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OKPapaTom

@okpapatom.bsky.social
885 followers 285 following 2.1K posts

🔵 Compassionate Curmudgeon living under Blue Skies, standing on Red Dirt. Grandpa and Papa to nine Grandkids, spouse to one for many years. Retired from work, not retired from life, just living on Tulsa Time. I might be a practicing introvert?

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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
#Oklahoma State Question 845 proposes to take party balancing out of judicial nominating process tulsaworld.com/news/state-r...
tulsaworld.com
State Question 845 proposes to take party balancing out of judicial nominating process
It would also eliminate a prohibition on attorneys and immediate family members of attorneys from being selected to fill at-large vacancies.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Hey, #Tulsa County Voters, The Tulsa County Election Board has added early in-person voting sites for Nov. 3 tulsaworld.com/news/local/g...
tulsaworld.com
Election Board adds early in-person voting sites for Nov. 3
This is the first time the Tulsa County Election Board has offered residents four early in-person locations to cast their ballots.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Closed primaries are a curse on our democracy tulsaworld.com/article_93a5...
tulsaworld.com
Closed primaries are a curse on our democracy
I didn't leave my political party. My party left me. Both of them. I've been a Democrat, and I've been a Republican. What I am now doesn't matter. The point
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
As JFK said, it is not what you country can do for you, but what you you can do for your country. Now our country needs us to vote. You have heard the phrase, how do you eat an elephant - one bite at a time. Well, we can eat the GOP elephant with each vote we cast for a Democrat
tulsaworld.com
Democrats want better than paycheck to paycheck
The GOP seems to be coming up short on ways to improve American lives. Under this administration, a new forever war in the Middle East was started, as well as
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
#oklahoma
tulsaworld.com
How to reengage American voters who don't care
Many Oklahomans were surprised to learn Gentner Drummond had lost the gubernatorial nomination. How did Mazzei win? White House pressure and widespread voter apathy played key roles.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Well said. While we may be different in many ways, we are all on the path to a better world when we accept the differences in our society fairly
tulsaworld.com
Libbie Peters: It's time to extend to all the freedoms that Christians enjoy
Why can my Christian tradition break ground on a temple in the Tulsa area this week while the Islamic Society of Tulsa cannot get approval to build a mosque in Broken Arrow, asks Libbe Peters.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Wonder what we could have if the Oklahoma Republican Legislature focued on what we need to live healthy, safe lives versus telling us how to live our lives
infrastructurereportcard.org
Oklahoma Infrastructure Report Card | ASCE
See the Oklahoma Infrastructure Report Card, and learn how upgrades in roads, bridges, and utilities could positively impact residents and businesses.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Did trump make a deal to let China have Taiwan?
apnews.com
US pulls last aircraft carrier in Asia as Trump focuses on Iran and the Western Hemisphere
President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is stretching the limits of the nation’s aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
In #Oklahoma, 15 years of GOP control has devastated our kids and grandkids future. A lack of appropriate funding for professionally trained teachers and staffs working in buildings that provide a comfortable learning environment to ensure our future has the skills to compete in our economies.
tulsaworld.com
Oklahoma State Testing Program results show familiar struggles in reading, math
Figures released this week by the Oklahoma State Department of Education indicate spring 2026 scores remained largely flat compared to a year ago. #oklaed
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The "October Surprise" this year has some seriously dark possibilities
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Reader urges no votes on SQ 844, SQ 846 tulsaworld.com/article_5aa8...
tulsaworld.com
Reader urges no votes on SQ 844, SQ 846
The Republican Party took total control of Oklahoma's government in 2011. In the 15 years since, they have driven Oklahoma to the bottom of most rankings compared with other states.
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Those of you who've shown up 3 times this year: we applaud you. We can't wait to celebrate you at the next one. 🎉 To those who haven't voted yet in 2026: This your official invitation. 8/25 belongs to EVERY registered voter in Oklahoma. Learn More and take the voter pledge: www.thanksforvotingok.com
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Boomer time Again?
okpapatom.substack.com
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
29 days until Oklahoma votes again. August 25. Put it on your calendar. 🗳️ #ThanksForVotingOK
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
It boggles my mind trying to figure out what the Republicans think they're going to end up with, when they get through dismantling the America they grew up in.
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Clareraynor 🐸 @clareraynor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Thankyou 💙
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
What could possibly go wrong?
tulsaworld.com
Rule change could benefit Trump Jr.
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. helped take an online retailer known as the "Amazon of guns" public last year. Now, GrabAGun, where the U.S. president's son is a shareholder and
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
While the evening of July 4th is loud and chaotic, the morning after is one of true peace and quiet
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
On the wait list to be called for a table in the dining room
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Gotta vote to get our America back substack.com/@okpapatom/n...
substack.com
Tom Dial (@okpapatom)
It is 3:00AM and I am lying awake, frustrated with the recent election results in Oklahoma. You may have heard the phrase “we are not a red state so much as we are a do not vote state” - well we just...
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
substack.com/profile/3028...
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
If anyone deserves a third term it is this guy.
tulsaworld.com
Obama Presidential Center, designed as hub of civic life, to open in Chicago
Throngs of guests converged on a lakefront park in Chicago on Thursday to dedicate the Obama Presidential Center, a sprawling campus honoring the 44th president of the United States.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
The death grip the GOP has on Oklahoma's government is going to be the death of Oklahoma Looks like we will be the number one in state rankings as we work toward being the first state to be last in all economic, educational, environmental and personal freedom issues
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
I want my America Back. The one that has staggered and stumbled on its way to a more perfect union. The one where Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness meant each of us were free, even encouraged, to be the best person we could be.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
My happy place, In a world full of hate and harm. Now, time to get up and get back in the fight!
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Grocery prices about to go higher. Time to adjust your family budget. tulsaworld.com/article_ecc4...
tulsaworld.com
Grocery prices about to go higher
As Americans confront a surge in prices at the pump, another inflation wave is headed for the grocery store.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Trump may have endorsed Mazzei, but he did not write this.
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Skipping the primary is like letting your mom swipe on your dating app. Now you’re on a date with a guy who brought coupons to a coffee shop. That’s kind of how primaries work. The people who show up early help decide who everybody else gets to choose from later. #OKVotes #thanksforvotingok
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
People who make a written plan to vote are significantly more likely to actually vote. Not because they care more — because their brain treats it like a real appointment. (If you haven’t registered yet, Oklahoma — that deadline is tomorrow. May 22.) open.substack.com/pub/thanksfo...
open.substack.com
How to Make a Voting Plan — and Why It Works
People who make a plan to vote are much more likely to actually do it. Here's how to build yours in five minutes.
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
34 Days to the Oklahoma Primary! Only 9 days left to register or update your voter registration before the May 22 deadline. Check it today, because “I meant to” is not a voting plan. thanksforvotingok.com #OKVotes #Oklahoma #thanksforvotingok
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Some Oklahoma precincts had fewer than 100 votes in the last primary. Not 100 people per candidate. 100 total votes. In those races, a single carpool could shift the outcome. #thanksforvotingok
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
#Oklahoma is last in many categories for one reason. A Legislature that cannot legislate in the best interest of all Oklahomans. And The Freedom Caucus is the most hateful group of haters of personal, freedoms anywhere in Oklahoma Bullying and "my-way-or-the -highway" attitudes run rampant in OKC.
tulsaworld.com
Voting in state Senate shuts down as Republican infighting boils
Scores of bills still alive in the House that would have to gain passage through the Senate to have a chance at becoming law are left in limbo.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The GOP has denied global warming so much that Mother Nature has bought into this idea. Tulsa was 85 degrees on Monday afternoon and it is now 55 degrees (be 48 by morning) in my garden at 7:00 PM on Tuesday #garden
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
The titanic U.S. Economy is sinking, not quickly like the Titanic, but more like the USS O'Brien. But, that doesn't mean Trump is still not moving the economic deck chairs around
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
On this day in 1945 - a bad person went to his bunker and did the world a favor
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
48 Days to the Oklahoma Primary! Midweek and moving. Need dates, deadlines, or voting basics? ThanksForVotingOK.com #thanksforvotingok #Oklahoma #Vote #Elections
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
49 Days to the Oklahoma Primary! That’s 7 weeks, if anyone’s counting. #thanksforvotingok #Oklahoma #Vote #Elections
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ThanksForVotingOK @thanksforvotingok.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Did you make a mistake on your ballot? Don't worry! Before you scan it, ask as poll worker for a new one! They're there to help! #thanksforvotingok
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MJ @bstnboy.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Food for thought: In '24, 245M Americans were eligible to vote. just 73.6 % of those (174M) registered to vote. just 154M of them actually voted. US voter turnout ranked in bottom 1/3 of all democracies. This is how democracy dies. Too many people have taken too much for granted for too long
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
It has been said that if you don't vote you might get a government that doesn't care for you. Perhaps a different way to think of this is that if you don't vote, you get the government you don't care for.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Perhaps the GOP should take their handles off the shovel, and quit digging deeper into that moral abyss this that they find themselves in these days
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
I just read that VANITY FAIR was the first to report that Trump will put his name on paper money. Seems appropriate that the most vainglorious person gets called on for his vanity by Vanity Fair. Albeit nothing Trump does is Fair.
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Trump is making America grate, on everyone's nerves
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
I signed up for paperless billing and updates from my mail-order pharmacy, and yet I get multiple "advertisements in the mail each month. Maybe someone does not understand the concept of "paperless"
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Read this: On this day in 1854, the Republican Party of the United States was founded by opponents of slavery at a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin. And then consider how far the Republicans have fallen, and they cannot (or will not) get back to their roots
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OKPapaTom @okpapatom.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"Green Country Democrats - Candidate Prep” - If you are in the northeast part of #Oklahoma, join us! Be a surfer on the blue wave #Tulsa
mobilize.us
Green Country Democrats - Candidate Prep · Mobilize
Green Country Dems __ are hosting a Candidate Acadamy for new or potential candidates. This day will provide high level insight on what it takes to win an election and what supports you have to do tha...
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