The arraignment of the "Oklahoma 3" (Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson, and Rick Carpenter) was held yesterday, with the scheduling-hearing scheduled for March 13th. While Johnson and Carpenter, at the advice of their attorneys, are keeping relatively low profiles, Paul Jacob is determined to make the most of this next year or so, to fight for the ballot initiative process.

Jacob says his motivation is his children. He wants his children and their children to have the right (as citizens throughout Oklahoma history have had) to petition their government, and begin citizen initiatives.

Jacob said that he has "never heard of a prosecutor, other than maybe Nifong, to play it as political as Drew Edmondson," is in his current case - which is a dispute over whether or not he, Johnson and Carpenter fulfilled Oklahoma's residency requirements prior to collecting signatures for a ballot initiative which did not become law.

The "left," he said, isn't the only detriment to the initiatives process. He's also had to oppose those on the "right," who were addicted to "daddy welfare." He warns that the precedent set by the type of retaliation that is happening right now in Oklahoma is not only "legal" precent, but also psyhological, in that when the government goes after citizens who create initiatives (as well as their petition signers, their volunteers, and sometimes even their donors), others are discouraged from starting citizen initiatives in the future.

Citizens wishing to assist the Oklahoma 3, he said, should spread awareness of the case (talk to their neighbors), and contact the the governor's office and their legislators. He was more concerned, however, that Oklahomans become and continue to be involved in initiatives.

He specifically encouraged Oklahoma citizens to learn about and support Randy Brogdon's Senate Bill 1982 (and joint resolution #23) and the House Bill counterpart being formed by Randy Terrell. He mentioned some of the changes currently under discussion in the Oklahoma initiative process are:

Eliminate the requirement to notarize petition signatures, and copy (by hand) all signatures from the front of the petition to the back of the petition

Reduce the number of signatures required to get a petition on the ballot

Increase the amount of time signature-gatherers have to get the required number of signatures from 90 days to one year

Ft. Hard Knox: Paul Jacob Kicks Off the "Save the Initiative Blog Tour"

The Journal Record: Three indicted TABOR petitioners make their 1st court appearance