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Donor Will Match Oklahomans For Life Donations

Oklahomans For Life will benefit this Christmas season from a generous donor; he's offered to match the sum raised by the group by the end of the month.

In an email, Chairman Tony Lauinger and Vice Chairman Kevin Calvey wrote, "At this sacred season of Christmas, we have many reasons to rejoice in wonderful pro-life news.

"With the coming legislative session before us, an extremely generous anonymous donor has just pledged to match (double) all contributions made to our pro-life work by the end of December!

"Oklahoma's legislature continues to lead other states in passing pro-life laws, and your constant encouragement is the reason why.

"Can you help us with our expenses by making a contribution of $250, $100, or $50 to Oklahomans For Life today? Your gift by December 31 will be doubled!

"You may contribute by secure credit-card, debit-card, or electronic-check transaction through PayPal on our website, www.OkForLife.org, or by check mailed to Oklahomans For Life, 3105 East Skelly Drive, Room 605, Tulsa, OK 74105. (Contributions are not tax-deductible because a major part of our mission is working to influence legislation.)

"We are most grateful for all you do to defend the unborn child and foster respect for the sanctity of innocent human life. We thank you sincerely for your support for our efforts on behalf of those at the margins of life.

"May He Who came to this earth as a Child in the womb bless you and your family this Christmas."

Tony Lauinger, State Chairman
Kevin Calvey, State Vice-Chairman

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It's Called CHRISTmas For A Reason

As many as 5,000 attended a rally in a small Texas community to show their support for a Nativity scene under attack by a Wisconsin-based atheist group, according to a minister who organized the event.

“We are humbled at the turnout of the crowd,” said Nathan Lorick, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Malakoff and one of the organizers of Saturday’s rally in Athens.

“We believe that God led us to do this and so we knew he was up to something great,” he told Fox News & Commentary in an email message. “This message is resonating in the hearts of people all over the country. This was a real statement to the nation that Christians are tired of the persecution and suppression. We want all to know that we are ready to contend for the faith.” ~ From Fox News

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Uncle Sam The Grinch?

Mark Tapscott/Washington Examiner ~ Looks like the PC police have threatened members of the House of Representatives against wishing constituents a "Merry Christmas," if they want to do so in a mailing paid for with tax dollars.

Members who submit official mailings for review by the congressional franking commission that reviews all congressional mail to determine if it can be "franked," or paid for with tax dollars, are being told that no holiday greetings, including "Merry Christmas," can be sent in official mail.

"I called the commission to ask for clarification and was told no 'Merry Christmas.' Also told cannot say 'Happy New Year' but can say 'have a happy new year' – referencing the time period of a new year, but not the holiday," said a Hill staffer who requested anonymity.

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Live Together Now, Wed Later?

The proportion of adults who are married has plunged to record lows as more people decide to live together now and wed later, reflecting decades of evolving attitudes about the role of marriage in society.

Just 51 percent of all adults who are 18 and older are married, placing them on the brink of becoming a minority, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census statistics to be released Wednesday. That represents a steep drop from 57 percent who were married in 2000. ~ The Washington Post

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Justice: Principal Given His Walking Papers

GASTONIA, N.C. – The North Carolina school principal who suspended a nine-year-old boy for saying a female teacher was "cute" has been forced to retire over the decision.

Emanyea Lockett was given a three-day suspension from Gaston's Brookside Elementary School after he told another student his teacher was "cute" and a substitute teacher overheard the comment, the Gaston Gazette reported.

School officials investigated the incident and found that Emanyea had done nothing wrong. The school board then gave principal Jerry Bostic one hour to stand down or face termination.

Bostic spoke out after his 44-year career came to an abrupt end Tuesday, saying, "I didn't show a history of making problems like that. I've had the best of evaluations my entire career and because of some syndicated columnist in New York or California, I don't have a job."

Of school superintendent Reeves McGlohon -- who gave him the quit-or-be-fired ultimatum -- Bostic said, "He told me he had made the decision he was going to terminate me or drop me into an assistant principal position.

"I admit I made some errors in what I did, but to fire me or to demote me with 44 years in it, it just doesn't make sense. To me he was a very heartless man, and he did it because of politics."

Emanyea's mother, Chiquita Lockett, said, "This is something that everyone needed to see, just to see what's happening within our school systems."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/07/north-carolina-principal-forced-to-retire-after-suspending-nine-year-old-for/?test=latestnews#ixzz1fwiL3bYO.

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Unfit For Prime Time

"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert admits he got carried away during his racy American Music Awards performance, as the furor over his singing and dancing stoked a wider controversy in the U.S. gay community.

More than 14 million people watched the gay, glam rocker close the live AMA telecast on Sunday with a performance that included Lambert kissing a male keyboard player and pushing the head of another performer into his crotch.

Complaints poured in to the ABC TV network that aired the show, and it canceled Lambert's appearance on its "Good Morning America" news and chat show.

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Washington Times: At The President's Pleasure

A teacher was told by a 15-year-old high school sophomore that he was having homosexual sex with an "older man." At the very least, statutory rape occurred. It was reported that the teacher violated a state law requiring that he report the abuse. That former teacher, Kevin Jennings, is President Obama's "safe school czar." It's getting hard to keep track of all of this president's problematic appointments. Clearly, the process for vetting White House employees has broken down.

An Editorial In The Washington Times

In this one case in which Mr. Jennings had a real chance to protect a young boy from a sexual predator, he not only failed to do what the law required but actually encouraged the relationship.

According to Mr. Jennings' own description in a new audiotape discovered by Fox News, the 15-year-old boy met the "older man" in a "bus station bathroom" and was taken to the older man's home that night. When some details about the case became public, Mr. Jennings threatened to sue another teacher who called his failure to report the statutory rape "unethical." Mr. Jennings' defenders asserted that there was no evidence that he was aware the student had sex with the older man.

However, the new audiotape contradicts this claim. In 2000, Mr. Jennings gave a talk to the Iowa chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, an advocacy group that promotes homosexuality in schools. On the tape, Mr. Jennings recollected that he told the student to make sure "to use a condom" when he was with the older man. That he actively encouraged the relationship is reinforced by Mr. Jennings' own description in his 1994 book, "One Teacher in 10." In that account, the teacher boasts how he allayed the student's concerns about the relationship to such a degree that the 15-year-old "left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on the campus for the next two years, until he graduated."

Mr. Jennings' denials about these events reveal a lack of remorse. He has not admitted that he made mistakes in this case, and he now refuses to answer any questions about the scandal. Don't forget, this is a presidential appointee we're talking about. Mr. Obama should make clear what his standards are for public servants serving at the pleasure of the president. Encouraging and covering up man-boy sexual activity are serious offenses. The White House should force Mr. Jennings to come clean.

Mr. Jennings has made extremely radical statements promoting homosexuality in schools and about his utter contempt for religion that render him unsuitable for a prestigious White House appointment. His job in the Obama administration is to ensure student safety, and this scandal directly calls into question his ability to perform that job. Mr. Jennings and Obama administration officials refuse to answer any questions about this newly discovered evidence. A lot of Americans want answers about this guy and how he was approved for a job in the White House.

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Let's Mourn The REAL American Heroes

By Michelle Malkin/Blogger & Syndicated Columnist ~ Flags flew at half-staff this week in California's state Capitol. No, not for Michael Jackson. For Private First Class Justin Casillas.

Pfc. Casillas died in a suicide bombing attack on his Army base in eastern Afghanistan on the Fourth of July. While Americans enjoyed fireworks and Hollyweird mourned the "king of pop" with wretched excess, the family of Pfc. Casillas learned that the 19-year-old paratrooper with the U.S. Army's Alaska-based 509th Airborne had given his life for his country. His father told the Woodland (Calif.) Daily Democrat that Justin just "wanted to do his part."

The family has a legacy of service: Casillas' grandfather served in the Pacific theater during World War II; his father served in Vietnam.

But the death of Pfc. Casillas didn't make front-page headlines. His funeral won't receive wall-to-wall coverage on cable TV.

Instead, it's been all MJ, all night and day: Nurses! Nannies! Doctors! Drug raids! Custody battles! Casket rides!

Jacko fever spread to the Beltway, where the House of Representatives held a moment of silence for the entertainer. President Obama sent a highly publicized letter of condolence to the Jackson family.

And topping them all, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, drafted a 1,600-word congressional resolution that "recognizes Michael Jackson as a global humanitarian and a noted leader in the fight against worldwide hunger and medical crises; and celebrates Michael Jackson as an accomplished contributor to the worlds of arts and entertainment, scientific advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, and global food security." Jackson-Lee laundry-listed every charitable act and donation by Jackson in the House resolution -- and would have included all the times he said "thank you" and "God bless you" if there had been more room.

Is it too much to ask our lawmakers to restrain themselves from acting like Entertainment Tonight spokesmodels and Tiger Beat correspondents?

I stand with GOP Rep. Peter King of New York, who rightly skewered these celebrity-worshiping warped priorities as "an orgy of glorification."

Jackson could sing and dance. But he was no American hero. In a YouTube video over the weekend, King lambasted the media circus: "All we hear about is Michael Jackson. Let's knock out the psychobabble. He was a pervert...and to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? ...I just think we're too politically correct. No one wants to stand up and say, 'We don't need Michael Jackson!' He died, he had some talent, but fine, there are people dying every day. There are men and women dying every day in Afghanistan, let's give them the credit they deserve."

Yes, let's do that. Another soldier died with Pfc. Casillas on Independence Day at Combat Outpost Zerok in Afghanistan's Paktika province. He was 20-year-old Pfc. Aaron Fairbairn. Fairbairn's stepfather, David Masters, took to the social networking service Twitter to spread the word and keep Fairbairn's legacy alive.

"On Independence Day, a few hours ago, they killed my son Aaron in Afghanistan," Masters wrote. According to the Department of Defense, both Fairbairn and Casillas died from "wounds suffered when insurgents attacked the outpost using small arms and indirect fire." The Taliban claimed credit for the complex rocket and mortar attack involving a reported 8,000 kg of explosives.

Tens of thousands of our men and women are in Iraq and Afghanistan to combat the jihadi threat.

Army 1st Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw gave his life on June 25, the same day Jackson died. Bradshaw's aunt, Martha Gillis, blasted the silence over her nephew's sacrifice in a letter to her local paper, The Washington Post: "My nephew, Brian Bradshaw, was killed by an explosive device in Afghanistan on June 25, the same day that Michael Jackson died....Where was the coverage of my nephew or the other soldiers who died that week?"

Gillis wrote that Bradshaw "had old-fashioned values and believed that military service was patriotic and that actions counted more than talk.... He was a search-and-rescue volunteer, an altar boy, a camp counselor. He carried the hopes and dreams of his parents willingly on his shoulders. What more than that did Michael Jackson do or represent that earned him memorial 'shrines,' while this soldier's death goes unheralded? It makes me want to scream."

Please do not despair, Mrs. Gillis. While the Rev. Al Sharpton screamed, "Thank you, Michael! Thank you, Michael!" at the grotesque Staples Center memorial on Tuesday, many of us whispered in prayer: Thank you, Justin. Thank you, Aaron. Thank you, Brian. The real American heroes won't be forgotten.

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Group Endorses Kern's Morality Proclamation

From The House Media Division ~ A diverse group of state leaders gathered today to sign a “proclamation for morality” that notes the moral foundations of the nation and declares the need for spiritual renewal to address many societal problems.

“The foundational documents of our Republic repeatedly note the need for a free people to also be a moral people to truly prosper,” said Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City. “You cannot fully address social issues without also addressing spiritual needs.”

A group that included business leaders, civic leaders and religious leaders, in addition to lawmakers, signed the proclamation today.

[As people signed the proclamation written by Kern opponents began chanting, “Shame on you!” and “Love thy neighbor!”

[About 250 people gathered at the rally to add their signatures to the proclamation. It declares the need for a spiritual renewal in the nation to address societal problems.

[Those backing the proclamation responded by singing “God Bless America,” one news account reported.

[The peaceful but loud exchange that rang through the first-floor rotunda went on for several minutes, causing Kern and others to prematurely stop the event and move a news conference to a press room.

[Supporters outnumbered protesters. The event ended as many on both sides sang the national anthem.]

The proclamation – which takes much of its wording from historic documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the writings of the Founding Fathers and the Oklahoma Constitution – notes the “people of Oklahoma have a strong tradition of reliance upon the Creator of the Universe” and declares the signers “believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater national moral crisis,” noting negative social trends such as increased out of wedlock births and child abuse.

The proclamation concludes by declaring the need for Oklahomans to “acknowledge the need for a national awakening of righteousness” in order to “secure and perpetuate the blessing of Liberty.”

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Rock On! American Flag Goes Back Up

From The Dallas Morning News In Mansfield, Texas ~ Kindred Hospital and its corporate bosses in Kentucky got a lesson in patriotism Wednesday.

After a thorough roasting in the blogosphere, Kindred officials decided to let hospital supervisor Debbie McLucas put an American flag back on her office wall.

"We have invited the employee (McLucas) to put the flag back up," Kindred said in a brief press release.

McLucas did not return phone calls from The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday but she told her story on KRLD radio’s early-morning talk show. She said her husband spent 24 years in the U.S. Army. One son is an ex-Marine and a second son is an Army veteran. A daughter is a combat medic serving in Iraq.

So, as a patriotic American and with Memorial Day approaching, McLucas decided last week to mount a 3-foot-by-five-foot American flag on the wall of an office she shares with three other supervisors at Kindred Hospital.

McLucas said she got to work on Friday and found the flag had been taken down because another supervisor had complained that the display was offensive. The complaining employee is an African immigrant who has lived in the United States for 14 years, McLucas said.

"The other supervisor took it down unknown to me because I wasn’t at work that day, and it’s when I returned to work last Friday that I was told it was taken down because it was offensive," McLucas said during the interview on KRLD.

The Kindred Hospital press release said the company is working to resolve this "isolated incident between two employees."

Rhonda Williams, hospital administrator, said McLucas was not at work Wednesday but has accepted the offer to remount the flag on the office wall.

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Texas Worker's Flag Offends Fellow Supervisor

From CBS 11 News/Manfield, Texas ~ Is it okay to show your patriotism at the office?

For one Arlington woman, the answer was "no" after she hung an American flag in her office just before the Memorial Day weekend.

Debbie McLucas is one of four hospital supervisors at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield. Last week, she hung a three-by-five foot American flag in the office she shares with the other supervisors.

When McLucas came to work Friday, her boss told her another supervisor had found her flag offensive.

"I was just totally speechless. I was like, 'You're kidding me,'" McLucas said.

McLucas' husband and sons are former military men. Her daughter is currently serving in Iraq as a combat medic.

Stifling a cry, McLucas said, "I just wonder if all those young men and women over there are really doing this for nothing."

McLucas said the supervisor who complained has been in the United States for 14 years and is formerly from Africa.

McLucas said the supervisor took down Debbie's flag herself.

"The flag and the pole had been placed on the floor," McLucas said. But McLucas also said hospital higher ups had told her some patients' families and visitors had also complained.

"I was told it wouldn't matter if it was only one person," she said. "It would have to come down."

McLucas said hospital bosses told her as far as patriotism was concerned, the flag flying outside the hospital building would have to suffice.

Kindred Hospital Corporate Headquarters are located in Kentucky. They have yet to make a final decision on the matter. They have not returned our phone calls for comment.

The Kindred Hospital Corporation was chosen as Fortune's most admired for 2009. McLucas hopes they'll back her patriotism. "I find it very frightening because if I can't display my flag, what other freedoms will I lose before all is said and done," McLucas asked.

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'King Corn' A DVD Worth Watching

“America wants and demands cheap food.”

That statement, made by the operator of a large cattle ranch in Colorado, appears to be all too true as one watches and learns about the origins of much of our food in the fascinating documentary, King Corn (Mosaic Films).

By Andrew W. Griffin, Editor, Red Dirt Report

And yes, a lot of that “cheap food” that is the result of farm subsidies and commercial farming practices, is consumed by most folks in America. Much of it, notes this 2007 documentary, contains corn, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

Two mild-mannered college-aged guys from the East Coast, Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney, decided to conduct a film experiment. Cheney and Ellis chose to move to Greene, Iowa, a small farming community where both, interestingly enough, had ancestral links.

While there, they got permission from a farmer to grow one acre of corn on his land, their “field of dreams,” so to speak. It’s Iowa, after all. Their goal? To plant it, tend to it and hopefully get an idea of where it ends up down the chain.

That process, including a number of interviews with farmers, doctors, scientists, ranchers and corn industry spokespeople, are all featured.

Oh, and the corn, the real star of this film? Well, Cheney and Ellis use genetically-modified seeds, nitrogen fertilizers and powerful herbicides to grow their crop.

Now, King Corn is not an expose or hit piece. There’s actually a very methodical Midwestern feel to the film that is different from the Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock style of documentary filmmaking. It’s almost quiet, too quiet at times, with it’s acoustic folk music soundtrack and the nonobtrusive personalities of Cheney and Ellis, who look a little out of place at times.

But it is interesting to hear how in the 1970’s during the Nixon administration, there was a big push to expand agricultural production in the country. This led to bigger and bigger farming operations that pushed out the smaller farmers and changed the way food was grown in America. From the obese, grain-fed cattle, to the corn syrup that has replaced sugar cane as sweetener of choice.

Talking to a farmer near harvest time, the guys hear it straight, like only a farmer could, “We aren’t growing quality. We’re growing crap. Poorest quality crap the world’s ever seen.”

The farmer then says he doesn’t care what is done with his corn crop, he just cares about selling it.

And much of it goes to make that high-fructose corn syrup, which the guys actually make in their own apartment kitchen at one point.

In fact, it’s when Cheney and Ellis go to New York, where a lot of corn-laden products end up, that they meet a guy who comes from a family devastated by diabetes, the young man showing a photo of himself looking morbidly obese, a result of a steady diet of corn syrup-laden soda pop.

And then there is the interview with Earl Butz, Nixon’s agriculture secretary, who played a major role in shaping food policy. Butz, an Indiana native who was a controversial figure in his time, had no apologies for his policies. A man who lived through the Depression and knew a time when food took a big chunk out of an average family’s budget.

And what is impressive is that Ellis and Cheney and writer Aaron Woolf and their crew show that corn really impacts our lives in ways that we might never think about, from fast food to farming to our long-term health.

This is not your grandfather’s farm. This is an industrial operation and the acre planted by Cheney and Ellis are pretty much a speck in a sea of corn kernels heading to the grain elevator, bursting at the seams.

King Corn is a highly recommended documentary and educational tool. Repeated viewings may even be in order.

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OU Students, Faculty Explore 'Queer Theory'

From The Oklahoma Daily ~ Fifteen students and faculty explored queer theory at the “What is Queer Studies?” panel Thursday night, learning more about the first queer studies class at OU and brainstorming ways to bring similar courses to the university.

Held in the Women’s Studies Library, the panel discussed topics of OU’s first queer studies class, Queer Theory, which the Women’s Studies Program will offer this summer. Student requests for queer studies classes brought this new course to OU.

Sponsored by OU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Friends as part of OU Gay Pride Week, the panel featured Lisa Foster, panelist and women’s studies professor; Clemencia Rodriguez, women’s studies program associate professor; and Madeline Ambrose, women’s studies sophomore.

“‘To queer’ means to say ‘OK, instead of this person being cast as a straight person or being cast as a gay person, why don’t we look at the person?’” Foster said.

In an interview prior to the panel, Rodriguez, who will be teaching Queer Theory, said the course will study theories of modernization as well as studies of gay and lesbian social and political issues. Rodriguez said this critique of modernization, which led to the social norm of pigeonholing people in rigid societal roles, will allow students to better understand queer studies.

“All those categories and labels come from modernity, which basically forces you to categorize everything – gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, etcetera,” Rodriguez said. “Most of the time our personal experiences actually spill over the categories.”

This new class will incorporate studies of social and political theories that evaluate social norms and how marginalized groups become viewed as second-class citizens, Rodriguez said.

“Gay and lesbian people also ... have been pushed by modernity to the status of second-class citizens” Rodriguez said. “That’s why I think that all these theories need to be looked at as a family of theories.”

Foster said Rodriguez’s method of teaching queer studies using broad social and political theories better allows students to discuss queer theory.

“In our [society], we have cognitive folders for racial struggle, civil rights and even gender struggle, and so I think when you start putting queer theory as a critical theory in conversation with these other theories, that helps make it more understandable and palatable,” Foster said.

Jessie St. Amand, English sophomore and OU GLBTF president, said the prospect of having more queer studies classes at OU shows the community matters in the university setting.

“It would mean that issues that relate to their lives are given privilege in academic departments for the first time,” St. Amand said.

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McCullough Addresses 'Family Fragmentation'

Rep. Mark McCullough believes Oklahoma’s course is clear when it comes to shifting resources to address family fragmentation.

“We are overrun with data showing the effects of family fragmentation going back 30 years,” the Sapulpa Republican said. “It is the source of a myriad of problems that consume both state and federal resources and lead to problems we see everywhere – education, crime, mental health and economic dependence on government.

“Unfortunately, family fragmentation has become a ‘dog bites man’ story to many,” McCullough said. “But it affects all of us. Who hasn’t been personally affected by this problem? And because we don’t talk about it, because it has been accepted as part of the social fabric, we find ourselves paralyzed to address this widespread problem.”

A recent interim study conducted by McCullough found children from broken homes are 12 times more likely to be incarcerated, which is one reason state spending on the criminal justice system has grown 510 percent since 1982 and Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates. Those same children are also three times more likely to be expelled and to receive lower grades.

“The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing” conservatively estimates the resulting taxpayer cost of divorce (largely through public assistance programs), at $112 billion per year nationally and $430 million annually in Oklahoma. It shows family fragmentation is at the epicenter of much of the demand for state-funded services.

The study also presented validated methods of preventing family fragmentation. The National Institute of Marriage has been working with thousands of couples in severe crisis. Their research has shown that 100 percent of the couples leaving the intensives would recommend the intensive to others. After two years, approximately 80 percent of couples, who were in severe crisis, are still together.

McCullough said Oklahoma’s foray into relationship training, the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, will soon be able to provide information on whether or not its pre-marital counseling programs are showing success.

“One thing I do know is that the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative has done an excellent job in reaching would-be couples by promoting its programs through churches, schools and even prisons,” McCullough said.

The recent conference, a follow-up discussion of the interim study, drew prevention professionals from state agencies, the non-profit sector and Oklahoma’s faith community.

“All the participants thought that more could be done to coordinate efforts between these groups and that a better model to address family fragmentation would be to preserve families rather than wait for the problem to reach a crisis,” McCullough said. “Coordination is a key to achieving prevention of these problems that result in higher costs to taxpayers and down the road."

Claudette Selph, representing the Tulsa County Child Protection Coalition, spoke about her group’s efforts to create changes to the child protective systems in an effort to reduce trauma on children. Hosted by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, the discussion also featured Kelly Nichols on the impact of family fragmentation on corporate America, Steve Buck from the Department of Mental Health and former District Judge Gary Miller.

Miller helped start a cutting edge locally-funded juvenile intervention effort in Canadian County. He said that Canadian County was able to create an omnibus juvenile center to better ensure the county’s young people were given the support needed to get out of the system.

“Last year we had 41 percent of our children born in this state were born to a single parent head of household,” Miller said. “So you have fragile children being born into a fragile environment. I think that’s exactly what’s concerning to Representative McCullough and what he’s trying to address with his study of family fragmentation. I think that’s what Canadian County is also trying to address fragmentation, again in partnership with the state.”

Selph said the Tulsa County Child Protection Coalition has showed success because of how many people and organizations it has brought together to work on systemic problems.

“We’ve been very excited that Howard Hendricks from DHS has given permission to all his staff to work with the community,” Selph said. “We have Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, all the service providers that provide treatment and the district attorney’s office. When you bring all of these players together, you’re going to find that you’re going to get some significant changes when you have a staff structure in place to move the agenda along through committees.”

Selph said the coalition has broken ground on a new shelter to replace an older, worn-down one. The coalition has also started family group conferencing, which has as a priority to find relatives, family friends or teachers that the children can stay with rather than entering into foster care where they are being cared for by strangers. She also said many entities around the state would be interested in forming coalitions if they had a dedicated staff to run them. The Tulsa coalition’s paid staff positions would not be possible without the support of several Tulsa foundations committed to system change in the child protection system, she said.

“We have made many improvements in Tulsa County and we would be very excited for this model to be taken to the state level.”

McCullough also cited the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ Systems of Care program, which is designed to aid children before a mental illness becomes even more costly to the state. The program boasts a 49 percent reduction in the arrests of the children it serves, a 45 percent reduction in the number of school detentions those children receive, a 68 percent reduction in their attempts to harm themselves and a 45 percent decrease in the number of out-of-home placements. Each year, untreated mental illness and substance abuse costs Oklahoma $3.2 billion in direct expenditures and as much as $4.4 billion in indirect costs attributed to premature death and lost productivity.

McCullough said questions remain as to whether or not Oklahomans’ tax dollars are being used effectively to address social problems. While validated prevention programs are underfunded, “clean up” programs are draining government resources. He envisions that by rerouting money from “clean up” programs to prevention, possibly through incentives to state agencies, the state could save millions in the long-run and improve the lives of thousands of Oklahomans.

“I am advocating for expanded prevention efforts because I am a fiscal conservative. Programs shouldn’t be perpetuated because they make us feel good – they should work,” McCullough said. “If a first duty of government is public safety, then implementing data driven prevention policy is simply a best practice in promoting that end.”

John Stanley, director of the Marriage and Family Foundation, estimates that $1 spent to prevent family breakdown could save $1,000 down the road spent on cleaning up the aftermath of fragmentation.

McCullough said he plans to continue advocating for prevention, indentifying the best approaches to addressing the problem.

“How do we get the divorce rate down from 50 percent to 25 percent?” McCullough said. “How do we get births among unwed mothers down from 40 percent to 20 percent? The goal is better outcomes. My hope is that we can all work together to make that happen.”

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The Gadfly Has Seen Everything Now

News Item: A Senate panel on Thursday passed a measure to prohibit the tattooing of eyeballs.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved Senate Bill 844 by Sen. Cliff Branan, R-Oklahoma City. The measure would ban tattooing of the white part of the eye.

Scott Guess, an ophthalmologist with the Dean McGee Eye Institute in Oklahoma City, said the practice has not made its way to Oklahoma but has been seen on the East and West coasts.

"I can't understand why people would want to do it," Guess said.

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House Resolution Opposes Obama Move

A resolution opposing a move by President Barack Obama to classify abortion as a fundamental right in the same category as the right of free speech and the right to vote passed a House committee today.

Obama has stated support for the federal “Freedom of Choice Act,” which if passed would invalidate all state laws that interfere with abortion.

House Joint Resolution 1009 urges the U.S. Congress to oppose the law, citing the states’ right to regulate abortion in an effort to protect women’s health.

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Study: Black Youths Killed, Killing Increases

WASHINGTON ~ The number of young black men and teenagers who either killed or were killed in shootings has risen at an alarming rate since 2000, a new study shows.

The study, to be released Monday by criminologists at Northeastern University in Boston, comes as FBI data is showing that murders have leveled off nationwide.

Not so for black teens, the youngest of whom saw dramatic increases in shooting deaths, the Northeastern report concluded.

Last year, for example, 426 black males between the ages of 14 and 17 were killed in gun crimes, the study shows. That marked a 40 percent increase from 2000.

Similarly, an estimated 964 (about two-and-a-half times more than white youths) in the same age group committed fatal shootings in 2007 — a 38 percent increase from seven years earlier.

The number of offenders is estimated because not all crimes are reported, said Northeastern criminologist James Alan Fox, who co-authored the study.

"Although the overall rate of homicide in the United States remains relatively low, the landscape is quite different for countless Americans living, and some dying, in violence-infested neighborhoods," Fox said.

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Poll: Hollywood Out Of Step On US Morals

LOS ANGELES ~ A majority of Americans say Hollywood doesn't share their moral values, according to a poll commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League, a group that fights anti-Semitism.

Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said that religious values in America are under attack, and 59 percent agreed that "the people who run the TV networks and the major movie studios do not share the religious and moral values of most Americans."

The poll, titled "American Attitudes on Religion, Moral Values and Hollywood," was conducted by the Marttila Communications Group, which surveyed 1,000 adults nationwide. It was released Friday at the ADL's annual meeting in Los Angeles.

"These findings point to the challenges that we face in dealing with issues of religion in society," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director. "The belief that religion is under attack underlies the drive to incorporate more religion into American public life.

Disturbingly, 43% of Americans believe there is an organized campaign by Hollywood and the national media to weaken the influence of religious values in this country."

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