So, dear reader, let’s do a quick, online interaction and then address some less than rhetorical inferences.
Click the link at the end of this paragraph and go to the home page of the Tulsa World On-Line (it’s OK, I’m asking you to, so don’t feel guilty). Once there, look to the upper right corner and take note of the “Free for Everyone Sections.” Scan the list of “free” pages and information and take note link sandwiched between “public officials” and “site map.” Click here.
As you noticed, the free link is for “Real Estate.”
Now click on the link (if you have high speed internet and can read Adobe Acrobat files without locking your computer up for days) at the end of this paragraph and notice something. What you will be seeing is a .pdf version of the Tulsa Sunday World for January 6, 2005. Once there, scroll up and down the listing of pages in the far right window. What you will see is a lot of links that say things like “A3-19: Local” and “C2: Classified.” Click here.
Now, for those of you that either still take the Sunday paper, or merely cancelled it recently enough that you still have some recollection of the various sections of the Sunday World, scroll that list and look for the Real Estate section. You remember that section. It’s full color, with lots of informative stories about new housing developments, black and white photos of homes for sale, and photos of realtors that were taken in the late 1980s.
Didn’t find that section listed, did you? Go back one more time and look to see where the Target circular is. How about the Home Depot ad? Not finding those, either? Can you guess why?
It’s because they are paid advertising inserts. So why is the Real Estate “Section” not listed in the PDF version of the Sunday World? Because it is a paid advertising insert. That’s right, the Metro Home Builders Association and the Greater Tulsa Area Realtors and their members pay to have that glitzy section put in your Sunday paper every week.
Now go to your Tulsa phone book or any of the online phone directories and look up the addresses for the Metro Home Builders Association and the Greater Tulsa Area Realtors. Or if you’ll trust me, let me supply them to you with a Mapquest map of where they are.
GTAR Address: 11505 East 43rd Street, Tulsa, OK, 74146
GTAR Location in Tulsa, OK
Metro Home Builders Assoc. Address: 11545 East 43rd Street
Metro Home Builders Assoc. Location in Tulsa, OK
Notice a similarity? That’s right you discerning reader, you…they’re next door neighbors. In fact, their big ol’ home-like offices sit out in an office park in East Tulsa that is virtually empty, save for these two buildings.
So now we learn that two of the groups (not individuals…mind you…but groups) behind the recall are GTAR and the Home Builders. But reality tells us that they are barely even different groups. They advertise together, they are next door neighbors and they share many of the same members.
We have also heard, but not seen that the letter that went out to GTAR members on January 7, asks its members to make sure they stay up with the facts concerning the recall by “reading the Tulsa World,” daily.
Finally, we have heard that the GTAR Board of Directors voted to support the recall effort back in September. Click here to see the Janet Pearson editorial from August 8, 2004 entitled “Recalling better times.” Click here to read Ken Neal’s screed from August 15, 2004 (just a week later). Both were part of a full court press by the World’s editorial staff to sell recall to the voters.
How convenient. Let’s sum it up. What do we know?
- We have a newspaper with a dwindling circulation.
- We have an editorial staff that isn’t in tune with much, if not most, of its readership.
- We know that World publisher, Robert Lorton, was the Chairman of the Board of F&M Bank during the period of time when the contentious 71st & Harvard issue was before the council.
- We know that Councilor Mautino and I supported the City Council’s investigation into the airport and Great Plains Airlines. The process to begin the investigation began in early August, 2004.
- We know that World Publishing Co., the parent of the Tulsa World was embarrassed and angry when in November, the preliminary report of the investigation showed World Publishing to be the principal owner of Great Plains at the time the company was soliciting over $30 million in Oklahoma tax credits and city support
- We know the editorial staff of the Tulsa World endorsed current councilors Baker, Christiansen, Neal and Sullivan in their 2004 elections.
- We know the editorial of the Tulsa World endorsed the opponents of councilors Henderson, Mautino, Roop and Turner, as well as my opponent, Darla Hall.
- As such, we know the World editorial staff would like to see their four in a majority and the “Gang of Five” out of control.
- We know that the Greater Tulsa Area Realtors and the Metro Home Builders are two of the Tulsa World’s largest remaining advertisers.
So, what can we fairly infer?
- We can infer that two groups with a very substantial shared business relationship coordinated the Worlds’ editorial blitz in August. Did the World offer to help its big advertisers? Did the big advertisers threaten to pull their ads if the World didn’t play? Will we ever know for sure?
- We can infer that the “fluke” that occurred that allowed Councilor Roscoe Turner to overturn a questionable primary election in which he appeared to lose by three votes, even though Republicans were allowed to vote in a Democrat primary, tipped the balance of power in this city. As such, these three powerful allies are now working together replay an election that didn’t go their way.
Are these three a “mutual admiration society,” or merely another “unholy alliance” trying to prove that they have Tulsa’s best interests at heart, when what really matters to them is their own pocketbooks?
I guess the voters of Districts 2 and 6 will get to decide.
6 comments:
Chris:
You're absolutely RED HOT with your latest BLOG entry.
Keep up the good work of connecting the dots of the Controlling Overlords of Tulsa and their nefarious connected cronies.
The Lorton's World, GTAR, and the Metro Homebuilders are definitely an inside-asshold mutual admiration society.
Throw in the Metro Chamber of Commerce for good measure, sucking two million tax dollars a year from city coffers for "economic development". What EXACTLY have they really developed lately?
While the Metro Chamber probably takes credit for ANY business that relocates or expands in the Tulsa area, who have they REALLY be able to entice to come to a Tulsa.
If you become dishearted at this bombast directed at you and Mr. Mautino from a greedy, grasping old man named Poe, take heart that you have many, many friends and allies.
Believe me, it will be Poe who will GO; not Mautino and Medlock!
You should be warmed by and welcome the moral authority exuded by the local League of Women Voters and the NAACP over the bought-and-paid for shills at the Metro Chamber of Comics any day.
Unless your fellow Republican, Mayor LaFortune, is giving you secret back-channel support that we can't see, I think you are being WAY too easy on his
oh-so Tepid opposition to your Recall.
Remember, it was your and other councilors questioning of the Re-Appointments of fellow Land Attorneys Cameron and Reynolds that was at the center of the feud. The Mayor had a temper tantrum reminiscent of Silly Susan Savage's tirades when she didn't get her way.
No, the Mayor talks a game about Reform. While he Talks-the-Talk, he doesn't Walk-the-Walk. You could see it from the first era when he took office.
He allowed more city taxpayer money to be funnelled to Great Plains Airlines.
He allowed major disasters like the City Attorney Martha Rupp-Carter, a Savage Hold-Over, to stay on in office almost 2 years, even though she tried to torpedo him on the Lorton's World FOIA request about his and Inhofe's role in calling for the Airline Investigation, producing his embarrassing emails on a ONE DAY turnaround.
Don't you find it curious that she found a soft landing at the Tulsa County Health Dept.? That's the Good Old Boy Network really helping out its friends. What in hell does the County Health Dept. NEED a staff attorney for, as its RUN by another stinkin' attorney Gary Cocks.
No, Mayor Bill isn't your friend in this.
Don't be gulled by his flying a false flag.
He's not about Reform at all.
Does anyone remember the Mayor's pathetic "rally" last year, organized by none other than ORU's Richard Roberts? It was styled as an impromptu "GOP show of support" as a Counter Rally to the Reform Alliance Rally staged the same week.
However, LaFortune's Rally lacked the benefit of ANY GOP Leaders standing up to speak in support of Hizzoner the Mayor LaFortunate.
That event, of all his misfires, really hit home as to what a weak weasel of a leader we had in this Mayor, who calls himself a "Republican".
And, a Tax-and-Spend Republican,at that.
When you are being attack by a ghost of the past it is hard to put the ghost on the defensive where you can be on the offensive. When you kick the brush pile the rabbits run in all directions. The voters can realized the boards interact with each other liken a change of the superman suit. It would seem the perks they receive would over set any time they lose.
The City of Faith was laying its foundations for the hospital while the good-ole-boys down town were saying we don’t need any more hospitals in Tulsa. They refused to give them a permit. After it was build they did everything to destroy it. I am alarmed that ORU’s president would get involved when he has a closet door that needs to be kept shut.
Tulsa’s mayors have always stood on top of the fence, looking for who they want to be associated with in deceiving the voting public as dictated by the good-ole-boys.
All contract let by the good-ole-boys are to out-of-town firms. If it were local firms there would be room for a crusader, as you councilors, to gather information from locals through the Freedom of Information Act.
The interest on the revenue bond that will be issued for the 2025 will add many millions of dollars to the total cost. Who will under write them?
This is all a well laid plan of men and mice and you fellows want to take the keys to the city treasure away from them..
Good Luck but keep looking behind you.
You know, this is like a "CAN OF WORMS" that is being openned up.....it just keeps getting more involved and dirtier!! And whose hands have dirt on them??? UMMM, we obviously know some of those folks and of course, they have been operating "UNDERGROUND", hoping the light of day would not expose them. It is a PURE SHAME that it involves some of our leaders of the Tulsa area.
Integrity, fairness, unselfishness and accountability are among the values they don't seem to have within their lives. Obviously, they don't have the City of Tulsa's best interest in mind!
We also know that there are MANY GOOD FOLKS IN TULSA!
This includes some select leaders, such as, Councilors Medlock and Mautino. The majority of the citizens and professionals within Tulsa are SUPPORTING THESE COUNCILORS AND OUR TULSA AREA, WANTING THE VERY BEST FOR BOTH!
Throughout life, we all have heard, "What goes around, comes around!"......and the golden rule, "Treat others as you would want them to treat you". The light is being shown on these "undergound manipulators" and it is well overdue!!
Hang in there, Councilor Medlock!!
WE APPRECIATE YOU & Councilor Mautino!
signed: Concerned Citizens of the Tulsa area
I've seen several references lately on local Internet sites, such as www.batesline.com, to a publication called the Tulsa Tribunal?
What exactly is this publication?
Sounds vaguely like the Tulsa Tribune, which folded back in 1992........
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