Flagrant!

In Boston, during a tied game 5, early in the second, and a series of controversial fouls on PJ Brown results in a small Detroit rally. In both cases, Brown made a legitimate basketball play, trying to defend the basket, and in an eyeblink, the tie game is an 8 point deficit.

At best, the two plays should have resulted in one foul, but instead it was called as two, one of which was a flagrant foul.

Basketball officiating is frustrating, because, like football, there is so much judgment involved. If you officiate according to the rulebook, you never stop blowing the whistle.

But the flagrant foul was bogus. Plus, near the end of the first half, Paul Pierce gets assaulted on a drive to the hoop-no flagrant. Grumble.

Despite all of this, Boston leads 52-46 at the break, helped by a ridiculous first half from Kendrick Perkins (12 points, 13 rebounds).



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/nyregion/29marriage.html?ex=1369713600&en=fbee3a9932ea9d66&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink


This is a growing trend, and I couldn't be happier.

Stephen Colbert had someone on from the Family Research Council last night, and Colbert destroyed him.

It all comes down to equal protection, for me. The FRC guy brought up the same old "man marrying donkey" argument they always raise.

If gay people have equal protection of the laws, then they have equal protection of the laws, and they can marry who they want. I have never seen a reasonable argument to the contrary. The state has a reasonable interest in preventing people from marrying within their immediate family or people who are underage. It is reasonable to ban marriages of those who cannot consent(children, animals, etc.). Is there any reason beyond that to ban gay marriage? I'm still waiting to hear one.