We are now 160 or so days into the Trump era and I have been watching and listening in mostly silent and at times stunned amazement at how the polarized factions of the American nation are evolving. I must say I am not surprised by most of what has been attempted by the GOP-controlled Congress. …
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Watergate: An enduring memory of my youth
All democracy is a work in progress. For better or worse and despite being under constant threat of compromise since its founding, the grand American experiment has met the demands and overcome multiple imposed stresses as well as all manner of intense strain up to and including civil war. In my lifetime that radical idea…
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The end of an era
Have you ever tried to take a drink of water off a wide open fire hydrant? That is what it has been like given this has been such a heavy and fast moving news week. As if nothing could shake the most conservative and football crazy stretch of Old Route 66 harder than an injection…
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Us & Them: Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters rocks the BOK
As I have said many times before, music forms the tapestry that serves as our backdrop of life. Mine contains a fair amount of the body of work of the group Pink Floyd. Tulsa’s BOK Center served as the classic rock music center of the universe this past Thursday evening when Roger Waters graced this…
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Respect for the butcher’s bill
Of all the federally observed holidays on the American calendar, the one slated for the last Monday in May has for me always been the most somber and sobering. I’m sure most people who have sustained the loss of a loved one regardless if their lives ended on active duty in the armed forces or…
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A long day at the sausage factory
If you are fond of the taste of sausage then never let yourself get talked into watching how its made and especially never agree to participate in the process of making it. Even still, a state political convention is something everyone should experience at least once. This past Saturday over 600 passionate delegates from all…
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We are not OK
Life seems to have been toeing the line of the surreal for the past couple weeks while events, local and national, happen in real time and evolve over a period of days. This past week there was a candidate forum for those running for Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party where four of the five…
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One hundred days of lunacy
A couple of weeks after winning the November General Election, the then President-elect delivered a speech to the nation detailing his bold plan for this first 100 days: Policy Plan for the First 100 Days Any non-Fox “News” journalist, ie, any reality based media person who is not a cheerleader for the current regime and…
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One hundred years of American might
When the Central Powers of Europe mobilized their armed forces in August 1914 and the Allied Powers mobilized theirs in response, it was widely believed by many on both sides that the conflict would be glorious, short-lived and decisive. Few of the pro-military interventionists gave any credibility to the prospect of a protracted, drawn out…
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Picking up the pieces of shattered trust
So we never thought it could happen to us. I’m sure we would all love to think that. This particular train of thought is a familiar cerebral pathway unique to many of us who, either directly or indirectly, have ever had to negotiate their way through the fallout generated by the shambles such an awful…
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