Sunday, October 29, 2006

I feel a need to apologize

I guess I can't speak for everyone in Oklahoma. In fact I probably speak for a pretty small number. In any case, I would like to apologize to the nation and probably the world for our senator Dr. Tom Crossword Coburn. Sen. Dr. Tom (or Dr. Sen. Tom) has taken the praise he received for standing against the "Bridge to Nowhere" Bill ( a stand which I also applaud by the way) and parlayed it into a position as sheriff of the spending police in DC.

According to The Oklahoman he is currently single-handedly (would that be the ultimate deinition of unilateral?) holding bills back from the Senate floor that will pour money into such wasteful projects as breast cancer research, keeping released inmates from becoming homeless, and providing money (all of $50 million) to local food banks to help improve operations and coordinate efforts (S.1120). This last one especially blows my mind in light of the reality that OK ranks first in the nation per capita for food insecurity (put that in a commerical Gov. Henry - we're #1!)

Sen. Coburn has stated repeatedly that the money belongs to the taxpayers and shouldn't be thrown away frivilously. Which I'm sure he considered as he offered his commendation about the signing of the bill to create a 700 mile fence (along the 1951 mile US / Mexico border) that doesn't have a final cost, but the "down payment" on which is 1.2 billion.

Dr. Coburn is a strong advocate of the sanctity of human life. Someone needs to inform him that this sanctity should include the lives of former inmates and hungry people. Or maybe someone needs to give him a new crossword puzzle book so he can get back to what really matters.

Back into hiding.
J