Teachers' Due Process in the Crosshairs

Once again, the Oklahoman is taking on due process rights with another article in the paper about how hard it is to fire bad teachers. Teachers must recognize that the due process system we now enjoy will be greatly altered by this legislature.

We had better be prepared to engage the Republicans who now control nearly all aspects of education at the state level in a discussion on reasonable changes to the present system because if we are not at the table, we will surely be on the menu.

It appears from the article that the only teachers' organization that is trying to get to the table is the AFT. AFT 2309 president Ed Allen is quoted in the article.

Republicans move to strip teachers of due process

From my friend, Skip Ogle, "[Oklahoma] SB 1 was filed by Senator [John] Ford today. It repeals trial du novo for teachers. Due process then would become a board hearing and that would be it. Career teachers would be treated the same as brand new teachers." We are seeing the first effects of the Republican takeover of Oklahoma state government. Ford represents the Bartleville area. I very much doubt this will be the only attempt to diminish over even end Oklahoma teachers' due process rights.

10 Commandments at the Oklahoma State Capitol

It has been announced that a moument of the 10 Commandments will be placed on the north lawn of the Oklahoma state capitol grounds. Presumably, this version of the commandments will still have the prohibition against making "graven images."

Gov. Henry Vetoes SB 834 (Yeah!!!)

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry vetoed SB 834, by Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville and Rep. Tad Jones, R-Claremore. The bill creates the School District Empowerment Program to be administered by the State Department of Education. The bill requires the department to exempt any school district that participates in the program from all statutory requirements and department rules from which charter schools are exempt, except that the district will continue to be required to enroll all students who are residents of the district.

Henry said in his veto message.

"Senate Bill 834 would essentially turn back the clock on much of that important progress and weaken landmark reforms by allowing school administrators to create their own rules and ignore more rigorous state standards, including, but not limited to, the smaller class size mandates championed by former Gov. Henry Bellmon and Oklahoma voters in the historic passage of House Bill 1017 in 1990. SB 834 would also endanger such worthy programs as full-day kindergarten and alternative education in addition to making optional such critical personnel as school librarians and counselors."

I Got the Scholarship to Begin My National Board Candidacy

I got word yesterday that the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation accepted my application for the Education Leadership Oklahoma (ELO) scholarship to become a National Board for Teacher Certification candidate. This is a $2500 scholarship that will allow me to prepare, study and present my teaching practices to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

The process begins in Durant, Oklahoma on June 3 when I meet with the other scholarship recepients, 400 in all.

This scholarship is made possible through funding by the state legislature. I want to thank them for this opportunity.

The Banana Republic of Oklahoma

New Flag of Oklahoma?
The present Republican dominated Oklahoma legislature seems bent on seeing our state attain Third World status ASAP. Not only are they trying to give corporations blanket amenesty in personal injury lawsuits, they also want to inject politics into the Workmen's Compensation process, and strip public school teachers of any academic freedom and due process rights they might have.

It is all a part of the attitude that if we make the powerful more powerful, and reduce the working population to something akin to modern day serfdom, everything will be not only hunky but very, very dorry too. Once our betters are free from those bothersome obligations to respect the human dignity of those who service their needs, then we will obtain capitalistic Nirvana.

I really am having trouble giving my students a reason to remain in Oklahoma after graduation.

Primary Results in Oklahoma

Do Something Truly Revolutionary: Register and Vote
Oklahoma held its primary for in-state candidates Tuesday. (Our presidential primary was in February.)

The voter turn out statewide was very low, only about 18% of registered voters bothered to show up at the polls. Democrats showed up in slightly larger numbers than Republicans by about 50,00 voters.

There were some surprises, but all incumbents running for the legislature won reelection.

Andrew Rice won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate, but his opponent, Jim Rogers who didn't do any campaigning won 40% of the vote and actually won some counties mainly in the southern part of the state. (Oklahoma, in many ways, is the last stand of the Dixiecrats.)

My friend and fellow teacher Bert Smith lost his bid to be the Democratic nominee for the 5th US Congressional District. Steve Perry, who traveled with me in the Bethany July 4th parade, is our parties nominee for Congress. Steve is a very personable man who will give a good accounting for himself in the campaign.

The most positive news of the evening actually came from the Republlicans in Oklahoma County who showed good sense and voted Brent Rinehart out of office as county commissioner in District 2. Rinehart is under indictment for campaign fraud. He published a comic book that gained national attention for its homophobia and paranoia. Rinehart seemed to be claiming that Satan was the campaign manager for his opponents whether Republican or Democratic. Of course, the county's good news is actually not so good for the county Democratic Party since having Rinehart for an opponent would have been an easy victory for us. But it is very to know that he will not be a part of our county's government soon.

Now its on to the general election. The Republican believe that they can finally take over the legislature this year. They have been claiming that for years now. We will give them the fight of their lives.

Can One Hate the Gay Agenda and Not Hate Gay Citizens?

Is Sally's Politics Endorsed by God?
The Oklahoman did a feature article on Sally Kern and her now infamous speech on "the gay agenda". She claims, rather passive-agreesively in my opinion, that her talk was in opposition to the "gay agenda", a rather murky reference to the sort of hidden threat that the far right in the 1950's used against the threat of "international communism." She states:

"The very fact that I'm talking to you like this here today puts me in jeopardy,” she said in her speech. "So, so be it. I'm not anti, I'm not gay bashing, but according to God's word, that is not the right kind of lifestyle. It has deadly consequences for those people involved in it. They have more suicides ... there's more illness. Their life spans are shorter. It's not a lifestyle that is good for this nation. As a matter of fact, studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades. So it's the death knell for this country. I honestly think it's the biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam, which I think is a big threat.”

Nice to note that Sally equates being a follower of Islam with being a terrorist and that both Islam and being homosexual is a threat.

Now honestly, how can one call something a "threat" and at the same time claim that one does not "hate" it. And when someone says that the "gay agenda" not gay people are bad, isn't that the same as saying, as was done in the Civil Rights movement, that one did not dislike black people ("Some of my best friends are black."), but thought that their leaders, like Dr. Martin Luther King, threatening the American Way of Life.

Truly, William Faulkner, as noted by Barack Obama, was correct in saying that the past is not "dead and gone" it's not really even in the past. Bigotry never dies. It just mutates.

Shame on Sally Rally

Shame on Sally Rally
Shame on Sally Rally
Me Speaking at the Rally
On Friday, there was a "Shame on Sally Rally" at Memorial Park located at NW 36th and Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City. I attended the rally and was asked to say a few words during the event. "You Tube" Video of the "Shame on Sally Rally" in OKC

Why Sally Did Wrong

Rep. Sally Kern’s recent recorded condemnation of the so-called “gay threat” has attracted nation-wide attention due to the fact that, unbeknownst to her, someone recorded it and made it a popular Internet download. Many have condemned the speech, and others have wondered what the big deal is all about. After all, wasn’t Sally simply exercising her right to free speech by expressing a personal opinion?

In order to understand problem with Sally Kern's speech; let's put the shoe on the other foot for a second. Suppose a gay politician got up and said that the "straight agenda" was a greater threat to America than terrorism. Or that "straight people are trying to "indoctrinate" our two year olds. Or straights had "infiltrated" our city councils. Surely, people would think that they are listening to a nut who deserves to be ignored and certainly should never be trusted with a public office. Well, now may know how gay people feel when someone sees them as a "threat" for asking for the same human rights we all enjoy.

One might say, though, that while the speech might be offensive, it would not constitute threatening "hate speech." Straight people might be insulted or angered by such talk, but certainly not threatened. True, but then again straights are in the majority in our society. So let's change our hypothetical situation a bit.

Now imagine that a white couple, living in some country where they are a definite minority, say some place like Zimbabwe, were to hear a recording of a black politician from that country expressing similar views to Kern's. However, this time instead of using the words "gay" or "homosexual", he uses the word "white." Now "white people are greater threats than terrorists" and "white people must not be allowed to indoctrinate our children" or "the white agenda" must be rooted out and opposed by all available means. Wouldn't in this case the reaction go beyond merely being offended? Wouldn't the fact that these words might incite someone take direct action against this "threat" cause the white couple to feel what gay Americans feel when they hear a politician in Oklahoma make these statements?

I think they would, and this is why Rep. Kern should realize that words have consequences, especially when they come from someone involved in serving all the people.

Kern Claims Homosexual "Agenda" worse that Terrorism

State Rep. Sally Kern
A speech by State Representative Sally Kern has been gotten a lot of hits on You Tube, but not for reasons that the Oklahoma City politico might like. Kern is heard saying,"The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation; it's just a fact." One of Kern's most controversial claims is that homosexuals and homosexuality is "more of a threat to the United States than terrorism." Kern really is only saying aloud what the rest of her ilk think in private. She represents House District 84 which is located in the Bethany-Warr Acres part of Oklahoma County.

Here is my response to Ms. Kern:

Sally Kern is unworthy to represent the good people of House District 84. Her recent ravings about the “homosexual agenda” being a bigger threat to America than terrorism reveal a woman who has a sick soul. As far as this writer can tell, gay Americans want the same things all Americans want: liberty of conscience, freedom of speech, equal economic opportunity, and security for their lives and property. I wonder which of these rights enjoyed by all Americans does Kern find threatening? Which of these would she deny her fellow Americans? And since she specifically condemned Islam in her speech, how many other Americans would be denied their human rights in Ms. Kern’s world? The Americans in Kern’s district should be the ones feeling threatened by Ms. Kern’s agenda. They should deal with that threat by removing her from office.

Sally Kern was once a social studies teacher at Northwest Classen High School where my wife is currently a teacher. Students frequently complained that their grades often depended on whether or not they agreed with Ms. Kern's political viewpoints. One student in particular found herself at odds with Ms. Kern because the student was Jewish and did not go along with Kern's fundamentalist views on American history and culture. The student's mother had to intervene on behalf of her daughter; otherwise, Kern's grade would have seriously impacted the student's GPA.

I guess being a bigot affects every facet of one's life and work.

An Elegy for Former Oklahoma State Rep. Opio Toure

Opio Toure

Opio Toure, champion of social justice, has died, age 53. Though a small man physically and always s gentle soul, Toure was a giant and a warrior for the rights of the dispossessed in Oklahoma. He first drew attention when he and a group of fellow Langston University students led a sit-in at the governor's office in the 70's. The reason for their non-violent action was to head off an attempt to close Langston. Some members of the legislature had proposed turning the historically black college into a prison!

While in the legislature, opposed the "Right to Scab" state constitutional amendment. He fought for the rights of Oklahoma's workers to receive notice before being terminated from their jobs. Currently, workers in our state can be fired without notice or reason given. He was the driving force behind a bill that prevented the execution of the severly mentally handicapped. He repeatedly called for a moritorim on the use of the death penalty in Oklahoma.

After his retirement in 2006, Opio worked for Langston University developing a program to increase minority entrollment in law schools. He also served as professor of pre-law at his Alma Mater.

Opio's wife, Linda Toure, is an adminstrator in the Oklahoma City School District where she serves as academic director for the Frederick Douglass Learning Community.

Opio was a good man with a heart that yearned for justice. He will be greatly missed.

Lance Cargill Resigns

Former Speaker of the House Lance Cargill

Lance Cargill has stepped down as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Lance has suffered a series of bad publicity news over his failure to pay property taxes on time.

Every time a new bunch takes over a government, they always promise to bring a reform in the way that government is done. However, Morality has no party registration. Humans are the same despite lables and affiliations. If we wonder why politicians are corrupt, it is because they are just as we are. As St. Paul said, "We hold the treasure of our soul in cracked pots." (My translation of II Corinthians 4:7)

Will the House GOP Agenda Create a Meaner Oklahoma?

Who Would Jesus Exclude?

The Oklahoma Republican Party has announced its agenda for the coming legislative session. Their goals include the abolition of the Human Rights Commission, the "protection" of religious speech [Note: How can you 'protect' speech that is not threatened?], and a furthering of the restrictions in last session's HB 1804.

It seems as if the self-styled "Party of God" sees its mission as one of enforcing its own Purity Code on the citizens of our state. Their message is simple: "If you measure up to our standards, you are 'IN'. If not, you are 'OUT'." Why do we need to be known as the mean state, the angry state, the state that excludes rather than the state that includes?

The good people of this state must see their agenda for what it truly is: the old Divide and Conquer. As long as they can keep our eyes focused on "the enemy", and it this case the enemy truly is us, they can keep on keeping on with the same old economics, same old entrenched power structure, same old "we have ours" attitude.

Wake up Oklahoma, or our next license plate motto will be: Oklahoma--We Probably Don't Want You Here.

OK GOP Plans to Abolish the OK Human Rights Commission

The Oklahoma GOP House(Oxymoron Alert) leadership has proposed abolishing the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission as a "government efficiency" measure. Their plan would to turn over all duties of the HRC to the Attorney General. This would insure that enforcement of human rights in Oklahoma would be a political football. Imagine any politician wanting to get on the bad side of the so-called "special rights" issue.

Abolishing the Human Rights Commission is a sure way to tell businesses that their employees will face bigotry and discrimination in this Oklahoma. Intolerance is the most anti-business condition ever conceived.

House GOP consolidation plan outlined