Taken from this story.

They’re going to make them filthy rich.

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The T.S.A. said that Mr. Paul had been screened by a version of its millimeter-wave body imaging device that uses a generic image of a passenger and, if it detects any anomaly, puts a yellow box on the body area that requires greater scrutiny. An alarm was triggered when he was in the machine, which – under administration procedures – required a “targeted pat-down” to see what caused it. But Mr. Paul refused to submit to the pat-down, the agency said.

Last time I flew, on Christmas Day, nearly everyone who went through the body scanners in Tulsa had to get additional screening, including me. I don’t know why everyone else was stopped, but the buttons on my jeans did me in. After the screener was done frisking me, I wished him a Merry Christmas and thanked him for protecting us from jean buttons. He didn’t like that very much.

ProPublica with more on the numerous false positives from the machines.

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There are three types of the genus vagrant: the hobo, the tramp, and the bum. The hobo works and wanders, the tramp dreams and wanders and the bum drinks and wanders.

-Ben Reitman in Hoboes: Bindlestiffs, Fruit Tramps, and the Harvesting of the West by Mark Wyman.

“It’s a complicated issue of jurisdiction over a Muscogee Creek allotment and procedures to obtain gaming on that allotment while maintaining a good working relationship with our Oklahoma neighbors,” Tiger said.

Video of the whole statement:

Essentially Tiger is opposed to the casino currently because the Kialegees have not applied for or been granted the authority to open a casino on the property under Creek Nation laws. However, he doesn’t have an opinion for or against the casino should it comply with all the regulations.

The Tulsa World story includes this humorous bit on Tiger’s meeting with John Sullivan:

U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., has been publicly opposed to the casino project. Tiger said that a conversation with Sullivan on the topic was like “Indian 101″.

Tiger indicated he did not mean to sound “insulting” but said he talked through several tribal issues with Sullivan, who left the conversation more educated.

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In the long-term, Sullivan said, he is considering drafting legislation. “We want to make sure we don’t allow casinos to be built next to neighborhoods, churches and schools,” he said. “We have to fight, fight, fight – get everyone involved – because if we don’t, it will set a precedent” for expanded gaming.

“There’s allotted land all over our community,” he said. “It’s going to open a Pandora’s box all across our great community, all across our great state.”

Doesn’t this attack on the casino ignore basic principles of supply and demand? The Tulsa market already has three major casinos in the immediate area and others within reasonable driving distance, so what benefit would tribes have to opening more casinos in the Tulsa area? If it’s the Creeks, Osages, or Cherokees, any new casinos would only draw people away from the casinos they already operate, and any new tribe that wants to get into the business will have a hard time entering a full market.

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Nevertheless Lakin continues to peddle fear about the site while denying it’s fear mongering:

When asked if the rumors circulating earlier this week about a casino being built here was fear mongering, Lakin said, “I don’t know if you can call it fear mongering because what we have in Broken Arrow is something that is actually happening.”

Like the fight in Broken Arrow, Lakin doesn’t think this is the last we’ll hear about possible casino development plans on that eight acre plot of land.

“Oh. I don’t think it’s over.”

The land is now zoned residential and could go to the highest bidder according to Lakin.

“It’s almost casino shopping where a landowner is going out and trying to get a different tribe, a smaller tribe, to put something on a piece of property that’s not even zoned commercial.”

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Last week, Lakin said he was receiving calls from constituents about a property in South Tulsa that currently hosts an Indian smoke shop. At that time Lakin argued that

“It’s just scary to think that the zoning laws we have in place, and the way the public has set out their neighborhoods, that what they think they’re building their homes and businesses next to is not necessarily what it’s going to be.”

The Tulsa World called the smoke shop and the clerk said there were no plans for a casino on the property. Yesterday, Lakin stepped up his statements, arguing that there were “solid rumors” circulating around South Tulsa about the property, while at the same time admitting he hasn’t talked to the property owners. Later that day Lakin told KOTV’s Emory Bryan that the rumors were coming from a variety of sources–a land owner, an attorney associated with an unnamed LLC, and another unnamed source. The story, which is one of the most hideous pieces of “reporting” I’ve seen in a while, includes a comment by an area resident that she “can’t believe they would allow a casino to be built around an elementary school because when you have a casino you have everything that goes with it like the drinking and the crime.”

The rumors hold about as much credibility as the rumors that other groundwork in Broken Arrow was for a casino. That groundwork turned out to be for a new fire station. It’s sad to see the rumors flying around Tulsa, but it’s even worse that a city councilor is willing to peddle unfounded and stupid rumors.

…Malloy added, Connecticut is not close to landing an NHL franchise. “I don’t lie awake at night wondering how that’s going to happen,” Malloy said. “Because, it’s not going to happen in the short run.”

I attended a game over Christmas break and the crowd was a decent size, but the team is averaging less than 4,500 fans a game. Hartford needs a new arena, but the NHL isn’t going to be part of it.

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Woodward attributed the low number of meth labs found there to a steady supply of methamphetamine from Mexico and elsewhere into Oklahoma City. The meth manufacturers in Tulsa know the process for one-pot labs, making the cheap drug even cheaper for them, he said.

Without combatting the underlying reasons for why people use meth, who thinks drug gangs will simply replace the shake-and-bakers populating Tulsa at the moment?

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