I'm not sure where you get that fact. First of all — Christian? What about Islam? What about secular Russia? Anti-gay discrimination is not rooted, in my view, in religion at all, but in a kind of sexual panic and immaturity that is typical of young men especially. It's about "othering" people who are different, which…

That's a good point. The governor of Indiana is a well-known hardliner on social issues, a movement that reeks of anti-gay bias. But the law does not reflect that bias, and really has completely different intellectual origins.

Thanks, I can read the Atlantic too. But that essay fails to show why that distinction is an actual difference with respect to the issues that Wilco and almost everyone else is raising — anti-gay bias. Anti-gay bias, e.g. not serving gay persons at your place of business because of their sexual orientation, has to be…

You can find a bit more of the historical background for this law in the linked essay, written in 2010. The origins of this legal movement have entirely to do with the shifting positions of the SCOTUS on matters when religious strictures conflict with law. It doesn't always call for siding with the religion by the way…

I have to think Wilco is a bit confused here. Indiana's law is virtually identical — and in every meaningful respect, completely identical — to existing federal law, and the laws in 19 other states, at a minimum. Check out this map. http://volokh.com/2010/07/0…

I think the writer of this piece is so amused by their own snark, they forgot to have a point.

>>Shouldn't be too hard to have some central agency determine everybody who's competent to testify on any possible topic.<<

It is very, very good.

This was a great episode, maybe one of THE greatest.

To use a word you would not think could be associated with a project like this — it's exquisite.

Oh, probably they will concoct a plot where she ironically saves Downton Abbey from ruin.

Communism is a religion. Confronted with class privilege, a good Communist reacts the way a good Muslim reacts to a woman not wearing a shawl — murderously.

Best episode in years. The tone was set with the priceless scene between the Dowager and her butler, dancing around the topic of what he saw in Liverpool. It was an acting tour de force by both of them, followed up by a priceless series of intimate scene played with such skill by the likes of Elizabeth McGovern,…

So bored of rock critics showing off by ranking albums the audience has never heard of and never will hear.

American Without Tears was pretty great, in 1984.

Agree — "Desire" is a little gassy. I like it better now than when it came out, but after "Blood…" it was a disappointment.

I don't think Dylan ever meant to issue the Basement Tapes, in 1975 or now. Don't get me wrong, I love the old version (despite too many second-rate Band-only songs) and I'm digging into the new version. But it's clear that to Dylan, these were always just demos and jams.

The writers and especially the commenters think they're auditioning for the Onion. Next!

Hey, give a listen to "Any Day Now" sometime. Joan Baez' only album of all Dylan songs is compelling — a great alt-country album way before its time.

What else would she hallucinate? It made perfect sense to me. These "oh nos" are just posturing. You all get why he was seen to be there of course. Don't be dim.