Earlier today, I was taking a look into a KFOR report about Ryan Walters’s latest battle in his war on Oklahoma public education.
I guess he’s so committed to winning this war that he’s now—checks notes—sabotaging bipartisan school security improvement measures.
Yep, that’s right.
Ryan won’t even let deeply conservative authoritarian measures that help further turn our schools into mini-police states—something you’d think he’d find very appealing—get in the way of his Littlefinger-approved “Chaos is a Ladder” management style.
Here’s the background.
Last year, the Oklahoma Legislature and Kevin Stitt approved a $150,000,000 fund that school districts could access to do things like add school resource officers, metal detectors, security cameras in locker rooms for people like Coach Koons, etc.
Each district was allowed to use $96,000 a year from the fund.
Since the needs of all school districts are different, the bill allowed them to carry over the $96K and accumulate it to fund larger projects. The only catch is they had to use the money within three years.
Seems pretty simple and logical, huh?
Well, don’t tell that to Ryan’s new legal mastermind.
His name is Michael T. Beason. He joined the OSDE as Chief Legal Counsel back in May after being referred by Conservative Weirdo Attorneys Central Casting.
Check out this headshot I acquired via the Ogle Mole Network:
What in the world is that?! Is this guy a lawyer or a craft cocktail mixologist at Jones Assembly? Did he book the “right-wing edgelord boudoir” session at Glamour Shots? Is this the photo he uses for his Fascists Only dating profile? Also, who's holding his tiki torch?! Answers please!
Anyway, I guess we shouldn't be surprised Michael is the lawyer that Ryan Walters—or his string-puller Matt Langston—selected to help them destroy Oklahoma public education from the inside.
After you translate the Latin tattoo he is proudly showing off on his muscly forearm, it seems like a really great choice:
Si vis pacem, para bellum = If you want peace, prepare for war.
Yep, nothing weird or psychotic about that.
We just have the chief legal counsel for the Oklahoma Department of Education tattooing a phrase and philosophy on his forearm that’s been co-opted by some of the most famed fascist authoritarian figures in history, from Otto von Bismarck to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin. I wonder what other tattoos he has on his body that he doesn’t want photographed?
While you think about that, let’s get back to the security funding stuff.
Although the intent of the law was for school districts to be able to accumulate funds from year to year to fund larger security state projects—the law specifically states “the fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations”—and the OSDE even had guidance on its website saying that was the case, Beason prepared for war.
Without consulting the lawmakers who wrote the bill, he put on his legal leotard and performed a floor exercise, claiming lawmakers weren’t clear that districts could carry over the funds, and the ones that planned to do so no longer have access to the funding.
Via KFOR:
Superintendents—who spoke to News 4 anonymously—say the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) denied them access to leftover “Year One” funds they had not yet spent.
The superintendents say that without the leftover Year One funds available, they will have to cut the security improvements they planned to make, including additional school resource officers, security entry vestibules, bulletproof windows, and more.
OSDE’s lawyers are now telling lawmakers they believe HB2904 did not allow for funds to roll over each year.
This bill’s authors say that is not, and never was, the case.
KFOR has a super lengthy report about all of this on their website, including a memo by Beason that poo-pooed the security funding measure.
They also talked to various Republican lawmakers who are outraged and perplexed by Beason’s decision.
In fact, they're so mad it even got Ryan’s biggest GOP rival—State Rep. Mark McBride—to mention the “I” word:
“I hate to use the word impeachment,” McBride said. “But I think we’re getting to that point.”
It’s kind of neat to hear a powerful member of the House GOP utter the word “impeachment” when speaking of Ryan Walters, but I won’t believe Ryan’s impeached until he films a video vlog from his tan SUV whining and complaining about it.
Even then, I probably wouldn’t buy it.
A lot of conservative rural lawmakers approve of what Ryan’s doing, and I just can’t imagine the other ones having the political courage to vote to impeach the guy who wants to put the Bible back in Oklahoma schools.
Anyway, now that we know Ryan has a bona fide weirdo as his chief legal counsel, it will be interesting to see what other precedents and guidance he overturns.
The only thing that’s clear is while he, Ryan, and Matt are all busy planning, preparing, and fighting their war on public schools, the only peace they’ll bring is the kind that hurts Oklahoma kids.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
