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If the Seminole Nation can ban data centers, surely we can too

While the news received very little mainstream media attention, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma has accomplished something profound: they quickly and cleanly banned data centers on their native land. No quibbling, equivocating, or cutting backroom deals while simultaneously telling their people they were on their side, they just did it. As reported by Native News Online, the Seminole Nation had been approached by a developer with the data center proposal, followed by a request to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a letter of intent. While most Oklahoma community leaders would jump at this opportunity (they’ve virtually all been jumping), Seminole leaders held a town hall to discuss the matter on March 3rd, and vote unanimously to, 

““implement a moratorium on the advancement of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and hyperscale data center development within the Seminole Nation and within tribal lands and territories.”

What a wonderful example of single-minded courage they’ve provided for the rest of Oklahoma. Can we live up to it? While it’s been slow in coming, signs of resistance are beginning to pop up around the state. Tulsa and Oklahoma City have both passed temporary moratoriums on construction of new data centers, to address shortfalls and gaps in zoning regulations, which highlights the exploitative nature of the data center land rush: they’re taking advantage of areas with lax zoning laws around the country. It’s now common knowledge that developers actively seek out areas with easily-wooed council members, along with overly-lenient zoning laws and an executive and legislature hypnotized by “growth” at any cost. More than anything we need elected leaders slightly less willing to sell our state down river. Seems like a low bar, but one that vanishingly few of our leaders appear willing to clear.

Thanks to this plague of moral cowardice, data center development is running wild like an invasive species in the Sooner State. Every week we hear of a new proposed data center, and we find out that some small town council has been in talks for months, and they’ve already signed the NDA and letter of intent, all under the noses of the people they’re supposed to represent. By the time the plans are made public, the data center seems inevitable. Protests, lawsuits, council meeting crowds, there is a feeling of futility among communities, who feel as if they’ve been kept out of the loop on purpose. They, who will be forced to foot the bill in higher utility bills and a generationally blighted landscape, get no say in the matter. 

In the United States alone, around 4,000 data centers already exist, and 1,500 to 3,000 are being planned. Contrast this with the fact that the country with the next highest amount is Germany, with only 500. China, who we’re constantly being told is the reason we’re building these facilities at such a break-neck pace, has only around 400. What is going on here? Who, and what, are these for? What could possibly justify the enormous resource drain that data centers inflict on the communities they move into? 

Last year, data centers in the US consumed roughly 224 terawatt hours of electricity, or 4.5% of the total electricity supply of the US for that year. By 2030, that electricity consumption is expected to reach 17%. But given the rapid pace of data center construction, that number could reach much higher. 

In 2025, US data centers drained over 260 billion gallons of water from the total supply.  Google’s data center campus near Pryor, Oklahoma, alone used 1.1 billion gallons of water in the same year. Also last year in Texas, data centers used a staggering 25 billion gallons of water. Is this really sustainable? The question seems rhetorical. There’s an unsettling realization occurring that no one allowing these data centers to be built is giving the slightest thought to long-term consequences of allowing our power and water to be drained in this way. 

The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma has shown us that data centers are not inevitable. So why are we being made to believe that they are? Why are so many being built here compared to other countries? What are they going to be used for, and will it benefit us or enslave us within a digital panopticon? Myself and others are getting a very bad feeling about this rapid and unchecked rise of AI data centers, and what comes after this AI infrastructure in put into place. Not merely in resource drain, but consequences for privacy and civil liberties. With our every movement tracked and recorded, can it reasonably be said that privacy will cease to exist even just a few years from now? Will every facet of our lives be catalogued, judged, even predicted? Will AI be used to assign each of us a social credit score? Does freedom and prosperity really seem compatible in slightest with this rapid rise of an AI oligarchy? 

Our elected leaders, for the most part, appear slavish in the face of Big Tech. Whether it’s our schools, city councils, state and federal legislatures, few are willing to just say no. 

The Age of Apathy must come to an end. We have to wake up and fight back. Anything less would be an insult to our heritage of American liberty, and to  the legacy that we wish to pass on to our descendants.

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Very Liberal Democrats File State Question 832 – A Big NO On The Ballot In June

Just recently I learned that SQ832 would be on the ballot during the Primary Election, June 16th, 2026.

This is a question that seeks to raise the MINIMUM WAGE as determined by the Federal Labor Commission-determined cost of living for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, not voters, through the Oklahoma Legislature. Currently, our state follows the Federal Minimum Wage, but this value may be increased beyond the minimum via state law, as has happened in other states – particularly those that make up the east and west coasts.

If the SQ is voted into law, the minimum wage in Oklahoma would immediately raise from $7.25 to $10.50/hour.

It is important to remember that while $7.25 is the current federally-mandated minimum, ANY employer in Oklahoma, can offer wages above that to their employees as it makes sense to their budgets, at any time.

Because an increases in minimum wage can cause large ripples in a state’s economy and simply ruin small businesses, I decided to put a bit of time into researching the people who signed their name to SQ832’s petition.

According to the filing, Kelsey Cobbs, of El Reno, and Dustin Phelan, of Salina, created the petition.

Kelsey Cobbs is the head pastor of The Federated Church of Weatherford.

Please note that Kelsey has a Master of Divinity with a concentration on Spirituality and Social Activism from Vanderbilt Divinity School.

I have two questions about Kelsey:

  1. Does your church accept donations? Why is it then, that you can’t help the poor in your community? Why is it that ALL OF OKLAHOMA has to carry the burden you want carried yourself?
  2. What did God say about the poor? “’When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.’” Leviticus 23:22. “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.  Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” Deuteronomy 7-11. It doesn’t say anything at all about the government forcing wages, or that the government should make sure there are none in poverty. Jesus told us that the second greatest commandment was to, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Matthew 29:39. If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we can’t possibly be commanded to steal from others to give to others. We must INDIVIDUALLY, PERSONALLY donate money to churches and to organizations who help the poor. “I think the minimum wage needs to go up because the cost of everything has gone up, and it is time that wages people earn can actually help them make a living,” Cobbs told the Oklahoman.

Our next signer is Dustin Phelam. Dustin is an electrician and member of IBEW Local 584 who looks as though he might be making a bit more than minimum wage already.

He is also a Democrat who wants to begin the RURAL REVOLUTION today. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I do know that Revolution is a Communist construct, so there’s that.

There is also a group involved, called, “Raise The Wage Oklahoma“, piloted by our old Common Core nemesis, Amber England. England worked VERY hard to make Common Core the law of Oklahoma and we fought her every step of the way until it was finally repealed from law in 2014.

Oklahoma Appleseed – a division of the George Soros-backed Appleseed Network – is also involved in the effort to increase the minimum wage.

Both Raise the Wage and Oklahoma Appleseed ask for donations. Let’s think…if you are REALLY invested in making sure people in poverty have their needs met, shouldn’t you be using the DONATIONS YOU’RE COLLECTING and GIVING THEM TO THOSE IN NEED?

Absolutely. This is how you know – IMMEDIATELY – that SQ832 is yet another scam to ruin the middle class, by attacking their businesses.

Do not be fooled. Share this information and VOTE NO ON STATE QUESTION 832 June 16th.

Also, check out this post from Oklahoma Grassroots!

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VOTE NO For Judge Anthony Bonner, District 7, Office 9 – He Ruled For Developer Property Rights Over Citizen Property Rights

judge anthony bonner

For the last 10 years, property owners in Edmond, Oklahoma – specifically at and near the corner of Covell and Coltrane roads – have tried to prevent a WalMart Market from being built on the site.

A local developer, Jim Tapp, bought the 9.7 acre property for $2,636,500 in March of last year, but the previous developer had fought with the Edmond City Council over that same area for years previously.

At primary issue is the fact that the neighbors whose neighborhoods surround the proposed WalMart Market development, DON’T WANT IT. They have formed a group and addressed the Edmond City Council every time the development has been introduced at Council meetings.

There is also a planning document at issue. An early city planning document appears to allow the WalMart Market, whereas subsequent planning documents make that development harder. This article from Oklahoman writer Richard Mize last year, delves well into the backstory and issues surrounding the property development – including a court ruling 10 years ago allowing the then-developer to develop the property.

But here’s the bottom line…the Edmond City Council has quite apparently attempted to protect the EDMOND RESIDENTS WHO DON’T WANT THE WALMART MARKET IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. The Edmond residents vote for their City Council members – ostensibly to protect themselves and their property interests. Shouldn’t that be sufficient? Shouldn’t that be what ends the development of the WalMart Market? No. According to a NonDoc article from last year, Jim Tapp’s attorney, Todd McKinnis, had this to say to the Edmond City Council:

“If we have this kind of subjectivity, I just kind of wonder, where does it stop? Where does it stop when a private resident’s rights are greater than private commercial rights when it comes to property? We have rules for a reason.”

In the entirety of the world, can you believe the absolute unmitigated gall of Jim Tap’s attorney? Look, I get it – Tapp (who until recently lived on an enormous estate in my town) sunk a huge amount of dollars into the purchase of the property and expected to be able to develop it to make a return on his investment. But, the property had been fought over since 2015 – why would residents suddenly feel differently about a WalMart Market mucking up their neighborhood? So, I suppose, one should wonder what an investor was thinking purchasing such a contentious space in the first place. To make a point that developers have more interest in their property than private property owners via a lawsuit?

But wait, here’s another paragraph from the NonDoc article to turn your stomach:

Arguably subjective criteria like visual compatibility were part of what inspired a renewed push this year at the Oklahoma Legislature for Senate Bill 647, which remains property of the State Senate for 2026. Sen. Avery Frix (R-Muskogee) is the author of SB 647, saying earlier this year that it aims to limit “NIMBYism” and would require city planning commissions or councils to approve “plats for any project that meets zoning and code standards.”

WHAT? NIMBYism? So, we buy a property – sink our worldly goods into that property so we have no say over what happens to the property around us? What on the earth is the MATTER with people? Fortunately, the bill did not pass last year. It got stuck in a conference committee and never got out.

March 4th, 2026, Judge Anthony Bonner found in favor of developer Jim Tapp, shortcutting a trial by issuing a Summary Judgement in the case, allowing the WalMart Market to be built no matter what the residents around it want.

But then, are we surprised here?

The state of Oklahoma has prioritized business over INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY since Governor Kevin Stitt was elected. NOW you’re seeing the results of this “run the state like a business” mentality.

When legitimate individual citizen property owners can go before their elected officials, tell them they don’t want something with an unknown future in their back yard and their elected officials try to protect them only to have a judge look on them with disdain while prioritizing the pleadings of a businessman, we’ve finally officially supplanted the basis of the Constitution – We The People.

Anymore, it seems as though We The People can’t seem to do much to stop the tsunami of bad legislation and court rulings that are UNprotecting us and the right to the fruits of our labors, but we can do one thing – VOTE. And I advise you particularly, to VOTE AGAINST Judge Anthony Bonner, whose ruling in this case, essentially elevated the rights of a developer over the rights of the hundreds of property owners around the WalMart development who didn’t want it.

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Oklahoma’s Data Center Disaster

Data Center Damage

“You can’t drink data”. The quote from Tulsa Rep. Amanda Clinton encapsulates what many, probably most, Oklahomans feel as they struggle to comprehend the full-scale invasion of data center growth currently underway in their state. “Invasion” is an accurate term to describe what is happening, as large corporations descend on Oklahoma to exploit our relatively cheap electricity, water, and gullible city councils who are cajoled into entering into murky agreements with faceless megacorps, and in the process selling out their community and surrounding population for…what, exactly? The data center invasion is something that nobody asked for, much less the thousands of residents who feel they are being completely ignored by their elected leaders when they rubber stamp these water-and-electricity devouring atrocities. What benefit do they gain that will offset the inevitable rise in their monthly bills and blight the land near their homes? We can smell a scam coming a mile away, and we can’t help but feel powerless when we’re muscled out of the deal-making entirely. We understand that we will be the ones footing the bill for these facilities, and more than likely the last in line to reap any benefits.

Gov. Kevin Stitt is fully onboard with the data center incursion, touting “economic growth” as he always does when opening another door for large corporations to exploit our state’s low-cost resources. In his 2025 State of the State address, Stitt stated that he wanted “Oklahoma to be the high-tech capital of the world”. I think we should take his word for it. That may sound great to him, but to the rest of us it rings ominous.

Each day, a typical hyperscale, AI data center will consume roughly as much electricity as 100,000 homes, and around 5 million gallons of water. The larger data centers are expected to use 20 times as much electricity. According to one study, data centers in Texas consumed 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, and are expected to use as much as 399 billion gallons each year by 2030. In 2024, US data centers accounted for 4% of all the energy usage in the entire nation, or 183 TWh (terawatt hours). By 2030, that number is expected to jump to 426 TWh. Is this dramatic rate of increase in energy consumption really sustainable, and what does it mean for residents?

Construction of large data centers have proceeded at a break-neck pace in our state, and few residents have had the time to even understand what is happening to their communities. The lack of knowledge has been an advantage to the metastasizing industry so far, because when Oklahomans do realize what’s happening, they almost universally oppose it. What’s in it for them? How does “data” improve their lives in the slightest? The sheer cost of electricity, water, and land that these data centers consume is staggering, and many wonder how our electric grid and water reservoirs could ever supply the needed resources without averting a total disaster.

According to www.datacentermap.com, 37 data centers currently operate in Oklahoma. Many of these are small facilities that our grid can handle. But the new data centers are “hyperscale”, dedicated to processing unheard-of amounts of information for AI purposes, and will use millions of gallons of water, and more electricity per day than most Oklahoma cities. 

Four hyperscale data centers currently in the planning phase or already under construction are located in Claremore, Coweta, another on the outskirts of Owasso, and another just outside of Sand Springs. Dubbed ‘Project Mustang’, Project Atlas’, ‘Project Clydesdale’, and ‘Project Spring’, all four complexes will be located within 20 miles of each other, and are projected to use vast amounts of water and electricity each day.

Project Mustang is planned 300-acre data center, estimated to use 1.5 million gallons of water per day. Project Atlas, a $1 billion, 200-acre data center, will use an estimated 400 MW of electricity per day. Project Anthem will be located on 304 acres and is projected to use 2 million gallons of water per day. Project Clydesdale will span roughly 500 acres, and use an estimated 7 million gallons per day. The developer, Beale Infrastructure, has not publicly disclosed estimated electricity demand for the complex.

Google’s Project Spring is set to be a massive, 827-acre hyperscale data center located just outside of Sand Springs. Despite overwhelming public opposition, the Sand Springs city council approved rezoning for facility in a 6-1 vote. Beau Wilson, to his credit, was the lone dissenting vote. Local grassroots group Sand Springs Alliance filed a lawsuit, alleging violations of annexation policies. Residents voiced they concerns about a doubling of their utility bills, concerns that fell on deaf ears.

One point of great contention is the fact that many city councils and counties sign non-disclosure agreements with data center developers long before the public learns anything at all, and before the backroom deals begin to take shape. Details of a deal for a planned data center in Stillwater was kept under wraps for months before the public was made aware that the new facility would be a Google-owned data center. Almost every planned data center has been wrapped in vague wording, almost up to the moment that the deal is inked. 

The real questions that are never answered clearly is: is this sustainable? Do we have enough water and electricity long-term to allow these enormous facilities to operate in our state without devastating consequences for Oklahoma residents? What the residents who understand the issue want to know is simply this: what are our leaders getting us into?

The biggest AI companies in the world are bypassing our Legislature entirely, going straight to small city councils with their slick presentations about how their gargantuan facility will somehow benefit their community. Councilmembers see dollar signs, and not much else, apparently. Is it really appropriate for city councils to hold such consequential decision-making power over these ventures when the outcome could very well lead to a doubling or tripling of utility bills, or at worse, ecological disaster? And when those councils appear to completely disregard the voices of their residents, it is appropriate to ask whether they should be stripped of this power entirely.

Thankfully, several Oklahoma legislators have taken notice of this ominous development, and have offered legislation to pump the brakes on the data center invasion. Tulsa Rep. Amanda Clinton has filed a host of bills aimed at creating transparency. HB 3392 would require the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to conduct studies of the long-term impact of these large load data centers on the communities they operate in. The bill recently passed out of Committee to a unanimous vote. HB 3394 would require the Commission to keep a detailed database of all data centers in the state. HB 3397 would “quantify the electricity needs of large-load electric users, such as data centers and other industrial operations, measure their impacts and find ways to ensure these large-load users pay their fair share”, according to Clinton.

State Senator Ken Sacchieri filed SB 1488, which would impose a moratorium on data center construction until November 1st, 2029.

Rep. Brad Boles filed HB 2992, the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, requiring data centers to pay for their own infrastructure costs, rather than offloading it on current residents through rate hikes. 

Rep. Mickey Dollins filed HB 3917, which would force large load electricity consumers to pay a surcharge during peak electricity demands. The bill passed unanimously out of the House Appropriations and Budget Natural Resources Subcommittee and now heads to the House Appropriations and Budget Committee before being slated for a vote.

The big lie surrounding this issue is that data centers are inevitable, and we should just accept it, and let them be built. But we know that this isn’t inevitable, and we do have the power to direct the destiny of our communities if we organize and oppose them. A planned data center in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was just defeated after intense pushback from local residents. Another data center project in Monterey Park, California, was scrapped after a sustained and organized opposition campaign was waged by local residents. Data Center Watch reports that $64 billion of data center projects have been successfully opposed across the nation. 

It is possible, if only there is a will.

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So You Think You Have A Non-REAL ID-Compliant Driver’s License, Huh?

Take Action Against Real ID

Today, Oklahoma Senator Kendal Sacchieri made an extremely important Facebook post.

I know. How unbelievable. Our Oklahoma government lied to us.

Seriously, in the world of “unfunny” this is it. Please contact Governor Stitt’s office and ask him to prevent Service Oklahoma from uploading ALL of Oklahoma’s driver’s license data to the national REAL ID database.

In America, everyone should have a choice as to how their data is shared. We should have the absolute RIGHT to say we don’t want an ID that could easily become a digital ID.

ROPE Report has followed REAL ID and it’s privacy concern for years. If you’d like more information, please see the following links for more on the topic:

https://atomic-temporary-96707944.wpcomstaging.com/2025/04/16/real-id-a-liberty-destroying-relic-of-the-war-on-terror/
https://atomic-temporary-96707944.wpcomstaging.com/2025/05/16/real-id-paving-the-way-for-an-american-social-credit-system/
https://atomic-temporary-96707944.wpcomstaging.com/2025/03/29/real-id-oklahomans-will-be-tracked-and-surveilled-by-the-government-unless-we-stop-it/

Here is a social media post you can download and use to help spread the word about this issue. We only have until FEBRUARY.

We simply can’t put this off! Once the data is UPLOADED, we’re toast. We can’t get it back.

A graphic urging action to protect privacy regarding Oklahoma driver's license data, featuring bold text and a phone number for Governor Stitt's office.
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ROPE Report Withdraws From Save Oklahoma Plan Over E-Verify, But Supports Rest Of Author Rep. Jim Shaw’s Plan

E-Verify And the Save Oklahoma Plan

Unfortunately, after having Representative Shaw on the show to talk about the Save Oklahoma Plan, Michael and I decided that we would remove ourselves from the plan.

Here’s a short video that I clipped from the beginning of our interview with Dr. Becky Pelham on why Oklahoma kids can’t read (which you simply must watch because Dr. Pelham is amazing and explains it beautifully – then share with your legislators) that explains why. Really, it’s only #4 on the plan – mandatory E-Verify.

Does this mean we don’t support Representative Shaw? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Of course we support Representative Shaw. The Save Oklahoma Plan can definitely save Oklahoma if we focus on the rest of the 6 points and then try to figure out ways to keep people here illegally from making cash at jobs sites – among other issues. Apparently, ICE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (among other state agencies) are making a dent in the problem of illegals in Oklahoma – we should let them continue, while finding ways to catch those slipping through the cracks.

I wrote about several E-Verify issues in our last post, but our friend Knoxie (on X) wrote a really great post about why she is concerned about the E-Verify part of the SOP and it is great information. Check it out.

Bottom line is this – we support Representative Shaw and 6 of the 7 planks in the SOP.

If #4 is changed in some way, Michael and I will reevaluate and sign back on. In the meantime, the grassroots can’t get bent out of shape on the issue of who’s supporting the plan and who isn’t. Arguing with one another over this will create hard feelings and cause us to lose elections we need and possibly prevent good people from running against bad legislators. Let’s just agree to disagree and work together where we can. Next year are important elections. THOSE trump everything in importance. Let’s make sure we unite to get good people in the building a 23rd and Lincoln at all costs!

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OK Republican Rep. Jim Shaw Discusses His 7 Point “Save Oklahoma Plan”

Rep. Jim Shaw's Save Oklahoma Plan

Last Wednesday, Michael and I had one of our favorite new legislators to come on and talk about something he’s been working on called the “Save Oklahoma Plan” (here on YouTube and on Rumble). It centers around the following 7 points:

A list of points from the 'Save Oklahoma Plan' outlining key legislative proposals, including fighting the green energy agenda and ending taxpayer-funded lobbying.

Using his own personal bank account (not campaign funds), Shaw has researched, and written, and quite literally gone on an explainer tour of various GOP groups and other organizations trying to make Oklahomans aware of the concerns he sees – not brewing on the horizon – but waiting right outside our doors.

The ROPE Report was a very early adopter of the plan because the points contained in the plan are incredibly important in securing the lives, liberties and properties of Oklahoma citizens.

Wednesday, on the podcast, we went over each point individually. All of them are exceptionally important, but one was kind of a sticking point for me and some other super conservatives who don’t like the federal government having a hand in much of anything and don’t like the data collection that seems to come attached with anything anymore but then certainly has to be attached to this program to make it work across states!

That sticking point was #4.

During the show we had several questions/comments about the E-Verify issue and here’s the bottom line – it’s E-Verify or nothing right now for one very important reason: the federal government has been given all control over immigration issues – it’s simply not something the state would be able to take on itself. How do we know? Well, though the Constitution does not specifically mention immigration, it’s been consistently upheld in the courts as a federal issue. Recently, an Oklahoma federal judge ruled against Governor Kevin Stitt’s Executive Order on immigration citing immigration as a federal issue.

Unfortunately, because they are not here legally, it is extremely hard to determine how many people are living and working in Oklahoma illegally. Also unfortunately, many of us have stories about how people here illegally are working and while some of these instances could be stopped through the E-Verify system, others can’t.

For example, I have friends who work for companies who hire employees from other countries whom they pay pennies on the dollar so they don’t have to hire Oklahomans at a livable wage. Sure, that’s great for the company’s bottom line, but it doesn’t help Oklahoma graduates become employed in the state. Fortunately, President Trump has cracked down on the H-1B Visas that many of these companies have been using to outsource labor to workers here from other nations, but with the H-1B out of the way, many of these companies have moved solely to the outsourcing avenue. Now, instead of hiring in-country immigrants with H-1B Visas, companies that rely on the internet have just moved to hiring workers from other countries who ‘commute’ to work via the internet.

People I know in the construction business say they’re constantly being undercut in price because construction managers are paying illegal workers cash under the table at a lower rate, rather than pay Oklahoma workers to do the job for a real wage. A woman commenting from social media on the podcast, related that the roofing company she hired to re-roof her house showed up with a crew of workers who couldn’t speak English that she was sure the foreman paid in cash.

So, while E-Verify will not help the problems with outsourcing, or cash-pay on job sites, there may be some measures that can be taken at the STATE level to stop those end-arounds – we’ll just need to work on fleshing those out.

Fortunately, the Trump administration has made deporting people in America here illegally a top priority and that does help a great deal.

Though I’m not a huge fan of Governor Stitt, I am gratified to see him institute Operation Guardian, allowing Oklahoma to work with ICE to deport illegals we taxpayers are supporting while being housed in Oklahoma prisons. Additionally, Stitt has also worked with ICE and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to remove illegals from the driver’s seats of 18 wheelers along I-40 to help insure the safety of Oklahomans on Oklahoma roads.

I frankly enjoyed the discussion about E-Verify during the podcast. I think it helped people to see as many sides as we could highlight on that issue. I know that by the time the conversation was finished, I – for one – realized that we simply must be requiring employers to submit to E-Verify. We don’t have any other choice. E-Verify, in concert with Stitt’s partnership with ICE, can absolutely help reduce the number of people here in Oklahoma working illegally.

And honestly, why should any of us be okay with people coming here illegally when legal routes are open? I’m not. In fact, in 2017 I wrote an article for the Federalist, “My Family Had To Follow Immigration Law. Why Shouldn’t Refugees?” You might check that out if you have some idea that, ‘we have jobs to fill that Oklahomans won’t fill’, or ‘we Christians must care for those here illegally’, or any of the other excuses people use to okay lawlessness.

In closing, I’ll leave you with this figure from a study done by FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) on remittance (the amount of money sent back to the countries from which the immigrant came) to Mexico. That’s a whole lot of money leaving the state/nation that could be used to support businesses run by American citizens. We constantly hear our legislators (like Rep Brian Hill) talk about how important it is to keep Oklahoma graduates working in Oklahoma. Cut down on this number and maybe we can get more Oklahoma businesses hiring Oklahoma graduates!

Map showing per capita remittance amounts sent to Mexico by U.S. state in 2024, highlighting varying levels across the country.

Don’t forget to watch the podcast – especially if you have questions about E-Verify! And don’t forget to sign on to the plan at the SaveOklahomaPlan.com website! Rep. Shaw will need as many Oklahomans standing behind him as possible when he begins to run legislation to support the plan – and our health and our state – next session!

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Presten Mooney’s Health Goes Down Hill Fast, While Government Turns The Screws

Presten Mooney's Condition

I am not going to waste time writing something about this case. Our friend Katy Smith has done absolutely amazing work on her V1SUT Vantage Substack and there is no reason to re-invent the wheel.

What I am going to do is link the podcast Michael, Katy and I finished this morning about Presten’s case so that you can share that – and a five minute video which explains what happened to Presten and where he is now. (Find the full live video recorded this morning on our Rumble and YouTube channels – find the 5 minute video below)

Until Katy began exposing how children in our state are NOT being protected by the very TAXPAYER-FUNDED institutions set apart to do just that – such as our public schools, DHS and the Oklahoma Court System – no one had really attempted to make these organizations come to heel for Oklahoma parents. Now, at least, the blinders are off and Oklahoma TAXPAYERS can see these groups for what they really are – TAXPAYER-FUNDED tyrants.

Through the Lincoln Lochman case, the case of Darrell Dougherty in Payne County and now Presten Mooney, Oklahomans have had the curtain pulled back on this agency tasked with “protecting” children. Now that we’ve seen the results, we cannot look away. We cannot go back to sleep.

Reach out to your District Representative and Senator. Tell them you want them to help bring Presten home. If they prevaricate, or suggest that’s not their job, FIRE THEM in 1026.

Spend time finding candidates to run for EVERY political office who understand that they are servants of the people. That We The People pay their salaries in exchange for their services in protecting our LIVES, LIBERTY and PROPERTY – not finding our kids’ jobs, or tracking kids through a giant database, or stomping on homeschooling. If they don’t understand that basic philosophy of our government, DO NOT ELECT THEM and find someone better – someone who DOES understand the function of government.

Please take a minute and share this video with EVERYONE you know and ask them to wake up to realize that our state government is out of control, that it’s run by a bunch of swamp creatures that need replacing and that WE THE PEOPLE have to do that to put our government back in our hands. If you can’t share through this page, share via this YouTube link.

Please, also DONATE to help Dayna and Presten. They have a Give, Send, Go account set up under Pennies For Presten. Please click the link and donate.

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Oklahoma Inc. – Governor Stitt’s Appointment Swamp

Oklahoma Inc.

Governor Stitt has never had any problem appointing people during his terms.

In fact, the appointments he’s made during his time in the Governor’s chair tell us a story. They tell us that he doesn’t see a government that is Of The People, By The People, For The People, but more a government of the people, for the people, by the people he likes and does business with.

The people he appoints to his positions – and he’ll move people around wherever it suits him for whatever purpose he has – by and large, have worked with him previously, or come from Tulsa, or have donated to his campaign, or have ties to him through the Chamber, or Jeb Bush – they’re not We The People, they’re We The Buddies.

I’m not going to throw in a bunch of links in here to prove the veracity of this statement, a simple internet search on Governor Stitt and his appointments will bring those home for you. It’s all there. It’s not hard to find.

In order to drive the point home, however, here are several examples of my assertion.

Donelle Harder:

A Facebook post by Donelle Harder discussing her experience and reflections on serving as Chief of Staff to Governor Kevin Stitt, highlighting the importance of individual eligibility in the context of state appointments.

Here are Donelle’s stats from her LinkedIn page:

Screenshot of Donelle Harder's LinkedIn page showcasing her professional experience and current roles.

Here’s an article that doesn’t say why she left Stitt’s office in 2020 as his “Senior Advisor”, but the move didn’t hurt her.

She went on to DC (essentially) and started her own Consulting firm, Pliris Strategies, which she then sold to Pinkston (the company where she began her career), during which time she was not only appointed to the Gateway Banking/Mortgage Board, but was owner of Harder Consulting, LLC as well. Talk about landing on your feet.

Prior to that, however, she was

Communications Advisor U.S. House of Representatives May 2010 – Jul 2012

Communications Director U.S. Senate July 2012 – Nov 2016

Vice President Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association Nov 2016 – Dec 2017

Deputy Campaign Manager Kevin Stitt for Governor Oct 2017 – Jan 2019

Executive Team Member Governor-elect Kevin Stitt Transition Team Nov 2018 – Jan 2019

Doubtless, Mrs. Harder has worked very hard and had a very successful career – mostly in government, mostly with Governor Stitt.

As you can tell from the post above, Governor Stitt recently appointed Harder to the position of Secretary of State (after sitting SOS, Josh Cockroft suddenly decided to step down with four other Stitt appointees), only to find that Harder couldn’t serve as Secretary of State – a 4-year appointment that will extend into the next OK governor’s term and be a member of the next Governor’s cabinet whether they want them there or not – because she couldn’t fulfill the residency requirement of 10 years.

But no worries, again, the move won’t hurt her – she’ll now be Chief of Staff – an easy jump since she’s already been his “Senior Advisor”.

I personally think the most telling thing – the most infuriating thing – from Harder’s Facebook post is that she’s all good with her position. She’s giddy that the people she’s working with now – the same ones she’s worked within the past – are all back together and isn’t that grand? She is completely tone deaf to the fact that she doesn’t work for Kevin Stitt in a private business, she works for the people of Oklahoma, which is managed for We The People by Kevin Sitt. Her salary is paid by taxpayers, therefore her duty is to the taxpayers, not to a boss, or the buddies she’s worked with before, as would be the case in private business. But then, this is Oklahoma Inc. thinking for you.

Government is not to be run as a private business. It can’t be. The government of the state of Oklahoma is the PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA, not the elected and appointed officials. The PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA elect their fellow citizens to government office to manage the state for them using the dollars that are forcibly taken from them in the way of taxes and fees. Because they are forcibly taken, the employees of the PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA have a duty to manage those tax dollars appropriately while working continuously to protect their liberty – the only job any elected official has.

Dustin Hilliary:

Notice he’s now Stitt’s “Chief Negotiator”. What is that? Well, we’ll never know because there is no job for that in the Oklahoma Job Catalog. Interesting. How much will this employee make off the back of taxpayers? How could we know?

Hilliary has donated quite a lot of money to Stitt – who appointed him to a 9-year term as an Oklahoma State Reagent (he’s now the Chair) though he never got a college degree. An article in the Oklahoman had this to say about Hilliary and Ostrowe – also included in Harder’s post.

Hilliary is a co-owner of Lawton-based Hilliary Communications, a telephone and broadband service provider that has more than 15,000 customers in Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa. Ostrowe is the president and CEO of O&M Restaurant Group, an Oklahoma City company that operates Taco Bell franchises. Harder has clients through her public relations and consulting work.

All three have donated to Stitt’s campaigns in the past, records show. Hilliary donated $9,000, and Ostrowe donated $8,300. Harder, who has also worked for Stitt’s campaign, donated $1,000.

Abegail Cave, the communications director for the governor’s office, would not say whether the appointees would be required to step away from their non-government work. She also would not say how much each of Stitt’s new appointees will be paid.

What? Can you do that? SHOULD you do that as THE CENTRAL STEWARD OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS? How is this not the perfect example of “he who has the gold makes the rules”?

Benjamin Lepak:

Benjamin is the son of current Representative Mark Lepak.

His sister Sarah Lepak was Governor Stitt’s Assistant General Counsel at Gateway Mortgage Group, LLC, for five years from Apr 2012 – Mar 2017. She also served on the Oklahoma State Board of Education – one of two not fired when Governor Stitt fired Donald Burdick, Kendra Wesson, and Katie Quebedeaux – until Governor Stitt removed she and the other member, Zach Archer quietly on October 2nd. (In their place he has appointed Brian Bobek and Wes Nofire. Both have been appointed by Stitt to other Oklahoma boards previously.)

Benjamin is the current General Counsel to the Governor – since October of 2024. Might it be worth asking how Lepak’s “brilliant mind” didn’t know that Harder couldn’t be appointed SOS? Prior to that, Benjamin was the Executive Director of the State Chamber Research Foundation Oklahoma 21st Century from November 2020 until taking the General Counsel position.

Why Is Any Of This A Problem?

Here’s why. There is a process set up by which We The People may send in application to be appointed to serve on a Board, or a Commission in Oklahoma.

Ideally, qualified individuals from the population of We The People in Oklahoma use this form to submit an application for specific appointments in which they have interest. People from the Governor’s office, then, ideally, look over the applications and move forward those most qualified to the Governor for his selection.

This is clearly not happening – certainly, not at top levels.

Let’s review some of the most controversial of Governor Stitt’s appointments so far.

Shelley Zumwalt – according to her LinkdIn page, Zumwalt graduated from University of Central Oklahoma in 2002 with a BS in Business/Corporate Communications. There is nothing on her LinkdIn that accounts for the years 2002-2012, but in 2012, she became the “Communications Manager” for OMES. After that, it was off to the races with one government job after another; Director of Public Affairs for Governor Mary Fallin, Director of Public Affairs for OMES – then, in 2019, she was appointed “Chief Communications and Strategic Engagement Officer Oklahoma” of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority by Governor Stitt – yet another job not in the Oklahoma Job Description Manager. After that, she was in another made up job – Chief Innovation Officer at OMES – and then an actual job posting, Executive Director, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and finally Executive Director at the Oklahoma Tourism Department.

Essentially forced out of office after Cindy Bird’s scathing audit about her use of taxpayer dollars during the pandemic – where it was found that she essentially paid her husband’s firm for software work and then told the public it wasn’t a big deal because there was nothing going on.

Jefferey Cartmell – Cartmell got his JD in 2012 from OU, after which he became Governor Mary Fallin’s General Counsel. Gosh. One minute you’re an OU law student and the next you’re the Governor’s General Counsel. Amazing.

After that, it was nearly just one government job after the next for Cartmell; Director and Counsel State of Oklahoma – Gaming Compliance for two years, Associate Attorney Lytle Soule & Curlee, for 2 years, Deputy General Counsel Office of Governor Kevin Stitt (starting from the time he took office in 2019) for 2 years, Counsel to Secretary of State – Oklahoma Secretary of State 2 years, Executive Director – Office Of Juvenile Affairs 1 year, Director, Oklahoma DHS.

Now mind you, Cartmell may be a great attorney, but I see nothing that would make him even eligible to be appointed to the Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs or OKDHS positions. In fact, after allegations of widespread abuse at the Tulsa Juvenile Center resulted in lawsuits, investigations and at least one person charged for having sex with a minor, Carmell was moved from the OJA to OKDHS. How many people do you know are moved to a larger oversight job when they’ve apparently failed at the lesser oversight job? It’s worth it to ask.

Now Cartmell is in a position over an agency that we know – thanks to the wonderful detective/reporting work of Katy Smith at V1SUT – has – at minimum – trafficked children to pedophiles and taken them away from their parents for forced medical treatment. Unfortunately, swamp creatures are much better at landing other government jobs than protecting We The People from the agencies they head. It is actually disgusting.

I can only hope that Oklahomans have learned valuable lessons from King – sorry – Governor Stitt’s tenure and that they’ll never again fall for a fast-talking businessman with an ethically iffy business background who wants to turn Oklahoma into a business his buddies can run on the backs of We The People.

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