1
16r FOSTER PARENTS NEEDED Wesleyan Youth, Inc. is seeking individuals and families to provide a loving home for children. Foster Care parents receive: • On-going Training •24-hour on-call Support $31 per day per child Tax Exempt Reinbursement Bonuses For more information, contact Karen at 1-877-880-2999 Debbie's Bus Station eafe Mon. - Beef Tips w/noodles Tues. - Fried ehieken Wed. - ehieken Fried Steak Thurs. - Smothered Pork chop Fri. - Hamburger Steak &MI BUS S STATION CAFE Mon-Sat 6am-2pm Heart Healthy Menu Available Pies - regular and sugar free 4 E05-382-9997 411 E. Broadway • Seminole Looking for a NEW Issarance Agent? 4 110IETOWN INSU'llacz Hometown Owned & Operated FR 222 N. MUSKOGEE AVENUE North End of Main St. @ Wewoka Trading Post American Farmers & Ranchers 405-257-2100 .e. Newman Agent Bailey i S Floor Covering LLc 305 AC Main, Sentinels • 382-2277 Tuesday - Friday 9-5 • Saturday 9-2 Wewoka Lake March 23, 2013 On site registration begins: 10:00 am - 11:00 am To Benefit: Special OltImPics SEMINOLE Ittop Witt RUS01411 Our goal for this year's Polar Plunge is to find daring "polar bears" to take the dive into Wewoka Lake. So, gather your bravest friends and family members, and make a big splash for Special Olympics Oklahoma. A Polar Plunge is a fundraising challenge to individuals or groups to raise money for Special Olympics Oklahoma. Each participant collects pledges from family, friends and businesses in the hopes of raising money for Special Olympics. The "bear" minimum to take the plunge is $75. You may pre-register online at www.firstgiving.com/sook/seminole-polar-plunge or complete the registration form and return to The Seminole Producer office at 121 N. Main, Seminole. Registration forms will also be available at the Producer office. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics of Oklahoma. DS 4 USX Sfr i * rr qZ°D1 Plunger Name: REGISTRATION FORM Team Name (if applicable): Company or School: Address: City: State: Zip: Email: Phone: T-Shirt size: Read the Seminole Producer for updates on the PLUNGE! 0 1 ' News The Seminole Producer - Sun., March 10, 2013 - Section A - Page 4 THE JOKSTERS (JOKERS) BY: Bill Swain Cheyenne Plunkett Staff Typist I'm sure that when us Bow- legs people get together some others do think that we have a "loose screw!" But we sure do have a good time and a lot of fun. And just being from Bow- legs draws a lot of snickers from many. In the 1950's I lived in Cali- fornia for a couple of years and I had a licenses holder on my car that read, "BOWLEGS". My rear view mirror sure got a lot of workouts as I watched the faces of those who pulled up behind me and read the name. Being both, from a town with a name like Bowlegs, and being an "OKIE" is cause for many jokes, giggles and strange reactions from new people you meet. Being an "OKIE" in California is bad (or good) enough but being a Bowlegs "OKIE" ... that's something else! But my class- mate, Joan Foltz Cole who lived in California wasn't bash- ful or ashamed. She had OKIE JO on her license tag...and she still does here in Oklahoma. Yea Jo! But sometimes we get our chances...getting even with some of those who like to tease and make fun I did have my "day" ...I guess I should say, my "night!" One night we were playing a basketball game in our gym against Prague, Oklahoma. Their "prissy" little cheer leaders were having a good time teasing us players. After a while one of them came up to me and asked, "Are all of you boys from Bowlegs bow- By Rep. David Perryman D-Chickasha House District 56 The first live bear I ever saw legged?" I thought turnabout was fair play so I asked her, "Are all of you girls from Prague, Pregnant?" Sufficient to say, there was no more teasing that night. I realize some don't like the teasing, the chuckles, the com- ments they get when they tell someone they are from Bow- legs but I don't resent it at all. It really is funny, or a shock, or a very peculiar name to most people. I just take it as flattery, as a compliment. After all, a smile or a joke is better than a frown. But you know what, when some Bowlegs people are asked where they live or where they are from they say, "Semi- nole." They always seem to have an excuse for why they say they are from Seminole instead of Bowlegs. But I say, "SHAME ON YOU!" There are other areas of our country where Bowlegs does not seem such a funny name. In Florida there is a river named Bowlegs and every summer Ft. Walton Beach has a weeklong Chief Billy Bow- legs Celebration. I was on a cruise ship a few years ago talking to a gentle- man who had a CB radio. Guess what his "handle" (CB name) was?...You guessed it . . . B owlegs ! And several years ago when radio was very popular and TV was just getting started, Bow- legs had two offers, two oppor- tunities to change its name. The popular show, "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE" tried to get Bowlegs to change its name to "TRUTH OR CON- SEQUENCE." No luck! But a town in New Mexico did was on Main Street in Kinta, Oklahoma. The year was about 1962 and the Ursus Americanus had not wandered into town from the mountains south of town. Nor was it an escapee from the zoo in Tulsa. Techni- cally, it was not even a part of a circus. This black bear was chained to a tree in front of a tent and was the property of a promoter of one of those rural American holdovers of the 1800's. The event being promoted was bear wrestling and the barker was looking for both specta- tors and contestants. I was not old enough to qualify as either, but tickets were selling like hotcakes. I don't remember if my older brothers were allowed to go, but I am pretty certain that they did not wrestle the bear. We lived seven miles from town and they would not have had transporta- tion at the time. The tent that was set up was not large enough to keep the crowd very far from the ring, but by the looks of the tired old bear, vicious animal bites were not likely. Apparently the sport of bear wrestling first became popular in France and came to the United States in December 1877. Rural America provided circuits of communities where there was just not a lot of con- stant commotion. To say that times were slow is an under- statement and for decades, into the 1960's any type of entertain- ment was welcomed. However, before you get too uppity, please realize that once in a while we did get to attend some really special events. For instance, in my hometown of around 350 residents in the 1960's, we actually got to meet Meadowlark Lemon when the Harlem Globetrotters came to our old WPA gym. My point is that until 1996 bear wrestling was legal in Oklahoma. The statute that prohibits bear wrestling also prohibits horse tripping. I don't know how bear wrestling and horse tripping were addressed in the same statute. In fact horse tripping doesn't sound fun at all. Historically, Oklahoma has taken the lead and enacted statutes that are needed for the safety of Oklahomans. One of the hottest topics that I have been contacted about over the past ten days is the proposal to ban texting while driving. change to that name. At another time a perfume company wanted Bowlegs to change its name to "ARPAGE" Sony... no luck, again! Butch Virden the owner of Butch's Grocery, as well as most of the other residents and business owners were highly against the renaming of Bow- legs. In 1962 Butch's brother, Colonel John Virden of Washington D.C. was quoted in a Daily Oklahoman article concerning this renaming as saying, "If ever the name of the town of Bowlegs is changed to that of some sweet fragrant perfume, I hope the ghost of Billy Bowlegs rises up and nightly haunts the "jerk" who dared take liberties with Bowlegs, Oklahoma, the town named in his family's honor." I say a double A-men!...A- men! A-men! I think it can safely be con- cluded that when a person first hears of a town with a name like Bowlegs they find it a very unusual, humorous and a name to be smiled at...and an easy to remember name, to say the least! But the name has its advan- tages, too. When people find out you are from Bowlegs, or if they have ever known or met anyone from there, they seldom forget. When they hear that name again it "rings a bell"...It's like a "birthmark" on your forehead. I have met people from Bowlegs in many parts of the United States and often make contact with others whom I haven't seen or heard from since the oil Boom days and Unfortunately the majority leadership of the Oklahoma House of Representatives has its head in the proverbial sand and is playing politics with lives concerning this extremely dan- gerous issue. House Bill 1503 by Rep. Curtis McDaniel (D-Smithville) is a proposal to make texting while driving illegal. Over 80% of Oklahomans support a ban on texting while driving. Accord- ing to AT&T, a Virginia Tech study showed that persons who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than persons who are not texting while driving. Rep. McDaniels' Bill passed out of committee, but is being blocked from being heard on the house floor. AT&T reported that a Texas Traffic Institute study showed that When drivers read or send a text message, their reaction time is doubled and when asked to respond to a flashing light while texting behind the wheel, driv- ers were more than 11 times more likely to miss the light altogether. The telephone giant has dedicated millions of dollars to its "It Can Wait" campaign and says "No text is worth dying for. And that is why AT&T is com- mitted to putting an end to tex- ting and driving." AT&T says that, "Our goal is to save lives and to make texting and driving as unacceptable as drinking and driving." Under current law, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol- man cannot stop a driver who is texting and driving at the very instant that the highway patrolman passes the driver. Thirty-nine other states prohibit texting while driving. Should Oklahoma? According to the Associated Press, House Speaker T.W. Shannon (R-Lawton) stated last week that he is among those who have opposed a ban on texting while driving in the past because he believes that there is a slippery slope argument to be made about what people are doing inside their cars. At this time, the bill is being blocked from being voted on by the full House of Repre- sentatives and Oklahoma law does not allow local control by municipalities across the state. The Cities and Towns that could otherwise adopt texting and tobacco laws are being stopped by the state legislature. school days. If I talk very long, many times I find someone from Bowlegs, or someone who knows someone from there. Some of my family think I'm a little "crazy" or obsessed with Bowlegs, but that place has been very good to me. When I have been out and return home and ask, "Guess who I met today?" They usu- ally answer, "Someone from Bowlegs!" I expect to meet former schoolmates at our school gatherings, and perhaps very often, ones who live nearby. Even an occasional meet- ing anywhere you travel is not so unusual, but when I meet Bowlegs people in so many unexpected places, and it hap- pens over and over, again and again, I begin to wonder...but it is always thrilling! If that is true, why are there so many people out there who are from Bowlegs or have some connection to Bowlegs or people from Bowlegs? Let me give you what I believe is the explanation. In the Boom Days, the Seminole, Bowlegs area was very, very heavily populated. As previously stated, only Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties had a greater population. Thousands and hundreds of thousands of people either lived, worked, visited, passed through... or were associated in some way with the "Bow- legs, Seminole" oil fields. There were also eighteen high schools in Seminole County and some five or six others on or close to the county borders. I believe this is, at least, a part of the answer. Ninety-Seven percent (97%) of teens say that texting and driving is dangerous. What is your opinion? Do you want HB1503 to die without a vote or do you want it to be heard on the House Floor? It is your civic duty to let your voice be heard. Take action for the Common Good. Call or email your rep- resentative, a member of the House Calendar Committee or the Speaker of the House and let them know your opinion about HB1503. Their phone num- bers and email addresses can be found at www.okhouse.gov . If the House Calendar Com- mittee will allow the bill to be heard, I will vote in favor of it. It is clear that the need for a ban on bear wrestling has taken a back seat to the need for a ban on texting while driving. The Seminole Prokturrr (USPS 489-380) Published daily Tuesday through Friday afternoons and Sunday Morning (No Thanksgiving day paper) at 121 N. Main, Seminole, Oklahoma by the Seminole Pro- ducer, Inc. Periodicals Postage Paid at Seminole, Oklahoma 74868. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address Form 3579 to The Seminole Producer, P.O. Box 431, Seminole, Oklahoma 74868. SUBSCRIPTION RATES (Effective May. 1, 2008) Home Carrier Delivery 1 Year in advance $76.00 6 Months in advance 38.50 3 Months in advance 19.25 1 Month in advance 6.50 U.S. Mail in Seminole and Adjoining Counties Total 1 Year in advance $76.00 6 Months in advance 38.50 3 Months in advance 19.25 1 Month in advance 6.50 U.S. Mail Elsewhere In Oklahoma Total 1 Year in advance $175.00 6 Months in advance 88.00 3 Months in advance 44.00 U.S. Mail Outside Oklahoma Total Price 1 Year in advance $198.00 6 Months in advance 99.00 3 Months in advance 50.00 Bulk Rate $13.00per 100 For all State Penitentiary and Correctional Facilities Subscription see rates listed under U.S. Mail Elsewhere in Oklahoma From Bear Wrestling to Texting and Driving

Seminole Producer

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Rep. Perryman column on texting while driving

Citation preview

Page 1: Seminole Producer

16r

FOSTER PARENTS NEEDED Wesleyan Youth, Inc. is seeking individuals and families to provide a loving home for children. Foster Care parents receive:

•On-going Training •24-hour on-call Support

•$31 per day per child Tax Exempt Reinbursement

•Bonuses

For more information, contact Karen at

1-877-880-2999

Debbie's Bus Station eafe

Mon. - Beef Tips w/noodles Tues. - Fried ehieken

Wed. - ehieken Fried Steak Thurs. - Smothered Pork chop

Fri. - Hamburger Steak

&MI BUSS

STATION CAFE

Mon-Sat 6am-2pm

Heart Healthy Menu Available Pies - regular and sugar free

4E05-382-9997 411 E. Broadway • Seminole

Looking for a NEW Issarance Agent?

4110IETOWN INSU'llacz Hometown Owned & Operated

FR 222 N. MUSKOGEE AVENUE

North End of Main St. @ Wewoka Trading Post

American Farmers & Ranchers 405-257-2100

.e. Newman Agent

Bailey iS Floor Covering LLc

305 AC Main, Sentinels • 382-2277 Tuesday - Friday 9-5 • Saturday 9-2

Wewoka Lake March 23, 2013

On site registration begins: 10:00 am - 11:00 am

To Benefit:

Special OltImPics

SEMINOLE Ittop

Witt

RUS01411 Our goal for this year's Polar Plunge is to find daring

"polar bears" to take the dive into Wewoka Lake. So, gather your bravest friends and family members, and make a big

splash for Special Olympics Oklahoma.

A Polar Plunge is a fundraising challenge to individuals or groups to raise money for Special Olympics Oklahoma. Each participant collects pledges from family, friends and

businesses in the hopes of raising money for Special Olympics. The "bear" minimum to take the plunge is $75.

You may pre-register online at www.firstgiving.com/sook/seminole-polar-plunge

or complete the registration form and return to The Seminole Producer office at 121 N. Main, Seminole.

Registration forms will also be available at the Producer office. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics of Oklahoma.

DS 4 USX Sfri* rr qZ°D1

Plunger Name:

REGISTRATION FORM

Team Name (if applicable):

Company or School:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Email:

Phone:

T-Shirt size:

Read the Seminole Producer for updates on the PLUNGE!

0 1 '

News The Seminole Producer - Sun., March 10, 2013 - Section A - Page 4

THE JOKSTERS (JOKERS) BY: Bill Swain

Cheyenne Plunkett Staff Typist

I'm sure that when us Bow-legs people get together some others do think that we have a "loose screw!" But we sure do have a good time and a lot of fun. And just being from Bow-legs draws a lot of snickers from many.

In the 1950's I lived in Cali-fornia for a couple of years and I had a licenses holder on my car that read, "BOWLEGS". My rear view mirror sure got a lot of workouts as I watched the faces of those who pulled up behind me and read the name.

Being both, from a town with a name like Bowlegs, and being an "OKIE" is cause for many jokes, giggles and strange reactions from new people you meet. Being an "OKIE" in California is bad (or good) enough but being a Bowlegs "OKIE" ... that's something else! But my class-mate, Joan Foltz Cole who lived in California wasn't bash-ful or ashamed. She had OKIE JO on her license tag...and she still does here in Oklahoma.

Yea Jo! But sometimes we get our

chances...getting even with some of those who like to tease and make fun I did have my "day" ...I guess I should say, my "night!"

One night we were playing a basketball game in our gym against Prague, Oklahoma.

Their "prissy" little cheer leaders were having a good time teasing us players. After a while one of them came up to me and asked, "Are all of you boys from Bowlegs bow-

By Rep. David Perryman D-Chickasha

House District 56

The first live bear I ever saw

legged?" I thought turnabout was

fair play so I asked her, "Are all of you girls from Prague, Pregnant?"

Sufficient to say, there was no more teasing that night.

I realize some don't like the teasing, the chuckles, the com-ments they get when they tell someone they are from Bow-legs but I don't resent it at all.

It really is funny, or a shock, or a very peculiar name to most people. I just take it as flattery, as a compliment. After all, a smile or a joke is better than a frown.

But you know what, when some Bowlegs people are asked where they live or where they are from they say, "Semi-nole." They always seem to have an excuse for why they say they are from Seminole instead of Bowlegs. But I say, "SHAME ON YOU!"

There are other areas of our country where Bowlegs does not seem such a funny name.

In Florida there is a river named Bowlegs and every summer Ft. Walton Beach has a weeklong Chief Billy Bow-legs Celebration.

I was on a cruise ship a few years ago talking to a gentle-man who had a CB radio. Guess what his "handle" (CB name) was?...You guessed it . . . B owlegs !

And several years ago when radio was very popular and TV was just getting started, Bow-legs had two offers, two oppor-tunities to change its name.

The popular show, "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE" tried to get Bowlegs to change its name to "TRUTH OR CON-SEQUENCE." No luck! But a town in New Mexico did

was on Main Street in Kinta, Oklahoma. The year was about 1962 and the Ursus Americanus had not wandered into town from the mountains south of town. Nor was it an escapee from the zoo in Tulsa. Techni-cally, it was not even a part of a circus.

This black bear was chained to a tree in front of a tent and was the property of a promoter of one of those rural American holdovers of the 1800's. The event being promoted was bear wrestling and the barker was looking for both specta-tors and contestants. I was not old enough to qualify as either, but tickets were selling like hotcakes.

I don't remember if my older brothers were allowed to go, but I am pretty certain that they did not wrestle the bear. We lived seven miles from town and they would not have had transporta-tion at the time. The tent that was set up was not large enough to keep the crowd very far from the ring, but by the looks of the tired old bear, vicious animal bites were not likely.

Apparently the sport of bear wrestling first became popular in France and came to the United States in December 1877. Rural America provided circuits of communities where there was just not a lot of con-stant commotion. To say that times were slow is an under-statement and for decades, into the 1960's any type of entertain-ment was welcomed.

However, before you get too uppity, please realize that once in a while we did get to attend some really special events. For instance, in my hometown of around 350 residents in the 1960's, we actually got to meet Meadowlark Lemon when the Harlem Globetrotters came to our old WPA gym.

My point is that until 1996 bear wrestling was legal in Oklahoma. The statute that prohibits bear wrestling also prohibits horse tripping. I don't know how bear wrestling and horse tripping were addressed in the same statute. In fact horse tripping doesn't sound fun at all.

Historically, Oklahoma has taken the lead and enacted statutes that are needed for the safety of Oklahomans. One of the hottest topics that I have been contacted about over the past ten days is the proposal to ban texting while driving.

change to that name. At another time a perfume

company wanted Bowlegs to change its name to "ARPAGE" Sony... no luck, again!

Butch Virden the owner of Butch's Grocery, as well as most of the other residents and business owners were highly against the renaming of Bow-legs.

In 1962 Butch's brother, Colonel John Virden of Washington D.C. was quoted in a Daily Oklahoman article concerning this renaming as saying, "If ever the name of the town of Bowlegs is changed to that of some sweet fragrant perfume, I hope the ghost of Billy Bowlegs rises up and nightly haunts the "jerk" who dared take liberties with Bowlegs, Oklahoma, the town named in his family's honor."

I say a double A-men!...A-men! A-men!

I think it can safely be con-cluded that when a person first hears of a town with a name like Bowlegs they find it a very unusual, humorous and a name to be smiled at...and an easy to remember name, to say the least!

But the name has its advan-tages, too.

When people find out you are from Bowlegs, or if they have ever known or met anyone from there, they seldom forget. When they hear that name again it "rings a bell"...It's like a "birthmark" on your forehead.

I have met people from Bowlegs in many parts of the United States and often make contact with others whom I haven't seen or heard from since the oil Boom days and

Unfortunately the majority leadership of the Oklahoma House of Representatives has its head in the proverbial sand and is playing politics with lives concerning this extremely dan-gerous issue.

House Bill 1503 by Rep. Curtis McDaniel (D-Smithville) is a proposal to make texting while driving illegal. Over 80% of Oklahomans support a ban on texting while driving. Accord-ing to AT&T, a Virginia Tech study showed that persons who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than persons who are not texting while driving. Rep. McDaniels' Bill passed out of committee, but is being blocked from being heard on the house floor.

AT&T reported that a Texas Traffic Institute study showed that When drivers read or send a text message, their reaction time is doubled and when asked to respond to a flashing light while texting behind the wheel, driv-ers were more than 11 times more likely to miss the light altogether.

The telephone giant has dedicated millions of dollars to its "It Can Wait" campaign and says "No text is worth dying for. And that is why AT&T is com-mitted to putting an end to tex-ting and driving." AT&T says that, "Our goal is to save lives and to make texting and driving as unacceptable as drinking and driving."

Under current law, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol-man cannot stop a driver who is texting and driving at the very instant that the highway patrolman passes the driver. Thirty-nine other states prohibit texting while driving. Should Oklahoma?

According to the Associated Press, House Speaker T.W. Shannon (R-Lawton) stated last week that he is among those who have opposed a ban on texting while driving in the past because he believes that there is a slippery slope argument to be made about what people are doing inside their cars.

At this time, the bill is being blocked from being voted on by the full House of Repre-sentatives and Oklahoma law does not allow local control by municipalities across the state. The Cities and Towns that could otherwise adopt texting and tobacco laws are being stopped by the state legislature.

school days. If I talk very long, many times I find someone from Bowlegs, or someone who knows someone from there.

Some of my family think I'm a little "crazy" or obsessed with Bowlegs, but that place has been very good to me. When I have been out and return home and ask, "Guess who I met today?" They usu-ally answer, "Someone from Bowlegs!"

I expect to meet former schoolmates at our school gatherings, and perhaps very often, ones who live nearby.

Even an occasional meet-ing anywhere you travel is not so unusual, but when I meet Bowlegs people in so many unexpected places, and it hap-pens over and over, again and again, I begin to wonder...but it is always thrilling!

If that is true, why are there so many people out there who are from Bowlegs or have some connection to Bowlegs or people from Bowlegs?

Let me give you what I believe is the explanation. In the Boom Days, the Seminole, Bowlegs area was very, very heavily populated.

As previously stated, only Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties had a greater population.

Thousands and hundreds of thousands of people either lived, worked, visited, passed through... or were associated in some way with the "Bow-legs, Seminole" oil fields.

There were also eighteen high schools in Seminole County and some five or six others on or close to the county borders.

I believe this is, at least, a part of the answer.

Ninety-Seven percent (97%) of teens say that texting and driving is dangerous. What is your opinion? Do you want HB1503 to die without a vote or do you want it to be heard on the House Floor? It is your civic duty to let your voice be heard. Take action for the Common Good. Call or email your rep-resentative, a member of the House Calendar Committee or the Speaker of the House and let them know your opinion about HB1503. Their phone num-bers and email addresses can be found at www.okhouse.gov.

If the House Calendar Com-mittee will allow the bill to be heard, I will vote in favor of it. It is clear that the need for a ban on bear wrestling has taken a back seat to the need for a ban on texting while driving.

The Seminole

Prokturrr (USPS 489-380)

Published daily Tuesday through Friday afternoons and Sunday Morning (No Thanksgiving day paper) at 121 N. Main, Seminole, Oklahoma by the Seminole Pro-ducer, Inc. Periodicals Postage Paid at Seminole, Oklahoma 74868. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address Form 3579 to The Seminole Producer, P.O. Box 431, Seminole, Oklahoma 74868.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES (Effective May. 1, 2008) Home Carrier Delivery

1 Year in advance $76.00 6 Months in advance 38.50 3 Months in advance 19.25 1 Month in advance 6.50

U.S. Mail in Seminole and Adjoining Counties

Total 1 Year in advance $76.00 6 Months in advance 38.50 3 Months in advance 19.25 1 Month in advance 6.50

U.S. Mail Elsewhere In Oklahoma

Total 1 Year in advance $175.00 6 Months in advance 88.00 3 Months in advance 44.00

U.S. Mail Outside Oklahoma

Total Price 1 Year in advance $198.00 6 Months in advance 99.00 3 Months in advance 50.00 Bulk Rate $13.00per 100

For all State Penitentiary and Correctional Facilities

Subscription see rates listed under U.S. Mail Elsewhere in Oklahoma

From Bear Wrestling to Texting and Driving