July 10, 2019

Megan Rapinoe Celebrates Diversity of USWNT at NYC City Hall speech

July 8, 2019

Nike's new ad re the USWNT on their World Cup victory

July 7, 2019

Progressive Populist: Why The World Cup Makes Me Love My Country

https://www.populist.com/25.13.schmidt.html

I’ll admit it — I’m not a sports guy. I have no idea who played in the Super Bowl this year, or when the ill-named “World” Series takes place. And yet, when it comes to international soccer tournaments, my attitude changes dramatically. Every couple years or so, I suddenly get into sports.

Reason Number One is fairly self-explanatory, I think: these are athletic events watched by the entire world. That, alone, is unique in the world of sports that Americans watch. College football is important to the southeastern United States; the NBA matters to the two coasts of the US; the “World” Series of baseball matters to the US and maybe a couple other countries. International soccer, on the other hand, is watched by the entire world.

This is reason enough for a guy like me—not a sports fan by any measure—to get into soccer once every few years. When you’ve watched the latest World Cup, you have an automatic conversation piece to discuss with any person, anywhere in the world. Everyone’s seen it.

Then there’s Reason Number Two: the caliber of people in the United States who get into the World Cup.

American soccer fans are not your ordinary sports fans—they don’t usually scream in bars when you’re trying to order a beer, or go on a looting spree downtown when their team loses. No, World Cup people are a different breed of “sports people.” Indeed, they’re a different breed of American.

I’ve found American soccer fans to be some of the most educated, internationally-minded citizens around. These are the Americans who know that Mexico has paved roads and plumbing. They know that the USSR doesn’t exist anymore. They realize that Saddam Hussein didn’t plan 9/11. For that matter, they are able to find Iraq on a map.

Reason Number Three is the prophetic vision that the World Cup offers us of a very different kind of world—one where the United States is just another country, no more, no less.
In international soccer, we stop claiming to be the world’s savior, or policeman or leader, and we just enjoy a little friendly competition between relative equals. When you root for your team in the World Cup, it’s the one blessed moment when you get to wave the Stars and Stripes without all the historical baggage associated with that flag. You’re not rooting for unprovoked invasions or global military hegemony. You’re not rooting for drone strikes or “Mission Accomplished” or Guantanamo or NAFTA. You’re not rooting for your country because you actually think it’s the best country on earth, or that it’s the nation that “invented freedom.” You’re rooting for your team for one simple reason: because it is yours.

And that—that kind of pride—is true patriotism.

(snip)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Much more at the link:
https://www.populist.com/25.13.schmidt.html

The Progressive Populist: https://www.populist.com/

(boldface/italic emphasis is mine - DMH)

July 4, 2019

Willie Nelson and Paul Simon - American Tune

June 28, 2019

GOP ex-congressman (Aaron Schock) caught on tape in Mexican gay bar

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/06/gop-ex-congressman-filmed-stuffing-dollars-male-strippers-undies-mexican-gay-bar/

Disgraced anti-gay former Republican Congressman Aaron Schock is utterly and completely straight. Why would you ask such a question?

(snip)
After a string of you-might-as-well-come-out-already moments, Schock has been filmed stuffing dollars into a stripper’s undies in a Mexico City gay bar. It does not appear to be the first time the former legislator has shown his appreciation for the male physique.

“The last person I would expect to see in Boy Bar is a former Republican congressman,” the person who filmed Schock handing out the bills told The Daily Mail. “I was taking a video of the go-go dancer on stage and all of a sudden I saw him. He looked like he was enjoying himself.”

The former Congressman was spotted having lunch at the National Museum of Anthropology’s cafe with an unnamed young male companion the day before.
(snip)

Much more at the link above. . .including a video from The Daily Mail

Also at RawStory:
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/06/watch-disgraced-anti-gay-republican-spotted-putting-money-in-underwear-of-male-dancer-in-mexico-city/

June 28, 2019

GOP ex-congressman (Aaron Schock) caught on tape in Mexican gay bar

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/06/gop-ex-congressman-filmed-stuffing-dollars-male-strippers-undies-mexican-gay-bar/

Disgraced anti-gay former Republican Congressman Aaron Schock is utterly and completely straight. Why would you ask such a question?

(snip)
After a string of you-might-as-well-come-out-already moments, Schock has been filmed stuffing dollars into a stripper’s undies in a Mexico City gay bar. It does not appear to be the first time the former legislator has shown his appreciation for the male physique.

“The last person I would expect to see in Boy Bar is a former Republican congressman,” the person who filmed Schock handing out the bills told The Daily Mail. “I was taking a video of the go-go dancer on stage and all of a sudden I saw him. He looked like he was enjoying himself.”

The former Congressman was spotted having lunch at the National Museum of Anthropology’s cafe with an unnamed young male companion the day before.
(snip)

Much more at the link above. . .including a video from The Daily Mail[/i]

Also, from RawStory:
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/06/watch-disgraced-anti-gay-republican-spotted-putting-money-in-underwear-of-male-dancer-in-mexico-city/

June 19, 2019

Author Ta-Nehisi Coates calls out Senator McConnell. . .

. . .on the issue of reparations for slavery.

June 13, 2019

Anybody going to the Clearwater Festival this weekend?

aka The Great Hudson River Revival ??

https://www.clearwaterfestival.org/

I'll be there, as usual, as a volunteer. You can usually find me at the Communications tent during the day when I'm on duty shift.

May 23, 2019

Rep. Dan Kildee: Trump is a pathetic man-baby

May 20, 2019

Anybody going to Netroots Nation 2019?

July 11-13 in Philadelphia

https://www.netrootsnation.org/