Attorney General Mike Hunter joins major Oklahoma tribal nations to comment on ‘McGirt’ decision
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Attorney General Mike Hunter joins major Oklahoma tribal nations to comment on McGirt decision7/9/2020
The office of Attorney General Mike Hunter joined with the Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole Nations to release a joint statement Thursday (July 9) after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the state in the ‘McGirt v. Oklahoma’ case.
The five tribes and Hunter’s office said the governments “have made substantial progress toward an agreement to present to Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice addressing and resolving any significant jurisdictional issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma.” The statement did not mention if any other tribes were consulting before the press release was issued.
The statement, apparently prepared in advance of the ruling’s issuance in Washington, D.C. and then adapted to reflect the 5-4 defeat for the state, said all those on the press release “are committed to ensuring that Jimcy McGirt, Patrick Murphy, and all other offenders face justice for the crimes for which they are accused. We have a shared commitment to maintaining public safety and long-term economic prosperity for the Nations and Oklahoma.:
The press release continued, saying those issuing the statement “are committed to implementing a framework of shared jurisdiction that will preserve sovereign interests and rights to self-government while affirming jurisdictional understandings, procedures, laws, and regulations that support public safety, our economy, and private property rights. We will continue our work, confident that we can accomplish more together than any of us could alone.”
Note: Editor Pat McGuigan contributed to this posting.
Attorney General Mike Hunter joins major Oklahoma tribal nations to comment on ‘McGirt’ decision Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – In news parlance, state Attorney General Mike Hunter “drove the news cycle” on Monday, July 6.
In a passionate presentation, he pulled together (with backing materials for reporters and to the public) the government’s case against Julius Jones – who was sent to Oklahoma’s death row in 2002, and has been incarcerated for 21 years this month.
He minced no words, asserting Jones murdered Paul Howell of Edmond in front of family members. Referencing the worldwide campaign to gain exoneration for Jones, Hunter said, “No celebrity imploration or profusion of misinformation will change that.”
He said other things, including: “We’ve heard a lot recently from those advocating for his release. I’m here today to support the Howell family’s plea for justice. They are the victims in this case, and the pain of their loss is reawakened with each misguided public appeal on Jones’ behalf.”
It was one of Hunter’s strongest presentations as the state’s top law enforcement official.
I disagree with his conclusions.
Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson of the local affiliate for Black Lives Matter, delivered a compassionate response (https://ift.tt/31WQqpe) to Hunter. She described her own experience with the awful pain that only those who have lost a loved one to murder can truly understand.
She summarized her belief in the innocence of Julius Jones, and referred to a man who was a friend of Jones and who testified against Jones in the original trial. In exchange for his testimony, he served only 15 years. He has been free (and occasionally seen around town) for several years.
Hunter made his presentation. Dickerson restated her case for Jones’ innocence. On this one, I am with her.
Here is some of what Dale Baich, a member of the Jones’ legal team, said in response to Hunter:
“Julius has never denied that, in his youth, he committed several, non-violent petty thefts which he has regretted ever since.
"Prior to his arrest for the murder of Paul Howell, however, Julius had never committed or been charged with a violent crime. The Attorney General’s allegations that Julius was a violent criminal as a youth are just that: allegations. Moreover, these are the same allegations of uncharged, and unproved conduct that the prosecution paraded before Julius’s jury twenty years ago to argue that he deserved to die. It is disturbing that the Attorney General would portray Julius as a violent black youth based on allegations never proved in court.”
Baich also often pointed to the pattern of prosecutorial misconduct that arises in many cases of post-conviction exoneration. There have been 170 death row exonerations in the US – 10 of those exonerations from Oklahoma. (https://ift.tt/2HUPqGN)
“Systemic racism” is a term often heard these days. In this case and others, my concern is with systemic problems (https://ift.tt/3iJ9hdl) facing the state’s death penalty process.
My perspective comes from reporting and studying detailed information about coerced confessions, problematic use of eyewitness testimony and other factors, many but not all touching on race. The definitive presentation on Oklahoma’s troubled capital punishment system remains the work of the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission (http://city-sentinel.com/2017/04/in-major-report-death-penalty-review-commission-recommends-extension-of-execution-moratorium/).
A.G. Hunter last week restated the state government’s support for the legal role the state’s Pardon and Parole Board can play in case reviews, including death penalty sentences (https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorney-general-says-jones-and-other-death-row-inmates-can-apply-for-commutation/).
Recently the district attorney (https://ift.tt/2ZdAm0J) of Payne and Logan counties asked two of Governor
Kevin Stitt’s appointees on the P&P Board (https://ift.tt/3gIjGnZ) to be removed, asserting their role as advocates for former prison inmates amounts to a conflict of interest.
Tuesday, diverse (to put it mildly) community, business, and faith leaders rose to defend Kelly Doyle and Adam Luck.
They also called for the resignation of Judge Allen McCall from the P&P Board, McCall has slammed Doyle and Luck as part of a “social justice reform crowd.” (McCall said they should leave the P&P Board. He also threatened the P&P executive director, Steve Binkely, with a grand jury investigation unless he worked to prevent death row inmates from seeking commutation hearings.)
Monday, The Frontier (an online news service) reported that attorneys for death row inmates are working to stop resumption of the state’s lethal injection protocol.
To be sure, there’s a lot swirling around capital punishment issues right now.
Regarding Attorney General Hunter: He believes some advocates for Julius Jones have gone beyond the bounds of fair scrutiny of the Jones conviction and subsequent events.
Hunter was blunt but measured in his tone on Monday.
He repeated things he had said before.
He did his job as he sees it, as an advocate.
I offer one more item for his consideration: The Oklahoma County District Attorney promised two years ago (https://ift.tt/2zqczk3) he would share the government’s prosecution file in the Jones case with the Jones’ legal team. He reneged. Hunter hould encourage, publicly, the local DA to keep his promise.
“The Attorney General is looking backwards at what occurred at trial and is blindly ignoring what went wrong at the trial and the new evidence that has since been discovered and developed,” Baich told The City Sentinel. “He should be looking forward rather than be stuck in the past and use all means to try to uphold a wrongful conviction.”
The job of an advocate is to advocate, at the risk of repeating myself.
The P&P board should review evidence in all cases that come before it. For the capital cases, a review of the first of its kind (https://ift.tt/2Z8H1Jt), Oklahoma death Penalty Review Commission (https://ift.tt/2yq3K3s) report findings (https://ift.tt/2snuJwo) about coerced or pressured responses by accused and multiple other problems in the state’s system, including competency of past defense counsel.
Governor Kevin Stitt should continue his support for the Commission, including the appointment of people willing to look at available evidence.
To be fully transparent, I also encourage the governor to support commutation of the Jones sentence to time served.
As this present process unfolds, I hope the events of these past few years call us to something better.
It is time for an end to one era, and for the start of another.
Again, transparency about my hopes: No more executions in Oklahoma. Now and forever more.
COMMENTARY: In the search for justice, the job of advocates is to advocate Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
Oklahoma City – Two small Oklahoma tribes have, in their own way, issued brand new versions of the Declaration of Independence.
The moves came on July 2 (last Thursday) when the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (JKB) and the Kialegee Tribal Town signed gaming compacts with the state of Oklahoma. Governor Kevin Stitt negotiated the agreements.
As a result, the UKB continue a long journey that extends back into the mists of time, as measured in written accords and tradition. The UKB struggle for recognized federal status faced many obstacles, including passionate opposition from generations of leaders for the larger (and economically powerful) Cherokee Nation.
The past year, however, has brought a series of dramatic triumphs for the UKB, including U.S. Supreme Court ratification of a lower court decision affording them important sovereign rights. In truth, the UKB qualify as one of Oklahoma’s mid-size tribes in numbers and emerging impact.
Joe Bunch, the UKB chief who has guided the 14,000 member band to its new era of success, was adamant in a statement made and provided to reporters at last week’s ceremony. He said, “It is both an honor and privilege to be announcing the signing of this economic venture between the great state of Oklahoma and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.”
The NonDoc news website provided the most thorough “same-day” coverage of the day’s events. Editor Tres Savage captured the event, as Bunch reflected:
“We thank Gov. Kevin Stitt and his administration for this monumental day and for their leadership efforts in this compact. It is a grand day for Keetoowahs and Native American tribes all over the country. It is a day when one of their own partnered with Oklahoma in building a stronger economy through the avenues of retail, food and beverage, hotel, hospitality and casino operations, all by signing a Class III gaming compact with the state.”
Chief Bunch continued, “This compact also presents an opportunity for the UKB to move forward and begin increasing health, education and job opportunities for our tribal members and elders, as well as our surrounding communities.
“After all, we know if our communities are doing well, the state is also doing well. Thank you and God bless the UKB and the State of Oklahoma.”
The Kialegee Tribal Town is so “young” – in one sense of the word – that its independent website is still emerging (https://ift.tt/2VSbWYr). However, according to a sketch of history at he the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board (https://ift.tt/2Z0ItNQ), the “Kialegee are a daughter town of Tuckabatche. The tribe split off in early times during their residence in what are now the states of Alabama and Georgia. Thereafter, the Kialegee produced two daughter towns within the Creek Confederacy, Auchenauhatche and Hutchachuppe. In 1835, all four towns were removed to Indian Territory.
“When offered separate federal recognition in 1936, a few Creeks towns accepted including the Kialegee. After removal, the Kialegee Town were located south of present day Henryetta, Oklahoma. After the allotment of individual lands in 1899, many tribal members could be found farther west near Wetumka, Oklahoma where their headquarters are today. The Kialegee government held its first election in 1914, and a constitution and bylaws were established in 1941. Tribal membership in the town is matrilineal, meaning a person can become a member automatically if their mother is a member.”
Today, the Kialogee are an emerging factor in Oklahoma’s diverse Indian Country. Oklahoma Gov. Stitt explained his motivation for working with the state’s Indian Nations one by one over recent months.
He said on July 2, “By negotiating with each individual Oklahoma tribe, the state is seeking to level the playing field for all tribes and working to ensure that no one is held back by its size or resources from competing and pursuing economic growth for its citizens.
“The Kialegee Tribal Town is pursuing a sound business plan for its first gaming location in Oklahoma with their compact commitment to partner with another tribe on this venture. They have been good faith partners in this process, and the State looks forward to supporting their efforts to strengthen opportunities for KTT citizens, to expand economic development in the region, and to generate new revenue for Oklahoma’s public education system.”
Earlier this spring, the Comanche Nation and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma forged their own independent steps toward gaming accords with the state government of Oklahoma (https://ift.tt/35XCnjb).
In doing so, they went contrary to the preferences of the state’s largest tribes, including the Chickasaw, and the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) which consistently allies itself with Big Tribe wishes.
The U.S. Interior Department has approved the two earlier compacts (https://ift.tt/2AzdgIl), an administrative ruling contrary to a wave of letters from the Chicksaw and allies (https://capitolbeatok.worldsecuresystems.com/reports/comanche-nation-otoe-missouria-tribe-respond-to-tribal-opposition-letters).
A state legislative lawsuit challenging Stitt’s authority to forge gaming compacts is pending in a federal court in Oklahoma City. Nonetheless, it is clear that a cluster of tribal nations are forging an independent path, and finding in the state’s chief executive a partner in negotiating over the futture.
NOTE: Patrick B. McGuigan has written frequently on Oklahoma’s Indian Country. He won recognition in Diversity news coverage from the Society of Professional Journalists, Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for his reports on the legendary Archie Hoffman’s efforts to regain Cheyenne and Arapaho lands at and around Fort Reno in Western Oklahoma.
News Analysis: Two more Oklahoma tribes, on July 2, sign ‘Declarations of Independence’ through new compacts Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
According to CNN, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms denounced the fatal shooting of an eight-year-old girl near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed:
"We're fighting the enemy within when we are shooting each other up in our streets. You shot and killed a baby. And it wasn't one shooter, there was at least two shooters.”
Mayor Bottoms said (paraphrase from CNN) “she wants people to have the same passion towards ending community violence that they have for police reform.” Direct quotes of the mayor from CNN: “We've had over 75 shootings in the city over the past several weeks," Bottoms said. "You can't blame that on APD [Atlanta Police Department]."
Mayor Bottoms wants protesters to ‘clear out’ of the area near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed, NBC reported.
Continuing with the NBC text: “Bottoms said authorities had removed other barriers erected by protesters in the area after Brooks' funeral on June 23. She … heard new barriers had been placed there shortly before she learned of Secoriea's killing. She said local officials had been trying to talk with demonstrators before closing the area. ‘We’re not having any more discussions,’ she said. ‘It’s over.’”
The full name of the little girl who was killed is Secoriea Turner.
Secoriea is the same age as my oldest granddaughter.
“God in Heaven, free our country from this scourge of destruction, violence and murder in our large cities -- and in all of this beloved Land. Comfort as only you can the family of Secoriea Turner. In this particular moment and the time to come, give wisdom and authority to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and those who work for her this day and in this crisis. Bless all leaders in other communities and states. Give our national leaders the wisdom required for these times. I pray in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and plea for the intercession of all the saints in Heaven to join in my prayer."
News Summary, and a Prayer for Secoriea, Mayor Bottoms, Atlanta and America Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
In spite of a sharp downturn in oil and gas production tax collections, the Oklahoma economy displayed signs of resiliency in June, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel said as he released the monthly Gross Receipts to the Treasury report.
Total receipts in June topped $1.1 billion and were below collections from June 2019 by $56.4 million, or 4.9 percent. This is marked improvement from April and May, when receipts were below the prior year by 31.8 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
June collections from the gross production tax, Oklahoma’s severance tax on oil and gas extraction, totaled $19.6 million, down by $72.5 million, or 78.7 percent, compared to the same month of last year.
“The state economy showed strength in a number of key areas last month. However, the large drop in gross production tax receipts due to a decline in global demand shines a light on the challenges faced by a key Oklahoma industry,” Treasurer McDaniel said in his monthly report, which was circulated to CapitolBeatOK and other news organizations last week.
June severance tax receipts are paid on oil and gas production that occurred during April, when the price per barrel of crude oil averaged $16.55 and included an unprecedented drop to negative $36.98 on April 20. Prices have since rebounded to more than $40 per barrel. Nevertheless, June extraction tax receipts are the lowest monthly total in more than 10 years.
In addition to extraction taxes, individual income and sales tax collections were below collections from June of last year. Sales tax was down by 1.9 percent and individual income tax was off by 0.3 percent. Corporate income, use, and motor vehicle tax receipts were all up by double digits.
June marked the reopening of many businesses that had been closed since mid-March and state residents had the benefit of $1,200 stimulus payments from the federal government. Even so, the state unemployment rate was last reported as 12.6 percent with more than 200,000 Oklahomans out of work.
Twelve-month collections, reflecting economic performance during Fiscal Year 2020, total $13.01 billion and are down by $585.5 million, or 4.3 percent, from Fiscal Year 2019.
The only major revenue source showing growth for the year is the use tax, paid on out-of-state purchases including internet sales.
Economic indicators
The unemployment rate in Oklahoma was reported as 12.6 percent in May, down from 14.7 percent in April. The seasonally adjusted number of Oklahomans listed as jobless increased by 170,265 over the year, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. unemployment rate was listed at 13.3 percent in April.
The Oklahoma Business Conditions Index rose above growth neutral in June, following three months of numbers indicating expected economic contraction. The June index was set at 53.1, up from 43 in May. Numbers above 50 indicate economic expansion is expected during the next three to six months.
June collections
June gross collections total $1.1 billion, down by $56.4 million, or 4.9 percent, from June 2019.
Gross income tax collections, a combination of individual and corporate income taxes, generated $407.3 million, an increase of $8.2 million, or 2.1 percent, from the previous June.
Individual income tax collections for the month are $326.2 million, down by $1 million, or 0.3 percent, from the prior year. Corporate collections are $81.1 million, an increase of $9.2 million, or 12.8 percent.
Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $470.8 million in June. That is $575,475, or 0.1 percent, less than June 2019.
June sales tax collections total $404.8 million, a drop of $7.7 million, or 1.9 percent from the same month of the prior year. Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including online sales, generated $66 million, an increase of $7.2 million, or 12.2 percent, over the year.
Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $19.6 million in June, a decrease of $72.5 million, or 78.7 percent, from last June. Compared to May 2020 reports, gross production collections are down by $18.6 million, or 48.7 percent.
Motor vehicle taxes produced $75.6 million, up by $8.1 million, or 12 percent, from the same month of 2019.
Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $121.6 million during the month. That is $290,517, or 0.2 percent, more than last June.
Fiscal Year 2020 collections
Gross revenue totals $13.01 billion during Fiscal Year 2020, July 2019 through June 2020. That is $585.5 million, or 4.3 percent, below collections from the previous fiscal year.
Gross income taxes generated $4.37 billion for the fiscal year, reflecting a decrease of $226.8 million, or 4.9 percent, from the prior 12 months.
Individual income tax collections total $3.86 billion, down by $220.8 million, or 5.4 percent, from the prior fiscal year. Corporate collections are $511 million for the period, a decrease of $5.9 million, or 1.1 percent, over the previous 12 months.
Combined sales and use taxes for the 12 months generated $5.47 billion, a decrease of $100.8 million, or 1.8 percent, from the prior fiscal year.
Gross sales tax receipts total $4.73 billion, down by $158.8 million, or 3.2 percent, during the period. Use tax collections generated $742.8 million, an increase of $58 million, or 8.5 percent, over the previous 12 months.
Oil and gas gross production tax collections brought in $829.2 million during the 12 months, down by $323.9 million, or 28.1 percent, from the previous 12 months.
Motor vehicle collections total $784.3 million for the fiscal year. This is a decrease of $185,861, or 0.02 percent, from the trailing period.
Other sources generated $1.55 billion, up by $66.1 million, or 4.5 percent, from the previous period.
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 Treasurer Randy McDaniel reports signs of economic resiliency and concern Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
There are four months until the November general election. That is an eternity in politics. This election cycle has been challenging for candidates and voters alike.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face campaigning has been virtually non-existent. Direct mail and social media have been the vehicles of choice in a quarantine environment. Sorting through the campaign rhetoric has always been a challenge for voters, but in 2020 is especially difficult.
Here are four tips:
First, every candidate puts their best foot forward. They paint themselves as trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent -- all traits in the Boy Scout oath. They shy away from controversial issues. So long as the voter understands that and doesn’t accept the candidate’s brag sheet at face value, no harm is done.
Second, pointing out how a person votes or conducts themselves in office is not dirty campaigning. An elected official’s voting record is fair game. They should be willing to defend their voting record and explain their conduct. Any elected official/candidate that is unwilling to defend their vote or position on an issue is not worthy of your vote.
Third, candidates often attempt to define their opponent in an unflatteringly way. In this COVID-19 climate, candidates are sending more ‘defining pieces’ to voters about their opponents than ever. The pieces usually include some unflattering photograph that ties the opponent to an unpopular political figure or group.
Often the piece contains some truth, but it is so exaggerated/caricatured it is hard to take seriously. Politicos like to say that dirty campaigning works only when you are ahead, behind or even in the polls. The reason they are used is because low information voters are influenced by them.
Don’t be a low information voter.
Fourth, don’t put a lot of stock in endorsements. Every candidate has them. Trusted, prominent community leaders are often included in campaign materials, touting the virtues of the candidate. But like a job reference, it’s no guarantee the candidate can/will perform the job. Take celebrity endorsements with a grain of salt.
Here’s how to avoid being a low information voter: (1) Know the issues the candidate will encounter if elected. A county elected official will encounter different issues than a state legislator or a Congressman. Know the difference. (2) Seek out the candidates and personally ask their position on issues important to you, (3) Ask knowledgeable people you personally trust who they are supporting., (4) Recognize that Party affiliation does help. While it is not absolute, generally Republicans are more conservative and Democrats more liberal.
One hundred years ago, the U.S. faced a similar pandemic.
Between 1918 to 1920, one in three people were infected with the Spanish Flu worldwide. Estimates are that 5 percent of the world’s population died. The Spanish Flu was the greatest tidal wave of death since the Black Plague, but people voted. The Republic continued.
[Editor’s Note: Three decades before, a scourge known as the Russian Flu (1889-1890) killed millions of people as it surged around the planet.]
COVID-19 won’t kill America, but low information voters who pay little attention to their government may.
Don’t be a low information voter.
Note: Steve Fair is Chairman of the Republican Party in the Fourth Congressional District of Oklahoma. Steve’s conservatives commentaries appear regularly at the CapitolBeatOK.com news website, and occasionally in The City Sentinel newspaper. Contract by email at [email protected]. His blog is stevefair.blogspot.com.
Steve’s Commentary: Don’t be a low information voter Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
In the early 2000s at a school in northeast Oklahoma City, students and faculty together recited the Pledge of Allegiance, including the phrase “under God” (two words blended in after a campaign the Knights Columbus led during the Eisenhower years).
On special occasions (not every day, but often), we would also sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
It is sometimes called “The Black National Anthem.” Some folks still remember an older title that some might deem improper these days. I learned it under that old title, yet the meaning of the words has never changed.
This grand old song is making headlines, again. I hope it evolves into an addition, not yielding a subtraction, from common memory. I prayed today and will pray henceforward that the words are retained, unchanged, as time goes by.
After students discovered that Mr. McGuigan could sing it, too, some sang it next me, to work on harmony.
Check this out: (https://www.naacp.org/naacp-history-lift-evry-voice-and-sing/)
The song was first performed at a segregated public school on the birthday of Abraham Lincoln – February 12, 1900.
When we sang it at Justice Alma Wilson Seeworth Academy in 2002-2004, I sometimes cried. Already then, I was becoming more like my father, prone to emotion and tears even in moments of joy. That usually happened as soaring voices blended, in harmonies from those who knew the song (not all did).
Whether you have heard it never, rarely or a thousand times, close your eyes for a time.
Imagine or remember with your humble servant.
If you have the capability on your computer or electronic device, listen to this version from student at the Leon County Schools (Florida, in and around Tallahassee).
As a choral presentation, it is one of my favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOyVho1E4ZY
God Bless Us, everyone. Now, more than ever.
Here are those words, by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), later set to music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), in 1899.
Lift ev’ry voice and sing, ‘Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on 'til victory is won.
.
Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past, ‘Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand,
True to our God, True to our native land.
Opinion: Every Voice Matters -- but some words matter more than others Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
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Reflections on Recent Days, looking back and thinking ahead – and asking a question Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles |
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
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