Philip: 86 year old Rep and WW II vet speaks about equality.
tags:
Stumble This"The woman at my polling place asked me do I believe in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty suprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her: what do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?"
Adding video to channels (Gay, History, Humanitarian, Love, Military) - requested by EndAll.
The USA was not started for 'equal rights'. Otherwise there would not have been massacres of native Americans, slavery, women's suffrage, and now the gay rights struggle. The colonials fought England as a result of perceived unfair taxation of the colonies (which were effective extensions of the British empire). Then came independence, statehood, and growth of the nation. Even through those years, abolition of slavery, women's and black's voting rights, etc. All were fought and bled for against vehement opposition by the rich white establishment and more often than not, the conservative base. The civil war was more of a North/South economic war with slavery as a component. Both sides had slavery. The White House was constructed by the hands of slaves. We all too often neglect to learn our nation's history. Government officials continue to propagate the 'myth' that the USA is a nation founded on the basis of freedom. This is a falsehood. Our freedoms however WERE MOST ASSUREDLY fought for tooth and nail. If such battles were not fought against the -majority establishment-. Who knows. We may still be a slave owning while male dominated society today. Of course, we'd also likely still be a second or third world nation. If we weren't overtaken by another global power of course.
So I reiterate. The USA strives for freedom and equality, or at least we like to say we do. What we say is often not the same as what we practice. Two completely different things.
No country that has failed to provide these rights can be called a great country. It's sad that this man fought for the freedom of his country and the world, but so many of his fellow countrymen and women fight and rage against that freedom, and are so very proud of it.
I agree with everything he says.. except for.. "equal rights is what this country was started for..".
The USA was not started for 'equal rights'
Equal rights among citizens.
The USA was founded on equal rights for "the people", except originally only educated white people were considered part of "the people" or citizens. The in-group always had arbitrary boundaries and always trended towards expansion. The meaning of "All people have equal rights" is a function of your definition of a person. The idea that all humans have rights and other great apes don't, is on the same continuum as racism. So your 10,000th cousin has rights, but your 1,000,000th cousin doesn't? There's a fairly smooth continuum, with the smartest apes being more aware than than some mentally retarded humans, and a vast variety of species and individuals all the way down to the simplest organisms. There's no good place to draw a thin line and say full rights on this side, vastly less rights on the other side.
I love the sentiment, but feel this is a little revisionist. The GIs in WWII fought for alot of things but, unfortunately, equality for gays and lesbians and for minorities were not among them.
THIS GI certainly DID fight for equality.
Surely it is sensible to qualify your "statement" with that?