Letter to the Editor: We are not woke; we are real!
To the people who are having fits about officers being in school with guns, let me tell you something. We are Oklahomans. We are a rural state. We hunt, we farm, we raise your food, our oil wells heat your homes and run your cars. We are entrepreneurs, we have large, small and micro business all over the state.
We are not stupid. The law here and in many rural “fly over” says that at 10 years old, with an adult, you can hunt. We hunt with rifles and bows. Kids here are raised knowing the how, when, why and safety of gun use. Most of us have a snake gun we take into the pasture with us in season. We have poison snakes. They will kill you. We raise chickens, rabbits, goats and other small animals. We can't let the wild critters, like foxes, coyotes and mountain lions get the small animals we raise to feed our families and sell to those who want fresh food. Our kids are well versed in gun safety. The idea of a police officer armed in school is no big deal. We take care of each other. Often we are miles apart on a farm, but we all know the help signal to alert our neighbor that we need help, and fire accordingly. It's easier to fire off the help signal when you are injured than to fiddle with your cellphone, even if there is service.
One more thing, to whoever said that rural people cannot get a voter ID: We are a community/state of many colors. We get along. We help each other. When someone is ill or dies, a home burns, or floods, or a tornado hits, our communities and our churches come together to help (even if you are not a member of that church). Everyone who wants to vote, can. No, we do not have a Kinkos, neither does anyone else. They have been gone for years, and no one has Xeroxed anything since the '60s. But in my small community, we have a bank, grocery store, tag office, pharmacy, as well as a number of small businesses that all have a copier or printer and will gladly reproduce a document or two for you, for free. Most people also have a computer and printer/copier. If you don't, your neighbor does and is happy to share.
We are not woke! We are real!
— Sonja Christiansen, Tuskahoma
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Letter to the editor: In rural Oklahoma, we are not woke; we are real!
