PHILIP SPOONER: 87-YEAR OLD REPUBLICAN IS NEW FACE OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN MAINE! TV INTERVIEW PLUS 8 VIDEOS!

October 25, 2009.
An 87-year old WWII vet, Philip Spooner, who testified at a hearing in support of same sex marriage equality, is the father of a gay child who wants homosexuals to have full equality. A video of his speech, posted by www.EqualityMaine.org, has had well over half a million views and is #13 on YouTube's list of top-rated News and Politics Videos. The clip has even garnered the attention of the state’s traditional media. According to Maine TV station WGME, Mr. Spooner has become the "Face of the Same Sex Marriage Campaign."

They go on to quote from Spooner’s speech: “I am here today because of a conversation I had last June when I was voting. A woman at my polling place asked me, ‘Do you believe in 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?'"

On May 6, 2009, Maine became the 5th state in the nation to end discrimination in marriage for same-sex couples. But the fight is not over. Opponents of marriage equality want to roll back the clock. They are working to place a measure on the ballot—modeled after California's Prop 8—to take away the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry in Maine. The vote will happen November 3, 2009. They need your help. Join the campaign today. If you live in Maine be sure to vote "No on 1" to protect Maine's marriage equality. If you live elsewhere, at least donate to the cause. Visit www.protectmaineequality.org for more information.

Although you can watch the Spooner video below, as well as an interview by a Fox television station, here is the complete transcript of Phillip Spooner’s awe-inspiring speech:

"Good morning, committee. My name is Philip Spooner and I live in Biddeford. I am 86 years old, a lifetime Republican, and an active VFW chaplain. I still serve three hospitals and two nursing homes, and I also served meals on wheels for 20 years. My wife of 54 years, Jenny, died in 1997. Together we had four children, including one gay son. All four of our boys were in the service.

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"I was born on a potato farm north of Caribou and Perham, where I was raised to believe that all men are created equal, and I’ve never forgotten that. I served in the US Army 1942-1945 in the First Army as a medic and an ambulance driver. I worked with every outfit over there including Patton’s Third Army. I saw action in all five major battles in Europe including the Battle of the Bulge. My unit was awarded Presidential Citations for transporting more patients with fewer accidents than any other ambulance unit in Europe, and I was in the liberation of Paris. After the war, I carried POWs back from Poland, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and also hauled hundreds of injured Germans back to Germany.

"I’m here today because of a conversation I had last year when I was voting. A woman at my polling place asked me, ‘Do you believe in 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 I fought for at Omaha Beach?’ I have seen so much blood and guts, so much suffering, so much sacrifice. For what? For freedom and equality. These are the values that make America a great nation, one worth dying for.

"I give talks to eighth grade teachers about World War II, and I don’t tell them about the horror. Maybe I have to invite them to the ovens at Buchenwald and Dachau. I’ve seen with my own eyes the consequences of caste systems, and it makes some people less than others, or second class.

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"Never again. We must have equal rights for everyone; it’s what this country was started for. It takes all kinds of people to make a world. It doesn’t make sense that some people who love each other can marry and others can’t, just because of who they are. This is what we fought for in World War II, that idea that we can be different and still be equal.

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"My wife and I did not raise four sons with the idea that three of them would have a certain set of rights, but our gay child would be left out. We raised them all to be hard-working, proud, and loyal Americans, and they all did good.I think if two adults who love each other want to get married, they should be able to.

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"Everybody’s supposed to be equal in this country. Let gay people have the right to marry. Thank you."

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Here’s the Philip Spooner video—www.EqualityMaine.org—Testimony given for and against Maine's marriage equality bill on April 22, 2009 in Augusta, Maine. Nearly 4,000 people attended the hearing, with marriage equality supporters out-numbering the opposition 4 to 1:

Watch this Video Interview with Philip Spooner by Fox23 in Maine (Note: This video is a little slow to get started, so be patient; it's worth the wait!):

Check out this MSNBC video: Jesse Connolly, Campaign Manager for NO on 1, on the Rachel Maddow show:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Watch “Together,” official First TV Spot video by www.EqualityMaine.org—“In Maine, no one tells anyone else how to live. We all share Maine values: fairness, respect for each other, strong and healthy families. Everyone should be able to marry the person they love. Here in Maine, together, we can protect equality”:

Check out this video of Rodney and Ray with son Ethan—www.equalitymaine.org—Testimony given for and against Maine's marriage equality bill on April 22, 2009. Nearly 4,000 people attended the hearing, with marriage equality supporters out-numbering the opposition 4 to 1:

Watch the video of Ella with parents Jonas and Kate—www.equalitymaine.org—Testimony given for and against Maine's marriage equality bill on April 22, 2009. Nearly 4,000 people attended the hearing, with marriage equality supporters out-numbering the opposition 4 to 1:

Check out this video of Bev and Sue with son Ben—www.EqualityMaine.org—Testimony given for and against Maine's marriage equality bill on April 22, 2009. Nearly 4,000 people attended the hearing, with marriage equality supporters out-numbering the opposition 4 to 1:

And now just for fun (This is a humor blog, after all!), watch this National Organization for Marriage (NOM) Gay Marriage Audition "Gathering Storm" Unseen Puppet Footage:

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Photo of white-flowered Maximilian's Spider Lily hymenocallis maximiliani growing in Oklahoma's Zone 7 from the author's free flower photo website http://www.freefishcaretips.com/photos124

Also visit http://www.galechesterwhittington.com/ for free humor, short stories, poems, and book excerpts from the award-winning gay author

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