This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights. No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people – and I have no doubt that this will be no exception. The march of freedom that has sustained our country since the Revolution of 1776 continues, and no matter what setbacks may occur in a given state, freedom will triumph over fear and equality will prevail over exclusion. Today’s announcement is a testament to the President’s convictions, and it builds on the courageous stands that so many Americans have taken over the years on behalf of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, stretching back to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.
Obama declares support for same-sex marriage →
Great analysis and overview by Times staffesr Michael A. Memoli and Kathleen Hennessey:
Gay-rights activists have widely believed that the president privately supported same-sex marriages, but withheld a public declaration out of concerns about alienating independent voters in key swing states.
There is a movement among activists in the party to adopt a so-called “marriage equality” plank in the official platform this summer. Such language would mark the continuance of the party’s own evolution. In 2000, the Democratic platform stated simply that the party supported “the full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of the nation,” and “an equitable alignment of benefits.”
In 2004, in the face of an effort supported by the Bush campaign to put gay marriage bans to statewide referendums across the country, the Democratic platform stated that marriage “has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there.”
By 2008, the party vowed to “enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act,” and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act “and all attempts to use this issue to divide us.”
Coldplay’s tribute to Adam Yauch, last night at the Hollywood Bowl.
Say what you will about Coldplay, this is beautiful.
It really is.
This is sweet!
THIS IS HAPPENING! President Obama on Fallon tonight!!!
Guys, we hear the president will be slow-jamming the news tonight…
Axl Rose contacted The Times with an open letter on Guns N' Roses and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame →
For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It’s their show not mine.
That said, I won’t be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses”.
The NPR review of Bully:
“Bully is a wrenching, intensely moral film, and so potentially useful to children who are either being bullied, or doing the bullying, that the MPAA’s Victorian prudery about a few instances of schoolyard language can’t help but seem boneheaded.” — Bob Mondello
(via Movie Review - ‘Bully’ - A Provocative And Essential Documentary : NPR)
The human mind is more amazing than the universe,” said my teenage daughter the other day. “How come?” I asked. “Well, it all really starts in our heads, doesn’t it? Like, without our minds there wouldn’t be a universe.
It got me thinking. The rift between what is and what is perceived is at least as old as philosophy itself. Yes, it has something to do with the popular “if a tree falls in a forest and no one sees it, did it fall?” or “if you are not looking at the moon is it really there?” But things are a bit more complex than that. (By the way, the answer is unequivocally “yes” to both of those questions, at least to this blogger.) -Marcelo Gleiser
(via npr)
