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When I read the initial story about Justice Scalia "flipping off" a reporter the other day, I knew there had to be more to it than was being reported, so I reserved comment. Breitbart reports today that it was a totally different gesture, it is not obscene, and J. Scalia is taking on the irresponsible reporter and paper that reported it.

In part, his letter to the paper states:

"From watching too many episodes of the Sopranos, your staff seems to have acquired the belief that any Sicilian gesture is obscene _ especially when made by an ‘Italian jurist.’ (I am, by the way, an American jurist.)" 

Don’t you all ever get tired of a total bias in the media. I mean, here was an out-and-out lie being reported in a major paper and linked on Drudge. When the truth comes out, we again discover it is a story "created" by one reporter’s ignorance and/or malevolence. This is getting very old.

I love Word Press. In the time that I used it, it rocks. My only problem is that I am not enough of a coder to make it do all I want. There are all kinds of options you can aneable and disable, but until I learn how to do all that, I have to pick a theme that utilizes what I like, whether it looks exactly like I want it to or not. I am using this one not because it’s pretty, but it does have the trackbacks enabled. I will work on making it pretty soon!

Well, if you read my previous post regarding the Tulsa election, you may have thought I was too easy on Medlock for endorsing LaFortune. As I said in that post, I was shocked when I heard the news. What I didn’t put in the post is that I was also a little angry, and I even told Jeane that I’d like my money back (I made a small contribution to Medlock’s primary campaign). We all have initial reactions to things when we hear them.

But, I try to be a rational person. I waited for Medlock’s explanation. When it came on KFAQ, I understood where he was coming from. That does not mean that I agreed. What I also did not agree with, and what I still do not agree with, is demonizing Medlock because he made it. I still firmly believe that Medlock did not sell out. I think he’s been fighting for conservative influence in city government for a long time now, and he believed that LaFortune was offering that influence in a new administration. Medlock is the kind of guy that doesn’t care whose name is on the top of the list as long as the results are good ones.

One thing that was pointed out by MDG on KFAQ was that for him to even consider switching his vote from Faulk, he would have to see some substantive action from LaFortune BEFORE the election. Stating that the discussions with LaFortune have never been about getting an endorsement, rather how to get back the conservative base, Michael Bates points out that in his discussions with LaFortune, he has told him he needs to act before the election. Why? Because he’s the mayor, and he doesn’t have to wait until after the election to act:

I made the same point that I had already made on the radio — promises of change after the election would not persuade Miller and Medlock supporters to vote for LaFortune. Endorsements would not persuade them to vote for LaFortune. He would have to take some credible, tangible actions before election day as an earnest [sic], to show the voters that he means business. Since he’s mayor now, he doesn’t have to wait until after the election to take action.

You can read all the details over at Batesline, including Bates’ name in the running for a nomination and his subsequent withdrawal of his name.

So, LaFortune was told by some credible folks that he needed to change his ways before the election to convince people his new adminitsration will indeed be new.

So Monday, LaFortune calls a press conference to announce that he will do nothing. Chief Been will remain on administrative leave. Mr. Mayor, why do you insist on calling press conferences to announce inaction? Gather the press corps folks, I need to let the world know that I have not made up my mind. He says it’s because he didn’t want politics to affect the decision. When was the last time that politics didn’t affect ANY decision Bill LaFortune made? Come on man, we’re not idiots out here.

What Tulsans may have to consider now is that it may be possible that LaFortune, in addition to wanting the support of Medlock/Bates fans, he also wanted to get them to alienate a lot of their supporters to horribly that they will not be supportive of a future Medlock run for anything. Like I said, when has politics not been in the fore of LaFortune’s mind?

Our Tulsa World also brings up the specter that Inhofe and Sullivan have been heavily involved in the mayoral race because they don’t want Kathy Taylor to use it as experience for a run against them.

With the Democrats producing their future candidate, the great Republicans scrambled to make sure they kept Lafortune as the candidate to run against her. If she would lose this race it would thwart her chances of running for a Senate or Congressional seat but there was a problem. Chris Medlock and his heavy following worried them that it would spoil the plan, so they came up with the diversion for the deserting Lafortune votes. Randi Miller now enters the race , they throw a little money so she could run and buy some signs. Randi Miller admitted she didn’t have the heart to be Mayor and was talked into running by ? hmmmm.. It was enough to take away votes from Medlock and Lafortune wins. Now they have the problem of getting the people back to Lafortune. Remember that the Inhofe and Sullivan crew are still hanging around and trying to talk Miller into supporting Lafortune.

All I can say is that LaFortune continues to disappoint me. If he continues on this path, I think the honorable thing for Medlock to do is that announce that he has withdrawn his endorsement. He had the highest hopes from the discussions with LaFortune that it would be a new day in Tulsa politics, but LaFortune’s failure to take substantive steps ahead of the election have led him to lose faith in his decision. He needs to do so soon, too.

And Chris, I have seen you say in person that you were not running for Sam Roop’s job. That better still be the case. If LaFortune has failed to put legs under the assurances he made to you, you need to abandon ship. Don’t let LaFortune play rope-a-dope. He either acts or you’re gone. He’s running out of chances, if they are not already exhausted. It might be time to say, "You know what, I thought I saw a slim chance, but it was a mistake. I withdraw my endorsement of Bill LaFortune for mayor."

And finally, I have been thinking about the Faulk candidacy some. If he is conservative, and I know very little about him, conservatives should get behind him. If he doesn’t have the "experience" to be mayor, that could be a good or bad thing. All mayors have staffs to do all the things one mayor cannot handle. If Faulk were to win, his success would depend upon the caliber of the people he surrounds himself with…kinda like every other mayor.

Evangelical teens rally in S.F.

More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against "the virtue terrorism" of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a "fascist mega-pep rally."

***

That’s bad news to Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, "they’re loud, they’re obnoxious, they’re disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco."

***

Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution condemning the "act of provocation" by what it termed an "anti-gay," "anti-choice" organization that aimed to "negatively influence the politics of America’s most tolerant and progressive city."

Luce said it was the first time one of his events has been officially condemned.

***

"Even if it is done by a Barnum & Bailey crowd with a tent and some snake oil, I think we need to pay attention to it," said Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who authored the condemnation resolution. "We should not fall asleep at the wheel."

Christians, where is our dedication to our cause? Why can’t we be this organized, bold, and committed?

If disappointment were a number it would be 5. I guess with us there were 7, the number of perfection.

On my old blogger blog (archived here), I posted the lyrics of "Where Oh Where Are You Tonight" of Hee-Haw fame. From the hits I get from google searches for that very song, there are a few Hee-Haw fans out there. One of the Hee-Haw legends passed away today. Buck Owens, gone at age 76.

Buck’s homepage is here.

Well, I have been asked my opinion on Medlock endorsing LaFortune in the Tulsa mayoral election, and I wold have given it anyway if I hadn’t been asked.

First, I will definitely say that I was shocked that Medlock endorsed LaFortune.

Now, let’s look at the facts of the case. I have had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Medlock. He is no dummy. If he is anything, he is an insightful, deliberative guy. He is also a guy that is who he is and where he is because he did what he determined to be the right thing for Tulsa–no matter who thought badly of him. And I think we can agree right now that he would never become bedfellows with the GOBs.

Medlock has stated that he made his decision because, based on the post-primary meetings he has had with LaFortune, some one-on-one, that he believes not that LaFortune will be a new person, but that reform-minded Tulsans will have a voice in the discussions and decisions of a 2nd LaFortune administration. Mayor LaFortune, who has enjoyed support of confirmed non-conservatives (e.g., The Tulsa Whirled, KRMG, the GOB network, the Tulsa Chamber, etc.) for the past four years finds himself strangely alone, having barely won his primary and with his liberal-loving bandwagon firmly in the Kathy Taylor camp.

So, what is LaFortune’s only hope? The conservative base of his party, who he has abandoned for his entire term. And who is the key to that base? Certain trusted conservatives. Names like Bates, Simonson, and Medlock come to mind. They are respected by many people. That is not to say they give marching orders to the Kool-Aid Drinkers. They have a large constituency of like-minded persons who share their philosophy and love for Tulsa. And so, LaFortune attempts an alliance with those conservative representatives. He makes some assurances. Assurances that Medlock believes.

So, this leaves Tulsa voters with the question of who to vote for and why. Ben Faulk has emerged as the last, best hope in the race, mainly as anyone-but-the-other-two-yahoos-on-the-ballot (yes, Paul Tay, I don’t think you even rise to the level of yahoo) selection. Medlock pointed out on MDG’s show the other day that he would have misgivings about supporting Faulk for a council seat, much less mayor. And, let’s be honest folks, is he a viable candidate if you would have never given him a second look unless you were faced with the LaFortune/Taylor double-threat? I think not.

And so, Tulsans can have LaFortune or Taylor. We know what LaFortune is like. We know he lies. We know he is not a conservative. We know he has disdain for the council. We know he caters to the GOB network. We know he panders. We know he delivers to those who can benefit him. But wait, if he’s beholden to the conservative base of his party, does that it may have some influence in his second term? The only answer here is a strong maybe. As for Taylor, will she be influenced by the conservative wing of the Republican party. That’s a big negative, good buddy.

So, that’s where it stands. I honestly can’t fault anyone for whichever decision they make (between Faulk and LaFortune. If you vote for Taylor, you’re a nut). I mean, I can understand folks not having the stomach to vote for LaFortune, I really can. But, I can also understand those who say that Faulk may be the Perot of this race, and a no-new-taxes-lying George H.W. Bush (LaFortune) is better than a Slick Willy sax maniac (Taylor). I can honetly say I don’t know what I would do if I were a Tulsa voter. I think for some folks, it boils down to the sheer mathematics of a half a chance of maybe the reformers will have some sway in a LaFortune administration is better than a guarantee of absolutely no influence in a Taylor admin.

And as for Medlock, I don’t think he has sold out to anyone. If I know anything about him, it is that he loves Tulsa and makes his decisons based on what he thinks is best for Tulsans. And yes, all those thiings he said about LaFortune are still true. And they are dire. But maybe he thinks Taylor is more dire. And so, in that case, a Tulsa-loving man is going to say the lesser of two weasels. Medlock will either turn out to be right, and many will have to apologize for being so quick to judge his motives, or he will be wrong, LaFortune will prove to continue to be what we all know him to be, the assurances will be forgotten, and Tulsa will be right back where it is now. And Mr. Medlock will have done what he is good at, forsaken even his own political future because he believed by doing so it would advance his hometown. Reminds me of the "Mr. McBeevee" episode of The Andy Griffith Show. Opie discovers a new friend with a silver hat who walks in the trees, but no one else can see him. In the end, Barney asks Andy if he believes in Mr. McBeevee. Andy replies, "No, but I do believe in Opie." Likewise, I don’t believe in LaFortune, but I do believe in Chris Medlock. He has exercised good judgment and oure motives in the past, and I don’t know why now would be an exception. He might be mistaken in the choice he has made (and who among us never has), but I think it’s wrong to ascribe any malice or deal-making to it. Is Medlock right or wrong? Only time will tell. And if he’s wrong, there’s always recall…

And there you go. A non-Tulsans take on the Tulsa poitical scene. I just wanna be able to go to Tulsa without getting shot.

By the way, I owe a debt to all the Tulsa bloggers, KFAQ, and others. If you see your sentiments reflected here, it’s because I depend on you all for your great opinions and coverage. I will be glad to give you proper credit for anything I may have inadvertantly reproduced.

OK, I’m flipping through the cable channels yesterday morning and I came across this hilarious, yet extremely educational show on Nick Jr. It’s called Wonderpets, and it features Linny the Guinea Pig, Tuck the Turtle, and Ming Ming the Duckling. They have adventures where they usually end up saving some baby animal that’s in trouble. It’s absolutely one of the coolest kids shows I have ever seen. It has lessons on teamwork, being yourself, problem solving, etc., and it’s all done very subtley. You should try to catch it sometime!

For those of you who have not been, Incredible Pizza in Tulsa is awesome. Not only is it a great use for an abandoned K-Mart, it’s a huge, fun place to be a kid. We went with our niece today, and we all had a blast. Not only is it huge fun, it has something most kid-themed pizza establishments do not have: good pizza. I mean there’s one place represented by a buck-toothed mouse that could sub pizza boxes for pizza and no one would notice a change, except maybe noting the improved texture. Anyway, back to Incredible. Great pizza, pasta, desserts and a salad bar with extremely fresh food and like 100 salad dressings. It’s clean and organized. Plus they carry Coca-Cola products, which is always a plus.

The games area is huge, with a full bowling alley, mini-bowling, miniature golf, go carts, bumber cars, a theater, lots of space, huge restrooms (with the Xlerator fast drying air dryers), full arcade, monster truck simulator, you name it. It’s a great, fun place with an awesome staff. And for those who care, it’s all you can eat once you are in. You can eat lunch, go play, come back and eat a snack, go play, and come back for dinner. Great bargain, great fun, and a Christian establishment. They get a Big Wynner Gold Star from me.