McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Thank you

From all of us at the News-Capital and also from the Tucker family, thanks for your messages of condolence and other acts of kindness.

April 28, 2008 09:47 am

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Hey, Mr. Mayor, get outside that stifling box and shake things up

Mr. Mayor you could do something revolutionary. You could put a person who has certainly proved he cares about this city and the people who live here in a position where he could do some real good. Appoint Harold King to the McAlester Regional Health Center Trust Authority Board.

Mr. King has proven he knows the issues, cares about the details and is passionate about the projects he undertakes. Never mind appointing someone from the country club set, or someone from the moneyed elite. We’ve had enough of that.

You and I have both had our moments with Mr. King and we both have been the subjects of some of his perhaps overstated opinions. He doesn't like the way I run the paper, he doesn't like the way you run the city, he doesn't like the way most things are done and he is not shy about saying so. This could be the best reason of all to appoint him. Make him put his money where his mouth is, let him in the arena and let's see what he can do.

There is no doubt Mr. King would shake things up and Mr. Mayor this moribund board needs some very serious shaking. The hospital is dysfunctional and Mr. King could help us all find out why.

Don’t do the wrong thing and choose a name from the list of usual subjects, we've all seen you do that before. Take a leap, do the unexpected, do something to truly make a difference.

Mr. Mayor, Francis Stipe wasn’t a saint and his leaving the board gives you a true opportunity to make a real difference. Appoint Mr. King and do it now.

April 24, 2008 04:09 pm

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I'm a socialist. Who knew?

News-Capital readers are the best. The top. The cat’s meow (except for Jim the Cat, these day’s his meow is all complaint as he awaits spring and the birding season). At least once a week I’ll get a call from a reader who is upset about something that was in the paper.

Friday the call came from an American hero, one of the greatest generation. He was incensed over a column written by Rosa Brooks, a law professor from Los Angeles. In her column, Brooks had some point ideas about what kind of president John McCain would make. The caller took exception to this. He was mad. He called me names. He was a Republican.

“At least be fair,” he said. He said this newspaper’s opinion page was much too far to the left his taste. He informed me that he was a real Oklahoman, not some transplanted Californian. He understands what settles easy on the mind in these parts and sure is not some liberal law professor from Los Angeles, California. I better shape up, he said. “You’re a liberal socialist,” he exclaimed.

By this time we were both worked up and having a political discussion that would have made the Founding Fathers proud. We both tossed out political dogma and manifestos like Colts Dragoons. The words crackled over the phone line. There were charges and counter charges. He tried to convince me and I tried to convince him. It was exhilarating.

American is a divided nation. I think today’s conversation was proof in microcosm. There is a lesson in this call between to men who do not see eye to eye. As the conversation ended, I took time to thank him and his brothers (the were veterans also) for their service to our great country. “Because of men like you and your brothers, I’m free to have my own opinions and even to write about them.” My caller then told me that he and his wife had prayed for me when I had all that brain nonsense last year. I thanked him for that. “If you’re ever out our way,” he said, “stop by.”

Here’s a little pearl of wisdom: As long as we keep talking to one another (and not at one another) we can always find the middle.

March 08, 2008 12:29 am

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When sparrows are pivotal

I just wanted to say thanks to Sparrow for pointing out a bonehead mistake on my part. Mea culpa. Imagine how embarrassed I am that on the day this newspaper makes way too big a deal of an award I received.

I am humbled and sorry that my own spelling mistake took away from what I tried to say in Monday’s column. This election day is pivotal for McAlester and I hope we get to report a record turnout online Tuesday and in Wednesday’s paper.

By the way, we’ll post the results as soon as we have them on Tuesday. Start checking this Web site after 7 p.m. Tuesday for results as they come in.

March 03, 2008 08:30 pm

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Kill that "silly" poll, my candidate is losing

The News-Capital’s Web site poll is not an accurate indicator of public opinion. In fact, the results window says this:

“This poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole.”

Like most online polls, ours is easy to fool. When you log in to this Web site, a cookie is created. If you vote in the poll, information is written to the cookie and if you try and vote again, you can’t because the cookie tells the Web site you’ve already voted. Savvy computer users or political hacks can easily defeat this minimal control on multiple voting.

Our last poll asked whom you would vote for mayor of McAlester. The poll saw more than 1,100 votes (a record) and anyone could tell someone was manipulating the poll. It is kind of hard to tell whom, but since two candidates suddenly jumped ahead, I’ll go out on a limb and say they had some dedicated supporters who like voting, deleting cookies, then voting again. The other candidate, the one was losing in the poll, has some fanatical supporters also. They were losing this meaningless poll, and they were none to happy about it. I’ll let them say it in there own words:

“Comment submitted by spidey on 2008-02-23 08:55:39
Last night, while most people were sleeping, there were almost 500 votes cast. McMahan's percentage went from about 4% to over 34%. This poll is the biggest farce I have ever seen. In my book, the News-Capital has lost what little credibility it ever had. CNHI needs to clean house down there... Tucker, Lane and Beaty do nothing but keep controversy going in McAlester. They need to go back to objectively reporting the news... not creating it.”

Wow. Spidey is hacked! According to him, this newspaper is in the hands of incompetent fools who obviously don’t like his candidate. After all, the paper “has lost what little credibility it ever had.” John Tucker and I are used to Spidey’s wrath, but now he’s included one of the best journalists in this state, James Beaty, to his enemies list.

The next post is from a dedicated supporter of his candidate for mayor. Here’s what TwoCents said:

“Comment submitted by TwoCents on 2008-02-23 09:45:23
Well, if Matt denies anyone at the paper is manipulating the poll, it's blatantly obvious that someone is. If the paper can't keep their poll from being compromised by some computer nerd who knows how to do it, then it loses its entertainment value - which is the only value it ever had. Matt - you need to stop doing polls until your computer gurus figure out how to keep them from being compromised. This is just silly and you know it.”

If the poll is so “silly” TwoCents, what's all this hubbub about? I categorically deny that anyone at this paper is or has been manipulating these "silly" polls. Anyway, TwoCents, the poll is gone, replaced with one with a national scope. Oh yeah, my momma taught me that name calling isn't a very adult thing to do. Remember, nerds are people too. By the way, if your candidate should lose, I want to be on the record saying that anyone blaming it on a “silly” poll will sound “silly” themselves.

I need to thank Harold King for the posts from Spidey and TwoCents (two people who exhibit the bravery of being anonymous. One of them is so brave, in fact, he or she is demanding that real people be fired because he or she doesn’t agree with the ideas those people have). Since King’s site, www.mccooler.net, literally and obviously depends on our newspaper for a big hunk of its content, I hope Harold doesn’t mind that I’ve used some material from his Web site.

Fair is fair after all

February 23, 2008 07:05 pm

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The winds of change, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the daily news reports but am still a bit puzzled by the Internet forums and the seriousness some people put on them

Gene Stipe is in the hospital. The city thinks it’s Big Brother. Some guys at the dump are accused of stealing scrap metal. A reporter was told he was the best witness the DA’s office had in the alleged escape of an inmate who was working for the county treasurer and was forced to testify in one of the most boneheaded legal maneuvers ever perpetrated by prosecutors run amok who maybe thought a subpoena would scare a seasoned reporter like James Beaty. The BrandX forums are rife with allegations that the News-Capital poll is rigged. Lee Anderson and John Tucker are more devious than Machiavelli ever thought of being, according to some folks who think the Internet is a grand place to smear good people with half-truths and innuendo. Candidate A is stealing Candidate B’s signs. I’m the worst censor that ever administrated a Web site. The state labor commissioner, a McAlester native, did something that landed him in an Oklahoma City drunk tank. All this happened in one week in McAlester.

Some of my friends from the West Coast have asked me why I would want to be a newsman in Oklahoma. Let them come to McAlester. This town, apart from being a great place to live, is pound-for-pound the best, most interesting community in this whole state, bar none. There is never a dull moment and there is always something to talk about. Better, for a fellow in the news game, there is always something to write about.
I know some people think all this news; all these odd occurrences are bad for the city, maybe even bad for “economic development.” I must disagree. P.T. Barnum, America’s quintessential promoter, is purported to have said that he didn’t care what people said or wrote about him, as long as the spelled his name right.

The old maxim “any press is good press” might be at play right here in McAlester. Think about it. Does anyone ever talk about Duncan? Durant? Maud? Bowlegs? Muskogee? Ada? Nope, hardly ever a word or a mention is made. McAlester, well, that’s a different story. This newspaper is a proud member of The Associated Press. I see the Oklahoma state wire everyday and McAlester is seldom off the story budget for more than a couple of days a week. People know about McAlester and that is a good thing.

The good thing I’m talking about is this: The stories all point to a community that is throwing off the shackles of a corrupt political machine, prying the tired, old hands off the brakes and readying to surge forward. Really. Even a despotic newspaper editor, a newspaper publisher and radio station manager bent on controlling, if not the world, at least the city, can’t stop it.

The change sweeping over this city is palpable. You can feel it, see it and almost taste it. If the news around town gets you down, take heart in knowing that good things are on the horizon. People all over Oklahoma know something is up in McAlester, something new and exciting.

Aren’t you glad you’re right here, right now able to watch it all unfold?

February 22, 2008 10:23 pm

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Take the forums, please

I just don’t feel the love.

I fell into a trap this week — I tried to take part in this Web site’s forums. The trap is this: The editor is always the bad guy and we’ll pounce on anything he says or does.

I knew this, heck; my reporters think I’m the bad guy most days because I hold sway over their words. The same thing is true with three or four people who post on the forum. I hold sway – by virtue of my job as editor – over their words.

What they don’t know, or won’t acknowledge, is I feel their anger. I can hardly stand it when someone edits my words. I hate it even worse when something I’ve written gets killed or spiked. I spiked some threads this week and the wrath of these three or four posters came down on me like lightning bolts from Thor. They were not only mad, they were offended deeply. I was accused of playing God and worse.

I fell into a trap.

The forums are your place to speak out. I can write on this blog or in the paper as I please. I have no place on the forums and I’ve come to realize that. So, no more from McAlesterMatt. I’ve retired from the forums. I’ll only intervene is someone complains to me. KMLC, PassionatePatriot, UndeniableTruth, Cantankerous, the forums are in your hands. You, and a few others, have made it quite clear you don’t need some liberal-commie-name calling-thread deleting editor around. You’ve made it clear that the forums are your turf, not mine. Your slings and arrows hit home and I think I see what you mean.

OK. So it goes.

February 21, 2008 04:52 pm

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Give me money, that's what I want, or, Money, it's a hit, or, how I learned to stop worrying and realize that those big contributions will never affect a politician's positions on vital issues

Money is the mother’s milk of politics they say, so let’s see which presidential candidates have been drinking at McAlester’s trough.

Through Jan. 7, contributors who live in the 74501 zip code have ponied up the following for presidential candidates:

$90,893 for Clinton, Hillary
$27,252 for Paul, Ron
$26,310 for Obama, Barack
$17,304 for McCain, John
$14,725 for Huckabee, Mike
$250 for Keyes, Alan

It looks like 74501 is Clinton Country, at least when it comes to money. You can find out more about who’s giving, who’s getting and what they’re spending it on by visiting opensecrets.org.

Wonder who’s kept Rep. Dan Boren, D-Claremore, in the do-re-me? Here’s a list of the congressman’s top 10 donors (OK, a bunch of them are tied for No. 3) for the 2006 election:

1. University of Oklahoma $15,500
2. BancFirst $10,350
3. American Bankers Assn $10,000
3. Blue Dog PAC $10,000
3. Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $10,000
3. National Beer Wholesalers Assn $10,000
3. Teamsters Union $10,000
3. United Auto Workers $10,000
3. United Parcel Service $10,000
10. Laborers Union $9,500

This democrat seems to be glowing when it comes to big contributions from energy interests. Here are Boren’s top 10 donors for 2008, so far:

1. General Atomics $9,250
2. Chesapeake Energy $7,300
3. Akin, Gump et al $7,000
4. Koch Industries $7,000
5. Nix, Patterson & Roach $6,900
6. State of Oklahoma $6,900
7. National Restaurant Assn $6,500
8. Ameristate Bank $6,000
10. Home Depot $6,000
10. Zarrow Family Office $5,600

Boren, like all politicians, has to play with the rules they're given. The big question is should the rules stay as they are, or should we find better ways to fund political campaigns. I say yes. What about you?

If you are interested in money and politics visit opensecrets.org. Thanks to them for all this information.

February 10, 2008 07:29 pm

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A second rate editor who should be in jail

I get letters almost every day telling me what I've done wrong, how stupid I am, what a hack writer I am, why I should be ran out of town on a rail and so on.

Today's letter, however, is a cut above. It is unsigned (something I think rather cowardly) but it has the tenor of what I call a "letter by committee." Some days ago I wrote a column decrying the manner in which the Pittsburg County Commissioners are handling the multi-million dollar remodel and renovation of county facilities. That, I assume, is what has this committee of letter writers so upset as to threaten me with jail. In addition, I think the committee bears great resemblance to works of I read written by some of our county government's top minds. I say this based on other letters I've had the pleasure to receive.

I am threatened with jail in this letter for expressing an opinion contrary to the writer(s). Nothing new here, it has happened in the past. MSNBC's Keith Olberman recently commented on the matter: "We have been here when President John Adams insisted that the Alien and Sedition Acts were necessary to save American lives — only to watch him use those Acts to jail newspaper editors. American newspaper editors, in American jails, for things they wrote ... "

In any event, I'm going to break a rule and publish an unsigned letter, at least here on the Web. This person — the letter is signed "Pittsburg County Citizen" has something to say and I think it should shared. So, here it is, unedited and unfiltered:

Dear Mr. Lane,

You are a second rate editor at a third rate cash cow newspaper owned by a mega-corporation publishing company that thinks of nothing but profits. Your advertising rates are proof. Without the constant spending of car dealers your paper would close its doors tomorrow. Your paper never publishes positive community supporting articles and publishes very little else that is even news worthy. Now you are even going to charge people for letters of thanks.

Have you ever accomplished any positive thing in your life? You have never served on a community board or position of leadership. You are the worst of all arm chair quarterback types. If that is your calling in life, you are a success.

Your latest revelation is that you believe the county commissioners are somehow misspending bond funds yet you cite no supporting documentation for that opinion. You believe that the money being spent to expand and remodel the courthouse, build a new jail, a dog pound and, yes, a new building for the OSU Extension Center is not being spent properly. Yet all the items listed are a part of the total expansion and growth of our community. The courthouse is a national landmark and should be cared for as such. Because of continuing growth in our community the OSU extension office had to be expanded to provide those needed services. The small rooms in the courthouse were no longer feasible. Moreover, the space for courthouse activities had to be expanded. The court clerks office, the county clerks office, the district attorney’s office, courtrooms and others have all increased in size considerably in the last few years because of an expanding economy and mandated services. You would know this if you spent time actually acting like a newsman and asking questions instead of promoting you own personal agenda.
Further, without any basis in fact or law you render legal opinions. The Assistant District Attorney has spent over 25 years in private practice and in public service. His legal opinion means something. Yours is not just a joke but is illegal because you are attempting to practice law without a license. Why don’t you actually get a college degree; then, pass the Law School Admission Test; get accepted to a prestigious law school; graduate and pass the bar exam; then spend 20 or more years practicing law and actually standing at the bench representing someone whose life and liberty is on the line or prosecuting someone who has taken someone’s life or raped a child or some other heinous crime. THEN, Mr. Lane, maybe someone will care what your legal opinion is.

Everything that has been done by the commissioners in this county has been done in open meetings. Every idea has been reviewed and discussed by the oversight committee and architects, lawyers and bond attorney. The oversight committee is made up of other successful civic minded businessmen and women that have given their time, their money and their energy to seeing that our community is always progressing. This committee has tried to get your newspaper to publish progress reports, but to no avail. Your newspaper refuses to publish them because they will not give you permission to edit these progress reports. PROGRESS. That is a word you should learn Mr. Lane. Your accusations using words like kickbacks, secrets and special favors are not just shameless but outright slanderous. You may believe that you are protected by the first amendment for your “editorial” but I think the District Attorney should take a serious look at your accusations and if you can’t prove them maybe you will get to stand before a judge’s bench.

/s/ Pittsburg County Citizen

February 05, 2008 07:36 am

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Poll pulled

The puppet masters have pulled my string, and in a great conspiratorial effort, have forced me to change the poll. Here are the final results of the MEDS poll:

Poll Results

Do you believe the McAlester Economic Development Service, MEDS, has significantly benefited this community over the long term?
Yes 18.10%
No 81.90%

326 votes counted.

This poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole.

OK, really, I decided on my own to pull the poll. No one pulled any strings, told me to do it or suggested I do it. I just did it. If you have an idea for a poll, send it along. Not all suggestions will be published, but some will -- send them to: editor@mcalesternews.com

January 25, 2008 04:15 pm

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Thank you

Hey, Mr. Mayor, get outside that stifling box and shake things up

I'm a socialist. Who knew?

When sparrows are pivotal

Kill that "silly" poll, my candidate is losing

The winds of change, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the daily news reports but am still a bit puzzled by the Internet forums and the seriousness some people put on them

Take the forums, please

Give me money, that's what I want, or, Money, it's a hit, or, how I learned to stop worrying and realize that those big contributions will never affect a politician's positions on vital issues

A second rate editor who should be in jail

Poll pulled

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