 8,160 33.57%
RAYMOND WICKSON 1,095 4.50%
CHESTER CLEM FALLING 1,526 6.28%
HOWARD HOUCHEN 2,785 11.46%
DANIEL ARNETT 3,863 15.89%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 4 416 OF 416
TOM COLE 32,584 77.26%
R.J. HARRIS 9,592 22.74%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 5 340 OF 340
JOHNNY B. ROY 1,548 2.77%
RICK FLANIGAN 762 1.36%
SHANE JETT 5,955 10.66%
JAMES LANKFORD 18,755 33.58%
MIKE THOMPSON 10,007 17.92%
HARRY JOHNSON 686 1.23%
KEVIN CALVEY 18,143 32.48%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 4 55 OF 55
TOM LANNIGAN 408 21.10%
MARK ALLEN 1,526 78.90%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 10 61 OF 61
DAVID McLAIN 1,888 37.65%
EDDIE FIELDS 3,126 62.35%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 14 61 OF 61
FRANK SIMPSON 1,611 64.96%
JOHNNY LOARD 869 35.04%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 22 56 OF 56
BOB BARNETT 2,606 26.84%
BOB BRADWAY 1,891 19.47%
ROB JOHNSON 5,214 53.69%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 24 54 OF 54
LINDA MOLSBEE 1,514 23.03%
ANTHONY SYKES 5,060 76.97%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 28 61 OF 61
TIM CLEM 2,434 45.65%
HARRY COATES 2,898 54.35%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 30 41 OF 41
MATT JACKSON 2,934 36.41%
DAVID HOLT 5,125 63.59%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 34 48 OF 48
TIM COAGER 2,502 34.61%
RICK BRINKLEY 4,727 65.39%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 42 37 OF 37
CLIFF A ALDRIDGE 4,213 76.34%
JAMES LANE 1,306 23.66%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 44 31 OF 31
JAMES DAVENPORT 1,238 49.92%
CHARLES L. PETERS 164 6.61%
BING WINES 137 5.52%
RALPH SHORTEY 941 37.94%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 21 27 OF 27
JACK ACCOUNTIUS 284 35.86%
DUSTIN ROBERTS 508 64.14%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 27 19 OF 19
JOSH COCKROFT 744 38.10%
NORM SEABERG 421 21.56%
DONALD ROMINGER, JR. 332 17.00%
RICHARD BENNETT 456 23.35%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 28 26 OF 26
BRYAN D. CAIN 716 39.13%
TOM NEWELL 1,114 60.87%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 31 23 OF 23
JASON W. MURPHEY 3,980 74.91%
AJ JONES 1,333 25.09%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 34 17 OF 17
RYAN SMITH 1,745 79.14%
DARRELL DOUGHERTY 460 20.86%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 35 31 OF 31
DENNIS CASEY 1,823 62.91%
BILL JENNINGS 1,075 37.09%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 49 33 OF 33
TOMMY C. HARDIN 711 69.43%
JIM FISCHER 313 30.57%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 61 46 OF 46
GUS BLACKWELL 2,110 61.53%
SETH ADAMS 1,319 38.47%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 66 20 OF 20
JAY K. RAMEY 570 38.08%
JADINE NOLLAN 927 61.92%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 68 17 OF 17
HOWARD PIDCOCK 1,114 39.12%
GLEN MULREADY 1,734 60.88%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 74 17 OF 17
DAVID DERBY 3,106 66.14%
JOE KELLEY 1,590 33.86%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 76 16 OF 16
TONY CURTIS GRIFFITH 693 20.07%
DAVID BRUMBAUGH 2,760 79.93%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 85 25 OF 25
DAVID DANK 3,267 79.10%
AARON KASPEREIT 863 20.90%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 94 21 OF 21
ZANA WILLIAMS 476 24.75%
KYLE COULTER 1,447 75.25%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 100 14 OF 14
ELISE HALL 1,834 47.32%
DAVID LOOBY 1,336 34.47%
TIM McCOY 706 18.21%

(REP) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 8 51 OF 51
BRIAN HERMANSON 3,383 55.10%
MARK L. GIBSON 2,757 44.90%

(REP) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 11 36 OF 36
KEVIN D. BUCHANAN 4,523 67.45%
FREDERICK S. ESSER 2,183 32.55%

(REP) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 24 59 OF 59
DOUG MERRITT 2,447 44.87%
MAX COOK 3,007 55.13%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 7 OFF NO. 2 ELEC DIV NO. 3 103 OF 103
JIM WORRELL 3,460 16.92%
PAUL S. FAULK 4,873 23.83%
TWYLA GRAY 12,118 59.25%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 2 OFF NO. 1 59 OF 59
RICKY McPHEARSON 2,926 25.29%
DOUG HAUGHT 4,676 40.42%
RICHARD PHILLIPS 3,966 34.28%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 7 OFF NO. 7 315 OF 315
TIM RHODES 11,628 13.79%
KENT ELDRIDGE 14,382 17.06%
PAT CRAWLEY 15,962 18.93%
JACKIE SHORT 5,666 6.72%
CINDY TRUONG 28,158 33.40%
CARSON BROOKS 8,508 10.09%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 14 OFF NO. 3 277 OF 277
MARK A. ZANNOTTI 13,180 20.16%
JAMES M CAPUTO 28,409 43.46%
CLANCY SMITH 23,772 36.37%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 14 OFF NO. 13 277 OF 277
CARL FUNDERBURK 15,471 22.57%
BILL MUSSEMAN 21,502 31.37%
C.W. DAIMON JACOBS 3,101 4.52%
CAROLINE WALL 13,545 19.76%
THERESA DREILING 14,934 21.78%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 21 OFF NO. 1 140 OF 140
JONATHAN NICHOLS 16,126 41.35%
TRACY SCHUMACHER 16,735 42.91%
MICHAEL C. BELL 6,141 15.75%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 21 OFF NO. 2 140 OF 140
JOHN A. MANTOOTH 11,916 30.82%
EDWARD T. TILLERY 10,378 26.85%
GREG DIXON 16,364 42.33%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 23 OFF NO. 1 54 OF 54
BARNEY K. BARNETT 3,211 20.20%
ROBERT THOMPSON 4,841 30.45%
CINDY FERRELL ASHWOOD 7,846 49.35%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 24 OFF NO. 3 93 OF 93
JOHN MALEY 5,457 32.27%
JOHN WRIGHT 5,332 31.53%
KEN ADAIR 6,122 36.20%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, ADAIR COUNTY 18 OF 18
BARRETT HARRIS 1,367 26.44%
RALPH KEEN 809 15.65%
LIZ BROWN 2,994 57.91%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, ATOKA COUNTY 15 OF 15
REID K. MAYFIELD 115 3.94%
PRESTON HARBUCK 1,760 60.27%
RICHARD E. MAYFIELD 194 6.64%
JAMES THORNLEY 851 29.14%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, BECKHAM COUNTY 13 OF 13
MICHELLE KIRBY-ROPER 1,062 31.36%
GARY P. McGINN 261 7.71%
DAVID BROOKS 298 8.80%
BRIAN J. HENDERSON 598 17.66%
MIKE ABEL 1,167 34.47%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, CLEVELAND COUNTY 90 OF 90
TED L. RYALS 2,521 8.70%
STEPHEN BONNER 16,121 55.61%
J. MICHAEL SHERROD 4,173 14.39%
MICHAEL GARDNER 6,175 21.30%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, CREEK COUNTY 43 OF 43
WESLEY RAY THOMPSON 2,558 25.20%
MARK IHRIG 5,964 58.76%
CREEKMORE WALLACE II 1,628 16.04%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, JEFFERSON COUNTY 11 OF 11
JON TOM STATON 570 36.54%
WILLIAM W. EAKIN 329 21.09%
DENNIS GAY 661 42.37%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, KINGFISHER COUNTY 17 OF 17
SARA J. BOECKMAN 583 17.20%
DAN STAKE 678 20.00%
ROBERT E. BOB DAVIS 2,129 62.80%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, LOGAN COUNTY 23 OF 23
NORMAN HOLLINGSWORTH 772 11.89%
THOMAS R. COOK 704 10.84%
RITA JENCKS 768 11.83%
ROBERT J. WAGNER 772 11.89%
LUKE DUEL 3,478 53.56%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, MAJOR COUNTY 14 OF 14
JAMES A. WILKINSON 568 22.98%
JOHN W. McCUE II 801 32.40%
TIM HAWORTH 1,103 44.62%

Willa Johnson play the race card?

This email was sent to me:

RE: The Campaign for Shirley Darrell, Oklahoma County Commissioner District 1

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Tuesday, July 27, 2010, is an important day for our state and county. We will be electing candidates of choice to represent our needs for the next 4 years. Over the past couple of weeks we've watched and listened to political television ads and robo telephone calls.

Yesterday evening, Wednesday-July 21, 2010, I received an extreme and disturbing robo phone call from Sheriff Whetsel and Jim Roth. This call was blasphemy against my friend, Shirley Darrell. The call was placed on behalf of Willa Johnson, attempting to convince us that Shirley is dishonest and unfit for office. Enough of lies and mudslinging ---- here are the facts.

1. We are educated, intelligent, professionals, and I believe we can see through the same ole "low-down-dirty" games.

2. Shirley has not and will not stoop to such tactics. She is on point with the issues that affect all of us.

3. Monday evening, July 19, 2010, Joan White and I attended a political forum sponsored by the Fairview Baptist Church. Shirley addressed the audience and set forth her agenda.

4. Shirley proposed to freeze all property taxes for 5 years allowing property values to catch-up with the over-priced ad valorem taxes, we continue to pay. A novel idea that everyone applauded. (Approximately 125)

5. Willa Johnson, on the other hand, professed that she thought property taxes should be increased! Yes, you read this correctly, that's exactly what she said!

6. Shirley is against the $600,000.00 OR Bond program. Her belief is if people get arrested they know how to get out of jail and do not need to use our precious tax dollars to fund another county office, to get them out.

Shirley is highly educated. She has a Bachelors degree from Hampton University and a Masters [MBA] from Oklahoma City University. Previously she held the Oklahoma County District 1 seat for 16 years. During that time she constructed 16 bridges and paved hundreds of miles of 4-lane highways and inner city streets. Now, that hasn't happened since she left.

I moved back to Oklahoma City in 1998. Shortly after I moved to the Belle Isle addition our city was hit by a terrible ice storm. Shirley immediately sent her road crews to assist with de icing the streets so we could motivate in and out. In December 2009 we were once again hit by another ice and snow storm. We did not see one District 1 road crew in our neighborhood, not one. Instead we paid, from our pockets, to hire professionals to clean the streets in front of our homes, for safety sake.

I don't know about you but I would love to see a portion of my tax dollars appropriated to our neighborhood streets and gutters instead of funding "get out of jail free" programs or continued salary increases for the elected county officials. Presently, each time our taxes increase County officers receive a pay raise. They are paid $115,000/yr. base, $7,200/yr. car allowance and $1,800/yr. cell phone. This frivolous spending must stop!

Therefore, I'm asking that you vote for honesty and experience. Vote Shirley Darrell our District 1 County Commissioner. If you agree with me, please forward this to your District 1 friends and family.


Sincerely,

Eva Jo Sparks

2308 NW 57th Street

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112

North Korea vows 'physical response' to US exercise

23 July 2010 Last updated at 06:33 ET

North Korea vows 'physical response' to US exercise

North Korea has promised a "physical response" to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend.

The comments came as Asian foreign ministers met in Vietnam for a regional security forum.

The forum has been dominated by the crisis resulting from North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

The US has accused Pyongyang of engaging in "provocative" behaviour and has announced new sanctions against it.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is attending the forum, declined to comment directly on North Korea's comments, but said the door remained opened for it to return to talks if it committed to irreversible denuclearisation.

North Korea's delegation spokesman at the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum (ARF) in Hanoi said the military exercises - which begin on Sunday - were an example of 19th century "gunboat diplomacy" and went against the sovereignty and security of his country.

"It is a new century and Asian countries are in need of peace and development, and DPRK [North Korea] is also moving to that end," said Ri Tong-il.

He said the exercises went beyond defensive training and would involve "sophisticated weapon equipment".

"It is a threat to the Korean peninsula and the region of Asia as a whole. And the DPRK's position is clear: there will be a physical response to the threat imposed by the United States militarily."

Washington and Seoul say the war games - involving the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, 20 other ships and submarines, 100 aircraft and 8,000 personnel - are intended to deter North Korean aggression.

China has criticised the plans and warned against any action which might "exacerbate regional tensions".

'Provocative'

The Asean Regional Forum is working to agree a joint statement addressing inter-Korean tensions - something which has so far proved a challenging task.

The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Hanoi said there had been hopes that the forum could be a chance to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula.

But if anything, the proximity of the protagonists seems to be inflaming sentiment, our correspondent adds.

South Korea already has strong backing from the US over its condemnation of the North.

Earlier on Friday, Mrs Clinton accused Pyongyang of launching a "campaign of provocative, dangerous behaviour".

On Wednesday, the US announced it was to impose new sanctions on North Korea, aimed at halting nuclear proliferation and the import of luxury goods.

The Cheonan warship sank in March near the disputed inter-Korean maritime border with the loss of 46 South Korean sailors.

An international investigation said it was sunk by a North Korean torpedo, but Pyongyang has rejected the charge and demanded its own probe.

North Korean and US-led UN Command military officials held rare talks on the sinking on Friday in the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.

The talks lasted two hours, Yonhap news agency said. The results were not known, but they were believed to have set out the details for further higher-level talks on the issue.

Analysis

Continue reading the main story
John Sudworth
BBC News, Seoul

It is unclear of course how carefully the North Korean spokesman weighed his words before unleashing his latest verbal broadside. But the talk of a "physical response," if taken at face value, seems troubling.

Angry rhetoric from North Korea is nothing new - it serves both a domestic political purpose, keeping the enemy constantly in the forefront of its citizens' minds, and an external one, by raising tension when Pyongyang believes it is in its interests to do so.

At times the language turns flamboyant, even poetic. So it is difficult to know what to make of the latest, threatened "physical response", but on past form, it probably should not be taken at face value

U.S. Says Settling South China Sea Disputes ‘Pivotal’

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said resolving territorial disputes off China’s southern coast is “a leading diplomatic priority,” signaling her intention to intercede in a region claimed in full by the Chinese government.

Ending disagreements in the South China Sea “is pivotal to regional stability” and ensuring “unimpeded commerce,” Clinton told the 27-member Asean Regional Forum in Hanoi today, according to a State Department transcript. She later met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said there were “very, very open, sometimes heated discussion” during the forum on issues including the South China Sea and the Korean peninsula.

The Chinese government considers the entire South China Sea as its own, dismissing rival claims to islands such as the Spratlys, and is building a blue-water fleet to project power beyond its own borders.

“China’s assertiveness has caused anxieties in the region,” said Carlyle A. Thayer, professor of politics at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra. Countries around Asia “are quite happy the U.S. is doing the heavy lifting.”

‘Core Interest’ Status

Raising the South China Sea to the level of a “core interest” would put it on the same standing as Taiwan, which China views as a breakaway province to be reunited by force, if necessary. China cut military links with the U.S. in January in protest at arms sales to Taiwan, a move Defense Secretary Robert Gates said “makes little sense” and threatens regional stability.

China doesn’t see U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as “normal,” General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the People’s Liberation Army, said in Singapore last month.

China has also protested at military exercises by the U.S. off the coast of Korea that Gates said are aimed at deterring further acts of aggression by North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

In a show of the U.S.’ strategic commitment to the region, Clinton and Gates, together with Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior defense officials met in Seoul on June 21 on the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

U.S. Naval Force

The 97,000-ton USS George Washington and three destroyers arrived in the country the same day, ahead of military exercises due next week that will involve F-22 stealth fighter-bombers and hundreds of other aircraft, ships and thousands of U.S. and Korean personnel.

The U.S. drills mask a hidden aim to “pressurize and contain other big powers by force of arms in the region,” the state-run Korea Central News Agency said July 21. North Korea denies any involvement in the sinking and today accused the U.S. of “gunboat diplomacy” in sending the Washington to the region.

“There will be physical response against the steps imposed by the United States militarily,” Ri Tong Il, an official with North Korea’s delegation to the Asean Security Forum, told reporters in Hanoi today.

China, North Korea’s main ally and source of economic support, is “firmly opposed” to any threatening foreign military activities in waters off its shores, the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its website. It has so far refused to join international condemnation of North Korea for the ship sinking.

Claims Disputed

The Chinese government formally disputed the claims of Vietnam and Malaysia to part of the South China Sea’s Spratly Islands when it submitted a map to the United Nations last year asserting ownership over most of the sea. Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also lay claim to all or part of the island chain, which may contain oil and gas reserves.

China has beefed up its military over the past decade, enhancing the capability to deter U.S. ships and enforce territorial claims off its shores. Last year, Chinese fishing boats harassed two U.S. naval vessels in the South China Sea, where American forces have patrolled since World War II.

Chinese officials told U.S. counterparts in March they consider the sea a “core interest” on par with Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, Kyodo News reported on July 3, citing unidentified officials.

U.S.-Vietnam Cooperation

Clinton yesterday discussed military cooperation with Vietnam and Defense Secretary Robert Gates restored ties with special forces in Indonesia. The two countries border the South China Sea, which contains sea corridors vital to world trade.

“The United States supports a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving the various territorial disputes without coercion,” Clinton said. “We oppose the use or threat of force by any claimant.”

Asean foreign ministers are negotiating an agreement with China on a code of conduct in the sea to build on a 2002 accord that called for disputes to be resolved peacefully. Ministers hope the deal can be concluded by year’s end, Asean’s Surin said yesterday. Open shipping lanes in the sea are “really the lifeline of our commerce, of our transport for all of us,” Surin told reporters in Hanoi. China, Japan and South Korea “recognize that 85 to 90 percent of their energy source comes either from or through Southeast Asia,” he said.

Scott Pruitt's hit back with "Proven"

TRANSPARENCY IS JUST CAMPAIGN TALK!

Hat Tip to Steve Fair






SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010
Weekly Opinion/Editorial
TRANSPARENCY IS JUST CAMPAIGN TALK!
by Steve Fair

When Congress passed the $800 billion dollar federal stimulus package last year along Party lines, they required states to set up a web site where citizens could track the federal stimulus monies in their area. During his campaign President Obama said his administration would be the most transparent in history. On the White House website- http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/, it states, “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.”
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But the President’s campaign rhetoric and statement do not square with reality. Back in March during ‘Sunshine Week,’ the Associated Press issued a review of the first year of the Obama administration. The A.P. found the Obama administration had substantially increased (+49%) the use of the so-called ‘exemption’ to disclosure under the Federal of Information Act from the last year of the Bush White House. It’s clear that transparency and Chicago politics do not go hand in hand. Transparency appears to be just for the campaign trail!
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The feds have a website to track federal stimulus monies- recovery.gov. A zip code can be entered and federal stimulus projects in that area can be viewed. But the federal site has been so inaccurate (inflating jobs/wrong information) and lags so far behind that it has become a joke. Several non-official sites, operated by a variety of organizations (liberal and conservative), are available on the web for tracking the stimulus monies, but their information may or may not be accurate.
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Oklahoma got 928 awards from the federal stimulus bill for a total of $2.42 billion dollars. Thus far, the state has received around 1 billion of the $2.42 billion dollars awarded. Most of the Sooner state’s awards went to infrastructure-roads/bridges/buildings. Oklahoma set up a hotline to report abuse of the federal stimulus monies, but in the year the hotline has been in existence, not much has been reported. "The calls haven't really been fast and furious, but, the money hasn't all been out there that long," said James Finch, FBI Special Agent In Charge. It could be taxpayers didn’t know the number existed. If you know about any stimulus fraud, waste or abuse, call the statewide hotline. That number is 1-877-259-7337.
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But waste and fraud may be a subjective term when you are talking about the federal stimulus monies. Citizens against Government Waste estimates that up to sixty percent of the $800 billion is not related to ‘stimulating’ the economy.
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Congress should never have passed this huge spending bill in the first place. Former Congressman Dick Armey was right when he said, “Taxing moves money and spending moves resources.” In other words, why on God’s green earth would anyone with a pulse believe taking money (taxes) from the most productive side of the economy (private sector), which uses resources efficiently thanks to the invisible hand of the market, and give it to the most unproductive side of the economy (government) who continually wastes finite resources (spending), thanks to the visible boot of the market? But the federal stimulus bill is did pass and become law and it’s our money that is being spent. The American taxpayer has a right to know where and how our money is being spent.
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State Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore) authored SB #1759 which was signed into law by Governor Henry on June 11th. The bill carried an ‘emergency’ provision, meaning the law went into effect immediately. #1759 requires Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage to set up a web site to keep Oklahoma taxpayers informed on where their tax dollars are being spent in regard to the federal stimulus monies. As of this date, the web site is not up and running.

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The job of the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector is to make sure citizens have accountability and transparency from their local and state government. Burrage’s unwillingness or tardiness in getting this site up immediately- as required by law- reflects his lack of commitment to providing transparency for taxpayers. In a Sepember 2009 interview with KWTV Channel 9 Burrage said he was committed to making sure the federal stimulus dollars are “spent free of fraud, waste and abuse.” Until Burrage gets the website up, I guess the talk of transparency was just for the campaign trail!

Obama Gives Part of Arizona to Mexicans

Mexico's drug war heats up near Arizona border

To see how this tie in to what going on in Oklahoma, click here


Very few residents dare to drive on one of the roads out of Altar, Mexico, this watering-hole for migrants, fearing they will be stopped at gunpoint. They worry they will be told to turn around after their gas tanks are drained or, worse, be kidnapped or killed.

A shootout that left 21 people dead and six wounded on the road last week is the most gruesome sign that a relatively tranquil pocket of northern Mexico is quickly turning into a hotbed of drug-fueled violence on Arizona's doorstep. The violence in recent months is grist for supporters of the state's tough new law against illegal immigration, who are eager to portray the border as a lawless battlefield of smugglers both of drugs and humans.

Nogales, the main city in the region, which shares a border with the Arizona city of the same name, has had 131 murders so far this year, nearly surpassing 135 for all of 2009, according to a tally by the newspaper Diario de Sonora. That includes two heads found Thursday stuffed side by side between the bars of a cemetery fence.

The carnage still pales compared to other Mexican border cities, most notably Ciudad Juarez, which lies across from El Paso, Texas, which had 2,600 murders last year. But the increase shows that some small cattle-grazing towns near Nogales are now in the grip of drug traffickers who terrorize residents.

The violence is concentrated in a few villages in the mountainous desert area of Rio Altar, which, until recently, drew tourists for its handsome churches, its river, a tilapia-filled lake and cooler temperatures. The roads wind through mountains of mesquite trees and saguaro cactus.

That's where Thursday's pre-dawn shootout occurred, just 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of the border, on a deserted stretch between the villages of Tubutama and Saric. Eight vehicles and numerous weapons were found in what authorities described as a confrontation between rival gangs competing for drug and immigration routes into the U.S.

The windows and panels of some vehicles were painted with X's in white shoe polish, said Fernando Pompa, a police officer in Altar who visited the scene. Bullet casings littered the pavement.

The territory is disputed between Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who heads the Sinaloa cartel, and the Beltran Leyva cartel, whose leader, Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed in a shootout last December with Mexican marines in Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City.

Locals trace the wave of violence to the arrest in February of Jose Vazquez Villagrana, nicknamed "El Jaibil," or "The Wild Boar." Vazquez, reported to be an ally of Guzman, was captured by federal police in the nearby town of Santa Ana.

Many people have fled in the last few months, said one resident whose family has longtime roots in a village near the shootings. He asked that his only his first name, Luis, be published because he fears for his safety. His relatives abandoned their homes this spring to join him in a larger city where he lives.

"This began like a cancer in the finger and now it is spreading to other parts of the body," he said. "There comes a time when the government has absolutely no control."

Luis said schools closed early this year without explanation. Soft-drink vendors and electricity meter readers refuse to come.

Tubutama, a village of about 1,500 people with no hotel, restaurant or gas station, canceled its annual town fair last month for the first time in memory. The move came after the town's comptroller and director of public works were murdered.

Journalists who cover the small villages stopped visiting several months ago, saying it is too dangerous.

"If no one puts a stop to this, these will become ghost towns," said Jose Martin Mayoral, editor of Diario del Desierto, the newspaper in Caborca.

Despite its small size, many motorists used to pass through Tubutama because it is a hub for local roads. Now they drive longer distances on a toll road.

"It's very dangerous," said Alvaro Celaya, 57, a taxi driver in Altar, which sits just outside the danger zone. "No one will take you there anymore."

Altar, a town of about 10,000 people with a yellow-domed Roman Catholic church in its central square, has been spared the violence but is only about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Tubutama. The town's economy was booming a few years ago with taxi drivers, restaurants and lodging houses that catered to migrants preparing to cross the U.S. border illegally in the Arizona desert.

Now, a scarcity of jobs because of the U.S. economic downturn is keeping illegal immigrants away, causing Altar to fall on hard times as well.

Ana Maria Velasquez, who volunteers at the church, said there used to be 50 candles on an altar to the Virgin of Guadalupe, each left by a migrant as a good-luck ritual before crossing the border. On Sunday, there was only one.

"The migrants sustained this town," said Velasquez, 29. "Now that the flow is down, we're very bad off economically."

On many afternoons, Altar police set up checkpoints to warn residents on the road to Tubutama that it is a risky trip, said Pompa, the police officer.

More than 23,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug violence since President Felipe Calderon launched an all-out offensive on cartels in 2006.

Tony Estrada, the sheriff of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, said last week's shootout unnerved some people in his jurisdiction, which includes Nogales, Arizona.

"They don't want this happening in their backyard," he said. Everyone is just kind of on alert and watchful of what happened over there and hoping the violence will stop."

Estrada, echoing the view of many in Mexico's Rio Altar area, believes the violence will continue until one cartel assumes control or the warring factions broker a truce.

"These groups are battling for this area and you know it's going to continue," he said. "There's going to be retaliation for this."