Power concedes nothing without demand. Those in government who currently wield the power of crafting legislation and have done nothing in the face of the crisis generated by mass school shootings were served notice on Saturday. A genuine grassroots movement is on the rise and their collective voices demanding action to reign in gun violence…
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Ending the safeguarded impunity of one industry
Some regular readers may recall more than a couple of instances when I have rhetorically alluded to “stacking up the bodies” in reference to government deregulating industry with reckless abandon. Even as you read this the stack of bodies from American mass shootings continues to grow. To remain positive while writing this I really have…
Continue ReadingCapturing progressive inertia
Is it ever too early to begin thinking about and planning for what may lie ahead? The future is upon us and the time to plan for it is the here and now. I have always been pretty hit-or-miss when endeavoring at matters involving what might happen on the timeline forward of the present. I…
Continue ReadingRedefining Republicanism
Oklahoma’s own Will Rogers made ample use of the Law of Holes adage “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!” There isn’t really a dearth of such common sense under that big dome on Capitol Hill. It has simply taken a back seat to political expedience or, more accurately, political survival. Republicans at…
Continue ReadingAssembling purveyors of better ideas
Organizing persons unified by common ideas can be a very tall order. Regular readers may recall my account from a few months ago of the 2017 Oklahoma Democratic Party Convention in . I’m fairly certain I could get a consensus that anyone willing to put up with such a tedious and often contentious process of…
Continue ReadingThe Oklahoma Democratic Reclamation Project
Not all that long ago the Oklahoma Democratic Party held a majority statewide in voter registration. The latest high water mark for the Party in the Sooner State was achieved in 2006 when the voters elected or reelected Democrats to eight of nine state offices including Governor. The Democrats then also held a slim majority…
Continue ReadingReeling under the scourge of insurance profiteering
A few years ago during a heated online exchange on a political discussion board, a rightwing Tea Party activist exuding a maximum degree of bravado made it clear to me that I along with everyone else of my ilk and even his was NOT, repeat NOT entitled to an income! I replied to the guy…
Continue ReadingAn evening with Roy Zimmerman
I became familiar with the work of Roy Zimmerman when it began showing up in my social media news feed earlier this year. I have no idea how I missed hearing any of his work before this unsought discovery. After watching a few of his YouTube clips I did a little research on the work…
Continue ReadingAn embarrassment of riches with even more embarrassing results
This time a year ago we were flying down the home stretch of what turned out to be a wave election. In the wee morning hours of Election Night, the GOP candidate ultimately won the Electoral College vote count for the Presidency and his party made substantial gains in a wave that extended far down…
Continue ReadingTornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes
One impressive characteristic of this World we all have inherited is that whatever mortal men and women can poison or destroy through calculated intent or ignorant neglect can be totally finished off in a short span of time by natural occurring phenomena. Forget for a moment the ineptitude of our elected leadership and their desire…
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