Some articles of note . . . .

I want to point out a couple of articles written by an English professor at UCO, Kurt Hochenauer:

1) Current Republican Ideology, Policies Closed Oklahoma City's GM Plant

Oklahoma City had a crushing blow this week when GM announced that it was closing their plant here. Although the local news reports stated that no one--the governor, the mayor, no one--had any idea that GM was planning this move, most people seem to believe that it was "because the union and the workers were too greedy." I heard this myself, from a coworker whose husband benefitted from union employment both before and after his retirement.

I think Mr. Hochenauer says it best here:

But facts will not stop local Republicans from maintaining it was the awful, terrible people who make $50,000 or so a year and have halfway decent health insurance who brought about the plant’s demise. Here’s the trackback of their immoral ideology: If only Oklahoma City’s GM workers would have, heck, taken a big cut in pay to minimum wage and not taken their kids to the doctor, then maybe things would be different.

(Current Republican ideology: Low wages, no health insurance, rising living expenses=patriotism, moral values, religious faith. Is anyone in Oklahoma still buying into this?)

Why is it suddenly so wrong to want a decent life for yourself and your family? I don't know where this idea comes that GM employees were making exorbitant amounts of money--average pay is $50,000 a year. I don't know what you believe, but I don't think that 50 grand would go very far in this day and age, especially if you have a family to support. Yes, they have very good healthcare and pension, but why not? Why shouldn't employers "give back" something to their workers? And since when is it "greedy" to want to have health care if you should get sick? Is the right to see a doctor and receive treatment now going to be for the rich alone? Suddenly the thing to do is "shut up and be glad you have a job."

Democratic leadership needs to stand up and fight this to the heavens.

2) Point: No proof for intelligent design

Representative Thad Balkman has apparently been chosen by his republican masters to introduce a bill that would incorporate "intelligent design" into our school systems. According to him, those of us who value credible science above "pie in the sky" theories are the ones who are oppressing our children:

In reality, those who oppose open and honest discussions of evolutionary theory are the dogmatic extremists--the forces that would silence debate and stop the development of young minds.

The organization that employs me, as well as many others in this state, are working diligently to get more high-tech, high-paying science and research jobs into Oklahoma. At first glance, many people are very impressed with what we've done so far here, but how many of them will give us a second glance if we pass something like this? Oklahoma has a good start at becoming a world-reknowned bioscience center, but continuing to allow such unproven theories as these into our schools and teaching them as fact will do nothing to help our economy grow and prosper.

Again, from Mr. Hockenauer:

Evolutionists help to fight cancer, cure disease, and affirm life. Intelligent designers dismiss real science over religious faith or, in this case, an unproven idea.

All I can say is, if the schools start teaching "intelligent design" as one of the "latest scientific discoveries," then they damn well better teach about the theory of the Flying Spaghetti Monster--it has as much validity as "ID."

There are times when I wonder how long it will be until we shut the hospitals down and start treating the majority of diseases by bloodletting and leeches. Of course, if the republicans have their way, that will be the only treatment most of us will be able to afford.