Just A Few Thoughts

Geez Bernstein, dontcha ever blog anymore?

 --Looks like the state government will finally get around to repealing the law that, in effect, restricts Massachusetts from marrying out-of-state gay couples. I'm all for that, but what's with the way gay-marriage advocates always refer to the statute as "1913," the year it dates from? It hardly seems relevant (how often do news stories normally refer to the passage date of laws under discussion?), but presumably is intended to emphasize how ancient, anachronistic and out-of-date it is. Very Lakoffian -- and effective. Press reports always refer to the "1913 Law", often in the first sentence, occasionally in the second sentence. The Globe waited until late in the third sentence in the news item, but went with the first sentence in the editorial. And now, it seems the state will dispose of it, like some 18th-century blue law prohibiting women from spitting on a turkey while wearing knickers on the Sabbath.

 --John Connolly wants the city to consider a bike-sharing program, which, if it's feasible, could become John's first proposal to be wified. (That's when Menino steals a city councilor's idea and takes all the credit for it; named in honor of the mayor's high-profile theft of John Tobin's city-wide WiFi proposal.) A bunch of other US cities are looking at it, but implementation seems to be trickier than expected. San Francisco plans to have a bike-share in place next year -- and you know how this blog feels about copying SF. Anyway, I'm more a proponent of a Segway-share program, but I'm probably ahead of my time.

--I grew up in Arizona. My family did not have a private plane. Which, I now learn from Cindy McCain, is why I never got to go anywhere. Stupid middle-class parents! Fortunately, Mrs. Senator reportedly stands to make a seven-figure payday from the Anheuser-Busch sale, so she'll be able to keep the plane fueled.

 --Dorchester's own Sheldon Adelson has been getting a lot of attention for a guy who just wants to quietly use his vast self-made fortune to refashion the world to his liking. The New Yorker ran a terrific, very lengthy story a few weeks ago, and today the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) gives him Page One profile treatment. Question: How come he can't get his home state to pass a casino bill?