July 19, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 12

Page Text

Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Friday, July 19, 2019 Opinion Page “ElkCituNews Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 New plates By Don Munsch Editor Oklahoma state officials want to rebrand the state. Part of the rebranding will be creating a new license plate. OK by me. I don’t hate the current plate or anything. But it just Bullies doesn’t stick out. A white bird — the state bird, the boss laid some papers on and how afraid it made me scissor-tailed flycatcher — on a light blue background that my desk and instructed me feel. A child has no way to some people mistake for Twitter? to basically falsify some know how to deal with larg- Still, I like it better than the color scheme on the Texas information in a way that er, meaner kids — kids who plate that used to be on my car: black and white. Glynda Lomax is a Chris- would amount to com- sometimes ran in gangs. Blah. Yawn city. Drab. tian author and podcaster mitting insurance fraud. Bullies come in all ages, Texas officials wanted to go back to the old days when who resides in the Ozark I stared at the papers in and in every walk of life. the state had the black and white color scheme and revive Mountains ofNorthern silence, shocked anyone We’ve all met the com- it for the modern day. Arkansas with her two very would ask an employee to mon school yard variety, I liked a more recent plate better, from the last decade, bossy dogs. She wrote her commit a felony for them. but there are also bullying which featured a cowboy on a horse, oil derricks and a (first About Life..column in After he walked back spouses, bullying cowork- space shuttle. All three images symbolized the Lone Star 2003 for a newspaper in to his desk, I knew what I ers and bullying family State in some form or fashion. That plate at least had Dallas. She is planning her had to do. I calmly walked members. Sometimes we in front of other people some personality and some semblance of state pride. next book. over to him, and stated have bullying children or and humiliate you, then Oklahoma needs to accentuate its personality and state that I would not falsify any we meet bullies in busi- they fear being publicly pride in its plate. The state is asking residents to take a “Bullying is killing our paperwork, even if it meant ness settings, day care humiliated. If they threaten survey at https://projectbluesky.ok.gov/. The most recent kids. Being different is kill- losing my job. I laid the centers, nursing homes and to leave you and take ing our kids and the kids paperwork in front of him even hospitals. I was once plate with the bird logo was released in 2016. their love from you, they so he could do as he wished treated by a bullying doc- The rebranding effort, called Project Blue Sky, is being who are bullying are dying with it, and walked quietly tor in an emergency room fear abandonment. If they spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and is for Okla- inside. We have to save back to my chair, not know- who yelled at me when he threaten you with loss of homans, by Oklahomans, according to the website. The our kids whether they are ing ifI was about to be fired should have been treating income, they fear poverty. state also wants to create a new slogan and logo, accord bullied or they are bullying. or not. me. Since bullies are all If they threaten to take their ing to a July 7 story in The Oklahoman. They are all in pain.” - Cat Though I did not know if around us, it makes sense friendship from you, they “We've assembled a special team called the OklaX, a Cora my actions would cost me we should learn to deal with fear not being accepted, or consortium of the finest creative minds and marketing being alone and having no my job, I knew compromis- them. professionals from every corner of Oklahoma, to craft a Tonce worked for a ter- ing my integrity and com- So what should we do if friends. new story and look that will make us proud and attract rible bully. My time work- mitting a crime for a greedy we are the victim of a bul- Bullies have existed since more tourists, talent, businesses and investors,” the Proj- ing for him was during a boss was not an option. My ly? The first step in dealing the beginning of time and ect Blue Sky website stated. “This rebrand includes our severe economic downturn boss grew very quiet, and with bullies is in realizing they will always be around state government agencies.” when a person was lucky to he never asked me to do that although they appear us. They are unpleasant The website features images of Route 66, buffaloes and have any job at all, and he anything dishonest again. fearless, they are anything to deal with but deal with someone strumming a guitar. Those are three good ideas knew he could bully all he That boss was count- but. Their loud aggressive them we must. Running and there that could be infused in the new plate, but so many wanted and his employees ing on me fearing a loss of exterior is a coverup for an hiding from them solves others ideas could be included, such as the state’s west- had to just put up with it. ern heritage or the state’s American Indian heritage, the He frequently hired workers income to force me to do insecure and fearful little nothing for they will always his will. What he did not person hiding inside them find you out. The key lies latter of which is on the state flag and used to be on the with questionable docu- realize is that I would rather and they are terrified of state license plate. in finding them out first and mentation, paid them paltry lose my job than my self- discovery. Everyone fears defeating them once and for Pinnell discussed rebranding during a late May stop in salaries and commanded respect or my freedom, and something, but bullies fear all. Elk City, when, as he stated in The Oklahoman article, they work long hours six his plan backfired on him. many things. They fear the people of Oklahoma have to define themselves or days a week in return. In The best solution of all I later learned from other looking foolish, they fear in dealing with bullies is to every other state will. The state rebranding is part of a addition, he routinely made employees that he had done not being accepted. They tourism effort, natch. realize that a bully’s power fun of the cultures they had the same to them and they fear not being loved, they “We generate right now $650 million in state and local come from, and he did it is in his ability to make you had all complied, fearful of fear feeling invisible. They tax revenue,” he said at a Rotary Club meeting in Elk in front of other employ- losing their only source of fear not having enough fear him. If you refuse to City in late May, from a previous News story. “That’s ees. He drove expensive income. He was the kind of money. Many of them fear fear, he has no power at all not half bad for a state that doesn’t believe in advertising cars and boasted about the man that could be bought being alone. and you can simply walk their state. Just think if we actually had a real effective money he made while he for a price so he assumed If your desire is to stand away. marketing campaign. We could make $650 million pretty cheated customers and his everyone else could as up to your bully, the key quick. And that’s why I’m so bold and big and really own employees out of every well. Not long after that, to how to handle him can “A bully’s power is in optimistic that Oklahoma can be a top 10 tourism state. I dime he could. The work- I searched in earnest and be found in how he bullies his ability to make you fear want to be top 10 in [other] areas, too, but I know we can ing environment was one of found another job, leaving you. Whatever they threaten him. If you refuse to fear, he be a top 10 tourism state.” tyranny and everyone felt the bullying boss behind. you with is what they fear has no power over you at And part of that effort begins with a new plate. Bye- the strain. I remember being bullied the most. If their threat is all and you can simply walk bye, birdie. One afternoon the bully by bigger kids in school, to defeat you physically away.” Summer nutrition programs are key to fighting hunger By Oklahoma Institute ally the only reliable source A new report by the Food also benefit from Summer better quickly and there is pand their meal-offerings to for Child Advocacy CEO of healthy food for many Research and Action Center Nutrition Programs. In reason to be optimistic that children. Intergenerational Joe Dorman low-income children. Of evaluates the availabil- Oklahoma, that falls to just trend will continue. feeding programs have been course, that also means that ity and access to Summer 5.5 percent. Simply put, a One of the ways the state suggested by federal entities It should go without say- many children are cut off Nutrition Programs in all huge number of Oklahoma can improve its ranking is and healthcare professionals 50 states and the District of as a way to increase healthy ing, but every Oklahoma from those nutritious meals Columbia, and paints a very students who rely on school simply by spreading aware- interaction between senior child should have access during the summer months mixed picture for Okla- lunches for healthy meals ness of this program and its citizens and young people. to nutritious meals. No when school is closed. are falling through the availability, which is where child should go hungry, homa. The report, entitled cracks during the summer The partnerships could also To fill that void, the Okla- readers of this column can “Hunger Doesn’t Take a lead to new sources of fed- nor should they have to eat homa State Department months. lend a hand. Make sure Break” is available in its eral revenue for the sites. unhealthy foods — which of Education administers entirety at: frac.org. Obviously, a ranking of your friends and family Representative Toni Hasen- can stunt their physical and some Summer Nutrition Putting the bad news 51 out of 51 is bad news, with school-age children beck, R-Elgin has requested mental development — sim- Programs, which provide first: Oklahoma is dead but there is a silver lining to know about Summer Nutri- an interim study to be ply because those foods are healthy meals during the last in the country, and this cloud. The same report tion Programs and that ALL conducted by the Oklahoma cheap and readily available. summer months and, at has been for the past four found that Oklahoma had children and teens under 18 House of Representatives some feeding sites, offer the nation’s third-highest can benefit from them. Unfortunately, this is ex- years, when it comes to the Another way to expand regarding this topic, and we educational and enrich- actly what is happening for percentage of children par- increase in summer meal certainly hope her request is roughly one-in-five Okla- ment programming. These ticipating in Summer Nutri- participation from 2017 access to summer nutrition approved. homa kids, who are classi- programs are a great way tion Programs who also to 2018. In July of 2018, sites is for the state to seek There are 425,000 Okla- fied as “food insecure.” The to fight hunger while also benefit from the National approximately 570 sum- out willing partners who homa kids who eat free and high prevalence of food in- reducing summer “learning School Lunch Program. In mer meal sites served over can help manage them. For reduced-price school meals. security is why school free loss,” a backwards academ- the District of Columbia, 16,000 Oklahoma kids with instance, OICA is working All of us can do our part to and reduced-price lunch ic slide that many students which leads the nation, 34.5 free meals daily. We are to jumpstart a collabora- ensure they are getting the programs are so important; experience over their sum- percent of students receiv- starting at the bottom of tive effort between willing healthy food they need dur- the school cafeteria is liter- mer breaks. ing free school lunches the pile, but we are getting senior nutrition sites to ex- ing the summer months.