Touching Video of 86 Year Old WWII Vet and Life-long Republican on Gay Marriage

Transcript: Good morning, Committee. My name is Phillip Spooner and I live at 5 Graham Street in Biddeford. I am 86 years old and a lifetime Republican and an active VFW chaplain. I still serve three hospitals and two nursing homes and I also serve Meals on Wheels for 28 years. My wife of 54 years, Jenny, died in 1997. Together we had four children, including the 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 U.S. 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, and including the Battle of the Bulge. My unit was awarded Presidential Citations for transporting more patients with fewer accidents than any other ambulance unit I was in the liberation of Paris. After the war I carried POW’s back from Poland, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and also hauled hundreds of injured Germans back to Germany.

I am here today because of a conversation I had last June when I was voting. A woman at my polling place asked me, “Do you believe in equal, 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 our boys fought for at Omaha Beach?” I haven’t seen much, so much blood and guts, so much suffering, much sacrifice. For what? For freedom and equality. These are the values that give 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 [inaudible] ovens of Buchenwald and Dachau. I’ve seen with my own eyes the consequences of caste systems and it make 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 war. It does make no 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 it’s too bad those who want to get married, they should be able to. Everybody’s supposed to be equal in equality in this country. Let gay people have the right to marry. Thank you

Tired of Green Bean Casserole?

Want to try something different? How about:

Green Onion Casserole

8 bunches of green onions cut lengthwise in 1" pieces
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 tbsp butter
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
2 c breadcrumbs

Cook onion pieces and garlic in butter until soft.

Stir in cream and 1/4 c Parmesan and transfer to baking dish.

In skillet, heat oil and saute breadcrumbs until golden (about 3 minutes). Transfer breadcrumbs to bowl and cool. When cool, add remaining Parmesan and season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Top onions in baking dish with crumb mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until hot, about 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy this delicious change of pace!!

A Thanksgiving Dinner Dressing Recipe For the Space Impaired

This simple recipe came about many years ago cooking a Thanksgiving dinner in a small kitchen with the world's tiniest partially working oven (there was one burner and the oven would get no hotter than 325 degrees) for a man who was missing the 'food is an adventure' gene and didn't want any frill's in his dressing.

It's very basic, but really tasty and comes out perfect everytime.

Crock Pot Stuffing

2 bags of Pepperidge Farm stuffing
4 eggs
1 medium onion chopped
3/4 c celery
2 tsp sage
3/4 tsp pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth
2 tbsp butter

Lightly grease crock pot. This is important!! I forgot to do it once and cleanup took forever!!

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the butter and pour into the crock pot.

Dot the top with butter.

Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 3-4 hours on low.

Enjoy!

**** special note****learned lesson****

No matter how dry it looks, do not add extra liquid! The crock pot contains all the moisture this dressing needs.

I'm Rich! Why didn't my family ever tell me?

Gosh, it must be real since he is warning me about the Nigerians in Nigeria.

Please people.

Don't fall for this.



BARCLAYS BANK PLC.
CLAPHAM JUNCTION BRANCH,
7 ST JOHNS HILL,
SW 11 1 TN, LONDON
E-mail:revfr.philismatthew2@gmail.com


Attention: Sir/Ma

REF:- INSTRUCTION TO CREDIT YOUR BANK ACCOUNT $USD28,500,000.00.

This is to notify you about the statue of your fund right now in my desk.

After due vetting and evaluation of your Inheritance file which The Ministry of Finance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Forwarded and contacted us to see to your immediate payment.

From our findings you have been going through hard ways by paying alot of charges to see to the release of your fund ($28, 500, 000, 00) which has been delayed. We advice that you stop further communication with any correspondence from Nigeria.

You don't have to pay any charges to receive your Inheritance fund anymore as you have met up with the whole requirements, your representatives in Nigeria will tell you to still go ahead with them but on your own risk. The only thing required from you is to obtain Non-Resident Clearance Form/Reciept which we are not asking you to pay the fee to us here in United Kingdom as the Government of Nigeria have paid us for handling/processing of your payment with other customers.

We will help you to see that you obatin the form so that our bank will effect immediate transfer of your Inheritance sum ($28, 500, 000, 00) in to your designated bank account. Will you follow up our directives your fund will reflect in your account within five working Bank days from the day you obtain this form.

Do not go through anybody again but through this Bank if you really want your fund. Respond to my private E-mail: revfr.philismatthew2@gmail.com



Yours faithfully,

Rev Fr. Philips Matthew
Head Private Banking Section.
For: Barclays Bank Plc

This is so juvenile of me but......

because of People magazine's fine decision making processes, I thought it was timely to give an early holiday present.... enjoy!

For Sophie

Love to read?

Last night I was listening to a man in his 50's talk about his childhood. I was enthralled because this man had such clear memories, he could remember every minute detail. It was fun to watch his eyes as he was speaking as he searched his inner memory banks to recall even what his younger brother was wearing when his family gathered around the clunky black and white television to watch The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in the 50's.

I admit it, I envy people that can do that. For whatever reason, I have very few memories of my childhood. But one constant in my life has been my love of reading a book.

My Mom once told me that she taught me to read when I was toilet training, to give me (and no doubt herself) something to do in there while I figured out basic body functions.

I became a voracious reader. The ability to read made me a snoopy kid. Reading also made me an escape artist or a procrastinator depending what chore I was trying to get out of. I would read anything. Newspapers, magazines, open mail lying around (including bills), any book, anywhere.

I would babysit for neighbors and read all their books. The couple next door probably would have been mortified to know that the 12 year old babysitter was devouring Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls after their children were sound asleep.

My love of books continues to this day. At any given time, I have 3 or 4 different books that I am in the middle of. There's something about using a cookbook compared to a computer printout when trying a new recipe.

Someone suggested that I get a Kindle but I won't. I love the feel of holding a book in my hands be it a paperback or a heavy hard backed tome. I like the crispness of a new book as well as the old dog-eared copy that has survived the years.

Sadly, there are two downsides to my love affair with books. Buying new books is slowly becoming cost prohibitive and having so many books has made me an allergy ridden hoarder.

Which leads me to one of the internet's worst kept secrets.

PaperbackSwap.com.

This website has allowed me to not only get books (both paperback and hardcover) for the price of sending books to other members for the cost of media mail, but to clear some shelves.

These are not just old books either. This past spring I was listening to an interview with Ted Turner who was promoting his new book. The interview was interesting and I wanted to read the book. I went to the bookstore and the cover price was $30.00. I admit it. I balked. I then logged into paperbackswap.com and added it to my "Wish List". By June, a pristine copy of the book arrived in my mailbox.

paperbackswap is very easy to use, you can set your account any way you'd like too (allergic to cats, dogs or smoke? Use your settings to filter books out from animal loving smokers! ).

It's my belief that there isn't a book that doesn't get listed there eventually. I don't know where else I could have received a book from 1965 about Lefton Pottery nor made someone else's wish come true when I listed an obscure book about the Minnesota Legislature.

If you are interested in checking it out, please clink the icon below. If you love books and reading as much as I do, you won't regret it. Oh and parents? They have kid's books too! My Mother would have loved this site!

The season's almost over

I'm listening to the waning song of summer as I type this.

That's right. I've got the World Series going in the background and it seems plausible at this moment that the Yankees might win it tonight bring another season to a close.

As I'm listening, my mind is doing some weird type of time traveling through every baseball season and how much things have changed over the years.

It used to be a whole lot cheaper.

I had a moment of revisionist history in thinking that it didn't seem like the alcohol flowed so freely but then I remembered the time at Met Stadium many years ago when someone lit a fire under the seat of a man who had some serious gas in order to force him to go and sit somewhere else. Looking back, I'm pretty confident that was not the act of a sober man.

I remember when baseball fans, especially the young ones were considered almost as much of an asset to a team as the players. I can't imagine a kid going to a game these days and coming home with souvenirs like this from Jim Kaat, Zoilo Versalles, Jim Perry, Rich Rollins, Mudcat Grant, Tony Oliva, Don Mincher, Earl Battey and others for the price of admission:





Next year when the Twins move to the new outdoor stadium in an attempt to recapture the good old days, this will be allowed???

This girl can dream.

Goodbye 2009. It's been a fun season. I can't wait until next year!

Oh. And Yankees? You're still 3 outs away from winning but if you do succeed, congratulations on your victory.

Minnesota nice.

What WOULD you do if she WAS your daughter Senator Vitter??