Guest Columnists

Guest Contributor: Oklahoma Hospitals Have Only Themselves to Blame for the Current Staffing Crisis

February 7, 2022

by Shane Smith, Guest Contributor

Oklahomans are hearing quite a bit about “overwhelmed hospitals” these days from hospital administrators and the various public health officials who appear keen on perpetuating the COVID pandemic indefinitely. The public is rightfully afraid, because this is the only real information that they come into contact with surrounding COVID in our state. But how much is the truth, and how much better would their understanding be with the help of a little context?

Here is some much-needed context that is almost never mentioned. The two graphs below show the hospitalization and ICU rates for Oklahoma’s hospitals, from August 2020 to mid-January 2022:

**Figure 1:** Graph showing hospital capacity utilization in Oklahoma as of 14 January 2022.

**Figure 2:** Statewide ICU bed utilization for Oklahoma as of 14 January 2022.

These graphs are from Rational Grounds’ incredibly useful tool that is found on their website. Anyone can use it. The orange waves are COVID, dark blue total patient occupancy, and light blue represents staffed beds. Does this look like a crisis to you? Just to be fair, lets look at ICU occupancy in Oklahoma County, where many of our state’s major hospitals operate:

**Figure 3:** Oklahoma County ICU bed utilization as of 14 January 2022.

Essentially identical to the rest of the state. Now, look at that light blue line. That represents staffed beds. If we are truly in a pandemic, how much effort have the largest hospitals in this state made to increase staffed beds to meet what they deem to be a crisis? Four of Oklahoma City’s largest hospitals (OU Health, SSM St. Anthony, Mercy, Integris) appear determined to ratchet the state of fear into the stratosphere. But have they done anything to increase their ability to handle a crisis-level patient load? These hospitals insist that they are in crisis, however, according to the CDC these hospitals have been on the receiving end of millions in COVID relief funds. Integris Baptist Medical Center received $17.7 million, Mercy hospital received over $20 million, Integris Bass Baptist Health Center received $26.4 million, SSM Healthcare of Oklahoma received a $39.8 million, and OU Medicine received a whopping $70 million. How much of this went to increasing capacity? From the looks of the above graphs, not much. So where did it go?

The public has been forced to endure somber “joint news conferences” from these hospitals regarding their various crises. “It feels and sometimes even looks like a warzone”, said Integris CMO Julie Watson in a recent news article. This is reckless language coming from someone who knows better, and no one among our major media outlets even questions it. It appears that the largest Oklahoma newspapers act as nothing more than stenographers for these hospital administrators.

Another big question that needs to be answered is this: how many staff members from these hospitals have been fired for declining the COVID vaccine? If this is truly a crisis, would these hospitals do something so reckless as this? Would they not do everything in their capacity to not only retain the highest trained employees but bring on as many new personnel as possible? Instead, the state has called on active duty military medical personnel to help ease the staffing loads. Would this have been necessary if the hospital systems would have focused on hiring and retention instead of endless fearmongering?

One more graph for the road, one that visualizes pediatric COVID hospitalizations. I’ve highlighted August 21^st, since this was roughly when schools reopened statewide, almost all without a mask mandate. Remember, if you will, the “sky will fall!” cries from hospitals and public health officials, who warned us of impending doom if our governor didn’t declare a state of emergency and implement strict mask mandates. This is what really happened:

**Figure 4:** Pediatric hospitalization trends for Oklahoma in 2021.

Just look at that dramatic decline in childhood hospitalizations up to late December, even as the vast majority of the state’s children returned to mask-free, in-person school. There was never going to be a crisis. Yet Pfizer has now asked the CDC to approved the Covid “vaccine” for children as young as 6 months old.

Everyone currently crying wolf over the latest COVID crisis has been wrong at every juncture of the pandemic. We need to remember that, and refuse to allow them to hide behind their credentials. Don’t just take their word for it. Demand evidence.

– Shane Smith is a pro-liberty writer based out of Norman, OK. He currently writes a quarterly article for the Oklahoma Constitution.

Currency or Money? Dollars or Precious Metals? Has America’s Lack of Monetary Education Resulted in an Unlimited License to Print and Lie?

January 22, 2022

by Dr. Eric Snyder

Growing up in Southwestern Pennsylvania, I distinctly remember hearing about and seeing the remnants of a once-bustling industrial area. The recreational athletics field that I spent many evenings playing on, was lined with old coke ovens. Behind the field, was “glass mountain”, which was really a hill that the old glass factories (Bryce Brothers, Lenox, and L.E. Smith) of the region would use to dispose of product errors. Yes, many sports balls were flattened when kicked or thrown over the goals and fencing in the area. Perhaps, Wilson or Adidas should have located their ball factory near this complex as we certainly were repeating customers.

**Figure 1:** 1936 Coke Oven in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday evenings, throughout middle school and high school, a group of fathers would “attempt” to play soccer on the fields. The truth was these men were really looking forward to the event at Sub and Pub after playing, a small, family-owned establishment (Sub n Pub was a small, family owned restaurant/bar). Upon arrival, the dads would buy us “kids” chicken wings and food, while they downed a beer and talked about current events. It was around these tables that I was educated on political issues, local government, and the talk of the town. This was also the location I remember hearing the old adage that “cash is king” for the first time.

When in middle school and high school, I was naive enough to believe much of what I was told. At that time, I certainly lacked the skills necessary to conduct research into the commentary of my teachers and community members. Unfortunately, it took me another decade to begin to question the “value” of cash, and how our monetary system worked in the United States and the world. What I have found to be true resulted in a paradigm shift for me as I realized how little I knew. I never really delved into the history of money and its impact on our lives until I started reading books on silver and gold. If you want an excellent lesson, and enjoy video much more than reading, I would encourage individuals to watch “Mike Maloney’s-The Hidden Secrets of Money” as these short films provide basic monetary education that you will not learn in Keynesianbusiness schools at universities in the United States.

Given the importance of this topic, I would also encourage readers to visit and join Reddit-Wallstreetsilver where Ivan Bayoukhi and Jim Lewis have done an incredible job educating the public on sound money and the importance of physical silver as an asset class. The group has grown to 177,000 + members in less than 12 months. I believe this group combined with other leaders in the industry will make the Gamestop and the Wallstreetbets movement look elementary once the market manipulation ends. The Reddit page has a wealth of knowledge and the “apes” who support its existence share a passion for precious metals, specifically silver.

Subsequently, the goal of this article is to shed light on what has taken me years to read and think about as the United States’ ever-expanding currency has impacted so many of my friends, family members, and work colleagues without them realizing the game. Please note the information provided in this essay is not financial advice, but rather educational.

Purchase Power, Debt, Financial Literacy, and Monetary Backing

Since 1913, the U.S Federal Reserve Note has lost an incredible amount of purchasing power as shown in Figure 1. Are your dollars paying for fewer items at the grocery store lately? On January 18th, 2022 a gallon of Vitamin D Organic Horizon Milk at Walmart in Oklahoma cost $8.02 after tax. In Oklahoma, our minimum wage is sitting at $7.25 hr?

**Figure 2:** Dollar in 1913 and Equivalent Value today.

What about gas prices, electricity, the car market, or the inflated housing market which results in inflated homeowners’ insurance, taxes, and a continued ripple effect? Regardless of the political party, it is clear the competency of our “elected” officials is either woefully ignorant or purposefully sinister as most do not realize how the expansion of currency supply can result in a lack of purchasing power. But shouldn’t this be clear to anyone living in Oklahoma given our academic state standards for grades 7-12 requires Oklahomans to learn about “personal financial literacy?”

You see, this is where the definition of education blurs with indoctrination. It is important to me that it is on record that only one of our “personal financial literacy” state standards includes the word “money”:

PFL.7: The student will identify the procedures and analyze the responsibilities of borrowing money.

Yes, you read that correctly. The standard is not about learning what money is or what money has been historically? and Why? It is instead important that your children learn about how one would borrow money and the responsibilities associated with these sources of credit. Is it any wonder that U.S. FAFSA student loan debt is above 1.6 trillion with 42 million Americans having some form of a federal student loan? Does this not concern everyone? Especially because this debt is not forgiven in bankruptcy court.

**Figure 3:** Education Data Initiatives Average Federal Student Loan Debt Balance.

To make matters worse, how many of the students who are taking out federal student loans, realize the dollars they borrow have already been loaned to U.S. citizens? Don’t believe me? Take a dollar out of your pocket and read the words FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE. A NOTE is a loan, not an interest-free gift from your generous family member or the U.S. treasury through our elected officials and taxpayer funds. The complexity associated with how the money is printed, allocated and dispersed warrants an entire book but if Americans knew the process, I do not believe they would willingly participate.

**Figure 4:** Images of a $100 Federal Reserve Note printed for the United States of America.

Is it crazy to think our ever-expanding government would not want school children or the populace to know the definition of money and how it works? What about the distinction between money and currency? Would it not be advantageous to educate our children on the history of fiat currencies? Should the people in this country know who controls the currency supply in the United States? Is our currency backed by hard assets? Do our elected officials control the printing press? These questions are critical to know as their answers dictate how our society functions and whether we as citizens agree to play by the monetary rules that have been manifested upon us.

Why is it that Oklahoma students are literally required to learn about the “benefits of bankruptcy” and the “types of insurance” available to manage risk? But not one standard requires the students to learn the benefit of becoming their “own” bank and owning physical silver and gold. It is as if every single item within the state standards is written to enslave the population through debt and subsequent boom and bust cycles.

Did you know the derivation of the word mortgage is from Latin roots to mean “death-pledge”? I wonder if Governor Stitt is aware of the origin of the word as he seems to love underwriting death pledges to individuals. Couple that with his handling (or lack thereof) of Covid-19 in Oklahoma and election integrity and one would wonder if Governor Stitt really understands how Oklahomans live and the values they espouse. The majority of people in Oklahoma are pro-life which is why they wouldn’t cower to the pro-business crowd who puppeteer our elected officials through the Chamber of Commerce into silence. We should rename these entities to clarify what they really are, The Chambers of Control. All of this is disgusting at this point, and Oklahomans deserve so much better. This is the only reason I am writing this essay as I want to see Oklahomans thrive.

These government bureaucrats, who are controlled by bankers and the elite, will blame unions, farmers, non-union workers, our native population, technocrats, teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, truck drivers, private business owners, and others for price increases because they simply do not understand money or currency. They will pit our population against each other with rules for thee but not for me as what they tell others to do never applies to them. Imagine the popularity of an inverted Robin Hood movie where Robin steals from the poor and gives to the rich. Given the garbage we all are told to watch on television today, this Robin Hood movie would probably win an Academy Award. Goodness, I hope my diatribe is not falling on deaf ears.

But the truth is, stealing from the poor and giving to the rich is what our government in conjunction with the federal reserve and central banks does when they print paper dollars and “inflate” us with bad news. Milton Friedman explains inflation and its consequences in this excellent video. After watching Mr. Friedman, you will better understand why one of the most popular games in board game history, Monopoly, creates a reality where it is not possible for the bank to run out of money.

**Figure 5:** Rule 11 from Monopoly Game.

What is unfortunate, is the reality that a few of our large real-life banks seem to follow the same rules that apply in Monopoly. The result is the taxpayers of our country continuing to foot the bill, while the wealthy become wealthier. Did you see this article on wallstreetonparade.com that revealed the 4.5 trillion in 2019 loans to four large banks for reverse repo’s? As if that wasn’t problematic, a fire was ignited when I discovered that Wall Street Banks actually own the New York Fed?

What does this mean for our children? The United States now has numbers and accounts, not tangible assets, wealth, and industry like that of the past. Case in point, since January of 2020, the world’s 10 richest men doubled their wealth from $700 billion to 1.5 trillion. How many teachers received a raise? Do world leaders not realize that consciousness to structural inequality thresholds is essential in order to prevent total devastation within our societies? There is a point when the inequality threshold supersedes any political alignment as household expenses for food reach about 30-40% of take-home pay. This rule applies regardless of the governmental system (democracy, republic, dictatorship, etc.) in place as the populace will revolt and reset society. But maybe resetting society is really what these past two years has been about?

Let’s be honest, our leaders do understand, they know exactly what destabilizes our societies and how to divide us. This is exactly why Abraham Lincoln in conjunction with southern leaders, were heroes for their effort to reunite our nation after the Civil War. I realize these individuals were not perfect, but they knew our unity was strength, much like our family units. They also knew what real money was, as America’s founding fathers allowed the monetary system to be managed by the people with hard assets like gold and silver being used in commerce. This is why the following was adopted on June 21, 1778, when New Hampshire ratified and made legal our U.S. Constitution:

Article I Section 10, Clause 1:

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility (emphasis added)

The genius of these men is apparent, they knew it was essential that we had a monetary system that was fungible and controlled by the people. They also knew that wars required nations to rebuild infrastructure which required financing in the face of inflation. Who the financier is matters because those individuals then wield tremendous power, especially when every dollar printed results in an interest payment? After the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars, we know that inflation hit anywhere from 15-25% in the United States which continued the debate on how we would anchor our monetary system. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1890 book, not film) provided context for this debate as the yellow brick road was gold, the slippers were silver, and the Emerald City was the greenbacks. Oh, wouldn’t it be great to know who was behind the curtain pulling the strings at that time? I think many of us have an idea!

But back to the banks. Let us be clear that banks do run out of money and have run out of money many times historically. Remember the federal bailouts of 2008 that saved them? How about the bust in the 1980s in Oklahoma? Did banks close their doors?

The question is could this happen today as we enter into a super-inflationary period with hyperinflation forthcoming (30-40%)? It is not only possible, it is probably that we will experience hyperinflation much like that in Venezuela, Lebanon, and most recently Turkey. What makes the U.S dollar more susceptible to the perils of hyperinflation was the disconnection of the dollar from the gold standard in 1971 and the subsequent listing of gold and silver on the COMEX. At that point, an unlimited option to print was granted to the Federal Reserve.

Just last week, a family member sent me the image below of recent bank communication:

**Figure 6:** PNC Bank Email to Customers January 16th, 2022.

What if temporary branch closures result in a permanent closure and confiscation of your finances? Are you aware of federal bail-in laws that were put in place post in 2012? If not, ask the citizens of Cyprus about their experience with bail-ins! Our FDIC, visited with the Bank of England in a joint conference to discuss bail-in procedures should banks go insolvent or if there was a sovereign debt default due to a financial collapse. What does this mean for us common folk? Well, in short, the FDIC can now drain some of your account without having to compensate you as they were required to with the passage of Dodd-Frank. Yes, it is ridiculous.

The bankers know closing physical offices and virtually managing the banks protect them from “bank runs” for cash as they no longer become an option. Instead, central bank digital currencies (CBDC’s) can be implemented through the current system and eventually through blockchain technology to keep Americans happy with monthly stimulus checks. Do you really think this is not possible? To expand your thinking even more, do some research into Bitcoin, Craig Wright, Evergrande, MIT, Epstein, and Tether. It is amazing how they have convinced millions of individuals that cryptocurrency is decentralized and the way of the future. Once you realize the players involved, you will probably not want to own crypto anymore.

For those that have made a ton of money from crypto, I am genuinely happy for you and hope you make a positive change in the world with the funds! The technology that has evolved is incredible, but the original idea has been confiscated by wall street and the banks. For those who remain in the exchange, you should be aware that Russia’s Central Bank recently announced (1/20/2022) it may prohibit all cryptocurrencies in the country:

The status of the Russian ruble, which is not a reserve currency, does not allow Russia to take a soft approach or ignore the growing risks” from cryptocurrencies.”

China has also announced crackdowns along with the UK, Spain, and Singapore announcing limitations to advertising in the exchange. Do you believe world governments, be they totalitarian or not, will not regulate competing currencies? Of course they will.

So why do all of these facts being presented matter? Well, there have always been two metals that humans have utilize to stabilize our monetary systems. We know this from over 5000 years of documented history, including the revaluation of gold by the U.S. government in the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement. Is it not interesting how they asked American’s to turn in their gold years earlier and the subsequently reevaluated its worth to $35 an ounce to back all of the paper money? Could this happen again in order to back our U.S. dollar as the world reserve?

Gold and Silver are from the earth, they are hard assets with a finite supply (meaning you can’t print them to infinity). While CNBC, FINRA financial advisors, and bankers continue to tell you to invest in the stock market, mutual funds and money markets the question becomes what are they doing with their money? We know that answer as nations and central banks all over the world continue to buy gold and silver at rates we haven’t seen for decades! Do they know the suppression of their value through the Comex is coming to an end? Will the wallstreetsilver reddit group help change the course of monetary history like the Hunt Brothers attempted to do in the 1980’s?

These two commodities are already the world currency. Gold and silver maintain value regardless of where you are on earth. If I fly to Cambodia tomorrow with a U.S. Gold Eagle, I can exchange the ounce for roughly the same amount of fiat dollars as I would in the United States. This is why I know if “Cash is King” like the soccer dads told me, our founding fathers knew that Bonds were the Queen, but more importantly they knew, without question, that the Emperor is Gold, and the Emperor’s Queen is Silver. These two metals have withstood the test of time and their use in the future is essential to the stabilization of the USA and our monetary system.

So, what is your homework?

Watch the Hidden Secrets of Money by Mike Maloney and consider buying his book.
Join Reddit – Wallstreetsilver and learn about real money and silver squeeze. The silver squeeze one-year anniversary is January 29th, 2022. Buy an ounce and support the movement! Warning–it can be addictive.
The U.S. dollars purchasing power has been obliterated since 1913 loosing 90%+.
Start following wallstreetparade.com as I believe they are the best investigative journalist in the financial industry.
Oklahoma State Standards for personal financial literacy do nothing to teach our children or community what money actually is and how to become financially independent.
Few U.S. Business schools teach Austrian Economics and instead focus on Keynesian. The result is boom and bust, rinse and repeat.
U.S. Student Loan Debt is one of the multiple bubbles ready to pop in the next boom and bust cycle. The forthcoming everything bubble will require a currency reset (housing, student loan debt, credit card debt, etc).
Much like the game of Monopoly, our banks seem to have an endless supply of money. At some point, this will end.
To protect yourself from inflation and the devaluation of the currency, purchase gold and silver.
The U.S. Constitution Article 1 Section 10 Clause 1 defines legal tender as gold and silver. Central banks and nations states continue to deal in gold and silver which is why the new Basel III rules are important.
Encourage your legislature to support recent bills by Rep. Sean Roberts, HB 3681, and Senator Dahm SB 1480 as these bills can help protect Oklahomans.
Be aware of the crypto market news as the tides are turning. When monetary and stock market collapses occur, you can’t catch up!

Last but not least, I encourage you to watch this short video that quickly explains the silver squeeze movement. If you would like more articles on monetary history, click here to email the Editor-in-Chief and put “MORE MONEY” in the subject line.

Dr. Everett Piper: Oklahoma’s politicians conservative in name only

December 13, 2021

Photo by: Sue Ogrocki. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt looks back at the needle after looking away while being administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following a news conference about opening vaccine eligibility on March 29, 2021, in Oklahoma City.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Washington Times. It is republished here with the author’s permission. You can read the original article here.

OPINION

Dr. Everett Piper, Guest Columnist

It’s morning in America, and once again, Oklahoma, “the reddest of red states” – a state that hasn’t had one county vote blue in the past four successive presidential elections – is proving that its elected leaders are not nearly as conservative as they pretend to be.

Consider the following.

In October, Oklahoma’s Governor issued this statement: “President Biden’s vaccine mandate…is not just federal overreach. It’s unconstitutional…This administration has no respect for individual freedoms. I can’t believe we have a president who wants to force Americans to choose between a vaccine and their job… Getting the vaccine is a personal choice, period…”

Governor Stitt then went on, however, to add this, “Just as I believe, Joe Biden can’t tell businesses they have to mandate a vaccine. I don’t believe the government should tell a company. They can’t. Businesses should have the freedom to make decisions based on their circumstances….”

What could possibly be wrong with all this, you ask?

Well, Kevin Stitt just told all Oklahomans that while it is wrong for the federal government to meddle in the affairs of private businesses, there is absolutely nothing untoward with private businesses meddling in the affairs of private citizens. In other words, federal overreach into the privacy of our personal lives is abhorrent, but corporate over-reach is not.

This is two-faced and duplicitous, and no true conservative would ever hold this view.

At the end of the day, my health records, and yours, are nobody else’s business.

They are not the governor’s business. They are not my employer’s business. They are not the Chamber of Commerce’s business. They are my records, represent my personal decisions, and should be kept private. Period!

Whether it be run by Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, or the CEOs of Devon Energy, ConocoPhillips, or Walmart, no company should ever be permitted to force anyone to disclose their medical records as a condition of employment.

Just stop and think about it. Even if you’re a staunch proponent of capitalism and free enterprise (Which I am! I actually founded an academic institute under such a banner when I was a college president, my land), I assume you would agree that no employer should ever be empowered to know, for example, if you’re pregnant, or whether or not you use contraception, or if you’ve ever been treated for an STD?

What if you’ve undergone counseling and currently have a prescription for antidepressants? What if you have cancer? What if your family history predisposes you to heart disease, and you presently take statins as a preventive measure?

How about if you were prescribed Ritalin for hyperactivity, ADD, or ADHD when you were an adolescent? What if you have a degenerative spinal disease and you’ve had back surgery to fend off the inevitable?

Should any employer, private or public, be able to force you to disclose any of this? Should you be subject to termination if you don’t comply?

I surely hope your answer to all the above is, No!

If you have an elected representative who says, out of one side of his mouth, that he “opposes federal vaccine mandates” because they are “unconstitutional” but who then turns around and tells you that “private” employers have the legal right to make such mandates a condition of your employment, then you have elected someone who is bold-faced telling you that Bill Gates’ rights always trump yours.

Such a person is not a true constitutionalist, and he does not represent you but rather represents your boss. He is doing the bidding of crony capitalists while telling all of us common folks – you know, us deplorable rubes – that our rights be damned.

Where in our Constitution does it say that businesses have more rights than individuals? When did we ever decide that the billionaire boys club has unilateral authority over our bodily autonomy, medical records, and personal privacy?

This oligarchical intrusion into our private lives must stop. If Republican voters don’t hold “Republican” politicians to account, we will soon find ourselves under the thumb of a bunch of unelected “Republican” elitists hellbent on making it impossible for us to buy and sell and even earn a daily wage.

In 1928 German companies boycotted Jews by telling them that anyone not wearing a yellow star would be denied the right to work and engage in daily business transactions. By Governor Stitt‘s logic, these private business owners had the “right” to do all this. Today, unvaccinated Americans are in danger of being treated the exact same way. “Show your mark or lose your job!” And our “conservative” politicians stand on the sidelines and applaud.

Maybe Governor Stitt and his lemmings in the Oklahoma Senate would do well to refresh their memory on the story of Pandora’s Box. Ideas have consequences, and many of them are unintended.

– Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Daycare: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery) and, most recently, “Grow Up: Life Isn’t Safe, But It’s Good.” He is currently a candidate for Commissioner in Osage County, Oklahoma.

Aslan Is On The Move: The Son is always stronger than winter

November 29, 2021

Illustration on Aslan and Christmas by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Washington Times. It is republished here with the author’s permission. You can read the original article here.

OPINION

Dr. Everett Piper, Guest Columnist

Thanksgiving is past, and Advent is once again upon us. Yet, the daily headlines prove our world is a broken mess, one that we are apparently helpless to fix.

The conflict we face between our dreams and reality can cause a peculiar mix of emotions. Gratitude is mixed with grief. Anticipation gives way to antipathy. Fortitude is compromised by fear.

This tension is addressed in one of my favorite stories from C.S. Lewis. It’s found in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” It’s the story of the Pevensie children as they stand bewildered and confused in a land they do not recognize as their own.

If you recall, Lucy, Peter, Edmond, Susan entered Narnia through the portal of a wardrobe, and as they did, they found themselves in a winter wonderland of sorts. It was white and cold. The lamppost glowed somberly in a windless forest blanketed with snow.

At first glance, it all seems beautiful – but something is missing. This land is nearly lifeless, and the few creatures the children encounter are suspicious and paranoid. There is no joy.

The kids then meet two talking animals, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, by which they are told that Narnia is under the spell of an evil witch. Everything is pale. Everything is cold. Every moment is governed by fear rather than hope. Every day is as if it is “always winter but never Christmas.” This is the description of life under the witch’s rule. This is simply a land of despair and defeat.

There is, however, more to the story. In the midst of Mr. Beaver’s description of the evil spell, the children hear sleigh bells ringing in the distance. At first, they are sure this is the sound of the witch’s return, and they hide.

But it’s not the witch. No, the driver of the sleigh is a giant of a man dressed all in red with a white beard flowing down over the breast of his ample robe. It is Father Christmas!

“I have broken through at last,” cries Christmas. “She has kept me out for a long time, but her magic is weakening.” This is a time of love, not hate, giving, not getting, goodness, not greed. Remember that light always diminishes darkness, warmth always melts what is cold, and the Son is always stronger than winter.

Aslan is on the move. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. He is the light of men. He shines in the darkness, and he has made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hilaire Belloc says it well: “Do not, I beseech you, be troubled about the increase of forces already in dissolution. You have mistaken the hour of the night. It is already morning.”

Conserving Thanksgiving: Some ideas need no rebuttal, no debate and just need to be conserved.

November 25, 2021

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Washington Times. It is republished here with the author’s permission. You can read the original article here.

OPINION

Dr. Everett Piper, Guest Columnist

One of the principles of conservativism is conserving things. Conservatives are conservationists. Yes, we believe in clean air and clean water. Yes, we believe in hugging a tree once in a while or maybe even an owl or a whale. We manage our livestock and land well, not just out of prudency but because of principle. We know that one of God’s first charges to mankind was to be good stewards of God’s creation. Conservatives conserve what we have been given. Conservatives conserve what is ours.

In addition to understanding the value of our fields and our streams, conservatives recognize something else just as important to human existence. We believe in the importance of ideas, and we hold that they too should be conserved.

Certain truths should simply be left untouched and honored. Like a good wine, some concepts get better with age. They have stood the test of time. They have been defended by reason. They have been confirmed by revelation. They have been validated by experience. Some ideas have been so vigorously vetted and well stated that they should be left unedited and approached with humility and respect. Some things should just be conserved and not changed.

As we prepare to celebrate this upcoming Thursday with our family and friends, we have one of those ideas before us.

Consider the following.

“The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

“In the midst of [strife] … which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggressions, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict …

“Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defenses, have not [yet substantially] arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.

“Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

“And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.”
— Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863

Some ideas stand-alone; strong, secure, immutable, enduring and true.

“Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens… Offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for His singular deliverances and blessings… Humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience… Fervently implore the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation.”

Some ideas need no rebuttal.

Some ideas need no debate.

Some ideas just need to be conserved.

Happy Thanksgiving!

America Needs a Few Good Men

November 15, 2021

“Masculinity just might be the cure for all that ails us rather than the cause.”
Dr. Everett Piper

OPINION

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Washington Times. It is republished here with the author’s permission. You can read the original article here.

Dr. Everett Piper, Guest Columnist

This past week, Sen. Josh Hawley, the man Simon & Schuster canceled for daring to criticize cancel culture, once again inspired the ire of our nation’s intelligentsia. What was the senator’s crime this time? He dared to champion “manhood” and urged men to act like men.

Let’s consider Mr. Hawley‘s own words.

Last month, in an address given to the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando, Florida, Mr. Hawley challenged what he called the trend of American men to withdraw into “enclave[s] of idleness” as the result of being taught that their “manhood is the problem.”

This week, in an interview with Breitbart, the senator elaborated. “I just think the left does not want to own up to the fact that their broadside against America also involves an attack on American men…. ”

When asked by Axios to define “a man,” Hawley responded, “A man is a father, a man is a husband, a man is somebody who takes responsibility.”

He then added, “When you tell men that to be assertive, to be independent, [and] to exercise the kind of qualities that … have been widely observed [as positive attrubtes] in men for millennia; [When you teach them that masculinity] is inherently problematic … I think it’s paralyzing to young men. I mean, it leaves them with a profound crisis of action, a profound crisis of identity, and I think that’s one of the reasons why you see them withdrawing … and I think that’s bad. I mean, men not taking responsibility for the children that they father is bad, men dropping out of the workforce is bad, men not supporting the women that they say they love is bad … “

Well, you guessed it, as predictable as the sunrise, the smart folks on the left responded to Mr. Hawley‘s common sense by losing their mind.

The Guardian’s Arwa Mahdawi, is one example. In her “The Week in Patriarchy,” she conceded that American men are in crisis but then argued that those who embrace traditional masculinity “are worse off than the men who don’t.” Her reasoning? Well, apparently, males who conform to historical gender roles are much less interested in psychological services than those who do not. One has to wonder how Ms. Mahdawi misses the obvious: Perhaps the reason traditional men don’t seek therapy as frequently as those emasculated by her progressive pablum is because they don’t need it.

The Washington Post’s Paul Waldman piled on by calling for Mr. Hawley to support “adequate child care” if the senator truly believes in helping young boys grow up to become responsible adults. We can only assume that by “child care,” Mr. Waldman means the kind of “care” foisted upon us by an overbearing government as opposed to the care given by a responsible father. You know, the kind of “care” brought courtesy of LBJ’s Great Society; the kind of “care” that resulted in more devastation to the Black family than anything Bull Connor could have ever dreamed of; you know, that kind of “care.”

In 1960, only 10% of children were raised without a father in the home. Today, the number is 40% and climbing. It is 70% within the Black community. Half of last year’s births among millennials were to unwed mothers, and just shy of 50% of this same group now reports that they don’t believe a child needs both a father and a mother to grow up happy.

A mountain of data (otherwise known as empirical evidence for those who pretend to be so interested in following the science) proves that this is not a good thing. Here’s just a sampling of what the research says about a masculine presence (aka a father) in a child’s life.

Children in father-absent homes are more likely to be poor. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 44% of children in mother-only families live in poverty, compared to only 12% of the boys and girls living in a household headed by a married couple.

Children with responsible fathers do better in school. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students whose dads are highly involved are 43% more likely to receive top grades in class.

Children without fathers are more likely to go to jail. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one of the most predictive variables in incarceration is fatherless homes. Thirty-nine percent of all inmates say they were raised in a mother-only household before being locked up.

The list goes on and on. Children without fathers are more likely to abuse drugs. Children without fathers are more likely to be obese. Children without fathers are more likely to be promiscuous. Children without fathers are more likely to sire more children without fathers.

The conclusion for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear is, frankly, quite simple. Masculinity just might be the cure for all that ails us rather than the cause. And thank the Lord for men like Sen. Josh Hawley who are willing to say so.

– Dr. Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Daycare: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery) and, most recently, “Grow Up: Life Isn’t Safe, But It’s Good.”

Time to fight for your kids, their souls are in the balance

October 31, 2021

OPINION

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Washington Times. It is republished here with the author’s permission. You can read the original article here.

Dr. Everett Piper, Guest Columnist

If you feel as if you are watching the intentional destruction of your culture and your kids, you’re right. It’s not just a bad dream. It is real. It’s planned. It’s targeted. It’s relentless. And it is being carried out in your own back yard in your own public schools.

It doesn’t matter where you live. Whether it be in the crazy land of Gavin Newsom or the bumbling buffoonery of the Beltway, you now reside in Oceania, and your children are Winston.

Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe tells the voters of The Old Dominion that they can go pound sand if they want any input in directing their children’s education. “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually… make their own decisions,” he said. “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

The Washington Post responded by opining that “parents don’t have the right to shape their kids” education.

Ms. Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers president, chimed in by applauding both Mr. McAuliffe and the WaPo: “Great Piece on parents’ rights,” she tweeted.

And in the meantime, we now know that the National School Boards Association colluded with the White House in labeling all concerned parents “domestic terrorists.” The result is that the FBI may now visit your home if you dare complain about your daughter getting raped in a public-school restroom because of the lunacy these people are teaching your kids.

This, my friends, is the state of American education, and the progressives who have seized control of your schools are not even hiding their intentions any longer. They flaunt their plan with impunity as they parrot the very words of Joseph Goebbels: “Youth belongs to us, and we will yield them to no one.”

America’s ivory tower has become Barad-dûr. Rather than Fiat Lux, it is now the Dark Tower, and those waving Sauron’s banner now seem to care more about being the obedient minions of Mordor than the protectors of your kid’s soul.

These Uruk-hai are ugly in heart and mind. Theirs is a land of control. They despise freedom. They hate liberty. They march in obedience to the Prince of the Power of the Air while they mock those who follow the Prince of Peace. Like Gollum, they growl “my precious, my precious,” as they cling to Isildur’s Bane. Grasping, clinching, and caressing The Ring; chanting, praying, mumbling: “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”

And while all of this is happening, Big Brother Barak, Saruman himself, emerges from behind the curtain with ambitions of casting his spell. “The truth is a lie, and that the lie is the truth,” he incants. “Evil is good, and good is evil. Bitter is sweet, and sweet is bitter.” The grand and glorious “O” – the high priest of the Church of Holy Wokeness – this Pied Piper of a man whose melodious tune has mesmerized an entire nation into believing that up is down and down is up and that men are women and women are men, now shouts from the podium: “We don’t have time to be wasting on these phony, trumped-up culture wars. This [is] fake outrage… That’s not what you need…”

Well, Brother “O,” tell that to the Virginia parents of a 15-year-old girl forced to engage in sodomy in a school restroom with a “transgender” boy pretending to be a girl. Tell that to the Florida mom who is outraged that her elementary-age children are being assigned books with pictures of minor boys having oral sex with adult men. Tell that to Oklahomans who are incensed that their sons and daughters are being taught to judge one another by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. Tell that to all of us who simply want our schools to teach our kids how to read, how to write, how to use proper pronouns, how to count, and that science, i.e., biology, is real.

Each day it becomes more and more apparent that your local schools and their puppet politicians despise you. They want your children, and they will leave no stone unturned in their dark and ugly world to get them. Just listen. They are admitting it. Their agenda is in full view for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

No, your outrage is not “fake.” Your kids are your kids. They are your responsibility. They are not the Big Brother’s, and you should fight as if you’re fighting against hell itself – to the very gates of Mordor – for your right to “train them up in the way they should go; so that when they are old, they will not depart.”

Metropolitan Library System Issues Defiant Response To Criticism Over “Pride Month” Promotion

July 12, 2021

OKLAHOMA CITY

Last week we published a letter by conservative political activist Jenni White that issued a stern rebuke to the Metropolitan Library System’s support of “Pride Month.” This letter was on the heels of the public rebuke of Edmond Mayor Davis’ “Pride Month” proclamation issued by the Oklahoma County GOP and 10 Edmond churches, led by Fairview Baptist Church Senior Pastor Paul Blair.

The public rebuke was widely praised by local conservatives for its boldness in addressing what most conservative politicians and churches usually ignore, namely the increasing take-over of our society by the LGBTQ+ agenda – as Todd Starnes reported last week.

Predictably, MLS Director Dr. Larry White.has issued a defiant response to Mrs. White, which she republished in an article over the weekend. In the article, Mrs. White offers a paragraph-by-paragraph rebuttal of MLS’s claims. Mrs. White’s responses are in bold, whereas any emphasis given by Dr. White is in italics. As a follow-up to our article last week we have republished, with the author’s permission, the entirety of that article below.

Larry White, Executive Director Of The Oklahoma Metropolitan Library Commission Responds To Taxpayer Criticism Of Pride Month

Dr. Larry White, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Library System, responded to my recent criticism of the MLS’ celebration of Pride Month sent via contact form at the MLS website, with a very long and what appeared to be ‘canned’ response.

I copied and pasted the email in its entirety below. Under each paragraph I have responded in red. I felt this important because I thought it might help people understand why using tax-supported programs to advance agendas like BLM, or LGBTQ is wrong.

EMAIL SENT BY DR. WHITE:

Hi Ms. White,

I want to thank you for taking the time to send us your feedback. The Metropolitan Library System (MLS) appreciates our customer’s feedback and seeks to use it to improve our services and its delivery.

Our mission is to, “Connecting our diverse communities with resources and experiences to educate and enrich lives.” In the pursuit of this mission, it is in the public interest to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those, which are unorthodox or unpopular with the majority.

As approved by the MLS Commission in April 1997, the VF 211 Citizen’s Bill of Library Rights states:

“The Metropolitan Library System affirms that all its libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

Our books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people and municipalities in Oklahoma County. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
Our libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
Our libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
Our libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
Our libraries do not deny or abridge a person’s right to use our libraries because of origin, age, background, or views.
Our libraries, which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms on an equitable basis to the public they serve, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
Our libraries will not knowingly purchase or retain materials that are judicially determined to be illegal under Oklahoma law.”

(Is it just me, or did I miss where any points on this list actually answer the questions I sent him?)

As described in the American Library’s Association’s (ALA) Library Bill of Rights, Library initiated programming is a library resource that provides information, education, and recreation to library users. Library initiated programming utilizes library staff, books, library and community resources, resource people, displays, and media presentations. The library often incorporates cooperative programming with other agencies, organizations, and educational institutions, as well as other resources, to communicate with library users. Library initiated programs should provide:

(1)“for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all the people of the community the library serves,” as stated in Article 1 of the Library Bill of Rights. ALA believes that library sponsored programs, as well as library resources, “should not be proscribed or removed (or canceled) because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” (Article 2 of the Library Bill of Rights).

(1) How does ONE organization represent ALL people? The Left is quickly splitting us into all kinds of groups. There are 12 months in a year. Which other groups will MLS ‘celebrate’ for a month? Gun owners? The Founders? Conservatives? MLS should SERVE all people – not REPRESENT all people – kind of like the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Transportation.

(2)It is our professional obligation to represent all the members of our community in the events, resources, and services that we provide.

(2) NO. It is NOT the professional obligation of MLS to represent all members of the community – it’s the obligation of MLS to provide access to informational material on every subject possible TO every person in the community. That is an obligation backed my tax dollars – events like Pride Month aren’t part of that obligation.

(1) The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among varying and sometimes conflicting opinions offered freely to them.

(1) We do not live in a ‘Democracy’. We live in a REPUBLIC. In a Democracy, all power is in the people. In a Republic, power is distributed over three branches – 1. Legislative (makes laws) 2. Judicial (interprets laws) and 3. Executive (carries out laws) Why is our LIBRARY system not aware of the state of our union?

(2) It is the responsibility of MLS, as guardians of the people’s freedom to access information, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards, morals, politics, or tastes upon the community at large.

(2) NO. MLS is NOT the guardian of people’s freedom to access information – PEOPLE are. It is NOT ‘encroachment of freedom of access of information’ NOT to use my tax dollars to pay a drag queen to read books to kids about families with two dads for a month or have a State Representative confuse children by reading them a book about how to use different pronouns for themselves other than those that match their biological sex?

(3) In a free society, everyone is free to determine for themselves what they wish to read or which programs to participate in, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members.

(3) NO again. MLS is NOT a private group which has “freely associated members”. It’s a state agency created and supported by property taxes. I don’t own my own property, the state has taken ownership of my property by levying taxes against it to pay for things like LIBRARIES, technology centers and state schools. If I don’t pay my property taxes, the state seizes my property and sells it to the highest bidder to keep the tax revenue rolling in.

(4) But no group has the right to take power into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics, values, or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive, offered only by the majority.

(4) STOP. Didn’t MLS just “impose its own concept of politics, values or morality” on me by dedicating an entire month to celebrating LGBTQ Pride? Yes. MLS, then, is imposing it’s own concept of politics, values or morality on county citizens by spending tax dollars to pay staff to actively advocate for the LGBTQ lifestyle through it’s month long activities.

In a political system grounded in an informed citizenry, librarians are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and the freedom of access to information. We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations as librarians significantly influence or control the selection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information. We do not advocate for ourselves; we are a neutral party that ensures all points of view are represented in services, programs, and collections. Therefore, as part of our professional ethics, we have an obligation to resist all efforts by groups or individuals to censor library materials and / or programming offered by MLS.

MLS is not a neutral party when staff creates crafts celebrating the LGBTQ lifestyle, videos are made with drag queens and countless links to other LGBTQ are made available via the website. MLS is not a neutral party when a drag queen is paid with taxpayer dollars to read books about alternative lifestyles to children. MLS is not a neutral party when other organizations like gun owners or conservatives, aren’t given their own celebratory month.

MLS IS a neutral party when it keeps books on the shelves but doesn’t advocate for them one way or another. See the difference? MLS may have LGBTQ books – or even books about Satanism – but they don’t create a month-long celebration of either lifestyle.

MLS does not need to endorse every idea or presentation contained in the materials and programs that are made available.

(1) It would conflict with the public interest for MLS to establish our own political moral or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what materials and programs should be made available. Libraries serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning.

(1) But MLS did that with Pride Month and simply doesn’t see that on any level apparently.

(2) It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group.

(2) Yes, but not with TAXPAYER MONEY. With taxpayer money, NOT ADVOCATING FOR ANY LIFESTYLE, or group, prevents ‘collision’ of ‘aesthetic concepts’. The MLS should strive to prevent any ‘collisions’ by sticking to stocking books as explained above.

In planning this program, MLS worked with various community groups including several churches to make the programming available and accessible to the community. Additionally, the story time performer was vetted through an interview process and was criminal background checked, as we do for all programming performers and volunteers. The same story time performer has given similar performances at the OOC Museum of Art and other community organizational events in the past couple of years.

This is an Appeal To Authority argument. “See? A church LOVED our celebration of Pride, so everything is fine.” Unfortunately, many churches today do not agree on the authority or truth of God’s word. Holding up a church as a bastion of support for Gay Rights sadly means nothing to Christians who disagree with that church’s stance on the authority and truth of God’s word, so that remark means less than nothing and ends up being more of an overt slap in the face.

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with MLS. We encourage you to be actively involved with MLS in serving the community’s information needs.

So long as you keep giving us your property taxes to do with as we please…

Larry Nash White Ph.D., M.S.L.S.
Executive Director
Metropolitan Library System
email: larry.white@metrolibrary.org
Office Phone: (405) 606-3725

AMERICAN LIBRARY SYSTEM

For years I’ve complained about the hard Left school and community libraries have been taking. It’s clear that the Oklahoma Municipal Library Service doesn’t fall far from it’s parent tree – the American Library Association and its associated magazine.

Framed as an “equal access” arguments, LGBTQ issues have become front and center in the world of tax-payer supported libraries. The situation will not end unless taxpayers are made to understand two things:

Libraries are supported by THEIR tax dollars, and the MLS/ALA equal-opportunity argument doesn’t hold water; and,
With no pushback, this will not only continue, it will grow, creating more damage to the children pulled along in its wake.

Stay engaged as a taxpayer, take time to contact your library, and know why the MLS/ALA arguments are simply wrong.

– Jenni White