Including between the ears of the leaders of their real estate commission, state realtor association and the legislature that bought into their dog and pony show. As usual, Blanche Evans has done a fine job of shining the light of day on issues that the traditional media is either too scared, too dumb or too bought not to address. So, agents have to be able to ACT for another in order to be agent? What sheer idiocy! To hear OAR and OREC talk, you'd think that the plaintiffs and defendants in court cases don't have the ability to decide their own fate. They would have us believe that once you put your offense or defense into the hands of an attorney, that you give up your right to run the show. They know that's pure BS. The function of an agent is mostly to act as an advisor and advocate. You can bet that when someone has their life or freedom on the line, or when they are looking at losing, or making a huge sum of money, that they have the final word in what happens. If the agent ignores or disobeys, the client can not only fire the agent, but can seek damages. Rarely, is the attorney granted by the client the power to act, which is evidenced through a special contractual form known as a power of attorney. This issue was nothing more than the proverbial "red herring". The Oklahoma action was prompted by the jerking knees of the megabrokers who realized that they couldn't compete with the true agents of "The Buyer's Agent" franchise in the realm of buyer representation. They seem to feel that by eliminating the activity that they are unwilling or unable to perform, that they will eliminate the strength of that particular competitor, thus making bigger...better. Get bent, Oklahoma, cause agency is defined by what you do...not by what you say. All you have done, is make it even easier for "The Buyer's Agent" to differentiate themselves from you and, possibly...given them the ammunition to turn this into a constitutional law issue, pulling it out of your hands entirely. Woudn't that be a pity. I sure hope this country wakes up someday and realizes what kind of crap exclusive buyer agents have had to put up with, all in the name of trying to practice in the best interests of their clients. Admittedly, when the client wins, we win...but that sure beats the hell out of the smoke and mirrors that the other side is constantly putting up to keep things focused on sales and away from service. Jay Reifert, Broker/Owner Excel-Exclusive Buyer Agency