Stephen Martin
@donnieanadarko.bsky.social
I'm gettin' too old for this sh*t.
Twenty years ago today, I watched my first Oklahoma bowl game after moving to Norman.
Back then, college football felt like home.
Realignment changed that — not just for teams, but for all of us.
My latest @RootsMainStreet:
“When College Football Stopped Feeling Like Home”
Link below.
Back then, college football felt like home.
Realignment changed that — not just for teams, but for all of us.
My latest @RootsMainStreet:
“When College Football Stopped Feeling Like Home”
Link below.
December 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Twenty years ago today, I watched my first Oklahoma bowl game after moving to Norman.
Back then, college football felt like home.
Realignment changed that — not just for teams, but for all of us.
My latest @RootsMainStreet:
“When College Football Stopped Feeling Like Home”
Link below.
Back then, college football felt like home.
Realignment changed that — not just for teams, but for all of us.
My latest @RootsMainStreet:
“When College Football Stopped Feeling Like Home”
Link below.
America makes more sense at 1:160 scale.
Towns, rail lines, industries, even mistakes — when you shrink them, the patterns show up.
“America in N Scale” is about memory, place, and why small details still matter.
#ModelRailroad #AmericanCulture #Infrastructure #Memory #Storytelling
Towns, rail lines, industries, even mistakes — when you shrink them, the patterns show up.
“America in N Scale” is about memory, place, and why small details still matter.
#ModelRailroad #AmericanCulture #Infrastructure #Memory #Storytelling
December 24, 2025 at 6:35 PM
America makes more sense at 1:160 scale.
Towns, rail lines, industries, even mistakes — when you shrink them, the patterns show up.
“America in N Scale” is about memory, place, and why small details still matter.
#ModelRailroad #AmericanCulture #Infrastructure #Memory #Storytelling
Towns, rail lines, industries, even mistakes — when you shrink them, the patterns show up.
“America in N Scale” is about memory, place, and why small details still matter.
#ModelRailroad #AmericanCulture #Infrastructure #Memory #Storytelling
Before algorithms, there was memory.
Before loyalty points, there was recognition.
This is a story about department stores that knew your name — and what disappeared when they stopped.
The Department Store That Knew Your Name
Link below.
Before loyalty points, there was recognition.
This is a story about department stores that knew your name — and what disappeared when they stopped.
The Department Store That Knew Your Name
Link below.
December 22, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Before algorithms, there was memory.
Before loyalty points, there was recognition.
This is a story about department stores that knew your name — and what disappeared when they stopped.
The Department Store That Knew Your Name
Link below.
Before loyalty points, there was recognition.
This is a story about department stores that knew your name — and what disappeared when they stopped.
The Department Store That Knew Your Name
Link below.
Empires don’t adopt crops that refuse to obey.
This column is about the plants that almost shaped the world — and what their sidelining tells us about power, agriculture, and the quiet systems that don’t survive conquest.
Also-rans of Empire
This column is about the plants that almost shaped the world — and what their sidelining tells us about power, agriculture, and the quiet systems that don’t survive conquest.
Also-rans of Empire
December 20, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Empires don’t adopt crops that refuse to obey.
This column is about the plants that almost shaped the world — and what their sidelining tells us about power, agriculture, and the quiet systems that don’t survive conquest.
Also-rans of Empire
This column is about the plants that almost shaped the world — and what their sidelining tells us about power, agriculture, and the quiet systems that don’t survive conquest.
Also-rans of Empire
If you want to understand modern media consolidation, don’t start with an earnings call.
Start with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
Start with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
December 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
If you want to understand modern media consolidation, don’t start with an earnings call.
Start with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
Start with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
Trucking is sold as freedom.
What it really costs is presence.
Stories from the Long Haul
What it really costs is presence.
Stories from the Long Haul
December 17, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Trucking is sold as freedom.
What it really costs is presence.
Stories from the Long Haul
What it really costs is presence.
Stories from the Long Haul
Cultural erasure isn’t caused by diversity.
It’s caused by forgetting — or pretending purity ever existed.
Oklahoma’s history tells a very different story than the one coming out of Washington right now.
It’s caused by forgetting — or pretending purity ever existed.
Oklahoma’s history tells a very different story than the one coming out of Washington right now.
December 15, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Cultural erasure isn’t caused by diversity.
It’s caused by forgetting — or pretending purity ever existed.
Oklahoma’s history tells a very different story than the one coming out of Washington right now.
It’s caused by forgetting — or pretending purity ever existed.
Oklahoma’s history tells a very different story than the one coming out of Washington right now.
From honey to cane to Christmas fudge — the story of sweetness is the story of longing.
New Roots & Main Street: The Taste of Heaven
Link in profile.
New Roots & Main Street: The Taste of Heaven
Link in profile.
December 13, 2025 at 4:52 PM
From honey to cane to Christmas fudge — the story of sweetness is the story of longing.
New Roots & Main Street: The Taste of Heaven
Link in profile.
New Roots & Main Street: The Taste of Heaven
Link in profile.
Posted a new Roots & Main Street:
“The Model Camp and the Mirror We Keep Avoiding.”
Turns out OKC once built a fully functional community camp for the unhoused — in 1933.
We learned all the right lessons and then… immediately forgot them.
History has a nasty habit of leaving receipts.
(Link below)
“The Model Camp and the Mirror We Keep Avoiding.”
Turns out OKC once built a fully functional community camp for the unhoused — in 1933.
We learned all the right lessons and then… immediately forgot them.
History has a nasty habit of leaving receipts.
(Link below)
December 8, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Posted a new Roots & Main Street:
“The Model Camp and the Mirror We Keep Avoiding.”
Turns out OKC once built a fully functional community camp for the unhoused — in 1933.
We learned all the right lessons and then… immediately forgot them.
History has a nasty habit of leaving receipts.
(Link below)
“The Model Camp and the Mirror We Keep Avoiding.”
Turns out OKC once built a fully functional community camp for the unhoused — in 1933.
We learned all the right lessons and then… immediately forgot them.
History has a nasty habit of leaving receipts.
(Link below)
A frontier stew rode up the Plains and became an entire region’s comfort anthem.
New Roots & Main Street: The Chili Corridor
Link in profile.
New Roots & Main Street: The Chili Corridor
Link in profile.
December 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
A frontier stew rode up the Plains and became an entire region’s comfort anthem.
New Roots & Main Street: The Chili Corridor
Link in profile.
New Roots & Main Street: The Chili Corridor
Link in profile.
Red Lobster was once the go-to celebration spot for families like mine. Private equity nearly killed it — same as with Toys R Us and Sears.
This time there’s a comeback story.
A young CEO is restoring the chain with leadership private equity can’t imitate.
Link in first comment.
This time there’s a comeback story.
A young CEO is restoring the chain with leadership private equity can’t imitate.
Link in first comment.
December 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Red Lobster was once the go-to celebration spot for families like mine. Private equity nearly killed it — same as with Toys R Us and Sears.
This time there’s a comeback story.
A young CEO is restoring the chain with leadership private equity can’t imitate.
Link in first comment.
This time there’s a comeback story.
A young CEO is restoring the chain with leadership private equity can’t imitate.
Link in first comment.
The chaos at OU this week isn’t new — it’s tradition.
Bonus column: “When Politicians Start Grading Papers.”
Link in first comment.
Bonus column: “When Politicians Start Grading Papers.”
Link in first comment.
December 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM
The chaos at OU this week isn’t new — it’s tradition.
Bonus column: “When Politicians Start Grading Papers.”
Link in first comment.
Bonus column: “When Politicians Start Grading Papers.”
Link in first comment.
Treaties are not vibes.
They’re binding agreements, and they’re older than the State of Oklahoma.
New column:
“If You Don’t Like the Treaty, Governor… Give the Land Back.”
It’s time for plain talk about promises, power, and what sovereignty actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
They’re binding agreements, and they’re older than the State of Oklahoma.
New column:
“If You Don’t Like the Treaty, Governor… Give the Land Back.”
It’s time for plain talk about promises, power, and what sovereignty actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
December 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Treaties are not vibes.
They’re binding agreements, and they’re older than the State of Oklahoma.
New column:
“If You Don’t Like the Treaty, Governor… Give the Land Back.”
It’s time for plain talk about promises, power, and what sovereignty actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
They’re binding agreements, and they’re older than the State of Oklahoma.
New column:
“If You Don’t Like the Treaty, Governor… Give the Land Back.”
It’s time for plain talk about promises, power, and what sovereignty actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
Barbecue didn’t start as a hobby.
It started as survival — and it became liberation.
New Roots & Main Street: Barbecue & Liberation
Link in profile.
It started as survival — and it became liberation.
New Roots & Main Street: Barbecue & Liberation
Link in profile.
November 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Barbecue didn’t start as a hobby.
It started as survival — and it became liberation.
New Roots & Main Street: Barbecue & Liberation
Link in profile.
It started as survival — and it became liberation.
New Roots & Main Street: Barbecue & Liberation
Link in profile.
Amtrak was supposed to die quietly.
Instead, it’s having its strongest moment in decades.
New Roots & Main Street column — link in bio.
Instead, it’s having its strongest moment in decades.
New Roots & Main Street column — link in bio.
November 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Amtrak was supposed to die quietly.
Instead, it’s having its strongest moment in decades.
New Roots & Main Street column — link in bio.
Instead, it’s having its strongest moment in decades.
New Roots & Main Street column — link in bio.
“What I saw wasn’t faith — it was a product line.”
A few thoughts after sitting through Tony Perkins’ sermon-rally — on the difference between spiritual life and spiritual merchandising.
New Roots & Main Street column drops Monday. Link in profile.
A few thoughts after sitting through Tony Perkins’ sermon-rally — on the difference between spiritual life and spiritual merchandising.
New Roots & Main Street column drops Monday. Link in profile.
November 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
“What I saw wasn’t faith — it was a product line.”
A few thoughts after sitting through Tony Perkins’ sermon-rally — on the difference between spiritual life and spiritual merchandising.
New Roots & Main Street column drops Monday. Link in profile.
A few thoughts after sitting through Tony Perkins’ sermon-rally — on the difference between spiritual life and spiritual merchandising.
New Roots & Main Street column drops Monday. Link in profile.
Let’s be clear: “The Democrats” didn’t cave. Eight individual people who were elected as Democrats did.
We cheapen accountability when we talk as if a whole party collectively decides to fold. Parties are coalitions, not hives.
We cheapen accountability when we talk as if a whole party collectively decides to fold. Parties are coalitions, not hives.
November 11, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Let’s be clear: “The Democrats” didn’t cave. Eight individual people who were elected as Democrats did.
We cheapen accountability when we talk as if a whole party collectively decides to fold. Parties are coalitions, not hives.
We cheapen accountability when we talk as if a whole party collectively decides to fold. Parties are coalitions, not hives.
What’s really in your cola? No, not the sugar — not even the caffeine — but the story. The one that starts in a 19th-century pharmacy and ends in a global brand you can recognize from a single hiss and a red label.
Today's Roots & Main Street column:
rootsandmainstreet.substack.com/p/the-empero...
Today's Roots & Main Street column:
rootsandmainstreet.substack.com/p/the-empero...
November 8, 2025 at 6:26 PM
What’s really in your cola? No, not the sugar — not even the caffeine — but the story. The one that starts in a 19th-century pharmacy and ends in a global brand you can recognize from a single hiss and a red label.
Today's Roots & Main Street column:
rootsandmainstreet.substack.com/p/the-empero...
Today's Roots & Main Street column:
rootsandmainstreet.substack.com/p/the-empero...
Interesting that the people upset that New York City elected someone of the same race and religion as the 9/11 hijackers have never said a word about Oklahomans electing people of the same race and religion as Timothy McVeigh.
November 5, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Interesting that the people upset that New York City elected someone of the same race and religion as the 9/11 hijackers have never said a word about Oklahomans electing people of the same race and religion as Timothy McVeigh.
When billionaires get bailouts, but workers get lectures, don’t be surprised when voters start looking left.
They learned it by watching you.
#RootsAndMainStreet #Socialism #Economy
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
They learned it by watching you.
#RootsAndMainStreet #Socialism #Economy
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
November 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
When billionaires get bailouts, but workers get lectures, don’t be surprised when voters start looking left.
They learned it by watching you.
#RootsAndMainStreet #Socialism #Economy
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
They learned it by watching you.
#RootsAndMainStreet #Socialism #Economy
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
Reposted by Stephen Martin
really obvious now why trump and the republican party have been working so hard to prevent fair elections lol they know
November 5, 2025 at 3:50 AM
really obvious now why trump and the republican party have been working so hard to prevent fair elections lol they know
Reposted by Stephen Martin
this is a reminder that we dont have to settle for newsom in 2028
November 5, 2025 at 2:44 AM
this is a reminder that we dont have to settle for newsom in 2028
Dear Mr. Dershowitz,
I am writing to enquire about the Pay-Per-View rights ...
I am writing to enquire about the Pay-Per-View rights ...
November 5, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Dear Mr. Dershowitz,
I am writing to enquire about the Pay-Per-View rights ...
I am writing to enquire about the Pay-Per-View rights ...
I’ve seen a lot of hurt these past few years — not just in hospitals or headlines, but in how we talk to one another.
The world hasn’t gotten meaner. We’ve just forgotten how to turn down the volume.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
The world hasn’t gotten meaner. We’ve just forgotten how to turn down the volume.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
November 3, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I’ve seen a lot of hurt these past few years — not just in hospitals or headlines, but in how we talk to one another.
The world hasn’t gotten meaner. We’ve just forgotten how to turn down the volume.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...
The world hasn’t gotten meaner. We’ve just forgotten how to turn down the volume.
open.substack.com/pub/rootsand...