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Asking Gene to speak, then snubbing him is worse than not even inviting him. What message does this send? Rick Warren is given center stage and Gene Robinson is given a stage, but no voice.
It was on before his invocation, and turned on as he said amen. Unless HBO was controlling sound at the event, they are not to blame.
Some progress.
Nobody wants to hear all that stuff about poor people, AIDS, and Obama getting assassinated. In 35 degree weather.
It's no wonder they pulled the plug on Robinson.
As it is, you just sound a bit nuts basically throwiing out the same line regardless of context or meaning.
My friend keeps telling me that he thinks most Americans are clinically insane or certified personality disorders. I am begining to believe it.
Can you take your issue with religion and still understand the problem with this is not that it was religion, but that it was selective? Or do you have a one size fit all response to all discussions?
Remember when the Obama campaign assured us that Rev Donnie McClurkin would only SING and not give any of his homophbic views at the gospel tour in SC. Good ol Donnie spouted his hate anyway. And, remember they had a gay minister open that gospel concert as well. But, he didn't even address the gay issue and he spoke so early the majority of people hadn't even arrived yet.
Then they told us Bishop Robinson will be featured at this event. But HBO doesn't carry it, they turn off the speakers when he prays and no news channel covers it either.
Did they roll up a bus for Bishop Robinson to crawl out from under to appear on the stage too?
Let's just see how Rev Rick Warren's prayer is treated on Tuesday. I'll bet he gets FULL Coverage and commentary for whatever he says.
So NO ONE got to hear him ?
I can't stand it.
http://usaservice.org/page/content/calltoservice/
There is contact info on the HBO site.
Please, everyone, write them about this outrage.
It appears he really was censored from the broadcast.
On a more salient note, I've just purchased one of those blue Obama dildos. I figure since we're getting screwed over, I might as well enjoy it.
Jim Kelly
Until Obama stands up and demonstrates principle, I couldn't care less. Trashing the LGBT community is inexcusable. I wouldn't dedicate 30 seconds to watch the inaugural. There are lines I will never cross, and there are people, who cross those lines, that I will never respect.
And let's not forget one thing--no matter what faults Obama has, we all know we'd be royally screwed with McCain/Pailn in office.
Check this link http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/dollarc...
G-d doesn't sit around waiting to be honored on some stupid coin. If you religious fanatic Talibangelicals weren't so wrapped up in wasting your energy on ridiculous crapola like printing G-d's name on money versus caring for the poor and service to the marginalized then this world would be a better place. Besides I think its disrespectful to G-d to spell out G-d's name is G-O-D in the first place. Kind of defining G-d down aren't ya?
However, I don't think it is a reflection of Obama's priorities or beliefs as much as it is of HBO's. The only thing they care about is the almighty dollar. If anyone knows what time of day this took place at, perhaps that would help shed some light. That said, if the organizers knew that HBO coverage would begin at a certain time, and they scheduled Robinson for 15 minutes prior, that's blindness or disrespect.
If it weren't a openly gay minister, absolutely no one in the LGBT community would care.
And as far as all these immature little crybabies whining about Obama: What the hell is wrong with you? We gays have it pretty damn easy, compared to other minority groups in this county, yet when some stupid little slight happens, some of us want nothing more than to upset the checker board and lock ourselves in the powder room for a good cry. Grow up.
Yes, we deserve equal rights, and we're not getting them. But taking yourselves out of the game because you don't like the score is just stupid and counter-productive. We've all got to fight, and keep fighting. The progress we've made in the last forty years is simply astonishing, but it took many brave pioneers to get where we are, and we've got to keep up the pressure.
Obama is reachable - probably the most reachable president we've ever had on LGBT issues. But we won't reach him if we get all pouty and pissy over stupid stuff like this and Warren. Negative queens never accomplished anything, except the art of sitting on a bar stool somewhere and bitching. Real fighters take their punches.
Save the righteous outrage for the real issues.
#1. I'm not gay and to me, Gene's sexuality isn't my issue. Rick Warren represents everything that is wrong with religion in this country. Gene is very liberal an represents many others. I'm tired of being judged based on prejudiced hate spouted by the Warrens of the world and I was looking forward to having a normal human being representing religion.
#2. The event had quite a bit of exposure. If you look at the number of blogs and news outlets covering the event, it's pretty clear that this wasn't a minor thing. The event was also broadcast on NPR, for free on the web and rebroadcast for free by HBO this evening.
#3. Real fighters take their punches, but fighters who don't punch back end up on the canvas.
Only events like the Inauguration and SuperBowl actually take time to showcase that ceremonial, pre-game, symbolic crap. Rick Warren (and Rev. Joseph Lowery) will be right in the midst of the actual inauguration, of course it will be televised. But Bishop Robinson's prayer follows the usual practice of coming very early before the real show begins.
There can only be so many "gee, I don't know what happened" moments when it comes to acknowledging gays and lesbians on a national scale. What happened is totally unacceptable and I'm a non-believer. This was an insult all the way around. I'm waiting for someone to at least explain what happened and try and make amends.
Try it, it works. Every time you hear anyone utter one of the platitudes, just add "unless you're gay" and see if it doesn't fit right in.
Shut up. Hide your fucking face. Go back into the fucking closet.
The crumbs he tossed our way aren't working for me. This is a couple of straight college guys trying tio have it both ways and completely fucking it up.
Rightly or not, a prayer was to be given and Bishop Robinson was selected to give it. He prepared it and traveled from New Hampshire to present it. Yet no one was able to hear it.
Regardless your objection to a prayer being offered at all, which I share, that Bishop Robinson was treated in this manner was wrong.
Very Very Wrong.
Nevermind. I thought I was replying to someone of intelligence. My mistake.
(That will be the official explanation, I am sure, IF there is an official explanation).
That's it. I'm done. After giving money to his campaign. After embracing him as the nominee. After schlepping through western Pennsylvania in the rain trying to get people with fewer IQ points than teeth to vote for Obama, I've come to a conclusion. This is not coincidental. Obama is not for us, he's against us.
I'm done.
Ok, now I get where you are coming from.
Do you think the event sound engineers were also in cahoots with Obama's staff?
Can we count on AMERICAblog to get the facts of this and report them to us?
We need to know.
If he was, then he knows about it, and if he knows about it and wants to make amends to Bishop Robinson, I know how he can do it:
Replace Warren with Robinson.
Two birds, one stone...
By the way, what a fantastic prayer. I can't see Warren improving on that one.
If you get a chance, check out my YouTube on Equality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOzak95Ztt4
Since there was a 10 minute gap between the prayer and the rest of the concert, perhaps the sound system conked out and it took that long to get it working again.
I do not believe that Obama or his staff would purposefully do this to Robinson and neither do I think HBO would do it.
I will agree that I can be naive, but bad things do happen in large staged events and they are usually not sabotage.
Whatever happened, it was an egregious error for someone not to have made an announcement of explanation and apology.
We all worked so hard, only to be insulted on a national level, for a mistake like this to BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN. If O's staff really cared, then Robinson's appearance would have been treated with kid gloves, and that should have come from the top down. Instead, Robinson was publicly thrown away. And, de facto, this is how unimportant we are.
I can't believe they slighted him so PUBLICLY.
ALL f*cking bets are off for MLK tomorrow and especially for G*D DAMN Warren on Tuesday, don't just turn your back and kiss, yell "F*CK YOU HATEFUL BREEDER PIG!"
btw, Pam's House Blend, Queerty.com, and Huffington Post are ALL FURIOUS too
comment at HBO and tear them a new asshole.
"BLESS us with anger- at discrimination...."
My blessing is motherf*ckin OVERFLOWETH!
we are part of the America that our new President speaks of and we will not go away and we will win this fight to be accepted...we will no longer be silent...we will no longer be told we can not get on the bus....eventually we will drive it....
So much for the commenters here who wrote that Robinson's speech was inaudible, insinuating or saying outright that his mic was "cut."
To those who are blaming Obama and/or his staff, what say you now?
There are multiple other little buttons. . .each one to another set of speakers, or amplifiers or . .perhaps one that (god forbid)goes to the live feed of the audience . . .left and right, high and low end . . .lots of pretty buttons. . .There's even at least 4 of those that feed into the basic HBO desk. . . .
A team of audio engineers who work on a project as HUGE as this don't just loose track of where the sound is going.
No matter how pretty the buttons are.
The linked youtube had good sound as Robinson spoke and it was some distance from the stage.
Do you think that the audio engineers intentionally manipulated the various soundboad controls to allow some people to hear the prayer and other people not to hear it?
If you do think this, what was their motive? Why some and not others?
We can be grateful for the fact that christianitytodaymag had someone with with their "flip cam" there to document it.
There is no practicable reason for any professional audio engineer to intentionally sabotage any live event . . .especiallly not one as historic as this, I cannot imagine what that motive would be. . .that's the point.
That's how mics work. On a sound board. With levels for each speaker, for every audio for each broadcast.
That's your take?
For months I have been considering moving out of USA because of the increased hostility and hatred toward gay Americans. This was my last drop, now I do know that "We are the One" does not include us. Censoring Bishop Robinson shows the cynicism of Obama administartion and when the time comes we all will be shoved under the bus. Again.
So today I will accept the job offer from Canada and will move there in a few months. For good, I hope. This land is not my land anymore. I am writing this on a worktrip abroad and yesterday when I realized that Robisnon had been cut off from the broadcast I felt such a chill. I have no country and "my" country is happy to keep me invisible.
Good bye USA, Good bye Obama. By choosing Warren and now this.... I just do not believe in you anymore. Or this country.
Obama's presidency signifies the long walk for the African American community. It didn't happen overnight, and neither will gay rights. There have been steps forward, as well as steps back. If we dwell on looking backwards, then there will never be enough push to move forward. Keep fighting no matter where you are!
If any religious voice is to be included in civil functions, then a multiplicity of views must be included, from Atheist to Zoroastrian
It would seem some people don't know how big the number "one" is in this case.
Here are some humorous reasons and some serious, plus other links to blogs, eye-witness accounts and link to HBO to send in your own complaint.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1/18/171120/...
or http://tinyurl.com/9r3jdy
I guess I have to add, since nothing has changed for GLBTs since Elizabeth Taylor won her KC Honor, maybe you should try it another way. Maybe you should START complaining, since your way got us ... where, exactly? The change comes on Capitol Hill when we are as vocal as those who are against us.
It's time to speak out.
That's what I guessed happened, that HBO decided to separate the religious from the entertainment. In most cases it would have been a good decision, but in this case it definitely was not and I hope they get plenty of flack for it. They already have from me. I also hope we can nix the idea that Obama and/or his staff somehow orchestrated it.
The best concert I EVER attended was a Christmas one by the Gay Men's Chorus of Portland, Maine. It was magnificent!
"I've been watching Obama closely and I'm not thinking its him. I think there are some "advisors" who are causing the problems. I'd like to know who it is? Obama seems to want to mention gays and lesbians and seems to want to make it publically known he has not forgotten the LGBT community, but then there are these incidents like Warren, and Bishop Robinson lapses that keep occuring for me to think its all accidental. Someone making decisions within Team Obama keeps winking and nodding at the Conservatives and Evangelicals."
Had Obama not mentioned gays and lesbians in his speech, I would think differently but he made it a point to include us in his speech. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, but someone within Team Obama needs to stop kissing up to the Evangelicals. They need to know the Talibangelicals aren't going to be returning any favors, no matter what they might think! The Talibangelicals don't compromise, its just not part of who they are so Team Obama needs to stop winking, nodding and kissing their asses.
He can say "gay" but can he stand on stage next to gay person?
Where was Melissa Etheridge? Even Rick Warren likes her.
HBO planned to start their broadcast at 2:30PM. HBO had nothing to do with the program, all they did was broadcast it.
The Obama people knew that anyone who appeared prior to 2:30PM would not be included in the HBO broadcast. The Obama people put Bishop Robinson on before the program started.
It was deliberate, just like the DC Gay Men's Chorus was the only group that wasn't announced when they performed and just like choosing Warren to give the invocation was a deliberate insult to gay people.
I'm a life-long Democrat and I am totally disgusted with Mr. Obama. To Hell with him. Until he supports equal rights for all people, I'm not supporting him.
I'm a 58 year-old grandmother and a lifelong Democrat. My husband is actually a man. I support equal rights for all people because it is the only hope we have for unity in this country and peace on Earth.
I did find Robinson's speech fantastic though, which is why I wrote a separate post to that affect without mentioning the slighting.
None of the other backup groups/choirs were announced - except the Navy chorus.
This is not the ony reason we can't have nice things, but it's one of the reasons our enemies use to excuse themselves when they take the nice things away from us. DADT matters. Marriage rights matter. Adoption rights and parental rights and immigration rights matter. This was a damn photo-op, one which half the people complaining tonight about not seeing were complaining yesterday about being a bone in the first place. It'll be dealt with. It'll be fixed. The Inauguration events aren't even half over yet, and we've got people fleeing the country and marching in protest against a guy who, in case you forgot, is hated by just about all the same people who hate us.
In short, wait ten damn minutes, and if you can't, get off my side because you make my side look dumb.
In this case, it wasn't. Period. The queers were dissed.
I'm finding there are two schools of thought on this
1) we should all wait for Obama to help at some distant point he kind of maybe half promised OR
2) we should yell and scream and pitch fits and write our senators and email our representatives and call our governors until every american is equal under the law.
I'm a 2.
You?
http://www.afterelton.com/blog/michaeljensen/de...
So the Gay Men's Choir was NOT singled out in that respect. Several other choir groups were not announced. Although some of those choirs did come back on stage at the end.
How Bishop Robinson was treated IS a valid criticism though. It was a historic moment for an openly gay clergy to give such an invocation.
I don't know who planned for it to be 10 minutes before the show so that it would not be televised or broadcast anywhere but I think we should ask for an explanation.
I don't think they plan on treating Rick Warren or Joseph Lowery like this.
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/20...
and to call it censorship is stupid.
Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson's prayer, HBO said via email, "The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show."
Uncertain as to whether or not that meant that HBO was contractually prevented from airing the pre-show, we followed up, but none of the spokespeople available Sunday night could answer that question with absolute certainty.
However, it does seem that the network's position is that they had nothing to do with the decision.
We have also contacted a spokesperson from the Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) for their explanation and will post what we learn either from PIC or HBO .
Wherever the fault lies, this is yet another unfortunate turn involving GLBT concerns over Obama's selection of Rick Warren to deliver the prayer at Obama's inauguration. Many in the gay community saw Robinson's selection to deliver Sunday's prayer as an olive branch.
But given that most Americans could not attend the concert, instead having to watch it on television, the decision to not broadcast the prayer is being seen by many in the GLBT community as a slight.
The exclusion of Robinson, even if unintentional, does not reflect well on the Obama administration's ability thus far to think through these sorts of nuances.
http://www.afterelton.com/blog/michaeljensen/de...
It wouldn't have, even if they had included it.
Will anyone ask Rachel Maddow why MSNBC chose to "snub" Gene Robinson since she was touting his appearance and actually had him on her show last week as a guest?
If the bishop's prayer was scheduled as the "pre show", then there was no reason for CNN and MSNBC not to broadcast it. They were showing everything else leading up to the "REAL" show.
UPDATE: AfterElton.com has spoken to HBO, who tells them that the decision to keep Robinson's invocation in the pre-broadcast portion of the concert was made by the Obama team.
Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson's prayer, HBO said via email, "The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show. Uncertain as to whether or not that meant that HBO was contractually prevented from airing the pre-show, we followed up, but none of the spokespeople available Sunday night could answer that question with absolute certainty. However, it does seem that the network's position is that they had nothing to do with the decision.
After years of arguing in favor of secularism with respect to governmental activities, what an odd shift towards the insistence of the inclusion of religious invocation at an event like this.
TURN ON THE INAURGURATION
CHANGE THE CHANNEL ON WARREN
(turn the TV off during the time he is scheduled to speak and/or listen
to the radio for a few minutes to hear when he is done)
TURN ON WHEN WARREN IS DONE.
Since the 1920s the Nielsen Ratings has evolved into being the television industry standard to determine viewer preferences and consumer likes and dislikes. It a powerful tool, which ultimately decides what and who we see on television. We don’t know who the Nielsen viewers are, but everyone’s opinion matters to programmers. Other viewers are also tracked in various ways, Together we can reach them and protest this outrage.
This is about their bottom line. Get the message out – make it go viral.
Email it, Twitter it, text it, Facebook it, network it – radiate psychic thought waves
The Nielsen mavens and millions of other inaugural viewers who support us buzz through our internet and mobile phone usage, so we can reach many of the vast numbers watch who will this historic event with all our communication methods that have worked so well for us – and for the Obama campaign.
Let us use their tool to our advantage on Inauguration Day. The loudest way to send a message is through their bottom line. Say no to Warren by simply turning him off.
Reject Reverend Warren the moment his nasty face appears on the dais. When Pastor Warren gets up to pray for everyone who isn’t gay, turn off your television. Don’t let him kill our hope.
We don’t need to listen to anymore of his rhetoric to know that he does not preach anything that we believe in.
We need to communicate to Nielsen and Nielsen clients that Warren could not so much as sell water in the middle of a draught much less anything in the middle of a recession.
Communicate that Rev. Warren is a liability.
Let them know, in no uncertain terms, that Rev. Warren on any national stage is not in the best interest of their bottom line.
Corporate America pays huge dollars for this information.
They will listen when you turn off.
This a call for a nationwide boycott of Reverend Warren,
The preacher of intolerance and ignorance,
At the inauguration of our new president.
He won’t sell soap.
[For more information SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Ratings and
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/MeasuringSatisfac...
do i think obama was in on it? NO
i am getting concerned that we are becoming a high maintenance group for obama. he doesn't need this now. and i am not willing to spend our 'political capital' on religious inclusion. i am sorry for gene robinson, but we have bigger fish to fry folks.
But personally, I thought Gene's prayer was excellent -- although I'd have suggested a few word choice changes, just to keep the language from being TOO colloquial (that's the Episcopalian in me coming through, however). That it wasn't televised, I was disappointed, only because I couldn't see Gene except in the final lineup of everyone singing together. But I'm not angry at Obama or HBO for cutting it upfront from the otherwise tightly scheduled two-hour concert. And Tom Hanks's reading of Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" gave me chills. I just looked it up on Wikipedia and see that one of the other most prominent, recent performances of this piece was narrated by...Barack Obama with the CSO on Sept 11, 2005. Now that's some pretty cool historical precedence.
(I'm also a huge Springsteen fan, so having Bruce up there right at the start was maybe the high point for me, anyway.)
http://tinyurl.com/john-lennon1
I have no problem with atheism, but if you blindly condem religious leaders without doing an research. Your a part of the problem just like Rick Warren.
http://tinyurl.com/obama101