Breaking news tonight: Dr. Michael Zolkoski, the embattled superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, will leave his position in October.
The decision was announced tonight after a meeting of the Tulsa School Board. TPS will pay Zolkoski a cool $400,000 as part of his contract termination.
As readers of the Tulsa World know, Dr. Z's tenure at TPS has been marked by a number of failures, including the out-of-control alternative school that Zolkoski set up but failed to oversee.
Dr. Z's fate had been predicted in some TPS circles. Among other things, he had been criticized for his know-it-all attitude and a failure to take advice from, well, anyone.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sen. Coburn Paints Himself Into a Corner
Oklahama's junior U.S. senator, Dr. Tom Coburn, prides himself on his principles. Like his Oklahoma senate colleague, former Tulsa mayor Jim Inhofe, Coburn is nothing if not stubborn in support of his ideas, even when he's wrong.That's the latest dilemma for Dr. Coburn, who finds himself now tagged as "the senate's least powerful man." Unfortunately, the label fits.
The problem is Coburn's flagrant overuse of the Senate "hold," a procedure that allows a single senator to stop action on a bill. As a Tulsa World points out today, Coburn is the czar of the hold, blocking bill after bill, including bills nearly everyone else agrees on.
For instance, Coburn has blocked a bill that would address the high suicide rate among veterans. He's blocked a bill to fund breast-cancer research. He's blocked a bill to assist paralyzed people find better treatments.
We're sure Dr. Coburn can rationalize every one of these positions in the name of saving the taxpayer money. But the truth is that Coburn doesn't play with others, a major flaw for a member of "the world's greatest deliberative body."
The World got it right when they described Coburn as "not just arrogant," but "aggressively arrogant."
Coburn's tactics have backfired, and—surprise!—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is now planning to run over the Oklahoma senator, rendering Coburn more isolated and ineffective than ever.
Coburn is supposed to represent an entire state—not just his personal agenda— and do so in a reasonable manner. Oklahomans deserve better.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Dr. Z's Prospects Look Dim in Tulsa
We have no inside information, but the Tulsa School Board may be ready for a change at the top.
We're talking about embattled TPS Superintendent Michael Zolkoski's future as Tulsa's public school leader, which may be winding down. That's because the Tulsa School Board will be meeting Monday night behind closed doors to discuss Dr. Z's future.
According to a story in today's Tulsa World, the Monday agenda includes a "possible action item" on the superintendent's employment.
Here's some of the language of the Dr. Z agenda item: "discussion, consideration and vote to approve, and authorize its due execution, or not approve a written agreement between the District and the superintendent regarding the superintendent's continuing employment with the District."
This is bureaucratic language, to be sure, but it's also language that's broad enough to terminate the superintendent. Given the mess he created at the Tulsa Academic Center and numerous reports of his failure to listen or take even helpful advice, we won't be surprised if it's the end of Dr. Z in Tulsa.
We're talking about embattled TPS Superintendent Michael Zolkoski's future as Tulsa's public school leader, which may be winding down. That's because the Tulsa School Board will be meeting Monday night behind closed doors to discuss Dr. Z's future.
According to a story in today's Tulsa World, the Monday agenda includes a "possible action item" on the superintendent's employment.
Here's some of the language of the Dr. Z agenda item: "discussion, consideration and vote to approve, and authorize its due execution, or not approve a written agreement between the District and the superintendent regarding the superintendent's continuing employment with the District."
This is bureaucratic language, to be sure, but it's also language that's broad enough to terminate the superintendent. Given the mess he created at the Tulsa Academic Center and numerous reports of his failure to listen or take even helpful advice, we won't be surprised if it's the end of Dr. Z in Tulsa.
GOP Woes: Even in the Red State of Kansas, Republicans Not Entirely Safe
It's no longer earth-shattering news, but the Republican brand continues to suffer, a victim of the incompetent and arrogant Bush Administration.
As evidence, we present this piece from the Kansas City Star, which found dissatisfaction even in the very Red State of Kansas, where Bush loyalist Sen. Pat Roberts is facing a challenge:
Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since the Great Depression.
Through 13 presidents and five wars, Republicans have held its two seats for 76 unbroken years -- the longest streak in the nation.
But today's political climate could weaken their grip.
"The Republican brand is really bad in many parts of the country, with Kansas being better than many, but still not good," said Scott Bensing, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "It's not a top-tier race, but it's one of those where, should Democrats come into a bunch of money, it'd be a race."
Friday, July 11, 2008
The Dismal State of the GOP
Today's bad news for the Republican Party, spoken on Bill Moyers Journal by former Republican Oklahoma Rep. Mickey Edwards:
The Republican Party is not healthy.
Bush-O-Nomics Update: Gas Goes Up, Market Goes Down
Today's economic double-whammy: As the price of a barrel of oil goes higher and higher, the stock market dives.
Investors, the economists says, remain nervous. With Bush in charge (s0 to speak), of course they are.
Investors, the economists says, remain nervous. With Bush in charge (s0 to speak), of course they are.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Texas Turkey of the Week: Ex-Sen. Phil Gramm
Until recently, former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm was well hidden from public view, safely conducting his business out of the public eye.
First, we learn that Gramm was instrumental in deregulating the banking industry, actions that fostered the current credit crunch and mortgage meltdown. Then we learn he has close ties to UBS, the giant Swiss bank that has reported major losses in—yes!—the mortgage market.
Now, Gramm's shot off his mouth to the detriment of his pal John McCain, who's quickly moved to separate himself from Gramm's most recent economic pronouncements, which we quote below:
"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," Gramm said. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet.""We have sort of become a nation of whiners," Gramm said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline."
McMurtry's New Book on a Life in Books
One of AT's favorite writers, Larry McMurtry, has published a new book. It's called Books: A Memoir, and it chronicles the Texas author's life as an author, bookseller and antiquarian book dealer.
McMurtry, best known for his epic Western novel, Lonesome Dove, lived for years in Washington, D.C., where he ran his bookstore. More recently, he moved the business to his hometown, Archer City, Texas, where he now has more than 300,000 used books.
In an interview published today in USA Today, McMurtry says his bookstore, called Booked Up, is holding its own as a business, but not making a lot of money.
McMurtry, 72, also confesses to being computer illiterate. He writes on a Hermes portable typewriter, which makes it hard to get through airports, he says.
McMurtry's new book, published by Simon and Schuster, goes for $24. We don't have a copy get, but we'll get one. We love the guy.
McMurtry, best known for his epic Western novel, Lonesome Dove, lived for years in Washington, D.C., where he ran his bookstore. More recently, he moved the business to his hometown, Archer City, Texas, where he now has more than 300,000 used books.
In an interview published today in USA Today, McMurtry says his bookstore, called Booked Up, is holding its own as a business, but not making a lot of money.
McMurtry, 72, also confesses to being computer illiterate. He writes on a Hermes portable typewriter, which makes it hard to get through airports, he says.
McMurtry's new book, published by Simon and Schuster, goes for $24. We don't have a copy get, but we'll get one. We love the guy.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Recommended Reading: David Quammen's Short Book on 'The Reluctant Mr. Darwin'
We ran across a copy of David Quammen's short biography of Charles Darwin the other day and found it a real joy.
One of the blurbs on the back of The Reluctant Mr. Darwin calls the book "a rich, dramatic story brought to life by a gifted and entertaining storyteller." It's an accurate assessment.
We didn't know Quammen before we read the book, but we can testify to the man's literary skill. In his hands, Darwin's life and scientific achievements are spelled out in plain and compelling language.
Along the way, Quammen explains Darwin's principal ideas, clears up a few misconceptions, and lays out the long and painstaking process that led to his theory of evolution. It's fascinating stuff, even when we see Darwin as a hypochondriac and an obsessive field biologist.
There are more thorough biographies of Darwin out there (as Quammen acknowledges), but this is one terrific introduction to Darwin and his ideas, from the famous voyage of the Beagle through his years of self-doubt and eventual success (and acceptance) by the scientific community.
As we say in the headline, recommended reading.
The book, again, is David Quammen, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (New York: Atlas Books, 2006). The book is part of the publisher's Great Discovery Series, which also includes short biographies of Einstein, Marie Curie, Copernicus, and several others.
One of the blurbs on the back of The Reluctant Mr. Darwin calls the book "a rich, dramatic story brought to life by a gifted and entertaining storyteller." It's an accurate assessment.
We didn't know Quammen before we read the book, but we can testify to the man's literary skill. In his hands, Darwin's life and scientific achievements are spelled out in plain and compelling language.
Along the way, Quammen explains Darwin's principal ideas, clears up a few misconceptions, and lays out the long and painstaking process that led to his theory of evolution. It's fascinating stuff, even when we see Darwin as a hypochondriac and an obsessive field biologist.
There are more thorough biographies of Darwin out there (as Quammen acknowledges), but this is one terrific introduction to Darwin and his ideas, from the famous voyage of the Beagle through his years of self-doubt and eventual success (and acceptance) by the scientific community.
As we say in the headline, recommended reading.
The book, again, is David Quammen, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (New York: Atlas Books, 2006). The book is part of the publisher's Great Discovery Series, which also includes short biographies of Einstein, Marie Curie, Copernicus, and several others.
Oklahoma Republicans Vote Against Vets
Oklahoma Republicans love to talk about supporting the troops. Too bad their talk is, to put it plainly, pure bullcrap.
We're talking about the recent bill that dramatically improved benefits for our vets, all those men and women the GOP claims to support. The bill passed the House the other day by a vote of 256-166. The President—who vocally opposed the bill—suddenly reversed course and signed it, pretending that he supported it all along.
How did Oklahoma's Republican representatives vote on this important legislation? You guessed it: They followed the party line, voting against increased veterans benefits.
A check of the voting record shows that Tulsa Rep. John Sullivan voted "nay." Ditto GOP leader Rep. Tom Cole. Same with OKC Rep. Mary Fallin. To be fair, Rep. Dan Boren, the state's only Democrat in the House, also cast his bone-headed vote against the bill. So much for supporting the troops!
Oklahoma's gutless legislators—supporting the vets only when it's cheap.
We're talking about the recent bill that dramatically improved benefits for our vets, all those men and women the GOP claims to support. The bill passed the House the other day by a vote of 256-166. The President—who vocally opposed the bill—suddenly reversed course and signed it, pretending that he supported it all along.
How did Oklahoma's Republican representatives vote on this important legislation? You guessed it: They followed the party line, voting against increased veterans benefits.
A check of the voting record shows that Tulsa Rep. John Sullivan voted "nay." Ditto GOP leader Rep. Tom Cole. Same with OKC Rep. Mary Fallin. To be fair, Rep. Dan Boren, the state's only Democrat in the House, also cast his bone-headed vote against the bill. So much for supporting the troops!
Oklahoma's gutless legislators—supporting the vets only when it's cheap.
Global Gardens Makes Good News
Congratulations to our friends at Global Gardens for the great weekend story in the Tulsa World. As we have previously noted (see AT's June 23 posting), Global Gardens is a program that introduces low-income students to the pleasures of planting and growing. The photo above was taken at this year's Brookside Herb Festival.
Read Saturday's Tulsa World story here. For more on Global Gardens, their philosophy and their programs, click here.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
War Supporter Hitchens Gets 'Waterboarded' and Concludes: 'It's Torture'
Writer and polemicist Christopher Hitchens is no blushing wallflower. In contrast to his many anti-war friends, Hitchens vigorously supported the invasion of Iraq, as well as the elimination of Saddam and his regime.
On the matter of U.S.-inflicted torture, however, Hitchens now has a different view, one based on his decision to have himself "waterboarded," a technique that Bush Administration officials have defended in the name of national security.
In an article for Vanity Fair (the link is at Think Progress), Hitchens left no doubt that the procedure was torture. He writes:
I apply the Abraham Lincoln test for moral casuistry: If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." Well, then, if waterboarding does not constitute torture, then there is no such thing as torture.
Trouble in McCainville: GOP Candidate Shuffles His Top Staff
Things aren't exactly peachy in the McCain campaign. The GOP standard-bearer and his party are getting worried about his prospects in November.
Here's the lead paragraph from the CNN.com story posted today:
Sen. John McCain's campaign announced a shakeup at the top Wednesday, in the wake of growing Republican concern about its ability to compete against Sen. Barack Obama.
Fox Attack: Right-Wing Blabbers Alter Images of Times Reporters
Speaking of Fox News (see last post), the network today lived up to its reputation for putting partisanship ahead of the facts when it broadcast digitally altered photos of two New York Times reporters.
The Huffington Post has the whole sorry story, complete with original and altered photos of the reporters, who were—Fox claims—involved in a "hit piece" on the network and its declining influence. In FoxSpeak, "hit piece" appears to be any story that is critical of Fox News.
We don't mind Fox News defending itself. But Fox can't seem to do this honestly. Instead, they play games with facts and images, distorting reality to make a dishonest point. Come to think of it, that's the whole purpose of Fox News.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
As Times Change, Fox News Finds Fewer Viewers While CNN, MSNBC Have Gains
After years of cable news dominance, Fox News losing its ratings edge.
Increasingly, viewers have had enough of the network's "fair and balanced" treatment of current events—code for a reactionary opinion that is too often fact-free.
The ratings numbers show that CNN and MSNBC are adding viewers at a healthy rate, while Fox viewers are switching channels or tuning out. One of the stars of MSNBC is Keith Olbermann, whose "Countdown" program has been responsible for much of the growth at MSNBC.
Writing in the New York Times, Jacques Steinberg noted that CNN and MSNBC have copied the Fox style, emphasizing "sharp opinions, glitzy graphics and big personalities…."
Meanwhile Fox has fallen victim to its own rhetorical excesses. Steinberg documented three recent "inappropriate references" to Barack Obama, including the idiotic comment by Fox's E.D. Hill that the "fist bump" between Michelle and Barack Obama was "a terrorist fist jab." (We are not making this up.)
Fox News: Giving viewers the party line, whether it's true or not.
Increasingly, viewers have had enough of the network's "fair and balanced" treatment of current events—code for a reactionary opinion that is too often fact-free.
The ratings numbers show that CNN and MSNBC are adding viewers at a healthy rate, while Fox viewers are switching channels or tuning out. One of the stars of MSNBC is Keith Olbermann, whose "Countdown" program has been responsible for much of the growth at MSNBC.
Writing in the New York Times, Jacques Steinberg noted that CNN and MSNBC have copied the Fox style, emphasizing "sharp opinions, glitzy graphics and big personalities…."
Meanwhile Fox has fallen victim to its own rhetorical excesses. Steinberg documented three recent "inappropriate references" to Barack Obama, including the idiotic comment by Fox's E.D. Hill that the "fist bump" between Michelle and Barack Obama was "a terrorist fist jab." (We are not making this up.)
Fox News: Giving viewers the party line, whether it's true or not.
Recent Reading: Annie Proulx's Latest Story
For fans of contemporary short stories, Annie Proulx is a respected writer. The reading public knows her, if it knows her at all, as the author of "Brokeback Mountain," the so-called "gay cowboy" story that became a prize-winning movie.
We never got a chance to read "Brokeback Mountain," but we can recommend Proulx's latest story, "Tits-Up in a Ditch," which was published last month in the Summer Fiction Issue of The New Yorker, dated June 9 & 16, 2008.
Yes, the title is salacious, but the story is more troubling than titillating. More importantly, Proulx packs a novel's worth of plot and character into a few thousand words about life on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder in present-day Wyoming.
Proulx's main character is Dakotah, a hard-luck young woman raised by her grandparents. Dakotah drifts through her life, dropping out of high school months before graduation, marrying poorly, eventually following her husband into the army.
Short story readers should check out "Tits-Up" and other Proulx offerings in her collections, including a new one due out this fall, Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3.
We never got a chance to read "Brokeback Mountain," but we can recommend Proulx's latest story, "Tits-Up in a Ditch," which was published last month in the Summer Fiction Issue of The New Yorker, dated June 9 & 16, 2008.
Yes, the title is salacious, but the story is more troubling than titillating. More importantly, Proulx packs a novel's worth of plot and character into a few thousand words about life on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder in present-day Wyoming.
Proulx's main character is Dakotah, a hard-luck young woman raised by her grandparents. Dakotah drifts through her life, dropping out of high school months before graduation, marrying poorly, eventually following her husband into the army.
Short story readers should check out "Tits-Up" and other Proulx offerings in her collections, including a new one due out this fall, Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3.
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