IOWA COURTS LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE

Gay marriage ban ruled unconstitutional by Iowa court - Los Angeles Times

Unlike California, Iowa's legislative process will require a more concerted effort than a simple 50.1% ballot proposition. It'll be interesting to see if the political will is going to be strong enough there to sustain an amendment to invalidate the ruling.

--O.W.

MILK: SEE THIS

I watched Milk last night and I have to say: it was easily the best film I saw out of 2008 in terms of its formal, filmmaking elements, its performances, and its inspired energy.

It was a remarkably, incredibly prescient film for 2008 - not just because of Prop 8 (though its dramatization of the fight against 1978's Prop 6 was an obvious, sobering parallel), but also given Obama's election and the idea that mass movements in the United States are still a possibility.

But that larger backdrop aside, the performances were phenomenal, especially Sean Penn who, to me, was completely unrecognizable from any other role I've ever seen him in. While, sentimentally, I like pulling for Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, I feel like Penn does the better "acting" job here. James Franco is very good, Emile Hirsch is great and Josh Brolin as Dan White was incredible too, imbuing White with a nuance that gives his character such depth beyond "the guy with the Twinkies defense." Did I mention that Penn smiles, a lot? It's weird. But in a good way.

(Milk also further confirmed how downright trifling Slumdog Millionaire was. If people are looking for a "feel good" film, Milk's real-world message is >>>>>>> some fantasy about game shows and destiny.)

--O.W.

JUST TO BEAT THE HORSE DEADER

Reverand Al Sharpton lays it out kind of beautifully here:

"There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people's bedrooms and claim that God sent you. It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being [relegated] into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners."

"I am tired of seeing ministers who will preach homophobia by day, and then after they're preaching, when the lights are off they go cruising for trade...We know you're not preaching the Bible, because if you were preaching the Bible we would have heard from you. We would have heard from you when people were starving in California--when they deregulated the economy and crashed Wall Street you had nothing to say. When Madoff made off with the money, you had nothing to say. When Bush took us to war chasing weapons of mass destruction that weren't there you had nothing to say. But all of a sudden, when Proposition 8 came out, you had so much to say, but since you stepped in the rain, we're going to step in the rain with you."

(Originally sourced here)

--O.W.

PROP 8 MAPS

not welcome in La Canada?

I think the ethics of a map like this - identifying individual donors to Prop 8 - are very much open to debate but I have to say - there is some fascinating demographic/geographic data to be explored here, in particular, the intersections between politics and wealth in specific neighborhoods (seriously, what's up with La Crescenta/La Canada in Los Angeles?)

(Thanks: HHH)

--O.W.