Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – Lighter Stuff Again

Hello, I’m Sam Jones.

The outrageous just continues to unfold in Oklahoma. The legislature continues to give big energy the tax breaks lobbyists want and our money keeps filling pockets of out-of-state interests instead of cutting our budget shortfalls. Nothing new there. But again, there is lighter stuff coming down the pike that can give us a chuckle or two.

For example, a Tulsa bank was robbed this week by a very polite thief. Seems this guy walks into the Bank of America branch on East Pine, said “Morning” to the two security guards as he walked past them. He went right up to a teller, handed her a note demanding money which the teller gave him. Then he turned and walked past the two security guards again, went outside, got in his car and drove away. A new withdrawal twist involving other people’s money. They still haven’t figured out who he was.

And you got to hand it to voters in Sallisaw. That’s where Republican Representative John Bennett hangs his hat. He has done an outstanding job of keeping terrorists out of Sallisaw. Now if you’re not up to speed on that town, let me fill you in. Years ago, a fella by the name of Charles Arthur Floyd, was born in Georgia in 1904. His family moved to the Sallisaw area where young Charles evolved into “Pretty Boy” Floyd to outsiders, “Choc” or “Charley” to locals, a celebrated criminal specializing in bank robbery and Public Enemy Number One to J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the F.B.I.

In fact I’m told there are still some in the area who claim to be family members, further down the line of course. Now the locals knew of Pretty Boy’s bank robbery escapades but this was during the 1920’s when there were few jobs and to be had and the outlook was bleak. So when word got out that young Charlie would sometimes share his booty with farmers about to lose their farms to the banks, well… pretty soon, Pretty Boy got the reputation locally as a sort of Robin Hood. He was gunned down and died in a corn field when he was 30. Folks there say it’s been quiet for the most part, ever since, and never any terrorists.

They also seem to feel Representative John Bennett is, in large part, responsible for keeping those shady characters out of their area. Well now, Mr. Bennett has taken his fight to the state legislature again and as luck would have it, he has identified an element of terrorism among state lawmakers. In a speech on the House floor, Bennett said state agencies are scaring Oklahomans with what he called false threats of reduced services if the Legislature doesn’t come up with more money. Bennett said, “That’s terrorism and we shouldn’t be negotiating with terrorists.” He also said “It’s not right and somebody ought to stop them.”

Sort of makes you proud to be an Oklahoman. Like I said earlier, there is no shortage of humor in the news. But the sad part is, again its coming from a member of the Oklahoma Legislature.

And that’s my Perspective.