This time, see you off
For the first time in my life, I will not be voting in a presidential election. There are over 3 million people in this country. If these two are the best candidates we can come up with, this is a very sad day for America.
– Georgia Newton, Choctaw
I will vote for anyone but him
As a Republican, I will not vote for anyone who supports Trump, a convicted felon, so in the next election I will vote for anyone, Democrat, Independent, etc.
Can anyone say they support good laws and still support Trump without laughing?
–Gerald P. Sawyer, Del City
Son's tribute to father who fought in World War II
It was 80 years ago, in June 1944, that Staff Sergeant Bailey was in Rome.
Sergeant Bailey entered Rome with the 5th Army on June 4th. On September 11th, 1943, he landed at Salerno, Italy. By that time, he had participated in two landings, one in North Africa and one on the hostile coast of Italy. On June 4th, he had been overseas for two years and four months. He hid from German bombers in North Africa and from strafing by German fighter planes on the beaches of Salerno.
He began his journey with the US Army at Fort Sill in April 1941. He enlisted with the expectation of one year of active duty. This plan changed slightly on December 7, 1941. He was in camp on December 7 after participating in two exercises (war games) with his unit. He was able to go home on leave. However, in late December he rejoined the 63rd Signal Battalion bound for Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. After further training, the 63rd Battalion joined the first troop convoy to depart for Europe. His ship, the Chateau Thierry, was the first ship to disembark US soldiers in Belfast, Northern Ireland (January 26, 1942). This was 51 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor!
Sergeant Bailey then went on leave, I believe, in early 1945, and returned to Italy. He returned home in August 1945. His full uniform had seven duty bands representing three and a half years overseas, probably one of the longest wartime overseas service records in the European Theater.
In memory of my grandfather, who passed away in July 1987 at the age of 69.
–Mark L. Bailey, Tulsa
“The bail system should be abolished.”
My friend is selling her furniture at a significant loss, her puppy has been adopted by a new owner, and is moving into an elderly friend's house because she can't pay her rent. The reason for all this is that the person she is splitting her rent with is being held in Oklahoma County Jail and can't pay bail.
In Oklahoma, as in the case of my friend's housemate, 75% of people in prison have never been convicted of a crime. According to a December 2023 MODERN Justice Taskforce report, bail has increased, average jail time has increased significantly (note that this is the pretrial stage and the person involved may never be convicted), and less than 10% of prisons offer treatment for drug use, alcohol abuse, mental health, or mental illness.
Cash bail is unjust. Are the poor worse off than the rich? Defendants are either likely to be dangerous or they are not, regardless of whether they have financial assets.
Illinois abolished cash bail in September 2023, yet crime rates did not increase and prison populations fell, saving taxpayer money and eliminating the suffering associated with pretrial detention for innocent families.
Oklahoma's incarceration rate is nearly 50% higher than the U.S. average and the highest of any democracy in the world (see this chart at https://static.prisonpolicy.org/images/NATO_OK_2021.webp).
I don't believe that we Oklahomans are simply the worst people in the world. We can make this better. The first step is to abolish bail.
– Jan Fischer Bachmann, Oklahoma City
