O'Keefe, Sen. Landrieu, and the incident:

Many constituents and others calling the Senator's office found they couldn't get through. Since the problem had been ongoing for weeks, and it seeming incredulous that a Senator couldn't get her phone fixed, Mr. O'Keefe chose to take a peek. I'd bet dollars to donuts that he was going to place a call, while in the phone closet, to see if it rang in the office and then how it was handled.

Sure, it was illegal to do that (the breaking in part, not the calling the Senator part). So was stealing (and publishing) the Pentagon Papers. The real "crime" though was threatening to expose the hypocrisy of a public servant ignoring her public. Why do we accept the Senator's efforts to hide her lies? Because we expect them? Shame on us.

I accept that perhaps many of us would prefer to live in the lie. That way we could say we tried, and the Senator could say she is voting in support of the consensus her constituents express, and the goings on in Wash.D.C. would keep on keeping on.

The reason why we shouldn't is respect for the process. Just as seeing a police car speeding down the road while the police person is chatting on the phone causes us to respect the law less, accepting that a Senator believes herself to be above the process causes us to have less faith in our government. That is not a check Senator Landrieu can write. It's not her account to write against. Just as Speaker Pelosi shouldn't be able to send a military liveryman to pick up her kids, albeit in a military jet. When they do this, they cheapen our system. Our system, not their system. Every time she does that it adds between $30K and $120K to the national debt, which then accrues interest. Why does she think that's her money to spend?

Electronic Sign Ordinance

Without any buzz or promotion, a city council vote will be held today in Oklahoma City. The action concerns a new ordinance which would regulate the previously insufficiently managed use of electronic signage in OKC.

The ordinance language can be viewed here:

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/griffin/NEWS9/PDF/0912/ElectronicSignOrdinance.pdf

This new language intends to give the zoning folks a less anachronistic tool to manage the new signage technology.

Two results from the passage of this bill are likely:

1. Signs will initially shrink in size.

2. Clarity will foster additional participation, likely leading to more electronic signs.

While I am in favor of laws keeping current, I am not in favor of these quiet votes, as they stink of intent to manipulate results by the folks holding the vote. It is my opinion that the only legitimate objective of the folks who hold the votes should be to accurately capture the sense of the voting public on the issue of the election. Any effort to manipulate or advocate for an outcome by other than elected legislative officials is reprehensible.