By Ron McWhirter

In our Fall edition, two of our columnists addressed the possible loss by Gov. Stitt in the November election. One column entitled, “Why Governor Stitt May Not Win Re-election,” explained the various reasons why that might happen. It was also referenced in another column entitled, “The Midterms: Is a Red Wave on its Way?” In that column, as it related to gubernatorial elections, it was noted: “The one outlier could be our own state of Oklahoma, where Democrats have spent more money...

By Steve Byas

“I think if you did some polling statewide, it would be overwhelmingly popular to raise the minimum wage here in Oklahoma,” said Tim O’Connor, president of the Central Oklahoma AFL-CIO, speaking about the latest push to raise the state’s minimum wage, set by law. But popularity is hardly the only thing to consider when passing any law. After all, racial segregation, by law, was popular at one time in America. State Senator Mary Boren (D-Norman) filed a bill last year which would inc...

By Linda Murphy

While most Republicans say they support “limited government,” a plan to greatly expand government has gained support among a group of Republicans in the Oklahoma legislature. The “Community Schools” model of public education was fully embraced and advanced by the Obama administration along with the usual supporters on the political left, who have long wanted to provide unlimited government funding for poverty. During a White House “Jobs Summit,” President Obama said that Randi...

By Tim Bakamjian

Medical marijuana was legalized in Oklahoma in 2018 when 57% of its voters approved State Question 788, also known as the Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, on June 26. To date, 39 states and the District of Columbia all have laws permitting marijuana for medical use. Twenty-two states plus Washington D.C. have approved adult possession and consumption of recreational marijuana. ...

By Johnathan Small

In recent years, too many colleges have allowed the “heckler’s veto” to prevail. Rather than engage in respectful debate, activists have been allowed to shout down speakers or prevent speeches with threats of violence. And there have been reasons to worry about free speech at the University of Oklahoma. The 2021 College Free Speech Rankings – presented by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), College Pulse, and RealClearEducation – surveyed over 37,000 students ...

By Shane Smith

In the January 2023 edition of the academic journal Environmental Research, a paper was published that should have made headline news around the world. Entitled, “Age-stratified Infection Fatality Rate of COVID-19 in the Non-elderly Population,” Stanford professor John Ioannidis calculated the pre-vaccine fatality rate of COVID-19 among the under-70 age groups, and the final numbers should have been shocking to everyone who had previously consented and advocated for lockdowns, masks, and...

By John Michener

Oklahoma politics at the beginning of February always reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day, in which Phil is caught in a time loop, doomed to repeat Groundhog Day over and over. One cementer calculated that he relived the day 3,176 times, well over eight years. Another cementer came up with fifteen days shy of thirty-four years. Harold Ramis, director of the film, later affirmed a range of thirty to forty years. In my opinion, Phil relived Groundhog Day for forty years, and here is why. ...

By Ron McWhirter

Children’s hospitals providing what they call “gender-affirming care” have recently made the news nationally. Boston Children’s Hospital and at least 20 other children’s hospitals have been exposed for providing such services to minors. Add Oklahoma Children’s Hospital at the University of Oklahoma to that list. ...

By Steve Byas

I have read a steady stream of falsehoods about HB 1775, a piece of legislation sponsored by State Representative Kevin West (R-Moore). To hear the detractors of the bill tell it, and this is no exaggeration, the bill will not let teachers in our public schools cover issues like slavery, segregation, and other parts of our nation’s history that “might make a kid feel bad.” ...

By Charlie Meadows

Over the past several weeks several polls have shown the election between Gov. Kevin Stitt and Joy Hoffmiester to be very close. The two most recent polls, both by Republican pollsters, show Stitt behind by one percentage point. The most recent of those polls was released on October 17th. ...

By Linda Murphy

Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) have been pushing forward with a highly controversial “transformational” education model. In July 2016, I wrote about the integration of religion into the online curriculum starting at the 1st grade level. TPS “continues to advance the education model based on Common Core State Standards, which are highly opposed and have been repealed from Oklahoma state law.” In 2014, Tulsa Superintendent Ballard vowed to continue Common Core as soon as we got it stopped on a...

By Alexander B. Gray

China is the greatest foreign threat the United States has ever faced. The Chinese Communist Party has combined an authoritarian dictatorship with a massive population, a sophisticated economy intertwined intimately with U.S. supply chains, and a rapidly-growing military. Unlike the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany, Communist China seeks global dominance while maintaining close economic ties with the U.S. and most of our allies. ...

By David Deming

I can remember a time, perhaps thirty-five years ago, when it was possible to treat global warming as a legitimate scientific hypothesis. But in the 1990s the entire issue became hopelessly politicized. We’re now subjected to an onslaught of radical ideology masquerading as science. As activist Greta Thunberg candidly admitted in 2019, the supposed “climate crisis” is not just concerned with the environment, it’s about “dismantling colonial, racist, and patriarchal systems of...

By Tim Bakamjian

America is in its 11th hour. Progressives, with assistance from establishment “vichy” Republicans, have steadily but systematically destroyed the institutions and mores bequeathed to us nearly 250 years ago by this country’s founding fathers. That process has accelerated in breakneck fashion since January 20th, 2021, the day the Left, through massive election fraud, seized control of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Add those powers to their continued...

By Shane Smith

Pink Floyd’s 1979 hit song, “Another Brick in the Wall,” always rang hyperbolic to my young mind upon first hearing it years ago. With lyrics like, “we don’t need an education, we don’t need no thought control,” I couldn’t quite square it with hard subjects such as math, reading, and English. Wasn’t the mastery of these subjects a liberation of the mind rather than subjugation? I realize now that hard subjects weren’t the focus; rather the imposition of political and moral...

By John Michener

The Babylon Bee recently posted this satirical headline: “Planned Parenthood Hires Long-Range Snipers To Perform Abortions In Red States.” This is funny because abortion is supposed to be criminal in “Red States,” defined by media as conservative, pro-life, Republican-controlled. Therefore, abortion snipers could kill preborn babies in Red States without being guilty of a crime if they pull the trigger across the State line in a “Blue State,” defined by media as liberal, pro...

By Ron McWhirter

We believe the most important product of this publication is our annual Oklahoma Conservative Index which rates members of the Oklahoma Legislature. We published our first scorecard in the summer of 1979, and with this summer issue we present the 44th edition of the ratings. ...

By Steve Byas

“A good first step,” is what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the recent agreement he reached with ten Senate Republicans on restricting firearms for American citizens. The proposal includes funding for school-based mental health and supportive services, but also provides penalties for “straw purchasing,” an “enhanced review process” for young gun buyers, and protection for victims of domestic violence. Neither of Oklahoma’s senators signed on. Of course, S...

By Linda Murphy

DEI- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; CRT- Critical Race Theory; Queer Theory; and SEL- Social Emotional Learning are all part of “Transformational Education” School Choice Options are not exempt from the infiltration of the radical agenda that many parents are trying to escape. From Part 1: “This Radical transformation in education is aggressively supported and driven by the Federal government, State government agencies, outside organizations, elected officials, global corporations, ...

By John Michener

It is official! According to the majority opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the Dobbs case, “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion.” ...