The Durant Daily Democrat

Republican policies abuse women and children

A major cause of child neglect is family poverty, with a single parent—or sometimes both parents—too busy scrabbling for a living to meet all the needs a child has, according to data from … more

By Jane Hicks | 7/15/21 09:26 AM

An examined life is worth living

Reportedly, Socrates uttered the now famous phrase, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Conversely, the examined life is becoming more and more important in our current society … more

By Phyllis Rustin | 7/8/21 02:58 PM

Eugenics and white supremacy

Teryn Bouche and Laura Rivard published an article in Genetics Generation which summarized the history and definition of Eugenics. They state that most Americans are familiar with America’s … more

By Henry Brigman | 7/1/21 11:29 AM

A new look at an old holiday

Articles about holidays, such as the Fourth of July, tend to sound about the same. Celebrating the Fourth each year, we recognize the nation’s gaining of independence from England and express … more

By Marion Hill | 7/1/21 09:43 AM

Feeling summer love in the nursing home

It is that time of the year when the heat is on and summer is upon us and the kids want to go outside and play in the water, eat watermelon, and have ice cream. The parents are planning summer … more

6/30/21 11:34 AM

Congress votes to make June 19 a holiday

Finally! Congress voted to make June 19 a Federal holiday. The Senate approved it by voice vote, while the House of Representatives had a counting vote. As most know, the news came to Galveston, … more

By Henry Brigman | 6/24/21 03:45 PM

From the internet to our own backyard

Here in the United States, we have been talking and talking about the frightening increase in violence. Every Monday morning, TV news reporters tell us how many mass shootings there were over the … more

By Joe Littlejohn | 6/24/21 09:11 AM

Reparations? Yes, please

The 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has just passed, with the observance covered in local, state, and national media. For many, it was the first time they heard of this century-old … more

By Marion Hill | 6/17/21 11:45 AM

What went wrong?

Krista Gneiting, a sixth-grade math teacher at the Rigby, Idaho, Middle School, was preparing her students for their final exams. That morning of May 6, 2021 began for her as usual. Shortly after … more

By Henry Brigman | 6/10/21 05:49 PM

Oklahoma Legislature wraps up session

We have finished the regular legislative session for this year. I wanted to report some if important legislation passed this session. We increased common education appropriations by $210.3 … more

By Rep. Justin Humphrey | 6/10/21 11:47 AM

Black Wall Street showed benefit of free markets

Remembrances of the Tulsa Race Massacre have focused largely—and understandably—on the tragic and unnecessary loss of life and property. But Oklahomans should not ignore other lessons … more

By Jonathan Small | 6/10/21 11:34 AM

Is this a racist country?

Is the United States a racist country? Yes and no. Looking at our country’s past, there’s a nearly 400-year history of enslavement of people from Africa, many decades of Jim Crow … more

By Marion Hill | 6/10/21 09:51 AM

A heartbreaking tragedy

When you think of aircraft attacking and murdering Americans, no doubt Pearl Harbor and 9/11 come to mind. But there was one more and it happened 100 years ago in the city of Tulsa, … more

By Henry Brigman | 6/3/21 05:48 PM

‘Something for black people by black people’

Editor’s note: This is the first part of a series on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The horror of Tulsa’s 1921 Greenwood District massacre is clear only in view of … more

By Joe Littlejohn | 5/20/21 06:10 PM

Leave those kids alone

J.J. Humphrey, our OK State Representative from District 19, is woefully uninformed. If he is not simply ignorant, then it is much worse, he is knowingly spreading propaganda. Humphrey told in the … more

By Jane Hicks | 5/20/21 05:59 PM

Let’s have a little talk sometime

Like a lot of other people, I’ve been watching the TV reports of violence around our country—mass shootings, the Capitol siege, physical attacks on Asian-Americans, mobs, riots. I used to … more

By Joe Littlejohn | 5/13/21 03:18 PM

Whose lives matter?

Black lives matter. Blue lives matter. All lives matter. Which statement is accurate? All of the above. When the “black lives matter” protests began in 2013 over the frequent … more

By Marion Hill | 5/5/21 11:46 AM

Do you want your country back? Or forward?

David Bullard, Oklahoma Senator (R-Durant), said recently in the YouTube video of “An Evening with Bill Ledbetter and David Bullard,” as covered in the Durant Weekly Democrat on April 1, … more

By Jane Hicks | 4/29/21 10:59 AM

Capitol update for District 19

I wanted to inform District 19 on one of the latest controversies that I find myself in. I have been receiving negative news coverage over my role in Senate Bill 2. I managed to get an education … more

By Rep. Justin Humphrey | 4/22/21 04:51 PM

An evening with Bill Ledbetter and David Bullard

Last night I listened to the full session of “An evening with Bill Ledbetter and David Bullard” on YouTube. Ledbetter is the pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Durant, and Bullard is an … more

By Jane Hicks | 4/22/21 11:11 AM