Influence vs. wisdom
Corporations and nations the world around are making adjustments to the science predicting dire consequences if CO2 emissions are not reduced. On the other side, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s 2012 book The Greatest Hoax claims that the consensus of world scientists on CO2 emissions is wrong. Republicans in Congress speak and vote in apparent agreement.In January, when Republican majorities take over both houses of Congress, there will no doubt be bills introduced to curtail or eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency. Republicans clearly look forward to voting for the pipeline across America that will accelerate the mining of Canada’s toxic tar sands.
These policies will leave undisturbed the fossil fuel industries that profit from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. At the crossroads where world scientists warn that global warming does threaten life as we know it, corporate influence might prove more influential than environmental wisdom.
— Nathaniel Batchelder Oklahoma City
“Liberal” bias
I realize that your publication is a liberal-oriented weekly serving the local community. In spite of the high cost per copy, I, as a conservative, usually enjoy periodically scanning the contents to see what “the other side is doing.” Your Aug. 13 edition, however, went way over into the MSNBC miasma.In “Standard (influential) deviation” (Chicken-Fried News, Aug. 13, Oklahoma Gazette) you state that Gov. Mary Fallin ranked No. 15 in a list of most influential GOP women in a poll “by a right-leaning media outlet” (Newsmax). Is that supposed to be a working version of Common Core math or an inside liberal bon mot? The math continues, informing us that 37 percent of American women identify themselves as Democrats, undoubtedly answering to “Julia,” and 24 percent as Republicans equating to 4.5 women in the Republican Party. Does that then result in 6.935 democrat women? (Editor’s note: Some women identify with neither party.)
You also use the sexist sobriquet “chick” to describe a woman “from Fox News.” However, when that poll was released, that “chick” [sic] was the only sane person on The View.
The next CFN piece, “I hate this law; enforce it” (same issue date) goes after Rep. James Lankford and Republicans in general for opposing Obamacare and for “suing” Obama. First, Republicans claimed that Obamacare created a burden on business owners five years ago. The burden on business is now a proven fact. Second, the Republicans are not suing Obama; the House of Representatives voted to initiate a lawsuit — but of course it was a partisan vote just like Obamacare was.
The madness continues in the Letters section (same issue). Wanda Jo (Peltier) Stapleton whishes ill on the citizens of Oklahoma and bemoans the refusal of the Obama bribe of “federal funding” to expand Medicaid and retaining the current minimum wage. It is becoming evident that the Obamabribe will cost the states dearly very soon. It is a demonstrated fact that raising the minimum wage results in increased unemployment, especially in the minority segment. Steven Goldman (Letters, “Let’s talk about human rights,” same issue) asserts that “No church is going to be required to perform gay marriages.” Just as no baker, florist, photographer, etc., will be forced to support a gay wedding. — Pete Lepo Edmond
