Meandering Aphorisms

An Open Letter to the Republican Party

2006-03-24T07:32:00.000-06:00

Dear Tulsa Republican Party Leadership,

You will find that grassroots Republicans in Tulsa are:
First – Christians.
Second – Socially Conservative.
Third – Fiscally Conservative
Lastly, IF the party matches up with the first three, then Republicans.

We have no loyalty to the Republican Party; instead we have firm principles, and we will support whoever best represents those principles regardless of their party. It is for that reason that I never have, and probably never will, give money to the local Republican Party because I cannot trust that it will always be used to support candidates that I support. Instead, I contribute directly to the candidates and causes that do match my principles.

Similarly, I will not support a candidate who does not match my principles regardless of who endorses him.

Bill LaFortune has demonstrated over four years that he will not stand up for his beliefs as a Christian. (Example: LaFortune’s support of Tulsa Talks, the OCCJ, and of other religions to the exclusion of Christianity at the zoo.)
Bill LaFortune has demonstrated over four years that he is not socially conservative. (Example: LaFortune’s support of Tulsa Talks and similar gay and Muslim causes that seek to indoctrinate our children.)
Bill LaFortune has demonstrated over four years that he is not fiscally conservative.
(Example: LaFortune’s support of Vision 2025 and, well, do we need anything else?)

Bill LaFortune is not a genuine Christian, or a social or fiscal conservative. He in no way matches my values and beliefs, and as such I cannot support Bill LaFortune.

Let’s get our own (Republican) house in order; then we can unite to defeat Hillary Clinton…I mean, her sister, Kathy Taylor.

Sincerely,

Your Grassroots Support

Medlock Endorses “Good Ol’ Boy” Bill

2006-03-23T19:11:00.000-06:00

Chris Medlock endorsed Bill LaFortune for mayor earlier today. I’m sure Mr. Medlock’s logic is that the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.

Shortly after his loss, Mr. Medlock said that even if he did endorse “Good Ol’ Boy” Bill, it wouldn’t matter because his supporters are informed, independent thinkers. Mr. Medlock was right. I was an adamant Medlock supporter, and I spent every second I could spare working to get him elected. I respect him and am proud to have supported him. However, I will not take Mr. Medlock’s suggestion that I vote for LaFortune.

Instead, I urge that we take back the local Republican Party from the good ol’ boy network. The way to do that is to throw the RINO’s such as LaFortune out, and have the “average people” of Tulsa become active in the party.

I plan to support Ben Faulk for mayor in the general election.

Good News/Bad News

2006-03-07T22:07:00.000-06:00

Good news:
We control the council. This is a long-term battle for the minds of our fellow citizens, and we’re making progress in taking our town back.

Bad news:
Kathy “Vote Fraud” Taylor will be our next mayor. I cast an educated ballot in every election, but I cannot bring myself to vote for a person who should be in jail, and I will not ever support LaFortune.

Who were the independent candidates, again?

Broken Glass Tulsans

2006-03-03T17:12:00.000-06:00

In the 2000 presidential elections, the phrase “Broken Glass Republicans” was bandied about by pundits referring to those of us who were so determined to overcome the political reign of the Clinton/Gore administration that we would crawl over broken glass to throw them out of office.

I believe that Tulsa is now in a similar situation. There is a growing group of people who are “Broken Glass Tulsans.” We are people who are so determined to take back our city from the current elitist governing class that we would crawl over broken glass to throw them out of power.

We don’t care if the people we elect are Republicans or Democrats. We only care about whether or not those we elect will work to reform Tulsa from the corrupt way business has been conducted for the past few decades.

We have seen the miserable failure of Bill LaFortune and have vowed to defeat him and the rest of the Cockroach Caucus.

All that leads me to my point:
I don’t recall ever having voted for a Democrat in my life. However, if the only true reform candidate, Chris Medlock, doesn’t win the Republican primary, I will vote for Don McCorkell or even Kathy “Vote Fraud” Taylor over LaFortune. With Taylor or LaFortune you get a big-tax, big-spend, liberal, but at least with Mrs. Taylor it’s apparent to everyone what she is and the party can unite to defeat her in the next election.

Besides, judging from the way she’s handled the media in her past couple of scandals, I’m guessing that having Taylor as a mayor could be very entertaining.

Something Ain’t Right (LeFortune & Chief Been)

2006-02-20T16:25:00.000-06:00

Last week, Police Chief Been appeared on Michael DelGiorno’s show on KFAQ and admitted to the audience that Tulsa’s Police force is understaffed. Then, today, Mayor LaFortune took decisive action (placing him on administrative leave) against Police Chief Been because Been allegedly intentionally withheld information from the mayor about a negative report about Tulsa's SWAT team.

I don’t buy it. It REEKS of political retaliation.

When has Bill LaFortune taken decisive action about anything that wasn’t politically motivated? Isn’t this the man who took over a year to put Brent Kitchens on paid leave when corruption was discovered at Tulsa International Airport? And yet it only took him one day to act against Chief Been?

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. Obviously, there is much more to this story than we presently know, but my “dirty politics meter” is pegging off the charts.

THE KOTV STORY

Election Results

2006-02-14T21:47:00.000-06:00

According to KOTV:

Union Schools
$13,555,000 Bond Issue-construction
YES 2,098 [approved]
NO 649

Union Schools
$1,645,000 Bond Issue-transportation
YES 2,090 [approved]
NO 649

Collinsville Schools
$5,510,000 Bond Issue-construction
YES 877 [approved]
NO 123

Tulsa School Board
Office 7
Francis Skonicki 309
Matthew Livingood 787

The Tulsa Whirled supported Matthew Livingood, so I voted for Skonicki. I also supported John Bernardine for the Tulsa Technology seat, but have not yet been able to determine who won that election.

What Happened to You?

2006-02-12T09:39:00.000-06:00

One of my eighteen or so regular readers (Yes, this is a very large and influential blog.) wrote to ask why it has been so long since I've posted anything. Well, its not a lack of topics or desire; like many Tulsa bloggers at present, I have a little guy who occupies virtually every moment of time that I'm not at work, sleeping, or conducting other necessary tasks. You can check up on our little miracle at: http://www.chasingnoah.blogspot.com

Murderer or Hero?

2006-01-18T21:33:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a difference between Channel 6 and Channel 8. At first, I thought I was reading about two different incidents.

According to Channel 8: Family Says Teenager Didn't Deserve To Die Following Alleged Robbery.

Funeral services have been set for a 15-year-old boy killed during an alleged robbery. Police say the clerk shot Lamarrio Hunter in the back as he ran out of the store's front door. NewsChannel 8's Kim Jackson spoke with Lamarrio's family, which is torn up over losing the teenager.

What Channel 8 doesn’t mention in their sob piece is that that ‘boy’ was a 6’2”, 200lb thug who was beating the proprietor, Gene, and his wife in an unprovoked attack.

Channel 6’s story was: Robbery Victim Fights Back.

Channel 6 mentioned that the gentleman had his concealed carry license. However, this was actually the case of a businessman in his place of employment. Therefore, according to a lawyer friend, Oklahoma’s Make My Day Law actually applies rather than the Self Defense Act. The Make My Day Law states:

A. The Legislature hereby recognizes that the citizens of the State of Oklahoma have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes.
B. Any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including but not limited to deadly force, against another person who has made an unlawful entry into that dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant of the dwelling.
C. Any occupant of a dwelling using physical force, including but not limited to deadly force, pursuant to the provisions of subsection B of this section, shall have an affirmative defense in any criminal prosecution for an offense arising from the reasonable use of such force and shall be immune from any civil liability for injuries or death resulting from the reasonable use of such force.
D. The provisions of this section and the provisions of the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act, Sections 1 through 25 of this act, shall not be construed to require any person using a pistol pursuant to the provisions of this section to be licensed in any manner.

It is my understanding that this applies to a proprietor at his or her place of business, as well as their dwelling. Therefore, the question is whether or not Gene had a reasonable belief that he should be in fear for his life? I can’t answer that because I don’t have all the information, but I do think that people should consider three things before jumping to an emotional conclusion that the boy should not have been shot.

First, if the danger had reasonably passed, (taking into consideration the rash of recent murders in Tulsa, and the fact that Gene has just been assaulted by two large “kids”) then Gene should not have fired his weapon.

Second, especially considering that Gene had done everything the law required concerning his firearm (I.E. Concealed Carry Permit), I believe he should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Lastly, to the people who keep crying about this ‘boy’ being gunned down, the age of the boy is irrelevant. The facts that we do know are that the ‘boy’ was the aggressor in this situation. This ‘boy’ violently assaulted Gene and his wife. The ‘boy’ was 6’ 2” and 200lbs.

My point: This ‘boy’ was a scumbag thug. The world is better off without him. Deal with it.

Should I be Concerned About Iran?

2006-01-15T16:29:00.000-06:00

I just received an e-mail from a regular reader asking what I thought about the situation in Iran. While conducting some research to ensure that the opinions and perspectives I had were in line with the facts, I came across an article by Victor Davis Hanson that deals with the issue far more elegantly and thoroughly than I could. I encourage you to read his entire article, but here is an except covering our options at this point:

When a supposedly unhinged Mr. Ahmadinejad threatens the destruction of Israel and then summarily proceeds to violate international protocols aimed at monitoring Iran’s nuclear industry, we all take note. Any country that burns off some of its natural gas at the wellhead while claiming that it needs nuclear power for domestic energy is simply lying. Terrorism, vast petroleum reserves, nuclear weapons, and boasts of wiping neighboring nations off the map are a bad combination.

So we all agree on the extent of the crisis, but not on the solutions, which can be summarized by four general options.

First is the ostrich strategy — see and hear no evil, if extending occasional peace feelers out to more reasonable mullahs. Hope that “moderates” in the Iranian government exercise a restraining influence on Mr. Ahmadinejad. Sigh that nuclear Iran may well become like Pakistan — dangerous and unpredictable, but still perhaps “manageable.” Talk as if George Bush and the Iranians both need to take a time out.

I doubt that many serious planners any longer entertain this passive fantasy, especially after the latest rantings of Ahmadinejad. Pakistan, after all, has some secular leaders, is checked by nuclear India, and has a recent past of cooperation with the United States. Most importantly, it is more than ever a lesson in past laxity, as the United States and Europe were proven criminally derelict in giving Dr. Khan and his nuclear-mart a pass — which may well come back to haunt us all yet.

Alternatively, we could step up further global condemnation. The West could press the U.N. more aggressively — repeatedly calling for more resolutions, and, ltimately, for sanctions, boycotts, and embargos, energizes our allies to cut all ties to Iran, and provides far more money to dissident groups inside Iran to rid the country of the Khomeinists. Ensuring that democracy works in Iraq would be subversive to the mullahs across the border. Some sort of peaceful regime change is the solution preferred by most — and, of course, can be pursued in a manner contemporaneous with, not exclusionary to, other strategies.

It is a long-term therapy and therefore suffers the obvious defect that Iran might become nuclear in the meantime. Then the regime’s resulting braggadocio might well deflate the dissident opposition, as the mullahs boast that they alone have restored Iranian national prestige with an Achaemenid bomb.

A third, and often unmentionable, course is to allow the most likely intended target of nuclear Iran, Israel, to take matters into its own hands. We know this scenario from the 1981 destruction of Saddam’s French-built Osirak nuclear reactor: the world immediately deplores such “unilateral” and “preemptory” recklessness, and then sighs relief that Israel, not it, put the bell on the fanged cat.

But 2006 is not 1981. We are in war with Islamic radicalism, at the moment largely near the Iranian border in Iraq and Afghanistan. The resulting furor over a “Zionist” strike on Shia Iran might galvanize Iraqi Shiites to break with us, rather than bring them relief that the Jewish state had eliminated a nearby nuclear threat and had humiliated an age-old rival nation and bitter former enemy. Thousands of Americans are in range of Iranian artillery and short-term missile salvoes, and, in theory, we could face in Iraq a conventional enemy at the front and a fifth column at the rear.

And Iran poses far greater risks than in the past for Israeli pilots flying in over the heart of the Muslim world, with 200-300 possible nuclear sites that are burrowed into mountains, bunkers and suburbs. Such a mission would require greater flight distances, messy refueling, careful intelligence, and the need to put Israeli forces on alert for an Iranian counterstrike or a terrorist move from Lebanon. Former Israeli friends like Turkey are now not so cordial, and the violation of Islamic airspace might in the short-term draw an ugly response, despite the eventual relief in Arab
capitals at the elimination of the Iranian nuclear arsenal.
If the Israeli raids did not take out the entire structure, or if there were already plutonium present in undisclosed bunkers, then the Iranians might shift from their sickening rhetoric and provide terrorists in Syria and Lebanon with dirty bombs or nuclear devices to “avenge” the attack as part of a “defensive” war of “striking back” at “Israeli aggression”. Europeans might even shrug at any such hit, concluding that Israel had it coming by attacking first.

The fourth scenario is as increasingly dreaded as it is apparently inevitable — a U.S. air strike. Most hope that it can be delayed, since its one virtue — the elimination of the Iranian nuclear threat — must ipso facto outweigh the multifaceted disadvantages.

The Shiite allies in Iraq might go ballistic and start up a second front as in 2004. Muslim countries, the primary beneficiaries of a disarmed Iran, would still protest loudly that some of their territories, if only for purposes of intelligence and post-operative surveillance, were used in the strike. After Iraq, a hit on Iran would confirm to the Middle East Street a disturbing picture of American preemptory wars
against Islamic nations.

Experts warn that we are not talking about a Clintonian one-day cruise-missile hit, or even something akin to General Zinni’s 1998 extended Operation Desert Fox campaign. Rather, the challenges call for something far more sustained and comprehensive — perhaps a week or two of bombing at every imaginable facility, many of them hidden in suburbs or populated areas. Commando raids might need to augment air sorties, especially for mountain redoubts deep in solid rock.

The political heat would mount hourly, as Russia, China, and Europe all would express shock and condemnation, and whine that their careful diplomatic dialogue had once again been ruined by the American outlaws. Soon the focus of the U.N. would not be on Iranian nuclear proliferation, or the role of Europe, Pakistan, China, and Russia in lending nuclear expertise to the theocracy, but instead on the mad
bomber-cowboy George Bush. We remember that in 1981 the world did not blame the reckless and greedy French for their construction of a nuclear reactor for
Saddam Hussein, but the sober Israelis for taking it out.

Politically, the administration would have to vie with CNN’s daily live feeds of collateral damage that might entail killed Iranian girls and boys, maimed innocents, and street-side reporters who thrust microphones into stretchers of civilian dead. The Europeans’ and American Left’s slurs of empire and hegemony would only grow.

We remember the “quagmire” hysteria that followed week three in Afghanistan, and the sandstorm “pause” that prompted cries that we had lost Iraq. All that would be child’s play compared to an Iranian war, as retired generals and investigative reporters haggled every night on cable news over how many reactor sites were still left to go. So take for granted that we would be saturated by day four of the bombing with al Jazeera’s harangues, perhaps a downed and blindfolded pilot or two paraded on television, some gruesome footage of arms and legs in Tehran’s streets, and the usual Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer outtakes.

One of my liberal friends constantly quotes the statistic that almost two-thirds of Iran’s population is under the age of thirty and that those people tend to be far more secularized. It is his belief that if we can simply delay Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons for the next ten to fifteen years, the Iran problem will take care of itself. I actually agreed with him until Iran’s most recent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was elected. Ahmadinejad is quite different from Iran's former leaders in that he believes he is on a divine mission and wants to die as a martyr. We can no longer wait for the problem to fix itself. It won’t.

Pray for Tulsa

2006-01-13T05:23:00.000-06:00

Michael Bates is calling for Tulsans to pray for good leaders to triumph in the mayor's race.

Mr. Bates doesn't mention exactly what has him "hacked off", but I'm guessing it involves some sort of ulterior motive that Richard Roberts and/or Ron Howell may have in supporting Randi Miller. Be assured that Tulsa bloggers will be seeking to reveal the truth on this situation.

For my take on Randi Miller, see here.

Miller vs. Medlock

2006-01-11T08:16:00.000-06:00

I just listened to Randi Miller’s interview on KFAQ’s Michael DelGiorno show in which she announced her candidacy for mayor.

Here’s the problem with Miller:
Miller stated that her style is more one of dealing with issues behind the scenes rather than publicly like Mr. Medlock. I consider that to be a problem. Tulsa needs a strong and open leader to clean up Tulsa. If the leader is not aggressive, wise, strong, principled, and very transparent to the public, he or she will not be effective in reforming the “good ol’ boy network” of Tulsa.

Miller may make fine decisions, she may have the same principles as Chris Medlock, and she would certainly be a better choice than LaFortune.

But Randi Miller has made it clear from her past actions that she is not a transformational leader. Ms. Miller may be a voice of reason among the insane, but she is in no way a reformer.

Tulsa is at a crucial point in the course of our city. The "good ol’ boy network" that has been ruling Tulsa since before I was born is destroying the city. Tulsa needs a strong leader who can stand up to the mid-town elitists. Tulsa needs a reformer.

I endorse Chris Medlock as that leader.

A PC Christmas

2005-12-24T23:26:00.000-06:00

MeeCiteeWurkor has one of the funniest posts I have read in a long time regarding political correctness and Christmas.

Have a read at:
http://meeciteewurkor.com/wp/2005/12/22/happy-holidaze/

Guardian: Country Artists Aren't Celebrities

2005-12-24T22:26:00.000-06:00

According to the Guardian, the only "celebrities" from the United States to visit the troops, in Iraq, on USO tours, are Robin Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, some Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and something called "50 Cent."

So, did the Guardian just forget to mention Toby Keith and Darryl Worley? Or does the Guardian not consider them entertainers since they're country artists? It's interesting to note that the Guardian mentions Ted Nugent in the story as someone who supports the war, but then doesn't include him in the list of entertainers who have gone to Iraq. (After all, he carried a Glock while in Iraq - he must be a crazed gunnut who wants to kill innocent people.)

Then again, I guess I should expect as much from the Guardian.

Updates on Our Son Moved

2005-12-22T08:28:00.000-06:00

The updates on our son will now be posted on a personal family blog at:
http://www.chasingnoah.blogspot.com/.

I will resume blogging on Tulsa politics, and world events, on this blog.

He's Coming Home!

2005-12-21T13:39:00.000-06:00

It appears that our son will be coming home from the NICU tomorrow. (This morning, the nurses made it sound like it might even happen today, but it looks like the doctor is set on tomorrow.) I'll attempt to post more information and pictures tonight, but I must finish some other things first.

He's Still Amazing the Doctors

2005-12-16T11:47:00.000-06:00

"Medically, I cannot explain how he is doing this well."

Since all this started with our son, there have been three times, by three different doctors, that we have been told something along the lines of the above quote. Last night my wife and I thought through everything that has happened - and how many times we should have lost our son.

According to doctors, my wife should have been having seizures from her pregnancy-induced, extreme high blood pressure. That probably should have killed her and our son.
Our son probably would have died from his heart defect if he had been delivered normally. The fact that my wife did not react to the blood pressure drugs and we were forced to have an emergency C-section probably saved our son's life.
The hole in our son's heart that normally closes up very soon after birth did not close immediately. This gave doctors time to diagnose and treat him. He would have had to have emergency heart surgery to implant a stint if the hole had closed normally.
Typically, a baby born as premature as our son would not even be eligible for the surgery that saved his life. His internal organs were apparently developed slightly beyond what they normally would have been in a child his age. We very easily could have been sitting in the hospital watching our son slowly suffocate.
The arteries that feed oxygenated blood to his tiny heart were in just the right place for the surgery to be completely successful. The doctor was "surprised" by how well placed they were. He had expected substantial complications because they "normally wouldn't be that well placed."
The doctor was also able to close our son's chest within an hour of the surgery. Typically, the swelling from this type of surgery is so bad that the child's chest has to be left open (covered by a piece of sterile pig's skin) for several days after the surgery. However, with our son, the swelling went down so much, so quickly, that they were able to close him up immediately. This drastically lowered the risk of infection.

The doctors have also been amazed at how quickly he has recovered. Our son has now had every life-assist machine, drainage tube, and intravenous tube removed, except for a "standard" IV and a "PIC Line" that they are keeping in place just in case they need to give him any emergency medicine.

We have also just learned that the surgeon considers him to be "fixed" to the point that he is trying to get us transferred back to a hospital in Tulsa. They had told us that our son would be in this hospital for at least three weeks after the surgery - it has been four days.

We will probably be transferred back to Tulsa the first part of next week. Our son will then be at a hospital in Tulsa until they are certain his gastrointestinal system is operating properly (one to two weeks). Then, we will finally get to bring our baby home.

God is good and He does work miracles as His saints pray. Our son is proof of that fact. Thank you so much to all of you who have been lifting our son up in prayer, and to those of you who provided various means of support to us through this whole ordeal. We can never thank you enough.

The Surgery Was Successful

2005-12-12T13:46:00.000-06:00

Psalms 69:30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

That verse well sums up my thoughts and emotions at this point. The surgery has just been completed and appears to have been perfect. The next 48 hours are still crucial as it is possible that an infection could create an issue, but the major concerns the doctors had about the placement of the coronary arteries was not an issue. He will be sedated for the next few days, and on a respirator, as they do not want any more strain on his heart than is absolutely necessary. However, God has blessed us with a successful surgery, and for that we are very grateful!

Please keep praying as there is still a small chance that a leak could form around the repair or that he could get an infection. Thank you all for your prayers for our baby, my wife and I. We have certainly felt your prayers and have been blessed by the support we received.

The Surgery is Tomorrow

2005-12-11T14:24:00.000-06:00

I don't have Internet access for my laptop, so I am doing this from a small computer center the hospital has set up for families. My time is limited, so I must be brief.

Our son has been admitted to the OU Medical Center Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City. Since we arrived we have learned the following:

The doctors in Tulsa had told us there was a 50/50% chance that something significant would go wrong. After examining him, and his blood vessels in particular, the operating surgeon said he considered his chances of having no significant issues to be closer to 85%.

The surgery will be tomorrow (Monday) morning at 7:30AM. It probably won't be complete until at least 1PM.

After the surgery, our son will be here until they feel he is strong enough to release him - probably three weeks.

His mother and I are staying at the Ronald McDonald house here in OKC. The staff there is incredible. What a ministry.

God is good and has provided step-by-step help for my wife and I in ways we did not at all expect. Please keep praying as our son will be the second smallest baby this doctor has ever performed this surgery on and the risks are still substantial. (There are only a handful of doctors in the world who do this procedure.)

I will post an update as soon as I am able tomorrow afternoon.

We’re Going to OKC

2005-12-08T18:51:00.000-06:00

The surgeon who is going to be performing the surgery on our son in Oklahoma City wants him in OKC so that he can observe him firsthand. Therefore, we are going to OKC tomorrow morning. Our baby is still doing quite well, and they still hope to postpone the surgery for up to a week, but they also want to do the surgery as soon as they think they can safely do so. The surgery could be performed as early as Monday, or as late as Friday, but probably Wednesday.

Please be praying for the surgeon’s wisdom and skill as he treats our son and my wife and me and we deal with the daily challenges that will arise. Pray for safety during the transport for our son and for my wife and I. Pray for peace for my wife and myself as we are getting more worried as the surgery nears.

Once we are in OKC, I don’t know how often I will have Internet access, but I will post updates as often as possible.

Thank you for your prayers.

The Doctors Can’t Explain It

2005-12-07T21:33:00.000-06:00

Once again, the doctors are amazed. As far as medical science is concerned, our son should not be doing nearly as well as he is. The medicine that is keeping the artery open that is keeping him alive should be starting to cause his other blood vessels to begin to relax which should start lowering his blood pressure. However, the doctors can find no evidence that our son is having the negative side effects of the medicine at all. Therefore, they are now considering postponing his surgery for a few more days to allow him some additional time to grow. The more he grows, the less risky the heart surgery. The doctor who directs the NICU said he can’t explain why the drug is having such limited negative effects. I certainly know why, though, and we praise God for His blessing.

In any case, the doctors are very encouraged by how well he is doing and, for the first time, actually seem optimistic when they talk to us.

Today had two wonderful blessings - I got to hold my son (for the first time) for over an hour while he slept, and my wife was able to feed him milk through a bottle. He is still weak, and he wasn’t able to take much of the milk, but he did well with what he could take. They are also giving him regular feedings of breast milk through a feeding tube to help him grow.

Here are a few more pictures of our son:

Today’s Update

2005-12-06T22:39:00.000-06:00

Mom: Is healing so quickly that she doesn’t even need her prescription pain medication any more. Her blood pressure had stabilized and the only other medication she’s needing is some ibuprofen.

Son: Is growing stronger every day. The only update on his physical condition is that they have started giving him a small amount of breast milk every three hours through a feeding tube. My wife got to hold him for over an hour today; it noticeably calmed him and he slept deeply.

It is very difficult to see your son in the ICU. It’s even more difficult to leave him when the time comes each day. The most difficult thing is to think that every day brings us closer to the day when he will be having the surgery - and potentially major complications. Lord-willing, that surgery will solve the problem and we can bring our baby home.

My natural tendency is to get mad and question God. I do ask why, but I know the will of God is that we grow and He be glorified through this situation. I can’t explain the peace my wife and I feel to anyone who doesn’t know Christ. That doesn’t mean that any of this is easy, or that we don’t sometimes fall apart, but God is sovereign, God is good, and God is faithful. In time, this whole situation will work for our good and His glory.

God listens to His saints, so please keep us in your prayers.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2Corinthians 12:9

A Major Update

2005-12-04T20:05:00.000-06:00

My wife and I met with the pediatric cardiologist in depth, today. The good news is that our son is looking better and may have even started to gain weight. His oxygen saturation levels are 85-90% and the doctor said he would have been satisfied with 60%, so he is doing very well, considering….

The bad news is that the doctors don’t want to do the surgery until he’s at least the size of a full-term baby. However, within approximately a week, the medicine they’re giving him to keep him alive will result in his blood pressure dropping so low that it would kill him. So, they have no choice but to attempt the surgery within seven to ten days. The risk of this surgery to a full-term baby is about 10%. For a pre-mature baby like our son, it’s considerably higher…over 50%. The doctor said that of the 351 different kinds of congenital heart defects, this is one of the most complex and difficult to fix because they not only have to switch the two arteries, they also have to move the coronary arteries. If they don’t get those arteries ALL attached correctly, our son will have a heart attack.

Please continue praying. I mean it when I say that we can feel your prayers, and I pray it is God’s will that our son survives and thrives. No matter what, though, God is good and I know He loves our son even more than we do. His will be done.

UPDATE (Monday Dec 5, 2005 7:22 PM):
Mom: Is recovering nicely. Considering the surgery she went through, she’s recovering remarkably quick.
Baby: They were able to remove the tube feed, ventilator, and catheter today. He is breathing just fine on his own, and the doctors plan to start feeding him breast milk tomorrow. He will be transported to Oklahoma City next Monday and the surgery will likely be the following Wednesday. Please keep praying as there are still potentially great problems, but the doctors have been amazed at how well he is doing. Praise God! Following are a few more pictures we took today at the hospital.

Announcing the Arrival. Please Pray.

2005-12-01T13:16:00.000-06:00

A major update posted here.

God blessed my wife and me with a baby boy this morning by emergency c-section. My wife developed Preeclampsia and it resulted in her blood pressure shooting up to 180/130 yesterday, so the doctors decided to induce later today. Then, about 4:00 this morning, the baby's heart rate dropped dangerously low and the emergency part came into the situation.

My wife is doing very well. She's sore and exhausted, but OK.

Because of the Preeclampsia, our son weighs only 3lbs, 10oz, but has a normal skeletal frame at 16.5" long. Furthermore, it appears that his aorta may be underdeveloped, and they may have to perform surgery to correct the problem. We are still awaiting further tests. Please lift our son up in prayer, as well as the doctors who are treating him.

UPDATE (5:52 PM):
The doctor's best guess at present is that the two main arteries that carry blood away from his heart may have each grown to the wrong chamber of the heart, and they may have to perform surgery to switch them. We are still awaiting further tests.

UPDATE (Friday Dec 2, 2005 10:40 AM):
Mom: They have removed the blood pressure controlling medicine and the IV. She's able to walk around and take showers. The wound is healing perfectly.
Baby: He's on a respirator to help expand his lungs fully, but they were able to take him off oxygen. They have determined that he has "transposition of the great vessels." I am about to go meet with the doctor at St. Francis. I'll post an update then.

UPDATE (Friday Dec 2, 2005 5:20 PM):
I was unable to meet with the doctor today because he was, and still is, performing emergency heart surgery on another infant. (Be praying for that poor family.) Our son is stable, so now we just wait for him to gain some weight. I'll have more details tomorrow morning. For now, some more pictures:

UPDATE (Saturday Dec 3, 2005 7:45 PM):
Mom: My wife was released from the hospital ahead of schedule this afternoon. She is healing very well. Even more than her physical health, though, she finally got to spend some time with her baby this afternoon. Before today, she had only seen him twice, and for less than ten minutes combined. Mom was glowing so beautifully as she looked at her precious son. Praise the Lord!

Baby: Is still off oxygen, but they have him on a ventilator to help his lungs completely expand. He has been very stable, and the doctors are encouraged by the fact that he has had, "No significant events." The plan is to Life Flight him to Oklahoma City this coming weekend for the surgery. We'll be there for at least ten days...maybe more. It apparently is a relatively common surgery with an over 90% success rate, although open heart surgery on your premature son is never a soothing concept. However, we are very encouraged by his stable condition.

Thank you all for your prayers, and please continue to lift our son up. We can definitely feel God's peace through all of this.

Taxpayer's Bill of Rights

2005-11-30T08:23:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning, as I was listening to KFAQ, I heard Brandon Dutcher, of the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs, extolling the virtues of TABOR. So, I decided that maybe I should educate myself on this issue.

TABOR stands for Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The essence of TABOR is that it forces the state government to only grow by a set amount each year: the rate of inflation plus the rate of population growth. If you’ve watched the out-of-control spending by the Oklahoma legislature for the past few years, you know why this is desperately needed. Furthermore, TABOR will stabilize the state’s budget. It creates a true emergency fund, just like a wise citizen would have, that can only be accessed in times of true emergency.

The battle lines that have been drawn on this issue are interesting. There are basically two camps: the taxpayers and the tax consumers. Organizations such as teachers unions, public television, and government-funded charities are adamantly opposed to TABOR, while organizations such as the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs support it. (The OCPA is the same organization that releases a yearly Piglet Book detailing the outrageous waste in Oklahoma’s yearly budget.)

Rather than attempt to explain the entire issue, let me steer you to a number of sources that will be far more thorough and accurate than I could be:

A policy analysis on TABOR by Barry W. Poulson, Ph.D.

TABOR Objections Answered.

One of the most common “facts” the tax consumers cite is that TABOR has been a disaster for Colorado since they instituted it in 1992. Mark Nichols explains why Oklahoma’s TABOR amendment is different.
And Dr. Barry Poulson also covers “What Oklahoma Can Learn from Colorado’s Mistake.”

A written debate at the University of Central Oklahoma on TABOR.

“The debate over TABOR can be understood in terms of a battle between citizens and special interests -- that is, between taxpayers and tax consumers. Taxpayers want to limit the burden imposed by government taxation and spending. Special interests seek to preserve what they perceive to be their rights to that spending.” --Read the rest of the article at Americans For Prosperity.

Oklahoma public labor unions are terrified of TABOR.

Not directly related to TABOR, but Steven Malanga has written a piece on the power of public unions called, “The Conspiracy Against the Taxpayers.”

I stopped by 51st and Harvard yesterday afternoon to pickup a TABOR petition. I urge you to join me in taking this petition to your families, friends, coworkers, and others in your sphere of influence. TABOR will force the state government to reduce spending, and with its proportional tax refunds, will spur Oklahoma’s lethargic economy. TABOR will be good for Oklahoma.

Now We Know Why

2005-11-28T08:55:00.000-06:00

I couldn’t figure out why the PBR tour bypassed Tulsa for Oklahoma City this year. Several of my co-workers and I were quite disappointed since we had planned to attend the event. Now we know why the PBR passed on Tulsa – Bill LaFortune. Is there anything this man, and the other Tulsa elitists, can’t screw up?

MeeCiteeWurkor has details.

Carry a Big Stick!

2005-11-24T22:28:00.000-06:00

I read an extremely troubling story last night and it has been weighing heavily on my mind. For the first time since World War II, the rest of the world considers the United States unable to win a major war. The complete story can be found in Insight Mag. The most frightening part of the story can be found in the quote from the Governor of Tokyo, Mr. Ishihara, when he says:

"In any case, if tension between the United States and China heightens, if each side pulls the trigger, though it may not be stretched to nuclear weapons, and the wider hostilities expand, I believe America cannot win as it has a civic society that must adhere to the value of respecting lives."

He goes on to say that the United States ground forces, with the exception of the Marines, are incompetent and incapable of stemming a Chinese attack. So much for Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” type of foreign policy.

The most frightening part, however, is that the entire world knows the citizens of the United States are soft. We hate death. We hate killing. We hate the thought of torture. We hate suffering, even of the most insignificant animal. We hate these things because we are a good-hearted people. But a good-hearted people cannot be naïve, or apathetic, of the fact that there are evil people who want us to experience death and suffering. We must be tough and ready to fight, kill, and die to protect our freedom and our country.

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. --George Orwell

Thank You to our Troops

2005-11-24T22:27:00.000-06:00

As is appropriate, I typically focus mostly on giving thanks to God on Thanksgiving day. But this year especially, I want to spend a few moments saying thanks to the men and women of our military.

Y’all are heroes and I will never be able to express how much I appreciate and respect you. Thank you for the sacrifices you make, and for standing between your countrymen and those who want to do us harm. Freedom cannot remain without your courageous actions. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

To the rest of you, take some time to read some of the great Milblogs. Let these soldiers know that we aren’t falling for the crap the MSM (mainstream media) peddles as news, but that we know of the great work they are doing and that we support them 100%.

Why Thanksgiving?

2005-11-24T22:26:00.000-06:00

I have had a very difficult time this year getting into the "holiday mood." I'm not sure if it’s the unusually warm temperatures, the horribly hectic pace of my life, or the innumerable ways I see the world falling apart, but I was certainly not in the correct mindset to experience a day of true thanksgiving, today.

Entirely by coincidence, I was reading 1 Thessalonians 5 this morning as my normal devotions. It calmed my spirit and put me into exactly the mental, and spiritual, place in which I needed to be to truly give thanks to God. Verse 18 in particular influenced me:

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 18, NRS).

Why is it the will of Christ that we be thankful?
Could it be because God is sovereign, and the only reason we exist is to praise and worship Him?
Could it be because if we have thankful hearts, we will be different from the unbelievers and they would wonder why?
Could it be because if we are focusing on our blessings, we won’t have time to sin by lusting after possessions?

Regardless of the ultimate reason(s), it caused me spend some time in introspective thought this morning. After I adjusted my perspective and emotions, I was blessed with a wonderful day with family as we focused on our blessings.

An Open Letter to the Anti-War Crowd

2005-11-20T07:04:00.000-06:00

Ma Deuce Gunner has just returned from his tour in Iraq, and he has an open letter to the anti-war crowd that is very worth a read.

Thanks to You All

2005-11-19T17:59:00.000-06:00

A large group of ladies from our church threw my wife and I, and our unborn son, a baby shower this morning. We were overwhelmed with their generosity and the love they displayed for us. I never would have dreamed there were so many people who cared about us so much. Thank you so much to you all. You are examples of how the church should care for its members, and my wife and I are deeply touched.

I am presently working full-time, caring for a pregnant wife, and in crunch-time of the semester for the nine hours of online classes I am taking. Because of these obligations, I haven’t been able to cover, or even attend, many of the political events I wouldn’t dream of missing otherwise. I ask for your patience with me in these final weeks of the semester, and as always, thank for reading.

John McCain

2005-11-12T08:13:00.000-06:00

I’m not usually a great supporter of John McCain. However, he does have an excellent article on Iraq and the war on terror RealClearPolitics.com. I encourage you to give it a read: McCain's Article

Labor Day vs. Veteran's Day

2005-11-11T07:47:00.000-06:00

Why is Labor Day a virtually universal holiday, but Veteran’s Day receives almost no recognition? I’ve never worked for a company that had Veteran’s Day as a holiday or Labor Day as a regular workday. Why is that?

Downtown Dreams

2005-11-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

I'm very much opposed to Caesar Pelli's "iconic" arena that is being built downtown. I do not believe the government should be building an arena that will directly compete with the Mabee Center and other private arena’s - especially since there is no way it will EVER be profitable. Instead, it will be a drain on our city's tax resources.

That said, I do want a living, vibrant downtown.

My wife and I and some friends recently went to San Antonio. I generally hate large cities, but downtown San Antonio has a beautiful, entertaining Riverwalk. It’s actually quite an engineering marvel as they have the majority of San Antonio River flowing UNDER the city. They use a system of locks to regulate the water level in the Riverwalk to an appropriate level and they have literally built an entire entertainment district below street level.
The San Antonio River Walk
Some excellent pictures of the Riverwalk
A great article on the engineering and construction of the Riverwalk

Compare that to Tulsa's downtown. Its basically parking lots interspersed with a few interesting, but deteriorating, buildings. Very few people want to go downtown because of the crime and the lack of popular entertainment. (Cain’s Ballroom excluded.)

However…
Tulsa has great potential. We have beautiful art deco buildings and some fascinating history to accompany them, and we have the Arkansas River flowing right on the west side of downtown. I'm not suggesting that we build a channel for the river through downtown below street level, but the Arkansas river truly could be made into a beautiful area right near downtown with shops and restaurants and classy bars. I can picture river taxis ferrying people across to entertainment on the other side, people enjoying a coffee and wi-fi on the patio of a café on a beautiful fall evening, and couples strolling along the river hand in hand. It could become a place that people would actually want to go.

Tulsa needs leadership that is more concerned with making Tulsa a great place to live than with making their friends richer. Men like Chris Medlock and Michael Bates have a vision of a better Tulsa:
A Tulsa with new ideas that lead to improved zoning and the protection of neighborhoods.
A Tulsa where the government fulfills its essentials duties and does not attempt to compete with private industry.
A Tulsa that is business friendly and leads the state and region in free enterprise.
A Tulsa where I want to raise my family.
It is possible and I believe it is coming if the people will educate themselves and rise up in support of a new and better vision for Tulsa.

More Money?

2005-11-07T17:59:00.000-06:00

I got into an argument this past weekend with a gentleman who was furious that I would vote against the proposed school bond election that is being held tomorrow. He said I was dooming those children to a life of poverty.

A couple of observations:
#1: Tulsa Public Schools is either corrupt or is extremely incompetent when it comes to managing their finances. Urban Tulsa Weekly is by no means a right-wing paper, and even they are calling TPS on their poor management.
Urban Tulsa Weekly Article

#2: Just as we should not give mis-spenders in the state legislature more money to fix the roads when they should already be doing it, we should not give the schools more money when they are already mis-spending what they have.

#3: Tulsa Public Schools own figures already show that they have $6000 per student, per year. Special ed students are $13,000 per year. That’s before this tax increase. Why can’t TPS even meet minimum standards when private schools are exceeding the standards with costs of half that of Tulsa Public Schools?

#4: I am so sick of hearing the phrase, “For the children.” If the schools were really concerned about the children, they would ensure they exceeded the minimum academic standards. Throwing money at the problem doesn’t fix it. Accountability does.

#5: To the parents whining about their kids not having books: GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTTS AND BUY THEM A BOOK. I ALREADY HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR KIDS EDUCATION AS WELL AS THE SUPERIOR, PRIVATE EDUCATION OF MY KIDS.

Consider this:
If you learned that your child was going to school and there were not enough books, you would be furious. But would you stop at complaining or would you take the extra step to actually buy your child a book? Apparently, most people who send their kids to government schools are so reliant on government that a radical step like purchasing something for themselves is unthinkable. After all, they need the money for the payment on their new boat...

Gay cowboys?

2005-11-07T08:56:00.000-06:00

I've lived in Texas and Oklahoma for all of my life. I've known many real cowboys and I love cowboy culture. When the libs call President Bush a cowboy, I consider it a compliment. John Wayne was the greatest actor ever. Cowboy are independent. They don't rely on the government, or even other people, to take care of them. Cowboys just deal with hardships themselves.

That's why I am so angry about the new movie "Brokeback Mountain." Its a movie about two cowboys in Wyoming who have a life-long queer affair even as they marry women and raise families. The film is a slap in the face from Hollywood to the red states. And yes, it will win the Oscar.

Capt. B.

2005-11-04T07:44:00.000-06:00

Capt. B. has some fascinating stories about what his Marines did in Afghanistan. I encourage you to give it a read.
Part 1
Part 2

RUN! They'll Stop Pursuing.

2005-10-28T09:38:00.000-05:00

The other day, one of our local talk show hosts, Dillon Dodge, was talking about the new policy being issued in Phoenix that takes the decision away from the police officers about whether or not to pursue a suspect if it develops into a high-speed chase. According to the Arizona Republic, "The new policy forbids pursuits for traffic violations, stolen vehicles, misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. It also tells police to refrain from starting or continuing pursuits when the fleeing driver exhibits "reckless disregard" for public safety."

Just one question. If a person is fleeing from police in a manner that makes it too dangerous for the police to pursue, isn't that person committing a violent crime at that very instant?

FIRST HAND NEWS

2005-10-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

I'm often frustrated by the "news" I hear in the MSM (Main Stream Media) about how poorly things are progressing in Iraq and Afghanistan. I get frustrated because what they are reporting directly contradicts what soldier friends of mine are telling me when they come back from a tour. The MSM, through their bias, is LYING to you. They are intentionally focusing only on the stories that denigrate the Iraqi people and our military because that those kinds of stories support their America-hating views.

The blogosphere has enabled people actually involved IN the news stories to have a voice rather than relying on the MSM. It's first hand news, straight from the people who ARE the story. One of my favorite "milblogs" is the Mudville Gazette. Its stated purpose is:
"The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior, who prefers to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day he stands fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow."
Many soldiers regularly contribute to the Mudville Gazette and I encourage you to check out what they are saying.
The Mudville Gazette can be found at:
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/.

There are two other milblogs from Marines actually in Iraq that I want to recommend.
The first is One Marine's View and can be found at:
http://shepherdaway.blogspot.com/.
The second is WarriorsVoice and can be found at:
http://warriorsvoice.blogspot.com/.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, more milblogers out there, and every one I have found tells a story much different than the MSM. Before you form an opinion, make sure you REALLY know what's going on in the War on Terror. Bypass the people who think they have a right to tell you what they want you to hear and go right to the source for the truth. Sure, it takes a little more time and effort than just flipping on the TV, but considering the sacrifices the soldiers are making for you, don't you think you can make a little time to read what the soldiers have to say?

ROSA PARKS AND COURAGE

2005-10-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

Far too often, I hear people, especially those in the mainstream media such as Katie Couric or Oprah, referring to a fat woman who lost weight or a woman fighting breast cancer as courageous. It is not courageous to exercise and eat right or to fight a life threatening disease. Excuse my politically incorrect insensitivity, but that is just part of life. Yes, it sucks sometimes. Courage is putting your own life in danger to fight for something you believe in. That doesn’t mean a courageous person is fearless; it just means they do what is right even if it puts them in harm’s way.

If the media wants an example of a courageous woman, they should take a lesson from Rosa Parks. Mrs. Parks believed it was wrong that she and the rest of her race be treated as second-class citizens. What's more, she actually acted on her beliefs. She decided to stand up for what was right and for several years she suffered as a result of her stand. However, her action of standing up for what she believed was what started the civil rights movement that transformed America. Even Martin Luther King, Jr. owes his start in part to Mrs. Parks.

An excellent essay on the life of Mrs. Parks can be found
on wikipedia.org.

A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares about more than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
-- John Stuart Mill, writing on the U.S. Civil War in 1862