I haven’t done one of these omnibus posts for a long time, but I’m feeling alternately windy and terse today so the timing is right. Btw, the only thing that’s swooning right now is your humble blogger. It’s finally full-tilt summer in NOLA after a remarkably mild May. Since I’m swooning, I’m gonna skip hyperlinking. I be lazy, y’all…
Mixed Emotions: I’m not sure what I think of the whole NSA leak thing. I’m not wild about the surveillance program, the leaker, or the main journalistic conduit for the info. I’ll deal with the latter two issues, I don’t wanna type FISA and NSA over and over again.
The debate over Snowden is overly simplistic. To most folks he’s either a hero or a traitor. To me, he’s neither. When I heard he was a Paultard, I was not surprised; especially with his goofy quote about Hong Kong as a libertarian paradise. I hope he said that to suck up to the authorities there. They do have more rights than in the PRC proper but it’s only at the sufferance of Beijing. I somehow doubt that Snowden will be there for long since “whistleblowing” is anathema to the Chinese kinda, sorta Communists regardless of the much ballyhooed “legal loophole.” It’s an authoritarian country for chrissake, they’ll find a way around it.
I gotta admit that I’ve never liked Glenn Greenwald or his writing style. He may be a fellow recovering lawyer but his smug dickishness reminds me of why I quit the law. He’s already feuding with Barton Gellman over who is more awesomely moral. Oh well, you gotta play to your strengths…
There’s A (Secular) Riot Going On: The shit really seems to be hitting the fan in Turkey. You know it’s dicey when NBC danger guy Richard Engel is in place. Prime Minister Erdogan’s arrogance shows why you should never only rule on behalf of the people who voted for you. If he bent a little the streets might empty but I think his fez is on too tight or something…
The NBA Finals: I love the matchup between the Spurs and the Heat. I only watched bits and bobs of game two because of GOT and MM, but I knew there was no way that Miami would lose two in a row at home. I’m glad the Spurs have a shot to escape the “boring” label. Manu Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker are wildly entertaining players. Tim Duncan is admittedly stolid but in an awesome way.
I must admit that I like watching Lebron James’ team oriented on-court play. He may be an immature ass off court but the man sure can pass the rock. Sorry, Doc.
Quote of the day: It comes from the most recent episode of Mad Men, as written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner and spoken by Ted Chaough about his S & M relationship with Don Fucking Draper:
“Imagine if every time Ginger Rogers jumped in the air, Fred Astaire punched her in the face.”
Ouch.
More Must See Summer Teevee: If you haven’t seen Defiance on Syfy or Longmire on A & E, check them out. The latter features Katee Sackhoff in another tough chick role. Good stuff.
Okay here’s some summer music to swoon to: