The Evenin' Shadders

A few thousand years ago, some ancient, Irish Celt got the wild idea that the dead wandered around the earth on Oct. 31, the night before the Celtic New Year. Whoever came up with this idea passed it along to his fellow Celts, and pretty soon, the whole tribe decided that New Year’s eve, the boundary between the living world and the world of the dead became sorta blurred. They even coined a name for this little shindig, they called it Samhain — pronounced “sou-wen” — which meant, literally, “summer’s end.” But Samhain, it seems, had its good and bad points. On the plus side, the Druids — the Celtic priests — said they could make better predictions about the future if the dead guys were roaming around. On the bad side, the ghosts of the dead didn’t always behave; they’d scare people, cause trouble and damage crops. Yes, it does sound like Congress. How we got the name Anyway, as part of the celebration, the Druids built big bonfires and sacrificed some crops and several unlucky animals ...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Close to 100,000 people -- and media outlets from across the nation -- are expected to converge on Guthrie next month for the apex of the state's Centennial Celebration. Scheduled the week of Nov. 9 through 17, Guthrie's celebration will include a ceremonial special session of the Oklahoma Legislature, a State Senate ceremony, a celebration by the state's African American community, a Native American sunset ceremony and a Statehood Inaugural Ball. A Nov. 16 statehood day reenactment, parade and picnic will highlight the celebration. "We're excited," said Guthrie Mayor Chuck Burtcher. "We're going to put on the dog for the rest of the state." Known as Oklahoma's first state capital, the city of Guthrie lost the capital following a statewide election called by then-Gov. Charles Haskell. Haskell, the state's first elected governor, was in Tulsa the day of the election, where he learned the results shortly after midnight. Has...

(Since it's this close to Halloween, thought you all would like an original Halloween poem. My apologies to Edward Gorey!) A is for Annabel, (who died by the lake) B is for Billy, (impailed on a rake) C is for Charles, (the piano did fall) D is for Derick, (they found him in the hall) E is for Edward, (with a knife in his back) F is for Frank, (found a snake in a sack) G is for Gertrude, (she swallowed a toad) H is for Herald, (he stood too long in the road) I is for Icabod, (the rats liked his toes) J is for Jasper, (the beans plugged his nose) K is for Kiki, (her baton caught on fire) L is for Lenoard, (he swallowed barbed wire) M is for Michael, (very alergic to Bees) N is for Nathan, (the sharks ate both knees) O is for Orin, (he was folded and pressed) P is for Perry, (he's quite dead and depressed) Q is for Quanna, (her bones do look grim) R is for Ralphie, (there’s not much left of him) S is for Sasha, (the poison was runny) T is for Terance, (he’s no longer funny) U is ...

It doesn’t take an act by the Oklahoma State Legislature to know it’s wrong to steal. Nor do we need a gubernatorial proclamation that lying, cheating on your spouse or killing someone are not the best of ideas. Because, long before members of the Oklahoma House and Senate convened in their marble chambers at 23rd and Lincoln there were rules of conduct. The Bible’s 10 commandments were a pretty good start. From there, society was given the “Golden Rule” — based on Matthew 7:12. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” That simple idea has been the basis for our modern concept of human rights since the time of Christ. But right now it’s taking it on the chin. Especially here in Oklahoma. With state Representative Randy Terrill’s anti-immigrant bill now law, Oklahoma has set aside its moral principals and, in the process, lost its humanity. Terrill’s recent blast at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority is the perfect e...

MOORE — A former official with Moore’s First Baptist Church is suing the church for his termination, and for “spreading false rumors about his mental health throughout the community,” court documents show. Jimmie D. Lady, the church’s associate pastor, filed the suit in Cleveland County District Court last week seeking $10,000 in actual damages and $10,000 in punitive damages for “severe emotional distress and mental anguish as a result of statements made about him when his job was terminated.” Lady’s attorney, Andrew Hicks of Houston, claimed church officials terminated Lady for being bi-polar, then spread rumors about Lady in the community. “Although a man of God, Dr. Lady cannot ignore the dramatic, adverse effects these untrue and unfair accusations have had on him and his family,” Hicks said. “First Baptist Moore’s efforts to tarnish Dr. Lady’s reputation have threatened his family’s livelihood. Through this suit, we hope to restore Dr. Lady’s good name.” Church officials denied...