​ House Speaker-designate, Rep. Charles A. McCall, today announced the chairs and vice chairs for the standing House committees and appropriation subcommittees of the 56th Oklahoma Legislature.
  “Our House Republican Caucus is blessed with great talent, life experience and ability,” said McCall, R-Atoka. “I am very grateful that each of these members is willing to serve the citizens of this state on these important committees. We look forward to advancing an innovative and conservative agenda for Oklahoma this year with the goal of making all Oklahomans more prosperous, and these members will be key to that agenda. We are ready to serve our citizens and to conduct the people’s business during the upcoming session.”
  The House has reduced the number of committees by four for the 56th Legislature, which begins on February 6, 2017. 

  Citizen Journalists worldwide, now confirm with certainty that a leading US presidential candidate is, and has been, the leading conspirer generating fake news in the western world press.
  Her rise in media influence started with a 1991 effort to label women as "bimbos" after her husband harassed, molested, and/or raped them.

  Her efforts continued when a young college intern was exposed as being an Oval Office sex partner with the president.
"This is a vast right-wing conspiracy to desproy the president". ​she said.

  In 2008 she advanced a narrative that Barack Obama (a primary opponent) was actually born in Kenya).
  In 2012 she blamed a terrorist attack in Benghazi on "​a video which our state department had nothing to do with".

  Last year, the conservatives of Oklahoma were deeply split over the issue of reforming the US Constitution through a Convention Of States.  Many conservative groups strongly condemned the risky maneuver. Steve Byas, of the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper, even punished legislators who supported the joint resolution by docking their Conservative Index score. OCPAC, the John Birch Society, and many other grassroots groups also condemned the move.
 Some observers offered the explanation that conservative groups somewhat revere the 2nd Constitution as an anointed document and inspired by the almighty God. It only follows that they see it as akin to sacrilege for us to make our own changes.
  The first constitutional document of the 13 states was known as the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. Some were frustrated that the confederation left the sovereign states with too much independence, making military defense quite impossible to maintain. Even then, a massive PR campaign was launched, to sell the new (1787) constitution. It was seen as a liberal "big government" idea. the citizenry of the 13 states refused to accept it. this led to several promises made by the delegates. There were 12 specific demands made. They were published as a "Bill of Rights". As soon as the new congress was seated, they took up the matter and 10 of those 12 became amendments.

​​  Medical advancement has greatly improved the outlook for individuals suffering a serious mental illness. Prior to the last 40 years, patients typically spent 6 months in a mental health facility when they experienced a psychotic break. With effective intervention, they are now likely to move to outpatient status within 10 days. They return to a productive life of work, studies, or other pursuits within a month.
  But when their mental meltdown results in a law enforcement incident, they usually sit in a jail without medical treatment for months. They can't take a medical leave  & keep their job; because they are in jail! They likely lose their kids to the state. They may get out of jail, but they are alone, without a job, and with a criminal stigma in their community. 
  The dollar that we cut from the state's mental health institutions, we have then spent 3 times over in county jail costs and municipal policing costs. When we add the cost of DHS custody of children, and the depleated prospects for a sufferer  to ever have a productive career, the costs to our society are beyond what ignorant stupidity can account for.
  It is time for a legislature to demonstrate the wisdom of leadership and save our families, cities, and counties from the devastating expense of ignoring the capitulations of the past legislatures.

  Republican Congressman, Tim Murphy, is the only practicing psychologist in congress. During his time on Capitol Hill, he has seen the obscene federal spending on grants to universities to research unproven theories. He has seen a big lack of accountability in how federal money is spent.

  When the Sandy Hook school tragedy happened, Murphy "connected the dots" and saw just how disastrous out mental health crisis was becoming. He could no long claim ignorance.

​ He took on a mission to fix a problem in the federal government. That problem is unaccountability. Congress finally had a real psychologist asking real tough questions of organizations who were treating tax dollars like play money.

 Murphy then made a sweeping proposal whereby all that money would instead be channeled to programs which are proven. It's not a cut in spending. Instead, it prioritizes how money is spent. 

  Murphy wanted to go further. But he will take this as a first start. When HIPPA reforms get passed, it will save even more lives and restore more families. 

McCarville Report released the results of the State's examination of Epic One On One. Epic is the state's fastest growing school District. It operates as a charter school, but to the 9000+ students, it's a home-based education which the state fully funds. Even the state-certified tutors are paid by county, state, & federal funding.
​
​  The results were positive, over all. This process was completed by the State Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA)

​  The OEQA report shows the charter school is doing well in metrics such as staff and parent communications, instructional delivery, business operations and facilities management, and the use of secure and reliable technology.
​
  The report also makes recommendations for EPIC to develop a long-term strategic plan, gain more from third parties and continue to engage students to enter more group learning and interactions.

Oklahoma's Republican state Chairman, Pam Pollard, told KOCO that four people are emerging as possible replacements for Attorney General Scott Pruitt --

• current Secretary of State Mike Hunter,
• former State Senator Clark Jolley,
• former candidate for Attorney General Ryan Leonard, 
• Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, AJ Ferate.

 Other sources say -

• current House Floor Leader-designate, Jon Echols is a name being promoted by many insiders.
• current Senate Judiary Committee chairman, Anthony Sykes has already been laying the foundation for a 2018 campaign for AG.
• Veteran DA, Tim Harris, of Tulsa; recently stepped down from that position after 18 years. He would also be a reasonable candidate to consider by any chief executive.
• former Senator, Brian Crain, would also be interested. He has worked for Harris, and was a candidate to replace him (until a piece of legislation on the senate floor disqualified him from being elected in the middle of his legislative term).

  Politico is now reporting that a Mitt Romney relative is the likely next RNC Chairman. Ronna Romney McDaniel is from the prominent Republican family of George Romney. George was the Michigan governor and close ally of Nelson Rockefeller. Here's part of the Politico report...

  McDaniel, the niece of 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is currently chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Donald Trump’s decision could be announced as soon as today, a transition official said, when he is scheduled to visit Grand Rapids in the course of his post-election “thank you” tour.

Several sources close to the decision-making process, however, said the final decision had not yet been made and it was possible that another top contender could be selected. Talks remain ongoing, with some discussion centering on who would be named co-chair.
​
​ Two contenders for the co-chairmanship have also emerged: former George W. Bush administration official Mercedes Schlapp, a favorite of conservatives, and RNC official Matt Pinnell, who is more aligned with the establishment.

  Jamie Dupree has served as the tether that connects Atlanta's WSB Radio and other Cox Media Group stations across the country to Washington, D.C. He has been the trusted voice of politics for millions — the soothing, evenhanded straight man to the station’s conservative barn-burners. First Neal Boortz, now Herman Cain and Sean Hannity.

  In the middle of the most explosive presidential contest of our lifetime, Dupree’s voice abandoned him — and has yet to return. He has not been on the radio since the July conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia. He can speak only a few syllables before words begin shattering like broken glass. The cause may be unknown, but the condition has a name: muscle tension dysphonia.

  “Basically, the muscles in my larynx aren’t working together right now. No one knows why.
   I had a Botox shot back in September, but it didn’t help,” Dupree, 52, wrote this week.
“I’m going to try again after Thanksgiving. And yes, that needle is long. I just try to look away. My friends like to joke that my neck has no wrinkles now.”

The zoo's amusements include the popular train ride. the conductor of that train is now facing a serious charge of posessing obscene images if children.
  We are still waiting for the prosecutors to give more details, but the charges speak for themselves.
  Last night I was at a dinner party with one of the zoologists for the Tulsa Zoo. Tulsa Zoo has some highly aclaimed experts in the care of exotic animals. This friend is certainly a very educated expert.
  When the suject turned to this revelation, the response was not particularly revealing. 
  "I don't know the person. I don't really have anything to do with the amusements or that sort of operation.", was the answer I got.
​
  I then verbalized an observation;
  "The zoo administration seems to be very particular about who handles to the animals. But not so particular about who handles the children."
  The group at our table broke into a brief chuckle, followed by a collective dismay about how true the observation is.

Editorial: 
  Last Summer, I had dinner in Chicago with a great group of Americans. Pastor CL Bryant was there. He shared from his heart about freedom.
  He told me; " I'm having enough on my plate just trying to get the white folk to quit living on the government 'plantation'. It's not just a black struggle."

  Today I studied the life of a great Indian Chief of the Nez Perce Tribe. Chief Joseph had a few things to say at Lincoln Hall, in 1879. He was greatly respected by all the chiefs under his authority. And he was a wise man. Many of his sayings now apply to all of us, as we live in a progressively less-free society...

​  "When I think of our condition, my heart is heavy. I see men of my own race treated as outlaws ...."

  "Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself — and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty."

  Donald Trump's Presidential Transition Team has posted a detailed press release to their blog. In today's edition, trump and his team goes into great detail regarding why Scott Pruitt is their best pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
  The EPA was created by the Nixon Administration and only had a very narrow task to perform. In the past 4 decades every presidency had grown this federal bureaucracy into perhaps one of the biggest threats to agriculture, forestry, mining, home building, and traditional industry.
​  Even though Pruitt was a staunch supporter of Jeb Bush in the primaries, Trump looked beyond all of that and saw the value of what Pruitt's advocacy can accomplish.

 Senate President Pro Tempore-designate Mike Schulz on Wednesday announced committee assignments for Republican members of the Oklahoma State Senate.

  Republicans hold 42 seats in the 48-seat Senate, the largest majority held by either party since 1965, when the Senate went from 44 seats to 48. The Democrat Senate leadership is announcing their committee assignments separately.

  “The Senate Republican Caucus has a wide variety of expertise, experience and talent to draw from its members, and we’ll be putting those skills to good work on the Senate committees. Our goal is to work toward long-term solutions and policies that build a more prosperous Oklahoma,” said Schulz, R-Altus.

Oklahoma Attorney General, Scott Pruitt, is officially the first government nominee from Oklahoma, in the new Trump administration. Today, Donald Trump announced that he had selected Pruitt to head the Evironmental Protection Agency.

  Scott is a long-time Broken Arrow resident. He represented the Tulsa area district in the Oklahoma senate, prior to his unsuccessful 2006 run for Lt. Governor. In 2010, Pruitt was elected as Oklahoma's Attorney General. Pruitt also unsuccessfully ran for congress in a 2001 special election to replace Steve Largent.
​
  Pruitt is a graduate of the University of Tulsa Law School. He was the general manager of the OKC Redhawks AAA baseball team.

The Week posted this info:
  Pruitt has long been an outspoken critic of President Obama's EPA, and even sued the agency over its water regulations as well as its controversial climate change regulations imposed on power plants, Politico reports.

​  Pruitt has also questioned "the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind," having called the "debate … far from settled." Jeva Lange

  Under Article 6, Section 13 of the state constitution, in the event of a vacancy in the office the governor appoints a person to serve until a successor is either elected or appointed and qualified by law.

  Rep. Jason Murphey wrote the state's Term Limits amendment. His language allows an appointee to serve up to two 4-year full terms. the partial term does not count in that total. So the appointee may end up serving up to 10 years, in this scenario.