OH THOSE WACKY LEGISLATORS

It's time to take another look at politics as usual in Oklahoma.

Legislators are in a snit over a talk that scientist and author Richard Dawkins gave at the University of Oklahoma. He talked about evolution. That's not a popular topic among many Oklahomans, who lean more toward creationism.

Representative Rebecca Hamilton filed an open records request. She wants to know who paid for the speech and how much. Actually, Dawkins gave the speech for free.

Representative Todd Thomson filed a resolution denouncing the Dawkins speech, saying the university is trying "to indoctrinate students in the theory of evolution." Thomson also said, "His presence at O.U. was not about science. It was to promote an atheist agenda."

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The House passed a bill 96 to nothing requiring all public school students to not only pledge allegiance to the U.S. flag every day, but to the Oklahoma state flag as well. Who even knew there was a state pledge?

Representative Lewis Moore explained the need for this bill. He said, "In Oklahoma City, 40 percent of the students are Hispanic, and we wanted to maintain our culture and help them assimilate into America, and into the Oklahoma culture."

By the way, the state pledge goes: "I salute the flag of the state of Oklahoma. Its symbols of peace unite all people."

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Representative Mike Reynolds wants to ban embryonic stem cell research. His bill passed 82 to 6. No stem cells for you, Mr. Reynolds.

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Representative Rex Duncan wants to ban head coverings in driver's license photos. His bill passed 88 to 8. Although the bill seems to be aimed at Muslim women, Duncan says "It doesn't matter whether you're a cowboy and take off your cowboy hat, (or) a nun." He admits, though, that he got the idea when he heard that a Muslim woman took her driver's photo wearing a hijab.

Duncan was the representative who famously refused a free Quran given to legislators by the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council because, he said, the book encourages violence and the mistreatment of women. As opposed, I guess, to the Old Testament, which encourages violence and the mistreatment of women. Duncan did accept a free bible given to legislators, but did he read it?

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U.S. Senator from Oklahoma James Inhofe proposed an amendment to a spending bill that would prevent the United Nations from taxing U.S. citizens. The amendment failed 43 to 52.

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy characterised it as the "black helicopter" amendment.

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Here in Tulsa, the City Council is considering community gardens in vacant lots with the permission of the land owner. This has worked out well in other cities, no problems, makes people happy. But wait, not so fast.

Councilor Jack Henderson is against it. He says, "How do we know what people are going to be growing? Vegetables? Maybe. Or maybe something else."

Henderson says that allowing community gardens would lead to more salvage yards, and north Tulsa (his district) already has enough salvage yards.

That salvage yard thing just doesn't track for me, but I'm sure the councilor knows what he's talking about.

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