Patriotic American

Transcript:

Good morning, committee. My name is Phillip 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.

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.

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.

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

Thank you.

Breaking News

BREAKING NEWS: BAT LOOSE IN CONGRESS

Kids' Summer

Jay Walter Bennett RIP

http://www.heathandvaughn.com/bennett-jay.html

In time I will miss his music. Today I miss him.

Jay was a genius and quite likely the greatest guitarist of our generation. He was definitely the most talented and amazing guitarist I have ever seen (and I am to this day stunned he took it upon himself to allow my rudimentary talents to intertwine with his brilliance for the year-and-a-half or so we lived and played together). I honestly believe Titanic Love Affair's "No Charisma" and Steve Pride & His Blood Kin's "Pride on Pride" are every bit as remarkable as anything he did with Wilco.

I miss him and his stupid habit for crapping everything up with his ketchup packets, cigarette butts and those awful, stinky turtles. I miss his crooked, gatemouth smile and cracking-voice cackle. I miss his habit of hugging everybody. Hell, I even miss carrying his damn amp for him all the time right now.

In recent months Jay had gone on occasional jags of emailing me intensely. He told me he thought the year we played with Steve may very well have been the most purely joyous time of making music he had ever had. He reminisced about our penchant for rehearsing for hours and hours several days a week and how the camaraderie we shared filled him with contentment. He even spoke of wanting to look to reuniting the band some day for some shows.

He also queried as to my lot in life, the dynamic I had with my ex-wife and what my life was like with my children. He was warm and funny and I knew at some point he would retreat to his lair and I might never hear from him again.

A few weeks ago my son, Will, and I were dropping of Mike Rader at his home - in the same Buena Vista Court group of housing in which Jay resided - after an Illini baseball game and we say Jay pulling out. Jay did not seem to recognize us, however, Will (who has a picture of himself as an infant being held by a grinning, disheveled Bennett) got a good look at him. When we walked into our house Will spoke not of the game or his day, but immediately gushed in a star-struck tone rarely heard from a 12-year-old who just saw one of his father's friends, "We saw Jay Bennett!"

I am grateful Lars, Ken, Mike and Leroy were here with us yesterday. I wonder if years from now those who were hear sharing food and drink and stories and tears will think back at how the sun-drenched day was briefly interrupted by a shower once all had arrived.

Godspeed, my friend.

The SP&HBK band photo (final line-up with Michael Hazelrigg) was taken somewhere in the middle of Iowa on the way home from playing - by special request - at a friend of my brother's wedding. The first dance was "Ripple" and at the request of the bride's grandmother Jay sat down at the piano and sang one of the most heartfelt versions of Anne Murray's "Can I Have This Dance (for the Rest of My Life)?" anyone in the room will ever likely hear. It was a beautiful thing.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JHamm10137

"Rain Event" Friday, May 15, 2009

(video is of my neighbor's driveway being washed into my own)

The storm was a fast moving storm that produced large amount of rainfall in a very short period of time. The rain gauge at Healey Street recorded 1.41-inches in a 15 minute period. Of the 1.41inches, approximately .72-inches fell in a 5 minute period. According to the Illinois State Water Survey, .72-inches of rainfall in a 5 minute period equates to a 100-year return interval. 1.41-inches in a 15 minute period equates to approximately a 25-year return interval. Over the next 1 to 2 hours 2.5 to 3 inches fell depending on where you were at in the City. Saturated ground conditions from the storm on 5/13/2009 contributed to the excessive runoff from the 5/15/2009 storm. Storm sewers throughout the City were overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the runoff generated from the storm.

Shark Jumping

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Product Safety Notice

Those of you who enjoy nun chucks should pay close mind to the quality of the equipment available on the market. This rather chilling video illustrates one of the many dangers.

Product Safety Announcement

Those of you who wish to keep fit should pay close mind to the quality of the treadmill equipment available on the market. This rather chilling video illustrates one of the many dangers.

Product Safety Announcement

Those of you with young children should pay close mind to the quality of the swing-set equipment available on the market. This rather chilling video illustrates one of the many dangers.

Seussical Jr. Videos

From Seussical Jr." at Edison Middle School in Champaign, Illinois on April 23, 2009...Chloe Rose Gerard as one of the Who People in the chorus!

Busy

Seussical was awesome...I am too busy/lazy to blog about anything, though...sorry.

Chloe was a great Who person! And her classmates did a wonderful job. It is so cool that Edison Middle School has so many great programs - music, theater, athletics - for the kids!



...that's not her costume - except for the hair & socks...I will hopefully have some pics & movie clips soon.

Cover Art Project continues

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Stick Figures Animated GIFs | Graphics Grotto

Freez'n for a REASON

For the first time I am going to do the Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics Illinois! We go swimming on Saturday, March 7, 2009 and I am trying to raise as much money as I can to help this great cause.

Please support me by pledging $5 (or more!) here:

https://www.firstgiving.com/chloegerard

(more information about Special Olympics visit my page)

Thank you!

Love,

Chloe

"Freezn' for a REASON!"

special olympics illinois polar plunge mahomet lake of the woods polar plunge

The Boilers Dropped a Purdeuce...

Will & I sat behind the Tubas and enjoyed the action on Sunday as the Illini trounced the Boilermakers 66-48.

Snow 2009 - Taller than Nick Smith? ...plus, Superbowl game faces.

Snowbama!

January 18, 2009
Snowbama!

"This Blog Is Going To The Dogs" - or - "Puppy Galore!"

A few pics from this past weekend's performance of Bright Lights Theater Company's performance of "101 Dalmations Kids" at the Barkstall Elementary School Auditorium.

The show was AWESOME, the theater was packed all three nights and all of the kids did a great job!

(Chloe is the "beagle" narrator with the big floppy ears and spotted sweater)

Wayback machine 1985

Adam, Lars, Charlie & me...the Farmboys.

Fire in Downtown Champaign

From Tom Bruno:

Attached are a few photos I took this morning. The fire was reported by an observer at 5 am It was visible from Mahomet as off-duty firefighters were called in. Thanks to Urbana for their manpower. Some damage to Guidos windows and awnings at One Main.

>From the city manager:

There has been a major fire downtown. You probably have heard on the news if listening or watching. The SW corner of Church -Neil. A huge fire when reported. The building collapsed. Fortunately the fire crews were able to keep it from spreading to adjoining buildings. Smoke and water damage mostly to the building south. Some minor damage to M2--windows broken. No injuries reported. Mutual aid used to help downtown and to staff our stations as our folks were down here. The heart of downtown will be pretty well blocked off while they continue to check for hot spots, make sure the area is safe, and clean up. The command car is in front of Mary Ann's diner.

Halloween 2008

I was initially not much into Halloween this year, to be honest.

As of 11:00 a.m. Chloe had planned on being Ziggy Stardust or something, but we really did not have much of an idea of what we were going to do to achieve the effect. Following Parent-Teacher Conferences she changed her mind and the next four hours were a whirlwind of fun...

Chloe's Next Production

Oh, Grampa!

Sorry for the lack of posts...

...I been busy. Sue me.

Chloe loses "amateur" status