June 2025

Oklahoma’s Newest Senator, Bryan Logan, Comes In Late

Oklahoma Senator Bryan Logan Gets A Late Start

Friday, June 27th, Michael and I interviewed our newest Senator, Bryan Logan (Paden, OK) of SD8.

Bryan was sworn in May 21st, to replace former Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Roger Thompson, who resigned effective November 1st, 2024, after being removed as Committee Chair by Senator Greg Treat in favor of Senator Chuck Hall.

Though Governor Stitt was well aware of Thompson’s resignation, he chose March 4th as the SD8 primary date with a general election May 13th. I’m still shaking my head at that, so I went out and looked at the statute that governs special elections.

This is the statute that applies: Title 26. Elections, §26-12-106. Vacancies in the Legislature. Here’s what it says for vacancies in odd years; A. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office of a member of the State Senate or the State House of Representatives, the vacancy shall be filled at a Special Election to be called by the Governor within thirty (30) days after the vacancy occurs; provided, no special election shall be called if the vacancy occurs in an even-numbered year if the term of the office expires the same year.

So…Thompson resigns from the Senate in July. On July 3rd, the Okmulgee Times had already posted the Governor’s proclamation on the vacancy. Here are all the things the proclamation must contain according to state law. The Times’ abridged version is below:

AMENDED EXECUTIVE PROCLAMATION I, J. Kevin Stitt, Governor of the State of Oklahoma, pursuant to the authority vested in me by 26 O.S. § 12-119, and pursuant to my constitutional obligation to cause the laws of the State to be faithfully executed, hereby order that a Special Election be held to fill an impending vacancy in the office of District 8 of the Oklahoma Senate, due to the irrevocable resignation of Roger Thompson set to become effective on November 1, 2024.

The candidate Filing Period for the Special Election shall be Monday, January 6, Tuesday, January 7, and Wednesday, January 8, 2025; the Special Primary Election shall be held Tuesday, March 4, 2025; and the Special General Election shall be held Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Any Special Runoff Primary Election, if necessary, shall be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Let’s walk through this then.

Thompson announced he was leaving in July. His last day was November 1, 2024. Stitt called the special election BEFORE Thompson’s last day, which seems premature according to state law which seems to read AFTER the vacancy occurred, not when notice of vacancy was given.

Then, the filing period could have begun on the 11th day after the proclamation. Why was that held until JANUARY? What happened to December? The first election could have been held 31 days after that, the run-off 21 days after that and the general 21 days after the primary. How was it then, that Bryan’s first election was March 4th, the run-off April 1st and the general May 13th?

That schedule meant that Bryan was sworn in on the 21st of May with only 7 calendar days left in the 2025 legislative session. Consequently, from November 1st to May 21st, SD8 had no representation in the state senate. Why?

Bryan is a bit bumfuzzled about that himself, but what he’s not confused about is his job as a legislator.

In the clip below, Bryan talks about how he decides on his votes. Hint: he’s got the idea down!

In the video below, our new Senator talks about the challenges of being an elected representative – he can’t represent people who won’t make their needs and desires known to him. We go on to talking about the fact that sadly, most people don’t pay attention and participate in the political process – the main reason why our government has gone off the rails on the crazy train.

At one point in the live video (which you can find on our YouTube and Rumble channels), we all three talked about this trend and about why it’s so important for constituents to reach out to their elected officials. Be THAT person! Reach out. Let your elected representative know your feelings. If you don’t, how will you KNOW your liberty is being protected? That’s absolutely our civic duty and we should never forget that our job isn’t JUST voting – our job only STARTS there. We must continue to pay attention – as much as we’re able – to what’s going on in our legislature. At this point, our liberty is very fragile and we MUST stay engaged with our legislators and remind them often, that protecting our liberty is the only reason they’re there. We’re pretty sure Bryan understands that!

June 27, 2025 1

Our Latest Interview With V1SUT – You Have To See It To Believe It – Action Needed

This morning, we had our friend Mary with V1SUT on the podcast to talk about another horrific case that has been completely mishandled by Oklahoma DHS.

Normally, I take the longer, live video and cut it down into a few smaller segments so people can get an idea of what the podcast is about until they have time to watch the full video (on YouTube or Rumble), or to share with people on social media. I just can’t do that for this podcast. The case we talked about is so utterly awful, there really isn’t a way to understand it without seeing the whole video – or reading Mary’s reporting on her Substack.

I’m not sure we’ve had more people comment on a video than we had the one this morning – and it was clear – most viewers believe the little boy in this case was trafficked by DHS. Yes. Trafficked.

How does that happen anywhere, let alone Oklahoma? Numerous factors, but none more prevalent than our utterly collapsed court system and the DHS shift in ideology from keeping babies/children with families to providing children to same sex couples. Several people commenting on the live broadcast told about how they’ve actually witnessed DAs, judges and attorneys believe DHS workers over other observers in the system, leaving children in unsafe situations or returning them to unsafe situations.

Clearly the child and family in this case are being grievously harmed by Oklahoma government and Oklahoma taxpayers need to know how bad this case is and how much damage is being done to Oklahoma citizens who try to stand up for their rights.

Please take the time to watch the full video – the comments made by the mom and several other knowledgeable viewers will help bring home the severity of this case. Then, after watching, please, PLEASE, take the steps Mary’s outlined at the end. This family needs our help – and by all accounts – they deserve it.

I’m dropping the podcast below, so that you can share this article with friends and family – which we all hope you will.

Lastly, please note that while AG Gentner Drummond is running for Governor, he hasn’t lifted a finger to help stop the horrors happening at DHS. Neither has our Governor, who has the ability to convene a Grand Jury to look into any of these cases. It’s truly unbearable that people who talk about the importance of keeping children safe in political stump speeches can’t be counted on to do their jobs when elected – which – fundamentally means protecting the liberty and sovereignty of Oklahoma families. That fact needs to be remembered at every voting booth in every county in Oklahoma next year.

June 25, 2025 1

According To Grok, Oklahoma’s Tax Credits Are Not, “publicly available in a straightforward way”

As many of you know, I’ve been hammering away for years about the massive number of tax credits/incentives our Oklahoma legislature is giving away so we can become a “Top 10 State” – whatever the heck that means. I’m not really sure, frankly, and according to the ways in which Governor Stitt is incentivizing businesses, it would be very hard to determine.

Look at Canoo, for example, and the Denmark deal for ‘green’ energy? How did Canoo’s bankruptcy help Oklahomans? How are deals brokered with other countries really going to help Oklahoma businesses, or help Oklahomans afford to be able to buy things from Oklahoma businesses to keep them going?

Recently, I decided to try and decipher all the tax incentives Oklahoma actually offers, so I started doing some basic internet searches. I always ended up back at the Oklahoma Commerce Department. On the website they do have a page for Business Incentives. On this page, you’ll actually find – make sure you’re sitting down – a SIXTY PAGE booklet that describes all the tax credits Oklahoma provides select businesses.

I say “select” businesses because do not forget – tax incentives don’t help ALL Oklahoma businesses, only SOME businesses – only those businesses that the Governor and his team ‘select’. And also don’t forget – the government only has the money they take out of our pockets – We The People are its only source of funding.

Because I think you might be interested, I’ve uploaded the booklet below so you can see it for yourself. There are SIXTY-SEVEN ways in which our Oklahoma government STEALS money from “We The People” and then redistributes it to ‘select/preferred’ businesses. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been offered even ONE way to get out of paying my income or the tax on the home I’ve paid for but the government could take if I don’t provide them a yearly check (aka property tax/ad valorem taxes). I guess I’m not a ‘select/preferred’ citizen.

So now you have an idea of how many tax incentives Oklahoma has for private businesses.

How much money would you say we spend on those tax incentives? Well…here comes GROK.

I’m a writer/researcher. I don’t like data centers and I don’t love the idea of AI, HOWEVER, it certainly does come in handy when search results are not forthcoming in a reasonable amount of time. Consequently, I asked GROK today, “What is the amount of money paid by the state of Oklahoma in tax incentives in 2024?” I’m posting GROK’s answer below.

Researching tax incentives

I’m looking into the user’s request about Oklahoma’s tax incentives in 2024. It’s a specific figure, so I’ll check official state sources or financial reports first.

Searching for “total tax incentives paid by Oklahoma in 2024”

What Is The Oklahoma State Income Tax In 2025?

The search shows Oklahoma offers various incentives like the Quality Jobs Program and film tax credits. Still, there’s no single total for all incentives paid in 2024.
It seems the state doesn’t publish a unified report summing up all incentives for that year. That explains why I can’t find a direct figure.
I’m thinking I need to dig deeper, maybe checking annual reports from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce or Tax Commission for more details.

Browsing okcommerce.gov for “total tax incentives paid in 2024”

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce website doesn’t have the info on their homepage. I’ll try searching for a specific report or section next.
Just found a document called “2024-OKLAHOMA-BUSINESS-INCENTIVES-AND-TAX-GUIDE.pdf” that might help. Let’s check if it has the total for tax incentives paid in 2024.

Browsing okcommerce.gov for “total tax incentives paid in 2024”

Hmm, the PDF doesn’t directly provide the total tax incentives paid in 2024 either. It seems to be a guide on available incentives rather than a report on expenditures.
From the web search, budget documents mention FY24 totals, like $12.8 billion, but that’s the overall budget, not tax incentives House Approves.
Another result talks about grocery tax elimination, reducing revenue by $418 million annually, but that’s a cut, not the total incentives paid Fiscal Year 2025.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission has publications, but no “2024 tax incentives report” is listed. Still, there’s a “2024 Summary of Tax Legislation” that might have details on incentive changes.

Browsing oklahoma.gov for “2024 Summary of Tax Legislation”

The browse result shows COPO documents for 2024, but no specific “2024 Summary of Tax Legislation” is listed in the provided content.

Searching for “Oklahoma Tax Commission 2024 Summary of Tax Legislation”

From the fifth web search, there’s a document titled “2024LegislativeUpdate.pdf” on the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s site. It might be the summary we’re after.

Browsing oklahoma.gov for “total tax incentives paid in 2024”

The “2024 Legislative Update” mentions the Parental Choice Tax Credit Act, but no total for 2024 tax incentives is given. It does say the OTC must publish monthly updates on payments claimed each year, though.
I’ve exhausted several avenues and can’t find a single figure for Oklahoma’s total tax incentives paid in 2024. I think it’s safe to say this info isn’t publicly available in a straightforward way.

And so, there you go. Oklahomans have no idea how much of their hard-earned dollars are going to fund business incentives in the state.

We do know, however, that Governor Stitt AND A WHOLE LOT OF HIS STAFF went to PARIS for the Paris airshow this year where they announced three new business deals; Kratos Defense and Security Solutions (I wrote about the 1.7 million dollars Oklahoma has given this HUGE publicly-traded defense giant, you should check it out), Dawn Aerospace (which is apparently working out a deal with Oklahoma Commerce and the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA), but Subsidy tracker has no idea what and it’s not found anywhere for public eyes according to GROK) and MST Manufacturing (which has so far received apparent COVID bailout dollars in the amount of $130,000, but doesn’t appear to be taking tax dollars for this new venture).

But it doesn’t stop there, my friend and amazing researcher herself, Nancy McDaniel collected the number of pieces of tax incentive legislation that were brought to the capitol this year. The list is SHOCKING. The ones below PASSED this last session:

SB44 (2025) Rader/Fetgatter – SALES TAX EXEMPTIONS to contractors with a tax exempt entity.

SB119 (2025) Green/Archer – REBATES for hydrogen industry.

SB234 (2025) Rader/Lepak – 50% TAX CREDIT for remodeling old buildings for rentals.

SB235 (2025) Pugh/Kerbs – Grow Your Own Educator GRANT program.

SB239 (2025) Wingard – This bill TRIED to repeal Oklahoma statute O.S. 68 (2021) Section 2357.32A which relates to TAX CREDITS on the sale of electricity generated by zero-emission facilities. There were two years remaining. The Senate Revenue and tax committee voted 5 to 5, a tie, therefore considered the measure as failed and the TAX CREDITS continue for 2 more years.

SB249 (2025) Thompson, K/Townley – Extends the expiration date for TAX INCENTIVES provided by the Oklahoma Tourism Development Act to January 1, 2032.

SB287 (2025) Pugh/Miller -TAX CREDITS for aerospace industry.

SB324 (2025) Thompson, K/Hill – TAX CREDITS for research and development with no specific industry named.

SB469 (2025) Boles/Woods – Oklahoma Emission Reduction Technology REBATE Program.

SB578 (2025) Coleman/Kelley – Quality Events Act – Extends GRANTS for 5 MORE years.

SB663 (2025) Pugh/Hill – The Workforce Coordination Revolving Fund may be used to create a workforce data integration system as well as provide GRANTS for critical workforce needs.

SB687 (2025) Hall/Caldwell, T – Broadband SALES TAX REBATE PROGRAM.

SB688 (2025) Hall/Hilbert – EXEMPTIONS OF AD VALORUM TAXES for payroll for manufacturing aerospace equipment.

SB713 (2025) Jech/Newton – TAX INCREASE FOR THE PEOPLE via bonds. A county can issue revenue bonds to purchase light mitigating technology for EXISTING windmills that do not currently have the technology. (If the windmill private companies are to pay for NEW wind turbines to have these lights, then they should also pay for THEIR EXISTING wind turbines to have them NOT tax the people through bonds).

SB987 (2025) Thompson, K/Osburn – Creates the Oklahoma Department of Commerce Board consisting of 9 voting members. The board must meet within 60 days of its creation, may create working groups to help carry out its responsibilities, and may accept GIFTS, GRANTS and DONATIONS from NON-GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES. (ARE THESE FROM LOBBYISTS???)

SB998 (2025) Green/Caldwell, T – Allows a utility to start recovering work-in-progress expenses prior to the commercial operation of a new, or newly expanded, natural gas facility. The Commission is required to permit a SPECIAL RATE for the recovery of such expenses. (the customers get screwed again with utility rate increases).

SB1150 (2025) Hall/Caldwell, T – Appropriates $15,000,000.00 from the PREP Fund to the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics for the construction or upgrades to a primary commercial airport. There is a $15,000,000.00 impact to the state budget. (who exactly is benefiting from this?)

SB1438 (2025) Patzkowski/Kern – Rural Economic Development GRANTS. Raises the cap, from $150,000 to $350,0000, on certain Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grants administered by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

HB1571 (2025) Lawson/Gollihare – Removes the expiration date for the Route 66 Commission who is responsible for funds awarding of GRANT funding for projects on the historic highway Route 66.

HB1727 (2025) Moore/Pugh – College SCHOLARSHIPS only for public teachers’ kids.

HB2019 (2025) Pae/Pugh – A TAX CREDIT for aerospace industry extended to 2032.

HB2260 (2025) Miller/Haste – Establishes 3 TAX CREDITS for civil engineers and their employers beginning tax year 2026. Qualified engineering businesses that employ a civil engineer will receive a TAX CREDIT equal to 5% of the compensation paid to an engineer until January 1, 2031, or 10% if the engineer graduated from an Oklahoma college or university. The TAX CREDIT is capped at $12,500 per employee, per year, and may claimed for up to 5 years. An employer can also CLAIM ANOTHER TAX CREDIT for up to 50% of the tuition reimbursed to an employee for up to 4 years of employment until January 1, 2031. Additionally, the engineer hired is eligible for a TAX CREDIT of $5000 per year, for up to 5 years until January 1, 2031.

HB2402 (2025) – Fetgatter/Murdock – INCOME TAX ABATEMENT for manufacturing of electricity from low grade heat.

HB2407 (2025) Fetgatter/Coleman – Oklahoma “Main Street” GRANT program.

HB2645 (2025) Hilbert/Paxton – HB2645 provides a $20,000 INCOME TAX CREDIT for doctors that practice medicine in a rural area for up to four years. A rural area is considered a city or town with a population of less than 25,000 that is at least 25 miles from the nearest city or town with a population greater than 25,000. The TAX CREDIT is available beginning tax year 2026 and is limited to $1 million in total claims each year.

HB2753 (2025) Caldwell, T/Howard – TAX CREDITS for Rural Jobs Act.

HB2767 (2025) Caldwell, T/Hall – Transfers $255 million to the ROA-25 Revolving Fund which was created to support industrial projects. The program is part of the Reindustrialize Oklahoma Act run by the Dept of Commerce to incentivize manufacturing companies to invest in Oklahoma.

HB2768 (2025) Caldwell, T/Hall – AMENDS the EXISTING Oklahoma Quality Jobs Incentive Leverage Act by increasing the maximum allowable investment for qualified establishments to $700,000,000.

HB2778 (2025) Caldwell, T/Hall – Creates the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Program, which exempts household income from being factored in when determining eligibility for the Child Care Subsidy Program for employees of child care facilities.

HB2781 (2025) Caldwell, T/Hall – Creates the Reindustrialize Oklahoma Act (ROA-25) investment REBATE PROGRAM. The program will be administered by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC), run through July 1, 2045, and provide rebate payments to a manufacturing establishment that makes a capital expenditures investment of at least $2 billion in the state and creates 700 or more new direct jobs by year one of the rebate period. By year two, the jobs threshold is increased to 1000 and will remain so for the remainder of the rebate period. The establishment must also meet the program requirements under the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program

HB2792 (2025) Caldwell, T/Hall – Makes changes to the Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity Fund to create a revolving fund and reappropriates to projects funds that were originally appropriated in 2022; a continuation of funds as several projects still have on-going expenses. The amounts for those projects are:

$25,000,000.00;
$1,000,000.00;
$20,000,000.00;
$20,000,000.00:
$20,000,000.00;
$22,350,000.00;
$14,000,000.00;
$4,000,000.00;
$22,500,000.00;
$5,000,000.00;

These ones below were brought to committee and thankfully VOTED DOWN: (notice this is a MUCH smaller list!!!)

SB119 (2025) Green/Archer – Creates an investment REBATE program for investments on property for the purpose of refining, manufacturing, and processing compounds or elements into hydrogen-based products. (NO senate floor vote).

SB236 (2025) Haste – Establishes an INCOME TAX CREDIT for employers required to comply with Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements. Individual claims for the credit shall not exceed $50,000.00. The credit may be carried forward for a period of 5 years. NO vote in senate rev/tax committee.

SB241 (2025) Thompson, K – Appropriates $20 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to provide a REBATE for capital investments in an establishment that refines, manufactures, or processes compounds or elements into hydrogen-based products. NO appropriations committee vote.

SB271 (2025) Rader – A repeat of HB2305 above. (Did not get a senate committee vote). Creates the Oklahoma Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Act. The measure stipulates that passive receivers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) providing essential services shall NOT be civilly liable to the state for costs associated with the release of PFAS to the environment. NO senate energy committee vote.

SB820 (2025) Boren/Gise – Amends the Oklahoma Five Major Sports Leagues REBATE Program Act which expands eligibility to the Womens Nat’l Basketball Association, Womens Professional Fastpitch and National Womens Soccer League. This Act provides a REBATE PROGRAM similiar to the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program with a maximum annual rebate of $10 MILLION per qualifying entity or establishment. NO house floor vote.

SB938 (2025) Kirt – Creates the Municipal Workforce Housing Development GRANT PROGRAM within the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency to provide financial assistance to municipalities for the purpose of increasing the availability of workforce housing. NO senate ecomonic development committee vote.

SB1501 (2024) Paxton – Income tax credit for geothermal. (NO senate floor vote).

HB2305 (2024) Rader/Pfeiffer – Oklahoma PFAS Act which said receivers of PFAS shall NOT BE LIABLE for the release into the environment. Also, that Oklahoma will accept other states’ PFAS. Oklahoma is not a toxic waste dump site! (Died in conference committee 5/30/24).

HB1848 (2025) Thompson, K/Schreiber – Committee substitute grants a TAX CREDIT to employers that provides a childcare subsidy to its employees or operates a childcare facility for its employees. The credit is equal to 30 percent of the subsidy amount or operating cost, limited to $30,000 per employer. The credit may be claimed for tax year 2026 through 2030 and capped at $5 million in total claims each year. NO senate floor vote.

HB2026 (2025) Archer/Haste – RENAMES the Oklahoma Aircraft Engine Testing Development Grant Program to the Oklahoma Aircraft and Rocket Engine Testing Development GRANT PROGRAM. (an EXISTING GRANT program). NO senate aeronautics committee vote.

Bottom line – this giving away money to PRIVATE BUSINESSES has to stop. Period. I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat, tax incentives are NOT A PROPER FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT.

If you’re a REPUBLICAN, however, and you’ve had anything to do with business incentivizing tax credits, you need to change your political affiliation. The Republican platform includes planks on our belief in the Free Enterprise system (which can’t exist side-by-side with tax credits for businesses of any kind) and our belief in SMALLER GOVERNMENT, which will never happen when new employees have to be hired to maintain and care for another system of tax dollar giveaways. Sadly, note that the same legislators appear to be running tax credit legislation and they are nearly all Republicans.

Please, PLEASE, share this information with anyone you know and ask them to contact their Senator and Representative (at the Oklahoma Capitol – you can find yours here) and tell them that – if they want YOUR vote – they need to stop authoring and/or voting for tax incentives for businesses of any kind. We’ll never be able to lower income tax rates or try to divorce ourselves of property taxes if the government keeps stealing from us to fund pet business projects. Period.

June 25, 2025 1

Oklahomans Denied Substantive Tax Relief While Providing “New” Private Defense Contractor Kratos $1,728,394.00 In Subsidies From 2019

Today, a press release from Senators Kristin Thompson and Todd Golihare, “Thompson, Gollihare Applaud New Kratos Facility in Bristow; Senators Highlight Major Aerospace Investment and Job Creation in Rural Oklahoma” was sent to Oklahomans. Since it was not posted to the Senate media page, I’ve copied and pasted the message from my inbox below.

Thompson, Gollihare Applaud New Kratos Facility in Bristow
Senators Highlight Major Aerospace Investment and Job Creation in Rural Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Economic Development, Workforce, and Tourism Chair Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, and Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, today celebrated the announcement of a new Kratos Defense & Security Solutions facility coming to Bristow. The advanced manufacturing site will produce tactical jet engines for U.S. defense systems and is expected to bring dozens of high-quality jobs to Creek County and surrounding areas.

“This is a major win for Oklahoma,” said Thompson. “We’ve made targeted investments in research, development, and workforce to attract exactly this kind of advanced industry. The Bristow facility strengthens our national security footprint while delivering real economic opportunity to our communities.”

As Co-Chair of the Senate’s LEAD Committee (Legislative Evaluation and Development), Thompson has championed policies that support high-tech growth sectors like aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing — aligning long-term economic planning with real-world job creation.The 50,000 square-foot facility — expandable to 100,000 square feet — will house up to five production lines for Kratos’ GEK-series engines and include on-site test cells funded in part through state incentive programs. Kratos plans to begin hiring in late 2025 with full operations expected by the end of 2026.

Senator Gollihare, whose district includes the Bristow area, emphasized the regional impact:

“This is a big win — not just for Bristow, but for our region, for the state, and for the country,” Gollihare said. “We’re talking about high-quality jobs and cutting-edge manufacturing right here in rural Oklahoma, supporting our local economy and strengthening America’s defense capabilities. I’m proud to support projects that deliver for our communities and for the nation.”

The announcement was made at the Paris Air Show, where Oklahoma aerospace officials joined Kratos executives to highlight the state’s growing role in defense manufacturing. For more information, contact: Senator Kristen Thompson (405) 521-5592 or kristen.thompson@oksenate.gov

Since my reporting on Canoo and it’s detrimental effects on Oklahoma, I’ve been concerned about the use of Oklahoman’s tax dollars as business ‘incentives’. Consequently, I did some basic research on Kratos.

Kratos is an enormous, publicly-traded, investor-owned, company headquartered in San Diego, California, devoted to six areas of defense contracting; C51SR Systems, Defense and Rocket Support Systems, Microwave Electronics, Space, Training and Cybersecurity, Turbine Technologies and Unmanned Systems. It has international offices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UK and trades in the $40/share range. It also has offices in the US in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Virginia – and now (?) Oklahoma.

Just this year (January), the Pentagon award[ed] Kratos a megadeal worth nearly $1.5B for a new hypersonic testbed. Kratos’ press release announcing the ‘award’ said, “Kratos is honored to receive the largest contract award in our company’s history, a testament of the value Kratos’ employees and team bring both to our Company and United States National Security,” Eric DeMarco, president and CEO of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, said in a statement. “This programmatic milestone underscores our unwavering commitment to making upfront investments for rapidly developing, and being first to market with affordable, mission-critical solutions that meet the evolving needs of the warfighter.”

Unfortunately, a few things cropped up in my research. Let’s start with this: though the good Senators use the wording, “celebrated the announcement of a new Kratos Defense & Security Solutions facility coming to Bristow“, Oklahoma has been doling out tax dollars to Kratos since 2019 to the tune of $1,728,394. Here are the credits in chronological order:

If Kratos is a NEW business in Oklahoma, why are there tax credits go back to 2019? Why was there no mention of them previously having had an office/manufacturing plant in Oklahoma before – either in the Senators’ press release or on Kratos’ website?

Here’s another issue. Kratos works out of locations in 10 other states. Not one single state – excepting Maryland ($126,414) – has given Kratos any kind of tax break at all according to the Subsidy Tracker website.

Kratos was the recipient of a $689,876 federal grant in 2019 tagged to their facility in Colorado, however, for, “SOUTHERN RESEARCH INSTITUTE LIFE MODELLING OF CRITICAL STEAM CYCLE COMPONENTS IN COAL-FUELED POWER PLANTS”.

According to Google Maps, this is the building currently housing Kratos in Bristow:

Exterior view of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions facility located in Bristow, Oklahoma.

This building is also the site of Consolidated Turbine Specialists LLC.

A Google Maps screenshot featuring the location of Consolidated Turbine Specialists, LLC in Bristow, Oklahoma, showing the building and surrounding area.

According to a Bristow News article published Wednesday, March 17, 2021, “In 2019, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a California based company, purchased the parent company of Consolidated Turbine Specialists, aka CTS, which was originally founded in 2012.”

Interestingly, Consolidated Turbine Specialists LLC was given ‘grants‘ – Quality Job Incentive Payments – from 2019-2022 in the amount of $345,432, during the same time period Kratos was ALSO receiving Quality Job Incentive Payments from Oklahoma. While the Kratos ‘grants’ during that time period were given for “unmanned arial systems”, no specific category is listed for the Consolidated Turbine Specialists’ ‘grants’.

A table displaying subsidy records for Consolidated Turbine Specialists LLC, detailing locations, subsidy sources, years, values, and types of subsidies received in Oklahoma from 2019 to 2022.

These businesses have been sharing the same space from 2019 and until – according to Kratos’ press release – the new building can be built in Bristow. Whether or not the ‘grants’ were for different reasons, this looks a whole lot like double-dipping. If Consolidated was merged with Kratos in 2019 – then, according to the idea of a merger – these two entities became one entity. Why would Oklahomans give double Quality Jobs ‘grants’ to one company?

But that’s not the only issue. Why are we – under a REPUBLICAN governor and a REPUBLICAN legislature – superseding the FREE MARKET by giving out so much money in SUBSIDIES?

Many of Oklahoma’s elected officials commented on Kratos’ announcement, but Governor Stitt was in Paris for the Paris Air Show when the announcement was made. He said, “This is a big win for American workers, for our military, and for every Oklahoman who believes in freedom, innovation, and strength. Kratos could’ve gone anywhere in the world, but they choose to continue investing in Oklahoma because it is the best place to build, grow, and do business. Oklahoma is proud to be a hub for national defense that is leading the way in rebuilding America’s industrial base and powering the technologies that keep our country safe.”

I wonder if Kratos didn’t go anywhere else in the world because Oklahomans have given a publicly-traded company with a billion and a half dollar contract with the federal government (also our tax dollars) over a million dollars ALREADY to do business in our state?

The President and CEO of Kratos said, “Kratos is truly honored to expand our presence in Oklahoma with this new, state-of-the-art propulsion production facility in Bristow. This new Kratos investment reflects our continued commitment to delivering high-performance, affordable jet engine technology to support the Department of Defense and our allies and answers the rising demand for propulsion systems for cruise missiles and CCA-type aircraft, while being targeted and optimized for cost reduction. The Bristow facility will play a critical role in accelerating production of the GEK family of engines, including the GEK800, and strengthening America’s industrial base in this decisive era. We thank Governor Stitt and the State of Oklahoma for their partnership in helping us build the future of high-performance propulsion right here in the heartland.”

So, if that’s the case, and they are CONTINUING to produce jet engines and nothing was said about unmanned arial systems having been a course of manufacture in Oklahoma, that the double-dipping theory might hold some water? Yes, it could also be that the CEO of a HUGE investor-held corporation with multi-billion dollars in contracts is very untethered to the day-to-day business of all their companies, but then, why is he CEO?

At the bottom of the Kratos press release is a required statement from the SEC about the fact that, since this is a publicly traded corporation which is telegraphing doing business in a way they can’t be certain of, investors must consider the statement “forward looking”. In other words, don’t make a stock purchase solely based on this announcement because Kratos might not be able to undertake the actions they’ve described. Seriously. Think on this.

Yes, Bristow may get a brand new Kratos building and yes, they may get new jobs from this business proposal – but then, they might not.

Kratos has to use the term “expected” in terms of their plans, but then they also indicate that Oklahoma will CONTINUE to give them further Oklahoma tax dollars to meet their expectations.

So why wouldn’t investors (like Markwayne Mullin?) want to invest in Kratos? What’s the downside? Oklahoma’s government will rob Oklahomans to make sure Kratos makes its projections for its investors.

Or, maybe not. Maybe, like Canoo, Governor Stitt will dig into the pockets of Oklahomans and the jobs WON’T materialize, nor the building in which to house them. But by then, our Governor will have left his position, and possibly the state – along with big holes in the pockets of Oklahoma tax payers and an uneven playing field for Oklahoma businesses.

*An email to Senator Kristin Thompson was sent regarding information in this blog. She did not return the email before this article was published. If she does respond at any point, I will add her response below.

June 18, 2025 1

Less Than An Hour Of Screentime A Day Can Harm Your Child’s Socioemotional Health

A large study has just been published on the effects of screentime in children and the results are extremely concerning.

Sixteen authors contributed to Electronic Screen Use and Children’s Socioemotional Problems, published by the American Psychological Association this month. The study model is very interesting. It collected research papers that had studied screen use in children in any way, pulled the results of 117 of those studies and then used something called Multivariate analysis to predict the outcome of screen use in children under 18.

The studied data included research from all over the world between 1972 and 2024. American-derived studies comprised the bulk of the study (41), with Canada (13), Australia (11), Germany (7) and the Netherlands (7) coming in behind. A total of 331,391 children were represented through the researched studies – 48.1% were boys and 48.5% were girls, with the mean age reported as 10.4 years.

This study is hugely significant for two reasons:

The number of children included in the study. The larger a study size, the much more likely statistical analyses are to produce accurate results. Small study sizes are harder to produce statistically significant results than larger ones. With over 300 hundred thousand children included through all the research analyzed, the statistical significance of any reported conclusions are very high.
The number of years of research collected is – again – very high. It may mean one thing that a report done in 1972 finds that screen time correlates with emotional troubles in children, but to find that same result in a study from 2024 is huge. As in the numbers of children represented in the study, the number of years represented in the study also creates a very high statistical significance that the results are accurately reported.

Therefore, the conclusions from this research are NOT to be ignored. They are, by all accounts, statistically significant thanks to the robust number of children studied over a long period of time.

Please click on the link for the paper’s title to look at the study for yourself. It was very interesting research – a really ingenious way of coming to a conclusion about screens and the behavior of children.

Now, here’s the bottom line.

CHILDREN – PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM AGES 6-10 – WHO USE SCREENS MORE THAN 30 MINUTES A DAY ARE PRONE TO SOCIOEMOTIONAL PROBLEMS such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms (48), followed by aggressive behavior (39), emotional problems (37), conduct problems (including oppositional defiant behavior; 30), mental health problems (20), peer relationship problems (19), antisocial behavior (17), and low self-esteem (11).

From the research:

These data suggest that small amounts of screen use are not problematic— there appear to be few differences between outcomes for children watching 10 and 30 min per day. For children exceeding the guidelines, there was a substantial association between their screen use and socioemotional problems. At these levels, more is worse, likely because screens increasingly displace other essential protective behaviors (Roberts et al., 1993; World Health Organization, 2019). As noted earlier, meta-analyses have shown that screen usage is associated with lower levels of physical activity (Kontostoli et al., 2021), poor sleep duration or quality (Carter et al., 2016; Hale & Guan, 2015; Zhang et al., 2022), and reduced in-person social interactions (Twenge et al., 2018). Small increases in screen use are unlikely to displace these behaviors, but once exceeding guidelines, an extra hour of screen use likely means less sleep, social time, or physical activity.

And this goes both ways. From the study:

…children on screens may be at greater risk of developing socioemotional problems, just as children with preexisting socioemotional problems may turn to screens in general as a way to cope with their emotional and social distress.

So, in closing, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, aggressively limit the amount of time your child/children spend on screens. Do NOT allow them to have ANY screens in their bedrooms during the nighttime hours at all – no TVs, no computers, no phones, no pads, no Gameboys, no Nintendos, no NOTHING with a screen.

If you even scan the research, you’ll find that allowing kids to have screens at nighttime contributes to lack of sleep, which in turn – despite what they’re seeing on those screens – causes an inability to control their emotions because they are tired.

I remember when our kids turned 18. Both the boys went out and bought TVs. Our youngest daughter was happy to have her phone 24/7 because she uses her phone for everything in the world, but the boys were ecstatic to have their own TV. Hysterically, only one of them ever really used it much even after an 18 year wait!

Our future resides in our children. Let’s give them – and us – the best future we can. Let’s be the adults in the room and protect our children’s mental health by severely limiting their screen use. Pronto.

June 14, 2025 0

Boycotting Braum’s Over Public Drag Queen Performances Is But One Front In The Fight To Save The Innocence Of Our Children

This morning I was reading a post on the wall of a friend. It was an open letter to Braum’s explaining that they would no longer shop with Braum’s because they are one of a group of sponsors for something called, “Pride on The Plaza”. “Pride On The Plaza” is the June event in a full yearly calendar cycle of something called, “Live On The Plaza” – monthly events held in the Plaza District of Oklahoma City.

Braum’s and the other sponsors in the screenshot, sponsor ALL the monthly events in the monthly Live On The Plaza, which includes the June Pride event.

Here’s the thing – I’m about liberty. “Do what you want”, is essentially my motto. BUT, there is one enormous caveat. You can’t harm others in any way during the commission of you “doing what you want”.

I personally don’t care if you want to dress in drag and perform – FOR ADULTS. I personally don’t care if you want to go see drag performances AS AN ADULT. The problem with any drag event held in a public space, however, is the propensity for children to see that event.

Children – as I’ve said multiple hundreds of times – are not adults. I don’t care if you’re an adult and think your child will love a drag performance because it’s harmless fun – they aren’t going to get it. What they WILL get, however, is that the women they’re watching don’t look like any human XX chromosome female they see on the street and that’s confusing for them.

What they WILL do is copy the behavior they’re seeing – because that’s what kids do. Because drag is solely about sex, this is a problem. Children are not ready to understand what is and isn’t healthy for them – or even what they do and don’t want on an emotional level. Because of that, the only proper way to raise a child for the benefit of that child, is to protect the innocence of that child until they’re old enough to determine for themselves what they want to be and do.

In fact, I will argue that the only way to protect a society from eating itself (which is what we’re seeing now on a very large scale) is to protect the innocence of the children in that society until they are able to make determinations for themselves.

We’ve literally, seemingly lost the desire to protect our kids from influences other than the neutral today, however and public drag shows are just a small part of the non-neutral environments we’re allowing them to be a part of. Screens – at school and at home – are the primary cause of the loss of innocence of children and parents and teachers and other adults are allowing children access to developmentally inappropriate material DAILY.

So, fine, send a communication to Braum’s and tell them you won’t support their products if they’re going to support the loss of innocence of children…

BUT, if you’re going to single out Braum’s and the other sponsors of the Plaza Live events, do this too, or you’re not really accomplishing much other than resourcing your family’s dairy needs:

1. Go to the Oklahoma City Council meetings and make it plain to them that you object to tax dollar support of ANY public event that could harm the innocence of children attending.

2. STOP FUNDING THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL and write a letter to them telling them to stop booking public events that aren’t appropriate for children. Here is the link explaining how the Arts Council is the driving force behind the Plaza District in general.

3. Write the directors of the 16th Street Plaza District, Rachael CRAWFORD – Executive Director and Casey Longacre-marketing assistant and tell them the same thing that you’ve posted on social media about your lack of support for public drag shows and other public activities that support the loss of innocence of children.

4. Find a group of parents who want screens removed from classrooms and go to your school’s School Board meetings to protest until that Board removes screens from classrooms and begins to teach the “old fashioned” way in which students learn best and are least affected by developmentally inappropriate material.

5. Find a group of parents who will CONTINUALLY go to Board meetings and CONTINUE to complain about ANY developmentally inappropriate material in your child’s school (or better yet, take them out and homeschool them yourself – see Homeschool Oklahoma or our friends at Constitutional Home Educators Alliance for help with that).

6. TAKE SCREENS AWAY FROM YOUR CHILDREN! Simply don’t let YOUNG children use screens OF ANY KIND, and when they get old enough (early TEENS) to have some responsibility with a phone, dog the HECK out of the thing with parental controls and DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO USE THEM WHEN YOU ARE NOT AROUND TO MONITOR. Don’t let children have ANY screens in their rooms at night, period. Not a TV, not a computer, not a phone.

If you’re unwilling to do at least three of the things on the list above, please stop posting to social media about your outrage that there are drag queens in the Plaza District dancing for children. You’re right, it’s bad, but boycotting Braum’s solves very little if anything. If you really want to commit to protecting the innocence of children and our society, you’ll really do it, you won’t post on social media and consider your job completed. The innocence of our society’s children is of paramount importance. Posting to social media is easy, but putting the breaks on the wholesale destruction of the psyche of our children requires way more effort than that.

June 13, 2025 1

A digital flyer displaying the June podcast schedule for ROPE Report. It lists various speakers and topics for each date in June, set against a beach background.

June 5, 2025 0

An-Op Ed Received After Today’s Video With Jason Murphy On The Ethics Of The Oklahoma Legislature

Though I haven’t edited the video to shorts yet, if you didn’t see this morning’s live video with former legislator and current author of The Oklahoma State Capitol on Substack, Jason Murphy, I suggest you do. You can find it on our YouTube and Rumble channels. If you’re not paying attention to the Oklahoma legislature, she better be. They’re not only not acting very “Red”, they’re also not acting very ethically either.

The following is an Op-Ed I received after the video.

Where Is the Oklahoma Ethics Commission When We Need It Most?

By Domesticated Warrior – domesticatedwarrior@gmail.com

When we think of government ethics, we often assume there’s a safeguard in place to ensure that public officials are held to the highest standards. In Oklahoma, that safeguard is the Oklahoma Ethics Commission—an independent agency charged with enforcing rules around conflicts of interest, campaign financing, and transparency in public service. But lately, many of us are asking a very simple question: Where are they?

This session alone, we’ve seen several troubling examples of apparent conflicts of interest among our lawmakers:

Senator Lonnie Paxton, the new President Pro Tempore, has drawn scrutiny for his close ties to PACs and dark money groups, particularly from the energy sector. He also reportedly brushed off concerns about conflicts of interest during a recent Senate Education Committee hearing, suggesting such conflicts were acceptable—rather than disqualifying.
Senator Paul Rosino filed a resolution to oust the head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health—while his wife works there whether directly or via a contractor. That’s not just poor optics. That’s a textbook case for recusal, and one that should have triggered an immediate ethics review.
Representative Josh West, co-chair of the mental health caucus, is actively involved in mental health policy while his wife owns a mental health practice. This isn’t about questioning his passion for the issue. It’s about whether his votes and advocacy may directly benefit his family’s business.
Representative Brian Hill, a vocal champion of workforce reform, sits on the Workforce Committee and frequently collaborates with the Oklahoma State Chamber. The same Chamber that holds exclusive $350 fundraising dinners and pours money into legislation favorable to their corporate agenda. Hill’s workforce bills align tightly with the Chamber’s interests, raising red flags about policy being steered by private influence instead of public need.
And most recently, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert violated House rules and called for a bonus vote on a bill that directly benefited initiatives pushed by the State Chamber. It was a maneuver that should have been stopped—not rubber-stamped. Hilbert has received donations from Koch PAC, a major financial backer of the State Chamber and local business chambers throughout Oklahoma. If that’s not a conflict of interest, it’s certainly one that deserves real scrutiny.

Yet in all these cases, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission has remained silent. No public inquiries. No investigations. No statements.

We shouldn’t have to be the ones filing ethics complaints just to get accountability. That’s literally the job of the Ethics Commission—to proactively monitor, investigate, and respond to behavior that threatens public trust. When those charged with protecting integrity fall asleep at the wheel, the system begins to erode from the inside.

We’ve allowed a dangerous narrative to take root in our Capitol: that conflicts of interest are normal, that they’re manageable, or worse—that they’re nobody’s business. But they are our business. Every piece of legislation passed by conflicted lawmakers risks being tainted by undue influence. Every ignored conflict of interest sends the message that the rules don’t apply to those in power.

This isn’t partisan. This is about restoring a basic expectation of fairness and accountability in Oklahoma governance. And if the Ethics Commission is unwilling or unable to do its job, then maybe it’s time we ask a more fundamental question:

Who watches the watchdog?

We need structural reforms: increased funding and independence for the Ethics Commission, greater transparency on legislator financial and familial ties, mandatory recusals in cases of direct personal benefit, and timely public reporting of ethics violations. Because right now, ethics in Oklahoma politics looks less like oversight—and more like a cover-up.

If you’ve lost faith in the system, I don’t blame you. But silence will only allow these problems to deepen. Speak up. Push back. And as we head toward the next election cycle, ask yourself this:

Did your legislator work for the people—or for the people who fund their campaigns?

June 4, 2025 0

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