Oklahoma

Oklahoma politics launched with constitutional chaos

Published

3 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma politics launched with constitutional chaos

If you haven’t been paying attention, the Oklahoma Legislature is back in session and headed for its homestretch. Look at all the cowboy hats.

The governor, the attorney general and the “education” guy are in place and doing their respective things. Here, one may say, we are going again.

Throw in negotiations with sovereign tribal nations, and we’re guaranteed snits, spats and to-dos aplenty. Sometimes I feel sorry for my son, who covers the Capitol every week and writes some sort of newsletter, among other things.

Of course, if the Oklahoma Legislature looks like chaos — well, that’s how our state got started at the turn of the last century.

A microcosm of our initial population?

First, when America furthered its frontier West into more and more Indigenous territory, the area had land runs. Chaos on the hoof. Then, the white folks started calling for statehood. Eleven years passed before there were enough people living here for the place to qualify.

Republicans were in control in Washington, and their feet dragged on the question of statehood because they feared Oklahoma would be a Democratic stronghold, and they wanted time to build Republican power here, via political appointments and whatnot.

So, we were tools before we were tools.

Anyhow, along came the Oklahoma Enabling Act of June 16, 1906, which wrote the recipe to be followed in the creation of a new state.

The so-called Twin Territories — Oklahoma and Indian — were to be joined, and each would send 55 delegates (plus two from the Osage Nation) to a constitutional convention in Guthrie, a Republican outpost that was, according to the Enabling Act, to be the state’s capital until at least 1913.

The convention first met on Nov. 20, 1906. Of the 112 delegates, 100 were Democrats, and that was it for Republicans until the first coming of Henry Bellmon.

About the delegates, we know this: Their average age was 43. Among them stood 47 farmers, 27 lawyers, 12 businessmen, six preachers, three teachers, two physicians and one student. Besides them, the wag would say, 14 other people with no visible means of support also attended.

Was that a microcosm of our initial population? Hard to say. I am told even fewer lawyers and physicians serve in the Legislature now, but the teacher and preacher numbers have climbed.

A populist fear of centralized power

The president of the 1906 constitutional convention was none other than that soon-to-be nationally known bigot, crackpot and whatnot named William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray.

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He began the proceedings by having the delegates join together in singing Nearer, My God to Thee, the hymn that would be played six years later on the deck of the sinking Titanic.

Perhaps Murray had a premonition, and not about a big boat.

The convention produced a 45,000-word constitution that President Theodore Roosevelt hated because Democrats had written it, but no legal reason existed for rejecting it because the document followed the stipulations of the Enabling Act to the letter. (I forbear particulars, except to note that in Oklahoma you cannot have more than one spouse at a time. Having them serially is another matter, but the Legislature works on that, from time to time.)

The Oklahoma Constitution was praised for its populist and progressive content, with many provisions limiting centralized control and empowering the Legislature as the institution most responsive to the will of the people.

Scholars wrote about it, but nit-pickers were not silent, complaining that the document was too detailed. Good grief, the thing even specified the flash point of kerosene, a provision designed to prevent corporate greed error that could result in towns burning to the ground if it were cut with cheaper fuels. Such atrocity had happened elsewhere.

A constitutional convention redo? Be careful what you wish for

From time to time, the electorate is invited to help remove outdated parts of the Oklahoma Constitution.

I recall the election in which the section requiring state payments to widows of Civil War veterans was excised. Someone had noticed that, on account of the passage of time, there were no such widows left.

Over the decades, voters have been asked to decide several questions related to the Oklahoma Constitution, which has been amended more than 200 times. In recent years, we have voted on liquor laws (twice), marijuana laws (twice, to different results), the separation of church and state, expanding Medicaid coverage, modifying school funding options, and whether to elect the governor and lieutenant governor jointly.

The results have hardly painted a straight ideological line.

I learned recently that Cherokee Nation citizens will be asked this June whether to call their own convention for revision of the tribe’s constitution. Various Oklahoma political factions sometimes float the idea of a new state constitutional convention as well.

If the state were to have a new constitutional convention, every moron in America with something to suggest would show up and try to participate, just as Carry Nation lobbied the original convention to prohibit consumption of alcohol. Ultimately, Gov. Charles Haskell successfully pushed the proposal as a separate article to be approved months later, and prohibition continued in Oklahoma for a quarter of a century after the rest of the country had reversed course.

By that measure, our path to Medicaid expansion felt relatively quick. Nonetheless, calling a new constitutional convention in Oklahoma would revive the recipe for chaos, to be sure. These days, 45,000 words would hardly do it.

In the meantime, perhaps the best we can hope for is legislators whose mothers taught them it’s impolite to wear your cowboy hat in the House — or the Senate.

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Oklahoma

Why Oklahoma State recruited Gunnar Wilson at linebacker before he played the position

Published

2 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Press Room

Why Oklahoma State recruited Gunnar Wilson at linebacker before he played the position

MELISSA, Texas — Gunnar Wilson has entered his linebacker era.

Since first playing football at the age of 6, Wilson has played nearly every position on the field.

But his experience at linebacker was minimal when college coaches like Oklahoma State assistant Joe Bob Clements suddenly began recruiting him to be one.

Set to enroll at OSU in June with the remaining newcomers of the 2024 recruiting class, Wilson’s future became quite clear as his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame was developing late in his junior season at Melissa High School.

But the journey to get there was far from direct.

For a couple years in elementary school, Wilson was so much bigger than his teammates that he found himself on the offensive line. By junior high, he was still one of the bigger kids for his age, but this time, he landed on the defensive line. At other times, he’s been a quarterback, a running back and a defensive back.

As a sophomore and junior at Melissa, Wilson earned various all-state honors as a tight end, even though he was a bit undersized for the position at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. In his junior season, he also played five games at safety, totaling 40 tackles and two interceptions — but more importantly, providing game tape as a defensive player.

“I guess they saw my length and my ability to run sideline-to-sideline from the safety position, and that’s what they liked,” Wilson said of the OSU coaches, who extended an offer before Wilson had ever played a game at linebacker. “OSU didn’t even come see me play linebacker in spring because I was hurt.”

More: Life ‘coming full circle’ as Oklahoma State football recruits former star Tatum Bell’s son

The Cowboys weren’t the only ones to offer Wilson a scholarship without seeing him play the position. By the time he committed to OSU last June, he had 13 offers, with only one — from Texas-San Antonio — as a tight end.

Wilson finished his senior season with 88 tackles in 12 games, but piled up multiple double-digit tackle games late in the season as he began to really settle into the new position.

Playing closer to the line of scrimmage, he combined the physicality he learned playing tight end, and the field vision he gained at safety to be a wrecking ball at outside linebacker.

Though his experience as a linebacker isn’t deep, Wilson believes the knowledge he has gained playing so many different positions is a bigger benefit.

“I can see the whole field and anticipate what’s about to happen,” he said. “I pay attention to the down and distance every play and I can put myself in the right situation.

“My football IQ allows me to be in the right spot to make the right plays.”

Because of the way he has grown into his body, Wilson’s speed stands out.

He played baseball and ran track previously in high school, but is focused on adding muscle this spring. Following the training plan provided by the OSU strength staff, he says he’s added more than 10 pounds since the end of football season.

“I’ve focused on a lot of skills training and in the weight room instead of running on the track,” he said. “But I’m fine showing up like this in June, because they’ll probably cut 5 pounds off me then add 10 back.

“I’m just excited to get there. They’re always competing to go to the Big 12 Championship, and now, hopefully, the playoff.”

More: Oklahoma State football recruiting tracker: Which players are committed to 2025 class?

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Oklahoma

Podcast: Dallas Mavericks hold off Oklahoma City Thunder, 105-101

Published

9 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Podcast: Dallas Mavericks hold off Oklahoma City Thunder, 105-101

The Dallas Mavericks sent a defensive message on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-101. They took a 2-1 series lead in the second-round playoff matchup. Following the game, Josh Bowe and I break down the effort.

This was a pretty incredible game for Dallas where in the first half, they just could not hit a shot, shooting under 40% from the field and around 25% from three. The only bright spot was P.J. Washington staying red hot and pouring in the points. The Dallas defense was so good though, they hung around and stayed within a point of the Thunder for halftime despite their poor shooting.

We record a postgame show every Dallas game Live on YouTube! Click and Subscribe!

At the start of the second half it seemed like things might slip away from the Mavericks as the Thunder put together an impressive 11-0 run. Dallas answered right back with a 16-0 run of their own. The Mavericks would control the game from that point on, but it was a very tense finish, which involved Hack-a-Lively and some strong defensive stands from the Mavericks. Dallas walked away with an impressive win.

We also talk about the efforts of PJ Washington, the strong play from Josh Green, and more. After this show, I held a secondary podcast where fans joined to give their opinion on the game. This was an awesome time, you should join next time!

You can listen to our latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.

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Oklahoma State Basketball Four-Star Signee Rises in Updated Rankings

Published

16 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma State Basketball Four-Star Signee Rises in Updated Rankings

The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball roster has seen some turnover this offseason. This isn’t foreign in college basketball, though. Every program in the sport is dealing with it. This is the current era of college athletics, and college basketball roster building has changed because of it.

With the Cowboys parting ways with Mike Boynton, the program’s head coach for the past seven seasons, Oklahoma State and Steve Lutz had to fill out their roster. With Boynton departing, many of his incredible recruits followed suit. Not four-star signee Jeremiah Johnson, though. He stayed committed to Oklahoma State.

Johnson, as mentioned, is a four-star recruit. He was a big commit to Boynton’s 2024 class, and it’s good for the program that he’s still headed to Stillwater. In the recent 247Sports recruit rankings update, Johnson’s overall ranking received a bump.

Previously ranked as the No. 141 prospect in the nation, Johnson saw a two-spot increase, now being ranked No. 139 in the nation. He’s the No. 13 point guard in the class and the No. 8 prospect in Arizona. Still, Johnson’s commitment to Oklahoma State is incredible, helping Lutz have a head start in recruitment and roster building ahead of this fall.

Johnson is an Oklahoma native, and the Cowboys secured his commitment last fall, beating out Oklahoma, TCU and SMU. He’s since moved around during his high school basketball career, spending time in both Utah and Phoenix.

The four-star guard averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game this past season in high school. The talented 6-foot-3 guard reaffirmed his commitment to Lutz and the Pokes after Boynton was fired.

“When I came to Oklahoma State, of course I came for who was coaching, but I also came for the community and just wanting to play in an Oklahoma State jersey, just wanting to always do that,” Johnson told the Pistols Firing Blog last month.

Johnson cited that the program retaining Keiton Page was huge, and helped in his decision to remain committed.

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