Photo: Steven Ruud Glow God makes the type of music parents warn their kids about. It’s visceral, bloody knuckles, beer-swilling, cigarette-puffing, sweat-dripping rock music that’s about as clean and polished as a dive bar urinal. But that’s just the surface. Underneath, it’s inviting, sweet and earnest all the same, a mosh-pit brotherhood of kindred spirits that […]
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Throwing stones at glass houses
“Everybody understands terrorism destroys people’s lives, it destroys property. All I meant was, all I was saying was the homosexual agenda is destroying people’s lives. I never meant to call them terrorists,” Kern said in defense of her beliefs. And then … and then she said that disagreeing with her belief is akin to being […]
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Mandating the Pledge of Allegiance
After posting this on my social media, it became painfully apparent that fellow Oklahomans had strong opinions regarding this topic. I realize that the Pledge of Allegiance is a true symbol of patriotism, and for good reason. Have we, however, considered the origins of our pledge and why it was originally introduced into our schooling […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Snake God
Directed by Django co-scripter Piero Vivarelli, the mostly plotless Italian film follows the beautiful Paola (Nadia Cassini, Starcrash) to the luscious Caribbean, where she makes a fast friend with Stella (Beryl Cunningham, The Weekend Murders), a local babe with membership in a voodoo cult. That’s where the title comes into play, as seemingly endless drum […]
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THE BEST LOCAL ALBUMS OF 2013
10. Johnny Polygon The Nothing 2013 belonged to the introspective rappers — the ones who found their strength in going soft and whose heads, hearts and souls lay open for listeners to poke around in. Tulsa emcee Johnny Polygon tips open his brain like a cap on The Nothing, baring weed-soaked nuggets of self-truths that […]
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LETTERS
As long as any politically useful segment of the American electorate believes that preachers can cure cancer with their bare hands or that intelligence is a product of education rather than a prerequisite, then the nation’s political life will be both insane and idiotic. — Oklahoma City Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the […]
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Power Pyramid — The God Drums
The album’s searing, swirling guitar riffs lay pinned to defiant bass grooves and drum loops, moving from pretty, tempered aggression (opener “Diving Lessons,” “Holland”) to more edgy, snarling anthems (“Runner,” “Stop Your Pulse”). Early on, Power Pyramid establishes a formula that it refuses to deviate far from, but like Beach House smothered in cigarette smoke, […]
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Driven to paganism?
Credit: Brad Gregg Keith Cressman, pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Bethany, learned the religious liberty suit will return to U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton’s courtroom after state Attorney General Scott Pruitt elected not to appeal a higher court’s decision. In June, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Heaton made […]
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God makes us good?
In the Aug. 6 cover story “Atheist” (News, Carmel Perez Snyder, Aug. 12, Oklahoma Gazette), Ms. Rebecca Vitsmun said, “I still believe that as long as people believe goodness is the thing they are striving for, then we are on the same page.” As a Christian, I believe we may be “in the same ball […]
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A court in their court
Recent lawsuit reform legislation was struck down 7-2 by the Oklahoma Supreme Court on a constitutional technicality unrelated to partisan politics. Morgan condemned the seven who “legislated” from the bench and called for action from the Oklahoma Civil Justice Council (OCJC), a right-wing group organized to “evaluate” those running for judicial office. Whatever happened to […]