Roemerman on Record

Campaign finance report time

2011-10-31T18:04:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day to file Tulsa Election 2011 pre-general ethics filings. please to enjoy.

Tulsa Press Club Council Forum Districts 2, 7, 8

2011-10-26T10:35:00.002-05:00

Last night The Tulsa Press Club hosted a council forum for Districts 2, 7, 8.

District 2 Republican Jeannie Cue
District 2 Democrat Phillip Oyler
District 7 Republican Thomas Mansur
District 7 Democrat Michael Rainwater
District 8 Democrat William Suliburk
District 8 Republican Phil Lakin Jr.
Forum moderator Randy Krehbiel

I have split up the video into the 6 questions plus the opening and closing statements.

Opening Statements

Major Issues

Non Partisan City Elections

City Manager Form of Government

Trash

Proper Role of Chamber of Commerce

City Employees Involvement in Local Elections

Closing Statements

Pseudoephedrine, Regulation Won't Stop Meth

2011-10-05T15:54:00.002-05:00

Restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine to behind the counter have caused at least 2 unintended consequences that I'm aware of.

1. The shake and bake method. This method for the production of meth is a direct response to the government's attempted regulation of pseudoephedrine as a method to control the production or meth. I would argue that the shake an bake method has actually made the problem worse. I might be surprised, but I'm never shocked to find that government meddling produces the opposite intended result. The entire Obama presidency has been a case study to this truism. Laws meant to grow the economy produce the opposite effect. Try to create jobs...the unemployment rate rises; try to protect consumers against bank fees, and bank fees get worse; try to make healthcare more affordable and accessible, it becomes harder to get and more expensive. Attempts to regulate pseudoephedrine have been no exception.

2. An increase in the use of phenylephrine as a replacement for pseudoephedrine . This might be great except that there is no evidence that phenylephrine, when taken orally, actually works. A fact that seems to escape those who would point to phenylephrine as an excuse to restrict pseudoephedrine . The truth is that studies show that phenylephrine doesn't work as a decongestant.

Phenylephrine is a poor substitute for pseudoephedrine as an orally administered decongestant as it is extensively metabolized in the gut and its efficacy as a decongestant is unproven
...
No support has been found in the literature in the public domain for the efficacy of phenylephrine as a nasal decongestant when administered orally.
...
In view of the extensive metabolism of phenylephrine in the gut wall, it seems unlikely that phenylephrine is an effective oral nasal decongestant

Because successive crackdowns on pseudoephedrine have failed to produce the desired effect on meth production, Oklahoma legislators would now restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine only to those with a prescription. I can only surmise that the assumption on the part of legislators is that making pseudoephedrine available only by prescription will stop or severally limit the production of meth. I have to ask if they have any hard data to support this? The government's own study into prescription drug abuse shows a 400% increase in abuse from 1998 to 2008, with almost 10% of people over the age of 12 admitting to prescription drug abuse. If making a drugs available by prescription only were the solution I would think that prescription drug abuse would be less rampant. Where are 1 out of 10 of us getting these drugs? What evidence is there that limiting pseudoephedrine to prescription only will keep it out of the hands of meth producers?

I suspect that this course of action will have the following impacts.

1. As before, meth production will not be hampered as makers will get their drugs by prescription via a network of "allergy sufferers", or by going across state lines to get their pseudoephedrin.

2. The ability of law abiding citizens to procure the only drug that seems to be affective to end their seasonal suffering will be hampered. Most people have precious little time or money to go to the doctor as it is, this unnecessary requirement will just be an extra hurdle. One that I'm afraid will be insurmountable for the lower-middle and lower class.

3. When lawmakers realize that their law has done nothing except cause problems for seasonal allergy sufferers, they will attempt to outlaw pseudoephedrine altogether.

Since Liberals and Democrats love regulation and government meddling, I will give them a pass on this legislation. I will hold Oklahoma Republicans responsible for this. I don't see them rushing to regulate guns or bullets as a method to reduce gun crime. Most of our conservative Republican law makers would see this as folly because they know that law breakers will break the law, and such regulation would only serve to hurt law abiding citizens. However when it comes to regulating pseudoephedrine somehow the same logic doesn't apply. The we-have-to-do-something-now mentality has taken hold, and they are ready to regulate, restrict and meddle in our lives, consequence be dammed.

When this law fails to produce the desired effect, causing only unintended consequences on our health care system and hardship for seasonal allergy sufferers, don't say I didn't tell you so....remember who is to blame.

Thoughts on Simonson

2011-09-29T21:04:00.002-05:00

On Thursday September 1st I, along with several other candidates put on a nice shirt and tie and headed down town to City Hall as a part of the process for getting a job with the City of Tulsa.

I was there to take this picture for my second political mailer in my Tulsa City Council bid. Having arrived early before my photographer I waited in the lobby of One Technology Center along with another candidate who was also waiting in the lobby. He was not running for city council however, he was a candidate for one of the coveted Tulsa City firefighter academy positions. He asked me if I was waiting for an interview as well, probably hoping that I was since a fat bald guy would not be much competition for him. A few minutes later another firefighter candidate showed up. Sizing each other up, they talked about the various stages of testing and interviewing that they had already gone through and their confidence about whether or not they would make it into the program. One of the candidates, having gone through the process once before but not making it, felt that he had learned from his mistakes and was a shoe in this time.

I had no idea how relevant this experience would be until a few days ago when news broke that Dewey Bartlett’s Chief of Staff, Terry Simonson, was accused of using his influence at City Hall to procure a slot for his son in the process even though all the slots were already full.

One of the things I learned about the process of applying for the TFD academy in preparation for this post, was how difficult it is to become a Tulsa City Firefighter. The gentlemen I witnessed were preparing for the 4th step of 6 required to qualify for entrance into the firefighter academy. At any step a candidate can be kicked out of the running. Even those who make it through all 6 steps are still not guaranteed a spot in the academy because the academy itself is by no means a guaranteed certainty. The City may not be able to afford a spring academy, or there might not be as many openings as they had hoped. Indeed, the last academy boasted 49 graduates from a starting pool of 375-400 candidates, each getting washed out either in 1 of the first 6 steps or in the academy itself.

Simonson has been accused of using his position of authority as the Mayors Chief of Staff to get his son past the first hurdle of the application process, being one of the first 100 callers to apply. Tulsa processes candidates in batches of 100. To get in, you have to call. If you cant get through then you miss your opportunity. Allegedly, Terry's son missed that opportunity and was added after the fact because of his father's request.

Despite the fact that this seems to be a gross violation of the ethics rules that all city employees are bound to obey, it is just bad form. Sitting next to the two men who had made it so far into the process on their own made an impact on me. I could see in their eyes how important this was to them, everything about their demeanor, and their speech screamed, "I want to be a Tulsa Firefighter so bad I can taste it!" If they get through to the end everyone will know that they beat out hundreds of candidates to get there. They will feel the pride of being the best of the best. To start that process by cheating is dishonorable.

For a wonderful contrast between this scandal the right way to do things we need to look no further than Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer who refused a shot at FDNY because it would have required a special exception and special treatment. Meyer understands that a man can not attain honor by acting dishonorably.

You may ask yourself, what is the big deal? Why is this important? I'd say ask the hundreds of candidates that follow the rules if it is a big deal. Ask the people also tried and failed to call in that day but didn't have a father that works for the Mayor to help if this is a big deal. This is a big deal because it is a another alleged violation of the ethics ordinance from this administration, another investigation, and another controversy.

[update]
After I wrote this piece, but before I posted it, Terry Simonson tendered his resengation as Mayor Bartlett's Chief of Staff.

Stepping Into The Glass House: Lessons Learned While Running For Office

2011-09-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

The first and most painful lesson I learned involved the transition from blogger to politician. With political discourse people sometimes have a tendency to let their passions get the better of them and say unfair things. The problem with this if you are a blogger is that it is easy to put those unfair things into words and onto the internet.

Unfortunately I've been guilty of blogging while angry, or being too one sided, or being just unfair. This was painfully obvious to me the day I decided to run for office. While I was worried about my blog being used against me (in fact it was used in an attack ad) this wasn't the genesis of my discomfort. I realized that I was stepping into a glass house hoping that people would do unto me better than I had done to them.

I was forced to think about the tenor of my blog. While I was mostly proud, I could think of a few instances where I was not so proud. Now that I'm no longer running for office, I can apologize to a few people and it won’t seem so disingenuous. Jeff Applekamp, Bill Christiansen, and Dewey Bartlett are three people who have come under the wrath of Roemerman On Record, and while I think in some of the cases it was warranted, the words I used or the way I went about it was wrong. To them, and to anyone else who feels like I've stepped over the line, I'm sorry, I promise to do better. Lesson 1 is easily summed up by Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
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Lesson two was a most unexpected and welcome surprise. I'm surprised at how many people offered their congratulations despite my loss. Perhaps it is one of the reasons I lost, but I ran a very positive, issues oriented campaign, free from negativity and personal attack. While we didn't win, I pulled in nearly 40% of the vote in a three way race, not too shabby! For every person that awkwardly offers up President Lincoln's repeated failures to win elections as inspiration to keep trying (pro tip, don't do that if you find yourself talking to the looser of an election), I have had several people express to me their pride at how well I did, both in the results I achieved despite my loss, and the way I achieved them, and/or personal thanks for getting into the race. While winning is preferred, winning at all costs isn't, and not every defeat is served with bitter disappointment and shame. This is a good lesson.
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Lesson three is one I already knew but didn't appreciate fully. Elections are expensive, and however much money you think you need it probably isn't enough. I raised $3,526.00 (not including in-kind donations) and spent $3636.56; I was confident that in conjunction with the incredible amount of work we put in knocking on the doors of thousands of voters it would be enough. While the reasons for my defeat are multifaceted, I think that a big chunk of it can be attributed to being out-spent. The winner of the election in District 7 out-spent me by at least 3 to 1 if not a lot more, and at reporting time he out raised me by at least 4 to 1. It may be impossible to determine the price per vote on his side due to the nature of the reporting periods, but I think the analysis would show that a had I done a more aggressive media campaign made possible by more aggressive fundraising, I could have picked up the votes needed for a win.

Let this lesson be a lesson to you too. Donate to political candidates. You have no idea how much donations of $10, $20, or $50 add up. I can tell you that your donation that you think isn't worth giving, when added with just a few more people who make the same donation make a world of difference.
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Every vote counts, and some count more that others. For this next lesson, what I found is that there are key people who it is vitally important you get on your side. There was one woman who I spoke with on her door step. I had secured her vote, but what I also secured was her staunch support. She became an advocate for me amongst her friends and her circle of influence. By analyzing the voting records you can guess at who these people might be but it is really impossible to know for sure. Every contact, every phone call, every door knocked creates the potential for not just one vote but perhaps several. When people asked me questions I never changed my answers to what I thought they wanted to hear, but sometimes I couldn't tell what side of an issue they were on. This often created a tense moment where I wasn't sure if I was going to lose them or not. Loosing one vote is bad enough, losing one of these key influencers can be a nightmare scenario in a close election.
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The last lesson is another one we all know, but is good to reinforce. You can't do it alone. I am humbled and awestruck at the help and support of volunteers and people that donated to my campaign. I won’t dwell on this one except to say that campaigns are hard hard work, and the old adage that many hands make light work is true. I have a lot of thank you cards to write!
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So for what it's worth, those are some of the more important lessons I learned in a bid for Tulsa City Council District 7. Running for office has been an amazing experience, and even though I lost, I wouldn't trade it for the world. For the time being, I've turned off politician Steven and re-ignited blogger Steven. As I fire Roemerman on Record back up, be on the look out for more coverage of local issues.

I'm running for City Council

2011-07-25T07:54:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to announce that I've decided to run for city council. You can read my press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ROEMERMAN ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR CITY COUNCIL
Promises New Age of Civility, Trust at City Hall
Tulsa, OK – June 29, 2011 – Tulsa resident and republican, Steven Roemerman, today officially announced his candidacy for Tulsa City Council District 7, the seat currently held by John Eagleton, who earlier declared he was vacating the seat.

“I love Tulsa and deeply feel the needs of the people,” says Roemerman. “My goal is to help forge a future for Tulsa that my children and their children will be proud of. Guided by my strong conservative principles, I will work with the Mayor and the rest of the Council to do the people’s work at City Hall.”

Asked about his top priorities as councilor, Roemerman says he wants to reduce the size of the budget by creating new efficiencies that reduce waste, enact fair zoning laws that foster economic growth, invest more in technology, and create a balanced budget that better meets the needs of the citizens. But, above all, he says, he hopes to usher in a new age of civility when it comes to working with the Mayor to enable the city to prosper.

“I believe elected officials must be able to work together regardless of personal feelings,” says Roemerman. “If I'm elected to office, that is what you can expect from me—a willingness to work with others and build trust in our city’s leadership. I pledge to be honest and open, relentless in my pursuit of growth and prosperity for Tulsa, and firm in my conservative values and principles.”

A resident of Tulsa since 1998, Roemerman is a graduate of Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri where he studied Computer Science and Biblical Studies. He is currently a Sr. Programmer at Avis Budget Group. He has been married for 13 years to his wife Stacey and has three children. The Roemermans live in Hampton South neighborhood in Tulsa and are members of Carbondale Assembly of God.

“There’s nothing more personally important to me than helping Tulsa grow and providing a place of opportunity for the next generation,” says Roemerman. “I know I can do a great job for our city and will work hard every day to make our city’s future one that we all can be proud of.”

Roemerman currently has a seat on Tulsa's Sales Tax Overview Committee, where he reviews and reports upon the expenditures of Tulsa's third penny sale tax and bond programs. He has been an active follower of The City Council, frequently attending meetings and speaking before the council both as a member of the STOC and as a concerned citizen. For more information about Roemerman or his campaign, go to www.steven4tulsa.com.

Cicada Molting Repost

2011-07-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

July is marked by the song of the cicada, sometimes called locusts. A couple years ago I made a time laps video of one molting. If you haven't seen it before, you might find this interesting. Please to enjoy...

Bible Merit Test Tonight (Matthew)

2011-06-22T17:00:00.003-05:00

I teach 3-5th grade gentlemen on Wednesday nights at church. Tonight they have to take the following test to get their Matthew Bible merit badge...

Mathew Bible Merit Test

Matt 2:1-12
1. Why was King Herod worried about Baby Jesus?
A. The Wise Men said that he would be the King of the Jews. Herod did not want to lose power.
B. The Wise Men told Herod that Jesus would be born in a barn. Herod did not want Jesus to get sick
C. Herod suffered from pedophobia, also known as fear of children. Small babies really scared him out of his royal mind!

Matt 5:21-26
2. What did Jesus compare to hating your brother or sister?
_________________

Matt 14:22-33
3. The disciples saw Jesus walking on water. Why did they freak out?
A. They thought they were all dead and he was the Grim Reaper
B. They thought that the they were all having the same dream
C. They thought Jesus was a ghost

4. Which disciple walked on water when Jesus called him?
A. Peter B. James C. John D. Matthew E. Commander Steven

Matt 19-23:30
5. Can man get to heaven on his own?
______________

Matt 26:17-30
6. In Communion, what does the bread stand for?
__________________________

7. What does the cup stand for?
___________________________

Lucky 13

2011-06-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

In May of 1998, fresh out of college, I packed up my things left Dallas TX, and moved to Tulsa. I had no job and no prospects for one. At the time, Tulsa's attraction to me was its low cost of living and affordable housing. I moved into a great little two story house in East Tulsa and started preparing my house for my soon-to-be wife. In a few months I would be married, and I needed to find a job.

It wasn't long before I found a temp job working at Williams Tower installing software. On my first day at the job I left home at 6:45 so I could get downtown by 8 o'clock. Five minutes later I found myself on 244 heading downtown at 70MPH!!! I got to work a little early. That was my first indication that there was something special about Tulsa.

Tulsa has been very generous to me in the ensuing years, and I've discovered many more special things about Tulsa other than the cheap houses, and amazing commute times. In fact,these have been the best years of my life. Tulsa has given me a place to worship that is so important to me that it was difficult to even consider a move to another city just a few years into my career as a computer programmer. Tulsa has witnessed the birth of my three wonderful children. As they have grown, I've discovered that it is an amazing place to raise a family. It has provided me life long friends and colleagues. I discovered its rich history, heritage and culture.

I love Tulsa, I'm so glad to have laid down deep roots here. I'm honored to be involved as a blogger, as a member of the Sales Tax Overview Committee, and as an adopted son of this great city. I hope to find that the next 13 years are as fortunate to me as the first 13.

Fireworks, Apple Pie, and The American Flag

2011-06-02T17:50:00.009-05:00

This afternoon while I was driving home from work, I noticed several American flags on the ground at 61st and Garnett. If you have even been to that intersection then you know that is where all the local fireworks stands are kept.

Without giving it much thought, I parked my car and proceeded to pickup the flags off the ground. I noticed a lady on the property talking on the phone and looking at me, so I decided to go talk to her.

It isn't clear to me where the owner of the land ends and the owner of the firework stands begin, I couldn't determine that from our conversation. However, I did determine that the folks moving the fireworks stands were more concerned with their schedule than they were with protecting and respecting the very emblem of independence that fireworks are supposed to celebrate. When I asked why they left flags on the ground the lady said, "They didn't have time..." To which I replied, "They didn't have time to be respectful to The Flag?" The excuse was "They're no good."

Eventually she let me talk to the owner of the property. He told me that some of his workers had left the flags on the ground and that he had not had time to pick them up, and that he was on his way back to get them off the ground. I told him that I had already picked up the flags for him. Another recurring theme in our conversation was the idea that I wasn't welcome on the land and that I was trespassing. I told the owner that I certainly appreciated his desire to not have people on his land, and that as soon as I got off the phone with him I'd leave. I asked him if he would tell his workers to try to be more respectful of The Flag in the future, and then I left.

[UPDATED] - I've added a video I took while I was there...

John Sullivan on his Debt Limit Vote

2011-06-01T14:26:00.004-05:00

Friends,

This week, I voted against President Obama’s request to raise the federal debt limit by $2.4 trillion while failing to include any spending cuts or long term plans for deficit reduction.

I voted no because there is only one way to regain fiscal sanity in Washington, and that is to stop spending money we don’t have. Our nation is already facing a record setting $14 trillion debt and this legislation would have added another $2.4 trillion to it while doing absolutely nothing to end the taxpayer funded spending spree that has plagued the Federal Government for far too long.

There is an old saying that when you are in a hole, you need to stop digging – well the Obama Administration would rather keep digging than to actually listen to the American people and cut spending.

Click here to read my statement on the vote.

Sincerely,

Representative John Sullivan

Golden Sentinel

2011-05-16T22:11:00.002-05:00

Golden Sentinel

by Steven H Roemerman Sr.

Sentinel vessel of golden light

Completes his rounds every night

Keeping watch o’er cloudless sky

A waining ration his fate imply

As pitch of night vies for his place

The Eternal One bestows His grace

The waxing light that fills his bowl

Returns our guard to his patrol

The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music

2011-05-07T14:05:00.004-05:00

Last night I randomly had an old Petra song stuck in head. I had briefly thought about buying it on Amazon, however 99 cents for a song I can listen to on YouTube for free seemed a poor value. The exercise did get me poking around the music store where I found The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music as performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra...for $5.99!!! That's 12 cents per song!

Not wanting our kids to grow up being philistines we try to expose them to classical music where we can. Our house isn't devoid of classical music; we have a lot of Bach, Carmen, a little Mozart, and we listen to Handle's Messiah two times a year. However, this collection seemed so varied that I decided it was a must have.

I bought it and we sat down and listen to samples of every piece in an exercise to determine out how many they would recognize. The 4-year-old said, “I know that one, it's from when you win at Peggle!”. The 6-year-old, “We know that from Little Einsteins...” The 8-year-old repeatedly said, “Yep...I know that one.”

All told, between the three of them, they knew 22 of the 50. I'd say that's pretty good for for a bunch of little kids. I figure in between movies, commercials, and old cartoons, and what we listen to some times, they had already been exposed to a lot more classical music than I had previously thought. 22 down...28 to go I guess.

NCAA Basketball, Dowtown Tulsa, and the Bus

2011-03-18T01:22:00.000-05:00

I decided to take the day off and watch some NCAA Basketball at the BOK center tomorrow. Since I know parking will be a mess downtown, I've decided to take the bus. I've never taken the bus before. I thought about taking it to work once but it was a gigantic hassle so I never did it. Fortunately, if you want to go downtown it seems a fairly simple and straightforward affair.

Having consulted tulsatransit.org I believe I've chosen the park and ride station I want to use. I think I'll take some extra time and have a coffee at Topéca Coffee.

After that it's on to the BOK center to watch #4 Texas vs. #13 Oakland followed by #5 Arizona vs. #12 Memphis.

It should be an exciting day.

Eagleton's Presentation to Ouster Mayor Bartlett

2011-03-03T00:36:00.002-06:00

Here is non-embedded link

The videos in the presentation are also below

Link to the first video

Link to the second video

Link to the third video.

Link to the fourth video.

*Disclaimer: I received this presentation as a PowerPoint document, I uploaded it to Google Docs in order to more easily share it. The conversion was such that I was forced to edit the document so that all the text could show on every slide. I accomplished this by changing the font size. Also, the original presentation pointed to videos that were assumed to be local. This required me to upload those videos on You Tube so that they could be shown with the presentation.

Eagleton's letter to Gov Fallin Calling for the Ouster of Mayor Bartlett

2011-03-02T21:42:00.000-06:00

Here is the link to the Google Doc PDF of that contains the Letter that Tulsa City Councilor John Eagleton sent to Governor Mary Fallon calling for the ouster of Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr.

Vote Today

2011-02-08T10:01:00.002-06:00

Those of you who live in the Union School District, Don't forget to vote at the UMAC today...The UMAC is located right next to Sam's and across the street from the Asbury Methodist on Mingo in between 71st and 61st.

Hello Union Parents,

This is Union superintendent, Cathy Burden, calling to encourage you to vote today on Union's very important bond issue that will benefit every student in the district. This bond issue will not raise taxes but will provide needed textbooks, technology, and capital improvements. The 9th Grade Center and Union Collegiate Academy will be completed with the passage of this bond issue to provide new college and career opportunities for all of our students.

I expect that you are as eager as I am to get our students back in school. But if you can safely get out today, please make a stop at the UMAC to vote. All polling places in the district have been moved to the UMAC to make it as safe and convenient as possible. Particularly in this weather, every vote will be important.

Thank you.

Should the Council reject the "Christmas" Parade of Lights Special Event App?

2010-12-03T10:00:00.002-06:00

Short answer...No.

I think naming the parade the Holiday Parade of Lights is stupid. I agree Christmas should be put back into the name. However, I've seen the Tulsa City Council approve all kinds of events that might be considered questionable to the average teetotaling Christian household. I'm not sure I've ever seen them deny an application, certainly not over it's name. So under what basis would the Council deny the application? Purely over it's name? NO!

What right does the City of Tulsa have to pressure the organizer of an event to change it's name? I say none, especially when there is nothing overtly obscene or offensive about the word "Holiday". Granted, if the parade were called the F-You Parade of lights there might be standing on the part of the Council to take action...but for "Holiday", I say no.

I believe in the power of the free market. If people are really angry about this, then let them stay at home. If enough people who feel strongly about this stay at home, one of two things will happen:
1. The organizers will hear the message loud and clear, and change the name next year.
2. No one will sponsor a parade, and we won't have a Parade of Lights anymore...Christmas or otherwise.

I urge the Council to leave this one alone. Let's let the power and voice of the people handle this one.

Destroy the Data on that old Hard Drive

2010-11-22T12:03:00.007-06:00

If you are getting rid of an old computer, I recommend removing the hard drive and destroying it in order to protect your data and prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Some people say that deleting the files, and formatting the drive are enough. I say that if you have data that is worth at least a few thousand dollars to someone to recover, then these methods are not sufficient.

Method 1. Remove the platters from the hard drive and destroy the surface and the platter.

Method 2. HULK SMASH!

Method 3. Nuke if from orbit it is the only way to be sure (Thermite) (not really recommended)

Pomegranate Season 2010/How to Open a Pomegranate

2010-11-20T10:00:00.004-06:00

We are about a month into this year's pomegranate season, and it will last until January or February. If you haven't picked one up yet get to it. I recommend the Pom Wonderful brand, in my humble opinion they are the best.

If you are baffled at how to open/prepare a pomegranate, I've made a handy instructional video....please to enjoy. (I know the lighting wasnt that great, that is partly why I included this picture)

Vote for Eagleton District Judge

2010-11-02T11:46:00.000-05:00

I just found this letter from City Council Attorney Drew Rees On Batesline.com

I have worked with John Eagleton for over four years. I have observed him in very stressful and contentious times. In every instance, he did not fold under pressure, and did what he believed was right. I have seen John in the courtroom, where he beat some of Tulsa's best attorneys. I have seen him be a solitary vote against a proposal and end up being vindicated in the end. He has been tried by fire and sustained his integrity. He is honest, fair, unbiased, and a very good attorney. Things I look for in a judge.

This is the first time I have openly supported a City Councilor in any campaign. Ms. Morrissey's radio commercial is why. She knowingly lied about John's legal experience, (she said he has "reportedly insignificant legal experience," when she knows he has over 25 years in as a practicing attorney, including his work as an assistant D.A.).

She also ridicules his public service as a City Councilor. I know the pressures of running for office. It is a crucible which reveals who you are and how you will act under stress. If someone cannot maintain their honesty and integrity during a relatively minor judicial race, how quickly their honesty and integrity will fold under pressures from campaign donors, death penalty decisions, or the other intense pressures which every judge must face during their tenure. She has shown she cannot withstand those pressures. John did withstand those pressures and much stronger ones.

Tulsa needs John Eagleton as a judge. He will do what is right, and treat everyone fairly. That is why I am asking you to vote for John Eagleton for judge.

Drew Rees

Morrissey is dishonest in her ads regarding Eagleton. I really like John Eagleton, He is a great lawer, and a wonderful city councilor. I strongly urge you to vote for John Eagleton for District Judge if you haven't already.

Vote Tomorrow

2010-11-01T13:46:00.001-05:00

Time to vote! Here is how I'm voting on everything.

Governor	Mary Fallin
Lt. Governor	Todd Lamb
State Auditor and Inspector	Gary Jones
Attorney General	Scott Pruitt
State Treasurer	Ken Miller
Superintendent of Public Instruction	Janet Barresi
Commissioner of Labor	Mark Costello
Insurance Commissioner	John Doak
U. S. Senator	Tom Coburn
U. S. Representative, District No. 1	John Sullivan
County Assessor	Ken Yazel
District Judge, District No. 14 - Office No. 9	John Eagleton
District Judge, District No. 14 - Office No. 13	Bill Musseman
District Judge, District No. 14 - Office No. 14	Jon Patton

744 (education spending)	NO
746 (voter ID)	YES
747 (term limits)	YES
748 (apportionment)	YES
750 (ballot access)	NO
751 (English official court language)	YES
752 (judicial nominations)	YES
754 (appropriations not made based on other states)	NO
755 (courts not using international or Sharia law)	YES
756 (opt-out of ObamaCare)	YES
757 (rainy day fund maximum)	YES

On the Tulsa specific questions I'm voting yes on both.

To find your polling place or see the sample ballot go to the Tulsa County Election web page.

2010 State Questions

2010-09-30T11:49:00.001-05:00

As you may or may not know, in a few weeks Oklahomans will head to the polls to vote for candidates, but they will also be asked to vote yea/nay for 11 state questions. (PDF).

For what it is worth, here is how I will vote on those questions.

744 (education spending)	NO
746 (voter ID)	YES
747 (term limits)	YES
748 (apportionment)	YES
750 (ballot access)	NO
751 (English official court language)	YES
752 (judicial nominations)	YES
754 (appropriations not made based on other states)	NO
755 (courts not using international or Sharia law)	YES
756 (opt-out of ObamaCare)	YES
757 (rainy day fund maximum)	YES

For more information check out KRMG's Beer Summit and political mixer recap which reviews each state question.

I'll update this post as I find other guides/info/commentary to help folks make up their minds.

[UPDATE]
Randy Brogdon has a great review of each question along with his recommendation on how to vote...

First Chili of the Season

2010-09-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

This weekend I made my first Chili of the 2010 season. Despite the fact it was what I call “civilian” chili, it was pretty rad. (rad? What is it the 1980s?) I consider chili that isn’t spicy to be civilian. Now, it may be that the average Yankee still might consider my civilian chili to be spicy, at some point chili devoid of spices is more akin to spaghetti sauce than chili. It has to have some chilies in it or, dangit, it just isn’t chili!

So, I’d like to give you a recipe but, I can’t really because I don’t really have one. I play it by ear every time…or really I guess I play it by nose and by tongue…I mean I can hear it cooking but I don’t get much inspiration from the sound…you know what I mean.

I’ll give you my general rules of thumb for making what I like to call competition style chili. Now I should point out that my recipe isn’t necessarily valid for a stationed chili competition. My chili attempt to pay homage to a
“Traditional Red Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.”

Now down to it. Here is what I do, not so much a recipe as it is my general steps.

Meat is cooked slowly – I cook my meat, be it finely cubed steak or ground beef or whatever, at a low enough heat so that it browns but simmers in its own liquid.
No chili powder! – Seriously chili powder? I can’t vouch for that stuff. I use high quality chipotle powder, smoked/regular paprika, cumin, and some kind of crazy ground green chili that my parents got in New Mexico. The point here is don’t be a slack a….don’t be a slacker. Know what you are putting in your chili.
All veg is roasted in the broiler - I place all prepped vegetables (red onion, 2 red bell peppers, a few cloves of garlic, and whatever chili pepper I use) in a roasting pan with olive oil and place in the broiler. *exception, if and when I had a habanero, I add that separately so that it floats around in the chili…
No filler no chunks! – I do not want to see any of the vegetables. While I could cook my chili long enough that they dissolve, I like to help things along with a blender. To do this I add a bit of beef broth and tomato sauce (and any canned tomato I plan to use) into the blender along with my roasted veg.
Blender continued – I also like to put a majority of the dried spices that I will use in the blinder at this time. With the spices fully incorporated into blended mix I get a real good idea of what the final product will taste like.
Don’t forget salt
Cocoa powder - yeah that’s right. I had about 2 tbls of cocoa powder. Hey, the Aztecs knew a thing or two about both chili peppers and chocolate and they added the two together. I think we can follow their lead in this regard while at the same time rejecting the whole human-sacrifice-by-cutting-the-heart-out-of-a-live-person thing…I’m just saying that good ideas are where you find them…the choco-chili combination…not the killing…
Simmer, watch, wait – Once I add all the components together, kick it down to low and slow temperature and watch TV or play Halo Reach for a few hours. If I’m really patient, I’ll do all this the night before so the chili has time to work some of kind of crazy magic in the fridge overnight. The next day, with another hour or so of simmering, and then you are good to go.

So, that’s what I do. Pick your own meat, your own spices, chilies and vegetables, and follow your gut…that is follow your nose and tongue…that is, you won’t know if your gut likes it until you eat an entire bowl…

Let me put this another way. Chili isn’t some cold calculated dish with specific steps and rules. It is said that 19th century Spanish priests dubbed chili as the “Soup of the Devil” based on the notion that eating chili peppers stirred up too much passion. And that is what Chili is, a dish of passion! Who knows what the heart wants until it wants it? Add what you want, make it how you want to make it! Make it as spicy as you want, or as mild as you want, don’t let jerks like me tell you can’t put beans in it! (Although you really shouldn’t put beans in chili!) If you want beans then dangit, throw caution to the wind and add beans. Let the International Chili Society and those groups like it worry about the purity of this dish. You just make what tastes good to you! It’s Chili Season so get to cookin’!

The Medlock and Brogdon Radio Show

2010-09-01T09:32:00.002-05:00

The Medlock and Brogdon Radio Show?!!! Ohh awesome, I can't wait!!! I'm totally going to...(uhh, Steven...there's no such thing).

Wait what? (Yeah, it's just an idea right now..)

Dang it! (I know right? It would be awesome!)

Well...okay, if it is just an idea, what can we do to make it a reality? (Good question Steven, you need to go to this facebook page, "like it" and then share it with all your friends. If we can show that there is enough interest in the kind of thoughtful local talk radio program that Medlock and Brogdon would provide, it might get picked up!)

Nice, I'm going to do that right now...(Uhh, you already did like 10 hours ago... Not only that, but you already knew all this. Who are you talking to? I'm not even real!!!)

Ohh..crap... Hey, Phil I'm hearing voices again. (Phil is not real either...)

DANG IT!!!

Roemerman on Record

Campaign finance report time

Tulsa Press Club Council Forum Districts 2, 7, 8

Opening Statements Major Issues Non Partisan City Elections City Manager Form of Government Trash Proper Role of Chamber of Commerce City Employees Involvement in Local Elections Closing Statements

Pseudoephedrine, Regulation Won't Stop Meth

Thoughts on Simonson

Stepping Into The Glass House: Lessons Learned While Running For Office

I'm running for City Council

Cicada Molting Repost

Bible Merit Test Tonight (Matthew)

Lucky 13

Fireworks, Apple Pie, and The American Flag

John Sullivan on his Debt Limit Vote

Golden Sentinel

The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music

NCAA Basketball, Dowtown Tulsa, and the Bus

Eagleton's Presentation to Ouster Mayor Bartlett

Eagleton's letter to Gov Fallin Calling for the Ouster of Mayor Bartlett

Vote Today

Should the Council reject the "Christmas" Parade of Lights Special Event App?

Destroy the Data on that old Hard Drive

Pomegranate Season 2010/How to Open a Pomegranate

Vote for Eagleton District Judge

Vote Tomorrow

2010 State Questions

First Chili of the Season

The Medlock and Brogdon Radio Show

Opening Statements

Major Issues

Non Partisan City Elections

City Manager Form of Government

Trash

Proper Role of Chamber of Commerce

City Employees Involvement in Local Elections

Closing Statements