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."

Monday Morning Prayer: Dr. Stan Zygmunt - YouTube

A friend from Campus Crusade at MIT, now a long-time physics professor at Valparaiso University, speaks at a college chapel service on why we don't ask for help and why we should anyway.

Revitalizing a New Mexico Icon: The Historic St. James Hotel & Saloon's Grand Re-Opening December 20th!!!

The St. James was our last civilized night's sleep before our near-100-mile Philmont trek, and our first real meal off the trail this past July. Glad to see the tradition going on. "Situated in Cimarron, New Mexico, at the entrance to the Enchanted Circle, the St. James Hotel is more than just a lodging destination; it offers an invitation to immerse oneself in the history, flavors, and rugged charm of the Old West. Originally under the stewardship of Bob Funk Sr. and the Funk family since 2009, the reopening under Chad and Alyse Mantz will ensure the family's love for Western heritage continues into the future. With their leadership, this historic hotel and its acclaimed bar and restaurant are set to reclaim their status as New Mexico's premier destination for adventure, hospitality, and unforgettable dining experiences."

The Affordable Housing Crisis May Have Cost Us An Election | by Kenya Gibson | Nov, 2024 | Medium

A grassroots Democrat city councilor in Richmond, Virginia, writes that Democrat databases are not keeping up with voters displaced by gentrification: "Software company NGP VAN, in partnership with the Democratic party, sells access to voter databases. NGP VAN is extremely costly and impacts crucial races nationwide. Because they are effectively a monopoly, when NGP VAN makes cuts to help their bottom line, their decisions could have massive implications on our national democracy. On numerous occasions, we personally knew people who had moved in or out of the district, and their voting address was only updated after they voted. The DNC and state parties owe it to us to audit its processes to maintain voter data and to investigate possible ramifications of NGP VAN's 2023 layoffs after their sale to a private equity firm in 2022."

dear washington DC - by el gato malo - bad cattitude

"i know A LOT of these people. this is what most of my friends are like. they learn for a living. they pull systems apart, see them as functional wholes, and work 16 hour days reading arcane 1000 page descriptions until they understand. then they pull the underwear of whoever thought they understood this material up over their heads in an atomic wedgie and take over a space. it's just what you do if you're a person like that. it's compulsion. it's like breathing.

"these are 3 and 4 and 5 standard deviation people who have focus and talent in quantities they do not even have maps of in washington....

"moving into a novel systems or spaces and becoming better at it than the people currently there is what these people do. it's ALL they do. it's who and what they are....

"DC was able to deal with people like this in the past because there were only a couple. you could isolate them and use the systems against them. this is a mob. and that's a very different thing."

Full article: Thomas Denton's Perambulation: Two Counties, Three Kingdoms, and Four Nations History?

"Thomas Denton's Perambulation of Cumberland, with additions on Westmorland, the Isle of Man, and Ireland, contains a wealth of evidence as to how a Cumbrian, English, and British subject integrated these elements [of county, national, and international identity] in this period. In addition to showing the assimilation of subjects within and across these boundaries, it equally reveals their differentiation and exclusion."

U.S. Senate: About Executive Nominations | Historical Overview

A misleading quote from this article has been circulated to suggest that Senate confirmation of executive nominations is a new thing, but the article cites several examples going back to the earliest days of the republic where the Senate rebuffed the president's choice: "Nevertheless, political and partisan conflicts between the president and senators have at times produced dramatic fights over cabinet nominees and led to their ultimate withdrawal or rejection. For example, when opponents of President Andrew Jackson gained a Senate majority in 1833, the Senate rejected Jackson's choice for secretary of the treasury, Roger B. Taney. When Vice President John Tyler became president in 1841 upon the death of William Henry Harrison, he clashed with Senate Whigs, who rejected Tyler's nominees to head the Treasury, Navy, and War Departments."

Elsewhere on the Senate website is a timeline of notable confirmations and rejections, the first of which occurred in 1795, when George Washington nominated John Rutledge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. "Rutledge thus became the first rejected Supreme Court nominee and the only one among the 15 who would gain their offices through recess appointments not to be subsequently confirmed. In turning down Rutledge, the Senate made it clear that an examination of a nominee's qualifications would include his political views."

The U.S. Dialect Quiz: How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk - The New York Times

My dialect map pinpointed Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Wichita as the cities to which my dialect is closest (because of my use of the terms "crawdad," "service road," and "pop," respectively. I'm furthest from Worcester, Springfield, Mass., and Providence because I pronounce "aunt" as "ant."

Travel | Amy Welborn

A neat way of tracking her travels, going back to 2008.

Clinton Transition Left $15,000 Damage, GAO Says - Los Angeles Times

Remembering the petty vandalism of the 2001 "peaceful transition of power" from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush. "The GAO concluded that 'damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks did occur in the White House during the 2001 presidential transition.' The report stated that some incidents, such as removing keyboard keys, placing glue on desk drawers and leaving obscene voicemail messages 'clearly were intentional,' and intentional damage would constitute a criminal act under federal law. No prosecutions are planned, though."

Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections

A tremendous resources that has been around since the early days of the World Wide Web, and continually expanded and updated. Great for visualizing political shifts over time. Please be aware that Mr. Leip uses the traditional convention of coloring the more socialist/leftist party red and the conservative/right-wing party blue, as he explains in the FAQ.