Comments on: “What Do You Think Our Boys Fought For On Omaha Beach?”

By: The good fight at Lesbian Dad

The good fight at Lesbian Dad — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:48:59 +0000

[...] full transcription of what he said is over at this post at Box Turtle Bulletin. Here’s some of [...]

By: Chris McCoy

Chris McCoy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:43:02 +0000

rusty said:

I posted Philip on my FB page and a few of my more conservative family and friends were simply in awe. This fine man, Philip, was able to move some people off of the fence.

Likewise with me. I think this single video may have more power to change hearts and minds than any PR video from CA, WA, or ME that I have seen yet.

This one and the Irish video of the guy going around to ask everyone in the country for the right to marry.

Powerful stuff.

By: rusty

rusty — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:52:02 +0000

I posted Philip on my FB page and a few of my more conservative family and friends were simply in awe. This fine man, Philip, was able to move some people off of the fence.

I am sending this to as many folk as I can in Washington.

By: Ephilei

Ephilei — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:44:08 +0000

Great example of applying an original principle past the original practice. In principal, WWII was about human equality. In practice, the boys on Omaha Beach freed the Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses but left the gays and transgender folk to remain imprisoned. Good that we are finally practicing what we’re preaching.

By: Kaleo

Kaleo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:24:02 +0000

My heart was touched by Mr. Spooner’s testimony. Hearing such words of wisdom and compassion from a true hero . . . inspires me to be proud and strong as an American and a gay man.

By: GreenEyedLilo

GreenEyedLilo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:11:41 +0000

Oh, wow. I saw just a snippet of this, but the whole thing is so powerful.

People my age (35) and close see the likes of Pat Robertson and Phyllis Schafly and sometimes express hope that when the elders are gone, the world will be a bit kinder to LGBT people. (I am putting this far more politely than they do.) Those who say such things become what they hate. They need to listen to other elders, like Phillip Spooner. I am so glad he spoke up.

By: Regan DuCasse

Regan DuCasse — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:27:50 +0000

“…we can be different and still be equal.”
My late father was also a vet of WW2. He had to suffer the indignity of segregation and marginalized services like scut work and no ammo for black soldier’s gun.

And many blacks returned from that service to an America or stayed and participated in making sacrifices for everyone’s freedom and rights, only to still be regarded as less than worthy of those hard fought for rights with the distinct outrage of Jim Crow and de facto discrimination and bigotry in other parts of this country.

I see this same indignity directed at gay servicemen and women. And. It. Must. Stop.

Mr. Spooner said ALL of his sons were in service. And they ‘did good’.
He’s right.
His one gay son should be no exception to the privileges he’s more than earned for everyone.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:24:36 +0000

Wow! Made me tear up.

Our side is winning, folks!

By: Matt Algren

Matt Algren — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:09:27 +0000

I transcribed the speech yesterday over on my blog. The town name is Perham. It’s way up north near the border. And the unintelligible because of the applause is “Maybe I have to invite them to the ovens at Buchenwald and Dachau.” I think there are some other spots where he misread (“It takes all kinds to make a world war”).

It’s a great speech. We need more like Mr. Spooner.