Zombie Peer Pressure

Without a doubt, Sand Springs has a great pizza parlor in The Minuteman. They have been in operation since 1970, though through different owners. The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the aroma, it smells like those old time pizza parlors like Shakeys or Shotgun Sams, I knew right away I would like what I was about to order.

Barely Offers Krap?

"Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune said he understands the need for cutbacks to provide funding for hurricane relief, but he thinks public safety infrastructure projects, along with defense, should be off the table. 'I hate to see a public safety project be sacrificed for that,' LaFortune said."

(But an Arena? That is worth the sacrifice of police protection, deteriorating infrastructure, insufficient streetlights and general public safety!)

MeeCiteeWurkor - talks about the second part of the above sentence, concerning I-44 killing people.

On  side note, Coburn is 100% correct, the highway bill was pure pork, and anyone who claims to be a Republican who (still) supports it should be ashamed of themselves and needs to be held accountable, they make the tax and spend Democrats of yesteryear look restrained!

The Layman Van Acres Neighborhood held a meeting concerning the airport noise last night. Overall I left with a favorable impression that something might finally be done. To be honest, I am a newcomer to the neighborhood, only have lived there for 8 years. Residents got up and pleaded their case to Charles Sublet, Carl Clay & Roscoe Turner; they started by stating their name and how long they have lived in the neighborhood. Dates like 1954, 1960, and 1968 were common in a crowd that filled the little church on north Mingo. Yes I’m a newcomer, but my neighbors who have been here far longer deserve to be treated fairly, and being that the fair thing to do is to buy them out.

It is unclear what the airports motivations are concerning the neighborhood. In noise contour maps presented at the meeting, it seems great effort is made to show that we are not affected by the noise. When former airport director Brent Kitchen was confronted by residents of Layman Van Acres about the problem, he stated “We have complaints about the airport from South Tulsa residents all the time”. Apparently he didn’t even bother to do his homework.

In a survey conducted by then councilor Patrick there were three options, none of which included buyout. Those surveys where residents wrote in “buyout” were discarded. The neighborhood itself then did its own survey to be presented showing that 63% favored a buyout, but when the meeting rolled around to present those findings the neighbors were not allowed to speak. Shortly after that Cinnabar was hired.

3 months after I moved in a group of fed up neighbors decided they had enough and filed a lawsuit against the airport to be bought out instead of signing on with of Cinnabar's Home Quiet Home program, 1/3 of the neighborhood signed on. Others wanted on the lawsuit but couldn’t afford it, my wife and I were almost in that category at the time, but we were determined to make sure we weren’t left behind when the neighborhood was bought out. That was over 7 years ago, and we are still fighting. In that time many on the lawsuit died… they literally died fighting the airport.

In the last 8 years since the inception of the city’s noise abatement program, the neighborhood has seen rapid decline, this is not the neighborhood we bought into 8 years ago, and we are on one of the good streets. 

The people in the lawsuit, aren’t looking to get rich, they are looking to be removed from houses that are shaking apart thanks to the airport, they are looking to go someplace where they can hold conversations and enjoy their back yard, they are looking for what has been promised for 20+ years

As Councilor Turner has been quoting lately "Let my people go"

From the Tulsa World:
Ex-World carrier tells police of killings – sorry you cant distance yourself that easily, he may be an ex-empolyee now, but he was working for you when he committed the heinous acts. even Channel 8 is covering up for them.

UPDATE: By the Way... this is what an unbiased news story should look like

BP Reports 3rd-Quarter Profit Up 34 Pct.
and with a NET PROFIT of 6.53 billion over 3 months how come they cant expand refining capabilities? and this is just ONE of the oil companies.

Bass Pro Shop Expected To Lure More Business To Broken Arrow -
(sub titled... Bass Pro Shop Expected to Lure More business and tax $$$ away from Tulsa)
from the article..."Since Bass Pro was announced and now that's it's open, Broken Arrow expects to land more and more businesses. "

I mean seriously, is there any thing more to say? With the RiverWalk Crossing  & Aquarium (Which Then Mayor Susan Savage passed on) in Jenks, the Smith Farm Marketplace opening up in Owasso, and now this shopping mecca going up in Broken Arrow (thanks to our "regional" mayor in an effort to get Vision 2025 passed), is there any reason to go to Tulsa to shop anymore?

Just a wild hunch, since Sapulpa annexed Town West, I would not be suprised if Sapulpa does something similer right on our southwestern doorstep.

the Urban Tulsa has a good article concerning the airport, its nice to have a (another) newpaper that isnt afraid to shoot straight with the citizens of Tulsa.

David Schuttler & Michael Bates already have articles concerning the article, but there is one thing I found rather amuzing (in a pissed of sort of way) was that Mulder said:

... their word means anything.

Last weeks city council meeting, item 8.
a. Resolution staying the approval of airport noise abatement contracts. (Turner) 05-1157-2.

because the airport agreed to meet with the residents concerning their needs this resolution was not voted on. on the 14th, the Airport Authority agreed to hire C&S to clean up Cinnabar's mess.

Call me a sceptic, but now there isnt any reason for the airport to work with the neighborhood or the council for another year, they got what they wanted... again...

There is hope however, David Schuttler has done the research and C&S is the best pick.

I can't take all the credit for this ...

Pat Robertson made a comment last month about knocking off the Venezuelan president. and even though he is right when he says we have that option, a Man of God ™ saying such a thing brings controversy without forwarding the ministry of God (Matt: 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.)

Now he says something to the world that they should wake up, for the end is near, but how many people will ignore this message because of the idle words he spoke previously?

...who can you trust more? The media, or the gov't?
 
Two cases:

October 7, 2005 - New York bomb threat in the subway system, Mayor Bloomberg makes an announcement concerning a possible bombing citing a "specific threat" it and the press is there pencil in hand writing the story, later proved to be false.

October 1, 2005 - OU suicide bomber, Boren says that the incident was nothing more than a suicidal kid, national press leaves it alone, even though there is more than enough evidence to point in the direction that it was an actual terrorist action. (and if it was just an isolated incident why the heightened security?)

What is the difference? Was it because one was a threat and not an action? Was it because one was in a major city and thus a "likely target" and the other in the middle of the country? Was it because in one the local gov't said there was something there and the other they said it was nothing, so the press took them at their word?

Before you go too much farther... did you know that in the aftermath of Katrina, the FBI/Military caught two terrorists in New Orleans?

According to KOTV, the Tulsa World is set to publish the results of a poll taken to see who would vote for which candidate in the Republican primary,  LaFortune is slipping, but MedLock is way behind... could it be that MedLock is wrongly portrayed by the "bought-and-paid-for" local media as the cause of all evil in this city?

PJ Lassik's (a Tulsa World "reporter") outragous behavior at  a recent public works media should be proof enough that the media isnt going to give him a fair shake.

Remember poll questions are often worded in such a way to get the desired results.

Think on this for a minute… the midtown elite want downtown to thrive (and they want everyone else to pay for it... but I digress), they have a few reasons, but one reason is they want a buffer zone between them and the predominantly black, poverty stricken areas north of downtown... you know the areas that the city have virtually ignored for the last 30 years. By not taking care of their needs they have allowed that area to fester to where a buffer zone is now required to protect the Mid Towners property values. Why is that the case? Is it a case of misplaced priorities, or is it something more sinister?

What I see as sweet irony is while the mid-town elitists turn up their noses and believe Tulsa ends at 31st Street, most of the residents of south Tulsa, now classifies anything north of 31st street as North Tulsa... The same area of town they are trying to build a buffer for.

I am not a big fan of most Oriental food, I dont know if its the taste, the texture, or something else... as it stands, Thai food is the exception to the rule.

Thai Essence was formerly Basil Spice, but other than the name/ownership change and a few added menu items the food is just as good now as when it was under the former marquee.

The resturaunt itself is not much to look at, its an old egg roll express that was built back in the 70s (IIRC) but they have done their best to make it look more like a formal dining establishment.

As for the food, it is fantastic, MrsOkie and I have a few favorites that are carry overs from the previous ownership and they havent missed a beat. We started the evening with the Fried Spring Rolls & BBQ Chicken served with a cucumber sauce and a peanut sauce. For the main course you cant go wrong with the Red Beef Curry ( which is on the hot side and sweet all at the same time) over a bed of steamed rice. Other items we have tried and enjoyed is the stir fried rice.

Okie Rating: 5/5

$300,000 for a runway that was never built thanks to a poorly written contract by airport attorney Richard Studenny.
$700,000 for advances to Cinnebar for an unsupervised sound abatement program (of which the money has probably been funneled to the south yale bridge).
$7,000,000 for an airport hanger thanks to a loan to now bankrupt Great Plains airlines.

Dear QT,

You are a convenience store, if it no longer becomes convenient to shop in your store because of your decision to sell lottery tickets, I will no longer come into your store to purchase my soft drinks, my chips and my donuts.
I’m sure that there are many more like me who feel the same way.

Signed,

Mad Okie
a faithful customer of over 25 years

"Nearly half of Senate Republicans say they remain unconvinced that Harriet Miers is worthy of being confirmed to the Supreme Court, according to a survey conducted by The Washington Times."

So they aren't blindly following the "leader"?
They aren't agreeing with the confirmation till they had a chance to question the candidate?
What is wrong with that?

Bob Hope said it best in this clip...

Since 1948 all the pieces have been in place (parable of the fig tree Luke 21:29-32)… just the technology available didnt make sense... until now... RFID chips are being used by Wal-Mart, Sex Offenders are being tracked by Electronic Chips, and people in Seattle are paying for Groceries with their fingerprint (Commerce in the end times, Revelation 13:16-17)
Who is this Hero that the world will see?
Its not hard to guess, the leadership in the world will keep dwindling till people are starved to be lead by anybody, and that somebody will lead them straight to the pits of hell.

Listening to the Megadeth song of the same title, I have to look at our current batch of so-called leaders Brad Henry? Bill LaFortune? any of the Cockroach Caucus? The Tulsa World? The National Media? who is going to stand up and lead? the Democrats? what have they offered up? Gore? Kerry? Though I see as big of a void on the Republican side. I know what is coming and I will comment on that tommorow sometime, all the pieces are falling into place...

Luke 8:16
No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.

If Harriet Miers is the "best for the job" why has he been hiding her? why has he passed on her for other important jobs in his white house? and what does that make John Roberts?

President Bush says to trust him, and for the most part I do, but like others I want validation.

the Rose Bowl, a route 66 icon, was set on fire... again...

This will be the 3rd suspicious fire in about a year. The first one was traced to the pin setting mechanism, the second one was definitely arson, set by the owner of Mickie's in Eastland Mall, because he said they were hurting his business, and now thisone...

maybe those proposing the Route 66 museum in Claremore didn't like my idea and figured they would follow Michael Sparks' lead and eliminate any potential competition...

They shouldn't have to worry, Tulsa always let the "other guy" get the big project... Jenks with the River Walk & Aquarium (and soon Bell's), OKC & the Native American Center, Broken Arrow & Bass Pro... the list goes on...

I hope this fire wasn't enough to finish her off...

Not the textbook definition, but what they have become.

Just look at the nomination of Aunt Fester… err… Harriet Miers by President Bush for the Supreme Court. With so many qualified, experienced, and proven conservatives on the court, he picks an unknown with no track record that gave money to the Gore campaign in ’88.

Looking at the local level we have Bob Dick, Bill Christianson, Randy Sullivan, Bill LaFortune & Paul Wesselhoft (Moore)… Is this what has become of the Republican leadership? What happened to being representatives of the people? Are Republicans & Democrats different sides of the same coin?

UPDATE: in President Bush's press conference he said about Ms. Miers "I've known her long enough to know she's not going to change, that 20 years from now she will be the same person with the same judicial philosophy she has today"... well according to this article she has changed within the last 20 years... or has she?