Milestones

Maryland Match Company

Libby woke me up in the night to tell me about New York's vote to make it legal for two people to marry.  Here's Tbogg's take on this very significant moment:

http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2011/06/24/our-hearts-were-young-and-gay/

There's a general principle hidden in there too, in a week in which the "other side," meaning those folks Tbogg mentions in his piece, have basically outlawed all abortion clinics in Kansas by virtue of the mischievous application of building codes.  Odd that the very people who seem to relish this utter fantasy of Sharia Law being imposed on the US are themselves actually bringing Sharia Law to various of our states.

And at the national level, Mr. Cantor walks out on negotiations concerning the debt limit.  I think Digby's probably exactly right on this--it's a kabuki dance, period.  That's sad.  It means Mr. Obama is thoroughly entangled, when he should be standing up for America and explaining clearly, every day, that the Republicans are bent on destroying the entire fabric of social programs which have been put in place since the '30s.  At the very least, this really ought to be said:  if the Debt Limit is not raised, it is Republicans who are blowing up a fragile economy, and their smarmy, misleading ads about Obama's record don't change that fact a bit.  The rightwingers like to complain about Mr. Obama "apologizing" to world leaders (something he didn't do, by the way).  But it's the rightwing that he's reticent about standing up to at the moment.  Are they going to say, sometime towards next November, that it's Obama's fault because he didn't stop them from playing with matches?  Answer: of course they will, and you heard it here first.

Fireworks (The Moment)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwH96iZI7E

Warren Oates' birthday is July 5th. Here is a review of one of his best movies, which is also one of Sam Peckenpah's best movies (though not quite the utter masterpiece of The Wild Bunch, which also stars Mr. Warren "Tandem??" "Wal Prozet!" Oates.) Here's a great review of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, from which the photo comes. The youtube link is the trailer to The Wild Bunch.

http://sunsetgun.typepad.com/sunsetgun/2010/07/the-love-song-of-d-samuel-peckinpah.html

Not many people have even seen this movie. I'm not sure what Pauline Kael thought of it, although I'll bet she at least liked it some. She got ole Sam.

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Congrats to Kevin Harvick for actually managing to battle through that mess of a Firecracker 400 last night. He said before the race that he needed to start pushing. His lead in the Chase had dwindled to almost nothing, and it was kind of embarassing to the whole concept of the Chase that he still had a lead with only one win, given than others have a good handful of wins and can't catch up. Now Kevin has a cushion, and maybe he'll actually win The Chase, although I'm picking Denny Hamlin and JJ as co-faves. Sam Hornish needs to get his own track, with electric bumper cars.




And congrats to Germany for utterly demolishing the myth of Argentina, which still lives in the hearts of its players and Coach Maradona, which must be like having Felini for a coach. Can the Netherlands defeat Germany just once, for a change? Guess we'll see.

Update--dang if Germany didn't go down like lambs to Spain, yesterday. One just never knows, do one.