by Randall Atkins, special correspondent for VoicesofOK.org

Cairo – Drunk on the victories of the recent revolution and ousting of their hated president Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s youthful opposition may have just sobered up to the realities of their newly democratic state. The March 19th referendum on constitutional amendments, which they say did not go far enough, was not the change they envisioned when they took to the streets in January. Newly formed political parties, some of which have yet to even pick a name for themselves, fought to get the amendments voted down.

For most who pass through Egypt, it is a tourist destination; a place to see first hand the remnants of an ancient civilization. During the winter months resort towns along the red and white seas serve as a sunny getaway for middle class westerners, but what is lost on most of these visitors is the vast inequities and contradictions that exist in the country.

• Muslim teen alleges discrimination by Tulsa Abercrombie & Fitch
• Tulsa council candidates discuss equal rights for gays
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From NewsOK:

Sen. Jim Inhofe said Tuesday that national security could be compromised by a Justice Department inquiry into CIA interrogation methods used in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

The Oklahoma Republican joined others in his party in objecting to Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision last week to authorize a preliminary review of whether some CIA operatives broke the law during interrogations of suspected terrorists in overseas locations. Holder appointed an assistant U.S. attorney based in Connecticut to conduct the review.

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From The Journal Record:

Four Oklahoma women have filed a new complaint challenging federal and state laws banning gay marriage.

Their latest filing changes some aspects of the case, including which government officials are named as defendants. It also points out that two of the plaintiffs, Susan Barton and Gay Phillips, were married in California last Nov. 1, while the case was on appeal. Barton and Phillips have been together about 25 years. They were married in British Columbia in May 2005 and underwent a civil union in Vermont in August 2001.

Sharon Baldwin and Mary Bishop, the other couple in the lawsuit, have been in a committed relationship for more than 12 years. According to the legal filing, they participated in a commitment ceremony in March 2000.

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From The Associated Press:

Gay marriage and gays in the military may dominate the headlines, but activists in many states say their fight is much more fundamental: basic rights and protections against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation.

[...]

In Oklahoma, a group formed recently to fight what Oklahoma State University professor Laura Belmonte called “an intensely hostile environment” where only one small municipality has an anti-discrimination law.

“People ask me why I stay, but I say, ‘It doesn’t have to be this way,’” she said. “You can put your head in the oven and blow out the pilot light, or you can fight back.”