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Grieving
According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, there are five states of grief, and they’re outlined in her book “On Death and Dying.” Some people are so busy they don’t have time to grieve, so there becomes...
Where do toddlers spend eternity?
Hmmm … this is evidently an often-thought-about and frequently asked question, along with many other thought-provoking ones, like: If a baby dies, does that infant go to heaven automatically? And w...
To be successful, keep looking tanned?
Years ago, when I was a young man desperately trying to change my life and figure out how to get ahead, I read numerous books about successful people. One of the most curious characters I read about...
Standing up to adversity
Deb and I, mostly Deb, started around 300 tomato seeds. Dang near every one of those things came up and grew. We used premium seeds. We used water out of Deb’s aquarium to water them. We used grow lights to give the proper amount of light. The c...
Tall orders, part 1
As we saw recently, the U.S. Civil War was a 4-year-long ordeal that led to the death of three-quarters of a million Americans. The war also, however, saved the Union from being split in two and led...
Freedom of speech is on its way out
The House has passed a law making it illegal to say anti-Semitic things about Jews. They said it needed to be passed because of the college students’ protests. I think it is your right to voice y...
Sometimes ignorance is bliss
One evening last week I ran across a post selling a nice looking 2012 car with 77,000 miles on it for $2,500. I had a friend looking for a car and this would fit the bill. One of my other friends was...
Nothing civil about it
Every year when April rolls around, it is time to start thinking of pleasant things like the start of a new baseball season and the optimistic weather of springtime with new growth signaling that wint...
Doubt does not equal unbelief
This past Friday and Saturday evenings I attended a men’s conference in Laverne. Somewhere around 75 men from different churches and different communities came together and enjoyed fellowship, worship and scripture. It was a great couple of e...
Locked up and secure – or scary?
Do they bother you? Do walls and fences cause claustrophobia in you? How about locked doors and gates? Do they bring about a fierce need to find the key and escape? The obvious answer for most of us...
Escaping boring conversations
Have you ever been dragged into a one-sided chat that droned on with no end in sight? There is an art to extracting yourself graciously without insult or injury. According to Elizabeth Bernstein in...
4-H, ag, military kids recognized in busy week at the Capitol
Last week started with “Purple Up! For Military Kids Day.” Representative Dobrinski and I authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 (SCR20), which designates April 15 as Purple Up! For Military Kids Da...
University and community combine for impressive musical production
Wow, northwest Oklahoma has a lot of talented people! Friday night, I attended the musical “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. I’ve been to musical...
Protecting our courts
The House last week failed Senate Joint Resolution 34, which sought to dismantle the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and would instead have asked voters to allow the governor to appoint judges...
Carl's Capitol Comments
The House last week failed Senate Joint Resolution 34, which sought to dismantle the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and would instead have asked voters to allow the governor to appoint judges...
University and community combine for impressive musical production
Wow, northwest Oklahoma has a lot of talented people! Friday night, I attended the musical “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. I’ve been to musical...
Senate Review
Last week started with “Purple Up! For Military Kids Day.” Representative Dobrinski and I authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 (SCR20), which designates April 15 as Purple Up! For Military Kids Da...
Something to remember
None of the money sent overseas, "free" programs, and handouts are government funded. They are all taxpayer funded. I had a good time going to garage sales with my brother, Jeff, last Saturday. I...
A different kind of strike, part 3
As we have seen, Ray Caldwell was a really good pitcher in baseball’s major leagues although he was not always diligent in remaining sober and being focused on having a successful athletic career. In...
What the heck is going on?
We used to say “The world is going to hell in a handbasket.” Now I am wondering “What the heck is going on in our part of the state?” It has been a wild couple of weeks out in this part of the state, and I don’t say that in a good way. A double mu...
Putting others on a pedestal
The other morning, while I was sipping my coffee and trying desperately to wake myself up, I was watching the news about a topic that didn't interest me. So, I decided to flip through the channels to...
Exhausted wings bring on clipped wings
If you work and work hard, you will understand this topic – exhaustion. Too much constant physical or mental work, with no relaxation for your body and brain, can bring on serious exhaustion. And t...
Gold
“The Midas touch,” “Goldfinger,” “The goose that laid the golden egg” – all these phrases are familiar to our culture as, again, gold has taken center stage as an investment tool. Gold has always be...
Appreciating the results of the next generation 911 law
Last week marked the tenth week of session, and much of the week was focused on committee work as we crossed the deadline to advance House bills to the Senate floor. We’re also still working to reach a budget agreement for Fiscal Year 2025. With h...
'Fast and furious' two weeks for Senate to consider 230 House bills
The deadline week for bills to make it out of committee is over. The next two weeks will be fast and furious. We have over 230 House bills to consider on the Senate floor, and I am sure there will be...
