Sooner softball fan asks, 'Would a Muslim or Jew or non-believer be as welcome?' | Letters

Would kumbaya spirit include Muslims, Jews?

I’m an 86-year-old OU alum and rabid follower of Sooner softball from afar. I respect and admire these young women for their passion, determination, infectious kumbaya spirit and athleticism. And Patty Gasso is a great, great coach who, based on her televised post-game press conferences, is a laudable, sensitive mentor who cares deeply for her players as individuals.

Though I’m puzzled by something. Going back a couple of years, many of the players who have appeared with Gasso during these perfunctory media grabs frequently attributed their on-the-field success to devout Christianity. I’ve heard all about “Christ.” I’ve heard about “the Lord.” I’ve heard mentions of “saving souls.” And so on and so on, with Gasso, to a lesser degree, adding her voice.

Religiosity or lack of it, is personal; no one’s business but your own. But if you want to trumpet your beliefs, go for it.

Yet, it would be natural to infer from this that Gasso’s teams largely are preachy Christian teams. Would a Muslim or Jew or non-believer be as welcome to wear a Sooner softball uniform? What about their comfort level in the locker room? When activist teammates endeavored to save their souls, would they just sit in the corner and listen?

― Howard Rosenberg, Agoura Hills, California

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'Oklahoma Consumer' would pay price

Apparently OG&E is wanting another rate increase (again) ― falling on the heads of us, the Oklahoma Consumer. For residential customers, it is about a 13.85% increase in our monthly bill. That means the average residential customer will see an increase of $19.02 per month compared to current rates, according to documents the utility filed with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on Dec. 29, 2023.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission approved a base rate increase of 1.9%, ($2.07) for the average residential bill in September 2022. Unlike fuel costs that are passed directly onto its customers, OG&E enacted the rate increase to recover increased business costs and electric infrastructure investments the company has made since 2012, utility officials said. It was the first increase to OG&E's base rate since 2017.

The cost of living has seen a dramatic increase in the last four years let alone the last seven years. How many of us have seen an increase in our income of that proportion? That is an extra ($228.24) per household each year! The company serves 821,000 customers in Oklahoma. That would equal approximately $187,385,040 per year to do what? Maybe if OG&E were more concerned about customers than promoting other endeavors they would not have to ask for a rate increase.

My husband retired from OG&E after 40-plus years with the company. I am proud of the retirees. And, I am proud of the workers that go that extra mile, especially in time of need. Maybe the upper echelon needs to rethink where the money and spending are going and worry about the common man.

― Patricia Koch, Warr Acres

Editor's note: Since the writing of the letter above, OG&E has said it is submitting an uncontested settlement that drops a requested rate hike from $332.5 million to $126.6 million.

What keeps me up at night

In my lifetime, we have had men who put our country at great risk ― Julius Rosenberg, the Walker family, Robert Hannsen, etc. But we were able to get them stopped. Now, we have two (seemingly) corrupt U.S. Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who threaten our democracy by taking what could be seen as bribes or supporting the invasion of our capitol, and we can't seem to touch them.

Anita Hill warned us about Thomas. Judges are appointed and trusted to rise above party and personal feelings to uphold the Constitution to which they have taken an oath. Congress could act with impeachments or laws against Supreme Court corruption, but they are outnumbered by people whose only interest is personal gain.

I am kept up at night because I worry that our republic may be taken over by a latter-day Benito Mussolini, who also befriended a horrendous dictator. The Italians ended up stoning Mussolini, but only after he and Adolf Hitler had caused tremendous world damage.

― David B. Brinker, M.D., Oklahoma City

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball fan questions if nonbelievers, others would be accepted