Fall 2015
Oklahoma Political Science Association
University of Central
Oklahoma Hosts 2015
Annual Conference
The Oklahoma Poliical “cience Associaion’s Annual Conference will be held Thursday and Friday (Nov. 5-6) in the Nigh
Center at the University of Central Oklahoma. The two day agenda begins early Thursday and coninues unil the aternoon of the following day. Many of the panels and roundtables are concurrent, which means there will be an excepionally broad variety available for members and guests to atend. More details, including informaion about the keynote speakers, are on the next two pages. Registraion deadline is October 28th. Here is the link to register.
Also in this issue . . .
The page numbers are hyperlinks.
“adly we say goodbye to a dear
friend and honored colleague. A
eulogy to the late and wonderful
John Ulrich. Page 9
An invited book review essay
itled "Wherein “ocialism?" by
former Oklahoma district
atorney “teven “utle. Page 4
Dr. Ryan Kiggins writes about
faltering cyber security and its
burgeoning efect on naions
and people. Page 6
. . . and
more
 A message to all from OP“A’s
president, Tony Wholers. Page 11
 Poliical cartoons, among the best
we’ve seen. Pages 9 & 10
 An update about OP“A’s new website.
Page 8
 A list of our valued insituional
members. Page 11
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LINKS
Contact OPSA
Join OPSA
We the People Project
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Commentary & Opinion
Wherein Socialism (coninued from page 4)
What became of Oklahoma’s socialist roots? The small farmers, sharecroppers, industrial and railway workers, and miners comprised a natural consituency built by the Populist movement and William Jennings Bryan. Many likely turned towards the “ocialist Party ater Bryan’s third defeat in 1908. A review of the 1912 “ocialist Party plaform, proposed in convenion and incredibly raiied in a party plebiscite, reveals such radical and dangerous ideas as women’s sufrage, prohibiion against child labor, a shorter workday, a ive and a half day workweek, old age pensions, a graduated income tax, inspecion of workplaces, relief of unemployment through public works, iniiaive, referendum, recall, and conservaion of
natural resources. Admitedly, the plaform also proposed some bizarre structural changes to state government, including
aboliion of the U. “. “enate, the presidenial veto, the electoral college, and the enire lower federal judiciary, plus public
ownership of railroads, telegraph and telephone faciliies, stockyards, grain silos, mines, oil wells, and banks. “ome of the
more moderate of these progressive ideas were espoused by Roosevelt and Wilson
during the campaign, many of which later came to fruiion with the New Deal. In
retrospect, a lot of the proposals of the 1912 socialists seem perfectly reasonable
and are generally accepted today as bedrock components of our current social
contract.
As is well chronicled in Ernest Freeberg’s Democracy’s Prisoner (2008), the
socialist movement in Oklahoma and elsewhere began to lose standing. “ome of
the reasons included its paciist leanings during World War I and the oppressive
suppression of free speech and press by the Wilson Administraion. Local vigilantes, such as those who put down Oklahoma’s ani-conscripion Green Corn Rebellion, were joined by oicial suppression at the hands of Atorney General Mitchell
Palmer and Postmaster General Albert “. Burleson. A senimental "last hurrah"
occurred in 1920 when Debs, while serving ime in federal prison for the crime of
sediious speech, received nearly a million votes in the presidenial elecion. Oklahoma, however, chose a return to "normalcy" as Warren Harding swept the state,
reducing Debs’ vote total to 5%. Various philosophical issures within the party-coupled with a public percepion that blended the terms "socialist," "anarchist,"
and "communist" in the minds of the American people--served to weaken and
eventually emasculate the party.
William Jennings Bryan
It is perhaps a inal irony that to avoid the tag of "liberal" many of today’s let-leaning Democrats now style themselves
as "progressives." No doubt Roosevelt, Wilson and Debs would be proud of that. The sad observaion, however, is that today’s progressives spend more ime defending assaults on these older social insituions than they do advancing new, progressive ideas and programs.
When the elements of the far right today accuse opponents of being "socialists" one is let to wonder what elements of
this "socialism" conservaives want to abrogate. “ocial “ecurity, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, inspecion
of packing plants, interstate highways, workplace safety, environmental regulaions, securiies regulaions, municipal golf
courses? The current social democracy, which has been built brick by brick over the past one hundred years, is not likely to
be undone. As historians Goodwin, Morris and Chase make clear in their recent books, it was constructed by popular consent—a cement that in this case has cured over generaions. An atendant logic was advanced by Abraham Lincoln when he
stated, "The legiimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves – in their separate, and individual capaciies." And when all of this is
turned to daily life, the argument is obvious. We simply cannot go to the grocery store and inspect our own meat, cerify
that our home’s electrical wiring meets safety standards, or determine if the tap water is safe to drink.
Steven Sutle served as district atorney for Oklahoma's Third District from 1983 to 1991. Happily reired and living in
Albuquerque, Sutle is an actor, author and ilm historian.
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Commentary & Opinion
Cyber Politics and the Politics of Cyber
by Ryan Kiggins
When North Korea (allegedly) hacked “ony Pictures in an efort to prevent the release of the sairical movie, The Interview (2014), I pondered whether it was my patrioic duty to see a movie that I otherwise would not have seen. The use of
hacking capability in an efort to curtail arisic expression seemed to ofend my sensibiliies about liberty to produce informaion and consume informaion, which are protected by the First Amendment. How dare a country with a history of
tantrums only parents of two-year-olds can appreciate forcibly atempt to prevent my liberty to choose whether I can see
another variaion of a “eth Rogen stoner movie. And yet the controversy over the (alleged) acions of North Korea is but a
recent example of states behaving badly in cyberspace and illustrates the implicaions of poliics to
cyber and cyber to poliics.
On the one hand, cyber poliics is concerned
with the use of governing authority over the Internet, which may include surveillance, criminal invesigaions, espionage, content regulaion, access
regulaion, technology regulaion, and defending a
naion’s computer networks. Whereas the poliics
of cyber is primarily concerned with the normaive
implicaions of using government authority to
make and conduct policy that afects the normaive
purpose for the Internet; that is, how the Internet
ought to be used by ciizens, governments, and
commercial enterprises.
The conluence of disparate ciizen, government, and commercial interests animates the poliics of cyber within the United “tates through disputes over whether informaion ought to be commodiized, access iered, or the Internet should be treated as a uility. What’s more, governments have discovered that
the Internet ofers powerful capabiliies whereby they may fulill their social contract obligaions to provide security,
rule of law, and reasonably commodious living condiions for its ciizens. These issues relect deep-seeded and perpetual American poliical controversies concerning the protecion of civil liberies, scope of property rights, and the
boundary of government authority in pursuit of security for all. Public policy may have the unintenional tendency to
pick winners and losers. Where issues of government authority over the Internet are concerned, poliical lives and billions of dollars are at stake. Cyber presents new policy conundrums and opportuniies for government.
Coninued on the next page . . .
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Commentary & Opinion
The Politics of Cyber and the Cyber of Politics (coninued from page 6)
Commercial enterprises have likewise discovered new opportuniies (and vulnerabiliies) through cyber. A notable opportunity is obtaining more precise and larger quaniies of measured consumer behavior; the real challenge is what to do
with all that "big data" to posiively afect the botom line – and that is key.
Challenging as big data is, it is about to get several orders of magnitude more challenging with the Internet of things.
The Internet of things is the latest iteraion of cyber that illustrates the efects of cyber on poliics and poliics on cyber.
Computerized sensors have now reached a level of miniscule size and capability that the shirt you wear will report your
vital staisics to the company that makes the shirt, and then the data will be used to reine their products and market new
products to you. Other wearables and consumer products that lacked Internet connecivity are now gaining that connecivity and with it the capability of tracking consumer uses. In addiion to our clothing, household appliances, backpacks, purses, pracically any ordinary item or tool can potenially
be used to separate you from your hard earned dollar. Let’s just
hope that North Korea does not have a tantrum over the next “eth
Rogen stoner movie else we may ind that they have hacked into
our cofee makers and turned of the imer, thus causing our cofee
makers to fail. Imagine the enire populaion of the United “tates
without its morning cup of joe. Of course “tarbucks will have a banner sales day—although maybe it was “tarbucks that hacked our
cofee makers.
One can never know with certainty who did what to whom in
cyber; consequently, developing public policy in a cybered world
could be much more diicult and opaque. And yet, that opaqueness
of cyber, the anonymity it afords to users, creates condiions ferile
for the sorts of aciviies that make ciizens’ lives diicult, even insecure. How many of your credit cards have been replaced as a "precauion" due to data loss resuling from a point of sale
computer hack at Target? Or was your inancial transacion compromised at JP Morgan Chase? Or were your health records ripped from a hospital database operated by Community Health “ystems? It should not come as a surprise that the
F.B.I. ranks cybercrime as one of its top law enforcement aciviies, or that President Obama recently proposed sharply
increasing cyber security spending to $14 billion.
Perhaps the insecurity of our personal lives is no less than our loss of privacy at the hands of our government. Of
course I do not assume my government is operaing nefarious online aciviies; rather, the anxiety comes from the insanity of Charlie Hebdo-esque events which moivates ciizens to demand that governments prevent such atrociies from
happening again. Regretably, the price of government surveillance of online aciviies is such that one should never have
any expectaion of privacy where online communicaions are concerned. Which reminds me, I beter check Facebook to
make sure there are no embarrassing pictures of me at that last academic conference I atended.
Dr. Ryan Kiggins is a visiing faculty member in the Poliical Science Department of the University of Central Oklahoma.
His recently edited book itled The Poliical Economy of Rare Earth Elements is available from Palgrave Macmillan. His
research interest is situated at the intersecion of global poliical economy and internaional security.
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OPSA News
In Memory of John Ulrich
Longime OP“A member and colleague John Ulrich died this past “eptember
of cancer. Most recently John served for ive years as editor of Oklahoma Poliics,
which is published annually by OP“A and is Oklahoma’s only peer-reviewed
journal of poliical science.
John was a lover of learning. He was also a man who inished what he
started. His family said if he wanted to do something, he did it and did it well. At
work, where he taught poliical science at East Central University (ECU) in Ada, his
inspiraion shown as brightly there as it did at home.
Chrisine Pappas, OP“A member and Chair of ECU’s Department of Poliical “cience and Legal “tudies, said, "Even ater working
with him for 15 years, he would always knock on my door to ask to speak to me." Pappas also recounted a ime that a student inquired
about the workings of a nuclear bomb and in response, John spent the next hour drawing a diagram on the chalkboard to explain the
concept to his student’s amazement. "John has been my colleague since I joined the faculty in 2001," Pappas said. "Although I became
chair of the department, I always viewed John as my adviser." “he said he brought out the best in his students, oten refusing to setle
for less than he knew they were capable of doing.
Pappas said, "The department will never be the same without him. He cannot be replaced." OP“A members who knew John will
agree that Chrisine’s tribute also readily applies to the Oklahoma Poliical “cience Associaion. His disinguished presence, easy smile,
git of expression, probing quesions, collegial manner—these are the imbers that support the house. John’s qualiies are reminders of
what is worth emulaing. Thinking of John Ulrich is to realize how fortunate our associaion has been to have had a longime relaionship
with our late colleague and friend. Truly a blessing.
New OPSA Website Delayed
For many years the Oklahoma Poliical “cience Associaion has been
consistently present in cyberspace. Last fall we announced a new website,
designated as opsanet.org. We anicipated launching the new website in
January 2015; however, an unexplained and unanicipated failure of our
web hosing company resulted in all of our web construcion work being
irretrievably lost.
To prevent a similar disaster, we have contracted with one of the web
hosing companies that Consumer Reports rates as being among the top ten
in the country. An announcement will be sent to all members when the new
site is mounted, tested, and proven. We expect that to occur early next
year.
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Political Cartoons
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Political Cartoons
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OPSA News
President’s Message
by Tony Wohlers
I welcome your interest in the Oklahoma Poliical “cience Associaion (OP“A). As the state’s premier organizaion for
poliical science faculty, poliical science students, and praciioners, OP“A coninues to provide leadership, professional
opportuniies, and exchange of ideas to those interested in the intellectual and pracical endeavors in poliical science.
Because of our commitment to our profession and those interested in our organizaion, OP“A is one of the most acive
poliical science associaions in the country.
For more than three decades, OP“A has successfully organized annual conferences held
on the campuses of colleges and universiies across the state. This year, we coninue this
ever-enriching tradiion by hosing our annual conference in the Nigh Center of the University of Central Oklahoma on November 5-6, 2015. Guided by this year’s conference theme that
stresses diversity and community in the 21st century, we are honored to have Richard Herrera from Arizona “tate University and “usan Gooden from Virginia Commonwealth University
as our keynote speakers. As in previous years, we will ofer a wide range of moderated
roundtables and panels, coninue to honor the best undergraduate and graduate papers,
and recognize those who have made signiicant contribuions to our discipline and organizaion.
Coninued on the next page . . .
2014-2015 Insituional Members

Cameron University

Oklahoma Panhandle “tate University

East Central University

Oklahoma “tate University

Northeast Oklahoma A & M

Oklahoma Community College

Northeastern “tate University

Oklahoma City University

“outheastern Oklahoma “tate University

Rogers “tate University

Oklahoma Bapist University

Rose “tate College

Oklahoma Chrisian University

University of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Community College

University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma City University

University of Tulsa
The support of these insituions provides much of the funding that makes possible the annual peer
reviewed journal (Oklahoma Poliics), the statewide conference, the student and faculty awards, the OPSA
Newsleter, and the annual Oklahoma Poliical Science Directory. If your insituion would like to become a
member, click on this link, insituional membership.
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OPSA News
President’s Message
coninued from p. 11
In recent years, OP“A has also pursued a number of important and innovaive iniiaives to strengthen the organizaion’s
foundaion and atract new members. With that in mind, let me elaborate on some of the major ones. In addiion to
atracing new individual members, expanding our insituional membership has been a primary focus. I am happy to report
that we have been very successful. As a result of our eforts, most colleges and universiies in Oklahoma are now insituional
members of our organizaion, including Cameron University, East Central University, Northeastern Oklahoma A & M, Northeastern “tate University, “outheastern Oklahoma “tate University, Oklahoma Bapist University, Oklahoma Chrisian University, Oklahoma Panhandle “tate University, Oklahoma “tate University, Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma City
University, Rogers “tate University, Rose “tate College, University of Central Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma, and University of Tulsa.
As OP“A coninues to strengthen its membership foundaion and engagement, we are also ofering new opportuniies for
poliical science students to advance their professional careers. Designed for undergraduate and graduate students, OP“A
has established OPSA President’s Disinguished Undergraduate Scholarship ($250) and OPSA President’s Disinguished Graduate Scholarship ($450). In an efort to support our outreach eforts, OP“A is also going to launch its new website by early next
year. Like the exising website, it will allow anyone interested in the organizaion to learn about our mission, goals, peerreviewed journal, annual conference, newsleter, and membership beneits. Moreover, interested members will be able to
pay conference and membership fees online. With that in mind, we hope that you will visit us at www.opsanet.org by the
end of January when the new website will be acive.
It is only with your support and the insituions with which you are ailiated that OP“A will coninue to fulill its mission,
serve its members, and set new goals. We encourage you to paricipate in our organizaion and conferences, publish in our
peer-reviewed journal, Oklahoma Poliics, contribute to the newsleter, become an acive member, and help grow our organizaion. The Oklahoma Poliical “cience Associaion has already made a diference, but together much more can be accomplished.
Contact OPSA
President
Tony Wholers
Email
awohlers@cameron.edu
Execuive Director
Nan Melton
Email
execuivedirector_opsa@yahoo.com
Rogers “tate University
Phone
913-485-8225 (for Ms. Melton)
1701 W. Will Rogers Blvs.
Fax
918-343-6800
“teve Housel
Email
shousel@rsu.edu
John Wood
Email
jwood41@UCO.edu
Elizabeth Overmann
Email
eoverman@uco.edu
Claremore, OK 74017
Newsleter Editors
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