So, what’s the difference between the GOP and the NRA?
Well, the former started out to be an advocate and lobby to protect your rights and interests but devolved into a corrupt union full of internal power grabbers, acting only their own interests to enrich and perpetuate themselves while using and abusing their constituency as nothing but a bankroll…
While the NRA is…hey, wait a minute.
The answer is none. Both are just shake-down rackets.
August 27, 2019 at 1:18 am
interventor
I waiting to see the results of an ongoing audit.
August 27, 2019 at 6:34 am
eon
There’s a reason I stopped being a member after Charlton Heston passed on. I’ve never been particularly interested in funding Wayne LaPierre’s gotrocks fantasies.
clear ether
eon
August 27, 2019 at 8:46 am
Norm
Right. And the NRA runs over 11,000 competitions every year, including the rifle and pistol nationals for the past 110 years. They have over 30,000 licensed instructors teaching more courses to more students than any other organization except the FBI. They have one of the best firearms museums in the world.
I could go on. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.
The recent kerfluffel is a couple of disgruntled directors out of 75. They were making money on the side through NRA vendors and LaPierre stopped that. The audit was at his request and he was re-elected unanimously at the annual meeting.
With more than forty years as a 2A supporter, gun seller, trainer and competitor few have done more to encourage and promote the NRA for its advocacy and yes, lobbying to educate, promote and most importantly defend those rights than I.
But I’m not a blind follower. Like virtually all unions (of course that’s what it is) with high-minded goals of protecting and advocating for its members, those honorable pursuits can be and absolutely are subject to the same inherent weakness as political parties; the simple and (heretofore) irrefutable fact that money/power corrupts, and absolute money/power corrupts absolutely.
As so succinctly stated in Chris’ title of today’s ‘toon that has happened to the political parties…they are the “same”. And that is what is happening to the NRA. Can it save itself by getting back to its roots and original mission and mandate? I truly hope so. Absolutely there is much good and pure in the membership of gun rights advocacy and for that matter in the conservative electorate.
But the administrations of the NRA and the GOP are not the same thing as their memberships, and as intervenor so rightly says, as to whether they can be saved and refocused, much depends on those audits (wouldn’t it be great if full audits could be conducted of the politicians and parties too?), both internal and external…if those audits themselves can be kept free of corruption…and what are the chances of that?
FYI, its against the law for those, not Americans, to donate to US election funds. Yes, I know about Perez and his south of the border begging in Mexico for the DNC.
She doesn’t know if she wants something from the food refrigerator or the booze refrigerator, but she definitely knows she wants something. So she’s doing better than most of the others. Well except for Beto, who absolutely knows he wants his own JFK-pose presidential portrait.
The Pubs are greedy and stupid.
The Dems are greedy and evil.
Both cannot be trusted.
Both cannot balance a budget.
Both create more problems than they solve.
All members of Congress need to be fired and their pensions lost.
They have set the stage for the self destruction of this government.
You have one pi$$ed off bunch of citizens who have had it with Congress.
Tulsi has a better record than ………..
and no PAC or corporate money taken, i hear.
President Trump is still the only person to put a Constitutional Justice into the next US Supreme Court position.
The response to that by some is “But they will end abortion.” To which I respond, “That is not my concern.” “My concern is someone who will back the US Constitution as written and intended, specifically concerning the 14th Amendment.”
Time to make Mexico and other nations great again and give them back their citizens. I believe that may include DNC Chairman Perez. “subject to the jurisdiction” and all of that. Whose your sovereign, baby? Go there.
Gratuitous citizenship is not legal or constitutional. They should have settled that rationally and with common sense deliberations and agreements quite a while ago. But No! So after the pain of those legally here, citizens and legal residents, have suffered greatly with many dead and many people’s lives destroyed, damaged, or disrupted, those the fruit of illegally being present here may just have to suffer. If it is a result of applying the law to those benefiting from lawbreaking, so those who came before determined their fate. Considering what this nation is being subjected to by so many, that situation is now not our problem.
I actually downloaded and read that treaty a while back. I have a liberal friend who is adamant that it means something different than as written. It does declare a border and a treaty in there. I have to read it again for meaning again soon.
And I think Mexico getting back its citizens sent North to invade the USA would improve Mexico. That includes the dividends of the bonus babies that are Mexican citizens also.
August 27, 2019 at 2:08 am
NotYetInACamp
Is not the wife of Don Portago a US citizen? She could receive the money legally from her husband’s assets and likely do as she wishes with it according to Federal Election law, which I do not know the details of. A gift to her daughter. Skye needs to hire better staff than AOC, who likely ran afoul of the rules. There are ways of legally doing things that many just ignore. Would an unrestricted regular gift to Skye as done in the past, be OK, if structured correctly. She’s blown personal gifts given to her on political foolishness in the past. A self funded campaign, if that could be structured correctly. She could even possibly legally send funds to some real people in primaries that are not part of the swamp (yet?). She could start a movement. (Hearing 60’s movement music start playing in the background.) A revolution comes around again and is needed regularly, our forefathers have said.
If Mom give the money to Skye-her daughter– then what Skye does with it is her own damn business. If she wants to run for President, buy shares in Disney (why, I would have no idea) or just sit out back and burn it on the BBQ, it’s her money.
Mom can call it a late birthday present, or whatever she damned well pleases.
As much as progressives hate the word “family”, except as applied to drug cartels, the Mafia, and Manson’s followers, they haven’t managed to enshrine their hatred in the law to that degree.
I think there is a limit, 13k, that a family member can be given without that member incurring a tax liability. Of course the giver still has/had to pay the income taxes. Good ole gubmint always there with a hand out.
August 27, 2019 at 11:05 am
Sam
Paul –
Not quite. It’s $15k per giver, per recipient, that can be given every year without the giver being required to file a gift tax return. There is no tax to the recipients of gifts. Once the giver reaches a certain point in total gifts (a constantly moving target) then the giver starts to pay gift taxes. The gift tax is tied in with the estate tax, so the same limit applies to estate taxes as to gift taxes, and exclusions used on gift tax returns count toward the overall estate tax exclusion as well.
August 27, 2019 at 3:18 pm
Brent Dotson
There is a gift tax, but in almost all instances it is the giver that pays that tax not the recipient. The gift tax does not kick in until after a specific amount, which goes up every year. Current amount is about $14,000. However, you can file paperwork and get up to 5 million dollars lifetime exclusion before paying taxes on this. The recipient does NOT pay taxes on this money.
August 27, 2019 at 3:15 am
Pamela
The fastest way to scare an elected official is mention the word “AUDIT”.
I think the Auditors from D.C. need to use Californication as a test case by auditing any of the Federal Funds that were given for various purposes over the years. See what was spent, if the project was completed or even started. Find out how much was diverted for other uses. See how many will run, hide, jump and blame.
Then take it on a ROAD TRIP!
When they’re done with Cali maybe they can audit the money trail of the Clinton Foundation…NYIAC can speak with some experience to that. But I don’t think he or any auditor without a death wish would sign up for that gig.
There’s a long history of idealistic, seemingly sincere Republicans becoming almost immediately corrupted ( = Left-enablers) the minute they enter DC corridors of power. The usual explanation is the $$$ of “lobbyists” or the lure of “special interests”, but… I wonder if the threat – do not expose or oppose us or else – isn’t coming from a far more, shall we say, criminal source…?
Damb NRA spends more on sending me junk mail soliciting additiinak donations than my annual dues. A couple times a year ok. But, every freaking week? And wanting me to renew my dues when im paid ahead? Wtf? It doesnt seem to be about gun rights any more, but money collecting which i guess makes “someone’ sonewhere feel/appear powerful. Its become very annoying but an organized effort to combat gun grabbers must stay in place. So where’s the alternatives?
I pay the yearly dues. Then I send them and Repparty, Demparty and any others; strongly worded letters telling them how bad they are and fix it before they get money. Keep it short because they probably don’t read anything but a check.
Most are pre-paid envelopes. sometimes I will waste a stamp to send their “collection” envelope back.
Makes me feel better.
For the easily amused!!!
IF you get a SASE, NEVER let it go to waste. Always send it back to them, it is a Postage due!!!!!
I used to send AARP junk mail to the NRA in their Sase, and send NRA junk mail to AARP in theirs, I generally included a few paper clips to add weight. I rarely get anything from either nowadays but if I do, there is no SASE!!!!!!!!!!!!…….:>(
August 27, 2019 at 10:37 am
kadaka
“spends more on sending me junk mail”
So does the one children’s charity, they triple-mail me using my parents’ names also. Many organizations, for efficiency and legal liability reasons, use professional solicitors, which aren’t always as sensible as one would hope.
Call the NRA, tell them to stop. Also note there’s a separate NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) that does lobbying and I saw running campaign ads in 2016, and the NRA-PVF (Political Victory Fund) that’s the PAC supporting candidates with cash. NRA-ILA takes donations separately from the main NRA, so donate right to them to focus your money on your goals.
I am glad to hear that i am not the only one who is starting to dread the constant pleas from the NRA. There seems to be less and less concentrating on 2A rights and more and more bloviating. No, I do not want your knife, or any other gifts. Just represent our 2A rights to congressmen, it’s what you are there for.
JJC
Given the web sites I visit and the fact that I do, occasionally send $25 (my personal maximum) to a candidate who attracts my attention (see e.g. Tom Cotton), I find myself targeted by GOP professional beggars regularly. My response is exactly what Don Portago’s was. I could NEVER send one thin dime to an organization that would have the likes of Susan Tomcollins, John Kaseless, or John McMaverick as a member.
I get calls and blast e-mails from the professional beggars ever freaking day, even more than getting offers to buy extended warranties for vehicles I don’t own. I tell them that i will use my donation money to do my own 4 dimensional intransigent political actions on my own dime. (Made bumper stickers that said in blue and white “Cankles and Kaine, More of the Same” for the 2016 election.) Sent to friends around the country for their amusement and use.
My latest one is “Mr. Kotter, who killed Epstein?” I find that it’s easier and much more pleasing to actually do something with your 1st amendment rights than to write a check to the RNC. Remember these cheese eating surrender monkeys had the WH, the Senate and the House and couldn’t repeal Obama care. Ryan should have been shot for not getting a repeal bill passed in the House.
So not one thin dime.
Spin Drift
Living in a subterranean spatial plane where the girls are pretty and the drinks are free.
To Spin Drift: What was the worst thing about their failure to repeal obamacare was that the fool thing doesn’t even apply to them! Being led by the nose must be a terribly emasculating thing for these slaves of Lobbyists and Big biz.
JJC
Spin Drift, I’m pretty sure you could have sold out on those bumper stickers if you told us all about them. Please keep posting when you come up with new ones. This is a great forum. I would have proudly posted the Cankle bumper sticker and I never put bumper stickers on my car. Now I know this is not a site to sell stuff on, but I would not have considered that selling, more like passing on great thoughts.
The Ol’country girl was a firm believer in every charitable mail solicitation you can think of. She particularly liked the veteran ones and the indian kids. Since the veterans organizations have been severely abused by the professionals, our local groups have a unified nation point. She was registered Dim until after the 9/11. She, like me went to Ind. OCG joined the Silent Choir Immemorial early this year and the gimme folks really start4d abusing the mails. I sent every envelope back unopened with “deceased” marked with a BLUNT sharpie. Worked Great. Very few solicitations since then. Of course, the robocalls have made my two phones unusable.
As an aside, I went over to vote at a local church, and her name on the rolls was right next to mine. I told the clerk there that she was in hospice and delete her name form the rolls. They profusely thanked me, and clerks from both parties expressed sympathy and condolences. They thought it was nice of me to tell them at that time. In general, the folks in Oklahoma take our voting seriously.
52 Comments
True enough, considering.
Amen….”Truth in humor”…..gotta’ love it…
Meh. Some have gotten better about it, now that they’re realizing that is really what most of the country is…
“Conservative causes”
One wonders exactly what they mean by that.
‘Cause we need your cash to keep our cushy jobs?
Yep, pretty much just like all the other clowns.
Right now, I’m more concerned about the NRA. Still contributing, but want to see audit results.
So, what’s the difference between the GOP and the NRA?
Well, the former started out to be an advocate and lobby to protect your rights and interests but devolved into a corrupt union full of internal power grabbers, acting only their own interests to enrich and perpetuate themselves while using and abusing their constituency as nothing but a bankroll…
While the NRA is…hey, wait a minute.
The answer is none. Both are just shake-down rackets.
I waiting to see the results of an ongoing audit.
There’s a reason I stopped being a member after Charlton Heston passed on. I’ve never been particularly interested in funding Wayne LaPierre’s gotrocks fantasies.
clear ether
eon
Right. And the NRA runs over 11,000 competitions every year, including the rifle and pistol nationals for the past 110 years. They have over 30,000 licensed instructors teaching more courses to more students than any other organization except the FBI. They have one of the best firearms museums in the world.
I could go on. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.
The recent kerfluffel is a couple of disgruntled directors out of 75. They were making money on the side through NRA vendors and LaPierre stopped that. The audit was at his request and he was re-elected unanimously at the annual meeting.
There’s a lot more to the NRA than lobbying.
With more than forty years as a 2A supporter, gun seller, trainer and competitor few have done more to encourage and promote the NRA for its advocacy and yes, lobbying to educate, promote and most importantly defend those rights than I.
But I’m not a blind follower. Like virtually all unions (of course that’s what it is) with high-minded goals of protecting and advocating for its members, those honorable pursuits can be and absolutely are subject to the same inherent weakness as political parties; the simple and (heretofore) irrefutable fact that money/power corrupts, and absolute money/power corrupts absolutely.
As so succinctly stated in Chris’ title of today’s ‘toon that has happened to the political parties…they are the “same”. And that is what is happening to the NRA. Can it save itself by getting back to its roots and original mission and mandate? I truly hope so. Absolutely there is much good and pure in the membership of gun rights advocacy and for that matter in the conservative electorate.
But the administrations of the NRA and the GOP are not the same thing as their memberships, and as intervenor so rightly says, as to whether they can be saved and refocused, much depends on those audits (wouldn’t it be great if full audits could be conducted of the politicians and parties too?), both internal and external…if those audits themselves can be kept free of corruption…and what are the chances of that?
We’ve gotta protect our phoney-baloney jobs, Gentlemen! HARRUMPH!
Zar Belk!
Give the Governor a Harrumph!
These things are broken!
FYI, its against the law for those, not Americans, to donate to US election funds. Yes, I know about Perez and his south of the border begging in Mexico for the DNC.
Perez was begging for money from the ex-pats. You know, those people that don’t want to live here but want to direct our politics.
I have told the useless GOP much the same thing, in words I can’t say here.
She doesn’t know if she wants something from the food refrigerator or the booze refrigerator, but she definitely knows she wants something. So she’s doing better than most of the others. Well except for Beto, who absolutely knows he wants his own JFK-pose presidential portrait.
The Pubs are greedy and stupid.
The Dems are greedy and evil.
Both cannot be trusted.
Both cannot balance a budget.
Both create more problems than they solve.
All members of Congress need to be fired and their pensions lost.
They have set the stage for the self destruction of this government.
You have one pi$$ed off bunch of citizens who have had it with Congress.
It seems like most politicians of late aren’t worth the air they consume… not that that stops them from picking our pockets…
‘Wastes of skin’ I have heard said. In the most benign meaning.
I call ’em CO2 factories
How to get and keep untainted “representatives?
So true, as to record.
Tulsi has a better record than ………..
and no PAC or corporate money taken, i hear.
President Trump is still the only person to put a Constitutional Justice into the next US Supreme Court position.
The response to that by some is “But they will end abortion.” To which I respond, “That is not my concern.” “My concern is someone who will back the US Constitution as written and intended, specifically concerning the 14th Amendment.”
Time to make Mexico and other nations great again and give them back their citizens. I believe that may include DNC Chairman Perez. “subject to the jurisdiction” and all of that. Whose your sovereign, baby? Go there.
Gratuitous citizenship is not legal or constitutional. They should have settled that rationally and with common sense deliberations and agreements quite a while ago. But No! So after the pain of those legally here, citizens and legal residents, have suffered greatly with many dead and many people’s lives destroyed, damaged, or disrupted, those the fruit of illegally being present here may just have to suffer. If it is a result of applying the law to those benefiting from lawbreaking, so those who came before determined their fate. Considering what this nation is being subjected to by so many, that situation is now not our problem.
“Time to make Mexico and other nations great again and give them back their citizens.”
Considering we already gave them back Mexico.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe_Hidalgo
I actually downloaded and read that treaty a while back. I have a liberal friend who is adamant that it means something different than as written. It does declare a border and a treaty in there. I have to read it again for meaning again soon.
And I think Mexico getting back its citizens sent North to invade the USA would improve Mexico. That includes the dividends of the bonus babies that are Mexican citizens also.
Is not the wife of Don Portago a US citizen? She could receive the money legally from her husband’s assets and likely do as she wishes with it according to Federal Election law, which I do not know the details of. A gift to her daughter. Skye needs to hire better staff than AOC, who likely ran afoul of the rules. There are ways of legally doing things that many just ignore. Would an unrestricted regular gift to Skye as done in the past, be OK, if structured correctly. She’s blown personal gifts given to her on political foolishness in the past. A self funded campaign, if that could be structured correctly. She could even possibly legally send funds to some real people in primaries that are not part of the swamp (yet?). She could start a movement. (Hearing 60’s movement music start playing in the background.) A revolution comes around again and is needed regularly, our forefathers have said.
If Mom give the money to Skye-her daughter– then what Skye does with it is her own damn business. If she wants to run for President, buy shares in Disney (why, I would have no idea) or just sit out back and burn it on the BBQ, it’s her money.
Mom can call it a late birthday present, or whatever she damned well pleases.
As much as progressives hate the word “family”, except as applied to drug cartels, the Mafia, and Manson’s followers, they haven’t managed to enshrine their hatred in the law to that degree.
Yet.
clear ether
eon
I think there is a limit, 13k, that a family member can be given without that member incurring a tax liability. Of course the giver still has/had to pay the income taxes. Good ole gubmint always there with a hand out.
Paul –
Not quite. It’s $15k per giver, per recipient, that can be given every year without the giver being required to file a gift tax return. There is no tax to the recipients of gifts. Once the giver reaches a certain point in total gifts (a constantly moving target) then the giver starts to pay gift taxes. The gift tax is tied in with the estate tax, so the same limit applies to estate taxes as to gift taxes, and exclusions used on gift tax returns count toward the overall estate tax exclusion as well.
There is a gift tax, but in almost all instances it is the giver that pays that tax not the recipient. The gift tax does not kick in until after a specific amount, which goes up every year. Current amount is about $14,000. However, you can file paperwork and get up to 5 million dollars lifetime exclusion before paying taxes on this. The recipient does NOT pay taxes on this money.
The fastest way to scare an elected official is mention the word “AUDIT”.
I think the Auditors from D.C. need to use Californication as a test case by auditing any of the Federal Funds that were given for various purposes over the years. See what was spent, if the project was completed or even started. Find out how much was diverted for other uses. See how many will run, hide, jump and blame.
Then take it on a ROAD TRIP!
Where to find those independent, honest auditors? Is there and audit app for that?
When they’re done with Cali maybe they can audit the money trail of the Clinton Foundation…NYIAC can speak with some experience to that. But I don’t think he or any auditor without a death wish would sign up for that gig.
Kids today…
I concur with Sam: OUCH.
Less charitable things were said about “Northern conservatism” even back in 1897. And did not turn out wrong.
https://www.counter-currents.com/2012/11/robert-lewis-dabney-on-conservatism/
Mind you I’m not really complaining, but I really liked the slightly less voluptuous Skye in Sunday’s strip. 🙂
There’s a long history of idealistic, seemingly sincere Republicans becoming almost immediately corrupted ( = Left-enablers) the minute they enter DC corridors of power. The usual explanation is the $$$ of “lobbyists” or the lure of “special interests”, but… I wonder if the threat – do not expose or oppose us or else – isn’t coming from a far more, shall we say, criminal source…?
Haven’t donated to party in YEARS.
Candidates only.
They’re the ones voting, not the NRA.
The 5 million plus members of the NRA are the voters. Those over 18 anyway. Hopefully we outnumber the graveyards of Chicago et al.
Damb NRA spends more on sending me junk mail soliciting additiinak donations than my annual dues. A couple times a year ok. But, every freaking week? And wanting me to renew my dues when im paid ahead? Wtf? It doesnt seem to be about gun rights any more, but money collecting which i guess makes “someone’ sonewhere feel/appear powerful. Its become very annoying but an organized effort to combat gun grabbers must stay in place. So where’s the alternatives?
Maybe worth looking into: https://gunowners.org/
I pay the yearly dues. Then I send them and Repparty, Demparty and any others; strongly worded letters telling them how bad they are and fix it before they get money. Keep it short because they probably don’t read anything but a check.
Most are pre-paid envelopes. sometimes I will waste a stamp to send their “collection” envelope back.
Makes me feel better.
For the easily amused!!!
IF you get a SASE, NEVER let it go to waste. Always send it back to them, it is a Postage due!!!!!
I used to send AARP junk mail to the NRA in their Sase, and send NRA junk mail to AARP in theirs, I generally included a few paper clips to add weight. I rarely get anything from either nowadays but if I do, there is no SASE!!!!!!!!!!!!…….:>(
“spends more on sending me junk mail”
So does the one children’s charity, they triple-mail me using my parents’ names also. Many organizations, for efficiency and legal liability reasons, use professional solicitors, which aren’t always as sensible as one would hope.
Call the NRA, tell them to stop. Also note there’s a separate NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) that does lobbying and I saw running campaign ads in 2016, and the NRA-PVF (Political Victory Fund) that’s the PAC supporting candidates with cash. NRA-ILA takes donations separately from the main NRA, so donate right to them to focus your money on your goals.
I am glad to hear that i am not the only one who is starting to dread the constant pleas from the NRA. There seems to be less and less concentrating on 2A rights and more and more bloviating. No, I do not want your knife, or any other gifts. Just represent our 2A rights to congressmen, it’s what you are there for.
JJC
Given the web sites I visit and the fact that I do, occasionally send $25 (my personal maximum) to a candidate who attracts my attention (see e.g. Tom Cotton), I find myself targeted by GOP professional beggars regularly. My response is exactly what Don Portago’s was. I could NEVER send one thin dime to an organization that would have the likes of Susan Tomcollins, John Kaseless, or John McMaverick as a member.
I get calls and blast e-mails from the professional beggars ever freaking day, even more than getting offers to buy extended warranties for vehicles I don’t own. I tell them that i will use my donation money to do my own 4 dimensional intransigent political actions on my own dime. (Made bumper stickers that said in blue and white “Cankles and Kaine, More of the Same” for the 2016 election.) Sent to friends around the country for their amusement and use.
My latest one is “Mr. Kotter, who killed Epstein?” I find that it’s easier and much more pleasing to actually do something with your 1st amendment rights than to write a check to the RNC. Remember these cheese eating surrender monkeys had the WH, the Senate and the House and couldn’t repeal Obama care. Ryan should have been shot for not getting a repeal bill passed in the House.
So not one thin dime.
Spin Drift
Living in a subterranean spatial plane where the girls are pretty and the drinks are free.
To Spin Drift: What was the worst thing about their failure to repeal obamacare was that the fool thing doesn’t even apply to them! Being led by the nose must be a terribly emasculating thing for these slaves of Lobbyists and Big biz.
JJC
Spin Drift, I’m pretty sure you could have sold out on those bumper stickers if you told us all about them. Please keep posting when you come up with new ones. This is a great forum. I would have proudly posted the Cankle bumper sticker and I never put bumper stickers on my car. Now I know this is not a site to sell stuff on, but I would not have considered that selling, more like passing on great thoughts.
If Chris is ok with that I will send a sticker to anyone who sends me a SASE.
I also did: “Cankles for New World Order Puppet”, “Vote Cankles the Crook 2016” and “Let Them Eat Cake, Cankles 2016.” I really hate Cankles.
Once I know who the DNC nominee is, I’ll think of some more.
Spin
BOOM!
The Ol’country girl was a firm believer in every charitable mail solicitation you can think of. She particularly liked the veteran ones and the indian kids. Since the veterans organizations have been severely abused by the professionals, our local groups have a unified nation point. She was registered Dim until after the 9/11. She, like me went to Ind. OCG joined the Silent Choir Immemorial early this year and the gimme folks really start4d abusing the mails. I sent every envelope back unopened with “deceased” marked with a BLUNT sharpie. Worked Great. Very few solicitations since then. Of course, the robocalls have made my two phones unusable.
As an aside, I went over to vote at a local church, and her name on the rolls was right next to mine. I told the clerk there that she was in hospice and delete her name form the rolls. They profusely thanked me, and clerks from both parties expressed sympathy and condolences. They thought it was nice of me to tell them at that time. In general, the folks in Oklahoma take our voting seriously.