Eyeing voter response to message
THE difficulty of seeking election as a Republican incumbent who has voted for tax increases can be seen in the special election in Senate District 27 in northwest Oklahoma. Rep. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, is among those seeking the seat and faces a Republican primary. A recent mailer in the district, which has gained attention online, highlights his challenge.
The mailer describes Murdock’s votes as choosing “positive solutions,” specifically touting his support for raising taxes on tobacco, low-point beer and the gross production tax. Not mentioned are his votes to raise fuel taxes and impose a new tax on car purchases. The mailer warns that failure to raise taxes means rural hospitals will “close,” funding will be cut to “rural schools,” and conservation districts and extension offices will take a hit.
The mailer says Murdock has voted to “slash” spending to “non-essential government services” that are “mostly inside the big urban regions.” It also says Murdock will “never allow us to suffer because of overspending” in Oklahoma City. And the mailer claims Murdock’s primary opponent supports $1.2 billion in tax increases, which Murdock opposes.
So the mailer touts Murdock’s support of some, but not all, of the hundreds of millions in tax increases he has voted to enact, while suggesting his primary opponent would support even more tax increases. The mailer also claims government spending cuts would harm rural areas while simultaneously suggesting much waste remains in government.
No doubt, Murdock’s colleagues will carefully monitor voter response to that message.
Well-earned retirement
Ricky Adams joined the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in 1986, graduating with honors from the trooper academy that year. Adams’ first assignment was Troop A (Logan County) as a field trooper, and during the next 31 years he served at every level of the OHP, rising to chief in November 2013. Along the way he played a central role in establishing the OPH’s criminal interdiction program, and helped modernize the statewide Department of Public Safety facility and its information technology system. Prior to joining the OHP, Adams spent six years as a police officer in his hometown, Elk City, and Edmond. He also is a combat veteran who spent 35 years in the U.S. Army National Guard. Adams, 57, retired from the OHP on Friday after four years as the face of the agency. He has set a stellar example of service to state and country, for which Oklahomans should be grateful, and we wish him only the best in retirement.
An act of grace
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater aptly summarized what occurred in a courtroom this week, after the mother and sister of a long-missing Midwest City girl forgave the man convicted of killing her. “They showed a lot of class, a lot of grace and really showed their character,” Prater said. At the sentencing for Anthony Palma, Shannon Hazen told him, “I pray that you someday realize God’s love for you.” Hazen’s daughter, Kirsten Hatfield, disappeared from their home in May 1997 and hasn’t been seen since. Palma, a neighbor, was convicted this fall of murder, after DNA testing connected him to blood found on Kristen’s bedroom window sill and on her underwear. Kirsten’s sister, Faith Daniels, was 3 when Kirsten went missing. “You took away a lifetime of laughter … but I still choose forgiveness,” Daniels said. Palma, 58, will have plenty of time to consider their words. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Code talkers
At a recent event honoring the World War II service of Navajo code talkers, President Trump unnecessarily took a jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., by calling her “Pocahontas.” Warren has claimed American Indian heritage in the past. Warren promptly accused Trump of using a racial slur. This led to a flurry of white reporters asking white political figures their thoughts on the issue. So give credit to Joshua Green, a Businessweek correspondent and CNN political analyst, for asking the opinion of one of the code talkers present at the ceremony, Thomas Begay. While admitting he was “puzzled” by the offhand remark, Begay appeared unperturbed. “The Marines made us yell ‘Geronimo’ when we jumped out of planes and that didn’t offend me either.” Members of the Greatest Generation, of all races, are a little more thick-skinned than the current “snowflake” generation.
Scientific success
The University of Central Oklahoma isn’t classified as a research university, although considerable research is underway. A column this week by Jim Stafford, who writes about innovation and science for The Oklahoman on behalf of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology, highlighted remarkable work by UCO professor Wei R. Chen. Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health awarded Chen a fiveyear grant totaling $1.34 million to support his efforts to fight late-stage, metastatic cancers using a combination of laser irradiation and immunotherapy. As Stafford noted, the R01 grants are considered the gold standard of research grants and are exceedingly difficult to win. Chen, professor of biomedical engineering and dean of UCO’s College of Mathematics and Science, is the first scientist at an Oklahoma non-research university to receive one. It’s a high honor, and will further work that has the potential to combat an awful disease. Kudos.
DC Transit’s strange message
The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., sought to buy advertising on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system to promote its “Find the Perfect Gift” initiative. The simple ads directed people to FindThePerfectGift.org and contained the image of stars, shepherds and sheep. The ads did not include a manger scene, cross or Christ figure. Yet DC Metro officials rejected the ad, saying it “depicts a religious scene and thus seeks to promote religion,” which violates the authority’s guidelines. The archdiocese plans a court challenge, arguing the authority’s policy violates citizens’ First Amendment rights. Those who visit the website in the ad are encouraged to share “the joy of Christmas this season by helping others,” particularly the poor (the horror!) and to attend Christmas Mass. It’s common for people to complain that Christmas has become too commercial. Yet it seems some government officials think the opposite is true.
Negating bias claims
Major news organizations are often accused (not without cause) of having a liberal bias, and much of the public believes those organizations will not only attack conservatives for offenses that go unreported when committed by liberals, but are willing to even uncritically repeat bogus attacks on conservatives. This leads many conservative voters to dismiss reporting from national media outlets. So it’s worth noting that The Washington Post did much to bolster its credibility this week when the newspaper did not take the bait offered by provocateur James O’Keefe. An employee of O’Keefe posed as a long-ago victim of Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, claiming that Moore impregnated her when she was 15 and that she subsequently had an abortion. The Post’s fact-checking process quickly highlighted discrepancies in the woman’s story, and the ruse was quickly exposed. Kudos to the Post for prioritizing professionalism over partisanship.