The Evenin' Shadders

They're dangerous and they're old. They come out of hiding late in the afternoon and they lurk on the spice aisle. They start out alone but once at the store, they travel in packs. They are the Sage Ladies and they don't take no for an answer. They arrive in their Sedan DeVilles or their Contentials. Their hair is a remarkable shade of blue not normally found in nature; it matches the attitude. And any man — absolutely any man — who is under the age of 50 is fair game. "Excuse me sonny," one ancient leader of the Sage Tribe asked. "Can you direct me to the spice aisle?" "Your standing on it," I replied. "Well aren't you a smart one," she snorted. I kept waiting for her to hop and broom and zoom out of site; she didn't. So, I began to push my cart east, toward Mecca and the produce aisle. "Well...?" she snorted again. "Pardon me?" "I asked you a question." "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't ...

It’s no secret the 1950s were a time of great economic revival and growth for the United States. The USA had won World War II. Hitler was dead; Germany and Japan were defeated. Our troops had come home. Babies were being born. Ike was president. On the surface, things looked great. But underneath all this starched, white prosperity, a fear grew. This fear festered and seeped until it infected the core of society. It was a fear which pushed neighbor against neighbor and friend against friend. It was a fear which forced family member against family member. It was a fear which started the Cold War. And while most people have a pretty good understanding of that era in history, fewer realize just how the fear of Communism spread, and what effects it had on society and freedoms. Enter David Everitt. A former magazine editor, Everitt — who writes on entertainment and media issues for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Biography and other publications — understands this fear better than...

Being a Watergate junkie, last Saturday's assignment was to die for. My boss, Andy, wanted me to cover the ACLU's annual Bill of Rights banquet in Oklahoma City. I was being asked to go becasue Daniel Ellsberg was the guest speaker. Okay, you remember who Daniel Ellsberg is, don't you? The Pentagon Papers? Watergate? Richard Nixon? I jumped at the chance. Karen, my wife, went with me. The bash was being held at the Clairon in Oklahoma City and dinner was included. Hey it doesn't get any better. We got their early for the interview—and for about 30 minutes I had Daniel Ellsberg all to my self. We sat in the lobby outside the room where the dinner would be and talked. I got to ask him several questions I'd always wanted to, then the weirdness started. Behind me, in another of the hotel's room, a group of people were dancing — and just as Ellsberg began to speak about Watergate the band started playing The Chicken Dance. Yeah, the Chicken Dance. So, my interview w...

Most people don’t remember him. He served as a United States Senator. He was from Oklahoma — a native son. He was born poor, but smart. He attended the University of Oklahoma and, eventually, earned a Law Degree. His name is Fred Harris. And he came damn close to being President of the United States. With the 2008 presidential election finished, former Senator Fred Harris’ memoir, Does People Do It? offers political junkies (who didn’t get enough of the recent presidential campaign) a chance to visit the past and discover a vivid, personal, and at times touching portrait one of Oklahoma’s most successful politicians. A child of the Great Depression, Harris grew up in Walters, Oklahoma. He hit the political scene early, running for and getting elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. From there, at 33, he went on the United States Senate, filling the seat formerly held by “the uncrowned king” Robert S. Kerr, who had died. Elected during the time of the Kennedys, Nixon and Watergate, Harris...