'Obama, I know you are listening': Gay rights activists march in D.C. (More Obama sucking up)

cnn ^ | 10/12/2009 | cnn

[tobyhill]

Judy Shepard stood before a massive crowd at the Capitol on Sunday for a single, painful reason.

"I'm here today because I lost my son to hate."

Her gay son, Matthew Shepard, was kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998. He died five days later in a hospital.

More than 10 years later, Judy Shepard addressed the thousands of gay rights activists in Washington who wrapped up Sunday's National Equality March with a rousing rally at the Capitol.

"No one has the right to tell my son whether or not he can work anywhere. Whether or not he can live wherever he wants to live and whether or not he can be with the one person he loves -- no one has that right," Judy Shepard told the crowd. "We are all Americans. We are all equal Americans, gay, straight or whatever."

The activists marched through Washington, calling for an end to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and equality in marriage. Watch celebrities and others take a stand »

The National Equality March coincided with National Coming Out Day, and came a day after President Obama delivered a supportive speech to the nation's largest gay and lesbian rights group.

[Doogle]

don’t ask,don’t tell...clinton’s PC problem solver.
Odumbo’s idea....is.....is....wait?...oh I see, he heard them.

[SECURE AMERICA]

‘Obama, I know you are listening’: Gay rights activists march in D.C. (More Obama sucking up)

How appropriate..

[Venturer]

I am sure this woman’s story of her son is tragic.

Her son has the right to join the military, he just doesn’t have the right to go around advertising his sick sexual preferences.

[tobyhill]

Obama’s real agenda is to let openly gay people serve openly in the military but Obama’s problem with this idea is that it's political suicide.
No straight military member wants Homo Joe checking him out in the field.

[tobyhill]

It is sad and you’re right, he could have served already but the law is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

[Leisler]

Give us gay rights or we’ll put a small, repairable rip in your curtains.

And, and you’ll never, ever, unless you’re really sick with the flu or something, get another spinach quiche!

[pawdoggie]

I just came back from a US Army training area, where young soldiers train for combat. Anyone who believes that moving openly avowed “strays and gays” into the military, or who believes the canard that it’s “only senior officers” who oppose homosexuals and Lesbians in the military, needs to read those “freedom walls” in the latrine stalls to know it’s the young men, who will feel the impact of yet another “rock in their rucksack”. Maybe that’s why in one Army Times poll forty percent of soldiers said that allowing gays to openly serve in the military would impact their decision to reenlist (and the Army Times is published, IIRC, by the same folks who bring you “USA Today”).

[pawdoggie]

Correction I just came back from a US Army training area, where young soldiers train for combat. Anyone who believes that moving openly avowed “strays and gays” into the militaryis a good idea, or who believes the canard that it’s “only senior officers” who oppose homosexuals and Lesbians in the military, needs to read those “freedom walls” in the latrine stalls to know it’s the young men, who will feel the impact of yet another “rock in their rucksack”. Maybe that’s why in one "Army Times" poll forty percent of soldiers said that allowing gays to openly serve in the military would negatively impact their decision to reenlist (and the Army Times is published, IIRC, by the same folks who bring you “USA Today”). Error due to still being on Central European time

[Always Right]

Her gay son, Matthew Shepard, was kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998. He died five days later in a hospital.

Is this the only example they have been able to come up with in the last 20 years?

[billhilly]

CNN calls the gay turnout massive. Can we remember what they called the march on Washington? Was it 60,000?

[fwdude]

...Judy Shepard told the crowd. "We are all Americans. We are all equal Americans, gay, straight or whatever."

"Whatever?" NAMBLA members, Necrophiles, polygamists, exhibitionists, bug chasers? Really, Judy?

[VanDeKoik]

I dont remember there being a rally over the weekend.

[Caipirabob]

Hcaing children, I won't get past the point where I view the homosexual lobby as just another threat to my children.

They are an ever present predator waiting to drag children off into some distorted facade of alternative lifestyle which serves as a cover for an extreme mental illness and is just one more gateway to a living hell of self deception and disease.

Tolerance my foot. Lock and load.

[Always Right]

Any side by side pictures of the crowds?

[thecraw]

Yeah a "massive" crowd.

I looked at the pictures and saw a gathering on the capitol lawn. interesting how CNN inflates this into something it's not.

I've seen these typed of "gay" events in person, marching past my place of business. The news never shows the really disgusting aspects of the gathering (I really don't even want to go there.) I'm sure the marchers don't want to know what we do in our bedrooms, and we SURE don't want to know what they do in theirs! But they insist on telling us - in our faces - anyway.

This is nothing more than intentional depravity and debauchery looking for acceptance and validation. Sick...

[HiTech RedNeck]

OK lady, so mugging and robbing your son wasn’t too loving. Why don’t we make mugging and robbing hate crimes? That would be more to the point. The crooks who mugged and robbed your son made an excuse that his homosexual flirtation freaked them out, an excuse that nobody bought, but if it were true then why shouldn’t sexual harassment be a hate crime too?

[ThunderSleeps]

Nice to see obama back in familiar territory, back on the campaign trail. Oh, wait, this wasn’t a campaign stop full of the usual meaningless platitudes? Could’ve fooled me...

[ScottinVA]

CNN terms the crowd “massive.”

Must’ve been dozens in attendance.

[MNnice]

Military brass are opposed to openly gays in the military because they know it’ll hurt recruiting. Surveys show that potential recruits will lose the support from most moms and dads who will not want their sons and daughters joining up if there’s openly gays in the military.

[Morgana]

(More Obama sucking up)

oh he is sucking...but I am not sure it is “up”...........

[massgopguy]

A guy walks up to a girl in a bar and tells her what he’d like to do to her. She throws a drink in his face. The bartender has the bouncer toss him. The cop outside arrests him for Disorderly Conduct.
A Gay guy walks up to a guy in a bar andtells him what he’d like to do to him. He throws a drin in his face. The bartender has the bouncer toss him. The cop outside arrests the bouncer, the bartender and the guy for a Hate Crime. The bar owner and the staff have to go to Diversity Training to get the Liquor Lisence back. Glory Hole are installed in the Men’s Room.

[thecraw]

Chuck Colson wrote a piece way back in 1992 http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/2113-close-quarters on how "don't ask, don't tell" brings a whole new sick dimension to sexual harrassment in the military.

My how far we've come...

[Pearls Before Swine]

Re the title comment “More Obama sucking up”:

Remember when Ross Perot was running and he said that NAFTA would lead to “that giant sucking sound” of jobs crossing the border? When I listen to Obama pander to the gay lobby I hear a different “giant sucking sound.”

[thecraw]

When I listen to Obama pander to the gay lobby I hear a different “giant sucking sound.”

That imagery is too much to bear. Ewwwwww!

[Chode]

oh he sucks alright...