Craig Dawkins .....Liberty Thoughts

Goodbye Oklahoma GOP By Craig Dawkins October 5, 2014 I can remember my first vote for president like it was yesterday. It was my senior year in high school and I became eligible to vote, less than a month before Election Day. I was told that I could go to our counselor’s office and register to vote. So I walk into the office and inform the secretary working there that I’d like to register to vote. She opened up her drawer and pulled out a voter registration form. She asked me what political party I wanted to register with. Of course, there were only two in which choose. I answered, “The Republican Party.”   With a bit of concerned look she said, “Well you know, if you want to vote in meaningful primaries, you should consider registering in the Democratic Party.” I looked her right in the eye and said, “No mam, I want to register Republican and I plan on voting for Ronald Reagan.” With a shrug she took my registration. In 1980, Oklahoma was predominately Democrat and it w...

PERSONAL POLITICAL POLICY PLATFORM FOR 2020 CRAIG DAWKINS - 2020 PLATFORM Here’s my own personal public policy platform. It’s not complete and is still a work in progress. This rubric applies to state, local and national policies. In casting my votes, I plan to support candidates who hold these views. This platform builds from one I produced in 2016. I’m happy to say that some of those items were modified or taken off my 2020 because they were addressed by the governments in which they were directed. CRAIG DAWKINS 2020 PLATFORM - 105 Points Possible I believe liberty extends to every human being and the role of government is to ensure maximum freedom for every person by using vested power to protect individuals from aggression, both foreign and domestic, in preservation and respect for all human rights. Principles of Personal Liberty: 25 points in unit below 1. Marriage Equality: Human beings have an inherent right to enter marital relations and contracts with any perso...

The manner in which cities plan their emergency management is embedded firmly in the past. Fire departments are a relic of the past as around 70% of calls today are for medical emergencies and less around 4% for fires. (A recent study showed that 3% of all calls are for fire and 75% for medical emergencies in my home town of Midwest City, Ok.) Fire departments need to be renamed something like 'Emergency Response Department' and capital investment refocused towards more probable and predictable emergencies. One political problem is getting the police and fire unions to agree to support allocation of financial resources away from their members and towards other infrastructure. Another political problem is getting elected officials to propose and support financial outlays in the face of union opposition. Politicians often will vote in support of new infrastructure like jails, armored vehicles, and police military equipment, fire stations, fire equipment and new manpower bef...

From the article.... [ “Stigma associated with both mental disorder and transgender identity has contributed to the precarious legal status, human rights violations and barriers to appropriate care among transgender people,” author Geoffrey Reed, a professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico, said in a statement. His fellow authors echoed that statement, suggesting that transgender individuals might be better cared for if doctors use a more "gender-affirmative" approach.] http://time.com/4424589/being-transgender-is-not-a-mental-disorder-study/

Unlike many in social media today, I have not imprisoned myself into an ideological bubble, so I get to see all the partisan arguments from both left and right. I see indiscriminate support for Trump and perfunctory hate of him. Political parties, like religions, make progress in pushing "the way, the truth, the light" to their members who fail to think critically. Blind loyalty is encouraged and rewarded. The American political civil war of the 21st century won't be as horrible as the one that ended in 1865, but will still claim victims in its wake as families divide, choose sides, and separate. Such is life. But at the end of this political civil war, if America is still entrapped by two major political parties, there may be a metaphorical 'cease fire' agreement akin to North and South Korea. Crips and Bloods have nothing on Republicans and Democrats, both gangs are less violent than either of those political parties who wield military might for their own po...

In the Sunday Oklahoman, SNU president Loren Gresham has some interesting things to say about higher ed. I am struck by a couple of thoughts about those who have vast criticism of higher education today. First, faculty aren't there to confirm preconceived ideas. Yes there are always stories that show some professor, somewhere, who says or does something outrageous to the sensibilities of those who often complain about political correctness. But intellectual exploration is not bible school where indoctrination, not education occurs. Intellectual exploration is important for the advancement is mankind. Without it, people would still believe the world is flat. (Sadly some still do believe that.) Second, if education changes your perspective on issues and understanding of the world, some in our society will treat such evolution as negative. Yes, ignorance is often militant and in opposition to change or new information that runs contrary to some preconception. Truth is often offens...