Opinion

Since my dad’s passing, I have carried his dog tag on my key chain. I wanted a daily reminder of my dad and his sacrificial service to our nation in World War II.

My dad was the classic WWII vet who did not often speak of his time in the war. I regret not asking him more questions.

Personally, I missed the mandatory draft by a few years, turning 18 in 1976. But I had two older friends, the Harris brothers in my neighborhood, who went to Vietnam and never came back.

For 20 years we have lived in our current home in humble Grove City, Pa. It came with a nice flagpole mounted on the front. We change the flag a lot. Sometimes we display flags with various types of art celebrating the seasons — for fall, winter and spring.

There are three bodies of law that Oklahomans live with on a daily basis: Constitutional Law, laws that are voted on by the people; Statutory Law, laws approved by legislators and the governor; and the subject of this article, Administrative Law, rules created not by the people or legislators but unelected bureaucrats who run state agencies.

Oklahoma’s government owns a lot of property. This includes land and buildings, but it also includes valuable assets like the state-owned electric power company, the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA). GRDA reports nearly $1.8 billion in assets on its most recent balance sheet, with a “net position” of more than $622 million. Or the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), which has a $1.2 billion endowment producing roughly $50 million annual investment income.

Did you see the video of the frontline medical doctors explaining why they believe hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19?

About a dozen doctors stood on the steps of the nation’s Capitol last week and praised the drug as being a safe and inexpensive treatment for the disease that has paralyzed the U.S.A. and much of the world for the past five months.

The event did not draw much of a media response.

The Oklahoma Education Association’s national parent, the National Education Association, is known for bizarre actions like working to give boys access to girls bathrooms and endorsing Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. Recently the OEA added to the bizarre by trying to give the impression that public schools are receiving only half of Oklahoma’s education-related federal COVID funding. Any suggestion to that effect is patently false. 

Last weekend I overheard two recent grads (both musicians) discussing America’s greatest composers. The usual names were raised: Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein, Sousa … Foster.

“Who?” said one.

“Stephen Foster,” replied the other.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its tyrannical government remain a top threat not only to the United States but the entire globe.

Their hostile behavior throughout the past few months has demonstrated their goal of eroding freedom and growing their communist influence. 

The Chinese government lied about the origins of COVID-19 and covered up how bad it really was for months. They are directly responsible for the pandemic which has cost us too many lives, all while completely devastating our economy and livelihoods.

Laura Austin Thomas is the district attorney for Payne and Logan counties. In that position, she is responsible for prosecuting crimes. One might hope she has a basic understanding of the law, but her recent attempt to smear two members of the Pardon and Parole Board suggests otherwise.