A special salute by Thunder
Kudos to fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder for their support of our men and women in the military.
The team held Military Appreciation Night on Wednesday for the game against the Washington Wizards. The invocation was delivered by a military chaplain. The honorary captains and game ball presenters were the children of parents on active duty. Fans were given the opportunity to buy Thunder gear and souvenirs to be sent in a military care package.
And, team sponsors and season-ticket holders were asked to donate their seats so active members of the armed forces could use them – about 1,800 tickets were made available. Well done by all involved.
Birds of a feather …
Have you noticed more northern shovelers in Oklahoma? How about red-shouldered hawks? The Audubon Society says those birds (and others) have become more common in the Sooner State in the past four decades as they have moved farther north for the winter.
Credit global warming – the Audubon Society does. Other factors have no doubt contributed, such as urban sprawl, but the society says warming is the only explanation for why more than half the bird species on this continent winter farther north than they used to.
We wouldn’t mind seeing fewer Canada geese. These fowl now call Oklahoma home year-round and cause havoc for farmers while soiling parks, golf courses, walking trails – you name it.
Birds of a feather …
Have you noticed more northern shovelers in Oklahoma? How about red-shouldered hawks? The Audubon Society says those birds (and others) have become more common in the Sooner State in the past four decades as they have moved farther north for the winter.
Credit global warming – the Audubon Society does. Other factors have no doubt contributed, such as urban sprawl, but the society says warming is the only explanation for why more than half the bird species on this continent winter farther north than they used to.
We wouldn’t mind seeing fewer Canada geese. These fowl now call Oklahoma home year-round and cause havoc for farmers while soiling parks, golf courses, walking trails – you name it.
Another bad splash by Michael Phelps
The latest embarrassing story about Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps should remind parents why holding up athletes as role models is a dicey proposition at best.
After the 2004 Athens Games, Phelps – underage at the time – was arrested for drunken driving. He pleaded guilty and apologized, saying it wouldn’t happen again. And in fact, he hasn’t gotten popped for drinking since.
Instead, Phelps made news this week when a British tabloid published a photo of him taking a hit from a marijuana pipe. The newspaper said the picture was taken during a house party in November while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. Phelps and his handlers didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo.
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way …”
Using age as an out is lame – a 23-year-old is an adult by any measure. If you’re going to swim with the big boys, you need to act like one.
Phelps’ remarkable drive to succeed was clear in his stirring come-from-behind win in the 100-meter butterfly at the Beijing Games, where he won a record eight golds. That drive and his work ethic are to be admired, even emulated. Everything else? Not so much.
Osage Nation gets rebuffed
A federal judge essentially said “nice try” to the Osage Nation in rejecting the tribe’s claim that its members who live in Osage County should be exempt from state income taxes.
The tribe filed suit in Tulsa in 2001, saying all of Osage County should be considered Indian Country because Congress never formally did away with the Osage Reservation. In his ruling last week, U.S. District Judge James Payne said the tribe was offering “an unprecedented challenge” that “disregards established law.”
Payne said Congress and the courts have held for more than a century that there are no reservations in Oklahoma. And, he noted that according to 2000 Census figures, only 20.7 percent of Osage County residents were American Indian and just 5.4 percent identified themselves as Osage.
Exempting Osage tribal members “would have significant practical consequences not only for income taxation but potentiall for civil, criminal and regulatory jurisdiction in Osage County,” Payne wrote.
Here’s hoping the ruling will cause Chief Jim Gray, who pursued the case from the outset, to drop this fight and spend his time in a more productive way.
Priest plea: A few bad apples …
As pastor of a Catholic church in Delray Beach, Fla., the Rev. Francis Guinan in 2005 implored his church to discontinue an investigation into alleged financial improprieties. Now we know why.
On Wednesday, Guinan’s colleague Monsignor John Skehan pleaded guilty to embezzling $370,000. His plea came on the day jury selection was to begin in the case. Authorities believe Skehan may actually have made off with millions during his 40 years at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, but the statute of limitations restricted the timeline to 2001 through 2006.
Guinan is accused of stealing $488,000 during his 19 months as pastor. He is to be tried next month and has pleaded not guilty.
In his 2005 letter to his church, Guinan noted that priests “devote their lives to the church with little thought for personal gain. They are generous, charitable and compassionate.” About that he was absolutely correct, which makes stories like this all the more disappointing and sad.
Priest plea: A few bad apples …
As pastor of a Catholic church in Delray Beach, Fla., the Rev. Francis Guinan in 2005 implored his church to discontinue an investigation into alleged financial improprieties. Now we know why.
On Wednesday, Guinan’s colleague Monsignor John Skehan pleaded guilty to embezzling $370,000. His plea came on the day jury selection was to begin in the case. Authorities believe Skehan may actually have made off with millions during his 40 years at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, but the statute of limitations restricted the timeline to 2001 through 2006.
Guinan is accused of stealing $488,000 during his 19 months as pastor. He is to be tried next month and has pleaded not guilty.
In his 2005 letter to his church, Guinan noted that priests “devote their lives to the church with little thought for personal gain. They are generous, charitable and compassionate.” About that he was absolutely correct, which makes stories like this all the more disappointing and sad.
Legislator butting in again
State Sen. David Myers is back with another effort to clamp down on restaurant smoking areas.
Myers, R-Ponca City, wants to abolish such smoking areas by Sept. 1 of next year, and prevent new or existing restaurants from adding these rooms after Sept. 1 of this year.
Myers pursued a similar course of action during last year’s session, without success. The Oklahoma Restaurant Association stayed out of that fight but has come out against this newest version. Perhaps that’s why Myers told the Tulsa World, “To be honest, it is going to be difficult to get this bill passed.”
Let’s hope so. Banning smoking areas would further pinch restaurant owners who paid handsomely to have their separately ventilated rooms operational by March 2006 as required by law. Lawmakers ought to stomp out this latest proposal.
Party time for Wanda Jackson fans
We suggested last fall that fans of Wanda Jackson might just do like her biggest hit song says – Let’s Have a Party – if she were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well, break out the noisemakers and confetti.
Jackson was chosen for induction this week.
Jackson, 71, is a native of Maud and now lives in Oklahoma City. She began her career singing country music in the early 1950s but later switched to rock ‘n’ roll. Jackson will be inducted in the hall’s “early influence” category.
Congratulations to the Queen of Rockabilly, whose cause for the hall was championed for years by colleagues including the likes of Elvis Costello. Let the party begin.
Obama quite a salesman
President-elect Barack Obama is getting a sarcastic salute from a news service that caters to outdoors enthusiasts. The Outdoor Wire named Obama its “Gun Salesman of the Year” because of the way gun sales have increased since his election.
We’ve seen it in Oklahoma, where gun shops report brisk business since Election Day when Obama beat John McCain and Democrats increased their majorities in the U.S. House and Senate. Some dealers have even advertised “pre-inauguration specials.”
Outdoor Wire publisher Jim Shepherd said he’s just giving credit where it’s due. The president-elect, Shepherd said, has “made it plain to anti-gun groups that despite what he might say to the contrary, he’s on their side. … Buyers we’ve surveyed across the country seem to have a single explanation for their rush to purchase firearms – Obama.”
