the Practical Progressive

Bush's Tour

2008-07-07T15:55:00.000-06:00

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Weasel Field

2008-06-28T14:24:00.005-06:00

T. Boone Pickens, among other things, is an Oklahoma State University graduate and huge benefactor of the athletic department, including renovating the football statium. We're talking about millions of dollars, and the stadium carries his name. Mr. Pickens is a Republican self-made billionaire who also finances right-wing-radical smear attacks on highly placed Democrats like John Kerry. You

John Sullivan & Lincoln

2008-06-28T11:49:00.002-06:00

During this coming campaign, John Sullivan, along with his Republican extremist, will invoke the name of Abraham Lincoln -- despite the fact that Sullivan's political career has often served to show charity to none and malice to all."What happens to a man is less significant than what happens within him." -- Louis L. Mann

Sullivan Votes Against Families

2008-06-24T09:19:00.004-06:00

Just last Thursday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008, which would provide four weeks of paid parental leave for all federal employees. Employees will also for the first time be allowed to use their accrued sick leave for an additional eight weeks of paid leave. By combining the four weeks of paid parental leave with earned sick

The Facts About Oil and More

2008-06-19T10:38:00.006-06:00

All doing the run up in oil and commodity prices, I've held to the belief that the rising prices were do to increased demand for fuels, raw materials and food. Just a few days ago I received an email with the transcript of the testimony of Michael W Masters before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, last month. Mr. Masters is Managing Member/ Portfolio Manager

Bow Wow!

2008-06-17T15:17:00.002-06:00

Go to the 5:30 spot and watch Al Gore talk about how elections matter!Play it again and watch BO smile as the crowd erupts!"Democracy belongs to those who exercise it." -- Bill Moyers

John Sullivan Gets an "F"

2008-06-17T09:37:00.005-06:00

Steve Fraser, historian and author, appearing on the Bill Moyers Journal TV program last Friday, claimed that the wages a young worker receives at an entry level job at General Motors today has the same buying power as the wages his/her grandfather received starting out at GM in 1948!According to Families USA, a national study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences

Inhofe Loves War - Not Vets

2008-06-14T14:22:00.004-06:00

Our far right extremist senator, James Inhofe is known mostly as a Climate Change Denier but that barely scratches the surface of what's wrong with Inhofe. For someone who is so aggressively pro-war, he's incredibly anti-veteran and anti-service member. Here's some facts:1. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America looked at his voting record and gave him a D-.2. Inhofe cast the deciding vote

Sugar Coated Words

2008-06-13T12:19:00.008-06:00

First District Representative John Sullivan (R-OK) sent out a sugar coated e-newsletter today praising fatherhood but does not mention the hard issues the reality-based community must deal with, like skyrocketing gasoline prices.Sullivan goes on to say the National Fatherhood Initiative finds that the closer adolescents feel to their fathers, regardless of the type of family structure which they

Gays and Opportunity

2008-05-20T12:59:00.005-06:00

Last week, I overheard a couple of Democratic Party insiders bemoaning the California Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage. The consensus voiced by these political veterans was that the Republicans would us this as a campaign weapon this fall against Democratic candidates for state offices.There is no doubt that the gay marriage

Walkin' the Talk

2008-06-06T10:48:00.002-06:00

Oklahoma veterans speak out in this video about Senator James Inhofe's votes on veterans issues. Senator Inhofe often talks about his support for our troops, you decide if he "walks the talk."Pleease pass this on to friends and family."I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq." -- Paul Wolfowitz, former Assistant Secretary of Defense

Sen. Inhofe's Dirty Air

2008-06-03T08:04:00.014-06:00

Senator and amateur scientist Jim Inhofe (R-OK) is assailing the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act as a huge tax increase on Oklahoma farmers, in a press release published yesterday. The measure is an attempt by Congress to begin working on how to best curb greenhouse gases.Instead, Inhofe will have nothing to do with that discussion and will attack the problem by calling it a massive tax on

Looking for a Home?

2008-05-28T10:25:00.001-06:00

One of the posters at DemoOkie forum linked readers to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee's blog where it's chair, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK04) published a post on May 16th highlighting their American Families Agenda. It's contents were as revealing as were the comments scathing.Rep Cole posts that the 'R's recognize that "more and more families struggle with balancing work, children and

Is Obama's Bridge Our Own?

2008-05-22T16:45:00.007-06:00

From Kentucky:and West Virginia:These scenes are not just confined to Kentucky and West Virginia. They could be easily duplicated in many Oklahoma communities. The question these interviews raise is, "What should Barack Obama do about it?"To me, there are two answers. One advocated by many political activists, is to tell Obama's story in a louder voice to a bigger audience, addressing the

Prime Time Fear & Loathing

2008-05-21T12:34:00.003-06:00

Fear and Loathing in Prime Time: Immigration Myths and Cable News, is a new report by Media Matters Action Network. The report exposes the vitriolic rhetoric heard almost nightly on these shows like those hosted by Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck. They overflow not just with vitriol, but with several myths and urban legends that feed viewers' resentment and fears. The myths and

Bambi & Boren

2008-05-16T14:41:00.005-06:00

OK, I’ll admit it. I have never been animal hunting with a gun in my entire life, much less felt inclined to join the National Rifle Association (NRA). In Thursday’s edition (May 15) of the Tulsa World, there’s a story about Oklahoma’s privileged son, US Representative Dan Boren, being appointed to the Board of Directors of the NRA. That puts him right in the pantheon of advocates of “

Senatorial Backbone

2008-05-06T16:12:00.005-06:00

Today the Democratic Senators in the Oklahoma Legislature showed they do have a backbone, after all. They voted to effectively kill Senate Bill 1150, known as the Voter ID bill.This is the last term of the session with a 24- 24 split among Democratic and Republican Senators. Under rules negotiated at the beginning of this session last year, a bill must receive 25 votes to be approved.

The Straw That Stains

2008-05-02T20:28:00.002-06:00

Many years ago I lived and worked in northwest Arkansas. This was during the Clinton years in the Arkansas Governor's mansion. I was proud of all the things both Bill and Hillary did for the state. Bill Clinton and Winthrop Rockefeller did more for the state of Arkansas than all the other governors, added together. I was always vociferous in my defense of these two and was proud to be FOB by "

Coffee's Cup

2008-01-16T09:46:00.000-06:00

Last month, in a press release, State Senator Glenn Coffee, (R-OKC) and Co-President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, blasted Governor Brad Henry's veto of last session's Tort Reform bill.Sen. Coffee whines that Oklahoma is on the 'dishonorable mention' list in the annual "Judicial Hellholes" report by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA). The ATRA was founded in the late eighties by

Wouldn't You Know

2008-01-15T21:33:00.000-06:00

I got so aggravated at NBC for the way they treated Dennis Kucinich over the Nevada debate, I decided not to watch the debate tonight. WRONGI find out that all three, Clinton, Edwards and Obama 'bitch' slapped Russert until he started asking questions with real substance.

Who Owns John?

2008-01-15T08:44:00.000-06:00

Who does Rep John Sullivan, R (OK CD01) represent, you and me or these PACs? Contributor Total AFLAC INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AFLACPAC $1000 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY

Why Aren't We Mad?

2008-01-14T20:15:00.000-06:00

From a Kucinich press release:"Less than 44 hours after NBC sent a congratulatory note and an invitation to Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to participate in the Jan. 15 Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas, the network notified the campaign this morning it was changing it announced criteria, rescinding its invitation, and excluding Kucinich from the debate.NBC Political Director Chuck

Ain't It The Truth

2008-01-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

From God's Politics, a blog by Jim Wallis and friends."The upcoming primary in South Carolina will be critical for both the Democrats and the Republicans, say the media pundits. And South Carolina is full of evangelicals, they also say. But they have absolutely no clue about what that means. For example, the exit polls in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary have asked departing Republican

John Sullivan's Loyalties

2007-10-16T12:07:00.000-06:00

Last week, John Sullivan (R-OK CD1) voted against a bill (HR 3056) that would repeal the authority of the Internal Revenue Service to use private debt collection companies to collect delinquent taxes. This policy was a serious flaw in the confidentiality rules of the IRS protecting all tax-payers.In an email today to constituents, Sullivan makes no mention of this vote and instead, thumps his

A Betrayal of Trust

2007-09-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, September 19th, a proposal put forward by Senate Democrats that would have required that American troops be given as much time at home as they had spent overseas before being redeployed fell 4 votes short of the 60 needed to prevent a filibuster. [Vote 341, S Amdt. 2909 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, 9/19/07; New York Times, 9/20/07] The proposal, introduced by Senator Webb (