February 8, 2020 Issue, Page 4 of 10

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Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Saturday, February 8 2020 Opinion Page Undeserved loyalty heard. A story about a man with a successful business, “ElkCituNews a fairly good businessman Glynda Lomax is a Chris- tian author and podcaster cally in 2001, her husband who had managed to build a business with multiple of- Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 had been out of work for a who resides in the Ozark long period of time and my fices and a good number of Laughing can help Mountains of Northern Ar- friend, being the loyal wife kansas with her two very bossy dogs. She wrote her she was, worked at jobs she employees. He seemed to be an honorable man and was extremely loyal to those he the soul first About Life column in despised to carry the load employed. 2003 for a newspaper in while he held out for a good Dallas. She is planning her paying position that matched At one point, he had hired By Don Munsch, Editor next book. his potential and abilities. an employee with a Dr, Je- Glynda Lomax They say in the entertainment business that dying is easy More than five years later, kyll and Mrs. Hide person- determined to go down with and comedy is hard. “Never make someone a ality. The woman presented That truism also is endorsed on the speaking circuit, in priority when all you are to he was still holding out and it. He kept his loyalty, but he one front to him and a dif- which a keynote speaker can use humor to break the ice and them is an option.” - Un- she was still working jobs was losing everything else. ferent one to everyone else. warm up an audience. But the speaker must know his audience. What’s funny known she despised which were far When he was out of sight, Loyalty is a beautiful, en- beneath her abilities. But she during faithfulness practiced with one group of people may not translate to another. she degraded other employ- ees while building up her by honorable people. But Some years ago I met a believed with all her heart in Chad Prather will be in Elk City next month as part of his “Star Spangled Banter Comedy Tour,” and in a telephone woman at my work place commitment and total loyal- what if the other person has own image and flaunting interview with The News Tuesday, he discussed the come- with a kind and gentle spir- ty and she kept on doing what no loyalty towards you? My her position for all to see. dians who have influenced his work, such as Robin Wil- it. She was everything you she felt was right day after She felt her long-standing friend was loyal for years to liams, George Carlin and Bill Hicks. An eclectic list. hope to find in a friend: day, week after week, month the point of wearing herself relationship with the owner With the nation as divided as it’s been in at least a half- friendly, compassionate, in- after month. Eventually, the protected her from any rep- out supporting a husband century, there are certain pleasures in life that everyone can share. One of which is the ability to find humor amid every- telligent, fun and loyal. We couple began to quarrel oc- rimand. She greatly exag- who was clearly far more day life. Prather tries to do that in his act. didn’t spend a great deal of casionally about the fact that committed to his own plea- gerated her contributions to On that note, I can say my comedy preferences mirror time together after working he was offered lower paying him and he, consequently, sure than to the marriage she those of my musical tastes. Which is to say they’re all hours because she was mar- jobs and would not accept felt she was essential to the thought they were building over the place. tied and I was single and we them, while seeming content company’s success and be- on. The man with the com- With comedy, I like satire, such as “The Onion,” and to let her make the living for lieved the company to be in pany had loyalty towards a lived in different areas of the puns, Seriously, I love punny humor. city, but even after we left the both of them working far better standing among its woman in his employ that I enjoy some slapstick and farce, but usually in short those jobs and moved on, we multiple low paying jobs. competitors than it actually did not care she was destroy- doses. Insult humor? Depends on the target and comedian. You can always give me the absurdity of “Airplane!” and kept in touch. But my friend’s loyalty held was. ing his business with her the “Naked Gun” movies and “Police Squad!” any time. Not long ago, I called my fast and she kept working. A couple of years later, tude and narcissistic behav- From the first “Airplane!” movie: friend and was saddened to “Love is about doing it when a man who worked for the ior. Dr. Rumack: You'd better tell the captain we’ve got to hear she was going through it’s hard,” she once told me, company approached the Do we want to be loyal land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a an ugly divorce. I had al- and she certainly lived what owner and spoke to him people? Absolutely. Those hospital. ways thought of her mar- she said. who cannot be loyal seldom Elaine Dickinson: A hospital? What is it? about the woman’s rude be- Dr. Rumack: It’s a big building with patients, but that’s riage as the ideal, as she and My friend finally laid her havior, The owner, being the succeed at anything impor- tant in life. Loyalty is a high- not important right now. Tell the captain I must speak to her husband seemed like loyalty banner down when loyal person he was, refused ly desirable quality. him. best friends. They spent time she found out that her hus- to believe what he heard. A word of caution - before Talso enjoy some sitcoms from contemporary times and together, went out to dinner band, during his long days The last I heard, the com- you pledge your loyalty, it yesteryear, but I have no use for the laugh-a-second story- lines. Ask me to name a favorite comic actor or comedian, with friends every week, at home in her absence, had pany was in a downward pays to make sure the other planned long term goals and been attempting to court person is truly pledging and I would quickly name three people of yesteryear: Carol spiral, employees were leav- theirs. Burnett, Jackie Gleason and Rodney Dangerfield, although worked on them as a couple their next door neighbor, her ing for jobs elsewhere, and Burnett is still very much alive. I also like, among many and just generally seemed to friend. the owner still clung to his “Betrayal is about learn- others, Will Ferrell. I watch “Elf” at Christmas every year get along really well. After hearing about my loyalty to the woman he had ing not to idealize external and I’m unabashed fan of the first “Anchorman” movie. [“I'm ina glass case of emotion!”] I remember when times friend’s plight,Iwas remind- hired. The owner, like a cap- sources.” In newspapers, I’ve always liked editorial cartoons that got really hard economi- ed of another story I had tain on a sinking ship, was - Linda Talley can strike a nerve while putting a smile on my face. As far OICA begins examining proposals as comics, I’ve never been a big comic strip guy with the exception of “Peanuts” and “Jim’s Journal,” the latter of which I embraced because it was a comic strip about noth- ing, in the same way “Seinfeld” was the sitcom about noth- ing. By Joe Dorman, CEO of a safeguard protecting citi- to Oklahoma citizens. ships for some children to at- What I avoid: sick humor, raunchy humor, gross-out hu- OICA zens and allowing the press The governor discussed tend certain private schools, mor, ethnic humor, misogynist humor and so on. Gov. Kevin Stitt deliv- to monitor every bill, Hav- SoonerCare 2.0. Sooner- and that Jobs for America’s Look, humor can be subjective. Everyone’s different. I ered his second “State of the ing said that, in 25 years Care, the state’s version of Graduates, known as JAG, have sat through comedies before at the movie theater that of working in and around Medicaid, certainly will be be approved. State” to the Oklahoma Leg- did not include one real laugh. Same can be said of some The governor also asked contemporary sitcoms. Sometimes, when I watch a crum- islature Monday on the first the State Capitol, I only re- discussed by lawmakers and lawmakers to by law make my comedy on television or Netflix, I just wonder where day of the Second Session member bills passing in the Oklahomans will get their all newly-hired state work- writers’ experiences come from — real life or failed sitcoms of the 57th Oklahoma Leg- constitutional minimum five say when the vote is set on ers unclassified employees. with hackneyed plots and cliched characters. islature. The bicameral leg- days only a few times, and the initiative petition signed He also wants lawmakers Humor should be, on some level, based on how people those were in special ses- by thousands of voters to at- deal with the vagaries of life. To that end, one of my favor- islative branch meets from to allocate interest from the the first Monday in February sions called specifically to tract more of our health care Tobacco Settlement Endow- ite comedies of all time is “Lost in America,” released in 1985. I discovered the film in high school. The movie stars until they must constitution deal with one issue. tax dollars back home from ment Trust to support rural Albert Brooks as David Howard, an advertising executive ally conclude business on or OICA has not taken an Washington. health programs instead of who gets fired after criticizing his boss for not giving him before 5 p.m. the final Friday official position on most Another issue of is the grants and work the trust the senior vice president he thinks he’s earned. Howard and in May. of Governor Stitt’s propos- governor's dispute with the currently funds. his wife, played by Julie Hagerty, decide to drop out of so- As we go forward over the sovereign Native Ameri- ciety and find themselves. The comedy works because of Along with the speech, als, but I want to share with you some of what was dis- can tribal governments on coming weeks of the ses- the unending desperation of Brooks’ character, who tries to the various newly-submitted talk a Desert Inn Casino manager into refunding money that cussed. The governor asked the gaming compact which sion, the Oklahoma Institute bills offered by the lawmak- allow for the Vegas-style his wife lost gambling: lawmakers to set aside $100 for Child Advocacy staff and ers were considered “first gaming in casinos across State Capitol liaisons will https://www.youtube. com/ million of current funds for watch?v=qrCehxKPJOs&app=desktop read” on the opening day, the state. For now, the gov- gather more information on the state savings account, the And the comedy works well because Brooks, who co- another constitutional man- so-called “Rainy Day” fund. ernor’s dispute with tribes these ideas to share with you. wrote the screenplay with Monica Johnson, has a keen ear date. The Oklahoma Consti- The governor said the state’s is in the federal courts as he We will highlight legislation greatest challenge is dealing continues to press tribes to of primary concern to child for the way people talk and behave. You can find that it the tution requires bills be read clip below, in which Brooks discusses his background with a counselor at the employment office who struggles to un- at least three times on three with reducing bureaucracy renegotiate the compact. Other areas of interest dis- advocates, recommending derstand Howard’s plight of not being able to find himself separate days in each house and securing the fiscal sta- ways to help by contacting cussed in the speech touched on asalary of $100,000 a year. before it could be sent to the bility of the state. His vision on education. The governor lawmakers. Please sign up https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l0rSSZusw4M governor for consideration. includes combining various recommended immediate to follow our action alerts Oh, and dad jokes. I like them, too, and so I leave you This provision prevents missions into fewer agen- acceptance of teacher certi- at oica.org so you can help with one I found on Bored Panda: “[’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to lawmakers from rushing cies, and even collapsing fications from other states, keep your senator and repre- put down!” through a proposal any fast- into one agency all those that $25 million of your tax sentative informed with in- Rimshot. er than five calendar days, that provide health care aid dollars to support scholar- formation from these emails. Pipeline hate is misplaced ferent environmental assess- been the increase in the pro- yield similar benefits. The ments determining the proj- duction of natural gas, which pipeline is projected to cre- ect was safe. Dakota Access has replaced older, dirtier ate 20,000 jobs and yield By Michael James Barton tions in greenhouse emis- Activists insist on scaring twice received the "green" coal in electricity generation $6.5 billion in worker in- Sixteen-year-old Swedish sions, green activists opt for Greta, rather than acknowl- ight from the U.S. Army plants nationwide. come during construction. I suspect Ms. Thunberg The project would add $20 student Greta Thunberg ad- emotional grandstanding. So edging that pipelines are in Corps of Engineers. may one day look back and monished global leaders at it was no surprise when Gre- the environment's best inter- In the environmental fan- wonder why she was told billion to local economies. last year's United Nations: ta visited American Indian est. tasy sold to Ms. Thunberg, that economic growth was Pipeline projects like Key- "We are in the beginning of reservations in the Dakotas Transporting oil under- all oil and gas production evil. stone XL and Dakota Access a mass extinction, and all to condemn two pipeline ground generates over 75 gets shut down immediately Five months after opera- will bring environmental and you can talk about is mon- projects. percent less greenhouse gas in favor of clean energy and tions began, Dakota Access economic benefits. That is, renewables. Unfortunately, ey and fairy tales of eternal One of them, Keystone than transporting it by train. added $43 million to North unless green activists stand economic growth. How dare XL, would traverse under that would result in the very Dakota's state coffers. Soon in the way. How dare they. It is also far safer. Spills mass extinction she has been you!" South Dakota as it brings are over four times more taught to fear. Well into the after that, the state collected Michael James Barton is But it's her parents who Canadian crude oil to Ne- likely to occur via rail than a foreseeable future, there is an additional $250 million the founder of Hyatt Solu- are daring. Why terrorize braska. The other, Dakota pipeline. More than 99 per- no way to power the glob- in tax revenue. And during tions and speaks around the children with fairy tales of Access, would increase cent of pipeline accidents do al economy without some construction, the pipeline country on energy and ener- mass extinction? the amount of oil flowing no harm to the environment. greenhouse emissions. generated roughly 12,000 gy security matters. He pre- When faced with a choice through an existing under- During the Obama and In fact, behind the biggest jobs. viously served as the deputy between easy rhetoric and ground pipeline between Trump _ administrations, source of reduced emissions If allowed to move for- director of Middle East poli- actual science-based reduc- North Dakota and Illinois. Keystone XL passed six dif- over the past decade has ward, Keystone XL will cy at the Pentagon.