Oklahoma Is Hurting

A few summers back I pulled into Talihina, Oklahoma at midnight. The only place open was a 24-hour gas station, where I purchased a Snicker's, a jug of Ozarka water and two local papers. The content of these two papers was incredible: mass shootings, a youth gun rally, a prison inmate named "Bulldog" in jail for 500 years bludgeoning his cellmate to death, political correctness, fracking, Jesus, tomatoes. The story below is constructed entirely out of content drawn from those two papers, the July 24, 2013 edition of the McAlester News-Capital and the July 25, 2013 edition of the Talihina American, "The Only Paper That Gives A 'Hoot' About Kiamichi Valley." I think it's a particularly appropriate story for the present political moment. Call it, experimental journalism...

Just before midnight on Saturday, July 13, Army Private Dustin Billy Cole, age 24, came out of his apartment with a weapon and walked to the pool area of the Grandon Manor Apartments. Officers arrived to find him holding a long rifle in a threatening manner and the Tactical Response Unit was deployed.  “We know this makes Dustin look bad,” the high school principal said, “but we still support and love the Dustin we knew.”

Not long after, one day in September 1962, Daddy went to the mountains to load logs onto his truck and take them to the lumber yard. He was supposed to stop and get Mama, but instead of stopping to get her, kept going. There were two things that Daddy was terrified of, tornadoes, and motor vehicles. On the way home, he wrecked the truck and was killed.

The warning signs are red, hot and dry skin; a fast pulse; headache, dizziness and passing out.

Six year old Tayla McCarn had no idea when she placed her small tomato plant in the ground it would eventually take on such huge proportions. 

Assume you received an offer for $6.2 billion dollars—free haircuts and backpacks; cornmeal, salt and crab legs; knives—would you dismiss such an offer without giving it careful study?

There’s no substitute for blood. “It impacts all ages and often arises unexpectedly,” said John Armitage, Oklahoma Blood Institute president and CEO.

Take cool showers or baths or sponge baths. If you do not have an air conditioner and only have a box fan you can try the following: Get a container like a dish pan, fill it full of ice and water, and place the dish pan in front of your box fan and place it where it will blow the cooler air on you.

Some say “Global Warming” is the reason nature has gone berserk with more tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Such events are only local. There has been just one worldwide cataclysm, but another is coming—Global Fire!

Officers were attempting to speak with Cole. He fired one shot, backed into his apartment, armed himself with an AK47 and began shooting. Two officers were critically wounded. Officer Juan Obregon underwent surgeries to repair his leg. At 1:27am, Officer Robert “Bobby” Harsby, age 32, was pronounced dead.

Daddy used every excuse he could find as an occasion to drink. Daddy never seemed to be God conscious and did not attend church regularly. One night Mama noticed Daddy tossing in his sleep and the next day Daddy told her he’d had a bad dream. He was fishing in the pond, when suddenly a cloud came down before him. Jesus was standing on the cloud. Daddy began to walk toward him saying, “Jesus”, ”Jesus.” Jesus turned and disappeared.

“I believe I am within the boundaries of the law,” said District Attorney Jason Hicks, defending his use of a private training company in drug busts along Interstate 40. The company, Desert Snow, has helped seize marijuana, cocaine and about $1.3 million in cash. Desert Snow, under contract, gets 25 percent of money seized in drug busts. The owner of Desert Snow pulled over a woman driver and questioned her even though he was not a state-certified law enforcement officer. “The bottom line is there is an appearance of something wrong here.”

It is shameful that people concoct schemes to take advantage of the kindness of Oklahomans, but unfortunately this is the world we live in. Numerous citizens are being scammed. Criminals are collecting money and goods. Anyone who believes they have been the victim, contact the Office of Public Protection. Ask them questions.

Are you mad, glad, peeved or perturbed?

Am I being selfish?

Afraid your hay will go up in flames?

Do we really understand what the Apostle Paul said?

What can I say to people when they continue to badger me?

Remember: If your urine is a light yellow color, you’re drinking enough water. If it’s darker yellow, you need to drink more.

A certain man in the Valley got drunk and began to beat up on his wife and kids. He would add a little water to the moonshine, heat it on the stove, add honey and drink it. I remember how his face would flush red and he would begin to act playful. One hot toddy would become two; and then, he would get into his truck and stay gone overnight or for several days.

I am a 19-year-old woman who recently got over a bout of compulsive hair-pulling that left the top of my head bald. I refuse to go anywhere without a hat. When I’m out in public people often tell me it’s rude to wear a hat indoors. My hair is a sensitive subject that reduces me to tears.

Jay Gilbertson boasts a long list of accomplishments, two-time National Skeet Shooting Association All-American, National Shotgun Team Member and a competitor in the .22 rifle, .22 pistol and muzzleloader categories. He got to represent Oklahoma at the National Rifle Association’s annual Youth Education Summit. “A lot of us have the same opinion in one area,” said Gilbertson, “and that’s where guns are involved.”

My next-door neighbor knew we had bought an expensive vacuum cleaner. She asked if she could try it out on her carpet and I agreed. Recently, she asked if she could borrow it again. I didn’t know what to say. She’s on a tight budget and can’t afford to buy this particular vacuum. I should add that she watches our cat when we’re traveling.

Sammie Eaglebear Chavez, 19. Pleaded not guilty to plot to lure students into Bartlesville High School auditorium with plan to shoot them after chaining the doors shut. Planned to place bombs by doors and detonate them as police approached. Tried to obtain map of school. Used school computer for information on a platform to support a .22-caliber rifle.

The warning signs are cold or clammy skin, heavy sweating or no sweating, paleness, muscle cramps and confusion.

Rejecting these funds is simply unfair. There are currently 29,986 individuals who receive health insurance through Insure Oklahoma. Oklahoma hospitals provide more than $500 million annually in uncompensated care. Oklahoma will lose approximately 16,000 new jobs. Oklahoma money will simply go to other states instead of the state we love. Oklahoma is hurting.

“Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.” Reading about this secret court’s utter contempt for the separation of powers—fully supported by Obama—makes me ask, again, how can this president not be impeached for ravaging the oath of office?

A reporter attempted to interview President Calvin Coolidge. The conversation went like this:

Reporter: Do you wish to say anything about the war threat in Europe?

Coolidge: No

Reporter: About the strike in the clothing factories?

Coolidge: No

Reporter: About the League of Nations?

Coolidge: No

Reporter: About the farm production problem?

Coolidge: No

Chavez’ mother said her son sent a text message two days before his arrest saying that he wanted to “shoot up” the high school because he thought students were talking about him behind his back.

Michael McCarn and Richard McCarn all are astonished at the size of Tayla’s vine-ripened fruit or vegetable, depending on who you believe about such things.

Of course, any trip sponsored by the NRA would involve at least a little time on the range. On June 25, Gilbertson and his group went to the NRA’s headquarters. “When you think about what they represent,” said Gilbertson, “it’s hard to get past the sacrifice our soldiers have gone through.”  Mainly a shotgun shooter, Gilbertson added that he enjoyed the range, but would’ve liked it more if a shotgun had been available.

Cole entered the Army as a combat engineer in October 2008. He deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom from January 2010 to January 2011 and February 2012 to February 2013. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, NATO Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Cole was the life of any classroom he walked in. Cole was a good football player and average basketball player.

Smith, who is known behind walls as “Bulldog”, was previously convicted of stabbing a correctional officer in the heart and sentenced to an additional 500 years in prison. In 1993, Smith and another inmate took keys that opened to a shower area where George Stidham was, and stabbed him to death with a homemade knife. While back in the Oklahoma County Jail awaiting re-trial, Smith escaped after sawing through a metal screen window with a hacksaw blade and shimmying to the ground using sheets he had tied together. Smith had originally been sentenced to death in the 1985 shotgun murder of Rick Patterson, a math teacher.

Six Oklahoma State University researchers awarded funding through the Oklahoma Applied Research Support Program. In the area of energy, Priyank Jaiswal will use his award to optimize drilling operations during fracking. In the area of chemistry, Allen Apblett, will transform propane to propylene, a high-value commodity chemical feedstock. Nirmal Govindaraju, in materials science and engineering, aims to use nanodiamonds to detect substances that may be used in terrorist activities.

The main stop of the trip, after all, was the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Girls Region III Camp. Already pretty sound defensively, Parent said the camp helped her greatly improve her ball-handling skills and combination plays. “We just got out of ice baths,” Parent said, “and we were walking back, and there was a stairwell. She wasn’t paying attention, she was texting, and she ran right into the stairwell. Everybody started pointing and laughing. We made fun of her the rest of camp.”

After attending “The Polished Professional: Secrets to Passion, Purpose and Style,” the professional woman will have more confidence to step into the boardroom, retail store, classroom or office. Registration is $25 per person and includes lunch. Pork spareribs and Dean’s Country Fresh Ice Cream.

I see a problem with the theology we have been teaching. How is it that Jesus died in my place, and yet we still have to physically die?

“From what I’ve seen, the more the media talks bad about guns,” said Gilbertson, “the more parents get their kids involved in youth shooting.”

School district patrons are scheduled to vote Sept. 10 on whether the district should raise taxes to beef up security.

Anger is one of those “tools” God has given us. The problem is the devil, knowing the great power of this tool, tries to get us to use it inappropriately. To use it properly we must understand how to use it. Every day humanity’s enemy is waging warfare against you, your family, your church, your town. But think of those who are used by Satan, as children who have been kidnapped and brainwashed by their captor, being bound to his wishes. These people are ignorant to the reality of what’s really going on. We must focus our anger on the true enemy and let the tool of anger drive us to combat Satan and his devices furiously. It’s time to get angry about what the devil is doing to our world, and with a laser focus direct our anger to fervent prayer against the enemy’s devices and prayer for those who are ignorantly being used as his pawns. We must let anger drive us to stop backing down when we are told that it is “politically incorrect.” Jesus Christ is the only salvation for the world. When persecution arises, and Jesus specifically said that it would, let anger push you to keep doing the will of God. Anger is our chainsaw to clear the debris that the enemy has used to clutter our path. Anger helps us to accomplish things that otherwise we could never do. So be angry.

Congratulations Tayla, that tomato would make anyone proud!