Henry on OK quarter: 'The results are clear'

Scissor-tailed flycatcher chosen for state's commemorative quarter design

By Michael McNutt

Oklahoman Capitol Bureau

The state's bird and wildflower will be on Oklahoma's commemorative quarter, the governor's office announced today.
Voters preferred by about a 2-1 margin the scissor-tailed flycatcher flying over some Indian blanket, or Gaillardia pulchella, the governor's office said. Four other designs up for consideration each featured a representation of the Pioneer Woman statue in Ponca City. Some Oklahomans were upset that sketches from the U.S. Mint omitted a Bible in the woman's right hand.
That now is a moot point.
More than 148,000 votes were cast — mostly online — in selecting the design for the quarter, part of a special series launched by the U.S. Mint in 1999. More than half, or nearly 77,000, voted for the state bird design.
"Oklahomans have spoken, and the results are clear,” Gov. Brad Henry said in a statement.

--END--

And what a "statement" it was from the boy governor. "Clearly," he is overwhelmed with the selection made by Oklahomans. I don't know about you, but what is it about birds that causes people to lose all sense of perspective? I much preferred the oil rig and the Bible-clutching Pioneer woman. Oh, wait, what Bible?

State House prepared to pass strict immigration bill on Tues.

Red Dirt Reporter received this press release from the media department of the state House of Representatives stating that the House is expected to pass a strict immigration reform bill tomorrow morning.

--BEGIN--
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is scheduled to take up House Bill 1804 for a final vote before sending the measure along to the governor's desk.
House Bill 1804, by Randy Terrill (R-Moore), creates theOklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007.
The bill is partof the House Republican majority's legislative agenda, and has now passed both chambers of the Legislature by overwhelming bipartisan margins.
HB 1804 also has the support of two national immigration reform advocacy groups and has been called one of the nation's toughest anti-illegal immigration laws at the state level.
--END--

Let's hope Gov. Henry signs the bill and sends a message that illegal immigration is not acceptable in the Sooner State.

OU Daily editorial board on Hinrichs stone: WHATEVER!

In typical smarmy fashion, the OU Daily editorial staff have concluded that a paving stone featuring dead bomber Joel Henry Hinrichs III's name on it, and placed on university property, is not worthy of a news story. In the following editorial, linked here, the staff heaps scorn on those of us who actually ASKED QUESTIONS about the Hinrichs case. And now that the Oklahoman has made the university's paper of record look bad, they have decided to cover their embarrassment with an air of superiority - "Oh, the Hinrichs stone? We're above all that. Let the rabble get into a snit about it. We're too busy covering stories about Sonic Drive-In, etc.

Here it is ...

Oklahoma Daily editorial staff
Posted: April 27, 2007
http://www.hub.ou.edu

Our View: Memorial honoring Joel Hinrichs sparks fake controversy in media

In an unfortunate twist of events, news media have flashed back to a year and a half ago and started a minor controversy in the shadow of an unfortunate event.
Oklahoma City media outlets have jumped on a shocking discovery: Joel Hinrichs III, the OU student who blew himself up on the South Oval in October 2005, has a stone commemorating him on the Oklahoma Memorial Union patio.
We admit, it's strange and not necessarily in the best of tastes.
But at the same time, whatever. Despite a major scare, the Hinrichs tragedy affected mostly the Hinrichs family and OU administrators. So if they want to make that decision, whatever.

The problem that has arisen, however, is that message boards and talking heads have reborn what we hoped had died: non-factual rumor-milling and general salacious gum-flapping.
"That damn Muslim terrorist done tried to kill us all!" we expect to hear a few people say. Message boards already become home to similarly nonfactual nonsense. That's why we wish sleeping dogs could have been kept asleep, even hit over the head with a bucket of golf balls, if need be.
And, before we hear cries of being in President Boren's pocket, we merely shared his frustration a year and a half ago when racist Web sites, fake journalists (which KWTV-9's Tamara Pratt managed to devolve into) and couch commentators teamed up for one of the free world's most gratuitous spectacles of misinformation, rumor-spewing and fear-mongering ... ever.

Meanwhile, here's why we didn't do a front page story today: Johnny Journalist is assigned to write the story. He receives OU's official statements, he talks to Joel Hinrichs Jr. and then it becomes time for him to test the waters of public opinion and pick out a few good quotes. But what does Ol' Johnny have to do to get those? Johnny has to go stand by the stone outside of the union and wait for people to pass by."Excuse me, my name is Johnny Journalist, and I was wondering if you had seen this stone here on the ground?"
"Nope. Which one?"
"The one that reads ‘Joel H. Hinrichs III,' who was the guy who blew himself up on campus last year. Do you have a comment?"
And within three seconds of learning of this fact, the student is asked to give an emotional reaction to a controversy that is only a controversy because media have made it a controversy.
Do Johnny's antics sound familiar? Yup. They sound just like what each local TV news outfit did two or three times Thursday.
We didn't feel it necessary to participate.
--END--

OU OUTRAGE! - Bomber Hinrichs gets memorial stone on campus

I give credit to The Oklahoman today for featuring this as their top story - "OU bomber's memorial stone causes shock".
In light of the fact that witnesses said bomber Joel Henry Hinrichs III was trying to get in the stadium that day, this is totally outrageous, particularly in light of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech a week-and-a-half ago.

Anyway, the story, written by crime/terrorism beat "repeater" Nolan Clay, who has covered up for the FBI and former Gov. Frank Keating regarding the Alfred P. Murrah federal building bombing, is interesting. What is OU President David Boren (Skull & Bones, CFR, CIA insider, etc., etc.) up to?

Here it is:
NORMAN -- The University of Oklahoma has put outside the student union a patio stone engraved with the name of the student suicide bomber.
"I was just kind of horrified,” said OU football fan Jenny Clemons, who spotted the stone after OU's Red-White game April 7. "I don't think he has any business being out here.”
OU's student affairs division arranged to have the stone placed, an OU alumni affairs employee said. OU officials say families pay for such memorials but the student's father said OU offered to place the stone and never billed him.
A stone costs $150.
Joel "Joe” Henry Hinrichs III, an engineering student, died Oct. 1, 2005, when his bomb went off at a campus bench a short distance from an OU night football game.
The FBI investigated whether the student, 21, tried or intended to enter the packed stadium but reported finding no conclusive evidence.
The student's father traveled from Colorado to Oklahoma to visit with university officials after the death. Joel Hinrichs Jr. said OU's dean of students, Clarke Stroud, offered to have the stone placed.
In an e-mail, the father told The Oklahoman the dean "very kindly understood that Joel's act was one of loneliness, not of aggression, and offered to have the stone placed in the memorial courtyard; he also indicated that the wife of the university president might select a tree to be placed on campus, also in Joel III's memory.”
The father said he asked to pay for the stone and tree "but was never told anything.” He repeated his offer to the dean in an e-mail Monday after being contacted by The Oklahoman. He said, "They never sent me any indication of cost, or even that they had moved forward.”
In a statement, OU President David Boren said, "As is well known, the death of Joel Hinrichs III was an apparent suicide. A tree was not planted on the campus. Instead, the university gives the opportunity for those who desire to purchase pavers in the union courtyard for students, graduates, or friends of the university.
"Some are given to honor graduates or friends of the university and some are given as memorials. They are paid for by those who have them placed there and the proceeds go towards the upkeep of the student union. The university tries to be sensitive to all the families who have lost sons or daughters while they were students.”
Stroud said in an e-mail: "We invite all parents or members of the university family to purchase stones in the courtyard honoring friends or family members. In this case it is certainly appropriate to allow Mr. Hinrichs to honor the memory of his son who tragically died while he was a student at the university.”
The father said his son was only committing suicide. FBI agents said they do not know if the student intentionally set off the bomb on the bench as a suicide or if he also had intended to kill others elsewhere. A Norman police bomb expert has said he believes the bomb went off accidentally and that the student had further plans.
Clemons, 50, a hospital nurse, said, "I was in the stadium the day that guy blew himself up. ... I feel like ... if he'd been successful he would have killed a whole bunch of us at the football game.”

Read the rest here.
--END--

Why was the university so eager to feature Hinrichs and give him a memorial stone and not have the family pay for it. Hinrichs clearly wanted to take out people at that stadium. And if the comments at NewsOK.com are any indication, people are outraged about the placement of this stone.

Giuliani caught in a lie at OKC terrorism panel

Here's an article and clip, via Prison Planet (which came from C-SPAN), that features presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on a terrorism panel here in Oklahoma City lying about the way WTC Building 7 collapsed on the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001. He says it came down in stages where most of us know that the building collapsed into its own footprint at freefall speed. Wouldn't you think the MAYOR of New York would remember that? I mean, his own command center was in that building.

McCurtain paper continues to be best source for info on OKC bombing

Strassmeir still mystery man in Oklahoma City bombing

Posted: 4/19/2007
By Roger G. Charles and J.D. Cash
McCurtain Daily Gazette (www.mccurtain.com)

A retired, senior officer of the nation’s intelligence community has confirmed to this newspaper that the German military-intelligence operative, Andreas Strassmeir, was in fact “working for the German government and the FBI” while residing at the neo-Nazi compound known as Elohim City. Strassmeir resided at this compound for four years and closely associated with members of the neo-Nazi group that planned and conducted the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City.
This intelligence officer identified a specific document, a post-bombing report, that listed Strassmeir’s role as an agent reporting on neo-Nazi activities as part of a campaign being waged by both German and American governments against such activities. (This newspaper is involved in legal efforts to obtain a copy of this report.)
Twelve years after the April 19 bombing in America’s heartland, this and other recently obtained and compelling evidence confirms what had long been suspected – the bombing was the result of a bungled “sting” operation that sought to disrupt international ties between German and American neo-Nazis. It was a sting operation that went bad, horribly bad.
Strassmeir’s role as a possible German military-intelligence operative in the center of neo-Nazi group responsible for this deadly attack had long puzzled Danny Coulson, one of the three most-senior FBI supervisors in charge of the immediate post-bombing investigation.
In a documentary television program aired by the British Broadcasting Corporation on March 4 of this year, Coulson described how unusual it was, based on his own 31 years in the FBI, that Strassmeir was never interviewed by the FBI before he was allowed to return to Germany in January 1996.
“To my knowledge, he was never interviewed by any FBI agents. He was interviewed [in a trans-Atlantic telephone call] by two Assistant United States Attorneys with an FBI [agent] present on the phone but taking notes. But there was never a face-to- face, sit-down, come-to-Jesus meeting with the FBI. That never occurred.”
In the same BBC program, Strassmeir repeated his oft-repeated denial of any knowledge of or role in the bombing plot.
Coulson was not impressed with Strassmeir’s responses.
“Yeah, well a person can claim a lot of things. But, you are known by the company you keep... if you are hanging out with some Aryans [neo-Nazis] and the Aryans are involved in criminal activity, it’s kind of hard to say you know nothing about it. It’s like hanging out with the choir [and you] didn’t know they sang. It’s exactly the same type of thing. He knew what they were up to. He knew what he was doing there. And we should have interviewed him.”
In November 2003, this newspaper obtained a Jan. 4, 1996, teletype from then-Director of the FBI Louis Freeh that contained information about a telephone call from Tim McVeigh to Strassmeir at Elohim City. While federal prosecutors had admitted that McVeigh called Elohim City on April 5, 1995, asking to speak with Strassmeir, the evidence of this second phone call on April 17 was withheld from McVeigh’s federal trial and from both federal and state trials of Terry Nichols, McVeigh’s co-defendant.
This document contains these two other key facts.
One, this source reported to the FBI that McVeigh had a “lengthy relationship” with Strassmeir. Not only was this document withheld from the defense teams, but the federal prosecutors claimed repeatedly that the largest FBI investigation in the nation’s history up to this time had discovered that McVeigh’s and Strassmeir’s direct contacts consisted only of a short encounter at a Tulsa gun show two years before the bombing. (McVeigh’s phone call of April 4 had been for Strassmeir, who had not been present to take the call.)
And, two, this source reported that Strassmeir was (as of Jan. 4, 1996) residing in North Carolina and had plans to “leave the U.S. via Mexico, in the near future.” The source specified where Strassmeir was staying, and with whom.
No action was taken by the FBI to intercept Strassmeir, who walked across the Texas border into Mexico on or about Jan. 10 in route to his home in Germany.
The above revelations were discovered in November 2003 when this newspaper found a copy of the explosive teletype among more than 300,000 pages of FBI records that were supposedly not directly related to the Oklahoma City bombing, known inside the FBI as “OKBOMB.” Yet, the Oklahoma City bombing case number is clearly shown as being the case under which the teletype was drafted, transmitted and filed.
From this same 300,000 pages is a never-before-disclosed FBI teletype dated December 6, 1995, from the FBI office in St. Louis to the Director and 11 other FBI offices. It contains conclusive proof that the FBI actively investigated connections between the neo-Nazi gang of bank robbers and the Oklahoma City bomb team. (Three of the bank robbers lived with Strassmeir at Elohim City at various times.)
This teletype announced a meeting to be hosted by the St. Louis FBI office on Jan. 9 and 10, 1996, for the purpose of exchanging information about the neo-Nazi bank robbers (know in FBI shorthand as the “BOMBROB” major case).
It further stated that, “... this investigation has been featured on the Oct. 28, 1995 segment of America’s Most Wanted (AMW), which resulted in a possible connection between BOMBROB and OKBOMB.”
The teletype lists nine items to be covered in the Jan. 9-10 meeting. Two of the agenda items are particularly relevant.
“6)Presentation from OKBOMB investigator on status of possible connection with BOMBROB.
“7) Explanation of specifics of possible military connection.”
Following the late-December 1995 interviews of a neo-Nazi leader (who was serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Georgia) and his wife, the FBI used this sergeant to lure the leaders of the BOMBROB gang to meetings in the Cincinnati, Ohio area where they were arrested. (Richard Lee Guthrie on January 15, and Peter Langan on January 18, 1996.)
An FBI teletype dated Jan. 3, 1996 announced that, “In view of recent developments in the Cincinnati Division [of the FBI]...,” the planned meeting of members of the BOMBROB and OBKBOMB investigation teams in St. Louis on January 9 and 10 was “postponed indefinitely.”
The Army sergeant and his wife received an undisclosed award for their roles in supporting the FBI’s arrests of the BOMBROB leaders in Ohio.
And, whether it was coincidence or not, Strassmeir – “Andy the German” to his neo-Nazi associates – left the United States on January 10.
Recent documents and other information obtained by this newspaper have also confirmed long-held suspicions about Strassmeir’s immigration records, a few of which were released for the federal trials of McVeigh and Nichols.
Specifically, in Strassmeir’s visits to the United States, dating back to 1988, his immigration records listed him with a coded designation that meant he traveled in a special diplomatic status which carried with it diplomatic immunity.
When retired senior FBI official Coulson was asked in the BBC documentary about his continuing suspicions regarding Strassmeir, Coulson replied:
“There is (sic) lots of questions who he is. Who he works for? And does he work for... for someone in the United States? Does he work for the federal government, or does he work for a government overseas? Did he work for the Israelis? The Israelis certainly have an interest in looking at neo-Nazis because of their history. The Germans have a significant problem with neo-Nazis in their country and they were not happy with our investigation here. And, was he working for them? I don’t know the answer to it. What I do know is he wasn’t just bumming around.”
Twelve years after the worst incident of domestic terrorism in the nation’s history, hard evidence continues to surface that directly contradicts the federal government’s claim that all those who perpetrated that horrible crime have been caught, convicted and sentenced.
Strassmeir, for one, is safe from having to answer official questions about his role in OKBOMB. The German government does not extradite German citizens to countries where they could potentially face the death penalty for their criminal conduct.
--END--

And where is Nolan Clay and his pals at The Oklahoman??!?! Oh, that's right, asleep on the job as usual.

Like oil and water: Mexican trucks on American soil

'Truck Out' protest at State Capitol brings attention to Mexican truck issue
By Andrew Griffin
Red Dirt Reporter
Posted: April 24, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – Outraged that the federal government is planning on allowing Mexican truck drivers to drive their loads on the roads of America, dozens of sign-holding and flag-waving truck drivers and their supporters gathered on the steps of the State Capitol to voice their concerns, as part of Monday’s national “Truck Out.”
The North American Free Trade Agreement, implemented in 1994, had a provision allowing for the Mexican trucks to come here to deliver their freight. While it has been delayed for several years, in February it was announced that the federal government would allow 100 Mexican trucking companies to travel beyond the 20-mile limit as part of a one-year pilot program.
But the truckers in front of the State Capitol, concerned about the potential damage this will have on their livelihoods and their country, were having none of it if their signs were any indication, pronouncing, “My Trucker Needs His Job” and “Say No to Mexican Trucks!”
“We’re against this,” said Kay Hutchison, an Oklahoma City-based truck driver. “We can’t believe this is happening.”
Hutchison, and her husband Ed Hutchison, said they’re both concerned that these rattletrap trucks out of Mexico won’t be thoroughly inspected as they head north across the border.
“They could be hauling drugs, illegals, terrorists … who knows what could be in those trailers?” Hutchison said.
Dan Howard, with the Tulsa-based organization Outraged Patriots said state and federal politicians hadn’t been doing enough to protect the trucking industry which he said was already overregulated as it was.
“They are taking from you and giving (jobs) to foreign nationals,” thundered Howard.
Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, also spoke, telling the audience that he was introducing legislation to address this issue and by noting that the rally was not only about protecting American truckers but was addressing what the country stands for, which he said was “The rule of law and the sovereignty of these borders.”
Added Brogdon; “Our future won’t be determined by the politicians. It rests solely in the hands and power of the people.”

Giuliani tries to score political points at OKC bombing memorial

As a chemtrail-caused haze began to obscure the clear blue skies above, Mob-embracing, cross-dressing, multiple-divorcing, gun-controlling, abortion-supporting, 9/11 cover-up artist Rudy Giuliani was the "special guest" speaker at Thursday's 12th anniversary observance of the government-sponsored destruction of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building here in Oklahoma City.

Arriving in a Suburban with a couple of guys in dark sunglasses, this smirking shill for the New World Order crawled out, shook some hands and walked down to the small podium set up next to the touring piano John Lennon used to compose his 1971 hit "Imagine."

After some words from the head of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum and Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, Giuliani (who fidgeted and looked distracted) took to the lectern and talked about how his city and our city shared much in common; good people and first responders who quickly responded to one another's terror attacks.He then spoke of this week's Virginia Tech tragedy, pledging to do more to "make our schools safer" (sounds like a speech for his candidacy for president) and then proceeded to talk about "strength," "resolve," and how "free people have strength."

"We will do everything we can to prevent further attacks," Giuliani said. "Freedom from violence is our first civil right."

The Rudester closed by saying, "We will win the war on terror at home and abroad."

They then read the names of the 168 victims of the bombing. I was able to get some pictures of Rudy talking to people and taking pictures.

When the media (myself included) approached him and an Oklahoman reporter began peppering him with questions, included a pointed question about his position on gun control in light of the VT shootings, Giuliani got all serious and said, "I'm not here for political questions."

Yeah, sure. His whole reason for being in our city was for political reasons. It was disgusting.

Moore to paint "Home of Toby Keith" on water tower

I was reading the paper version of The Norman Transcript the other day (April 18) and noticed a story headlined: "Moore council OKs repainting water tower with 'Home of Toby Keith.'"

Writes Transcript reporter M. Scott Carter regarding Moore City Council plans to repaint the city water tower at NW 27th and just west of I-35: "The tower does need to be repainted," said City Manager Steve Eddy. "We're going to be doing that; it also has rust on the outside as well as on the inside so we'll be doing some maintenance." The tower was last painted, Eddy said, in '95 or '96, so it does need to be repainted now."

Continuing: "Once covered in a base coat, the tower would have the phrase: "Moore Home of Toby Keith" painted in large, blue letters."
Eddy said he wanted to get the council's opinion on the repainting of the water tower and added, "It (the wording) would be on both sides of it, essentially where you could see what's on there from the southbound and northbound traffic on the Interstate."

Carter ended with the following phrase: The project was approved without debate.
--END--

Way to go Moore City Council! We've got Yukon's water tower with "Home of Garth Brooks" (and spray painted home of Cross Canadian Ragweed) and now we'll have one for Toby Keith. This is great for the artists, great for the fans and great for showcasing to the world our homegrown talent.

'It's a scandal: Oklahoma declares watermelon a vegetable

My Lawton Constitution story on the watermelon becoming a state vegetable was seen by a reporter at UK's Guardian newspaper and he referenced it in this story. Pretty neat, eh? (Oh, and it was bill co-author Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, home of the annual Watermelon Festival, that was teh '94 seed-spitting champ, not Barrington.

It's a scandal: Oklahoma declares watermelon a vegetable

By Matthew Weaver and agencies
Wednesday April 18, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Everywhere else it is considered a fruit, but in Oklahoma the watermelon has been officially declared a vegetable.
And not just any vegetable, Oklahoma's house of representatives yesterday voted to award the watermelon the honour of official state vegetable. The official state fruit is the strawberry.
A bill on the proposal was passed yesterday by 78 votes to 19.
A triumphant senator Don Barrington, who sponsored the bill, said after the vote: "The controversy on whether watermelon is a fruit or vegetable has been officially decided by the Oklahoma legislature."
He told Oklahoma's Lawton Constitution before the vote that the watermelon was a fruit, "but it's also a vegetable because it's a member of the cucumber family".
The Republican, who in 1994 won a local contest for spitting watermelon seeds the farthest, said the state vegetable status would be a boost for his watermelon-growing Rush Springs constituency.
Asked whether people shared his conviction that the watermelon was a vegetable, he replied: "It depends on who you ask."
Others were not convinced. Senator Nancy Riley said her dictionary referred to the watermelon as a fruit.
"I guess it can be both," Mr Barrington conceded.
The Oklahoma governor, Brad Henry, must now decide whether to approve the bill.
--END--

Bowman wants 'Patriots' to take back America

Had an opportunity to hear a talk by Dr. Bob Bowman, Lt. Col. USAF, ret. National Commander last night and came away inspired.

Bowman, who has run both for president and for a congressional seat out of Florida, made a stop at Mayflower Congregational Church, as part of his 100-city "Patriots" tour where he shares his thoughts about everything from this corrupt cabal in the Bush administration to issues related to 9/11 truth and how he believes it was an inside job.

The crowd, mostly middle-age or older, sat in the church sanctuary and listened to peace activist Nathaniel Batchelder with Oklahoma City's Peace House introduce his old friend Dr. Bowman.

It would become clear that Bowman was interested in bringing both left and right together and convincing folks that we're all in this together, in a fight against greedy globalists and war profiteers.

"What I'm trying to do with the Patriots tour is to bring people in our country together to where we recognize our common need to take back our country for the people," Bowman said, adding that the increasingly common thread among people of all political stripes is that they "love their country but fear their government."

Added Bowman, "It's time to come together and take back our government,"

Bowman, who directed the Department of Defense's 'Star Wars' programs under the Ford and Carter administrations and was a Democrat candidate for U.S. Congress in Florida's 15th district in 2006, said there is really little difference between the two major parties and that's what the elites - the "Corporate New World Order" - want.

Bowman then told the audience that he had drafted an inaugural "State of the Union" speech that he would give to the American people were he to be elected president someday. I have to say that he made some powerful, hard-hitting statements.

"Benjamin Franklin's worst fears came true," Bowman said in his speech. "We've lost our Republic."

Bowman hit the 9/11 inside job issue pretty hard, saying that there is "evidence of a massive cover-up of 9/11."
Interestingly, he said he spoke with 9/11 Commissioners Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean and they told him that information they wanted in the final report was whitewashed or simply left out of the report.
"If the Bush administration had nothing to hide," Bowman thundered, "Why did they hide everything?"

He poked holes in the perposterous 9/11 conspiracy theory peddled by this corrupt government, saying that 19 hijackers with box cutters could not have pulled off the attacks. And if they did, how did they know real-life drills dealing with the exact same scenario were going on? He told the audience that a number of the "hijackers" were trained by our own government and may have simply been "patsies" and "dupes" that were taking part in an anti-terrorism event that they were caught up in.

Someone in the audience scoffed, saying "That's pretty far out," when Bowman suggested the planes may have been operated under remote control.

"The American people have not been told about who is responsible for 9/11," he said, noting, "Who were the guilty parties? The Saudis? The Pakistanis? The Israelis? Americans?"

Bowman included text from speeches he gave prior to our illegal invasion of Iraq in March 2003. He railed against the administration and the war, and as a veteran himself, told the audience that many thousands of troops will come home suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and poisoned by exposure to depleted uranium. He added that many children born to soldiers exposed to DU will sadly be afflicted with "severe birth defects."

He then talked about how after the end of the Cold War, the first Bush administration needed a "boogeyman" and chose Saddam Hussein, even though he had been an asset of our government for decades.
"Saddam was always a bad guy," Bowman said, "But he was always our bad guy."

And now, he said, more terrorists are being created as this disastrous war churns onward. People with no hope turn to terrorism out of desperation, he said.

Speaking to the largely left base in the audience, he said that under his administration, the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia would be closed and end the embargo on Cuba.

He then wrapped up his speech saying that the turnout in Oklahoma City was the best he'd seen so far, better than even Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

During the question and answer period, Bowman told the crowd that effective ways to get your voice heard was to write short letters to Congress, making your one, single point. Peace demonstrations are effective, as is running for office, which gives one a "soapbox."

Interestingly, Bowman, who said he had supported John Kerry for president in 2004, noted Kerry's membership with Skull and Bones. He said that he is also working alongside the John Birch Society. He noted that after an audience member asked how one could "expose the money trail related to the military-industrial complex." He said the Birchers have done a lot to expose that, finding out who belongs to the Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg group.

Now, I didn't agree with everything he said. I'm not in favor of re-instating the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," which would silence certain voices in the media. As much as I'd love for Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck and O'Reilly to all retire, they do have a right to say what they want, no matter how un-American and/or odious.
Bowman also called for universal health care for all Americans, although he did not go into specifics as to how that would work.

Alas, he didn't get around to answering my question which had to do with the militarization of space and releasing documents related to UFOs. Oh well, maybe I'll catch him again some other time.

If he comes to your town, I urge you to go out and hear him.

Cho and Hinrichs: Depressed loners with murder on their mind

Do Cho Seung-Hui and Joel Henry Hinrichs III have something in common?
As I note below, I believe there are some interesting similarities.

As noted in today's top story at PrisonPlanet.com, writer/researcher Paul Joseph Watson has a story headlined "Neo-Cons to Spin Va. Massacre as Terrorist Attack."
Now, I didn't make the connection at the time but I did find it curious that news reports coming out said that when killer Cho Seung-Hui's body was recovered, police found the words "Ismail Ax" scrawled on his arm.

"Ismail Ax"? Yes, it had a distinctly "Muslim" ring to it. But I didn't make much of it. Now that I've read Another Day in the Empire's Kurt Nimmo, I understand that:
"'Ismail Ax' is a well known phrase in the Muslim world. The Muslims believe that the [Old Testament] is wrong in saying that Abraham was supposed to kill Isaac with a knife, rather they believe he was supposed to kill Ishmael (Ismail) with an Axe.

They also believe that Abraham was supposed to go out and attack idols with an axe, and some also attribute the phrase to meaning that Ishmael was supposed to kill Isaac, the father of all Western culture, with an axe…Cho was a South Korean immigrant to the US, but it seems undeniable that his killing spree, at least in part, was motivated by some sort of belief in Islam.”--END--

That may be the case. But we don't know much about his history. Was he frequenting militant Islamist sites? Was there a mosque in Blacksburg or Roanoke that he attended? We do know he would go to Roanoke from time-to-time and that is where he purchased his $571 Glock 19 and ammo, according to the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Was Cho visiting a psychiatrist? Was this person connected to the military?

Well, as I mentioned here yesterday, we can only look to the strange case of Colorado man Joel Henry Hinrichs III, a 21-year-old engineering student, attending the University of Oklahoma in Norman, who could be almost a carbon-copy of Cho Seung-Hui. Both were depressed, unbalanced loners on medication.

Except where Hinrichs strapped himself with explosives in hopes of being a suicide bomber (a choice of destruction more common in the Middle East and Asia ... hmmm?) in the midst of a crowded Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial football stadium, fortunately failing in his murderous attempt, blowing himself up instead, Cho opted to be a killer with a gun, killing 33 and injuring dozens.

Within a week, reports were coming out that Hinrichs had visited Ellison Feed and Seed on Porter Avenue in Norman and had tried to purchase ammonium nitrate fertilizer, as noted in this AP story.

Oh, and reports were saying at the time Hinrichs frequented a local mosque. This was never confirmed from follow-up reports I've read. And while OU President David Boren, a secretive man with well-known ties to the CIA, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Yale's Skull and Bones secret society, spun the story and said Hinrichs was merely a depressed, lonely kid who wanted to commit suicide.

Yet, months later, in a story that didn't receive much attention, a bomb expert with the Norman Police Department says in an AP story: "I believe he accidentally blew himself up."
This means that Boren, as we investigative bloggers (scolded by the Wall Street Journal at the time) noted at the time, was covering and spinning this event like crazy. This from a man whose university was a popular spot for CIA assets Nicholas Berg and Zacarias Moussaoui.

And investigators were successful in getting reports regarding the findings in Hinrichs' off-campus apartment sealed.
As Norman-based investigator Michael P. Wright notes, "This raises questions. Boren wants us to believe that no terrorist conspiracy existed and that the death was just an 'individual suicide' by an 'emotionally troubled' student.

If there were no other suspects, then certainly no harm would come to a prosecution effort by describing all the evidence found in the Hinrichs investigation, for the purpose of informing the public about the true nature of the event.
We deserve all the evidence available in order to assess our own risk level for terrorism. Football fans deserve to know this in the process of deciding whether to attend games. There can only be two reasons for keeping a lid on the evidence, at this time:
1. there are other suspects, and disclosing it at this time might interfere with prosecution strategies, or
2. Hinrichs, acting alone, did have terrorist intentions, but the courts and FBI are helping their friend Boren in covering this up.
--END--

And Paul Joseph Watson, it should be noted, is right in being concerned that neo-con ideologues will try to paint Cho as a Muslim extremist wanting to kill Christians and "rich kids," due to the cryptic "Ismail Ax" message on Cho's arm.

This may have been written on his body after his death. These are the feds, after all.It's too early to tell what Cho's real motivation was or if he was under the sway of a secret nest of government operatives. It is curious that in the midst of this horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech, some BIG things are going on on the national and international scene from the now-delayed testimony of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, tensions in Iran and Russia and dying bees.
Before signing off, I thought this might be of some interest to those interested in the Hinrichs case.According to a fall 2006 report from Colorado Springs TV station KTTV and noted at Bellaciao by researcher Michael P. Wright :
"Authorities say 25-year-old Thomas Hinrichs had an assault rifle, two boxes of ammunition, three ammunition magazines and a military helmet when he was arrested earlier this month.He was allegedly angry with this country's government and school system for creating an environment that led to Joel's death."
Added KFOR TV here in Oklahoma City: Thomas Hinrichs was charged November 21st with threatening an FBI agent after he allegedly admitted he daydreamed of shooting the agent. The 25-year-old Hinrichs also is accused of assaulting his father.
--END--

His father also said his other son is insane. It's really rather sad. Still, unbalanced people can sometimes be used by black ops in order to achieve a desired outcome (in Hinrichs' case - heightened security measures at public stadiums and in Cho's case - gun control).

Oklahoman Carrie Underwood takes home three CMT awards

Checotah native Carrie Underwood (the "American Idol" contestant I predicted would win) brought home three CMT music awards Monday night - best video for "Before He Cheats," best female video and best video director.

Here's the run down from the AP via the Tulsa World website ...

And while I missed the show due to other commitments, I was disappointed that Toby Keith didn't bring home any awards.

'Lawyer outlines a broader conspiracy in search for FBI documents on Oklahoma City bombing'/ Salt Lake Tribune

Probably won't see this story in The Oklahoman, Tulsa World or Journal Record. Why? What is it about this story that scares Oklahoma media so much. The victims and victims families deserve the truth.

Senate passes muscular immigration reform bill

Received today from the House press office ....

Speaker Cargill and Rep. Terrill Praise Senate Passage of Immigration Reform

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 16, 2007) - House Speaker Lance Cargill and state Rep. Randy Terrill today praised members of the Oklahoma Senate forpassing a tough illegal immigration bill and predicted it will soon besent to Gov. Brad Henry.
"This landmark legislation recognizes that government first hasa duty to those citizens who play by the rules, follow the law and pay taxes," said Cargill, R-Harrah. "We cannot expect others to abide by thelaw when there are rewards for breaking the law."
"This is a great day for Oklahoma taxpayers," said state Rep.Randy Terrill, R-Moore. "For too long, the working families of Oklahoma have been forced to subsidize illegal immigration. With passage of House Bill 1804, that will come to an end."
House Bill 1804, by Terrill, creates the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007. The bill is part of the House Republican majority's legislative agenda and previously passed out of the Oklahoma House of Representatives by an overwhelming, 88-9 bipartisan vote.
The Oklahoma Senate approved the bill today with strong bipartisan support on a 41-6 vote.
HB 1804 has the support of two national immigration reform advocacy groups and has been labeled one of the nation's toughest anti-illegal immigration laws.
Key elements of the bill focus on determining work eligibility. The measure also contains provisions to ensure taxpayer-supported benefits are made available to American citizens and legal immigrants only. The bill also gives state and local law enforcement officials the power to enforce federal immigration law.
Terrill said he is committed to working with advocacy groups to address any continuing concerns they may have about the new law.
House Bill 1804 will now return to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for a final vote before going to Gov. Brad Henry for his signature.
"After accepting Senate amendments, I sincerely hope that Governor Henry will quickly sign House Bill 1804 into law," Terrill said.
--END--
Just a note, the Red Dirt Reporter spoke with Sen. Randy Bass (D-Lawton) about the immigration bill just prior to hearing it and said, "Nobody wants anyone illegal in the United States. To me it's more of a federal issue."
Bass added that this issue was of particular importance to his constituents noting that "Everybody is calling in about this. I've received 5,000 emails ... they're clogging my computer."
Bass also said his only concern is that he doesn't want legal immigrants adversely affected by the law, were it to pass, which, as we know, it did. And that's a good thing. :-)

Meetings set on state water plans / Lawton Constitution

By Andrew Griffin
Special Correspondent
The Lawton Constitution
Posted: April 15, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY — With the state entering the beginning stages of planning for the state’s 50-year Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan, state officials are beginning a yearlong tour of the state to share their opinions with the public about what should be included.
At Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board in Oklahoma City, OWRB Executive Director Duane Smith explained to the board that between now and 2060 surface water and groundwater issues in the state will be increasingly important.
One of the topics addressed during the meeting was the water plan, which will be discussed at meetings around the state, including Altus, Hobart and Lawton.
“Water-use projects over the next 50 years are not expected to go up very much,” Smith said as he gave the board a presentation addressing Oklahoma water issues.
And after showing the board a chart showing rainy and dry periods throughout Oklahoma history and noting that the state is apparently entering a dry stretch, Smith added, “The next 50 years will be very exciting for the OWRB in terms of conflict.”
In addition, the tour is part of a legislative mandate that the OWRB develop and periodically update the state’s comprehensive water plan, which includes estimates on projected water demands and water supply infrastructure needs.
“As a state, we’re facing difficult decisions on a variety of water-related issues that will affect us, our kids and their kids,” said Mike Langston, assistant director of the Water Research Institute at Oklahoma State University, said.
To find out more about the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan visit www.okwaterplan.info.

Cargill tells Henry, Dems to quit political posturing

The Red Dirt Reporter was in a press conference Wednesday with House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, and listened to the speaker complain that Gov. Brad Henry won't approve appropriations bills that mirror his own executive budget.

I loved this quote: "It's the theater of the absurd when the governor won't take yes for an answer."

He added that he welcomes ideas from Gov. Henry and the Democrats, yet was sticking to his guns.
"Why won't the governor submit a plan? What does he have to hide?" asked Cargill, adding, "I think it'd be worthwhile for the governor to submit a plan."

Here's the AP account of Cargill's press conference.

Westboro haters protest soldier's funeral in Norman

I was driving through Norman today, on my way to pick up some office supplies, when I came upon a protest at the corner of Main and University.
On one side were lots of people with American flags and on the opposite corner were some cretins holding signs reading: "Thank God for IEDs" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers.""Holy toledo! It's those knuckle-draggers from Kansas, the Westboro Baptist Church haters who protest the funerals of soldiers who've died in the "War on Terror."

I had heard Sean Hannity interview the daughter of the head of this hate group, Fred Phelps, and there was no reasoning with her. Their reasoning for protesting makes no sense to me.

They're the same jerks that protested Matthew Shepard's funeral in Wyoming.

I was stopped at a light and running late.
Still, I tried to snap some quick pix on my camera. They didn't turn out so well and a State Trooper was right in front of me. In fact, the trooper was asking a guy with a flag what was going on. He explained that they were there protesting the haters from Kansas.
The light turned green and I made my turn on Main heading west. I gave the smirking idiots with their day-glo hate signs a big thumbs down.

How sad.

Here's the story about their "visit" in today's edition of The Norman Transcript.

(p.s. Also posted at Slice O' Life)

9/11 Truth Jam from TulsaTruth.org

These creative young 9/11 Truth activists hit the streets of Tulsa recently and helped spread the word about 9/11 and what it wasn't.

Check out their site at TulsaTruth.org or watch their YouTube video here. Way to go, fellow Oklahomans!!!

Legislature recognizes OKC/NOLA Hornets before NBA season ends

Just as I left Louisiana for Oklahoma soon after Hurricane Katrina, so did the underdog New Orleans Hornets NBA team. And I must attest that I was seriously impressed with how well the Hornets were received here in Oklahoma City.

Here is an Oklahoma Legislature press release praising the Hornets operation for embracing the Sooner state and its residents. High marks goes to Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, for his efforts to get the Hornets to Oklahoma temporarily. Who knows where this experience will lead. Perhaps, like Memphis, we'll get our own professional sports team. We can only hope and pray.

Here's the press release I received today:

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 11, 2007) - Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate plan to praise the Hornets basketball team for its achievements and look to the future of pro sports in Oklahoma.

A House concurrent resolution by state Rep. Joe Dorman and state Sen. Mike Morgan praises the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets" for their support of Oklahoma throughout the past two years" and"extends a warm welcome to the Hornets family to return to their adopted state anytime in the future ..."

The resolution is being filed in advance of the Hornets final Oklahoma game on Friday, April 13.

"The Hornets have been a great success story for Oklahoma,"said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. "We've proven that Oklahoma is NBA-ready."

Dorman and Morgan are two of the main authors of a tax incentive bill that lured the Hornets to Oklahoma after they were displaced by 2005's Hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans.

At the time, officials expected the NBA team could provide a multi-million boost to the state economy - and they were right.

A 2006 study showed the Hornets had an economic impact of $66.4 million on Oklahoma City during the 2005 season.

"Above the economic impact, the spirit brought forth by this team was contagious and led many Oklahomans to immediately adopt this team as their own," said Morgan, D-Stillwater. "The Hornets tenure in Oklahoma was great not only for them to continue and grow as a team while New Orleans rebuilds, but it also gave Oklahoma the opportunity to experience top-level professional sports regularly in our great state."

"Oklahoma displayed to the rest of the world we can be thehome of professional sports," said Dorman.

"Whether we are the recipients of an existing team or a newly-created expansion team, our state will no doubt be hungry to see an NBA team located here permanently in the near future. We appreciate the opportunity extended by the Hornets and the NBA to be the adopted home of the team and their personnel," Morgan said. "The experiences over the last two years with community serviceprovided by the players and the Honeybees has been an immeasurable benefit to Oklahoma and we will not soon forget how great an opportunitythis was to have them here."

"There's no denying the state got a fantastic return on our investment," Dorman said. Dorman noted that average attendance at home games was 18,718, more than 97 percent of capacity with 18 sellouts in the first season. The Hornets regular season ends next week with the team still seeking a spot in the playoffs.

--END--

Thanks Hornets!

Soldier killed in Iraq was from Norman

Remember Ryan Dallam, the Norman soldier who died in Baghdad, Iraq last week. The story in the Norman Transcript was written by a former colleague at The Lawton Constitution.

Such a sad story. Dallam clearly was a sharp young man with a bright future.

Investigator finds 'Colony Collapse Disorder' in UK

Since my story "Beekeepers all abuzz about mysterious syndrome" appeared in The Lawton Constitution on March 25, I've been keeping a close eye on stories about the disappearing bees and what could be behind the so-called "Colony Collapse Disorder." So far, here in Oklahoma, not many hives have been affected. Still, some in Southeast Oklahoma opened up hives to find all the bees simply gone.

Well, Linda Moulton Howe at EarthFiles.com (she's investigated all manner of unusual phenomena) reports the following:
In addition to the United States and Canada, in Europe at least nine countries are now reporting massive disappearances of honey bees – similar to the Colony Collapse Disorder that has affected American beekeepers since the fall of 2006. The European countries reporting bee disappearances are:
1) Spain
2) Poland
3) Greece
4) Croatia
5) Switzerland
6) Italy
7) Portugal
8) Germany
9) England.
To everyone’s surprise, in the U. K. where genetically modified crops have been resisted and beekeeping is on a smaller scale with less pesticide use than in the United States, honey beekeepers in London who opened hives the end of March found at least half of their hives empty.
--END--

Howe continues with interviews with John Chapple the Chairman of the London Beekeeping Association. Chapple said he and fellow beekeepers in Greater London are perplexed by the disappearance of all the bees and estimates that half of the approximately 9,000 hives in the London area have disappeared.

Read the interview here.

And as for beekeepers here in Oklahoma? Well, the rumblings at the Oklahoma State Beekeepers Association is that pesticides and GMO's are most likely at the root of the problem. Agri-giant Monsanto was muttered as well among some at the meeting. Methinks they may be on to something.

'Watermelon may become state vegetable ' / Lawton Constitution

By Andrew Griffin
Special Correspondent
The Lawton Constitution
Posted: April 8, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY — What’s green on the outside and red on the inside and tastes sweet and refreshing on a summer’s day?
Answer? It’s the watermelon, and thanks to two Southwest Oklahoma legislators it’s another step toward becoming Oklahoma’s state vegetable.
That’s right. The state vegetable. The popular misconception is that the watermelon is a fruit, but it is, in fact, considered both a fruit and a vegetable, according to the online fact sheet at the watermelon information site www.watermelon.org.
State Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton, said he co-authored the bill, HB 1669, with state Rep. Joe Dorman, DRush Springs, and it unanimously passed through the Senate General Government Committee. The bill is scheduled to go before the full Senate in the next several weeks, Barrington said.
“I think it has a good chance of passing,” Barrington added.
“Hopefully, it gets to the governor’s desk,” Dorman said, adding that he had tried to include this as an amendment in a bill last session, but it was left out by the legislator.
“I took his advice to try it again this year,” Dorman said.
And while the state has an official beverage (milk) and an official tree (redbud), there is, surprisingly, no official state vegetable, said Dorman, who is the 1994 Rush Springs Watermelon Festival seedspitting champion.
In fact, Dorman wasn’t sure why, considering Oklahoma’s agricultural economy, no state vegetable had been selected.
“It falls in as a fruit but it’s also a vegetable because it’s a member of the cucumber family,” Dorman said, adding that the attention brought to the watermelon is a boost to his district. Promotion for Rush Springs
“It’s a huge promotion of Rush Springs and the surrounding area,” he said. “Everybody (in Rush Springs) is happy that we’re pursuing this.”
Dorman also said this bill has been popular with school children in his district. In fact, many of them drew colorful watermelons and mailed them to members of the Legislature as a sort of grade-school lobbying effort.
“It’s exciting because we get to teach the kids about the (legislative) process,” Dorman said.
While botanically the watermelon is a fruit,because it’s a vegetable crop using vegetable production systems, it’s considered a vegetable.
When Barrington was asked whether folks considered a watermelon a fruit or a vegetable, he simply replied, “It depends on who you ask.”
Dorman, meanwhile, said the bill came up at a contentious time in the Senate and that the bill helped lighten the mood.
Dorman said he recently visited South Korea and noticed that watermelon is a staple of their diet and it’s popular in China in their stir fry dishes.
--END--

Southwest US (including OK) to experience superdrought?

Yes, I see snowflakes outside my window here in downtown Oklahoma City. Yet, the latest news is that climate change will lead to a super-drought here in the Sooner State and throughout the Southwestern United States.

And with the Southwest being one of the fastest-growing regions of the United States, water shortages are likely.

By the way, over breakfast this morning, I asked a friend if he felt the United States would experience a break-up, such as Vermont and other New England states breaking off or Washington, Oregon, Idaho and northern California becoming "Cascadia" or somesuch. Well, he said he doubted it and that we would remain united. Now, whether the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico will become states, it remains to be seen.

Coburn's vendetta against 'Voice of America'?

Wayne Madsen, who runs the D.C.-based news site Wayne Madsen Report, is reporting today that Oklahoma's junior U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Muskogee) has it in for the greatly diminished Voice of America radio system. Why?

Writes Madsen:
Oklahoma's extreme right-wing Republican Senator Tom Coburn is on a Joseph McCarthy-like crusade against the Voice of America -- or what remains of it after draconian budget cuts, foreign language program cancellations, and neo-con editorializing.
According to VOA sources, Coburn is on a personal vendetta against some long-serving VOA broadcasters. Coburn is accusing some of having links to Hezbollah, the government of Iran, and other bogeymen of convenience.
Radio Farda, a joint operation of the VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been dubbed by Coburn and his staff of neo-cons as "Radio Khatami," a reference to the previous moderate President of Iran, and of airing wire reports from the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The VOA's Persian language service has also come in for intense criticism from Coburn.
A VOA official, speaking on conditions of anonymity, said Coburn's vendetta against the VOA was obsessive and mean-spirited.
--END--

This story sounds as if it's worth investigating further. What is Sen. Coburn's issue with VOA? Will see what I can find out.

Toby Keith shines in "Broken Bridges"

Oklahoma native son and country superstar-turned-actor Toby Keith stars in a film I watched last night called "Broken Bridges."

And while this film is nothing close to what I'd refer to as "high art," Toby Keith seemed comfortable in his role as a washed up country singer who is reunited with his old girlfriend Angela (Kelly Preston) and their out-of-wedlock daughter Dixie Leigh (Lindsey Haun). Toby does a great job in tackling his role and his sense of humor and wit comes through crystal clear.

Surprisingly, Burt Reynolds is again miscast and ignored, playing Angela's grumpy father. Of course it wasn't as bad as his role as Boss J.D. Hogg on the Dixie dud "Dukes of Hazzard" movie out a year or so ago. Willie Nelson plays himself in the film and can do no wrong.

Highlights on "Broken Bridges" include "Crash Here Tonight" (also on his 2006 album "White Trash With Money") and the soulful "Uncloudy Day" featuring Toby, Willie and BeBe Winans.

Now, I've heard through the grapevine that Toby is working on a new project called "Beer For My Horses." I assume it's a modern-day Western based on his 2003 hit of the same name. Will post any updates as they come along.

Choppers!

From my perch here on the fifth floor of a swell building in downtown Oklahoma City, I have a great view of the city looking north. And as I look northward, I've noticed a number of wee helicopters zipping about. Are they news choppers, "eyes in the skies," medical copters or something else. Is there an emergency? I can't say. Will keep y'all posted.

Watermelon as state vegetable?

I was reading this Norman Transcript story today and noticed that two legislators from Southwest Oklahoma want the watermelon to be the state vegetable. Here's how it reads as written up by CNHI Capitol reporter Jaclyn Houghton:

* House Bill 1669, authored by Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton; and Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs; passed out of the Senate General Government Committee with a 10-0 vote. The bill would designate watermelon as the state’s official vegetable.
--END--

I had no idea Oklahoma did not have an official state vegetable. Watermelons are terrific and make for a top-notch choice. Good job Sen. Barrington and Rep. Dorman.