86-year-old’s plea for gay marriage becomes Internet hit

By Raw Story
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 -- 8:07 am
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It happened in April, but Phillip Spooner's speech for gay marriage equality is just now making the Internet rounds -- and drawing widespread attention from large liberal websites like The Huffington Post.

Spooner, 86, spoke out in favor of marriage equality during hearings in Maine on gay marriage Apr. 22. But his remarks are only now being noticed online. The World War II vet, and father of four, says he didn't fight in World War II for his gay son to be treated as a second class citizen.

"I am here today because of a conversation I had last June when I was voting," Spooner says. "A woman at my polling place asked me, "Do you believe in equal, equality for gay and lesbian people?' I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her, 'What do you think our boys fought for at Omaha Beach?' I haven't seen much, so much blood and guts, so much suffering, much sacrifice. For what? For freedom and equality. These are the values that give America a great nation, one worth dying for."

The video follows.

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Story comments are below...
  • Antinous
    Bless your heart sir, you are a "Real Patriot" not a phony wannabe, like those that permeate the Republican Party.
  • aldehyde
    american hero, everyone should see this
  • philedrifter
    I just thumbed it up and inserted it into the StumbleUpon(.com) engine so a lot of Stumblers WILL see this. ;)
  • tinao
    Exactly! And how many of the idiots screaming for the denial of equal rights for all actually put their lives on the line in a war? And how much more critical intelligence will we lose because sexual orientation decides whether they can do their job? Cultural war and subjugation are homophobe's standards of peace. They care more about forcing their belief system on this country than our actual saftey.
  • I'd love to see that man be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  • philedrifter
    Make it so, don't just pay lip service. The least you could do is email President Obama to offer the suggestion; the most you could do would probably be to write him repeatedly (harass him) until he does, or he gives a reasonable answer on why he shouldn't. (none.)

    There's no limit on how many times they can be given,
  • DownriverDem
    What a great thinker and hero! Of course Repubs still think it is their right to intrude on folks' lives while yelling against big government.

    We need to continue to marginalize the right wing crazies!
  • Tom M
    There are a fair number of us "right wing crazies" that wholly agree with Mr. Spooner on Anti-Federalist grounds. There might be more room in the middle for consensus building with us if you didn't run around acting childish, making summary judgments about us, and calling us names all the time. Think long and hard about that...
  • CornetMustich
    Kudos to Mr. Spooner.
    Cheers, Joe Mustich, Justice of the Peace,
    Washington, Connecticut, USA
  • RadicalCaveman
    Wonderful video. Only suggestion, add subtitles. The guy's words are a little hard to make out at times.
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