Letters on flying flags at half-staff, MAGA, term limits for elected officials, drag shows

Old Glory should have flown at half-staff

As a patriotic American and military veteran, I choose to proudly display the U.S. flag at my residence. I also consider it my responsibility to attempt to display Old Glory in accordance with U.S. flag code and the traditions that honor this symbol of national pride. Although not bound by law as a private citizen, I also try to comply with proclamations pertaining to the display of this flag.

Sadly (this week), in a drive around OKC, I did not see many flags in compliance with the Presidential Proclamation issued on Sept. 29. In a search on the internet, I found that many states and governors of those states echoed the national proclamation to their citizens. One such example from the Office of Administration in Missouri and the Presidential Proclamation are as follows:

President Joseph R. Biden has ordered the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff at all government and public buildings throughout the United States in honor of Senator Dianne Feinstein until sunset, on the day of interment.

You can access the proclamation at https://tinyurl.com/4ttc8wra. State government departments are responsible for distributing this information throughout your department for compliance with this order. 

I could not find any such proclamation from Oklahoma state offices or the governor. If such statements were issued by Oklahoma officials, I offer an apology for my lack of internet skills. It is easier to assume the lack of compliance I observed was more due to an oversight or a communications error rather than as an act of intentional disrespect for the president of the United States, a long-standing U.S. senator who died in office, or the flag for which so many have sacrificed and died to defend.

— Mike Wells, Harrah

How will history define MAGA movement and Trump's presidency?

The MAGA movement has evolved into a mindless cult. It's obvious that MAGA is anti-American, or they wouldn’t support the indicted Trump.

Everything Trump says, the MAGA promotes as “gospel,” while all along he is being accused, indicted or prosecuted for crimes, including fraud, sexual abuse, election interference, and the list goes on and on.

History will show MAGA as a Trump cult, that pursued and pursued Trump, who will go down in history as the most corrupt president in American history.

— Sam Bass, Yukon

Time for discussion on term limits

After witnessing (with disgust) the ongoing and seemingly endless gridlock that exists among our federal government’s elected officials (House and Senate), I would like to again call for term limits for ALL federally elected officials.

The constant and often immature debates that go on between the overly reelected folks that are supposed to represent All of us (and, by the way, actually get things done) is ridiculous and needs to stop. Not to mention the corruption that festers once people are continually reelected back to the “Good Ol’ Boys Club.” We keep sending the same people back to Washington and expect different results — kind of the definition of insanity, isn’t it?

Public service should be a privilege, not a career filled with the same old politics, as usual, and a vindictive agenda that stalls real progress (on both sides).

For the sake of common sense and for consideration of our future generations and our country, can we at least "consider" setting term limits for all federally elected officials to no more than two terms, so we can more realistically eliminate gridlock and improve the chances of making progress? Let’s also ensure senators and congressional salaries are tied to any future shutdowns!

— David Scott, Oklahoma City

Open primary voting system would offer Oklahomans more choice, empowerment

With all due respect to Yvonne Galvan ("Open primaries would make our votes more representative," Oct. 1), the Democratic supermajority Oklahoma Legislature passed ranked choice voting in 1925, not to combat extremism but because in 1924 impeached former Gov. Jack Walton won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate by just under 31% of the vote and then had the temerity to lose to the Republican in the general election.

Ranked choice voting is simple, but the 10th Oklahoma Legislature made it needlessly complicated. After running afoul of the courts, they chose instead to implement our primary runoff, an expensive process that features low turnout and often produces perverse results. Just ask Vince Orza, the only person in American history to lose gubernatorial runoffs in both the Democratic and Republican parties after winning the initial primary by double-digit percentages.

Galvan's overall point, however, is one with which I agree. An open primary system allowing voters to receive the party ballot of their choice, which 16 states currently have, including our neighbors in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, would empower all Oklahoma voters to participate at every election that they are paying for. What we don't need is a jungle or blanket primary where all candidates are placed on one ballot, such as a California-style Top Two system where the smaller number of voters who participate in primaries are allowed to remove entire categories of candidates from being options for the majority who only vote in general elections.

Many voters already switch party affiliation to participate in what they consider the most relevant primary and already rank the candidates by not just policy preference but also by weighing perceived ability to win. In order to stop party switching, eliminate "wasted vote" or "spoiler effect" concerns, and do away with expensive and vexatious runoffs, Oklahoma should move toward opening its partisan primaries and adopting a simple ranked choice voting system uncomplicated by jungle ballot schemes. Paid partisan hacks will oppose these common-sense reforms but Oklahoma voters, including over 400,000 unaffiliated with any political party, would be empowered.

— Chris Powell, Bethany

Russia closer to US than you think

We must do everything possible to help Ukraine defeat Vladimir Putin. If Putin wins, he will invade another country. Looking east, the war seems far away. Looking west, the war is on our doorstep. Russia is 155 miles from Alaska. Those 155 miles are international waters that Russian warships and submarines can sail through, making Putin's war machine even closer to us.

— Janice Sexton, Oklahoma City

You might not like the drag shows, but no crime has been committed

When we moved to Oklahoma, pregnant teachers lost their jobs, the largest religion in the state forbade members from dancing or playing cards, and we thought comedians like Milton Berle, Flip Wilson and Johnny Carson were funny when they dressed in women’s clothes. Now, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters intends to destroy a dedicated public school administrator with a doctoral degree because he does the very same thing to entertain adults on the weekend.

You might not like drag shows either, but no crime has been committed, no laws broken and Oklahoma desperately needs qualified educators rather than the replacements Walters hires with no education degrees or classroom experience.

People fuss about drag queens who have not been to a drag show. My husband and I went and found talented singers and comedians who told risqué jokes, but no nudity, no pornography and no attempt to seduce anybody. We see more offensive material on network TV.

It would be truly immoral to let a political bully with an anti-public school agenda destroy a qualified educator’s career who has committed no crime and hurt nobody by his actions. Meanwhile, Walters is apparently not concerned about criminals convicted of sexual offenses against children at schools who are back in classrooms due to plea bargain deals.

— Lauren Allison Carter, Yukon

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Letters on flags at half-staff, MAGA, term limits, voting, drag shows