The Gadfly On The Wall

The Royal Air Force In Oklahoma: Students of World War II history will want to pick up a copy of this new book, just out from the Oklahoma Heritage Association at $29.95. It's a work by Paula Carmack Denson that honors the memory of the British pilots who came to Ponca City and Miami to be trained beginning in the summer of 1941. Many of the pilots returned to England to fly Spitfires against German pilots; others served their nation in the skies over North Africa. Some of them returned to Oklahoma after the war and married women they met while stationed here. One of them was the late Harold Cogman, who trained at the Darr School of Aeronautics in Ponca City and after the war, formed a lifetime union with Mary Sunshine Cogman of Ponca City. "Coggy" was the father of my former associate and treasured friend Don V. Cogman of Scottsdale, Arizona, so my interest in this book is personal as well as historical. The book can be ordered online; use Google above and enter The Royal Air Force In Oklahoma.

Weekend Blogs: Brandon Dutcher speculates about the politics behind Governor Brad Henry's veto of the lawsuit reform bill (Senate Bill 507) and what role Senator Charles Laster of Shawnee may have played in it. Keith Gaddie offers his thoughts on the same subject on the Tailgate Politics blog. Army Captain Kevin Calvey, former House member, has recent posts from Baghdad and former Congressman Ernest Istook's new blog has some food-for-thought posts.

Testy, Testy: Expect the testy exchanges between legislative Republican leaders and Governor Henry to continue. Last week, they exchanged words over Henry's veto of budget measures and his veto of the legal reform bill.

Stories Of The Week: Two stories dominated coffee shop conversation this week. The "Pioneer Woman Without Her Bible" story and the campus paving tile inscribed with the name of the University of Oklahoma student who died when a bomb he was carrying went off were top topics.

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