Hoo-ah: State Senate Approves Operation Iraqi Freedom License Plates

The Oklahoma State Senate has given unanimous approval to legislation creating special vehicle tags for Oklahomans who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The author of Senate Bill 1138 is Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond.

“I was first approached about creating this special license plate by a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We’ve lost more than 70 Oklahoma soldiers in this cause, including 19 year-old Pfc. Micheal Phillips of Ardmore just this past weekend,” Lamb said. “It is important for us to honor all of the Oklahomans who have risked their lives for our country in Iraq.”

Lamb said approximately 21,182 active duty or reserve soldiers have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 5,500 Oklahoma Air and Army Guard have served two to three tours of duty.

“I think the fact that this measure was passed unanimously in both committee and on the floor shows that the State Senate supports our troops and believes this is an appropriate way to honor the thousands of Oklahoma men and women who are serving our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Lamb said.

SB 1138 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

For background see - Lamb Wins Committee Approval for Operation Iraqi Freedom License Plates

Boehner, Pelosi Battle Over Website Domain

Hat Tip to David All

Boehner, Pelosi Battle Over Website Domain
Posted by David All Tue, 2008-02-26 10:51

An interesting battle is quietly taking place in the annals of Congress (and online) that probably won't make it very far beyond the Beltway chattering class but is worth noting in this space.

The turse is between Republican Leader John Boehner, Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and House bureaucrats (hired by Pelosi) who interpret silly, outdated, and flawed House Rules governing the use of websites by Members of Congress at their discretion.

The gist of the story is that Leader Boehner's office received approval in August to use the domain name, earmarkreform.house.gov, to serve as the House Republican's hub to reform earmarks. However, just two weeks after the website went live, the House Chief Administrative Officer, Dan Beard, rescinded his approval of the domain name, calling the previous approval a "mistake," and has shut the website down.

Boehner is, rightfully, crying foul. CQ has the full scoop:

[Boehner] said he was convinced the revocation was politically motivated.

“I am writing today to register my protest over this belated change,” he wrote Beard. “Changing its address now will inevitably hamper the effectiveness of the new Web site, much to the convenience of the majority that runs the House.”

Boehner went on to allege that the change was probably related to the continued stream of stories about Democratic House members and their use of the earmarking process.

The response to Boehner:

In a statement, Beard spokesman Jeff Ventura said permission for Boehner to use the Web site was issued mistakenly. He said the CAO had determined that the address violated using a slogan in the name of any site included in the house.gov domain and that Boehner had been asked to “transition” to another address.

“The CAO is now initiating a review” of all House Web addresses “to ensure compliance with traditional formatting,” Ventura said. Any sites that are in potential conflict with the House Administration Committee’s interpretation of the rule will be reviewed by the committee.

He said the House information resources office is “working with Mr. Boehner’s staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.”

Boehner is fighting a good, worthwhile fight that conservative activists could rally behind. In fact, over at Slatecard, our donor analytics show that the issue badge, Cut The Pork, is the #1 most frequently given issue badge and is the #2 issue badge with regard to total donations:

Top Issue Badges By Frequency
1. Cut The Pork: 54
2. Pro-Life: 48
3. Protect & Defend America: 46
4. Jobs & Economy: 36
5. Conservation Of Resources: 33

Top Issue Badges By Total Dollars
1. Protect & Defend America: $9,435.99
2. Cut The Pork: $6,593.00
3. Available and Affordable Health Care: $4,825.00
4. Jobs & Economy: $4,337.00
5. Defeat Radical Islam: $3,525.00

However, the truth of the matter is that, when live and operational, the website probably wasn't actually doing much good with regard to changing the narrative about House Republicans and earmarks. However, it was a strong step in the right direction as a positive embrace of the Internet by Republicans and a very real hub of information/efforts toward one single goal.

But, now, in its death -- we're all writing about the fact that John Boehner's efforts to reform earmarks is being crippled not by a team of appropriators -- but by Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies.

That's a win for his communications team. A scoop of porridge if you'll have it.

Boehner Cries Foul After House
CAO Revokes GOP Web Address

By Edward Epstein, CQ Staff

House Minority Leader Rep. John A. Boehner wants his Web site address back.

The Ohio Republican on Thursday protested a decision by House Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard to revoke his staff’s earlier approval for Boehner to use the address www.earmarkreform.house.gov.

The site, which House GOP leaders set up to promote their ideas for making further changes to the congressional earmark system and to pressure Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders to support them, had gone online earlier this month.

Boehner had received permission to use the Web address in an Aug. 18 letter from the House Information Resources office. The GOP site went online earlier this month.

Boehner got another letter this week telling him that permission had been rescinded.

He said he was convinced the revocation was politically motivated.

“I am writing today to register my protest over this belated change,” he wrote Beard. “Changing its address now will inevitably hamper the effectiveness of the new Web site, much to the convenience of the majority that runs the House.”

Boehner went on to allege that the change was probably related to the continued stream of stories about Democratic House members and their use of the earmarking process.

In a statement, Beard spokesman Jeff Ventura said permission for Boehner to use the Web site was issued mistakenly. He said the CAO had determined that the address violated using a slogan in the name of any site included in the house.gov domain and that Boehner had been asked to “transition” to another address.

“The CAO is now initiating a review” of all House Web addresses “to ensure compliance with traditional formatting,” Ventura said. Any sites that are in potential conflict with the House Administration Committee’s interpretation of the rule will be reviewed by the committee.

He said the House information resources office is “working with Mr. Boehner’s staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.”

Analyst warns of third Islamic terrorist wave, enabled by Internet

Analyst warns of third Islamic terrorist wave, enabled by Internet

By Greg Grant ggrant@govexec.com

Al Qaeda is not the central planning, recruiting and organizing force for global terrorism it once was, but has become more of a brand name that leaderless terrorist groups around the world assume to gain recognition and notoriety, according to a leading terrorist expert.

The third wave of terrorists comprises mostly "terrorist wannabes," said Marc Sageman, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, who was a CIA case officer in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

They are a post-Iraq terrorist generation made up predominately of Muslims in Europe who feel shut out of the labor market, said Sageman, speaking in Washington on Feb. 20 at an event sponsored by the New America Foundation. They become increasingly radicalized by shared group discontent and join the terrorist jihad in a quest for glory and heroism, he added.

These dissidents typically don't associate face to face, rather their interaction has shifted to Internet chat rooms and online forums, which act as "echo chambers" where anger intensifies and participants become more radicalized, Sageman said. The virtual world enables the natural dynamic of "in-group love and out-group hate," in which jihadists become more withdrawn from society and associate only with radical and like-minded thinkers.

The Internet also is transforming the demographics of the modern terrorist threat, he said, as younger people, who constantly troll Web sites, and women, traditionally excluded from political participation because of religious reasons, are able to become involved in activism. While the post-Sept. 11 security environment is much more hostile toward terrorist aspirants, the Internet permits scattered groups to connect virtually.

Sageman said the first wave of terrorists were early companions of Osama bin Laden, who went to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight Soviet invaders. Called Afghan Arabs, most being Egyptian, they are the surviving leaders of al Qaeda. Bin Laden only trusts and has contact with this hard-core group of original al Qaeda members. The second wave joined al Qaeda in Afghanistan in the 1990s, he said, and is made up mostly of disenfranchised Muslims from Europe. Both groups, which number around 2,000, remain isolated and hidden in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

The third wave sprung up organically, linking virtually with other networks, but because of the war on terror they have been unable to travel to this region for al Qaeda training and resources. Far more terrorist plots originate with this latest wave, Sageman said, but generally, they are poorly planned and the terrorists usually are arrested before they carry out an attack.

The latest terrorist wave is largely a self-limiting threat, Sageman said, because it's made up mostly of bored, unemployed young people with fantasies of glory and thrills. That profile lacks the ideological commitment to jihad that is typical of the older al Qaeda generation. Feeling shut out of the local labor market, they turn to crime and, in many cases, join gangs. They typically lead a life of crime for about a decade and then turn to religion as a salvation, he added, proceeding down a path of radicalization and violence sparked by moral outrage.

Sageman, a forensic psychiatrist who examined the cases of nearly 500 known terrorists in his book 'Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the 21st Century' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007), found no single characteristic that explains why somebody becomes a terrorist. The most common trait among terrorists is shared relationship. More than two-thirds of the cases he examined were either friends who associated at the local mosque and then joined terrorist organizations collectively or were relatives who joined the family business.

"Most small groups of jihadists are trusted friends, who have spontaneously self-organized, with no top down al Qaeda recruitment program," Sageman said. This pattern also was identified by Islamic scholar Olivier Roy in his book 'Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah' (Columbia University Press, 2004). He labeled it franchising. Groups organize based on local solidarities, such as neighborhood, family or tribe and take on the al Qaeda label, but with no actual ties to the organization."

The pool of potential Mujaheddin is composed of small clusters of close friends, relatives, worshippers and disciples, who are connected through strong bonds," Sageman said. "This group becomes self-sufficient and closes in on itself. This social isolation protects the group.

"Since the Sept. 11 attacks, terrorist arrests in the United States have targeted 60 people, he said. During the same period in Europe, terrorist arrests totaled 2,400. More Muslims there turn to terrorism than in the United States because most European countries are built on a notion of national essence, Sageman said, which can shut out other cultures. Muslims in Europe also face a tough job market and high unemployment, he said, factors that foster disenfranchisement, anger and radicalization.

In the United States, the idea of a national melting pot and the American dream tend to weaken the appeal of jihadism among Muslim Americans. The ones who migrate to the United States typically are university professors, engineers, physicians and business professionals who more easily enter the labor force. The average Muslim family in America makes about $70,000 per year, compared with the national average of $48,000, Sageman said.

Many warn of al Qaeda and its jihadist appeal spreading throughout the Muslim world. But Sageman said in every instance al Qaeda has attempted to shift from terrorism to governing, it has been rejected. He cited Algeria in the 1990s, Afghanistan in 2001 and most recently, the Anbar province of Iraq.

The result is a Taliban-like regime, such as the one that arose in Afghanistan in the 1990s, he said. The Taliban was rejected for its harsh measures and piety when a stronger armed movement, the U.S. military, arrived in 2001.

The idea of establishing an al Qaeda regime is not the reason people become terrorists, Sageman said, rather it's about the process of trying to become heroes and finding something appealing in their unsatisfying and boring lives.

Bill Prohibits Sale or Lease of State Turnpikes to Foreign Companies

With several states turning to plans to sell or lease their turnpikes to private companies in an effort to raise capital, a measure that passed today out of the House General Government and Transportation Committee would prevent the same thing from happening in Oklahoma.

House Bill 3182, by state Rep. Sally Kern, would
prohibit the Oklahoma Transportation Commission
and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority from entering
into any contract or lease agreement with a foreign
company or any majority-owned subsidiary of a
foreign company to operate or maintain any
state-owned turnpike.

Recently, the privatization of state assets has become
a hotly debated issue throughout the nation, and Kern
said that should worry citizens. Kern said such
privatization plans harm citizens because private
companies can raise fees and neglect maintenance
without reprisal from citizens in the voting booth.

"These companies are concerned only with profit
margin; they're not concerned with providing low
costs, access and basic services to citizens," said
Kern, R-Oklahoma City. "Oklahoma citizens count
on our toll roads to take them back and forth to
work, to shop and to bring them goods and services.
Focusing solely on short-term cash flow problems
could create severe long-term consequences for our
state.

"Our toll road system is a multi-billion dollar public
asset. Giving up control of it could result in excessively
increased tolls and higher prices for consumer goods
because shipping costs will be passed on at the register.
The cost is far too great to even consider."

In 2004, the City of Chicago leased its eight-mile Chicago
Skyway to Spanish corporation Cintra for $1.82 billion.
In 2006, Indiana leased its 157-mile Indiana Tollroad to
Cintra for $3.8 billion.

The measure now moves to the House floor for a vote by
the full body.

SENATE GOP FLOOR LEADER RESPONDS TO DEMOCRAT ATTACK

State Senate Democrat Floor Leader Charles Laster attacked Republicans in an after-business-hours news release late Friday, criticizing GOP senators for votes on several bills related to health insurance.
Senate Republican Floor Leader Owen Laughlin responded, saying one criticism in particular made him chuckle.

“Senator Laster criticized Republicans for defeating a bill that would have recreated the State Board for Property and Casualty Rates, insinuating that bringing back this government bureaucracy would somehow reduce insurance costs,” said Laughlin, R-Woodward.

“That’s pretty funny because in 2006 Senator Laster actually authored the bill that repealed this board from state law. I guess he was against it before he was for it,” he said.

In 2006 Laster was the author of House Bill 2905, the bill that repealed the State Board for Property and Casualty Rates and reassigned the board’s duties to the Insurance Commissioner. In 2005 Laster also co-authored SB 1X, a workers compensation bill that rendered the board obsolete.

“Senate Democrats have done more to increase the cost of health insurance than anyone at the Capitol,” said Laughlin. “They’ve opposed lawsuit reform, they’ve pushed for more government-run health care, and they’ve pushed for expensive mandates that have increased the cost of health insurance policies.”

“More government regulation has never lowered the cost of anything,” Laughlin stated. “Republicans believe increased competition makes insurance more affordable.”

Laughlin is disappointed by Laster’s attack because both parties have worked well together this year in the evenly divided Senate.

“Senate Republicans have worked very hard to extend the hand of bipartisanship this session, so it will be very disappointing if Senator Laster’s negative news release is a harbinger of things to come,” said Laughlin. “But Senate Republicans won’t let these attacks interfere with our dedication to doing the business of the citizens and taxpayers of Oklahoma.”

Laughlin also noted the irony of a Senate Democrat complaining about bills dying in a committee.

“It is ironic that Senate Democrats would criticize anyone for killing legislation in a committee considering they have bottled up Republican-authored pro-life bills and lawsuit reform for years,” he said.

The Senate is currently tied with 24 Republicans and 24 Democrats. The State Senate operates under a power-sharing agreement between the two parties.

Appropriations Committee Passes Charter School Pilot Program

A bill by State Senator John Ford, who represents Craig, Nowata and Washington counties, that will establish a charter school district pilot program passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee by a 10-6 vote.

Currently, certain school districts are allowed to have individual charter schools within their jurisdiction. Charter schools are supported by state funding, but exempt from many state regulations. Senate Bill 2100 would establish a trial program allowing 10 entire school districts in Oklahoma to become charter districts.

Senator Ford recognized the opportunity of Senate Bill 2100 and praised its passage.

“With school districts given the choice to become a charter district, we are making way for creativity in education and giving parents more opportunities and options for their children’s education,” he said.

“In this innovative pilot program, the burden of many state mandates is removed, the locally elected school board is given more input in what happens in the district, and at the same time, the state retains oversight.”


In Senate Bill 2100, a seven member board will be established that will create criteria for a school district to become a charter district. With this bill, if a district becomes a charter district, there will be no change to funding for that district. SB 2100 will now be sent to the Senate floor for debate.

Nader to Run for White House, Again

Longtime consumer advocate and two-time Green Party nominee for president, Ralph Nader announced today on NBC's Meet the Press that he is launching another bid for the White House. Nader ran in both 2000 and 2004, and still draws the ire of countless Democrats who blame Nader for George Bush's victory over Al Gore in Florida eight years ago.

In announcing his run Nader said voters were disenchanted by both major parties and that issues like corporate greed were being largely ignored. Asked yesterday about the prospect of another Nader White House bid, Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama said he wasn't that concerned that Nader would ciphon off votes from the Democratic nominee, citing the enthusiasm within the party for 2008.

Now, Nader faces the task of once again getting on the ballot in key states.

HOO-AH: 'The Green Berets' author Moore dies

'The Green Berets' author Moore dies
By Henry Cuningham
Military editor, The Fayetteville Observer

Robin Moore, whose novel “The Green Berets” helped shape the public image of Special Forces, died Thursday in Hopkinsville, Ky., after a long illness. He was 82.

The Fort Bragg Special Forces community Friday mourned the passing of the author, who also helped Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler write its anthem, ‘‘The Ballad of the Green Berets.’’ The song is played at Special Forces ceremonies.

Maj. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, said in a statement: “All Special Forces soldiers, past and present, mourn the passing of Robin Moore; he was a valued and trusted member of the special operations family. Robin was a devoted advocate and a true ambassador for the ‘Green Beret’ and all they stand for.”

Visitations will be held Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and at 10 a.m. March 1 at Lamb Funeral Home in Hopkinsville, Ky. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. March 1 at Grace Episcopal Church in Hopkinsville.

Memorial donations may be made to Special Forces Association Chapter 38, P.O. Box 223, Fort Campbell, KY 42223.

Mr. Moore also was the author of ‘‘The French Connection,’’ and ‘‘The Happy Hooker.’’


Mr. Moore continued to visit Fayetteville and stayed in touch with the Special Forces community. His 2003 book, ‘‘The Hunt for Bin Laden: Task Force Dagger,’’ takes readers from the initial top secret meeting of the task force in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 11, 2001, through the war in Afghanistan.

In 1989, Mr. Moore received a Special Forces tab at Fort Bragg for being the only civilian to complete the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1963 for research of his novel, on which a John Wayne movie was later based. The movie, released in 1968, was one of the few pro-military films during the turbulent Vietnam era.

Successful completion of the course entitles soldiers to don the green beret and wear the Special Forces tab, a curved cloth insignia, on their left shoulder, and join a Special Forces group.

Mr. Moore got a standing ovation at the graduation ceremony of the latest Special Forces “Q” course at the auditorium of Fort Bragg’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, which conducts Special Forces training.

“Twenty-six years later!” Mr. Moore said after returning to his seat. “I can’t think of a more glorious way of getting it. It was worth waiting all those years.”

He said he also took airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga., several months before enrolling in the “Q” course.

Mr. Moore said the Special Forces tab was not awarded when he went through the course, and he “never got around to” obtaining one.

It was Mr. Moore’s partnership with the late Lt. Gen. William P. Yarborough that helped form the public perception of Special Forces.

Mr. Moore said Lt. Gen. Yarborough enabled him to go through the course “and kept an eye on me like you wouldn’t believe.” Lt. Gen. Yarborough died in Pinehurst in 2005 at age 93. Lt. Gen. Yarborough helped develop Army parachuting and prompted President John F. Kennedy to approve the green beret as official headgear for Special Forces in 1961.

Asked if officials gave him special consideration for being a civilian, Mr. Moore said, “None at all. I didn’t want them to.”

Mr. Moore died Thursday night at a hospital in southwestern Kentucky, said Dennis Monroe with Lamb Funeral Home.

Mr. Moore has said he moved to the small town in 2005 with his wife, Helen, because it borders Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Tennessee border that is headquarters to a Green Beret group.

Published books
Born Robert L. Moore Jr. on Oct. 31, 1925, in Massachusetts, he wrote his books under the name Robin Moore. Among his best known were “The Green Berets,” published in 1965 and “The French Connection,” published in 1969. He also helped write “The Happy Hooker,” which was published in 1972.

He co-wrote “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” which became the signature song of the Special Forces unit.

Maj. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, deputy commander of the Army’s Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, called Mr. Moore a “devoted advocate” for the Special Forces and said his writings became textbooks for the Army’s unconventional forces.

“They were both educational and inspirational and introduced the world to the Green Berets,” Maj. Gen. Harrell said in a statement posted Friday on an Army Special Forces Web site. “He will be missed.”

“The Green Berets” was written following Mr. Moore’s service alongside soldiers with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam as a civilian author.

“The French Connection,” about a New York drug bust, inspired a movie that won five Academy Awards in 1971, including best picture.

A complete list of Mr. Moore’s survivors wasn’t available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Military editor Henry Cuningham can be reached at cuninghamh@fayobserver.com or 486-3585.

Can’t link poultry litter to disease, scientist says

Can’t link poultry litter to disease,
scientist says
BY ROBERT J. SMITH
Posted on Saturday, February 23, 2008

TULSA — Oklahoma can’t produce any evidence to connect disease rates in the Illinois River watershed to poultry-litter spreading, an epidemiologist testified Friday.

Herman Gibb, senior epidemiologist with Alexandria, Va.-based Sciences International Inc., told U. S. District Court Judge Gregory Frizzell that there’s no way for Oklahoma to tie the few incidents of salmonella and campylobacter in each of several Oklahoma and Arkansas counties to poultry litter.

Gibb’s comments contradicted Wednesday’s testimony by Christopher Teaf, a toxicologist and associate director of biomedical research at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Teaf testified for the state, saying poultry litter is responsible for human diseases that occur in the watershed.

John Elrod, an attorney representing Simmons Foods of Siloam Springs, asked Gibb if it would be “intellectually honest” to connect poultry litter to disease rates in the watershed counties.

“It certainly doesn’t appear we’ve got any more impairment in the Illinois River watershed than in the rest of the state,” Gibb said.

Poultry companies on Friday got their first chance to present expert witnesses, including Gibb, against Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s request for a preliminary injunction.

Edmondson wants the court to ban poultry litter from farm fields in the watershed, contending poultry litter is solid waste under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and that it threatens human health.

The seven-day hearing, one aspect of the lawsuit Edmondson filed against eight poultry companies in 2005, started Tuesday, and Oklahoma’s expert witnesses testified through mid-day Friday.

During a break Friday after- noon, Edmondson said that Frizzell told state attorneys they faced an “uphill climb” to convince him to consider evidence presented Thursday by Jody Harwood, a University of South Florida biology professor who said she’d found a way to trace bacteria from poultry houses to streams.

Jay Jorgensen, an attorney representing Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc., referred to Harwood’s work in court on Thursday as “novel,” cutting edge ” and “revolutionary.” For those reasons, and because it hasn’t faced the scrutiny of her peers, poultry company attorneys want Frizzell to discount Harwood’s testimony and research.

Frizzell hasn’t said whether he’ll consider it.

A 1993 U. S. Supreme Court decision in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. suggested that judges look closely at the scientific evidence of expert witnesses, and whether their work has been published in scientific journals and put up to scrutiny of their peers.

Edmondson said Harwood’s work is valuable but removing it wouldn’t weaken the state’s request for an injunction.

“They haven’t poked any holes in our case that are significant,” he said outside the courtroom Friday.

The work of Roger Olsen, an environmental consultant in the Denver office of Cambridge, Mass.-based consultant Camp Dresser & McKee, is critical to what the state believes it has proved, Edmondson said.

Olsen, who oversaw every aspect of the state’s research, testified on Thursday and Friday. He said he’s discovered poultry litter contains a chemical signature that’s unique from other things in the environment.

The signature’s 25 components can be found in other places, but not in the same amounts as in poultry litter.

However, Olsen said that he hadn’t tested everything. He collected samples from septic tanks, for example, and never tested those samples for the components.

“Is presence the only factor in the analysis ?” asked David Page, a private lawyer working for the state on the case.

“It’s the presence and the concentration,” Olsen said.

“Is your opinion supported by other lines of evidence ?” Page asked.

“We found it from the very source all the way to Lake Tenkiller,” Olsen said, referring to the lake near Tahlequah, Okla, and is fed by the Illinois.

Olsen’s conclusions were based on samples taken by Camp Dresser & McKee researchers who collected hundreds of soil, water and poultry-litter samples.

Jay Churchill, an environmental engineer with Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, was hired by the poultry companies to monitor the sampling. In court Friday, Churchill described the sampling as sloppy, saying many workers taking samples failed to meet basic procedures for how samples should be obtained.

Workers didn’t clean shovels and other equipment between samples. They poked steel probes through cow manure to take soil samples. They rarely changed rubber gloves, allowing one sample to taint another, Churchill said.

“Quite frankly, they appeared to be rookies,” Churchill said.

Page accused Churchill of failing to take his own samples if he believed the ones the state collected weren’t fair.

“Your job was to just be out there and take pictures on a ‘gotcha’ kind of basis,” Page said.

“Our job was to observe,” Churchill said.

The hearing will continue March 3, with more testimony from witnesses for the poultry companies.

Letters to the Editor: Better behavior expected

Better behavior expected
Letters to the Oklahoman Editor

"Labor chief sent to detox in incident” (news story, Feb. 19) tells of state Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields being suspected of "borrowing” a guitar while possibly being under the influence. "Auditor case moves ahead; State House votes in favor of forming impeachment panel” (news story, Feb. 19) describes our state auditor encountering a little impeachment problem (he's already been indicted) and "State picks up tab for Cargill's mailed apology (Associated Press news story, Feb. 19) is about our former House speaker (who resigned that post) using our tax dollars to send apology letters to his constituents, after he had difficulty remembering to pay his property taxes and file his state income tax returns.

These revelations follow the excellent adventures of Carroll Fisher, Gene Stipe and a few others who've graced the headlines within the past couple of years. It's about time we notified these folks that they work for us and we expect better behavior than we've gotten lately. Oklahomans are honest, decent, hardworking folks. The attributes are apparently in limited supply at the state Capitol.

Jeff Wyatt, Choctaw

Congressman Cole can you hear me?

Congressman Cole can you hear me?

An open letter to Congressman Tom Cole...

Editor, The Norman Transcript:

An open letter to Congressman Tom Cole: I have made three attempts to contact you through your office via e-mail and telephone. I was assured by your staff that you would receive my e-mail and my concerns that I expressed to you over the telephone.

In my opinion, no response, is a response of sorts. My concern was, what has happened to the $3 billion President Bush signed into law to build more border fence lines to protect our already porous border to the south. Not only do illegal aliens continue to defy federal law by crossing our borders illegally, but billions of dollars worth of narcotics come into our country keeping the Mexican drug cartels wealthy.

My other concern is the Canada/United States/Mexico Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America that met on March 23, 2005, with President Bush and the other two leaders from Canada and Mexico.

These are my questions, Congressman Cole and I expect some straight answers. Was Congress notified of this meeting? If so, was a Congressional committee selected to study this proposal prior to the meeting date? If the answer is no to both questions, then why? As an American citizen and a Vietnam veteran that has served my country honorably, I believe that you have demonstrated to me a total lack of concern over these issues. I know that there are many Oklahomans that share my concerns. You are supposed to be our voice in a democracy, in my opinion you have failed miserably. When your time comes for re-election, please rest assured that I will remind all Oklahomans of your lack of response to my questions. In my opinion Oklahoma deserves better.

PRESTON S. WILLIAMS

Oklahoma Director

Minuteman Civil Defense Corp.

State corruption cases come in bunches

State corruption cases come in bunches
By RON JENKINS

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ It's been a rough time for some elected officials in Oklahoma in recent months, leading citizens to question what's going on and causing soul searching over the state's level of corruption.

Gov. Brad Henry is among those who discount the notion that public corruption is any more prevalent in Oklahoma than in most other states, despite a rash of officials being charged with crimes or caught in embarrassing situations.

"Oklahomans are some of the most caring, most ethical people in the country and I think Oklahoma state elected officials are, too," Henry said. "Unfortunately, we've had some unfortunate situations here in the last several months.

"But we need to let the criminal and legislative processes play out and see what happens before we make any ultimate determinations."

William S. Price is a former U.S. attorney in Oklahoma whose office won convictions against 240 county commissioners, former commissioners and material suppliers during the late 1970s and early 1980s in what the FBI classified as the most widespread corruption case in U.S. history.

Price believes public corruption in Oklahoma could be a systemic problem caused partly by a lack of checks and balances in the county commissioner system of government, with officials developing bad habits they take with them to higher office.

But he also says he does not believe corruption is a cultural problem in Oklahoma, like it is elsewhere in the country.

"We never had trouble getting convictions," he said. "I think when the people of Oklahoma learn of corruption involving their public officials they tend to demand their resignation. They tend to put them in jail."

"I don't think we are any more corrupt than anybody else by a long shot," adds John Raley, a former U.S. attorney in Muskogee and a member of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Raley is an outspoken proponent of restricting spending by lobbyists and increased public disclosure of activities of legislators and state officials.

Figures compiled by the Public Integrity Division of the Justice Department in a 2007 report to Congress lends credence to the comments of Henry, Price and Raley.

The report showed that over a decade ending in 2006, there were 106 federal convictions in public corruption cases involving judicial districts in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Muskogee.

That is a fraction of convictions in jurisdictions in larger states, led by 574 in northern Florida, 412 in northern Illinois, 399 in central California, 377 in New Jersey, 362 in northern Ohio, 359 in eastern Pennsylvania and 352 in southern New York.

But in the last few months, those "unfortunate situations" Henry spoke of have dominated the news amid calls in the Legislature for ethics reform.

Among other things:

— State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife have been hit with federal charges tied to allegedly accepting jewelry and other gifts, plus excessive campaign contributions, from a man implicated in another public corruption case.

— Rep. Lance Cargill was forced to resign as House speaker after he faced insurrection from fellow caucus members over ethics questions and late payment of income and property taxes. Some lawmakers said their constituents were angered by the tax disclosures.

— Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields was compelled to issue a public apology after he was taken from a party for rodeo performers to a detox center. Witnesses said Fields tried to walk away with an expensive guitar at the party. Fields said it was a practical joke gone bad.

Former Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher is currently in prison on a state embezzlement charge linked to campaign financing and is awaiting trial on bribery and corruption charges.

The decade began with a scandal at the Oklahoma Department of Health, with the acting commissioner of health being convicted on federal bribery charges.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma attorney general prosecuted several other Health Department employees and officials as ghost employees who did little or no work for their pay and benefits.

As McMahan awaits a federal trial in Muskogee, the new speaker of the House, Rep. Chris Benge of Tulsa, has appointed a committee to study the possibility of bringing impeachment articles against the state official.

Fisher was impeached by the House in 2004 and resigned before a Senate trial. It was the first impeachment since former Secretary of State John Rogers in 1975. The last trial by the Senate led to the conviction of former Supreme Court Justice N.B. Johnston in a bribery case.

Oklahoma has had its share of high-profile public corruption cases over the last few decades, the most notable leading to a federal prison term in the mid-1970s for former Gov. David Hall. A former Tulsa prosecutor, Hall was convicted in a bribery-extortion case linked to the investment of retirement funds.

David Walters, another former governor, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense tied to an alleged scheme to collect excessive campaign donations when he was a candidate. The offense has been expunged from the court records under an agreement with prosecutors.

In another sensational case from the 1990s, Patricia Whitehead, deputy state treasurer and two others were convicted of federal crimes in a kickback scheme that involved $6.7 million in illegal payments from investment of state funds. Treasurer Claudette Henry was never charged in the case, but the scandal led to her defeat for re-election in 1994. She died after a long illness five years later.

Several legislators and former legislators have been charged with various crimes over the years, ranging from accepting bribes to cocaine distribution.

Most recently, former Rep. Mike Mass pleaded guilty to mail fraud for allegedly conspiring with ex-Sen. Gene Stipe and others to defraud taxpayers through improper use of economic development funds appropriated by the Legislature.

Kiowa businessman Steve Phipps is a key witness for the federal government in that case and in the case against McMahan. Phipps was a longtime business partner of Stipe and was the owner of abstract companies regulated by McMahan's office.

Stipe has been found to have dementia and declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. The government is trying to commit him to a federal prison hospital.

The determination of incompetency against Stipe came as prosecutors were attempting to revoke his probation for a previous campaign law violation.

Stipe's trial is pending in the corruption case in which his brother, Francis, also is charged.

Indictments accuse the Stipes of illegally steering state money to private businesses. They also are accused of witness tampering by purchasing a house for Mass.

While saying Oklahoma juries are among "the least tolerant of corruption," Price said his talks with other prosecutors led him to believe convictions are not so easy to come by in other areas of the country.

He said the Oklahoma public's staunch stand against corruption has not been "true in Louisiana at all, and I don't think it is true in some of the big cities of the Northeast."

On the other hand, he said a tier of northern and midwestern states without huge cities have had relatively little corruption by comparison, mentioning Oregon, Minnesota and Wisconsin and Maine.

Price said local government corruption appears to be a problem in Oklahoma and many southern states that have a county commissioner form of government, where three people exercise a lot of power on their own.

He said Kansas had a county manager form of government and has not had the same problems.

Are Our Children Getting Left Behind?

Are Our Children
Getting Left Behind?

No one has been a greater supporter of the No Child Left Behind Act than I because it reflects the goals for which many of us have been working for in the Oklahoma State Legislature. However, through the years I have become more and more frustrated and disenchanted with NCLB because of its implementation in Oklahoma. It can be said that even though our plan has met the letter of the law, we have missed the intent by miles.

A 2007 NCLB report stated that Oklahoma is one of four states on its way to achieving its NCLB goal! Of course Oklahoma is on its way to achieving its goal because our goal in reading is equivalent to “Below Basic” on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The approval of loopholes big enough for the proverbial Mack Truck to drive through allows Oklahoma exemptions from being responsible for most, if not, all children.

Our own Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) continually uses the term “federally approved” for all NCLB decisions. Here are some examples:

1. The federally approved high school graduation rate goal was 68% through 2014 until that rate was challenged by the Legislature and the media.

2. The federally approved high school graduation data system was ruled arbitrary and capricious in 2007.

3. The federally approved high school graduation formula has allowed Oklahoma to defer transparency and accountability in accurately counting graduates and dropouts.

4. The United States Department of Education is encouraging all states to enter into the National Governor’s Association (NGA) Graduation Formula Compact for the purposes of real accountability and comparison across states. Currently, Oklahoma has at least four different graduation percentages reported in various publications:
a. A state department senior year graduation rate of 97.1%
b. An NCLB graduation rate of 88%
c. A USDE graduation rate of 80%
d. A comparable NGA graduation rate of 70%

5. The federally approved n of 52 in all subgroups excludes approximately 65,000 children (about 20%) from accountability at school sites cross the state. This gives the perception that all students in these schools are performing successfully, when they actually may not be.

6. The OSDE maintains that Oklahoma cannot have its own state accountability system per the requirement of NCLB.

7. OSDE maintains that the state legislature has no control or oversight over NCLB per NCLB requirements. While that may be true, the OSDE failed to say that Oklahoma can submit a request to amend our previously approved plan.

It is unfortunate that in the last few years the USDE has approved loopholes and flexibility which have benefited the bureaucrats and their need to look good, and which at the same time allowed them to cheat our children out of the kind of quality education they deserve. It is time for the deception, obfuscation, and confusion which amount to education malpractice to end. When the facts are transparent, then real reform can begin, and perhaps we will not leave any more children behind.

Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson
Senate District #45

Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk
By Senator Glenn Coffee, Co-President Pro Tempore
February 22, 2008

One of the top priorities for Senate Republicans is to streamline government in ways that make our agencies more efficient and effective. I am personally carrying legislation this session aimed at doing just that—but I also know such change seldom comes without opposition. People, especially those in government, are often resistant to change. They prefer the familiar and often it can simply come down to turf battles. But the money that funds those agencies and the services they provide ultimately belong to the taxpayers of this state—and we owe it to them to do the best job we can with the resources available. In the coming weeks the full Senate will vote on SB 1709, a bill that would merge the state medical examiner’s office with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Several other states already have medical examiner systems that are part of state law enforcement agencies, so this is not an untried concept. But the benefits would be many.

This move would free the Chief Medical Examiner from day-to-day administrative duties, providing more time to actually conduct forensic examinations. The move would also allow OSBI and CME to share legal staff, public information staff, information technology services, human resources and other duties. Beyond ending duplication in administrative functions, there are other critical advantages that would enhance the mission of the medical examiner’s office. CME would now have access to OSBI’s state-of-the-art evidence tracking system, making evidence collection, analysis and preservation more effective and efficient. In addition, OSBI forensic toxicologists and CME pathological toxicologists could be cross-trained to augment and assist one another.

As we have already seen in other states, the integrity of evidence for criminal proceedings will be preserved and ultimately enhanced through the availability of greater forensic resources. Enabling the personnel of the medical examiner’s office to focus on that work instead of the paperwork of running an office will also reduce backlog and result in better Oklahomans who depend on their services.

I am confident in the integrity of the OSBI, and I fully believe this bill will help our state do a more efficient job of processing the forensic tests required in both criminal and civil proceedings. If I had any doubt about that, I would not have authored this measure.

Senate Review by Senator Randy Brogdon

Senate Review
by Senator Randy Brogdon
February 22, 2008

When drafting bills each legislative session, decisions should be based upon the priorities of Oklahomans. Working to achieve what makes our state better and protects the citizens of Oklahoma is the focus necessary at the State Capitol.

A critical issue we face as a state and a nation is suicide deaths. Last week this issue was addressed when my Senate Bill 2000 was passed out of committee, which expands Oklahoma’s Youth Suicide Prevention Act. Suicide prevention is needed across the entire age spectrum, not just in our youth that have been the main focal point.

In removing the spotlight solely on young people, the revised act would simply be known as the Suicide Prevention Act. To accommodate this new focus, the name Youth Suicide Prevention Council would also be changed to the Oklahoma Suicide Prevention Council.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults. In 2001, Oklahoma created the Youth Suicide Prevention Act with the mission of finding ways to prevent suicide among our young people.


Recently, frightening increases have been discovered in the number of suicides in age groups other than young adults. Nationally, suicide rates increased 20 percent between 1999 and 2004 for people between the ages of 45 and 54. In 2004 alone, the vast majority of suicides occurred in adults between the ages of 40 and 64.

Clearly it is time for us to rethink suicide prevention and focus our attention on more than just teenagers and young adults. In light of these findings, I authored Senate Bill 2000.

The scope of focus has been expanded in this legislation to include all adult age groups to insure we represent citizens across the lifespan. Suicide is devastating regardless of age and ways to prevent such a tragedy must be sought out. With medical attention, we can make a difference and save lives of all ages.

Senate Bill 2000 was approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and will next be heard by the full Senate. We know through education and medical treatment, we can prevent suicide deaths in our state, and this legislation will help us achieve this goal. I am hopeful my fellow members in the Senate and in the House will act quickly to move this bill to the governor for his approval.

For further assistance, there is a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available 24 hours a day. The number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). All calls are confidential.

I am honored to serve you in the in the State Senate and can be reached by writing to Senator Randy Brogdon, Room 416, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, or by calling (405) 521-5566, or email at brogdon@oksenate.gov.

Respectfully,

Randy Brogdon

Senate District #34

Bill to Cap Property Tax Passes Appropriations Committee

Bill to Cap Property Tax
Passes Appropriations Committee

State Sen. Jim Reynolds’ bill to slow down property tax increases received the approval of the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday. It next goes to the full Senate.

Senate Joint Resolution 59 would send to a vote of the people Reynolds’ proposal to cap at 3% the amount that property value assessments can grow each year. Reynolds said the current cap of 5% is too high.

“The number one complaint I hear from my constituents is that their property taxes are growing too fast,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.

“Unfortunately, in many counties across the state, there seems to be an automatic 5% increase each year, which is almost double the average rate of inflation since the year 2000. My proposal will give the people of Oklahoma the chance to put the breaks on out of control property tax hikes,” he said.

Since 2000, the average U.S. inflation rate is 2.7%.

House GOP Confronts 'Irregularities'

House GOP Confronts 'Irregularities'
Republicans Worry About State of Campaign Coffers
By Ben Pershing
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Friday, February 22, 2008; Page A21

As if their list of disadvantages in the November elections is not long enough, House Republicans have spent this month worrying whether some of their crucial campaign cash has disappeared.

It is far from clear at this point. But House Republican leaders have been working to calm the frayed nerves of GOP lawmakers after the party's campaign arm called in the FBI to investigate "irregularities" in the committee's finances.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) announced on Feb. 1 that the campaign organization had "notified the appropriate law enforcement authorities" after discovering "irregularities in our financial audit process." Sources have confirmed that the FBI has been asked to investigate.

Cole also said at the time that the NRCC had "terminated our relationship with a former employee who was engaged as an outside vendor." That employee has been identified by several Republican sources as Christopher J. Ward, who worked for the committee for several years and was treasurer from 2003 until September 2007. He subsequently worked for the committee as a contractor and was paid through his own firm, C.J. Ward & Co.

Ward has served as treasurer for dozens of other campaigns and political action committees. He has either resigned or been fired from several of those positions, according to news reports.

The NRCC has asked the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct a forensic audit of its books, and the committee's leaders have taken steps to assure Republican members -- all of whom pay annual dues to the committee from their own campaign accounts -- that new controls will be put in place.

"There are things that are going on in a management sense, reviewing procedures for how books are kept," said Rep. John Kline (Minn.), who chairs the NRCC's management subcommittee.

He acknowledged that lawmakers were initially unsettled when the news broke.

"Clearly, members were surprised, as were we all," he said. "It's disconcerting to learn that there are 'irregularities' -- I think that is the word we're using."

The week after Cole made his initial statement, he briefed the full House Republican Conference at a private meeting. Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Tex.), a certified public accountant whose concerns about the committee's books helped spark the review, spoke as well. Lawmakers have also been invited to the NRCC's offices to receive individual briefings from Cole and the committee's lawyers.

At this point, GOP sources said, there is no specific evidence that any money is missing from NRCC accounts, and members will have to wait for the completion of the forensic audit before they will know.

The NRCC's decision to contact the FBI comes while the House GOP already faces a steep climb to Election Day. The party has significantly less cash than the Democrats and will have to defend dozens of costly open seats.

New fundraising reports filed on Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission showed that, in January, the NRCC narrowly outdid the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the first time in this election cycle.

But, overall, the NRCC still trails its rival badly. The GOP committee had raised $53.4 million for the cycle and had $6.4 million in the bank as of Jan. 31, while the DCCC had raised $71.3 million and had $35.5 million on hand. That disparity has prompted grumbling in the Republican ranks about Cole's performance as chairman, though the committee has worked to boost its fundraising and communication with other leadership offices.

The NRCC will have to do more with less. Twenty-one Republican lawmakers have announced plans to retire, and three more are running for other offices. Democrats so far have just two retirees and three candidates for other jobs.

Ward has not spoken to the media since Cole's initial announcement, and he did not return a call seeking comment Thursday. In addition to halting his work for the NRCC, he has resigned from a firm he co-founded, Political Compliance Services, according to a news release from the company.

NRCC ask FBI to investigates possible fraud

The Sykes Update for Feb. 21, 2008

The Sykes Update for Feb. 21, 2008

Week 3 of the Second Session
of the Fifty-First Oklahoma Legislature

Muskogee Phoenix Editorial: Letter not state business

Letter not state business
Published February 21, 2008
Muskogee Phoenix Editorial

You would think after all the problems Rep. Lance Cargill has experienced, he would have learned something.

But no, Cargill is continuing his merry mistake-making way.

Cargill wrote an apology for his several recent faux pas. His apology will be sent to 6,000 constituents, and his office said he will send it through the state House mail, a $1,320 cost to taxpayers in bulk mailing.

The Tulsa World reported the story early this week, and stated that Cargill’s apology couldn’t go out because the Capitol’s postage machine was broken. Cargill’s office said Wednesday, the machine was still broken, his letter had not been sent, but the mailing cost would still run through the House account.

In a news report, House Chief of Staff Chad Warmington said mailings by legislators should focus on their roles as lawmakers — meaning, of course, House mailings are not for personal business.

But that’s exactly what Cargill’s letter is about. He is trying to mitigate the negative publicity from not paying his property taxes, from filing his state income tax returns late, from hobnobbing with lobbyists, and from questionable fund-raising activities.

Cargill comes up for re-election this year, and his letter is all about trying to salvage respect so he can extend his stay at the Legislature.

We hope the people of District 96, Cargill’s district, see through Cargill’s misguided reasoning.

For Cargill, it appears it’s still not too late to save a little respect — the House mail hasn’t gone out yet. He can do the right thing and pay for his apology himself.

Senate Demo Kill Term Limits For Statewide Officials

Senate Democrats Kill
Term Limits For Statewide Officials

Democrats on the Senate Rules Committee killed legislation Wednesday that would have sent term limits for statewide officials to a vote of the people.

SJR 33 by Senator Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, would have put a 12 year term limit on Oklahoma's statewide elected officials except the governor if approved by voters.

Governors are already limited to 2 terms (8 years) of service, and state legislators are already limited to 12 years of service.

"Senate Democrats killed the chance for the people to vote to apply the same term limits on statewide officials that currently exist for state legislators," Brogdon said.

"Term limits have brought fresh ideas to the state legislature, and I believe term limits would have a similarly positive effect on statewide offices," he stated. "The Democrats' blatantly partisan attempt to protect career politicians is very disappointing."