Tell Me How it Works Out

A police officer acquaintance of mine recently switched from the Tulsa force to Broken Arrow’s. I have heard about this trend and wanted to know more, so I queried him about it. I asked, “How did you decide to switch forces? Did they come to you, did you go to them?” He told me how he would sometimes patrol the border where he would inevitably see a BA patrol car. Sometimes, when they stopped to chat, the BA officers would use the opportunity to talk about how much better things were on their side of the fence.

Intrigued, I asked what happened when he told the Tulsa PD, “Did they try to keep you?” To which he replied, “No…when I told my supervisor what I was planning he replied, ‘Really? I’ve been thinking about that, Tell me how it works out!’”*

I certainly won’t question or condemn any officers’ decision to risk their life in greener pastures, but I worry about Tulsa’s crime rate should this trend continue. Tulsa is in the midst of a real budget crisis. Sales tax revenue and other sources of income are not keeping pace with our level of spending. If we can’t afford to give our officers better pay and benefits, then all our efforts to add to the force will be in vain.

*This actually is not a direct quote, but my best recollection of the conversation.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Tulsa Police Department
attrition

Runoffs

This is by no means a complete list of elections that require a runoff after yesterday's primary; this is just a list of the races that I'm following closely

For Lieutenant Governor (Rep)
Todd Hiett
Scott Pruitt

For State House Rep District #69 (Rep)
Fred Jordan
Chris Medlock*

For Tulsa County Commissioner, District No. 1 (Rep)
Anna Falling
John Smaligo

For Tulsa County Commissioner, District No. 3 (Rep)
Bill Christiansen
Fred Perry*

For District Judge, District #14 Office #10
Deirdre Dexter*
Mary Fitzgerald

For District Judge, District #14 Office #4 Electoral Division #4
Daman Cantrell
Jim Caputo*

*These are the candidates that I want to win.

Technorati Tags: runoff election
Tulsa
Tulsa County
Oklahoma

They’re Not All Evil

I try to keep my eyes open for these yellow-signs-of-impending-doom. When I saw one a few blocks from where I work, I went on high alert. “Oh what are they going to put here?” I thought to myself. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was request by a church to the Board of Adjustment for a use exception.

The Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican is requesting this exception to allow them to use their property as a Church. Their plan is to make use of the existing structures, adding only a parking lot and a drive way. This is a perfect fit for this location in my opinion. The area north and east of this property is residential, and the area just to the southeast is zoned CS (if I’m not mistaken). It will hopefully set the tone for further development in this area.

So, I’m glad to see that not all of these yellow signs that pop up in East Tulsa are evil. This one in particular is quite the opposite.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican
Board of Adjustment
INCOG
zoning

From Tim Harris

I just revived this letter from Tim Harris. In the race for Tulsa County DA, if you are leaning towards Swab or are still undecided, this is a must read. Here are some highlights.

I feel it is necessary to refute the false information being disseminated by my opponent, Brett Swab. You are an educated, concerned citizen who deserves to know the truth!
…
- Under my leadership, we have filed 45,038 felony charges - that is the most felonies filed in any 7 year period in Tulsa County DA history!
- I have sent 12,391 criminal defendants to the Department of Corrections - the largest 7 year total by the Tulsa County DA's office.(Oklahoma Department of Corrections records)
- In 2004, we put 2,097 criminals in prison - the most in Tulsa County history in a single year. (OK Department of Corrections records)
…
- I have personally tried, as LEAD attorney, over 140 jury trial compared to Mr Swab's 30. While District Attorney, I have tried 10 felony jury trials including 3 successful death penalty murder trials. I have tried 7 death penalty cases(6 as lead counsel, 1 as second chair).
…
- In this day and age of complex prosecution, administrative challenges and lack of resources, my leadership team does not have the luxury of just trying cases.
-Much has changed in the 8 years since Mr Swab made a conscious decision to leave prosecution - now is NOT the time for on the job training for someone who has LESS PROSECUTION EXPERIENCE than every leadership position in my office!
…
In conclusion, I am a 20 year career prosecutor, who has dedicated his life to the prosecution of criminals and has always made the protection of those that cannot protect themselves my highest priority.

I will not allow politics to affect my independent decision making regarding you and your family's safety and the safety of our community!

Sincerely,

Tim Harris
Tulsa County District Attorney

Technorati Tags: Tulsa County DA
Tulsa County
Brett Swab
Tim Harris

Preponderance of the Evidence

I attended the Tulsa County Republican Men's Club Luncheon this afternoon where I listened to a debate for the office of Tulsa County DA between Brett Swab and the incumbent Tim Harris.

Since this was a debate between two attorneys, and since I was fairly undecided, I decided to pretend that they were actually in court presenting arguments for their prospective side. I’ve long felt that Tim Harris is a good man and a good DA. Since Harris is the incumbent, it only seemed fitting to put the burden of proof on Brett Swab.

Ah but if I’m going to pretend that this is a court hearing, what burden of proof will I hold Swab to? Beyond a Reasonable Doubt seemed too high a standard, so I decided to use the Preponderance of the Evidence as the level of proof to help me make my decision. Preponderance of the Evidence is defined as the level of proof required in a civil case; one side's case must simply be considered more provable than the other's. It is the lowest level of proof.

After listening to the debate I decided that Brett Swab simply did not win his case. There was really nothing that he said that made me believe that we need a new DA. Check out their websites and decided for your self. Next Tuesday the jury’s verdict will be handed in; I’ll vote for Tim Harris.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa County Republican Men's Club
Tulsa County DA
Tulsa County
Brett Swab
Tim Harris

Cecile Richards in Vogue

Vogue is probably not a periodical that most of you read frequently. So you may not have seen the article titled "Body Politics" in this month’s issue. It was a bio of Cecile Richards, daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, and new president of Planned Parenthood. I was planning to critique this article but I found that it has already been done. Rose Lake at Young, Wise, and Conservative, wrote an open letter to Vogue.

The two-page spread of Cecile Richards surrounded by healthy, cherubic babies would have been comically irreconcilable imagery, had it not been so revolting.

I also found another piece over at The Conservative Voice.

Vogue certainly employed a cunning marketing technique by posing Richards with five beautiful young children in her Planned Parenthood office," said Brown. "The horrific truth is that for each one of those children, 50,000 babies are killed annually at Planned Parenthood facilities‹a total of 250,000

Both of these capture well this nauseating puff piece, I encourage you to read them.

Technorati Tags: Cecile Richards
Vogue
Planned Parenthood
abortion

Marina Animal Clinic Responds

Dr George Haggerty from Marina Animal Clinic responded to Free Maggie! I thought that Marina deserved to have their side of the story in a main post and not just the comments section of the previous post.

Now is the time for us to respond.

Ms Asher presented a severely ill dog to our clinic which required medical and surgical treatment. She authorized the surgery and she knew the estimate was subject to change due to Maggie's condition.

Surgery and treatment were done which saved her life. She could have picked up her dog on time and only paid $30.00 over the initial estimate but didn't have the money.
As the bill for continued care accumulates she has refused to pay.

We had mediation today and she would not pay for anycare after 6-30-06. We offered for her to pay that amount and take her dog home, and settle the rest at a later date, but she REFUSED. So is she really concerned about getting her dog home.

Maggie is doing great and looking forward to going home.

Dr George Haggerty

Marina Animal Clinic

I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Haggerty who explained that Marina could not comment earlier because of pending arbitration. He told me that Marina Animal Clinic has made every effort to settle with Maggie's owner to no avail.

Technorati Tags: Maggie
Marina Animal Clinic
Tulsa

Thank You City Workers

Right now the dedicated employees from Public Works are hard at work patching up the streets in my neighborhood. I know that yall work hard all year long, but to be out in this heat, working with asphalt is remarkable. It must be brutal. Thank you for all your tireless efforts! You guys rock!


Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Public Works
city workers

Where's the Plane?

Recently some people I know have gotten all excited about the notion that Flight 77 did not hit the Pentagon on 9/11...(my sarcastic comment generator is broken right now. Please insert appropriate exasperated comment with sarcastic overtones here--->) _______!

I’m glad that this video was created. While it won’t convince any hardcore nut jobs out there, perhaps it will at least bring some highly impressionable people back to reality.




Via: VideoSift

Technorati Tags: September 11th
Flight 77

Border Security Ike Style

I was surprised to read that 53 years ago there was problem with the border much like today. However, unlike today, President Eisenhower had the political will to do something about it. With less than half of the border patrol agents currently in service, Eisenhower virtually stopped the flow of illegals into our country.

…on June 17, 1954, "Operation Wetback" began…Some 750 agents swept northward through agricultural areas with a goal of 1,000 apprehensions a day. By the end of July, over 50,000 aliens were caught in the two states. Another 488,000, fearing arrest, had fled the country….By September, 80,000 had been taken into custody in Texas, and an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 illegals had left the Lone Star State voluntarily….Mexicans caught in the roundup were not simply released at the border, where they could easily reenter the US….Tens of thousands more were put aboard two hired ships, the Emancipation and the Mercurio. The ships ferried the aliens from Port Isabel, Texas, to Vera Cruz, Mexico, more than 500 miles south.

While some of the methods used in the 50s would not be tolerated today, it is certainly impressive to see what was achieved because the political will existed to achieve it. I don’t believe that President Bush has the will to do what is necessary to seal our border. I’ve seen a lot of talk but not a lot of action.

Technorati Tags: border security
President Bush
President Eisenhower
Operation Wetback

Roop, Smaligo, or King?

As a Republican voter in Tulsa County Commission District one I’m presented with three *six choices in the primary: Sam Roop, John Smaligo, and Loran King. I’m not a big Sam Roop fan; I have not forgotten how he shifted the balance of power on the City Council and became a LaFortune crony. I will not vote for Sam Roop. So that means that I really only have two choices. To help me choose, I decided to call Smaligo and King. I spoke with both candidates for about 5 minutes. Both were impressive, and I’m sure that either one of these men would make a good county commissioner. However, I was won over by King.

Issue by issue, ranging from eminent domain, Vision 2025, tax oversight, the South Tulsa Toll Bridge, and many others, King’s stances were more aligned with mine. I’m convinced that the values King would bring to the office of County Commissioner would serve us well. His honesty, fairness and openness are what we need in our County Government, and that is why I’ve decided to vote for Loran King.

For more info on King, check out his website and in particular be sure to check out this correction of a Tulsa World article from today’s paper.

*oops, I didn't realize that there were so many canidates. Shame on me for not doing better research, and shame on Anna Falling, Doug Linson, and Tracy Willson for doing such a crapy job getting your name out...I'm still voting for King.

Technorati Tags: Sam Roop
John Smaligo
Loran King
Tulsa County

A Forgone Conclusion

I love a good City Council meeting; Tonight’s did not disappoint. Tulsa Public Works Director, Charles Hardt presented the council with 4 different options for how the proposed nfrastructure Ventures, Inc (IVI) toll bridge in South Tulsa might marry our streets. While I say four options there are really only three as one of them is really stupid. So I won’t even mention it. The first, and Hardt’s favorite, is the controversial plan which sends the flow of traffic straight up Yale and down the throat of South Tulsa. The second plan has the bridge traffic dumping onto 121st half way between Yale and River Road (I’ll refer to it as Riverside). The third and the favorite of most of those in the forum, sends the traffic to Riverside and 121st. I believe this is the best option. First, it placates most of the concerns of the South Tulsa Citizens Coalition (STCC). Second, it conforms to the original comprehensive plan on the Tulsa side and third, it encourages traffic to flow down Riverside, toward what will hopefully become a commercially developed river.

The highlight of Hardt’s presentation came when he revealed that the proposed bridge would only net an extra nine cars northbound on Yale. Nine? I assume that means nine per hour; regardless it is a ridiculous estimate. IVI’s own traffic study indicates that this bridge will create a major increase in the traffic to this area, certainly more than 9 extra cars.

Most of the 15 speakers tonight spoke in favor of the Riverside and 121st option. Unfortunately, it seemed that the majority of the speakers spoke about the bridge as if it was a forgone conclusion that it would be built sooner rather than later. While a debate about where the bridge should dispense its traffic is nice, the real issue is whether or not we should think about building this bridge now or in a few years. The Jenks and Bixby folks will have you believe that if this bridge is not built right now, the very fabric of their community might unravel due to poor public safety and quality of life. My concern is the infrastructure needs of South Tulsa. As Jim Mautino pointed out there are over 4.5 billion dollars of unfunded infrastructure needs in Tulsa. Hartdt admitted that 121st, Riverside, and Yale all need some attention before this bridge could be built. Attention that ranges from re-surfacing to widening. Tulsa has a lot of priorities and gussying up South Tulsa for IVI’s bridge should not be at the top of the list.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Tulsa City Council
Bixby
Jenks
Toll Bridge
Arkansas River
Tulsa County
Infrastructure Ventures, Inc.
South Tulsa Citizens Coalition

Free Maggie!

On the way back from the Tulsa City Council meeting tonight I met a woman who is none too pleased with Marina Animal Clinic at 21st and 101st East Ave. Terry sent her miniature dachshund to Marina to treat some serious health problems. The vets at Marina Animal Clinic decided to perform surgery. Terry claims that Marina has not honored their original written estimate, and the bill that was once $418 is now close to $1200. Because there is a dispute over the bill, Marina Animal clinic will not release Maggie to her owner. So Terry and her family have been standing on the corner of at 21st and 101st East Ave holding signs like FREE Maggie! Our pet being held by the Marina for unfair vet bill”, “The Marina Animal clinic does not honor it’s written estimates.”, and “If you love your pets, don’t bring them to the Marina Animal Clinic.”


I went inside to ask the owner about Terry’s claims, but she declined to comment. If you know about this issue, or have any comments about Marina Animal Clinic, feel free to use the comments section below to tell your story.

Maggie "Marina Animal Clinic" Tulsa

Technorati Tags: Maggie
Marina Animal Clinic
Tulsa

Chinese to Build British Car in Oklahoma

Here is a fascinating story about Nanjing Automobile Group’s plan to build the classic British car MG here in Oklahoma. Nanjing, a Chinese owned car maker, purchased the MG Rover Group in July of last year. Their plan is to re-introduce the MG here in the US and in Europe. To that end, they will build a factory in Ardmore Oklahoma.

U.S. production and sales are scheduled to begin by the third quarter of 2008. Nanjing says it will build a plant in Ardmore, Okla., that it expects to employ 325 and be able to produce 20,000 MG TF coupes a year for worldwide sales. An additional 150 will work at headquarters in Oklahoma City.

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma
Ardmore
Oklahoma City
Nanjing Automobile Group
MG Rover Group
China

A Molting Cicada

I have spent the last few nights prodding and cajoling cicadas to molt in the controlled conditions of my garage. Using the time-lapse feature on my camera I made a few videos of this fascinating process. Here is the best one.



To see this process in a more natural environment, go checkout David Schuttler’s video.

Technorati Tags: cicada
molting
Nikon Coolpix S4

House District 23 Primary Race

Today I saw democrat candidate Connie Dodson out knocking on doors. Apparently there have been rumors that she had dropped out of the race, but clearly this is not the case. Dodson’s primary opponent is Steven Gallo. Whoever wins this race will run against incumbent Sue Tibbs in the general.




Technorati Tags: House Distirct 23
Oklahoma
Connie Dodson
Steven Gallo
Sue Tibbs

Conquest

Soapy water plus a spray bottle, plus nerves of steal, plus nimble reflexes, plus some running, screaming and a few expletives, equals a colony of dead wasps.




After a few years of peaceful coexistence, I took unilateral action and preemptively struck my flying neighbors. The most exciting part was when I opened up the eave under my front porch. A few of my neighbors found my screaming and running quite entertaining. No, I did not get stung.

[UPDATE]
After the initial assault, I preformed a cleanup operation to clear out the remaining insurgents. The total number of dead from both campaigns totaled 74 75. I estimate another 100 to 150 larva were wiped out as well.


Technorati Tags: wasps
soapy water
wasp nest

Sheehan Hunger Strike

This is awesome. Cindy Sheehan is taking part in a hunger strike. She is vowing to only drink water until the troops come home. I only wish I lived close enough to Crawford TX so I could eat a big juicy hamburger in front of her. Oh well, maybe some one else will get the same idea.

I know it’s tempting to wish that she'll die of starvation, but that would be awfully shortsighted. A world with out Cindy Sheehan would be a boring world. Cindy Sheehan is worth her weight in comedic gold....good luck Cindy, Rock On!

In other nut job news, actors Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon and others are taking part in a sort of hunger strike relay race, “passing the fast daily from one to another.” Wow that sounds like a lot of fun. You really have to admire their conviction and their sacrifice. Good luck to them as well.


Technorati Tags: Cindy Sheehan
Sean Penn
Susan Sarandon
hunger strike

Congratulations

To our grand nation, happy 230th birthday.

To my beautiful wife, happy 8th anniversary.

Technorati Tags: anniversary
birthday

Patriotic Celebration

Last night I attended Grace Assembly’s 5th Annual Patriotic Celebration in Greenwood Indiana. Evangelist Paul Ai from Vietnam gave his thanks and a stirring tribute to Vietnam Veterans.Congressman Mike Pence spoke about the sacrifice of the American Soldier. The evening’s festivities were brought to a close by a fantastic fireworks show. Some of my pictures are below.






Technorati Tags: Greenwood Indiana
Grace Assembly
Mike Pence
fireworks

Impressive WIFI Security

While at my in-law’s house for the 4th, I noticed something very impressive. All 8 of the wireless networks in range, have encryption enabled. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like that before. Usually, where ever I go, there is some sap that has their network wide open. My only critique would be that are broadcasting their SSID. Ideally a wireless network should be invisible. Also, I did not check to see what security they were using, WEP OR WPA. Because WEP is so easily cracked, a wireless network should employ WPA encryption with a pseudo random key.

Anyway, I’m off topic. I’m very impressed with the residents in my in-law’s neighborhood. Great job guys!


Technorati Tags: wireless security
WPA
WEP
encryption

Disappointed in Sullivan

I’m disappointed in my congressman John Sullivan. I’ve called and emailed his office to try to determine his stance is on Net Neutrality. Based on his voting record it did not look good. My suspicions were confirmed, yesterday, when I received a letter from the congressman; in it he explains why he doesn’t support net neutrality.

I believe that government should not place new regulatory restrictions on Internet usage fee agreements between the network operators and content providers. Consumer costs for Internet access are steadily and drastically decreasing and the Internet is naturally coming into its own without government regulation. Legislation on “net neutrality”, an undefined term, would pass network costs onto the consumer ultimately slowing the growth and use of this growing technology

Wow, he really understands the Telco argument, I’m sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that his top contributors this year are big Telco companies.

Don’t worry John; I’m not so upset that I won’t vote for you. I will however, not help you in your campaign this go around…I’m just too disappointed.


Technorati Tags: John Sullivan
Net Neutrality