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Oklahoma Coalition to abolish the Death Penalty honors champions Jimmy Lawson, Emma Rolls and Leslie Fitzhugh
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Note: This report first appeared June 9, 2021 on The City Sentinel website.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma opponents of capital punishment assembled virtually to recommit themselves to the drive to end state-sanctioned executions in Oklahoma early this month.
The annual meeting for the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP)
transformed into an online gathering this year. Highlight of the evening was the presentation of awards to champions of the cause. Jimmy Lawson, Emma Rolls, and Leslie Fitzhugh honored for work against death penalty.
OK-CADP presents their Abolitionists Awards each year honoring individuals who have demonstrated “extraordinary effort to end the death penalty in Oklahoma.”
The Phil Wahl Abolitionist of the Year Award is named for a Methodist minister from Duncan and co-founder of OK-CADP, who was steadfast in his opposition to capital punishment.
Phil Wahl was described, in the words of federal public defender Dale Baich as “untiring” in his efforts. His work continues to inspire all of us.” Wahl lived to the age of 101.
Baich introduced the Wahl Award winner as a man of “trust, support and loyalty.”
Those words, he said, “define friendship.”
Baich said, “Jimmy Lawson was born in Oklahoma City and attended John Marshall High School, where he excelled in academics and athletics. He earned a Bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. from Oklahoma City University. He held numerous corporate positions and is an adjunct professor at Rose State College.
“When Jimmy’s best friend Julius Jones was wrongfully convicted and ended up on Death Row in Oklahoma, Jimmy did not abandon his friend. [Their] bond remained and Jimmy never gave up fighting for Julius. His work sparked a movement to shed light on the injustice in his friend’s case and those efforts, along with the good work of the coalition, have brought more attention to the inequities and injustices of the death penalty in Oklahoma.
“For all he has done, and all he will continue to do, I am honored to present the Phil Wahl Abolitionist of Year Award to Jimmy Lawson.”
Lawson was organizer of the historic July 31, 2018 Free Julius Jones rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol, which was attended by a crowd of around 300 people on a warm evening. The event drew worldwide television news and online coverage, as well as strong local analysis.
Receiving the recognition, Lawson said he dedicated “this award to my late father Bishop Lawson Sr. A man who stood for love and justice. I have strived to stand for the voiceless and have expected nothing in return; except to see my lifelong best friend Julius Jones walk out as a free man.”
Lawson praised the devotion and support of his wife and three daughters. He noted he and Julius Jones have been friends since their sixth grade year.
He gave a special “shout out” to Julius’ parents, “Mama Jones and Papa Jones, who treat me like another son.” He thanked the other two Jones siblings, “Antoinette and Tony, who treat me like another brother.”
In addition to his work as an adjunct professor at Rose State, he is a working financial advisor and seemingly tireless advocate. Lawson reflected, “Our strength is not guns, not money, but our voice. Our words can truly change the game.” He drew inspiration form the Gospel of St. John, in chapter 15, and the affirmation there is “no greater love” than to lay down your life for friends.
The program then advanced to presentation of the Opio Toure Courageous Advocate Award, a recognition named for the late State Rep. Opio Toure of Oklahoma City.
Randy Bauman, former supervisor of Oklahoma’s Federal Public Defender Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) praised the 2021 Opio Toure Awardee, his successor at CHU, Emma Rolls.
In an efficient yet detailed introduction, Bauman recalled her work before the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, when she presented two separate arguments in one day. He reflected, “The lawyers in the room are already thinking, ‘Damn, wow, no wonder she’s getting the award.’”
Bauman continued, explaining for non-lawyers that a circuit argument “is not a speech. It’s an opportunity to get questioned, grilled, by a panel of three 10th Circuit judges on why relief should be granted or denied.
“I say ‘opportunity’ because you certainly want a chance to answer any questions the judges have. But, as you can imagine, it’s not easy – it’s challenging, to say the least. Each argument requires a great deal of prep work, anticipating questions, and the lovely grilling by your colleagues trying to help you anticipate what might come up – even though it can be most anything.”
Bauman reflected, “I don’t know exactly how to describe 2 in one day because I’ve never had to do it. I don’t think anyone ever has done what Emma did, two capital arguments back to back. I’m guessing she was ‘concerned.’ … And the results are two relief grants. It doesn’t get any better.”
In one case, “that of Roderick Smith, the death penalty was ruled off the table. That’s because of Rod Smith’s intellectual disability.”
As for the second case, Emma Rolls “argued the claim that got the client a remand for an evidentiary hearing.
“As chief of the habeas unit, Rolls has been doing an excellent job leading, guiding, helping, the fine lawyers, investigators, and paralegals who form the last line of capital defense in Oklahoma. Emma is, well and truly, a servant-leader. And that fine team, by the way, is doing great work.”
Rolls was a study in both humility and efficiency of her own, saying she shared the honor with her predecessor, (Mr. Bauman).
She reflected:
“Were it not for Randy, I’m sure I would not be accepting this award this evening. I am grateful for the opportunity he gave me when he hired me at the Capital Habeas Unit and then encouraged me to take on the supervisor position of the Unit. Next, I’d like to thank the family of Opio Toure for continuing to honor his legacy with this award. I’d also like to thank the members of the Coalition who fight with us to give a voice to the voiceless on death row. I share this award with numerous people:
“First, I share this award with all of the paralegals, investigators, and lawyers in the Capital Habeas Unit. My colleagues fight tirelessly, and they continue to buoy me through incredibly hard times.
“Second, I share this award with my husband, Lee Peoples, and my daughter, Amelia Peoples. They make a lot of room in our family life for this work. My work requires lots of nights, weekends, and I sometimes miss important events. Lee and Amelia never complain and they always offer love and support.
“And finally, I share this award with the many men on death row whom I have represented over the last 20 years. They have been my greatest teachers. I have learned more from them about humility, resilience, love, compassion, and the will to live. I am honored to represent them.”
Rolls encouraged “everyone to keep fighting. One day, the incremental change we are making will amount to the eradication of the barbaric practice of the death penalty. Continue to give a voice to the forgotten and keep pushing.”
The evening’s third honor was the Lifetime Abolitionist Award.
Joyce Jackson praised the work of honoree Leslie Fitzhugh, born in Boley and a longtime Oklahoma City resident.
Jackson hailed her friend as “authentic and socially conscious.” She quickly catalogued Fitzhugh’s list of professional and personal affiliations, (including 30 years with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections), characterizing her as – “a community servant and advocate” – as well as a mother, grandmother and Sunday school teacher.”
In summary, Jackson said “community service is in Leslie’s DNA. She is determined to make Oklahoma a better place.”
Accepting the honor, Fitzhugh described herself as “passionate about the work we do.”
She referenced a particular memory about the late Jim Rowan (https://www.city-sentinel.com/2019/05/a-humanitarian-giant-jim-rowan-leaves-a-long-shadow-on-social-and-criminal-justice/), a legendary attorney, OK County Public Defender and OK-CADP board member, who worked to oppose the death penalty and defend those accused of capital crimes. Fitzhugh remembered a conversation with Rowan concerning one of his clients in Tulsa. “That man had tears in his eyes,” she recalled. “It impressed me that he felt so strong about that issue. I miss Jim, and the work he was doing.”
Fitzhugh said she was “honored to work for … Julius Jones and his lovely, lovely family. … It takes all of us to make a difference.”
Marc M. Howard details ‘Unusually Cruel’ practices in American criminal justice system
The evening began with a presentation from keynote speaker Marc M. Howard, a professor at Georgetown University and founder of the Prisons and Justice Initiative. Howard spoke, via videotape and employing a detailed power point, from eight time zones away, in Europe.
Howard, author of the book “Unusually Cruel: Prisons, Punishment and the Real American Exceptionalism,” began his academic career teaching political science, with an emphasis on European politics. But helping to secure the release from prison of Marty Tankleff, a childhood friend, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his parents, redirected much of his life’s work.
Tankleff served 17 years before being exonerated with Marc’s help.
The case and the conviction have been deemed a contemporary “classic case of false confession.”
That labor transformed his view of the American system, Howard recounted, “My eyes had been opened to injustice, and I couldn’t go back to closing them again.”
Consequently, “I set out to try to bring people inside prisons into view, and to connect them with people on the outside through my nonprofit The Frederick Douglass Project
(https://www.douglassproject.org/team).
Howard told the OK-CADP audience he had come to understand “the tremendous humanity that is locked away and separated from us.”
Howard shared the shocking fact that America spends more on incarceration than on education. His analysis of what he called “staggering statistics” on that and other matters led to his scholarly and educational focus on issues of incarceration, comparative lack of opportunities for rehabilitation, and the ways in which the United States stands in marked contrast to other systems characterized by representative government and the rule of law.
With data-driven analysis, Howard noted that some 100 million Americans have some kind of criminal record. Another 20 million Americans have felony convictions, 15 million “touch the criminal justice system” each year, and 7 million Americans are under some form of correctional control.
Further, 2.7 million children have a parent in prison.
Another among those “just staggering statistics,” he said.
The U.S. has seven to ten times the incarceration rate of other democracies, yet does not fall among the nations with low crime rates.
Howard said the nation’s misuse of plea bargains, lengthy prison sentences, and conditions in prisons and jails drive the sense of despair for those who encounter the system. Summing up, he noted, “we have 5 percent of the world’s population but we have 25 percent of the world’s prison population.”
Given those statistics, he said the cultural question to ask is “How do we want people to behave once they get out?”
With that transition, he pointed to different standards for parole and surer possibilities for compassionate release as issues that impede “societal reentry.” Too often, “people are essentially set up to fail.”
He argued the historical factors in America contributing to harsher sentencing include Jim Crow laws, convict leasing, religion, the distortive effect of politics (elected D.A.s and prosecutors) and the “prison industrial complex” – including both businesses and unions.
Howard visited Julius Jones a year ago at the McAlester death row unit. He said he speaks with him regularly, and that Jones has spoken to his classes, as well as his sister Antoinette. He told attendees at the OK-CADP event: “His story is the classic story for why the death penalty is wrong. He has so much he can do if and when he comes home.”
Like other speakers, Howard affirmed the strong family support Julius Jones has in his struggle to escape execution and gain exoneration. He referenced “his amazing sister Antoinette.”
Howard encouraged attendees to “be aware of the flaws of the criminal justice system. Fortunately, this has become a bipartisan issue – vote for leaders who will work for reform.” He encouraged employers “to hire and support people who are coming out of prison.” He asked caring people to “visit a prison, get involved.” Howard founded the Frederick Douglass Project trying to get as many people as possible to visit a prison.
“Once you see incarcerated people on the inside and connect with them on a human level it’s hard to go back to the old tough on crime and demonization perspective,” he said.
Persons Executed and Exonerated, Justice for Julius update
Early in the evening, Nathaniel Batchelder and Pat Hoerth Batchelder of The Peace House solemnly read the names of 34 persons executed, including 13 federal executions, since the last OK-CADP annual meeting (June 8, 2019) as well as the ten Oklahoma exonerees.
The coalition’s efforts to support aspects of the state Pardon and Parole Board’s expanded work on clemency and parole issues was featured in a report from Cece Jones-Davis.
An ordained minister, she recounted recent efforts in behalf of the Julius Jones Coalition she founded and has long guided.
Jones-Davis referred to the 2020 Oklahoma City screening of the film “Just Mercy.” Due to turnout and positive response to the film, she felt “we were on our way” at that point.
Then came the lengthy disruption of everything during the worldwide Pandemic of 2020-21. Jones and her team, during that time established contact with “Represent Justice,” a national organization working through avenues of public awareness. The Justice for Julius advocacy project is now a “micro-campaign” of the national group.
The Julius Jones Coalition, OK-CADP and other groups supported the efforts of Julius Jones’ federal public defenders Dale Baich and Amanda Bass (his colleague in the federal habeas unit based in Arizona) to press for a hearing before the state P&P Board. Initial success came with the P&P Board’s decision to hear the Jones case and others.
Throughout the past year, opponents of the death penalty worked in practical ways. Fresh in memory was the “faith walk” from Wesley United Methodist Church on N. Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City. Hundreds gathered to accompany leaders on a walk to the P&P offices, where they submitted 6.2 million signatures on the Change.org petition asking for the commutation of Jones, Cece Jones-Davis stated.
The scheduled June hearing for Julius Jones before the P&P Board was delayed until September 13.
In her comments for the OK-CADP, Cece Jones-Davis asked for people to support the new September Stage Two commutation hearing for Julius. “Hold them accountable to that date and not delay it again,” she concluded.
Rolls Provides Update on Execution Protocol, P&P training and process
Emma Rolls delivered fresh remarks in a report on the more than two dozen men now on Oklahoma’s death row who could become eligible for execution dates, including Julius Jones, depending on the outcome of a case in the U.S. district court for Oklahoma’s western district.
The state’s execution protocol has been legally challenged, Rolls reported. If that challenge does not succeed, the men could soon thereafter face execution dates.
The Oklahoma Corrections Department protocol for executions restored the highly controversial use of a lethal “drug cocktail” employed in the infamous botched executions of two men.
Rolls communicated a sense of urgency to her online viewers. She believes, after participating in a professional training process for P&P Board members, “the P&P Board will not rush through the hearings.”
She believes clemency will be granted in some cases.
However, she encouraged further advocacy for a transparent and impactful P&P process, saying, “The more attention this gets the better.”
Rolls has previously detailed legal reasons many now on death row should not be executed due to mental disabilities or tragic upbringings.
Customary Business, Prayers, and OK-CADP Sponsors
Rev. Don Heath, the OK-CADP chair, served as host for the annual meeting, during which customary business was conducted.
Heath encouraged support for the Bob Lemon Capital Defense Attorney Scholarship Fund
(https://ift.tt/3gvYnYh), which provides financial support for professional training in matters of the death penalty.
Rev. Dr. Larry T. Crudup of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Oklahoma City delivered the benediction. He prayed:
“May God continue to care for Julius, and the Jones Family as liberation comes. May God’s strength stir you to never grow weary in doing good. (Galatians 6:9) May God’s voice engulf you to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. (Proverbs 31:8) May God’s discernment guide you to judge fairly. (Proverbs 31:9) May God’s justice compel you to defend the rights of the poor. (Proverbs 31:9)
“And as you stand as abolitionists and carriers of divine love, may you continue to have eyes that see the best in people, hearts that forgive the worst in people, minds that forget the bad in people, and a soul that never loses faith in Justice and in God. Leave in peace, Live in Power, Love on Purpose.”
Rev. Crudup’s benediction concluded the proceedings.
Rev. Kayla Bonewell of The Church of the Open Arms delivered the invocation to begin the evening of hope and affirmation for those on death row, and for those working to end government imposition of the death penalty. “We gather here today to pray for and advocate on behalf of those affected by the death penalty,” she said. “Not only for those on death row, but for their family and friends, for victims and perpetrators, for the innocent and the guilty…We pray that you will empower us with the virtues of reconciliation – not of vengeance.”
OK-CADP event sponsors for 2021 included Edmond Trinity Christian Church, Emma Rolls, First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Conference of Churches, Oklahoma Innocence Project, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.
Organizational members of OK-CADP include the ACLU of Oklahoma; Amnesty International Oklahoma City; Brennan Society; Catholic Conference of Oklahoma; Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK); Criminal Justice & Mercy Ministries–United Methodist OK Conference; Divine Worship Center – Edmond Trinity Christian Church; End Violence Everywhere – Episcopal Diocese OK Peace & Justice Commission; Faith in Action Commission Christian Church Oklahoma; First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, Joy Mennonite Church; Kansas/Oklahoma Conference United Church of Christ; Murder Victims Families for Human Rights; National Association of Social Workers Oklahoma Chapter; National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, Oklahoma Chapter; NAACP Oklahoma City Chapter; Oklahoma Conference of Churches; Oklahoma County Public Defenders; Oklahoma Cure; Oklahoma Indigent Defense System; The Peace House; Oklahoma City Religious Society of Friends; St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Social Justice Committee, and many individual advocates and supporters.
Disclosure: The authors of this story are members of OK-CADP. The City Sentinel newspaper was in past years an event sponsor, and has made frequent contributions to support the group’s work, including this year.
For more information or to contribute to the Coalition’s work, write: OK-CADP, PO Box 713, Oklahoma City, OK 73101; visit okcad.org or email: [email protected] .
Note: The City Sentinel is an independent, non-partisan and locally-owned newspaper based in Oklahoma City. The newspaper is published in Oklahoma City, with a ‘24/7’ online presence.
Note: The City Sentinel is an independent, non-partisan and locally-owned newspaper based in Oklahoma City. The original story can be accessed, with a thorough set of links to background information: (https://ift.tt/2U7aMdF) The newspaper is published in Oklahoma City, with a ‘24/7’ online presence.
www.City-Sentinel.com
Oklahoma Coalition to abolish the Death Penalty honors champions Jimmy Lawson, Emma Rolls and Leslie Fitzhugh Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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The City Sentinel Editorial
The Sunday, June 13 headline in The Oklahoman (‘Feds seek $82 million for reservation case costs’) distilled the latest series of steps taken to dismantle Oklahoma.
If Congress agrees to spend the money, the U.S. government will spend that money to crush efforts to sustain the area we call “Oklahoma.”
The money will be used to support implementation of “land fixes” that sunset forever legal and jurisdictional efforts to retain the meaning of “statehood” for Oklahomans.
Beautifully produced televisions ads and soothing rhetoric will try to hide these efforts as they yield the end of Oklahoma.
The City Sentinel declines to accept the end of Oklahoma, but ours is only one voice in a sea of confusing and often deliberately misleading assertions.
The chorus of opposition must be raised now, on behalf of citizens and taxpayers, people in business and those who labor, those of every ethnic and faith affiliation, members of all political parties, and leaders of small tribes seeking to control their own destiny rather than cede their fortunes to Big Tribes and Big Government.
State leaders in elective and appointive office must for the sake of us all unite to sustain a future for Oklahoma, even as we continue to argue about other things.
It is past time for people whose names are in the news every day – and those who want to have their names in the news every day – to unite around a deceptively simple idea: Oklahoma is a state.
It is months past time to push back against efforts in Congress, including those of a long-serving U.S. Representative, to convert the eastern one-half of the state into competing jurisdictions where -- in the near-future -- new taxes, regulations and administrative rules will be set in place eroding property rights and jurisdictional meaning.
This is actually not complicated, but it is challenging:
Hand-wringing and unwillingness to understand the implications of these developments will bear real consequences. Consequences will include the end of Oklahoma and a new governing reality that makes the future darker, not brighter, for us all.
It’s not complicated. It’s Oklahoma’s statehood Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Pat McGuigan
Oklahoma City – Jack Webb, star of the old ‘Dragnet’ television series popular in my youth, had several versions of the weekly opening of the show. My favorite included his line, as an aerial view of Los Angles was shown on the screen: “There are a million stories in the city. This is one of them.”
Here are some recent events provoking not-so-random reflections about stories from the world, nation, state and city where I live:
The key elements of a detailed news story from NonDoc.com (an online news service based in Oklahoma City) were captured (as was once the tradition in American journalism) by the story headline: “Hofmeister: Nutrition program fraud ‘being investigated by federal authorities’.”
By and large and on the whole, I have been disappointed (using a mild word, on purpose) by the tenure of Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister.
But credit her and the state Education Department for this:
Reporter Megan Prather wrote that the agency has “deemed $1.6 million in claims for federal funds at child nutrition sites to be ‘fraudulent’ since April 2020.”
Prather -- whose work is frequently “aggregated” through the news sites I administer -- gives the details. I encourage readers to study them. Best place to start, at this point, is at this link to the NonDoc report:
https://ift.tt/2Th5WKa
With apologies to the late U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen (for approximately the one-hundredth time in my writing career) adapting his memorable quip about “billions” in federal spending: $1.6 million in state government spending here, and $1.6 million there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.
That’s cash that could be used, wisely and prudently, for broadly-agreed upon purposes.
Or consider a not-so-random thought:
Taxpayers could keep the money in the first place, allowing those so inclined to step up and help others in need?
* * *
There has been a lot of concern expressed in recent days about inadequate sports facilities for women, at least when compared to those for men.
I never had a brother. However, I have four sisters.
They helped me, a skinny kid, learn how to be at least kind of tough.
The four girls had rather impressive skills playing softball, basketball, volleyball and … well, sometimes even variations of football.
That’s a long story, but not the point of this reflection, a not-so-random thought:
I remember when opportunities for female athletes were much more limited than today. Of course, in most cases, any good thing can be improved. Still, the recent dominant recent narrative about women’s athletics has been a little off-key.
A colleague from days at The Oklahoman, sports reporter Berry Tramel, wrote a fine essay just a couple of weeks ago outlining the process by which the facility which now houses the Women’s College World Series came into existence.
(https://ift.tt/3xgaJu7 ).
Tramel superbly distilled how the women’s softball world championship (or, at least the facility where it is played each year) grew from the vision of one man (the late Stanley Draper, 1923-2006).
I remember Draper but did not know him well. What stands out in memory is that he was willing to work with others, patiently, on important matters.
One step at a time, he and they built it, and then – rather quickly, in the historical sense – they (the teams and the crowds) came. If the Oklahoma City home of the WCWS didn't exist, it would have to be invented. And odds are, it would never have emerged as nicely anywhere else.
Recent news stories and commentaries from media outlets based in places that don't host the most significant (and well-attended) softball tournament in the world conveyed a description of Oklahoma’s softball venues that brought to mind the adage about a glass of water that is, at best, half-full.
But considering things through the prism of economics and philanthropy, of human limitations and possibilities, it might seem as if the glass is (after decades of work) at least half-full.
To sum up a few day’s activities:
The University of Oklahoma women’s softball team just won its fifth world championship, and got to complete at the facility (which has changed quite a bit since I first visited it) that Draper and Marita Hynes (once upon a time, the OU softball coach) and others brought to life. It rests on a rolling hilltop in northeast Oklahoma City.
It is a true “neutral site” because college softball teams each season promise themselves to work hard enough to earn a trip to … Oklahoma City.
For this year’s OU Sooners, it was not a long trip.
And Thursday afternoon (June 10), it was Home, Sweet Home.
Congratulations to the team, and to all those who made a day like that possible, building on the dreams of Stanley Draper, Jr., and thanks to Tramel for telling Draper’s story, one more time.
As for the future? Well, that depends on us – and on the willingness of people who might disagree on some other things to work together.
If, that is, people who disagree with each other on some things are still permitted to work together on other things.
***
Recently, a graduating teaching assistant at my alma mater, (Oklahoma State University in Stillwater) garnered worldwide attention when she said, during an online session based at a Connecticut university, that she had decided – in order to confront her “internalized white supremacy” -- she should stop teaching Spanish. (https://www.foxnews.com/us/oklahoma-state-teaching-assistant-spanish-white )
Her musings garnered lots of attention, to put it mildly. I’m not a fan of “cancel culture” or what people now characterize as being “woke.” Reading about her was another despair-inducing moment.
Not-so-random reflections:
The best math teacher I had in high school was Black. He was an elderly gentleman with a gravely voice. I’ve never forgotten him, and can still imitate his speech pattern 50 years after my last class with him.
The kindest French teacher I ever had was in high school.
Then, college: The best French teacher I had was an Englishman.
My Classical Greek teacher was a brilliant historian, a White American.
I actually don't remember my high school Latin teacher, other than that I learned a lot.
After time to reflect and recover memory, I recalled that my college Latin teacher specialized in history, but guided me through two courses in Latin and that one in Classical Greek (yes, in Stillwater).
My German instruction (for reading only) was unmemorable but I was able to use the language in research for a few years. (Nowadays, all but a few phrases in German look like, well, like Greek to me.)
My Russian language professor was an American who had served in Europe at the height of the Cold War – and learned the language by eavesdropping on Soviet Red Army radio transmissions.
I did poorly in class (I never quite 'got' the Cyrillic alphabet) but became friends with the professor.
Russian stumped me, but my admiration for the greatest Russian writer of my lifetime (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) later led to a unique opportunity.
Years after I graduated from OSU I returned to deliver a lecture about Solzhenitsyn’s literary and historical works in translation. I came at the invitation of my old professor.
Near the end of college days, I learned daily conversational Italian in an informal way – from day-laborers at an archaeological site (San Leonardo al Lago) in Tuscany, near Siena.
I suppose the last experience (at a summer program sponsored by Villanova University) would be the only one to qualify as legitimate by the standards articulated by that teaching assistant at my beloved alma mater. Presumably, it’s ok to learn Italian from an Italian.
The lads from whom I learned idiomatic Italian were not privileged, they were merely patient with a graduate student from Oklahoma. I suppose my demonstrated willingness to get my hands dirty made me seem worth their instructional efforts.
What would those educators of varied sorts from my past think about an educated woman who decides not to share her knowledge of language with others because of a self-designation as “privileged.”
I was “privileged” – not because of my skin tone, but because those mentioned above were willing to educate me.
It was indeed a blessing to encounter capable teachers across the years.
The first thing I remember about each is what they taught me, not their skin tone.
***
Presently I work under the threat of a Facebook ban.
In the night, I sometimes imagine the threatened ban as something like the Sword of Damocles about which I first learned at Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City.
One reason for the threats received from Facebook’s ’bots was rooted in my citation and posting (clearly in a negative light) of an online post about a (now former) contributor to CNN who uttered deeply evil thoughts about the Jewish people and history.
The other reason for the threatened ban -- at least as explained (a charitable term) by the Facebook ’bots – was my use of a story from The New York Post describing the purchase of upper-high-end properties across the land of the free (America) by a person who has described herself as Marxist.
Not long after Facebook blocked The New York Post’s first story, the issue went worldwide (what they deem “viral,” these days). It was vetted by other sources. After became a story even “liberal” publications agreed was true, Facebook stopped trying to prevent distribution. If this reminds any readers of other stories panned and banned, only to be later converted into conventional wisdom, it’s because those readers are paying attention.
I will refrain from further details, and perhaps avoid, for the moment, another ban-threat.
Here are not-so-random thoughts: In a long career in the news business, I have supervised the work of a wide range of people. During my decade working in Washington, D.C., I worked with 55 interns, students from universities and prep schools throughout the national capital area. They were an eclectic group, over time, large enough that over the course of ten years I encountered nearly every “type” you can imagine. None of them were stereotypes, they were human beings.
I enjoyed the work, and learned a lot about guiding young writers.
For 12 years, I ran the editorial/opinion pages at The Oklahoman. I was blessed with a good staff of writers. I had the opportunity to form a Board of Contributors that was consciously split 50-50 in terms of underlying political leanings, although I found some of the characterizations of “liberal” and “conservative” inadequate then, as I do now.
These days, I administer a newspaper with a website, and also run an all-online news organization.
Most of the writers at both of these websites are Oklahomans, although occasionally we print or post work originating from outside Oklahoma.
I describe myself as a Reagan conservative because that’s the best way to sum up what I look for in public policy. As for journalists, my heroes are Robert Novak and David Broder. Each of them spent their careers engaged in both straight news reporting and commentary.
Any list of my heroes in news-gathering must be partial, to be sure. It features people who, like me, have actually had to run a news organization or an important department within one.
As years passed, named like G.K. Chesteron, William F. Buckley, Jim Lehrer, the Edward L. Gaylord (all deceased) and others have secured a place on my list.
In the field of commentary, I look to the late Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Cal Thomas, Peggy Noonan, John Fund, Jeff Jacoby, Don Feder, and others when crafting a most admired summary.
Presently and in the past I have had people assist me in my work – as editorial writers, reporters, aides in technical/internet matters and in other aspects of my labor – who have policy and personal preferences different from my own.
This ongoing exercise of liberty in the way I conduct my business and my life is entirely in keeping with my understanding – I suppose it can be called a “conservative” mindset, but it seems to me more American than political – of the function of journalists who operate under the protection of the U.S. Constitution and its magnificent protections for “the Press.”
The idea that computer programs for a worldwide Big Tech firm can methodically and increasingly limit the reach of my work – and now raise the specter of a ban – seems deeply un-American.
There is no likelihood I will change my approach to writing, and thinking, and all the rest 52 years after my first sports story was printed in the student newspaper at McGuinness.
With all that in mind, for those who like my work here is a story and a link to save, to help find me should customary means of access go dark:
“Heads Up: If my posts go missing in action during these interesting times”
(https://ift.tt/3cEj96V )
The websites are www.CapitolBeatOK.com and www.City-Sentinel.com .
Hard copies of the latter are available in racks around the heart of Oklahoma City.
Keep reading and, if so inclined, pray for this work to be sustained.
Note: Pat McGuigan is a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
More Not-So-Random Reflections: Fraud, Sports, Teachers, Language and Ban-Threats Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Staff Report
The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday (June 9) adopted the City Manager’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2022, which begins July 1.
“This past year has been extremely challenging, and I am so proud of the way City staff have adapted to this new environment and continue to provide excellent services to our residents,” said City Manager Craig Freeman. “Fiscal Year 2022 is a year we are looking forward to with great anticipation. We hope to be able to put the most significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and not only restore previous service levels, nut provide even better service to our residents and visitors.”
Budget hearings began May 4 with an overview, and public safety budget proposals. Hearings continued May 18 and June 1 with presentations from other departments.
Budget overview
The total FY 2022 City of Oklahoma City budget is about $1.6 billion, which is 2.4 percent smaller than the current fiscal year. Information in this report is adapted from a press release sent to The City Sentinel, CapitolBeatOK.com and other news organizations.
The slight decrease is because of declining balances in the pay-as-you-go MAPs3 and Better Streets, Safer City temporary sales tax funds as those programs wind down. Also, only current-year MAPs4 revenue is included in the budget because the program is in its early stages, and an implementation plan is not yet in place.
The General Fund, which pays for most day-to-day operations, is projected to grow by 6.8 percent to about $496 million. Projected sales and use tax growth as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic is the primary driver in this year’s bigger General Fund.
There are 4,866 funded employee positions in the FY 2022 budget, an increase of 109 from the current fiscal year. It’s slightly lower than the pre-pandemic total of 4,869 funded positions.
Budget highlights
Every employee position in the FY 2022 budget is fully funded. As a budget reduction strategy in the current fiscal year, some positions were “frozen” – included in the budget, but unfunded. All funding for these frozen positions has been restored in the new budget: 21 in the Fire Department, 34 in the Police Department and the Chief Innovation Officer position.
Public Safety (Police, Fire) and More
• The proposed budget includes $300,000 for an alternative response to mental health calls component and $1 million to fund future City Council-approved recommendations from task forces and working groups on community policing, human rights and homelessness. (An earlier release stated the $300,000 in mental health response funding is in the Police Department, but it is actually budgeted in Non-Departmental because the final location of that program has not been determined.)
• Public safety items include restoring the Fire Department overtime funding cut from the current fiscal year, and three new civilian crime scene investigators for the Police Department. The investigators can support officers and detectives to help improve clearance rates and lead to successful prosecutions.
Parks, Recreation and Culture
• The normal two-week Oklahoma City Parks mowing schedule is restored in the budget, after reducing the schedule to every three weeks as part of the current year’s cuts. New Parks staffing is also included for the Willa D. Johnson Recreation Center, which is scheduled to open during FY 2022.
• The First Americans Museum is also scheduled to open this fall, and the budget includes $750,000 in operating support for what will be Oklahoma City’s newest international cultural attraction bringing visitors from around the globe.
Neighborhoods, human services and transportation
• A new position in Homelessness Services in the Planning Department will boost efforts to end homelessness in Oklahoma City, in partnership with the Arnall Family Foundation and Inasmuch Foundation.
• Service enhancements on EMBARK bus Route 018 in northeast Oklahoma City will increase frequency to every half-hour from every hour. The Spokies bike share and Oklahoma River Cruises services, which had been cut in the current year and restored with temporary funding, are back in full.
• A new bike lane maintenance crew for Public Works will help keep up with our increasing bike-friendly infrastructure.
Business and Employers
• A proposed new Public Works position is dedicated to ensuring local contractors are aware of and know how to bid and work on City projects.
• The Utilities Department has two new proposed positions to help Tinker Air Force Base become a part of the City’s water and wastewater system.
Funding
Oklahoma City’s largest single source of revenue is sales tax, which pays for day-to-day services. Every time you shop in Oklahoma City or buy something online, you’re investing in your community.
The City gets 4.125 percent of taxable sales made in Oklahoma City, or when people from Oklahoma City buy something online. Of that, 2.25 percent goes to the General Fund that pays for day-to-day operations.
About half to two-thirds of the General Fund is for public safety – our Police and Fire Departments.
Police and Fire also have a dedicated public safety sales tax of ¾ of a cent. The Oklahoma City Zoo gets 1/8th of a cent, and finally there’s the MAPS 4 temporary penny sales tax.
The City also gets about 13 percent of your total property tax bill. Our share goes to paying off the general obligation bonds we use for bond projects in the Better Streets, Safer City program. That funds improvements to streets, parks, Police and Fire facilities and other needs for the next several years.
Check them out at okc.gov/BetterSafer. The rest of local property tax goes elsewhere -- public schools, libraries, vocational schools and the county government.
Hotel tax charged on hotel room stays is the City’s only other significant source of tax revenue. It’s dedicated to promoting tourism, and capital improvements at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds.
The City also gets some revenue comes from franchise fees, building permits, business licenses, fines, service changes and other fees. Visit okc.gov/tax for an overview on our revenue.
Budget background
The budget is guided by feedback received from an annual resident survey (https://www.okc.gov/government/resident-satisfaction?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery).
Information from the survey also helps the City Council set priorities (https://ift.tt/357fYQX). Those priorities are:
• Promote safe, secure and thriving neighborhoods.
• Develop a transportation system that works for all residents.
• Maintain strong financial management.
• Enhance recreational opportunities and community wellness.
• Encourage a robust local economy.
• Uphold high standards for all City services.
• Continue to pursue social and criminal justice reforms.
Find your Council member’s contact information at the city’s website (okc.gov/council).
Visit okc.gov/WardMap to see who represents you. Find Council agendas at okc.gov/agenda.
The budget process begins each February with a City Council budget workshop. This year’s workshop was Feb. 9 and featured a five-year forecast that included presentations from the Finance Department and the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute at Oklahoma City University.
The Council uses the forecast to help evaluate the economy, and Oklahoma City’s financial position and operational expenses.
The budget hearings in the spring and budget adoption in June finish the budget process every year. When necessary, the Council adopts amendments to the budget in the middle of the fiscal year.
Visit okc.gov/budget to see the FY 2022 budget.
www.City-Sentinel.com
Oklahoma City Council adopts Fiscal Year 2022 budget Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Steve Fair
Editor’s Note: The anniversary of D-Day, the Sixth of June, passed rather quietly this year. With the approach of Flag Day (June 15), and then Independence Day, Steve Fair’s reflection is both timeless and timely. He brings to bring the reality of how America retained its unique role in world history through the sacrifice of those brave souls who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944.
Last Sunday, June 6, marked the 77th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Normandy – codenamed Operation Overlord. The battle lasted for two months and ultimately resulted in the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. A total of 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50 mile stretch of France’s Normandy region.
Ultimately, 73,000 Americans, 63,000 British, and 20,000 Canadian troops, 5,000 ships and landing craft, and 11,000 aircraft were involved in the largest military assaults in modern history.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the Allied troops, told the troops: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.”
The landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. Less than a year after the invasion, Germany unconditionally surrendered.
More than 8,300 American soldiers lost their life that day on the five beaches -- Allied troops total losses were 12,000 -- most of them at Omaha Beach. Germany had twice that number of fatalities.
That evening, in 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the nation via radio. Instead of making a speech, FDR offered a prayer.
That’s right, a liberal Democratic president prayed to Almighty God. The text of that prayer is available online and every American should read it.
Three observations about D-Day:
First, The Allied forces were liberating, not conquering. Some critics of the invasion claim America wasn’t under any threat, even though Hitler had declared war on the U.S. in December of 1941. They believe the thousands of young Americans who lost their life liberating people in a faraway land were simply pawns of the U.S. government.
But Americans in 1944 believed there was a cause. Nazi Germany had killed millions of Jews, Poles, and other Europeans in Hitler’s attempt to build a ‘super race.’ Freedom in countries under Nazi rule was non-existent. They saw Nazi Germany as a threat to their way of life.
Second, we don’t really understand what a Nazi was. The evil actions of Nazi Germany were some of the most oppressive, cruel and wicked recorded in human history. When a civil rights activist calls a political opponent a Nazi, they reveal they don’t really understand what a Nazi was. Nazis didn’t allow freedom of speech or dissenting in their totalitarian system of rule. Throwing the term Nazi around those who disagree is reckless and careless.
Third, it’s doubtful modern-day Americans could/would participate in another D day. The dedication to the cause of freedom that doesn’t direct impact them isn’t there.
They will fight for their individual freedom, but collective freedom and a way of life? It’s not their battle. They take a laissez faire attitude toward any cause that doesn’t direct impact them. They are woken, enlightened, and illuminated, but most lack the courage to storm a beach to fight for freedom.
President Ronald Reagan spoke from Omaha Beach in 1984 on the 50th anniversary of the invasion. He said:
“What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love. The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge — and pray God we have not lost it — that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.”
Thank God for people who ‘more than self, their country loved.
Otherwise, woken Americans would be speaking German.
NOTE: A widely published commentator, Steve Fair is Chairman of the Republican Party in Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District. His reflections often appear on CapitolBeatOK.com, an independent, non-partisan and locally-managed news service based in Oklahoma City. He is also often featured in The City Sentinel newspaper. Steve can be reached by email at [email protected]. His blog is stevefair.blogspot.com.
More Than Self: Reflections on D-Day, while looking to Flag Day Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Joe Dorman
With the end of the legislative session, the work for the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy now transitions to more of an educational component.
From the early part of the year through the end of May, our work primarily is dedicated to not only educating lawmakers about policy and the impact of potential laws, but also to reach out to Oklahomans of all backgrounds across the state to encourage them to reach out to policymakers.
These calls help share the desires of constituents in legislative districts to help influence the direction of bills being considered and voted upon. We are at this point collecting ideas for suggestions on interim studies and compiling the results of the legislative session to share with advocates across the state.
If you have a civic organization in your community that would like to hear from the staff or board members with OICA, we spend much of the middle and latter part of the year working with local leaders to help encourage advocacy and outreach.
This consists of our team members going to communities to do presentations on how to be an effective advocate, how to understand the legislative process in our state, or presenting a detailed analysis of the child-related legislation which was considered in the 2021 session.
One especially rewarding part of the job is when we can work with youth-related programs to better understand the process. This past week, I had the pleasure of providing a legislative process class to the 2021 delegates of Youth Leadership Oklahoma.
This program was established to take about 50 incoming high school seniors from across the state on a week-long tour of different destinations where they learn about different aspects of leadership. This year, the program was timed to allow the delegates to begin the week learning about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by being present during activities and concluding the week in Oklahoma City where I had the opportunity to teach them how a bill becomes a law.
This was done with the help of Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, and Reps. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City and Daniel Pae, R-Lawton. The four of us guided the students through a two hour discussion, including the group conducting a mock legislature from filing to making it to the desk of the governor.
The mature conversation about a tough issue in debate was rewarding and left me optimistic for the type of young leaders we have in our state. The diverse background led to thought-provoking opinions, while the respectful way the debate occurred showed that people can indeed disagree while maintaining respect for one another.
I fully expect the young people participating in this program, along with the many other youth organizations shaping leaders at an early age, will continue to generate individuals who will solidly take charge in their future pursuits. We, as adults, need to take time to work with these students to help give them wise counsel and provide opportunities to put them into roles that build their confidence and experience.
OICA looks forward to continuing partnerships with youth organizations to provide those lessons on understanding the system of government better and speaking with adult organizations to enhance that insight of how the process works.
If you would like to learn how to become a member of OICA and arrange for an OICA team member to visit with your organization, contact Christine at [email protected] or call (405) 236-5437 to learn more.
About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”
Lessons in the Legislative Process Build Better Leaders Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Staff Report
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, has been named Legislator of the Year by the Oklahoma Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association for her efforts to bring transparency to memory care facilities and improve the lives of Oklahomans living with Alzheimer’s.
Miller is the author of House Bill 1794, the Alzheimer’s Dementia and Other Forms of Dementia Special Care Disclosure Act. The bill, which was signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt in late May, requires the State Department of Health to examine and review certain forms for facilities providing Alzheimer’s and dementia care.
H.B. 1794 also creates the Alzheimer-Dementia Disclosure Act Advisory Council, which would make recommendations to the State Commissioner of Health regarding how Oklahoma can best serve people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“I have been in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association on this legislation for a couple of years. Throughout the process, I have heard directly from Oklahomans who have loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” Miller said.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association for the work we’ve accomplished together this session, but there remains more work to be done to provide quality care for the thousands of Oklahomans affected by Alzheimer’s disease.”
Sandi Pellow, executive director for the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter, praised Miller’s efforts.
"On behalf of the staff and board of directors of the Alzheimer's Association Oklahoma Chapter, we are pleased to recognize Representative Nicole Miller as Legislator of the year for her leadership in House Bill 1794 and continued efforts to support the aging community in Oklahoma and families living with Alzheimer's dementia,” Pellow said.
News of the award for Rep. Miller’s efforts was sent to The City Sentinel, CapitolBeatOK.com and other news organizations in a press release from the state House staff.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink, leading to decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects ability to function independently. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.
www.CapitolBeatOK.com
Rep. Nicole Miller of Edmond named Legislator of the Year by Alzheimer’s Association Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Staff Report
In response to Congressman Tom Cole’s introduction of H.R. 3091 on trial jurisdiction compacting for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (“CNO”) and Chickasaw Nation, Joe Bunch, Chief of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma (“UKB”) has issued a statement provided to CapitolBeatOK.com, The City Sentinel and other news organizations.
Chief Bunch provides to the news media and to the public the following statement:
I strongly oppose Section 4 of the Cole bill entitled Reservation Integrity. This section gives the CNO exclusive jurisdiction over the 14-county Cherokee reservation in which the Assistant Secretary of the Interior has declared CNO and UKB successors in interest of the historical Cherokee Nation. That means we are equal in status as federally recognized Indian tribes sharing the Cherokee reservation. We both have lands in trust within the reservation and we both have the sovereign right and ability to govern ourselves. Section 4 would give the CNO a veto over the UKB’s federally confirmed right to place lands in trust within the reservation. CNO has previously stated it would never consent to UKB placing additional lands in trust. This Section would violate the spirit of the Indian Reorganization Act, which prohibits the federal government from discriminating between Indian tribes.
The UKB has never given the CNO the ability to act on our behalf. The Cole bill states in Section 5 that it would not (1) waive the sovereign immunity of any tribe, or (2) expand, limit, modify, or otherwise affect the authority or right that a tribe possess under, or which is protected by, a treaty with the United States or other federal law. The UKB has rights under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act and a 1946 Act of Congress and federal corporate charter to, among other things, have land placed land in trust. This right would be destroyed by Section 4 of the Cole bill. Further, the UKB signed an 1828 treaty with the United States giving up our reservation in Arkansas in exchange for lands in what is now Oklahoma.
In sum, the UKB strongly opposes H.R. 3091, which does absolutely nothing to support clarity or consistency regarding the exercise of criminal jurisdiction and authority in Indian Country in Oklahoma. Instead, the bill incorrectly attributes exclusive jurisdictional control of the historic Cherokee reservation to the CNO. Further, the bill ignores the fact that the reservation is shared by the UKB. The UKB may only possess one trust parcel today but that will change over time and our predecessors settled in Northeastern Oklahoma well before other Cherokee people arrived here. Congress should not ignore that historical fact when considering such legislation.
The United States Congress has a duty to consult with Indian tribes before proposing legislation that would have an impact upon them. We were not consulted in any way regarding this legislation. No further action should be taken by Congress until full consultation is held with the UKB.
If passed as introduced, H.R. 3091 would mark a new era of termination. It would preempt the right of the UKB to exercise jurisdiction within the reservation that it shares with the CNO, in violation of general principles of Indian law, and it would absolutely terminate the right of the UKB to obtain trust land, a right that was ratified by Congress in 1999.
The leadership of the UKB have always expressed an interest in intergovernmental cooperation, and an interest in resolving differences with the CNO in a manner that respects our mutual sovereignty. To date, the CNO has not engaged in a constructive dialogue to resolve differences. The UKB leadership stands ready to do so, understanding that our sovereign rights must remain intact.
For legal questions please refer to UKB Attorney General Klint Cowan at (405) 232-0621. For general inquiries email [email protected].
Editor’s Note: For additional reading, visit CapitolBeatOK.com and search for past stories on the efforts of the UKB to seek equitable treatment from federal officials, and for background of the tribe’s litigation to gain formal recognition of its sovereign rights, independent of rights for the CNO. Information is also archived at the The City Sentinel website: www.City-Sentinel.com.
www.CapitolBeatOK.com
Chief of United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians denounces Congressman Cole’s H.R. 3091 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Staff Report
Oklahoma City – Gross Receipts to the Treasury indicate Oklahoma’s economy is rapidly emerging from the pandemic-driven downturn as every major revenue stream shows strong growth, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced Tuesday (June 8).
Total collections in May generated $1.24 billion, a jump of more than 34 percent from the same month of last year. Combined receipts from the past 12 months are at an all-time high but are partially inflated by last July’s delayed income tax filing deadline.
“What a difference a year can make,” Treasurer McDaniel said. “At this time last year, unemployment was high, numerous businesses had significantly reduced operations, and many people were quarantined in their homes. Today, pent-up demand has been unleashed and the economy is performing quite well.”
The strongest indicator of ramped up economic activity can be found in consumption tax receipts. Combined sales and use tax collections for the month are up by 26 percent. Motor vehicle receipts are 16.6 percent higher than May of 2020.
May’s gross production tax on oil and gas activity generated $87.3 million, a jump of almost 128 percent from the prior year. Collections for the month reflect oil field production during March when oil was more than $62 per barrel after falling below $20 per barrel during the prior year.
Combined gross receipts from the past 12 months of $13.88 billion are above collections from the previous 12 months by $808 million, or 6.2 percent. Every major revenue stream except gross production shows growth during the 12 months, but those collections are quickly recovering.
Other indicators
The Oklahoma Business Conditions Index in May remained above growth neutral for a sixth consecutive month. The May index was set at 68.9, down from a record high of 70.9 in April. Numbers above 50 indicate economic expansion is expected during the next three to six months.
The April unemployment rate in Oklahoma was reported as 4.3 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s jobless rate was unchanged from March, but down significantly from 13 percent in April 2020. The U.S. unemployment rate was set at 6.1 percent in April.
May collections
Compared to gross receipts from May 2020, collections in May 2021 show:
• Total May 2021 gross collections are $1.24 billion, up $314.7 million, or 34.1 percent.
• Gross income tax collections, a combination of individual and corporate income taxes, generated $404.1 million, up by $114.8 million, or 39.7 percent.
• Individual income tax collections are $355.8 million, an increase of $76.6 million, or 27.4 percent.
• Corporate collections are $48.3 million, up by $38.2 million, or 380.4 percent. Large monthly variances in corporate collections are not uncommon.
• Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $534.2 million – up by $110.1 million, or 26 percent.
• Sales tax collections total $458.6 million, an increase of $96.3 million, or 26.6 percent.
• Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including internet sales, generated $75.6 million, an increase of $13.9 million, or 22.4 percent.
• Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $87.3 million, an increase of $49 million, or 127.9 percent.
• Motor vehicle taxes produced $71.3 million, up by $10.2 million, or 16.6 percent.
• Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $141 million – up by $30.6 million, or 27.7 percent.
• The medical marijuana tax produced $6 million, up by $817,643, or 15.8 percent from May 2020.
Twelve-month collections
Combined gross receipts for past 12 months compared to the trailing 12 months show:
• Gross revenue totals $13.88 billion. That is $808 million, or 6.2 percent, above collections from the previous period.
• Gross income taxes generated $5.02 billion, an increase of $655.6 million, or 15 percent.
• Individual income tax collections total $4.25 billion, up by $382.6 million, or 9.9 percent.
• Corporate collections are $774.8 million, an increase of $273 million, or 54.4 percent.
• Combined sales and use taxes generated $5.77 billion, an increase of $293.5 million, or 5.4 percent.
• Gross sales tax receipts total $4.91 billion, up by $175.1 million, or 3.7 percent.
• Use tax collections generated $854 million, an increase of $118.4 million, or 16.1 percent.
• Oil and gas gross production tax collections generated $694.2 million, down by $207.5 million, or 23 percent.
• Motor vehicle collections total $812 million, an increase of $35.9 million, or 4.6 percent.
• Other sources generated $1.58 billion, up by $30.4 million, or 2 percent.
• Medical marijuana taxes generated $65.6 million, up by $26.6 million, or 68 percent.
About Gross Receipts to the Treasury: The monthly Gross Receipts to the Treasury report, developed by the state treasurer’s office, provides a timely and broad view of the state’s economy. It is released in conjunction with the General Revenue Fund report from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which provides information to state agencies for budgetary planning purposes. The General Revenue Fund, the state’s main operating account, receives less than half of the state’s gross receipts with the remainder paid in rebates and refunds, remitted to cities and counties, and apportioned to other state funds.
Oklahoma State Gross Receipts show Oklahoma economy is performing well, McDaniel reports Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Oklahoma City – There are many ideas floating around these days that could be designated “the worst of the worst.”
However, one particular formula for dysfunctional government, irrational economic policy, abuse of Small Tribes, and damage to small business and mid-size states deserves mention.
This legislative atrocity comes from the mind of no less a Republican than U.S. Representative Tom Cole.
A draft version of the legislation informs my belief that Cole’s effort at a “land fix” for the two most powerful Oklahoma tribes (the Chickasaw and the Cherokee) is bad for small tribes, bad for Oklahoma’s diverse citizenry, and bad for America.
The proposed legislation would worsen the effects of 'McGirt v. Oklahoma,' the most important legal decision in state history.
According to an analysis from online news service NonDoc.com (a sketch with which I agree), the practical effect of Cole’s measure would be to:
* Keep all property matters like environmental taxation and oil and gas in the hands of the two Big Tribes.
* Crush the opportunity of smaller tribes like the UKB (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians) and Comanche – who were granted rights to acquisitions within Cherokee territory (in the case of the UKB) and Casino-development rights in Love County in separate compact with the state. Cole’s proposed law would give veto power to the big tribes over all land-into-trust acquisitions.
* Allow Big Tribes to buy the entirety of their reservations back and claim they are restricted under 25 U.S.C. 177 which previously did not convert them to “Indian Country” but which now would via the “Indian” Lands definition in the Cole bill.
* Allow dozens of dubious casino acquisitions for the big tribes to be further legitimized by ratifying them as Indian Lands.
More might be said in the weeks and months to come.
When the U.S. Supreme Court ‘forgot’ Oklahoma is a state, and Trump’s Treasury Department ‘forgot’ that the Shawnee Tribe had 3,100 citizens (not zero), and the Biden Administration forgot that surface mining and reclamation was a state function, perhaps the final chapters were inevitable. But Cole as Cancel-Crafter?
In past years, I never thought I’d come to believe that Tom Cole would be a central creator, director, or author of something that, if it all comes to pass, could be entitled (as a book or motion picture), “The End of Oklahoma.”
And yet, here we are.
Note: This is revised from an online commentary posted in May, updated June 1 for The City Sentinel newspaper print edition June 1, and here on both websites of both CapitolBeatOK.com and The City Sentinel. Tom Cole Cancels Oklahoma: Bad for Small Tribes, Bad for our state’s Diverse Citizenry, and Bad for America: A Commentary Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK |
Pat McGuiganThe dean of all Oklahoma Journalism, Mr Patrick McGuigan; has a rich history of service in many aspects of both covering the news and producing the information that the public needs to know. Archives
September 2021
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