Mike O'Connell

Fourth of July weekend is upon us—isn’t it great when holidays naturally fall on Mondays?—and I’m gearing up for a new/old tradition this year.

As I did half a dozen times in my old hometown of Binghamton, New York, this Monday I am presenting in my new hometown of Sterling, Virgnia, a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. I’ll be reciting the entire text of the declaration at our local community center’s playground beginning at 11 a.m.

In the 19^th century and into the early part of the 20^th century it was customary on the Fourth of July for a public official—a mayor, a judge, a justice of the peace—to recite the text of the Declaration of Independence in a public place for residents to come together as a community and celebrate the holiday. Like many traditions, this one faded, and now it is difficult to find such an event anywhere in the nation, let alone one’s hometown. I’m aiming to amend that Monday with what I hope to be the first of many such occurrences in Loudoun County. If you are able to join us please do so. Further information can be found on the Events page of this site. Now let our patriotism commence!

Conservative columnist George Will announced Friday he has left the Republican Party, citing irreconcilable differences or some such thing between him and the GOP’s presumed presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Much as I’ve liked Will in the past, I say good riddance.

There’s a certain attitude among Washington’s political and media elite that one must be part of the club to, well, be part of the club. There’s the in-group and the out-group, and it has nothing to do with party affiliation. Among media types George Will is the establishment Republican. Now he’s just establishment.

And unless it’s about baseball, I now have no reason to read any more George Will columns.

Oh, soccer… you with the periodic way in which you get our hopes up. It’s not just every four years now, either. Somehow it’s become more frequent than that. You got me again last night, as I tuned in to see my national team face off against a real soccer team from Argentina in the Copa America Centenario.

It was exciting for about 10 minutes.

Four-nil? That’s like 40-nil in a real sport.

Kudos, soccer promoters, though, on slipping this one in off schedule to milk some American wishful thinking. You got me again.

See ya at the Olympics.

I’m glad I stayed up for the end of that one last night, because just reading about Stephen Curry’s blowup and ejection wouldn’t have done it justice, am I right? (Ditto reading about Craig Sager’s postgame interview with LeBron.) And much as I’ve been awaiting a Golden State win in this series, gosh help me I wanted the Cavs to force a Game Seven yesterday because, well, I wanted to watch a Game Seven. I don’t even think NBA Corporate needed its thumb on the controls last night; that was a dominating performace by Cleveland Inc. Whom do I root for now? I’ll let you know Monday.

Funny how in this series of great games the average margin of victory has been nearly 20 points, with no game being closer that a final score difference of 11. I think Sunday night’s game will change that stat (it damn well better!) and should provide for one of the great TV sports dramas of this century.

Just, you know, going out on a limb there.

There are few nice things one can say about the murder of 50 people, the tragic scene that occurred Sunday morning at an Orlando nightclub. Senseless and despicable are the words that come to mind first.

I’ll give this to our society though. In my lifetime we’ve gone from a culture whose attitude towards tragedy in the gay community has gone from reaction to AIDS: serves ’em right for living a deviant lifestyle to one in which people have fallen over themselves to show solidarity with the gay community. That’s in one generation, and that’s progress.

So I guess that’s something. But it’s an awful lesson to learn.