It Didn't Start with Gas Chambers
by Larry Shockey

It started with that ride down the golden escalator. It started with a Muslim ban and continued careening downhill for four dark years. Then came the relatively calm and peaceful four years of the Biden administration and we all exhaled just a bit because, come on, we could never go back, we would never go back. But we did. Big time, handing over not only the White House but the House of Representatives and the Senate to Republican control.

What followed was a continuing state of chaos which threatens not only our republic but the very roots of our democracy and the rule of law. Pardons were granted to all January 6th rioters as well as his political allies while the Department of Justice was weaponized by openly investigating and prosecuting his political opponents.
This administration turned the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) into its own political gestapo to sweep millions of immigrants out of the country based on the color of their skin. It has denied visa applications to citizens of more than half a dozen predominately black countries. At the same time, the administration offered to grant US citizenship to hundreds of white South African farmers.

The White House immediately kicked off its 4-year tour by implementing crushing tariffs on the rest of the world which increased consumer costs, increased inflation and crippled agricultural exports.

If that weren't enough, the president proposed and the House and Senate passed his "big ugly bill" which, among other things contained major cuts to Medicaid spending. These cuts to Medicaid, known in Oklahoma as SoonerCare, crippled the ability of small rural hospitals, on which many Oklahomans rely for medical care, to accept Medicaid which will ultimately result in having to close their doors. Even though one quarter of Oklahomans, over a million of their constituents, rely on SoonerCare all five members of Oklahoma's

congressional delegation and both United States senators voted in favor of the bill.
During the recent government shutdown republicans refused to fund benefits under the SNAP program resulting in children going hungry and allowed ACA subsidies to expire resulting in monumental increases in insurance premiums, which will result in many citizens going without medical insurance.

While at the county level our primary focus is on grassroots politics, the fact that Oklahoma is a deeply red state makes national politics a grassroots issue. In Oklahoma's state House and Senate, the Republican Party has a veto proof majority. Republicans have refused to investigate or to implement impeachment proceedings against party officials who have been accused of misconduct. It passed a $12 billion state budget-without input from Democrats-but requires an additional $15 billion in Federal funding to make ends meet. All the while the governor pushes for a zero state income tax while reducing the budgets of social welfare programs and continues to funnel millions of dollars toward private schools at the expense of public education.
In the upcoming governor's race, Charles McCall is being taunted as too Woke for Oklahoma! Republican candidates, all of whom align strongly with the MAGA movement continue to promote themselves as being Trumpier-than-Trump.

Our growing presence has shown that there are more of us than folks thought and is giving all of us hope as evidenced by the growth in attendance at our monthly meetings. It is only by increasing our visibility and our voice that we can ride this "Blue Tornado" as it sweeps across the plains. This is our chance.

According to an anonymous quote, "It didn't start with gas chambers. It started with one party controlling the media. One party controlling the message. One party deciding what is truth. One party censoring speech and silencing opposition. One party dividing citizens into us and them and calling on their supporters to harass them.
It started when good people turned a blind eye and let it happen."

Meeting Notes from November

Jeff Pixley, US Congressional District 4 candidate was our guest speaker for our November Meeting. Jeff highlighted his military career and long-standing support for diversity, equality and inclusion in the military. Look for Mr. Pixley to return to Chickasha in May 2026 when he will debate against fellow Democratic Candidate Mitchel Jacob. Dates and times to be announced.

The Grady County Democrats also blew it out the water with our food drive. This was our November Service Project and we collected five cart loads of groceries and $2000 in cash donations for the Chickasha Emergency Food Pantry. Absolutely amazing, folks!

Join us for our next meeting on December 9th at 6:30 PM in the Emerson Room at Austin Hall on the USAO campus. US Congressional District 4 Candidate Mitchell Jacob will be our guest speaker. Also representatives for SQ836 Open Primaries will be there to collect signatures. Please join us!

Problem with the Grammy Awards
by Rhett Hoaglin

After Beyoncé's historic win as the first black artist to win Best Country Album in 2025 the category was retired and split into "Best Contemporary Country Album" and "Best Traditional Country Album." While I can agree that country music is ever changing and might have needed a rule update, this is the wrong way to go about it. Right after a black woman wins the Grammys just decided to split these categories? Sources say that the Grammys have had this change in the works for 3 years, but this was possibly the worst time to ever release it, and it's not the first time they've done some fishy goalpost switching. In 1988 the Blues category was conveniently split into contemporary and traditional after 3 black artists made a combined album and won. This split made way for white artists like Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Jimmie Vaughun, and Jack Elliott to get wins in the traditional category while Black artists

UPCOMING EVENTS:
DEC 09– MONTHY MEETING, 6:30 PM, @ the Emerson Room in Austin Hall at USAO, Chickasha, OK
Mitchell Jacobs, Congressional District 4 Candidate, will be our guest speaker.

JAN 13– MONTHY MEETING, 6:30 PM, @ the Emerson Room in Austin Hall at USAO, Chickasha, OK
This will be a planning meeting, so come prepared with your ideas!.

FEB 10– MONTHY MEETING, 6:30 PM, @ the Emerson Room in Austin Hall at USAO, Chickasha, OK
US Senate Candidate N'Kiyla "Jasmine" Thomas will be our special guest speaker.

MAR 10– MONTHY MEETING, 6:30 PM, @ the Emerson Room in Austin Hall at USAO, Chickasha, OK
US Senate Candidate Troy Green will be our special guest speaker.