The Oklahoma Eagle (Tulsa, Okla.), Vol. 91, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, March 18, 2011 Page: 5 of 12
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STATE ANDN AT IO N
WOMEN IN PRISON
lawmaker Seats To Utt Teacher
fifth
McIntyre
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See SENATE REVIEW. P6
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784-8669 J
Funded by:
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QUIT NOW
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For FREE help with quitting, call the Oklahoma Tobacco
Helpline at 1-800*784-8669.
RELIGIOUS
LIBERTY
centers in California, Texas
and Louisiana, and contracts
for rehab-based department
of corrections transitional
housing in California and
The
t must do
its duty and see to it that
Kabul honors those hard-
fought freedoms.
Ken Blackwell a former U S
ambassador to U N is on the
board of the Becket Fund for
Religious Liberty, and is a
Senor Fellow at the Family
Research Council
U.S. Centers tor Disease
Control and Prevention
Chloe visited her mom
for about six months at Cen-
I *
' 4 4
and Taxation. It now awaits consideration in the House Appropriations and Budget
first name, not an inmate
number. There were more
than 2,7(X) women in Okla-
homa prisons last year, but
for the nearly 1,350 who are
nonviolent drug offenders,
there are only 32 beds at Cen-
ter Point's Tulsa facility.
Less than 3 percent of
those women will get a spot at
Center Point, which reports a
Gall their bluff.
daily ritual at the house, a
transitional living facility
north of downtown Tulsa for
Oklahoma Department of
Corrections inmates who are
si
MHpHHfoklahoma Tobacco Helpline
8001
help |
1 -800-783 1552 S»Mish 1-877-777 6534 ITT
appallingly clear that the Ad-
ministration docs not con-
sider religious liberty to be
worth their time or efforts. It
Afghanistan routinely under-
cuts religious liberty, what
kind of society are we help
routes for jobs or job training.
Oklahoma in brief
in the program and can
leave during the day for a
national Religious Freedom
Act, Us government must
engage foreign governments
to promote religious liberty
and take punitive action
source to the current salary of pay. Although
state legislators. Representa-
tive Con Williams seeks to
raise the salary of first year
teachers with a bachelor’s de-
gree from $31,(XX) to
$38,44X1.00, which is the salary
for first year legislators.
"We all know how im-
portant it is to attract and re-
tain good teachers in our
classrooms, and over the last
two years there have been
different ideas as to how we
can do this, most notably that
of State Question 744", said
cally in DOC custody. But
there are no bars, no jail cells;
They greet one another, everyone gets called by her
chixise a concept or two for
the day, talk about what's on
ihipsd exposing their children their mind and what they
are grateful for, and then
share a positive affirmation.
Each woman in the house
must participate daily in
r cation requirements
all agreed bachelor's degree, pass profi-
ciency tests and secure a
teaching certificate I he min-
imum requirements for leg-
islative office is Oklahoma
citizenship and to be at least
prove to our teachers twenty-one years old to serve
ing to build there?
As Americans, we expect
our foreign policy to be in
line with our values Ameri-
can allies and partners like
Afghanistan should be ex-
pected to respect core free-
doms like religious liberty
As a signatory to the Univer-
sal Declaration of Human
Rights, Afghanistan already
has an obligation to protect
religious liberty.
American soldiers and
marines, many of them de-
vout Christians, are dying
to protect Afghans from
theocratic tyranny I he
Secretary of State Hillary State Department
Clinton has said that reli-
gious liberty is "a cornerstone
"Good morning, ladies,"
the women of Center Point
greet one another It's part of a day
On another note, 1 want
to remind everyone that the
3rd Annual Breast (. ancer
Awareness Day is coming up
on Tuesday, May 3, at the state
Capitol Be sure to mark youi
calendars. Again this event
hosts vendors, medical pro
fessionals and other organiza
tions that help victims,
survivors and their families
with various services.
I’m so proud to be pait
of the movement helping
bring awareness to this com
mon disease. I was thrilled to
hear that the city of Tulsa
now has a pink police car to
merit's ineffectual hand-
wringing is cold comfort.
h
“BSiffii Mr—
• rixr
in the I iouse of Representa-
tives and twenty-five years
old to serve in the Senate.
Rep Williams amend-
ment was filed on I louse Bill
1*414, w hich is eligible to be
heard as early as tomorrow
by the full I louse of Repre
senta fives.
ness. It’s wonderful to see
our local government get in-
volved in the cause.
1 want to remind even
one about another breast can-
cer organization. Soulful
Sisters have meetings the
third Tuesday of evers
month at the Rudisill I ibran
at 6:00 p.m.
It you’re interested in at-
tending or learning more
about this group, you can
contact President Emeritus
Alberta Jones or President
be heard. I was so proud to
hear that over 1,<XX) tire fight-
ers took time out of their
week and came to fight tor
their rights. I hat's w hat peo-
ple have to do. You have to
fight tor what you want and
need - no one else is going to
fight your battles for you
Thursday, March 17, was
our deadline tor floor consid-
neariy 100 percent success rate
in preventing its graduates wiped the jelly off 3-year-old ble for her to win back cus-
from re-offending. It is a year- Chloe's face and dressed her tody of Chloe. She could
long intense therapeutic pro- for day care because Chloe's come live at Center Point
gram in which they attempt to mom, Megan Olmstead, had with her mother,
confront and change the be-
havior and decisions that led
to their incarceration
"We have not had any
women r. r
program return to prison," IXX custody, a solution pro- a few months ago. Her tod-
I’rice said. And for the esti- posed by a Department of dler bed sits wedged be-
mated 46 percent of women in- Human Services caseworker tween the women's bunk
mates in Oklahoma who have charged with Chloe's well- beds and DOC-issued clear
children, there's an important being. Chloe's father's plastic televisions.
Bullock, Olmstead's
nated, and her grandmother roommate, helps Chloe get
has an illness that prevents
care
"The notice and 90-day period give the original propertv
propertv back, but will not put an i----------
the propertv," Ownbey said.
House Bill 1226 now proceeds to the Senate for consideration.
difference: At Center Point,
children can stay with their
mothers for weekend,
overnight visits or even longer her from being able to
Mother, daughter re- for Chloe full-time.
united On this particular Foster parents cared for
morning, chores are finished
promptly, grits and toast are
devoured bv 6:15 a.in., and a
small group of the women
One in
the binding eration of Senate bills As of
arbitration tor firefighters Friday afternoon, there
(SB 826). I believe this is a
bad bill and I expressed my
concerns on the floor.
Fortunately, the title is
off this bill, which means
that it will be amended be-
fore it goes to the Governor.
The measure now moves to
the I louse for further consid-
eration. I hope our col-
leagues on that side of the
Capitol think seriously about
this issue and heed the con-
cerns of the hundreds of lire
fighters that rallied last week but
about this bill and others
This is a great example of
why it is so important tor citi-
zens to get out and vote and
at the Becket Fund for where appropriate
I he State Department re-
ported that religious liberties
had "deteriorated'' in 2010
but declined to list
Afghanistan as a Country of
Particular Concern. For an-
other Afghan Christian
-----ent moved Mussa to shoaib Said Assadullah who
a safer and more humane fa- still faces a death sentence for
cility in October. Mussa’s trial apostasy, the State Depart-
was delayed and he was fi-
nally released in late Febru-
ary, nine months after he was
first jailed
Although Mr. Mussa s
story has a relatively happy of a healthy srxiety, but it is
ending, it points to a more
pernicious reality - that lh»
State Department is aban-
doning its commitment to a
core right in any free sixietv -
the freedom of faith and con-
science. Under the 1998 Inter
FriDAY. MARCH 18 2011 IHI OKI AHOMA FAGLF • P~5
Continued from P 4
now .
Religious I iberty, kept the
pressure up on the State De-
partment. A flurry of letters
and calls from < aucus leader
Rep I rent Franks pushed re-
luctant US officials to act
Once they did, the Afghan
governmei
Big tobacco
thinks you
won't quit.
opened in 2007.
The women at Center
discussing their thoughts, Point's facility are still techni-
itruggling with substance feelings and concerns as
abuse. T he women who live at part of their daily therapy.
Center Point have made bad
choices: drugs, alcohol, for-
gery’, theft, abusive relation-
si
to their behavior and crimes
while under the influence.
Some residents at the
therapeutic center are on
their fourth or fifth prison chores and therapy sessions,
sentences, for mostly drug- unless she is further along
related and non-violent
crimes Regina Price, the pro-
Voice Your Concerns: You Have To
Fight For What You Want And Need
Senate Review
By Judy Eason
McIntyre
Why The State Of Oklahoma Leads The Nation
By Ciry Aspiawall
Tulsa World Staff Writer
Oklahoma Watch
gram director everyone calls job or job training.
"Miss Regina," is trying to California-based Center
teach these women that a his- Point has drug rehabilitation
tory of bad decisions does
not doom them to failure.
"Mv concepts for the
are empathy and
pride," one woman tells her
roommates on a cold winter Oklahoma. The Tulsa facility
morning at the home. The
women are sitting in a circle,
Salaries To Match Legislators
OKLAHOMA CITY - Rep. Williams, D-SHllwater. and legislators are in session
One state lawmaker tiled an SO 744 raised the level and work full-time five
amendment yesterday that
would match the minimum
salary of those entrusted with
our most precious natural re-
Rep. Williams, D-Stillwater.
"SQ 744 raised the level and work full-time
of debate on our entire edu- months of the year
cation system, in which we Only teachers, however,
rank next to last in per-pupil have to meet minimum edu-
expenditures and in teacher cation requirements of a
we < " u
that we needed to address
these issues, there was a con-
sensus that SQ 744 was not
the appropriate way- How-
ever, with this amendment
we can
that we value them and their
contribution to our sixietv by
lifting their salary to match
our own."
Rep. Williams noted the
similarities in the positions of
teachers and legislators, in
that teachers work full-time
nine months out of the year
were
around 16(1 bills remaining
on the agenda. We've de-
cided to save the Senate
money that we're going to
work late Monday through
Wednesday this week and help raise even more aware
adjourn Wednesday night in-
stead of Thursday afternoon
like we normally do.
Just as all the other state
agencies are going to have
cuts to their budget, so is the
Senate. Constitutionally, leg-
islators can t take a pay cut,
we can work less days so
that we aren’t paid our per
diem. We're going to try to
wrap up our work early a
tew different weeks so we
elect people that will address don’t have to be paid per
your needs. Citizens need to diem 3 or 4 days Overall,
tx“ involved in the political this will save the Senate
process and let their concerns nearly $ 15,000.
Committee Clears Public School Classroom Legislation
OKLAHOMA CITY - A I louse committee approved legislation to create an income tax
check-off to fund grants tor public school teachers I louse Bill 1852, by state Rep. Jabar Shu-
mate would create the Public School Classroom Support Revolving Fund and allow the
state board of education to use it to award grants to public schixil teachers.
Schixil districts across the state are struggling with budget cuts created by the revenue
shortfall," Shumate, D-Tulsa, said.
I his legislation allows taxpayers and corporations to contribute to the form on their
income tax or corporate tax form. In a year when the state is in better shape, I plan to push
tor greater education funding. But this year, I’m pushing tor this funding mechanism that
will allow Oklahomans to voluntarily contribute to their schools.
House Bill 1852 passed the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Rev-
enue ...
Committee.
Lawmakers Approve Eminent Domain Bill
OKLAHOMA CITY - Lawmakers approved legislation today that would ensure Okla-
homans who lose property due to a city or other authority's use of eminent domain have
the right to buy back any part of the property that goes unused.
House lawmakers showed their support of property owners who have lost property
through the use of eminent domain,'' Ownbey, R-Ardmore, said.
"Mv legislation gives a property owner the first right to buy back property acquired
through eminent domain. 1 think it will not hurt those entities using eminent domain, but
w ill benefit those individuals who have had to give up their property."
House Bill 1226 would also require the city or authority to send the original owner a
notice of the right to buy back the property at either its original price or, if it had lost value,
at the current appraised value The original owner or his or her heirs would have 90 days
to claim the right to purchase the property
' t ow ner ample time to buy
undue burden on the citv or authority that has acquired
ready for day care each
morning and watches her
after school until her mother
returns from work. But
Chloe after Olmstead went to everyone pitches in a little,
prison. But when the DHS whether it's finding Chloe's
caseworker saw how much missing toys or fixing her
progress Olmstead had made peanut butter and jelly
head to the’bus stop to catch at Center Point: getting sober,
keeping a job at a hotel she See WOMEN IN PRISON. P.6
A study found that three major African American publications
had 12% more advertisements for cigarettes than magazines
targeted to the general public. You may not be able to keep big
tobacco out of your favorite magazine, but you can keep it out
of your lungs, your wallet, your family, and your life. Every day
the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline helps people quit tobacco
use, for good Today can be your day to take back control.
The
week of
sion was a
busy one with
lots of heated
debate on the Senate floor
on various issues
particular was
Hailee Bullock has suggested it would be possi-
wiped the jelly off 3-year-old ble for her to win back
Chloe's face and dressed her
care because Chloe's
mom,
to be at work before most of
the others were awake.
Chloe is the first child of ter Point before a judge, and
an Oklahoma convict to live IXX officials signed off on
who've completed the with her mother while still in granting Olmstead custody
IXX custody, a solution pro-
a Department of
Human Services caseworker
charged with Chloe's well-
Chloe's
parental rights were termi-
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The Oklahoma Eagle (Tulsa, Okla.), Vol. 91, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, March 18, 2011, newspaper, March 18, 2011; Tulsa, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1807316/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.