Oklahoma
updated
11:42 a.m.
T he Tea Party whiners came out in many cities (including Tulsa) over the July 4 weekend, but their appearance may not bode well for their Republican allies. Texas Sen. John Cornyn , a conservative Republican, was booed at a Tea Party rally in Austin . Elsewhere, the Tea Party gang turned up with outlandish and racist posters , comparing President Obama to (of course!) Hitler. ...
Alternative Tulsa - 11:42 a.m.
Today we’re doing a 7 Seconds shuffle. 1. “Skins, Brains, & Guts” (from alt.music.hardcore) 2. “Widespread” (from Out the Shizzy) 3. “This is the Angry, Pt. 2” (The Crew) 4. “Trust” (from Live: One Plus One) 5. “Young ‘Til I Die” (from The Crew) 6. “The Kids are United” (from alt.music.hardcore) 7. “I Have a Dream” (from The Crew) 8. “No Class, No Way!” (from Old School) 9. “New Win...
Oklahoma Lefty - 8:47 a.m.
Vice President Biden said the administration "misread" the economy in January. They underestimated the level of unemployment to expect. The chart above is from the administration's research for... ...
Mainstream Baptist - 8:24 a.m.
"Is that to say we are against Free Trade? No, we are for Free Trade, because by Free Trade all economical laws, with their most astounding contradictions, will act upon a larger scale, upon the territory of the whole earth; and because from the uniting of all these contradictions in a single group, where they will stand face to face, will result the struggle which will itself eventuate in the em...
Sinister - Sun 11:55 p.m.
Sara Plummer published an insightful article in The Tulsa World on July 4 about two fathers whose sons were killed while serving in Iraq. The fathers, Warren Henthorn and John Scripsick, pictured right, were upset about former President George Bush's recent appearance at a Woodward Fourth of July event. Read the article here . ...
Blue Oklahoma - Sun 3:58 p.m. - 3 clicks 
Sally Kern, who you might know from such hits as "gays are a bigger threat to the US than terrorists," is at it again. She has been pushing a piece of special legislation called the Proclamation for Morality , which among other things denounces President Obama, blames homosexuals for the economy, and divorce and abortion are apparently causing a downfall of our country. A brav...
Blue Oklahoma - Sun 3:28 p.m.
State Rep. Sally Kern’s political stunts and outspoken religious extremism continue to sully the state’s image. Kern has become a national spectacle in a sad story of bigotry and narrow-minded religious views . How can it possibly help Oklahoma that so many people outside the state immediately think of Kern and what she has said and done when they even bother to think about the state at a...
Okie Funk - Sun 1:29 p.m. - 2 clicks
Podcast (7MB Mp3)of Dr. Bruce Prescott's 7-5-09 "Religious Talk" radio program. As a corrective to Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern's "Proclamation for Theocracy" and Hobby Lobby's full-page... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Sun 1:29 p.m. - 2 clicks
According to this story , former Secretary of State Collin Powell “worries that President Barack Obama is trying to tackle too many big issues at one time and he offers this advice: take a hard look at costs and consider the additional red tape that will be created.” From the story – "The right answer is, 'Give me a government that works,'" the former secretary of state said in a television int...
Oklahoma Lefty - Sun 10:49 a.m.
I got the idea for this post while leaving a comment on Steve’s Descendents Shuffle post. The point of the post is to pick my favorite song from each of the bands’ albums. And what makes this one more of a challenge is that I’m limiting myself to one song per CD. Since I think of these groups as one band, normally I would organize this list based on album release dates, but to make it easier,...
Oklahoma Lefty - Sun 10:49 a.m.
Title: Snark ( Amazon ) Author: David Denby ( Simon & Schuster , Wikipedia ) Publisher: Simon & Schuster ( Official , Wikipedia ) I saw this book in the library and not only did the bright yellow color catch my eye, but so did the line under the title “It’s Mean, It’s Personal, and It’s Ruining Our Conversation.” Needless to say, after seeing that on the cover I just ha...
Oklahoma Lefty - Sun 8:21 a.m.
Continuing in the Allular tradition (and that’s to Steve’s suggestion on yesterday’s Currently Listening and his own Descendents Shuffle ) today we’re doing a Descendents shuffle. 1. “Uranus” (from ALL) 2. “Tack” (from Cool to Be You) 3. “No FB” (from I Don’t Want to Grow Up) 4. “Jean in Dead” (from Milo Goes to College) 5. “One More Day” (from Cool to Be You) 6. “Descendents” (from I Don...
Oklahoma Lefty - Sun 8:07 a.m.
T he motley collection of malcontents, true believers, and clueless conservatives known as the Tulsa Tea Party made a local appearance today, July 4, to signal their Independence from high taxes and their opposition to an entire laundry list of about everything else this side of the 20 th century. Unfortunately for the Tea Party gang, their leaders include the right-wing fundamen...
Alternative Tulsa - Sat 8:10 p.m. - 16 clicks
That’s a real, I Am Not Making This Up headline by Will Lester of Associated Press: WASHINGTON – In dueling holiday addresses, President Barack Obama appealed for public support of his domestic programs and Sen. John McCain said Americans should side with Iranian election protesters. The 2008 rivals for the White House both cited the spirit of the nation’s founders in th...
Life and Deatherage - Sat 3:49 p.m.
I’m in an Allular mood today, so we’re doing an ALL shuffle. 1. “Refrain” (from Mass Nerder) 2. “Fool” (from Allroy’s Revenge) 3. “Right” (from Breaking Things) 4. “Birds” (from Percolater) 5. “Make Believe” (from Problematic) 6. “Bubblegum” (from Allroy’s Revenge) 7. “Broken” (from Pummel) 8. “Just Living” (from Allroy Saves) 9. “Shreen” (from Breaking Things) 10. “Son O Qua” (from Al...
Oklahoma Lefty - Sat 11:08 a.m.
I love Oklahoma. I was born and raised here. My grandparents helped settle two areas of this great state. One side helped settle the northeast part of Oklahoma and one side helped settle central Oklahoma. My love for this state is deep seated within my soul. I believe in the people of Oklahoma. I have seen Oklahomans rise through the ashes of tornados, wildfire, ice storms, and terrorism. Th...
Blue Oklahoma - Sat 11:08 a.m. - 9 clicks
There are some stories that you just can’t make up. From the story (emphasis mine) – ISTANBUL (Reuters) - What happens when you put a Muslim imam, a Christian priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk in a room with 10 atheists? Turkish television station Kanal T hopes the answer is a ratings success as it prepares to launch a gameshow where spiritual guides from the four faiths will seek to conve...
Oklahoma Lefty - Fri 10:37 a.m. - 2 clicks
According to this story , bull sharks have been found in the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp in LA. The story also goes on to say that sharks have travelled up the Mississippi River as far as St. Louis. Money Quote – The bull shark is particularly troubling for Walker, in part due to their natural threatening nature. "They're fairly aggressive sharks. They're probably responsible for the majority of...
Oklahoma Lefty - Fri 10:37 a.m.
The blog Pop Tarts Suck Toasted has a great post on the Top 20 Matador Albums of All-Time . If you’ve never read this blog, I highly suggest checking it out. It is one of the best music related blogs that I’ve seen and well worth checking out on a weekly, if not daily, basis. ...
Oklahoma Lefty - Fri 7:58 a.m.
Rotten Tomatoes has put together 50 Movies for 50 States . Take a wild guess as to the film they picked for the Sooner State. Thanks to Pop Candy for the find . ...
Oklahoma Lefty - Fri 7:58 a.m.
1. “Fire in the Rain” by Agent Orange (from Real Live Sound) 2. “Stuck on You” by The Briefs (from Steal Yer Heart) 3. “Outta My Mind” by The Donnas (from American Teenage Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine) 4. “Free Lori” by The Hudson Falcons (from Desperation & Revolution) 5. “Supernova” by Liz Phair (from Whip-Smart) 6. “Where Did You Hide the Sun” by The Methadones (from This Won’t Hurt) 7. “Ca...
Oklahoma Lefty - Fri 7:58 a.m.
The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Tip/Wag - Cynthia Davis & Fox News www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum ...
Alternative Tulsa - Thu 7:30 p.m. - 2 clicks
Leslie Simon is the ultra-hilarious author of the book Wish Your Were Here: An Essential Guide to Your Favorite Music Scenes – From Punk to Indie and Everything In Between and co-author of the book Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture (I covered both books in my Currently Reading segment which you can see here and here ). She was also the editor for Alternative Press mag...
Oklahoma Lefty - Thu 12:26 p.m.
T he Tulsa blogger know as Irritated Tulsan has a good post on the misadventures of Rep. Sally Kern , the conservative Republican state legislator who wants us all to think just like she does. Read his Top Ten lis t here . ...
Alternative Tulsa - Thu 12:26 p.m. - 7 clicks
Headline: NJ Man Pleads Guilty to 15th DUI From the story (okay it’s actually the entire story, but it’s really short) – MORRISTOWN, N.J. (July 1) – A New Jersey man whose driver's license has been suspended 78 times has pleaded guilty to his 15th drunken-driving offense. Shaun Campbell of East Rutherford told a judge Tuesday that he had been drinking "quite a bit" of beer when he crashed ...
Oklahoma Lefty - Thu 10:23 a.m. - 3 clicks
A few weeks ago I lost my self control and fell off the wagon. I started drinking Coca Cola again. I know, I know it’s not booze or drugs or anything, but Coke is my vice. The first time I completely kicked the habit I lost 30 pound. Since then I have gone back on and off the caffeine bottle multiple times (and gained back 10 of those 30 lost pounds). Often I return to the drink during times...
Oklahoma Lefty - Thu 10:23 a.m.
Robert of the Radish at Yahoo Music has put together a list of the 25 Greatest Punk Rock Band Logs . The list is actually pretty good. I was very pleased to see 7 Seconds coming in at # 20. Others on the list include Stiff Little Fingers at # 17, Minor Threat at # 19, Social Distortion at # 13, The Ramones at # 7, Bad Religion at # 9, the Dead Kennedys at # 2, the Misfits at # 3, and Black Fl...
Oklahoma Lefty - Thu 10:23 a.m.
1. “Bikeage” by Descendents (from Milo Goes to College) 2. “Ivory Girl” by Down By Law (from All Scratched Up) 3. “When All Else Fails” by The GC5 (from Never Bet the Devil Your Head) 4. “Liquid In, Liquid Out” by The Thermals (from Now We Can See) 5. “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads (from Popular Favorites 1976-1992: Sand in the Vaseline Disc 1) 6. “Messing with My Head” by Tinted Windows (...
Oklahoma Lefty - Thu 10:23 a.m.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma is urging people to protest state Rep. Sally Kern's "Oklahoma Citizen's Proclamation of Morality" when she and others sign the document at the State Capitol at noon Thursday, July 2. "We are asking all civic-minded Oklahomans who believe in the value of diversity, tolerance, and the freedom to follow one's conscience to join us at Kern's proclamat...
Blue Oklahoma - Wed 4:49 p.m. - 18 clicks
OETA, the PBS affiliate in Oklahoma City, interviewed me this afternoon to get my opinions about State Representative Sally Kern's "Proclamation for Morality". The most concise statement that I made... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Wed 2:41 p.m. - 11 clicks
A new "fat" study is out and it's not good news for Oklahoma. It appears the Sooner state has moved up in the "fattest state" rankings . We used to be eighth; now we're sixth . Hey, we're super-sized, even bigger than Texas ! But Mississippi—they won the obesity sweepstakes. An interactive map and more can be found at this link . ...
Alternative Tulsa - Wed 1:35 p.m. - 6 clicks
Yesterday the U.S. federal government unveiled its "IT Dashboard" -- a website that is supposed to make government spending transparent to anyone who takes the time to peruse the information. I... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Wed 11:40 a.m.
Because the people of Oklahoma have a strong tradition of reliance upon the Creator of the Universe , Rep. Sally Kern has issued a "Proclamation For Morality" which blames America's economic problems on Gays. ...
PhotoTune - Wed 9:34 a.m. - 15 clicks
T he world's most famous plumber , Joe of Ohio, has a pipeline directly to God. Joe says God told him not to run for public office. Details of the Divine Conversation here . ...
Alternative Tulsa - Wed 8:32 a.m.
I f she keeps it up, Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern, a fundamentalist Republican, is likely to become a national joke. But the joke won't be funny in the Sooner state, which doesn't need more ridicule. We're talking about Kern's latest right-wing manifesto , in which she blames all of the nation's problems on our supposed moral depravity —unending oceans of porn, unlimited abortion, child a...
Alternative Tulsa - Tue 6:08 p.m. - 14 clicks
W ow! AltTulsa is stunned into silence at the peculiar logic employed by radio blabber Rush Limbaugh, who managed to blame President Obama for South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina. It's as amazing and it is moronic . Law professor Jonathan Turley has the details here . ...
Alternative Tulsa - Tue 3:46 p.m. - 2 clicks
According to this story , credit card companies are starting to use purchasing data to “weed out who may or may not be good credit risks.” From the story – Have you used your credit card at merchants specializing in secondhand clothing, retread tires, bail bond services, massages, casino gambling or betting? Your credit card issuer may be taking note -- and making decisions about your creditwo...
Oklahoma Lefty - Tue 10:01 a.m.
Last night on my way back to work from my lunch break I was listening to the Michael Savage show (lord only knows why) and he was ripping into Michael Jackson calling him the “king of the pill poppers.” Michael Jackson was a weird guy and he may or may not have done bad things with little boys but the man is dead. His soul will have to answer for whatever his has done and defaming him at this po...
Oklahoma Lefty - Tue 9:00 a.m.
G OP hypocrisy update , courtesy of Talking Points Memo : David Vitter (R-LA), the champion of social conservatism whose career became mired in the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal of 2007, has a new fundraising letter that warns of the liberal/socialist threats on a whole range of issues -- though one particular item is mysteriously missing. The letter warns of the threat posed by Demo...
Alternative Tulsa - Tue 9:00 a.m. - 7 clicks
Setting aside the global warming/climate change debate for a minute, the fact is that China produces more pollutants and pollution than any other country on the planet. This is a problem that the Chinese government is realizing that they are going to have to deal with. According to this story , “China's intellectuals are openly debating the role of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in promoting...
Oklahoma Lefty - Jun 29
Children can be very impressionable. They can also absorb information like a sponge. And they’re often a lot smarter then we adults realize. So taking all of that into consideration, when is it a good time to introduce children to religion? This is something that I have wondered about for a while and wrote about once , but admittedly I’m still not sure what to do with my own kids. My wife g...
Oklahoma Lefty - Jun 29 - 2 clicks
1. “Renovating” by Buffalo Tom (from Three Easy Pieces) 2. “Been There All the Time” by Dinosaur Jr. (from Beyond) 3. “Thanks for Nothing” by The Heartdrops (from East Side Drive) 4. “My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg) by The Ramones (from Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: The Anthology Disc 2) 5. “I Need Feedback” by Swingin’ Utters (from Five Lessons Learned) 6. “Drive In” by The Don...
Oklahoma Lefty - Jun 29
T he formal gardens at Tulsa's Philbrook Art Museum this year have been turned into a vegetable garden for a local food bank. Veggies from the museum's garden will be given to the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank. National Public Radio has the report. Find it here . ...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 29 - 6 clicks
The following is a scene from the Bollywood movie Hello (see my latest Currently Watching ). Here’s the set up – there are six call center workers who have left work to go to a night club to blow off steam after learning that 35-40% of the employees are going to be laid off. The upcoming lay offs have added to the already enormous pressure and stress that each individual is under (one has disc...
Oklahoma Lefty - Jun 29
How about all of the above? Check this out… A 16 year-old kid gunned down his parents after they tried to limit his time playing video games . From the story – Daniel Petric, the now 17-year-old in question, recently got 23 years to life for killing his mother (his father survived his wounds) and claimed insanity at his trial. An obsession with the sci-fi shooter game Halo 3 supposedly kept...
Oklahoma Lefty - Jun 29
From The Oklahoman : WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden’s office tried to enlist Rep. Dan Boren in a public relations fight against Sen. Tom Coburn after Coburn released a report criticizing some projects funded by the $787 billion economic stimulus package. Boren, D-Muskogee, said last week he rejected the request because of an “unspoken rule” among the Oklahom...
Life and Deatherage - Jun 29 - 20 clicks
Frank Schaeffer, son of the late Francis Schaeffer, has posted an essay about the theocratic aspirations of the American Religious Right. In explicit terms, from an insider's perspective, he... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 29 - 2 clicks
Y es, she's a fool and a blowhard . But even fools and blowhards can sometimes stumble across the truth. Even so, Rep. Michelle Bachmann has established a long line of errors, misstatements, and plain ole lies. This week, she won the notorious "Pants on Fire" award from PolitiFact after she claimed that the Constitution only requires that citizens answer how many people are in their ho...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 29
A T has been amiss lately in our weekly wine work . We like to sip a bit every now and again (okay, sometimes it's more like quaffing ) but we haven't had a chance to report on vino in a while. Our latest find is a sturdy California red from Block No. 45. We know nothing of the winery except that it is located in San Martin, which doesn't help much since we never heard of the town. In a...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 29
I n his last column for the Washington Post , Dan Froomkin recalls the fundamental dishonesty at the core of the George W. Bush administration. Froomkin nails the bastards: When I look back on the Bush years, I think of the lies. There were so many. Lies about the wa r and lies to cover up the lies about the war. Lies about torture and surveillance. Lies about Valerie ...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 29
T he snarky New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has skewered South Carolina's Mark Sanford , a governor who fell in love with himself. Here's her comment: As in all great affairs, Mark Sanford fell in love simultaneously with a woman and himself — with the dashing new version of himself he saw in her molten eyes... With Maria, he was no longer the penny-pinching millionaire Mark,...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 29
Last year, my family spent a lot of time talking about gas prices. Over the winter, we watched others struggle to keep their houses warm. And as the new year began, we saw debates about energy continue in Washington. It's not just gas prices or the environment we have to worry about - it's our future. In America and around the world, we have come to depend on resources we know will not last. O...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 26 - 2 clicks
For more than five years the world has heard reports that the United States was torturing suspected terrorists to get false confessions about WMD's, or links to Al Queda, or plots to attack U.S.... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 26
According to Reuters, "Southern Baptists (and Republicans): old, white and in decline." You'll be surprised who they source for their information. ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 26
BBC is reporting that the world's greatest creditor nation (China) is forcefully contending that the world should no longer use the currency of one of the world's greatest debtor nations (the U.S.)... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 26
For obvious reasons. This song is a major memory marker from my childhood. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean by hushhush112 Whatever else you say about the man, he was talented. ...
Sinister - Jun 25
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn vehemently opposed a bill last year that funded improvements to Washington D.C.'s Metro system, a fact that has drawn Internet discussion since Monday's tragic crash. Nine people were killed and 70 others were injured when two trains on the Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system collided. One of the trains was pulling older cars that the National Transportati...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 25 - 8 clicks
W hen you have no ideas and nothing to say , just be frickin' outrageous. Say anything and hope something makes a little sense. That seems to be the philosophy (a term we use very loosely) of some Republican women in Maryland. Read the sorry story here. ...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 25
A n interesting note from the (conservative!) Washington Times : Extramarital affairs, gambling, alcohol abuse, prostitution and sexual pursuit of minors have taken a toll on the GOP. ...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 25 - 3 clicks
T he right-wing crazies continue to rant and rave, finding enemies wherever they turn. The latest is a pro-gun activist who advocates the murder of federal judges he doesn't like. A little hint to the gun nuts out there: this is not the way to deal with your real or imagined opponents. In a civil society, citizens don't urge the murder of duly appointed officials because they might rule ...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 25
Yesterday, messangers at the Southern Baptist Convention expelled Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas from the SBC. There was no debate. The vote took about thirty seconds. Boradway's... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 25
…when prominent Democratic politician John Edwards from North Carolina admitted that he had an affair, it was the lead story on the KFOR news (Oklahoma City channel 4, NBC affiliate) at 4:30 PM, or at least covered in the top section. At the time, Edwards neither held political office nor was a candidate for political office. I mention this because today, prominent Republican politician...
Life and Deatherage - Jun 24 - 6 clicks
A political observer from The Daily Beast predicts the end of Gov. Mark Sanford's political career. "He's toast," Mark McKinnon writes. Read it here . ...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 24
T he meltdown of right-wing political operator s continued today with the admission by South Carolina Gov. Mark "Family Values" Sanford. Here's the reaction of the National Review's Rich Lowery: First [Nevada Sen. John] Ensign , then the "Crying in Argentina" press conference. If Republicans want a presidential candidate who lives clean and whose family hasn't been involved in t...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 24 - 3 clicks
A panel of three George W. Bush appointees unanimously agreed that the Ten Commandments monument on the courthouse lawn in Stigler, Oklahoma is unconstitutional. It would be hard to assemble a more... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 24 - 5 clicks
Podcast (27MB Mp3) of Dr. Bruce Prescott's 6-21-09 "Religious Talk" radio interview with Dr. Timothy Eaton, President of Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Moore, Oklahoma. We talk about the... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 23 - 3 clicks
A real way forward to covering uninsured 23 June, 2009 By David Blatt POINT OF VIEW: Gradual expansion of Insure Oklahoma This article was originally posted on the Oklahoma Policy Institute website, okpolicy.org. Who pays to provide health care to people without insurance? We all do. A recent study by the health care policy group Families USA calculated that the average family wit...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 23 - 6 clicks
T hat Paragon of Conservative Values and Moral Clarity , Sean Hannity, is lying again. Hannity can't seem to open his mouth without getting the facts wrong, deliberately in many cases. For example, Hannity is claiming (read: lying) that the so-called Cash for Clunkers program approved by Congress will allow citizens to use worthless junked cars to scam the government for $4,500. That wou...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 23
Book Review: Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely 22 June, 2009 By Bryan Lower Classical economics assumes human beings are rational actors trying to satisfy their own self-interests. That assumption is wrong. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape our Decisions, Dan Ariely, 2008, Harper Collins, $25.95 Dan Ariely?s research into human behavior challenges our assumpti...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 22
The House just passed a war funding bill, with all but five Republicans voting against it. Why do Republicans hate our troops? ...
Sinister - Jun 22
I wasn't able to attend this event, but it sounds like a lot of important topics were discussed. Here's a press release summarizing the forum. The forum itself will be broadcast on cable access, to be scheduled at a later date. Overflow Crowd Attends Forum - Civil Liberties Under Obama: Are We Still At Risk? By Mark Kramer, National Lawyers Guild On June 17, an overflow crowd of 100 attended...
Sinister - Jun 22
I just watched the horrifying video of the girl Neda who was shot and died on the street. There is clearly much, much, more going on here than a simple election protest. However, I don't think turning a website green in solidarity with the protesters or with Moussavi is really helpful - it's the digital equivalent of a "Free Tibet" sticker. It makes us feel better, but nobody in the Chinese gov...
Sinister - Jun 22
Iran is not a democracy. The "election" they just had featured four government-approved candidates. The current kerfuffle is between two of those government-approved candidates. All hopefuls for high elected office must be cleared by the Guardian Council, a 12-member body of clerics and scholars loyal to the ruling theocracy. The council often rejects potential candidates considered too libera...
Sinister - Jun 22
W hatever the wisdom of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, there's little argument over the place of the soldiers themselves. Soldiers follow orders, of course, even if the Bush policies and the invasion itself were faulty and ill-advised. An eye-opening tale of soldiers following orders is one of the themes of Martha Raddatz's 2007 book, The Long Road Home . Raddatz, a veteran ABC correspon...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 21
H ere we go again . Just when you think Oklahoma politicians couldn't get any nuttier, Sen. Tom Coburn has joined the folks who think Barack Obama may be a alien. Here's the report from the far, far Right, in all its paranoid glory: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK ) has now signed up with the Birther cause -- the people who think Barack Obama isn't a natural-born citizen and s...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 20 - 4 clicks
Fareed Zakaria, in an interview on CNN, reveals the significance of current events in Iran: Fareed Zakaria: One of the first things that strikes me is we are watching the fall of Islamic... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 20
1997 - The tobacco industry agreed to a massive settlement in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and legal bills. 2002 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel. COINCIDENCE? I think NOT! “So long as the priest, that professional negator, slanderer and poisoner of life, is regarded as a super...
DailyKos (Oklahoma) - Jun 20
P olitics is all about compromise. You give a little to get a little—unless you are the senior senator from Oklahoma , in which case you take your ball and go home. We're talking about Sen. Inhofe's refusal to meet this week with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Inhofe doesn't need to meet with her. He's already made up his mind , you see, having voted against her once...
Alternative Tulsa - Jun 19 - 4 clicks
Robert Parham, Executive Director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, wrote a letter to congress supporting the "American Clean Energy Act." More than 140 Baptist leaders from the across the country... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 19
…and all too typical for today’s GOP. Normally, Frank Lucas doesn’t show up in the news, but here he is: Leaders of a new GOP group, the “ Rural American Solutions Group ,” are distributing a document attacking climate change legislation as an economic burden to most of the country. As it turns out, the information in the press release was provided to the Republ...
Life and Deatherage - Jun 19 - 6 clicks
Robert Parham has posted an essay comparing the programs for this year's national conventions of American Baptists, Southern Baptists and Cooperative Baptists. American Baptists and Cooperative... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 19
BBC has posted a story about an "Open Source" hydrogen car which will be developed by a non-profit corporation. "Open Source" is a term familiar in the world of the internet and computer software.... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 16
Glenn Greenwald at Salon has posted an astute blog post about the myopia of those who have been beating the drum to go to war with Iran: Much of the same faction now claiming such concern for the... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 16
So, Just What is the True Definition of Marriage? 15 June, 2009 By James Nimmo The commitment of marriage goes beyond religion, politics and gender (OKLAHOMA CITY) As a semi-professional musician I provided music at the same-gender marriage recently of two friends of mine, the latest ceremony of uncountable services I've played. I'm also a committed atheist and rather hard-boiled when it...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 15 - 6 clicks
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) recently announced that he will seek a second and final term in the U.S. Senate. ...
PhotoTune - Jun 14 - 6 clicks
You have to love the conservative mass-forwarded E-mails because they just never ever stop. You can Google any series of several consecutive words in any one of them and you’ll get hundreds and hundreds of hits from where they just took the same text and pasted it, over and over, every place they could find. I think this ties in with the fact that most big-money conservative blogs have...
Life and Deatherage - Jun 13
Obama's "Justice" department crossed a line today by filing a hideously hateful brief in support of the Defense of Marriage Act. The brief contained legal arguments comparing gay marriage to incest and parroting far right homophobic viewpoints that would make Pat Robertson giddy. Worse, it said that DOMA is constitutional, and that denying gay people marriage equality is not the same thing as ...
Sinister - Jun 12
For the first time ever, the proven reserves of the world's oil supply are officially admitted to be in decline. Michael T. Klare succinctly summarizes this sea change in the economy in the... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 12
Yes, I'm the language Nazi. Two articles have pissed me off recently. One: [Some American Idol dick] admits he's gay in an interview. So is he gay outside of the interview? Should be: "In an interview, [some American Idol dick] admits he's gay." Two: "Lightning kills boy while fishing with Father." Was the lightning fishing with the father, or was the kid? Grr. ...
Sinister - Jun 12 - 2 clicks
Ok, not exactly new. But this is an excerpt from a collection of poetry I'm working on. Comments and criticism are welcome. This was written as a tribute to Allen Ginsberg on the 10th anniversary of his death. 4. America 2007 America I've given you all and now I'm nothing. America two dollars and twentyseven cents won't even buy a gallon of gas June 12, 2007. I can't stand my president's min...
Sinister - Jun 11
CNN's coverage of the attack by a white supremecist at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. has repeatedly emphasized that the attacker was a "lone wolf" and that the FBI has infiltrated... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 10
I was right earlier today ( in my election roundup ) when I guessed Drew Edmondson would officially announce his candidacy today. His Twitter page announced his candidacy at noon EST today, saying " It's official! I'm running for Governor. Go to www.edmondson2010.com to learn more. " Although I don't have a video of his announcement speech I did get a copy of the (very well writt...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
According to Ethics Daily, Morris Chapman, Executive Director of the Southern Baptist Convention, is promoting a plan to expand and extend a network of private Baptist grade schools and secondary... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 10
Today I take a big step toward accomplishing one of two major goals I set for myself decades ago as a young buck. That step is to idle this blog. And it’s not a step I take lightly, for I’ve enjoyed my time as an “Okie blogger”. I feel Okiedoke had a good run of [...]...
Okiedoke - Jun 10
By Grant Schott Although he served less than two terms in the U.S. Senate, Fred Harris was a prominent presidential candidate in 1976 better known than many senior senators, and he made his mark on the watershed 1960's and early 70's. In his genuine, warm, informative and fascinating (at least if you love politics) memoir, Harris looks back on a life story worth telling, and reading. Harri...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 9
James Kwak at the Baseline Scenario blog has posted charts projecting the shortfalls that state and local governments are facing and will face both with and without Obama's stimulus. The chart... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 8
The Ten Circuit Court of Appeals has just ruled that the Ten Commandments monument on the courthouse lawn in Haskell County, Oklahoma is unconstitutional. Here's a summary: We hold that under the... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 8 - 5 clicks
The Tennessean is reporting that Southern Baptists will cut the ranks of missionaries due to mission giving shortfalls. Giving to the Lottie Moon mission offering dropped by $9 million dollars in... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 8
and now in memory of David Carradine, who may have died from something rather embarrassing, here's this great scene from Kill Bill: ...
Sinister - Jun 5
Little Axe blogger, Debby Cotter Kaspari, took her little 3″ X 5″ sketch book to the Panamanian jungle. Rufous Motmot by D. Kaspari As a dedicated field artist she uses her signature gesture drawings, field notes and camera to accentuate the rhythms and movements of her animal, plant and landscape subjects. Most of her work is done [...]...
Okiedoke - Jun 5
The Economic Policy Institute recently published the above graph to demonstrate the degree to which the nominal hourly wage growth collapsed in the first quarter of 2009. ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 5
Ken Pagano, pastor of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Kentucky, says "We're just trying to promote responsible gun ownership and gun safety." That's one of the stated reasons why he is encouraging... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 5
Lt. Governor Jari Askins posted her first blog on her campaign website for Governor yesterday about her dedication to small businesses and their impact on local economies. "We had a great opportunity to attend the Small Business Summit kick-off event last night, organized by Larry Mocha, Kell Kelly, and Jerry Holder in Tulsa. The three small business owners have worked hard to develop a ...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 5 - 4 clicks
Oklahoma State Senator Kenneth Corn in Tulsa 2 June, 2009 By Bryan Lower Where: Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters. When: Monday, June 1st. 2009, 6:30 PM. Hosted by Tulsa's Heart of the Party State Senator Kenneth Corn from district 4 is running for the office of Lieutenant Governor of the state of Oklahoma. Tulsa turned out a full house to hear him give what will probably be his ...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 3 - 3 clicks
Uh … The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority will stop issuing automatic violations for failure to pay tolls until the agency can match its records with Tax Commission records new license plate numbers. Wouldn’t it make sense to just suspend automatic violations without announcing it? It’s kind of like Wal-Mart publicizing that they have turned off their security [...]...
Okiedoke - Jun 3 - 3 clicks
Special Report: 2009 Oklahoma Democratic Convention 1 June, 2009 By John Slater Commentary by John Slater Let me start off by saying congratulations to Todd Goodman for winning the Oklahoma Democratic Chairman position. The party is in the darkest point in Oklahoma history. Mr. Goodman has a hard road ahead for success and he will need a lot of help from everyone in the party to spread th...
Blue Oklahoma - Jun 3 - 5 clicks
Rumors are spreading on the internet that defense attorneys for Scott Roeder, who is being charged with assassinating abortion doctor George Tiller, may defend him by saying he was brainwashed from... ...
Mainstream Baptist - Jun 3
We've all seen the ads on television, "Hi I'm a Mac. Hi I'm a PC." The Mac always ends up making the PC look like an idiot because the Mac is so superior and so much more stable and just better and more shiny in every way. Microsoft has recently come out with ads where they give people $1500 to buy a computer, and these people inevitably find that a PC is a better value than a Mac. Well,...
Sinister - Jun 3
There's an organization in Portland called Free Geek , which is dedicated to providing computers to "schools and charitable organizations in our community who in turn benefit others." They also give free computers to people who agree to volunteer with them. They have a great thing called the "build program" that takes volunteers through a series of stages of how to learn to build a computer. A...
Sinister - Jun 3 - 2 clicks
I’ve been known to criticize my congressman a bit here on this blog. It really isn’t personal. And for anyone who may think otherwise, perhaps this invitation I received in today’s mail will convince you: But what can I get for the man who has everything? Contributions are limited to $2,400 per person … ...
Okiedoke - Jun 3
Not a bad little show, despite disappointment in some quarters . At least, until you get to the very end, where you see this message: © MMVIX Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved Apparently including the right to redefine Roman numerals....
Life and Deatherage - Jun 2
News aggregator Topix is advertising a new feature: Sounds like fun, however I don’t think any of these photos will be getting many votes from Okies. Come to think of it, it would be kind of like voting for a candidate in many state elections. Actually, the Oklahoma photos are here. Ones like this guy explaining how [...]...
Okiedoke - May 29 - 4 clicks
Universal Healthcare is good for business and good for all 10 March, 2009 By Cory Williams What if other public services were run for profit like the American health care system? Much talk among Conservatives paints the picture that universal health care will destroy the economy and force people into unemployment. They say that the taxes and costs incurred by all would halt economic growth...
Blue Oklahoma - May 28
