...but I should have some info tommorow concerning the Public Works Committe Meeting that was held today. There are two points of interest the Arena/Convention Center & operating costs and the Layman Van Acres/Airport fiasco...

Democrats Add Centennial Funding To Special Session

According to this article, Moveon.org & Howard Dean's Democracy for America. It's not about her son anymore (if it ever really was) I feel for her loss, but she is nothing more than a pawn... notice the main stream media wont touch this story

...and come out with your hands up!

And by seal I mean to illegal immigrants...
According to this article the Mexican drug cartels are running "crystal ice" (a form of meth) into Oklahoma to fill the void left by the shutting off of the supply of over-the-counter cold tablets.

Related Links:
Oklahoma meth users importing
Putting the Freeze on 'Mexican Ice' in Oklahoma

 While driving on our turnpikes one will see the following sign:

Failure to pay fine
Strictly enforced

What does that mean?!?

Hi, I'm Mad Okie and I'm a geek.

We were in Indianapolis for the “Best four days of Gaming”, if it has to do with games its there, computer games, console games, board games, war games, card games, poker tournaments, role-playing games, live action role-playing games, sci-fi, fantasy, movies, anime, etc…

GenCon draws in approximately 25,000 people and it is jam packed with things to do, so much in fact you cant see it all... We Tried, and failed... Never-the-less we had a great time. This was our third GenCon in as many years, but we are probably going to take a break for a year or so, when things start to become routine the luster begins to wear off… and I don’t want that to happen yet

We just got back from our trip to Indianapolis and had an absolute blast, but more on that in a different post. While in walking around downtown, I remembered that Mayor LaFortune said he wanted Tulsa to emulate Indy’s downtown. Either he is a complete moron, or he lied.

Indy’s convention center/RCA dome is placed in an area of town that allowed for growth directly across the street from the center, in fact there is another hotel going up across the street right now… that will make 13 hotels within three blocks of the convention center. Parking is not a problem in the city either, you will find very few surface parking lots, instead most everything is configured as a parking garage, some with restaurants located on the first floor. Speaking of restaurants, there are 36 food establishments within 3 blocks of the center (not counting those in the Circle Center, which is their multi-level, multi-block downtown mall... also within 3 blocks), ranging from a steak and shake, and a Hard Rock café to the Ram micro-brewery and other fine local fare.

So what is this fatal flaw? Location, Location, Location! Anyone who looks at the map of where the arena is going to be located will notice the complete lack of anywhere to grow anything, how is this supposed to “grow” downtown? where is is supposed to grow?

While in Indy, the Colts had an exhibition game, people walked from the parking garage, over a block to grab a bite to eat, then over to the game… 5 blocks maximum worth of walking, there is nothing that will promote that form of behavior at the current arenas location.

Indy’s downtown covers a hair more space than Tulsa’s but we have bigger and far more attractive buildings, our skyline is a lot more interesting than Indy’s, yet its what they are doing right with their downtown that is making the difference. You cant draw the “big” conventions without hotel space, convention goers wont spend money outside of the convention unless there is something to spend it on… within walking distance.

Even OKC's Ford Center had space for things to grow around it, we however are digging ourselves into a hole, one we may not be able to pull ourselves out of.

...spotlight hungry State Rep. Paul Wesselhoft is going to go full force into the ban anyway.

Wesslehoft said "his ruling today makes it crystal clear that it is up to the people of Oklahoma to let their legislators know that they need sufficient restrictions passed against this dangerous animal."
Is that why you are ignore calls that don't agree with your point of view?
How come you never responded to my email Mr. Wesslehoft?
Do we not count as "people of Oklahoma" letting our legislators know how we feel?

As of 8/16 there are over 1030 signatures on the petition to stop the pit bull ban, do those people's voice not count?

Clearly Mr. Wesslehoft does not care to spend the time to actually educate himself on the matter and only rely on media hype and emotion to push forth his agenda.

remember, when they say its "for the children" it's really for their own political career.

Now you know… Bartlesville just passed an ordinance on all dogs and cats, in response to a “pit bull” attack earlier in the year. The unanimous vote tacks a $10.00 license fee on dogs and cats. By adding all dogs and cats to the ordinance it proves they are just using the media hysteria concerning pit bulls to effectively fine people who did nothing wrong. This political power play will do nothing to stop the real problem

Please go to the petition and add your voice before they take away all pet owners rights...

Tomorrow morning I’m taking off to Indianapolis via Kansas City (to pick up some friends). Again, I will get to see the city/downtown that Tulsa wanted to model itself after, and failed miserably.
Indy has a thriving downtown, but it also has a developed canal area (the development of our river seems to be an afterthought). It has an NFL franchise (something we will NEVER see), a beautiful shopping mall (we had one, it was turned into a cube farm), dense building population (you don’t see a parking lot every other block), and other tourist items… none of which Tulsa’s downtown has.

So anyway... I wont be posting ‘til Monday or Tuesday, if you have comments they will be approved at the same time… until that time, check out the other fine Tulsa bloggers.

I added this handy web tool to the useful links section of the Tulsa Links page:
AAA Fuel Cost Calculator - Calculate The Estimated Fuel Cost Of Your Trip

Ban the Deed, Not the Breed

Pit bull hysteria: Spuds meets Cujo
Pit-bull backers raise howl
Pit-bull owners run from the law
Pit Bull Bans Bad, or Necessary?

from an AP story that is making its rounds on KTUL :
"Oklahoma City police are looking for two more men as accessories in a Memorial Day quadruple murder and say they have recovered and(sic) assault rifle believed used in the slaying."

Wow, an assault rifle? what Kind? an M16, an AK47?

The media likes to use these buzzwords to implant a bit of their agenda into your head or if nothing else get people to talk about the story and to generate, well, a buzz.

try parents ignore children...

In this BBC article it talks about how parents ignore the ratings on games, but are more concerned about the amount of time they spend on these games... just recently a grandmother sued a game company concerning a hidden sex act in the game (Grand Theft Auto), this grandmother bought the game labeled M (ages 17+) for her 14 year old grandson, where's HER responsibility? Truth is, parents don't pay attention to their kids any more, and they are looking for something to blame besides their own laziness, children left in car seats, children left unattended getting attacked by dogs, violence blamed on video games, obesity, I could go on and on...

whats the solution, how about spending some REAL quality time with your kids, dont just buy them what is popular (games, food, movies, etc), pay attention to their surroundings (Pit Bull attack in Moore?), pay attention to what they are doing (Running around in stagnant water at Mohawk park?), and quit trying to pin the blame on something other than your own lack of parenting.

Sorry for stealing your headline  MeeCiteeWurkor... but... Bin Bacon!

Late last year Frankoma closed its doors... 8 months later its back open, welcome back!

according to this article, Tulsa was on the losing end of population growth from 2001-2004...

"Statewide, Bixby showed the fastest growth in the state at 32.8 percent. followed by Jenks was second at 28.3 percent, followed by Owasso at 21.6 percent."

"Lawton and Tulsa were the only top five cities by population that had decreases. The statewide population increase from 2000 and 2004 was 2.1 percent."

With Jenks trying to snag Bell's and the growth of the Riverwalk, The Bass Pro Shop going to BA as a bribe for their support of Vision 2025, Owasso bulging at their seams, and the forcing of the issue of the bridge on south Yale, its apparent *we were sold a bill of goods.

Has anyone noticed that an arena wasnt needed for Owasso, Jenks, Broken Arrow & Bixby's growth?

*we as a collective whole of Tulsa, I didn't vote for Vision 2025

Going Eastbound on I-44 past Memorial is a billbord for the Heartland Flyer, touting its destination points... OKC to Ft Worth. Just how many customers do they expect from Tulsa to drive 2 hours to OKC so they can take the Train to Ft Worth? Are there some hidden advantages I'm missing? Im not saying some adventure minded people wouldnt enjoy the train ride, but is it worth the cost for the advertising? (The cost of billboard advertising ranges from about $700 to $2,500 a month.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hang on to any of the new State of Oklahoma quarters.
If you have them, they may be worth much more than 25 cents. The U. S. Treasury announced today that it is recalling all of the Oklahoma quarters that are part of its program featuring quarters from each state.

"We are recalling all the new Oklahoma quarters that were recently issued," Treasury Undersecretary Jack Shackleford said Monday. This action is being
taken after numerous reports that new quarters will not work in parking meters, tollbooths, vending machines, pay phones, or other coin-operated devices.

The quarters were issued in the order in which the various states joined the U. S. and have been a tremendous success among coin collectors worldwide.

"The problem lies in the unique design of the Oklahoma quarter, which was created by an OU graduate, Shackleford said.

"Apparently, the duct tape holding the two dimes and the nickel together keeps jamming the coin-operated devices."

Update: speaking of Quarter Designs, here is one that is proposed for Oklahoma...

According to this article, Oklahoman is set to reject the Gas Tax by a 60 point margin. there's not much more to say really... except VOTE NO!

Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman, both jurors on the Michael Jackson trial, have changed their tune. They are now saying that Jackson was guilty of the charges brought before the court.

Why should we believe them now? Why didn't they come to this realization earlier? Or did they have this revelation after they both decided to cash in and write books on the ordeal?

Cook even had the gall to say, "They (the other jurors) can be as angry as they want to. They ought to be ashamed. They're the ones that let a pedophile go." I'm sorry, did I miss something? Did you have duct tape placed over your mouth? Didn't you have a vote on the jury?
 
The only one with any shred of credibility is Hultman, who stated immediately after the trial, "I feel that Michael Jackson probably has molested boys"
"I cannot believe that this man could sleep in the same bedroom for 365 straight days and not do something more than just watch television and eat popcorn. I mean, that doesn't make sense to me." 
"But that doesn't make him guilty of the charges that were presented in this case and that's where we had to make our decision. That's not to say he's an innocent man."

In a neighborhood meeting tonight we were informed that a whopping 2 million dollars of Vision 2025 money will be available for Tulsa neighborhood improvements (the rest going to the Arena) several ideas were thrown out, like another unfilled pool, water for an existing pool and transforming tennis courts into basketball courts (I like that idea, I have NEVER seen those courts used for tennis, but we have all sorts of portable hoops lining our streets).

On suggestion really caught my attention though, Neighborhood Signage, you know those little signs on the back of stop signs so you know what neighborhood you are entering. to the left is my submission, I hope they like it!

Another small bit of airport news, Roscoe Turner has a memo stating that the FAA has a contract with the city, not with Cinnebar, so the city was never in any danger of losing its sound abatement money as so claimed by General Ron Turner and Meredith Siegfried.

At least that’s what the fabricated headline should read. GTAR, the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors, should be behind the voluntary buyout of the homes in the Layman Van Acres Neighborhood 110%… after all they were behind the recall of Mautino & Medlock, because they claimed the councilors were stifling regional growth (read: home sales). If the Airport was to buyout Layman Van Acres, they would have a whole neighborhood of people looking to BUY HOMES!!! Which puts money in the Association’s pockets…

so come on GTAR, where’s the support?

The NCAA has banned the use of Native American mascots by sports teams during pot season tourneys… Isn’t there some sort of double standard here? What about all the “white guy” mascots? If we do this lets go all the way, goodbye Sooners, goodbye Cowboys, goodbye Fighting Irish… we need to ban all mascots that portray any kind of human endeavor and just stick with cute fuzzy animals from this point forward… But then again, that may upset the animal rights activists…

But seriously, I don’t see what the problem is, maybe I have a thicker skin than most, I don’t see the “abuse”… the real Florida Seminoles signed a resolution supporting the FSU Seminoles. Jim Shore, the Florida’s Seminole tribe's general counsel, is in support of FSU and said he does not have a problem with any Indian-related mascot, including the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Chiefs and even Redskins. "We have bigger things on our agenda, like the health, education and housing of our own tribal members'' .

This is nothing more than a feel-good measure so a very small group of liberal whiners can feel good about themselves, they like the spotlight this gives them and because of the media coverage, they make their cause seem bigger than it really is...  most schools claim to have never received complaints concerning their mascots…

 So what’s next? banning football itself? because its too brutal and teaches children violence... we need to pay more attention to the arts instead... Think of the children!!!

And yet another article concerning the fallout from the Tulsa airport trustees vote to nix Cinnabar. notice the figures involved $31,000 to "soundproof" the houses + $14,000 in administrative costs = $45,000 a house!!!

Also notice this bit here... "Federal noise mitigation programs began 20 years ago in Tulsa with property buyouts of homes affected by average aircraft noise levels of 70 decibels." That is what chopped my neighborhood in half, effectivly killing it... again TIA do the right thing, you said you would 20 years ago (Buy us out, using federal guidelines... and you know you will only have to foot 5-10% of the bill)

I'm sure you have seen the email; it's (usually) a beautiful story of God's love for us, sometimes with photos, along with corresponding scripture. At the very end there is something like "now send this on to everyone you know and you will receive a blessing" usually accompanied with this verse:
Matthew 10:33 - But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny
before my Father which is in heaven.

Sorry, God does not work that way.

Ill say it right here for all the world to see...

Jesus is my Lord and Savior, he died for my sins so that I may have an eternity with him...

I don't need to forward on e-mail under the threat that I'm going to burn in an eternal lake of fire if I don't spam the people in my address book ...

I was honored to be a guest on KFAQ to discuss various local issues. I was joined by Michael Bates of batesline.com, Steven Roemerman of Roemerman on Record, and David Schuttler (fellow airport watcher) of  Our Tulsa World.

We apparently aren't as "outspoken" as Michael Bates, and DelGiorno gave Gwen a little good natured ribbing concerning our lack of energy (later in the broadcast he mentioned wanting us to come over in the evening to help put him to sleep). So I'd like to give Mike a little friendly advice, ask some direct questions, especially when dealing with people who have little to no experience in your medium, personally I'm of the mindset of don't speak until spoken to, I don't like to cut into a conversation (or in Mike's case a monologue :D)

Still, I want to thank Mike, Gwen & everyone else at KFAQ for having us on, and to thank my fellow bloggers, together we WILL take Tulsa back! Maybe we can do it again someday (but I doubt it)

Ill get to the second half of that quote in a minute...

I drove to the local Best Buy to get me a copy of Alice Coopers new CD Dirty Diamonds
and while I was at it I also purchased the CD from 80s sounding retro band "Killers" (who will be performing to a sold out audience next weekend ).

One the back I noticed a lable that took up a 5th of the cover... it reads "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning: Unauthorized copying is punishable under federal law."

first off... dont we have more serious things to be worrying about... like some radical muslim  nuking NY?

secondly... if it wasnt for "Unauthorized copying" I would have never heard of the Killers, much less purchase their album!

Next time Ill just wait a couple of months... oh, and the rest of the quote?

Thanks to "Piracy", I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...

Since they didn’t say, they must not have been pit bulls, after all it’s the pit bull breed that the media likes to over hype to make an “exciting” story…

BTW, There is still time to sign the anti pit bull ban petition...

Not a whole lot to talk about today, but here is an article concerning the Tulsa airport trustees vote to cut off Cinnabar's funding...

The NRA announced today that they are going to boycott ConocoPhillips because of challenge filed against Oklahoma concerning the state's new law protecting employees from termination it they had brought firearms on company property, inside their locked cars

I am a proud NRA member, but the minute the gov’t starts telling a private property owner what they can and cant do with their own property (within reason, specifically concerning zoning), my feathers start to get a little ruffled. A good example of this is the gov’t forcing resuraunts to go “smoke free”... and I dont even smoke!

The only beef I have is the apparent lack of communication concerning the new corporate policy. Here is the story… in 2002 some workers for Weyerhauser brought their guns to work, left them in their locked cars and the company fired them over it. The employees said they were not informed of this change and that’s the part I disagree with, it is difficult to not break corporate policy if you are not informed of changes.

So sorry Wayne, I cant support your boycott, but then again I don’t buy my gas at Phillips 66 anyway...