freedom of association

An ad-hoc group called Unite Norman has developed a recall petition for the Norman mayor, Breea Clark, and four city-council members, including Kate Bierman, the representative for my ward (1). [One of other the targeted representatives, in a rural ward that surrounds mine on three sides, already has resigned under pressure, in part to perform “advocacy” she can’t do in the city-council role.]

The link summarizes the organization’s reasons. I don’t agree with all of Unite Norman’s positions, and am not a member; however, after two weeks of careful thought and deliberation of the principles and issues at hand, Elke and I signed the recall petition. Yes, this is despite the fact that a new election shall be held early next year anyway. We are fully aware of this (see below). The city charter ensures citizens the right to petition for recall, and thousands of us are exercising that right.

Below, I reproduce a comment that I made on the Unite Norman Facebook page, elucidating why we signed the recall for our representative and the mayor.
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I’m sorry to report that I voted for Kate, and now regret doing so. [At least I didn’t vote for Breea Clark.] While campaigning, Kate came to my house and spent an hour with us, very friendly, asking for concerns and appearing to listen and take notes. It seemed to be a good discussion. Among several issues raised, she agreed that Norman should advance to the 1980s and synchronize stoplights citywide. She promised to fight for that. I see zero evidence she has done so, nor any results; and results are what matter.

Knowing she supported the storm-water utility issue, I tactfully expressed my opposition to the unnecessary and duplicative bureaucracy of a so-called “stormwater utility” and laid out a well-reasoned case that seemed to surprise and enlighten her. This included a better solution involving (I’m summarizing lots of detail here) keeping storm water in water/sewer dept., with lower overhead, and more fairly assessing urban and rural Norman based on *percentage* of property that’s impermeable instead of absolute area. She had never heard that argument before, called it “brilliant”, and seemed very interested.

She acted respectful and again took notes. So far, so good. Then she utterly ignored my input and pressed for the wasteful, rural-unfair, and unnecessary measure that unsurprisingly failed on the subsequent ballot, nevertheless. When I pressed for why on the Facebook page, it was under the bogus straw-man rationale of not letting the perfect get in the way of the good. It was neither perfect nor good. That’s why we voted it to a resounding defeat!

Furthermore, in our meeting, she did an all-too-good job of reading the room, and gave no inclination of since-displayed radical leftism, and support for extremist left-wing causes. Those include resolutions supporting and endorsing immoral sexual behavior and gender deviancy. Those are not city matters, but personal ones. The city council should represent all the citizens, not the radical Alinskyan fringe seeping out of university academia.

Every minute and tax dollar that she and these other radicals on the city council have spent on fringe extremist social causes, instead should have been of getting the nuts and bolts of the city’s infrastructural needs addressed.

Finally, turning one’s back on citizens is a literal and figurative no-no. All citizens deserve to be heard. That was rude and uncivilized conduct unbecoming a public official.

Adding it all up, this was a monumental betrayal of my and my wife’s votes. She’s not getting them again. And even if it ultimately doesn’t matter, my wife and I signed that petition, with pride, no apologies. Even though we agree with and practice wearing masks inside stores and other businesses to control disease spread.

A few of my co-workers have signed too (those who haven’t already moved out of Norman due to the creeping radicalism, inattention to tangible issues, and growing taxes).

Sure, a recall so soon before the election may seem wasteful. I get that. But principle must matter.

A message needs to be sent.

Thank you for your efforts.

OU has decided to clamp yet another yoke on its athletes’ freedoms by dictating what they can and cannot say on sites such as MySpace, Facebook and BLOGs.

I guess the ideal of the university as a place where one engages in free thought, free speech, free association, and welcomes diversity of viewpoints, is a big fat lie at OU. In collusion with the ever-officious Great White Fathers of the NCAA, for whom John McCain is a young man, we hereby welcome you, university athlete, to our Brave New World, the nanny state.

As an OU alumnus and fan, my selfish side is glad to see this because it will mitigate the propensity for athletes and coaches to run afoul of any of the myriad thousands of arcane and often asinine NCAA rules, then by extension, get the program in deep dung for so-called “violations.” OU doesn’t need those hassles, but this goes too far.

As a vociferous advocate of constitutionally mandated government uninvolvement in the rights of the people to assemble (even if online), speak and associate as they please, this is bad. Very bad. “Government” includes state governments, and OU is a state institution. Therefore, government, through the authority it has granted to a state university’s athletic department, oversees interference in freedom of speech and assembly of individuals on their own time. George Orwell or Aldous Huxley would have little trouble recognizing this for what it is.

I can’t wait until this policy is challenged in court by somebody with the shekels to do so, preferably a graduated player from the affected class-years who acquires some NFL million$ to devote to it and who is a constitutional idealist. But then again, it’s a pipe dream. If you suddenly are making millions to hurl passes, tote the pigskin or mash the ball carrier into the turf, you won’t give a flip about constitutional law. And that’s too bad. The fiefdom’s petty dictators are going to get away with it.

Brian Bosworth was prescient and correct with that Orange Bowl shirt in January 1987, and it’s even truer today: NCAA = National Communists Against Athletes. Hey Boz: You’re a smart guy, an economics major, claimed to be idealistic in your book, and milked both the Seattle Seahawks and (through your 44-Boz t-shirt company) assorted Denver Broncos fans for millions. Put your money where your big mouth used to be. Why don’t you take this on?

In the meantime, though my strong support of the teams will continue as a fan, my financial support of OU athletics ends, right now.

Position Statement on “Unite Norman” Recall Petition

Nanny University of Oklahoma