Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The People Speak ... Loudly


Yesterday's surprise election in Massachusetts of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate by a huge blue-state margin of 5 points is sending shockwaves throughout the entire political landscape nationwide.

Senator-elect Brown's upset of Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley, who had led Brown handily in polls as recently as mid-December, follows other recent conservative victories in Virginia and New Jersey. Now, we are seeing a clear trend.

Brown, a Republican, ran as an independent Bay State voice against unrestrained federal spending and massive amounts of new national debt, the weakening of America's national defense, socialistic Obamacare, and other liberal excesses occurring in Washington, D.C. The coalition of Democrats, Independents, and Republican voters across the Commonwealth liked what they heard. They bought Brown's campaign cry, "We can do better!"

What will happen next? We can surmise that political Progressives like President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will push ahead hard to implement their vision of universal health care. If they wish, Progressives can try to pass parts of health care by the nuclear option -- via budget reconciliation, which requires only 50 votes in the Senate, not the fillibuster-proof 60 votes the majority no longer has. But, even if they want to do this, they will still need to win important procedural votes first, and many in their caucus are balking, now terrified of their own political futures.

Despite the opposition of the American people to their version of health care legislation, the Progressives feel they MUST do this NOW; otherwise, they will have no accomplishments to sell voters on this November. They're wrong to think they must pass this bureaucratic, big-government boondoggle, but that's their perspective.

More traditional Democrats will urge a pull-back to a more centrist position, similar to what President Bill Clinton did after mid-term defeats for his party in 1994. Think triangulation. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, are two senators who are urging their colleagues to go slow. Now, as then, there is an internal war between the so-called Blue-Dog Democrats, like Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, and the much larger group of true-believer Progressives, who follow the political teachings of Saul Alinsky, Antonio Gramsci, etc. Over the next week, the internal political bloodbath will be thick in the water.

Politics can be awful. But, it WILL be interesting to see what strategy President Barack Obama implements and articulates during his State of the Nation address, which occurs exactly one week from today on Wednesday, January 27th at 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, following the Massachusetts battle — in what many are calling "The Second American Revolution" — the never-ending work of patriotic Americans everywhere to win the hearts and souls of their fellow citizens and to guarantee the future of the American Republic continues.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Climate Change Documentary to be Shown This Thursday in Edmond/Tulsa

Our good friends at Oklahomans for Prosperity are screening an important new documentary film, Not Evil Just Wrong, this Thursday evening, January 21., 7 p.m., at both the University of Central Oklahoma, in Edmond, and at Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa.

This documentary film challenges claims made by global warming apologist Al Gore in his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. This film, which lasts for 1 hour, 20 minutes, will be shown free-to-the-public. It will be a perfect educational opportunity for home-schoolers, college students, teens and adults who want to be able to counter the claims of climate-change advocates, etc.

The UCO screening will be in Room 128 in the Liberal Arts Building.

The ORU screening will be in the Learning Resource Center, Room 236.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Health Care "Reform" Violates Equal Treatment

Yesterday, in a 15-hour negotiating session at the White House, labor unions got what they had wanted: exemption from taxation on their so-called "Cadillac" health insurance plans. This is an outrage. As citizens, we are supposed to be treated equally by government; the Constitution guarantees equal protection of the laws; and under the rule of law, Lady Justice wears a blindfold to avoid partiality, etc.

Yet, in this current round of health care reform, we are seeing special treatment for labor unions, special treatment for states like Nebraska (courtesy of Sen. Ben Nelson) and Louisiana (courtesy of Sen. Mary Landrieu), the corrupt buying of legislators' votes with taxpayers' money, a broken promise from the President that negotiations would be conducted out in the open on C-SPAN, etc. The American people are increasingly angry, and rightfully — indeed, righteously — so.

Sen. Tom Coburn said yesterday in Oklahoma City he believes the bill will cost $2.3 trillion, provide essentially no savings for taxpayers (spurring a later complete takeover of health care by government), and lead to the rationing and denial of medical treatment and care by bureaucrats to millions of Americans. The 2,000 plus page bill has been craftily designed so the very significant tax increases (yes, a violation of yet another campaign promise) occur in the first several years before the health care program actually kicks in in 2014, when the expenses begin.

Americans can stop this violation of our liberties, but it will take concerted effort by millions of citizens nationwide to do so. May God bless citizens' efforts to regain our freedom from the oppression of our nation's leaders, who daily, by their actions, violate their oath of office.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Mike Jestes on KFOR News Channel 4

OFPC Executive Director Mike Jestes is now taping a spot with KFOR's Bobbie Miller about proposed reforms to Oklahoma's divorce statutes. Several bills have been introduced at 23rd and Lincoln, which are designed to slow down the divorce process, when minor children in the home will be affected negatively by their parent's split.

One bill is by Rep. Mark McCullough (Sapulpa) and the other is HB 2279 by Rep. Sally Kern (Oklahoma City). No-fault divorce laws, enacted nationwide since the 1970s, have proven over the past 40 years to be disasterous for children.

Father-Daughter Purity Ball Cancelled

Unfortunately, the Father-Daughter Purity Ball, originally scheduled for Feb. 20 in Oklahoma City, has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation may cause for you and your daughters. If you have already pre-paid for the event, your money will be refunded.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

You're Needed to Pray for Legistators on Jan. 31

On Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 — the day before Oklahoma’s 2010 legislative session begins — the sixth annual Legislative Prayer Gathering will be held at the State Capitol.


Prayers will occur on the floor of both the House and Senate Chambers from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Participants will be offered the opportunity to actually sit in the chair of their state representative and/or senator and pray for that office holder (and others) for one hour.

The objective is to have each of the 101 seats in the House Chambers as well as each of the 48 seats in the Senate Chambers occupied by citizens in prayer. To fulfill this goal, at least 149 participants are needed. Any participants beyond the 149 will fill a seat upstairs in either the House or Senate gallery.

Participants are encouraged to park on the west side of the Capitol and enter the west side of the building. Guides will be present to provide direction.

This annual event is sponsored by Rep. Mike Reynolds, Sen. Jim Reynolds, Prayer Force One, Bott Radio Network, the Oklahoma Family Policy Council, www.PrayerMetro.com, Barnabas Ministries Inc., Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ, and the Oklahoma Conservative PAC.

For more information, call organizer Dave Mehlhaff at (405) 596-7141.

Abstinence Training Set for Mid-January in Both Tulsa, OKC

Here are the details regarding KEEP's semi-annual basic volunteer teacher training workshop:

Thursday and Friday, Jan 14-15, 2010
Tulsa
Cornerstone
8801 W. 41st
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16, 2010
Oklahoma City
Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church
7336 W. Britton Road
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you've ever thought about volunteering to make a difference in the lives of Oklahoma teens, this is your opportunity to learn how to teach abstinence-until-marriage instruction to them through OFPC's KEEP Program. These KEEP workshops are always free to participants.

Also, past attendees are always welcome to come refresh your skills!

Please call OFPC at (918) 610-KEEP (Tulsa) or (405) 787-7744 (OKC) to let us know you will be attending. Thanks.