BatesLine op-ed headlines

True history of the two million acres opened for settlement in the April 22, 1889, Land Run. No, the land wasn't stolen. American taxpayers paid millions for it, twice.

An essay from 2012. If you want to understand why the people who call the shots don't get much public criticism, you need to know about the people I call the yacht guests. "They staff the non-profits and the quangos, they run small service-oriented businesses that cater to the yacht owners, they're professionals who have the yacht owners as clients, they work as managers for the yacht owners' businesses. They may not be wealthy, but they're comfortable, and they have access to opportunities and perks that are out of financial reach for the folks who aren't on the yacht. Their main job is not to rock the boat, but from time to time, they're called upon to defend the yacht and its owners against perceived threats."

Introducing Tulsa's Complacent City Council

From 2011: "One of the things that seemed to annoy City Hall bureaucrats about the old council was their habit of raising new issues to be discussed, explored, and acted upon. From the bureaucrats' perspective, this meant more work and their own priorities displaced by the councilors' pet issues.... [The new councilors are] content to be spoon-fed information from the mayor, the department heads, and the members and staffers of authorities, boards, and commissions. The Complacent Councilors won't seek out alternative perspectives, and they'll be inclined to dismiss any alternative points of view that are brought to them by citizens, because those citizens aren't 'experts.' They'll vote the 'right' way every time, and the department heads, authority members, and mayoral assistants won't have to answer any questions that make them uncomfortable."

BatesLine has presented over a dozen stories on the history of Tulsa's Greenwood district, focusing on the overlooked history of the African-American city-within-a-city from its rebuilding following the 1921 massacre, the peak years of the '40s and '50s, and its second destruction by government through "urban renewal" and expressway construction. The linked article provides an overview, my 2009 Ignite Tulsa talk, and links to more detailed articles, photos, films, and resources.

From 2015: "Having purged the cultural institutions and used them to brainwash those members of the public not firmly grounded in the truth, the Left is now purging the general public. You can believe the truth, but you have to behave as if the Left's delusions are true.

"Since the Left is finally being honest about the reality that some ethical viewpoint will control society, conservatives should not be shy about working to recapture the culture for the worldview and values that built a peaceful and prosperous civilization, while working to displace from positions of cultural influence the advocates of destructive doctrines that have led to an explosion of relational breakdown, mental illness, and violence."

Hand & Racquet : London Remembers

A real-life Leicester Square pub beloved of comedy greats like Tommy Cooper and Tony Hancock, it was forever memorialized by writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson as Tony's local in Hancock's Half Hour. Closed circa 2008, demolished for new development in 2015.

Etherical Radio

This is a listing for an antique radio that has already been sold. The Etherical Radio Company of Bristow, Oklahoma, was the owner of radio station KFRU, which moved to Tulsa to become KVOO. They also made radios.

Review of Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole and the Remarkable Story of A Confederacy of Dunces

Leslie Marsh's review of Cory MacLauchlin's biography of John Kennedy Toole, with a critical focus on Simon & Schuster editor Paul Gottlieb's decision to keep Confederacy in limbo.

A Memory Keeper of New Orleans

Much respect to the biographer of John Kennedy Toole for his marathon, week-long, one-man digitizing effort in Tulane's Special Collections. I have had similar (but not as lengthy) sessions of photographing court files, newspaper articles, city directories, and microfilm for later reading and research.

"I spent five full days at the archive, from opening to closing, hunched over a table with my camera, capturing every page of the twenty-six boxes of the collection. At the end of the week, I had not read a single word from the archive. I flew home exhausted and sore. But I had gained something invaluable--a digitized version of the Toole Papers. And that became the backbone to Butterfly in the Typewriter."

Plutarch, De defectu oraculorum, section 17

The Greek historian Plutarch recounts a visit to Delphi and a dialogue about the disappearance of prophecy from once famous oracles. This section is an anecdote about a ship sailing in the Ionian Sea. A voice on the island of Paxi calls the ship's pilot by name and commands, "When you come opposite to Palodes, announce that Great Pan is dead." The pilot, Thamus, was summoned by the Emperor Tiberius, who commissioned an inquiry. Via Charles Haywood on X. Josh Centers replied to Haywood, "It was widely reported in the ancient world that the old pagan rituals stopped working after the resurrection. Christ overthrew the pagan gods and trampled down death by death." The death and resurrection of Christ occurred during the reign of Tiberius (AD 14 - AD 37).

John Milton's poem, "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," concludes with a description of the downfall of Satan and the old pagan gods at the birth of Jesus:

And then at last our bliss
Full and perfect is,
But now begins; for from this happy day
Th'old Dragon under ground,
In straiter limits bound,
Not half so far casts his usurped sway,
And, wrath to see his kingdom fail,
Swinges the scaly horror of his folded tail.

The Oracles are dumb;
No voice or hideous hum
Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving.
Apollo from his shrine
Can no more divine,
With hollow shriek the steep of Delphos leaving.
No nightly trance or breathed spell
Inspires the pale-ey'd priest from the prophetic cell.

Southwest Shuffle: Pioneers of Honky-Tonk, Western Swing, and Country Jazz : Kienzle, Richard : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

"Move those things out: Bob Wills Invades the Grand Ole Opry, 1944": The oft-embellished story of the Texas Playboys first appearance on the Opry, December 30, 1944, with Monte Mountjoy on a drum set that the Opry crew insisted would be behind a curtain, which Bob Wills ordered to be moved into full view. The band that night consisted of Bob Wills and Joe Holley on fiddle; Ted Adams and Rip Ramsey on bass; Jimmy Wyble and Cameron Hill on electric guitar; Noel Boggs on steel guitar; Alex Brashear on trumpet; Monty Mountjoy on drums.

(Southwest Shuffle also includes chapters about Tommy Duncan, Jimmy Wyble, and Luke Wills. You can borrow the book for online reading for up to two weeks with a free Internet Archive account.)

MIT Facilities - Maps & Floor Plans

This is fun: Current floor plans of MIT buildings. You need MIT login access (current student/staff or alumni). Would even be more fun if they had historical floor plans.

The Return of Western Swing: How a Documentary Brought California and Texas Together | by Meghan "Mae" McCoy | Jan, 2025 | Medium

Bandleader Mae McCoy on the western swing links between Texas and California. Mike Markwardt, producer of The Birth & History of Western Swing, screened his film at the Western Swing Society of Sacramento and will return to California this spring for more showings.

The Pioneer Woman: Best Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

We harvested a lot of sweet potatoes last fall and tried this easy approach to fixing them. Includes a simple but really tasty honey mustard recipe.

The Pioneer Woman: Mulled Apple Cider Recipe

This was really lovely. It includes maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, ground cloves, orange peel, and lemon peel. (This variation adds bourbon to the mix.)