How Many Communists, Marxists, and Socialists Do You Know?

Discover The Networks -- a Web-site from former sixties-radical-turned-conservative David Horowitz -- shows, in painstaking detail, President Barack Obama’s close connections to a stunning array of anti-American, anti-capitalist leftist radicals who, like the President himself, seek to transform the United States into a society bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the American founders’ vision.

To see the connections, Check out this link.

Click on any name listed to learn about President Obama's connection to that person. Then, ask yourself: How many communists, Marxists, and socialists do I personally know?

Tea Party Block Party Precedes Glenn Beck Event This Saturday in OKC

This Saturday, June 26th, the Sooner Tea Party will host their Block Party just outside the Ford Center (Reno Avenue side) in downtown OKC, beginning at 11 a.m. The Block Party occurs just prior to the Taking Our County Back event at 2 p.m. with broadcaster Glenn Beck, "The Architect" Karl Rove, and entertainer John Rich.

Lee Matthews, KTOK Director of Talk Programing and current host of the former Mark Shannon Show, will also be speaking at the Block Party, as will a few candidates for public office.

Governor Signs Scholarship Bill

Supporters praised Gov. Brad Henry for signing a bill yesterday providing scholarships to special needs students.


“This is a great day for Oklahoma families with special needs children,” said state Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City. “For those families, this bill is a chance at a better education and a better life.”

HB 3393, by Nelson and state Sen. Patrick Anderson, would allow students with disabilities who have an individualized education program (IEP) to qualify for a scholarship to attend any public or private school that meets the accreditation requirements of the State Board of Education.

The legislation had strong support from many families of children with autism.

The legislation has been named the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program Act to honor the memory of the governor’s daughter, who died of a rare neuromuscular disease as an infant.

“We are very honored that Governor and Mrs. Henry have allowed us to name this important piece of legislation after their daughter who passed away at seven months of age,” said Wanda Felty, parent of a child with multiple disabilities. “The simple fact is there is often an unspoken bond among parents of special needs children, and although Lindsey Nicole’s life was short, she helped shape the type of people the Henrys are. We appreciate their compassion and understanding of our plight, and we certainly appreciate the Governor’s support of this bill.”

“We want to make it clear, neither the Governor, nor his wife, nor his staff nor anyone connected to him asked for this change. Instead it was suggested to him as a way to honor the memory of his daughter and let it be known for generations to come that she, and her parents, are helping to improve the lives of special needs children across the state,” said state House Speaker Pro Tempore Kris Steele, R-Shawnee. “Especially given that this program was passed in the waning days of the last legislative session of Governor Henry’s tenure, we think this action is both appropriate and warranted. We are pleased that Representative Nelson agreed to amend his Conference Committee Report to include this change.”

Lindsey Nicole was the twin of the Henrys’ oldest daughter, Leah. Lindsey died at seven months of age due to complications from a rare genetic disorder.

The scholarship program created through HB 3393 would not require new spending, but would merely redirect existing state funds that are currently spent on the student.

Other states with similar laws include Florida, Georgia, Utah, Ohio and Arizona. The Florida program has been in place since 1999 and now serves approximately 20,000 students with special needs. HB 3393 closely mirrors the Florida and Georgia laws.

“Having visited with many families of special-needs students, I know how important this legislation is to ensuring they are able to provide the best future possible for their children,” said Nelson, R-Oklahoma City. “It is only fitting that we honor the Henrys and Lindsey Nicole as part of this process to show that even the worst moments of our lives can have positive repercussions. I appreciate the governor’s support and this opportunity to honor his daughter.”

Glenn Beck Coming to OKC June 26th

KTOK News Radio 1000's Reid Mullins and Lee Matthews announced today that broadcaster and radio personality Glenn Beck, left, is bringing his popular "Taking Our Country Back" Tour to Oklahoma City on Saturday, June 26th.

Joining Beck will be Karl Rove, former Bush Administration official and current Fox News Channel commentator, and entertainer John Rich. The Ford Center in downtown OKC will be the venue for this special event.

For tickets, visit the Ford Center Box Office or Ticketmaster (beginning this Sat. morning, June 6), or KTOK's Web-site (http://www.ktok.com/).

Upcoming Memorial Day Holiday Honors Real Heroes

The nation pauses next Monday--Memorial Day--to remember the supreme sacrifices of America's fallen airmen, sailors, soldiers, Coast Guard, and Marines.

It's the men and women who are serving in America's military--many of whom have given their lives to secure our freedom--who are the real celebrities, heroes and heroines among us.

Memorial Day originated in 1865 in Waterloo, N.Y., where a local druggist, Henry Welles, wanted to honor the memory of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who had died in the Civil War. A customer, Union Army Brig. Gen. John Murray, learned of Welles' idea and helped him to organize the first citywide observance in Waterloo in 1866.

Soon thereafter, Maj. Gen. John Logan, pictured right, the founder of a prominent organization of Union veterans, would help to propel the day of recognition forward. Logan, who was Murray's friend and superior officer, picked May 30, 1868, as the day to honor the American soldiers who had died in the Civil War. Logan ordered local communities to join in Waterloo's celebration by scattering flower petals on the soldiers' graves. When President Ulysses S. Grant presided over a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery that same year, Decoration Day really gained public support.

After World War I, Decoration Day was expanded to include all fallen American soldiers. In 1954, the U.S. Congress renamed Decoration Day as Memorial Day. Memorial Day continued to be observed annually on May 30 until 1971, when Congress voted to designate Memorial Day an official federal holiday and, with President Richard Nixon's approval, moved its observance to the last Monday in May.

Father, thank you for the supreme sacrifices paid by all of America's fallen airmen, sailors, soldiers, Coast Guard, and Marines--lives which were freely given, but at great cost, to secure the blessings of Liberty for others. Through the death of the Saviour, your Son, Jesus, You know about such sacrifice. May the families of these American fallen know that their family members' lives were not taken in vain. May You be a true Father to all the fatherless and a caregiver for all the widows. And may their countrymen be truly grateful for their sacrifices. Amen.

Special Needs Scholarship Bill Heads to Gov. Henry

Yesterday, for the first time ever in Oklahoma, the state Senate approved HB 3393, a bill by Rep. Jason Nelson (R-Oklahoma City), which provides private-school scholarships for special needs students with disabilities. The vote in the Senate was 25-22.

The bill now goes to Gov. Brad Henry, and hopeful school choice proponents are anticipating that he will sign it into law.

For more information, click this link to a story on CapitolBeatOK.

Oklahoma House, Senate Override Another Gov. Henry Veto

Yesterday, the Oklahoma State Senate voted to override Gov. Brad Henry's veto of HB 3284, the Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act. The House had done the same thing late Monday.

So, unless the bill is challenged legally, it will take effect in 2012. The law requires that all women seeking an abortion must fill out a 37-question anonymous survey first prior to the abortion. The women's identity will remain confidential at all times. The law also requires abortionists to report to the state any medical complications from abortion which occur, thus shining the light of day on a deadly procedure, which in addition to needlessly taking an unborn child's life, also often harms young women in the process, sometimes causing sterility or even ending their life. What's the purpose behind the law?

This new law will give the state of Oklahoma and public health officials anonymous information about the reasons why women seek abortions. If abortion is truly to become a rare thing, as its supporters suggest it should be, then doesn't it make sense for government officials, policymakers, health officials, and citizens to better understand the demographic information and the various reasons why women seek abortion in the first place? Then, our state can seek to remedy some of those problems women face.

Of course, supporters of abortion rights claim Oklahoma is acting in a draconian way. They say the sky is falling, and women are being targeted unfairly by the ultrasound law and this Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act. The truth is -- Oklahoma is simply following the law as laid down in the 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The Court affirmed a woman's right to abortion, but said the various states could, if they so chose, reasonably regulate access to abortion so long as the regulations did not pose an "undue burden" on women seeking abortion.

If a lawsuit against HB 3284 is filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York City, as they did recently against HB 2780, the ultrasound bill, then the litigation will likely center around whether or not what Oklahoma legislators are doing via these laws represents an "undue burden" to a woman's alleged constitutional right of access to abortion.