Sapp to speak at Cornbread and Beans

The Cleveland County Democratic Party will host its Tyner Cornbread and Beans luncheon Friday at the Holiday Inn on Interstate 35. Norma Sapp will speak on "Ending the Prohibition of Marijuana." The values of medical marijuana and the failure of the USA's "War on Drug" will be discussed.

Sapp is a political activist and owns a small farm in Little Axe. She is the state director of OKNORML, a national organization organized to end the prohibition of marijuana.

Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. with the speaker starting about noon. Cost is $7 for cornbread and beans or sandwich bar with chips including tea, coffee or water, tax and gratuity. The meeting is open to the public.



Gun owners praise Coburn

On Aug. 14, Gun Owners of America will present Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., with a "Friend of the Second Amendment Award" in appreciation for the work he has done to defend Constitutional liberties.

Along with receiving the award, Coburn will speak about what is going on in Congress concerning gun rights, and what gun owners can expect in the coming months from the Obama Administration and the congressional leadership.

The awards banquet for Coburn will be at the Southern Hills Marriott in Tulsa. Oklahoma members of Gun Owners of America and various Oklahoma businessmen and elected officials will be in attendance.



GOP women's group to meet Tuesday

The Cleveland County Republican Women's Club will meet 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Olive Garden Restaurant in Norman.

Guest speaker will be Melissa McLawhorn Houston, chief of staff for Oklahoma Homeland Security. Houston first became involved in the issue of homeland security in 1995 when, as part of a group of family members and survivors of the Murrah Federal Building bombing, she advocated for antiterrorism legislation at the federal level.

Other business on the club's agenda includes details for the annual dinner Aug. 22. Keynote speaker will be Congresswoman Mary Fallin. Master of ceremonies will be Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy. Auctioneer will be Fourth District Chairman Steve Fair. Tickets for the event will be available for purchase during the meeting.

All club meetings are open to the public. Regular membership is open to all Republican women. Associate membership is open to all Republican men. For more information on meetings or for dinner tickets, call First Vice President Diana Gunther at 329-2434.



Group planning protest about child welfare system

The Oklahoma Family Rights Coalition is sponsoring a "Families for Change" Rally Friday at the Juvenile Justice Center of Oklahoma County, 5905 N Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City.

The peaceful demonstration will be in the northeast corner of the parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The OKFRC is encouraging all Oklahoma citizens to attend.

The intent of the rally is two-fold, organizers said. It is designed as both an opportunity for those affected by the Child Welfare system to stand for the families and children of their community, and to inform the residents of Oklahoma about State Question 749. SQ 749 is an initiative petition being circulated by members of the Oklahoma Family Rights Coalition. The petition seeks to overhaul the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Child Welfare system.

Copies of the initiative petition to place SQ 749 on the next election ballot as well as information about the Oklahoma Family Rights Coalition will be available for review.

The OKFRC is a statewide grassroots organization whose mission is to "re-establish the ideals of community unity, family sanctity, and leadership accountability in the state of Oklahoma."

For more information, contact: Clarence Cooper, president and chairman, 253-5507 clcooper@sq745.org or Maria Moore, planning chair, 677-7328, mmoore@sq745.org.

-- Transcript Staff