Weekly Opinion Editorial   INFORMED PATRIOTS by Steve Fair        “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it,” Mark Twain said.      The original 16th century European meaning of the term patriot applied to anyone who was a fellow countryman, regardless of socio-economic status.  The term patriot has evolved today into meaning the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to a country or state.       George Orwell distinguished patriotism from nationali ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial THE MUGWUMPS! by Steve Fair      President Stephen Grover Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States (POTUS).  He is the only president in American history to serve non-consecutive presidential terms.  A former mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York, Cleveland was the first Democrat to win the presidency after the Civil War.  A preacher’s kid, Cleveland was described as being honest, self-reliant and being firmly committed to his principles.  He won his first term in 1884 against Republican nom ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial  A CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD! by Steve Fair      A circular firing squad is defined as when a group experiences considerable disarray because members engage in intense internal disputes and mutual recrimination.  The disputes can be issue or personality driven, real or perceived, large or small, but the goal is to humiliate, discredit, shame and embarrass the opponent.  Accomplishment and performance take a back seat to group think.  Individual thought is discouraged.   Adherence to purity tests is a requirement for ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial DISMANTLE OMES! by Steve Fair      Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector (SA&I) Cindy Byrd released the annual audit results from the Federal Single Audit this week.  The audit covered 2022 expenditures.  The annual audit is mandated by the feds to make sure COVID 19 Relief grant money is spent in accordance with federal regulations. This is the second year the SA&I has found questionable practices by the state in using the federal funds.  In this year’s audit, Byrd found the following:       Ok ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial DO NO HARM! by Steve Fair      Oklahoma Senate Bill 1737 (SB#1737), authored by Sen. Todd Gollihare, (R-Tulsa) and Rep. Jeff Boatman, (R-Tulsa) has passed both chambers and awaits Governor Stitt’s signature.  According to the summary of the bill, SB#1737 would allow victims of stalking or electronic harassment to file a cause of action against the perpetrator for actual and punitive damages and injunctive relief when the victim has suffered business interruption or has incurred expenses to remediate the underlying online stalking.  ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial END TIMES? by Steve Fair      On Saturday evening, Iran launched 300 attack drones and missiles into Israel.  A seven-year-old girl was seriously injured by shrapnel from a missile.  Most of the drones and cruise missiles were downed before they reached the Israeli border.  Some did penetrate Israel’s Iron Dome and struck an airbase in southern Israel, causing minimal damage. American military stationed in Syria got involved by shooting down drones headed toward Israel.  Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon shut down their airspace ..read more

Weekly Opinion Editorial  TRANSPARENCY FOR EFFICIENCY? by Steve Fair      On March 10th, Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony penned a guest op/ed for The Oklahoman (available online).  In the column, Anthony addressed HB#2367 authored by Rep. Tammy Townley, (R-Ardmore) and Sen. Dave Rader, (R-Tulsa).  The bill is known as the Corporation Commission Efficiency Act.  The bill would exempt the Corporation Commission from adhering to the Open Meetings Act found in Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes.  HB#2367 would req ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial CLOSED PRIMARIES ARE FAIR! by Steve Fair        There are three types of political primary elections: open, closed and blanket(jungle).  In an open primary, each voter, regardless of Party affiliation, determines which Party’s primary they want to vote in.  Republicans can vote in Democrat primaries and Democrats can vote in Republican primaries.  In a closed primary, only voters registered in the Party can vote in the Party primary.  Republicans vote for Republicans- Democrats vote for Democrats.  In the blanket ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? by Steve Fair        On Friday March 22nd, the federal government could initial a partial shutdown of some federal departments.  Legislative negotiators are working around the clock to avoid a shutdown.  60% of civilian federal employees could be affected.            This is the fifth time since September 2023 that Congress has faced a funding deadline.  The first four times, including once earlier this month, Congress acted just in the nick of time to avo ..read more

 Weekly Opinion Editorial CHIPS! by Steve Fair        President Biden delivered his fourth State of the Union (SOTU) address to a joint session of Congress Thursday evening.  The discourse was more appropriate for a campaign rally than a SOTU. Conveyed in a rapid fire, angry, irate manner, the speech lasted 67 minutes.  Biden’s message reassured the Democrat base he is up to the task for a long general election campaign.  In Biden’s oration he never mentioned President Trump, but called him ‘his predecessor’ thirteen times.  Biden was definiti ..read more