One of the most important duties of Congress outlined in the U.S. Constitution is to provide for the common defense. It is a promise to American citizens that we will protect them and defend American ...

As I think back over the many years of ups and downs with my mother-in-law, I have to laugh because we have rarely seen eye to eye. As we said our final goodbyes this past week, maybe I understand he...

The Fourth of July has always held a very special place in my heart from years past to the present day. There’s nothing to compare the patriotic feeling that you feel as you gather with family and fri...

Over the years, you’ll experience many personal and professional milestones. Each of these can be satisfying, but they may also bring challenges – especially financial ones. That’s why you may want to...

The staff of The McIntosh County Democrat welcomes Letters to the Editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Short letters are most likely selected for publication, but the use of any material is ...

Every Independence Day we celebrate our Founding Fathers who had the courage to go against the British monarch and create their own government. They had a vision for a government controlled by the peo...

I am forever grateful to the Checotah Landmark Preservation Society for the reception honoring me as Significant Alumna and the 1969 Checotah High School State Champion basketball team. The event at t...

Summer is here at last. For many people, it’s time to get the car ready for a long road trip. And with GPSenabled smartphones, it’s now a lot easier to navigate these drives without getting lost. Duri...

Kinds words are like honey, sweet to the soul and health to the body - Proverbs 21:24. Most of us have been told our whole lives by our mamas that if we can’t say something nice, then don’t say anythi...

Iran has a long history of creating chaos in the Middle East with no regard for the consequences. The United States first imposed sanctions on them in 1979 as a result of the Iran Hostage Crisis, wher...

One of the topics I try to avoid in class is abortion. There is a good reason for this avoidance; it is one of the subjects that inspires such passion that it is nearly impossible for any real civil d...

I loved the television show, The Good Doctor, because it had such wonderful fictional characters that loved their patients and found all the cures just in the nick of time. But seriously, why is it so...

Washington Week in Review: Washington – The U.S. Senate voted to proceed to a major defense measure sponsored by Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe amid escalating tensions with Iran, the House approved its fir...

The United States is in the best neighborhood on the planet and our neighbors are our best customers. Canada is the number one market for exports and Mexico is number two, both nationally and in Oklah...

Summer is here at last. For many people, it’s time to get the car ready for a long road trip. And with GPSenabled smartphones, it’s now a lot easier to navigate these drives without getting lost. Duri...

By Rodney Haltom On June 27, 1776 – Thomas Hickey, who plotted to hand George Washington over to British, was hanged. 1778 – The Liberty Bell came home to Philadelphia after the British left. 1864 – U...

In March 2005 my daughter and I pick up an ornery little black and white kitten in Fayetteville, AR. We had just moved to the area and needed something to take our mind off the drastic changes that we...

If President Trump pulls off a win in 2020, there is going to be a great deal of soul searching, not to mention wailing and gnashing of teeth. Many will ask how, how could someone so disliked win anot...

The beginning of summer is usually an enjoyable time for many families, but the flooding across Oklahoma has turned it into a devastating time. Homes and buildings have been destroyed, roadways have b...

I recently rode with the Oklahoma National Guard in a Black Hawk helicopter to observe flood damage in Webbers Falls and the Muskogee area. The breadth of the damage is sobering. So many people have s...