Keith Olbermann joins a long list of public figures to speak out against the passage of Prop 8.
He makes an eloquent and persuasive argument. Please watch.
Keith Olbermann joins a long list of public figures to speak out against the passage of Prop 8.
He makes an eloquent and persuasive argument. Please watch.
I like him & agree. Great piece, thanks for this post.
Can’t watch it… this hating blowhard is the poster child for the “media elite”. What an asshole… Just thankful he agrees with the travesty of the Prop 8 issue. And he speaks so well.
Keith is *such* a drama queen. And, what’s this? More religion bashing? I expected more from him. Hmm. He could have done this little performance quite well without leaning on the popular crutch, assailing the character of those who believe in God or follow the Bible’s teachings. Arg, I can’t stand what is going on on both sides of this debate. “H8” is wrong both ways. Ptthhhbbbbpt. Oh well. I guess he sold some ads. Heaven forbid he runs out of subject matter now that he won’t have Bush, McCain & Palin to attack. And I’m a fan of his show saying this…
I’m sure he will get a bunch of grief for most of his comments, but it was cool of him to do it.
I think he spoke very well. I do not think he was bashing religion. What ever happened to ‘separation of Church and State’? If homosexual marriages are not recognized in the ‘eyes of God’, which would seem to me to be the most important to those who are taking a religious stance on this, why does it matter that they can marry legally by the State. I just do not see the harm.
Well put, but I was unchanged. If “love” is all it was, then go away and love. But to regulate love is wrong. I guess if a guy in San Fran wants to marry a goat, you all would go protest for him? And what if the minority of McCain voters protested and wanted the election overturned…this would be put down by the same ones going to the Prop 8 Rallies. The US is too polar.
I LOVE Keith!! He is always on point. Sure, he gets a little carried way at times but he is passionate about issues. This was a very, calm, thoughtful and heartfelt piece. Rock on Keith :-)
Love him.. Love his points…
what he is doing is far from “religion bashing”. he’s asking us to live up to the most important ideals religion gives us.
i’ll take SamLo and their Myspace before I take his phenomenally over done soliloquy. punditry at it’s best. someone pass him a Kleenex, or an oxygen tank.
A very intelligent man.
Religion = hatred and is the ultimate evil facing mankind.
I agree, Prop 8 sucks, gay people are tax paying citizens just like any other American and should be given the same rights. I just don’t think staight people should really get involved, it’s simply not our battle to fight. I feel people SHOULD voice their opnions about issues, but shouldn’t go too far if those issues don’t personally affect them.
Even though Donkey Stench is an annoying mother fucker, I still support “no” on Prop 8.
Donkey’s a tax paying dumb bitch like everyone else…. why shouldn’t he and his cousin Cletus be happy???
Thank you for posting that. I don’t get msnbc so I haven’t formed any opinion of the man prior to this. However, this clip was far from religion bashing, it was only pro-equal rights. Separate church and state and let all citizens be equal.
I can get annoyed with Keith and his histrionics, but this piece was wonderfully done.
I love Keith.
oh and….. wesD Says:
November 11th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Well put, but I was unchanged. If “love†is all it was, then go away and love. But to regulate love is wrong. I guess if a guy in San Fran wants to marry a goat, you all would go protest for him? And what if the minority of McCain voters protested and wanted the election overturned…this would be put down by the same ones going to the Prop 8 Rallies. The US is too polar.
what the hell do you mean by “to regulate love is wrong.” that is exactly what prop 8 did. That point doesn’t fit with the rest of your argument AT ALL
And shut the f*ck up about the goat shit. Seriously. I am sick of hearing this. A goat is not a person, and it’s disgusting to act like it is. Check it out, gay people are actually people too!!!!! I know, it’s crazy right?
And voting for a person in office, again, is different. Clearly different. You are voting for a leader, something which is clearly described in country’s laws and documents. Many people see prop 8 as a civil rights issue, so feel that the people should not be voting on whether or not a minority gets equal rights.
You don’t ASK white slave owners if they would like to free their slaves. YOU ABOLISH SLAVERY AND FREE THEM YOURSELVES.
Bravo Olbermann! I’d never heard about this man but he put it very well (lost me a little with Omar Khayyam).
I like Keith Olbermann. Thank you for posting this.
Up until now, I watched Keith Olbermann for his point of view sometimes agreed, sometimes disagreed – but all I can say is – WOW – I never thought I would see the human (humane) side of him. I cannot see how you can disagree with the passing of Proposition 8 based on this very impassioned, heartfelt plea to give everyone a chance at happiness.
::assailing the character of those who believe in God or follow the Bible’s teachings.::
While I don’t think gay marriage is a religious issue at all and marriage is certainly not a religious institution (as atheists and people of all faiths can marry), it’s definitely a fact that certain people in the religious community are using their faith to hate others. That’s certainly not to say that it’s true of everyone, there are lots of religious people who support gays and equal rights, plenty of religious gays, and more churches opening every day that accept gays into congregations. Therefore, I do not see this issue as having anything to do with religion but with bigoted individuals who will persecute faith or not. We do have a little thing written into our Constitution called ‘separation of church and state’, so it’s even further irrelevant to drag religion into the argument. However, many contend that this is still against God’s will and that God is anti-gay and opposed to gay marriage. Jesus (and God) never in fact said anything about homosexuals at all, and certainly never addressed marriage as only for opposite sexes. The few people in the Bible that did mention homosexuality also thought the Earth was flat and that eating shrimp, lobster, and pigs was an abomination, that men shouldn’t shave their facial hair and that it was ok to sell your daughters. So, I digress. Not a religious argument. I think what Keith was trying to say was the truth, that the people who are religious and using it to somehow justify hate as if hate is a religious value or a family value, are failing to recognize what Jesus DID in fact preach and say, which was to love your neighbors and do unto them as they would do unto you, which fails to go unnoticed by some of these people who are chosing to take messages of hate and division away from their faith instead of love, hope, and unity.
Thank you @ ThatLisa, i loved the way you put it “You don’t ASK white slave owners if they would like to free their slaves. YOU ABOLISH SLAVERY AND FREE THEM YOURSELVES.”
I honestly hate this shit.. People who claims to be “religious” are the worst of all. And i am sorry, but it’s the truth.. They claim to be so many things, but ovbiously they’re not that good. God said love everybody, treat everybody the way you wanna be treated.. But of course they skip that part of the bible.. It’s so sad.. But whatever, if their God ever comes back, let’s see who goes to heaven and who doesnt.. And i have a feeling that if there’s actually heaven and hell, most of these religious people are gonna be boiling.
I agree with Tako…. it’s a good reason why why there is this religious backlash. It’s hard for people to understand those who are using their religion as a REASON to hate, to deny, to take away rights. It is quite opposing to the real teachings of actual religion, or at least from my own personal experience, catholicism. The God I was taught about for 12 years would not want us hating others, or treading on other people’s joy at all.
I think this can be why so many of us pro-gay marriage people simply do not understand where those who are spouting religion as their reason of opposition. It just doesn’t make sense to us, and I have not had anyone clearly explain it to me.
I almost wish Jesus WOULD come again, like right f*cking now, and be like “OHHHH crap, I need to clear some stuff up. Remember how I kept saying to love one another. Like, I meant it. Love everyone. Please stop the hate. I am Jesus; I love peace. Did you guys not understand that the first time? Do you get it now? Oh, and sorry that the Bible may have sounded slightly against gay people in like one passage. The dude who was writing it was way off. God made people how they are. God does not hate gay people, he made them gay. That is their “cross to carry.” God wants all of us to be able to find love and to marry.”
That’s what MY Jesus would say.
What’s even funnier is people who aren’t religious or have decided on how THEY feel about religion try to hate on those who are religious or those have decided on how THEY feel about religion.
Not only do you hear calls for separation of church and state, but that the bible is flawed or the bible is like this according to me.
Religion is complex and personal. There is no one way to look at how it should or shouldn’t impact a persons daily life; daily life which not only includes how you chose to follow your religion but also how you evangelize.
You can be religious and feel a strong need for seperation of chucrch and state.
You can be religious and feel the bible is flawed.
You can be religious and feel the bible should be only interpreted through tolerant passages.
You can also be religious and insist on the more harsh realities of religion; that homosexuality is a sin, that you have to renounce sin, and that you can not condone it by voting for it.
It’s not an either/or my way is the right way, Keith.
I don’t think it’s a religious issue either.
Public schools and drinking fountains by function don’t entail race or gender where as marriage does entail the function of gender. It’s preposterous to prevent people of a different race to marry since the function of the marriage as a unit has been traditionally revolving around gender. But it’s not that preposterous to prevent people of the same sex to marry. Word was used to separate single people from those people who got together with the intent to reproduce or not, but definitely with the potential if possible. I don’t see it as a problem though on those grounds anymore.
Concerning other people, I think what they have a problem with is that by allowing others to marry it will group them in the same category–and diminish their gender specific recognition. They want to be recognized as straight relationships v gay relationships v single relationships.
Everyone bashing religion has to realize that religion is not separate and apart from legal and social construct but is inspired by it. Religion was meant to create order and protect the population from it’s down fall. Not only on a spiritual level but a functional practical level. Those who think the problems would just go away if we put religion to religion and everything else to everything else and be done with it are wrong. Before the exposure to religion people observed the environment and created hierarchies based on what they could copy to help their kind survive and idolized them accordingly. For example Native Americans observed homosexuality in nature–they allowed it in their culture–this embodiment of the female male spirit–these gay people were allowed to play a certain part in NA society–spiritual/ counselor/ babysitter. BUT they were never considered exactly like those relations between man and a woman– which were reduced to their functions (reproduction) to keep the clan alive– and took on many partners. Gays and straights weren’t on the same level–they can’t be because they will always be reduced to their bodily functions, without the help of man made science, when necessary. But because they all played their role in society they were all considered, and are considered, equals in the greater mother earth world. This echoes in religion. Women and men have specific roles, and it’s not that one is lesser than the other because like the Holy Spirit Jesus and God they are different but equal.
Gays should understand that its not about terms but about how you empower those terms. A gay guy by terminology isn’t a straight guy who likes men. A gay man will never be called a straight man even if being labeled anything but straight feels inferior, and even if he can do anything the straight man can.. A black man can’t be called white. A woman can’t be called a man. A straight union can’t be called a gay union. But he can be a gay man and build up the image of how being gay is equal to being straight minus the bodily function aspect–or orientation inspired by biology. Instead of “marring” they should do what they have done for the term gay and embrace unions.
Sure we shouldn’t vote on civil rights, because the majority won’t hold out for the minority. On the other had this takes me back to Obama when he was referencing income inequality and legislation– along the lines of— that legislating redistribution actually impedes the ability for liberal values to organize and politicize. It’s better if energy is spent on the ground to mobilize and organize to change perception than to legislate perception. Since laws best follow the change on the ground anyway, and not the ground follows the laws–as we have seen with most civil rights.
i think olberman’s message would have meant more if he had bothered to vote, but he has said he did not vote. so WTF?
@ ThatLisa
That was awesome! Well done. :)
Great. I agree with all of my heart. What is it to you, why do you care? It is sad that this has happened in a country such as the US which is supposed to be (well, self-proclaimed anyway) “leader of the free world”. Where’s freedome in prop 8? No where. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
Keith Olbermann 4life! I love this man! He is so right, why can’t gay people get married!? Seriously, I don´t see the problem :S