Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 842

Utah's Most Conservative City Begins Marrying Gay Couples

AP

Utah County announced on Thursday that it would begin to issue same-sex marriage licenses to eligible couples. The county, home to the conservative city of Provo, held out for nearly a week after a federal judge struck down the state's gay-marriage ban, even as most counties in the state followed the court's decision. 

The Utah County clerk issued its first gay marriage licenses Thursday morning, as the state prepares to appeal to the Supreme Court for a stay on U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby's Friday decision.

One of the first same-sex couples in Utah County to obtain a marriage license. #Amendment3 pic.twitter.com/qjd4JOZ3V1

— Marc Sternfield (@msternfield) December 26, 2013

The stay would stop all gay marriages in Utah until the courts hear the state's appeal of the decision itself. The request for a stay, by the way, will go to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who can choose whether to handle it herself, or to throw it onto the entire panel of justices. Meanwhile, hundreds of gay couples in Utah have already married since Friday. 

Provo, perhaps apocryphally, is often called the most conservative city in the nation, based on two national studies. It is, in any case, something of a crystallization of the heavily Mormon state's conservatism. The city is home to the Mormon-run Brigham Young University, and the Mormon church's largest missionary training center. The county went 88 percent for Mitt Romney in 2012, and supported a ban on same-sex marriage by 82 percent in 2004 (a comparably large Utah county, Salt Lake County, approved the measure by a much narrower margin: 54 percent). 

Utah County Clerk Bryan Thompson has previously said he was waiting for "clarification" on the judge's decision, which took effect immediately. Utah filed three unsuccessful appeals for a stay to federal courts earlier this week. Here was Thompson's statement on Thursday, after the 10th Circuit denied one of those requests: 

On Tuesday afternoon, December 24th, the 10th Circuit of Appeals denied the motion to stay the ruling by Judge Robert Shelby that Utah’s same sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. Based upon that motion and upon receipt of the further clarifications I was seeking; the Utah County Clerk’s Office will issue marriage licenses to all eligible applicants.

A few other hold-out counties, including Box Elder County, and San Juan County, also will issue gay marriage licenses starting Thursday, according to Fox News 13's Ben Winslow. That means the only county in Utah not issuing licenses to all eligible couples is Piute County. But that's probably due to one big logistical problem: the tiny county of 1,435 people issues about three marriage licenses a year, and its clerk is currently on vacation. In other words, nobody at all is getting married in Piute County right now. 

       

Bond's Creator Is the Sexy Super Spy in 'Fleming' Trailer

If British actor Dominic Cooper wanted to be considered to fill Daniel Craig's shoes as James Bond, this trailer for the miniseries in which he plays the character's creator could convince a lot of people he's the right man for the job. Cooper appears as Ian Fleming in Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond, a miniseries about the suave superspy's suave creator. He's joined by Lara Pulver, playing Fleming's eventual wife Ann Charteris. (Fans of British TV will recognize Pulver as Sherlock's Irene Adler.) 

From the short glimpse we get the miniseries looks like great fun as Cooper's Fleming seduces women and disagrees with people who think "you can't win an intelligence war with toys." It's like James Bond, you know, but real life. Cooper knows that. He told Radio Times that the producer of the miniseries told him that playing Fleming would be a "really big audition to play the next James Bond."  The series airs at the end of January on BBC America. 

 

       

The NFL Already Had Two Gay Players 20 Years Ago

The 1993 Houston Oilers, led by quarterback Warren Moon, had two gay players on the team, according to interviews with former players. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The NFL's Houston Oilers had two gay players on its 1993 team, according to interviews with players in The Houston Chronicle, and most significantly, nobody on the team really cared.

The Chronicle's Ultimate Texans blog provided a preview of its coming Sunday piece on the Oilers' tumultuous 1993 season. In extensive interviews, several players acknowledged they didn't care that two "key members" of the team were gay. Pro Bowl linebacker Lamar Lathon, who played on the Oilers from 1990-94, provided the key quote.

“And everybody in the locker room, the consensus knew or had an idea that things were not exactly right. But guess what? When they strapped the pads on and got on the field, man, we were going to war with these guys because they were unbelievable.”

It's not the most enlightened thing to describe the homosexuality of the players, who were not identified by the Chronicle, as "not exactly right," but still, the team's acceptance is a big step for gay football players contemplating coming out. The two players' LGBT status was well-known in the locker room, according to Oilers cornerback Cris Dishman, who played for Houston from 1988-'96. “Everybody knew certain guys (were gay). Everybody speculated and people used to see these two guys come in by themselves. They’d leave at lunchtime and then come back,” he told the Chronicle. Regardless, the two players were "unbelievable teammates," Lathon said. Coming from a team situated in the heart of Texas, that's a big statement. (The Oilers have since moved to Tennessee to become the Titans.)

Acceptance of a gay player among teammates could go a long way toward more athletes coming out publicly in the major sports leagues. When NBA forward Jason Collins came out as gay to Sports Illustrated this spring, he became the first active player in the major major American sports leagues to do so. But Collins has yet to be signed to a team since then, raising questions about the league's acceptance. Similarly, the NFL came close to having a "handful" of gay players come out in unison back in the spring, but "fear" of being ostracized prevailed.

That gay players were accepted back in 1993 — on a playoff team that went 12-4, by the way — works to defeat some of the fears current gay players surely have.

       

Chamber of Commerce Figures It Can Have the Congress It Wants for Just $50 Million

Associated Press

For only a $50 million investment, the Chamber of Commerce thinks it can keep the Republican Party from going so far to the right in 2014 that it hurts business. The old establishment has come roaring back — but the Tea Party has already won the fight for the party's soul.

The slow-burning war between establishment Republicans and far-right conservatives came to a boil during the October shutdown, as anti-spending absolutists threatened to let the government go into default on its debt, which would have had likely repercussions throughout the economy. In the wake of that near-miss, the establishment — House and Senate leadership and business interests — declared a new commitment to ensuring that their candidates would win elections. For the first time in a long time, the party's official Senate campaign arm announced it would get involved in primaries, and the Chamber poured money into a relatively small race in Alabama.

Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, both sides are gearing up for the big battleground: 2014 party primaries, which will coincide with the renewed need to increase the debt limit.

With those contests likely to shape the balance of power inside the party, outside groups say they plan to ramp up efforts to defeat tea-party-inspired congressional candidates.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce early next year plans to roll out an aggressive effort—expected to cost at least $50 million—to support establishment, business-friendly candidates in primaries and the general election, with an aim of trying to win a Republican Senate majority.

"That will be our mantra," said the Chamber's Scott Reed. "No fools on our ticket." Over the past two cycles, in 2010 and 2012, the Republicans nominated candidates that Reed might think didn't meet that standard. Delaware's Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle in Nevada, Todd Akin in Missouri. General election voters weren't enamored of the candidates — in part, thanks to their far-far-right views — rejecting each in November and helping the Democrats maintain control of the Senate.

The Chamber will be joined by other groups with deep pockets, including Karl Rove's American Crossroads PAC. As we noted earlier this week, American Crossroads isn't the juggernaut it used to be, as local groups reach out to a shared donor pool. The group may not have "hundreds of millions" to spend in 2014, but it will certainly throw a lot of money around. There's no guarantee that the investment will pay off. In 2012, American Crossroads had a lousy year, as The Times notes.

What will the Chamber get for its money, even it is successful? In some cases, candidates much farther to the right than it would have seen elected even ten years ago. That Alabama race, for example, was a choice between two deeply conservative candidates who opposed the debt ceiling deal. But the Chamber helped elect the one that was slightly less beholden to the Tea Party. The Wall Street Journal says that the establishment wants to "groom and support more centrist Republican candidates." Maybe.

But in order to counter the grass roots support of Tea Party groups, they'll need candidates that are a little further to the right. The Chamber's bigger problem is that the Republican base objects to things like the debt ceiling increase; an October Fox poll showed that 78 percent of the party objected to raising it. On the spending issues that have the Chamber so worried, the Tea Party has already won.

       

Here's Beyoncé Dancing With a Terminally Ill Fan

YouTube

Days before she thrilled millions of fans with a surprise album release, Beyoncé thrilled a single, terminally ill fan by granting the child's dying wish: a dance with Queen Bey in concert. The camera-ready moment took place at the singer's Dec. 6 tour stop in Las Vegas, and a video account has just surfaced via Beyoncé's YouTube page.

"They found an inoperable tumor on her brain, and her dying wish was to dance with Beyoncé," a Philanthropy Program Partnerships representative explains in the video, introducing the child, Taylon. "Her thought that will forever stay with me is, 'Since I'm here I might as well live.'"

Naturally, Beyoncé dances with Taylon onstage to the tune of Destiny's Child's thematically fitting "Survivor." In seconds, the cancer patient is brought to tears. Here's the video, which should be touching enough to soften any grinches still grumbling about the cost of Batkid.

       

Keanu's Samurai Are No Match For the Box Office Battle of 'Wolf' and 'Smaug'

Paramount

The Christmas Day box office was a match-up (but not a grudge match) between The Wolf of Wall Street and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, while Keanu Reeves's 47 Ronin could be one of the final disasters of 2013. 

It's looking like Peter Jackson's dwarves eked out a victory over Martin Scorsese's brokers. At Deadline Anita Busch reported that The Hobbit took the top spot bringing in between $9.3 and $9.4 million, with Wolf following close behind with $9.1 million. Todd Cunningham at The Wrap put The Hobbit at $9.5 million. Worth noting? Wolf received a CinemaScore of C, meaning that the movie-going public is less than thrilled with it. 

But perhaps the more interesting story at the movies this holiday is the fate of 47 Ronin, a samurai movie starring Keanu Reeves that cost at least $175 million to make. Yesterday morning the Los Angeles Times's Chris Lee forecast doom for the movie: an estimated $20 million opening "would put 47 Ronin in the top tier of big-budget Hollywood failures, ranking alongside John Carter, R.I.P.D. and The Lone Ranger in the 'when tentpole films go horribly wrong' category." The movie ultimately brought in around $7 million, which is above expectations, but Cunningham wrote that "it’s clear already that it won’t come near offsetting its $170 million production budget."

At least it did better than Grudge Match, the old-people boxing film, which made $4 million. Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty fell somewhere in the middle with $7.8 million. 

       

A Lot of People Signed Up for Obamacare at the Last Minute

Associated Press

While we won't know exactly how many people signed up for Obamacare through the federal exchange this month until mid-January, the state exchanges saw a lot of last-minute sign-ups on the December 23 deadline. So many, in fact, that in the Obamacare deadline has been extended (kind of).

In California, an estimated 27,000 people signed up for insurance through the state's exchange on the 23rd, bringing the number of Obamacare-insured Californians to 400,000. As Sarah Kliff at The Washington Post points out, California was averaging 15,000 sign-ups per day as of last week. Washington and New York saw similarly high sign-up numbers on the 23rd. If the federal exchange numbers follow this trend, Kliff notes, "that will be a pretty quick turn-around from October's dismal showing."

Other states are giving the uninsured a little leeway: Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island have extended their sign-up deadlines until New Year's Eve. California may rack up even more enrollees, as it extended its deadline through the end of the week. And the federal exchange allowed people to sign up on Christmas Eve, despite originally planning to cut everyone off on Monday. Those who at least attempted to do so will be able to complete their applications this week and still get coverage starting January 1. 

Charles Gaba (a.k.a "Brainwrap," who's been recording and mapping sign-ups for the past 3 months) estimates that since Obamacare's debut, about 5.8 million people have signed up for private insurance or qualified for Medicaid. (Obviously more people are insured through Medicaid — about 4 million.) But the ACA still has a long way to go: In 2012, 47 million non-elderly Americans were uninsured. 

       

Send Your Thank-You Notes Quickly, the Price of Postage Is Going Up Again

'Harry Potter' Forever Stamps Released by the USPS in November 2013 (USPS)

To make up for recession losses, the Postal Service says the cost of first-class stamps will temporarily rise by 3 cents in late January. In other words, the price for those non-Forever stamps will increase, but not forever. Are you confused yet? 

The move was announced yesterday to help the ailing agency recoup a loss of "$2.8 billion, caused by a substantial drop in mail volume, totaling about 25.3 billion pieces, between 2008 and 2011." First-class stamps will bump up from 46 cents to 49 cents starting on January 26 of next year (364 days after the rate took a one-cent hike from 45 cents to 46 cents).

 What's especially strange about this development is that it is temporary. The Postal Service lobbied for a permanent rate change, but the Postal Regulatory Commission rejected the request. So how long will the new rate last? "Just long enough to recover the loss," according to Chairwoman Ruth Goldway. Pressed for specifics, Goldway predicted that the change would last about two years. 

 

 

 

       

Christmas and a Tale of Two Popes

AP Photo/Gregoria Borgia

Like Pope Benedict's "Urbi et Orbi" Christmas sermon last year, Pope Francis called for peace at St. Peter's Basilica this morning. The context, though, was very different. 

Before a crowd of 70,000 worshippers, Pope Francis completed his first Christmas as the leader of the Roman Catholic church by asking for "social harmony in South Sudan" and praying for peace in Syria, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Iraq. He also urged the Israelis and Palestinians to get their act together. The laundry list of global hot spots is something of a hallmark for big papal speeches.  

But the pontiff deviated from his predecessor in a few telling ways. In a more direct manifestation of his social action advocacy, Pope Francis mentioned child soldiers and the plight of migrants, asking that others grant them "acceptance and assistance." He also spoke out against greed and human trafficking, calling the latter a "crime against humanity." 

Perhaps most significantly, Pope Francis asked atheists and believers to unite. "I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace," he said.

Last Christmas, Pope Benedict, who resigned in February, warned listeners that God "cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him." Closeness with God, he offered, would lead to “kindness, justice and peace”.  

The rhetorical sea change accompanying the rise of Pope Francis is one of the most remarked-upon stories of the year. The pontiff's stances on poverty, social issues, economics, and the role of the clergy have delivered him a flock of admirers (as well as some critics). Pope Francis was also named 2013 Person of the Year by Time Magazine; the second time he received the honor if you actually count 2006.

The change has been especially noticeable this week. At Christmas Eve Mass last night, Pope Francis surprised some by electing to carry the statue of baby Jesus himself through the processional, rather than hand it off to an aide. On Saturday, during in his speech to the Roman Curia, Pope Francis chided his colleagues for (get this) gossiping too much. It was a quite a departure from Pope Benedict's speech to the Roman Curia last year, in which he railed against gay marriage and homosexuality, calling them destructive forces against "the essence of the human creature."

 

 

       

Eliot Spitzer and Silda Wall Spitzer Announced Their Breakup Late on Christmas Eve

AP Photo/Louis Lanzano

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Bronx, not a creature was stirring, except for Eliot Spitzer's spox. The former New York governor capped off a difficult year marked by a (expensive) failed bid for New York City comptroller with the news that he and his wife Silda are breaking up.

Word came over the transom late last night when Spitzer spokeswoman Lisa Linden delivered a statement on behalf of the couple. "We regret that our marital relationship has come to an end, and we have agreed not to make any other public statement on this subject," Linden said.

This is far from an unexpected development. Silda Spitzer largely sat out of her husband's campaign for comptroller, a foil to Huma Abedin, who was a ubiquitous presence during Anthony Weiner's failed mayoral run. Back in July, while Eliot Spitzer swatted away rumors that he and his wife had separated, Silda Spitzer reportedly said she would seek a divorce as soon as her husband's lurch toward elected office was over. 

On Sunday night, it was revealed that Eliot Spitzer is now in a relationship with Lis Smith, his former campaign aide and current spokeswoman for New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio.