Gene Robinson update: Presidential Inauguration Committee says invocation was supposed to be broadcast. Might it be tomorrow?

I've spent a whole lot of the last 24 hours fuming over this, and commenting more in blogs than I normally do in months.  I'm kind of tired of being mad about something that long term, probably doesn't matter.  Doesn't change the fact that I'm still mad.  Michael's probably right - this was probably carelessness on the part of somebody on the PIC, not something done with malice.  And it still bothers me that we're a constituency they feel they can be careless with repeatedly.

I'll probably quit commenting and funing until later.  This followup is the firt new info in hours, and likely to be the last.  But I do think I'll make it a point to see if there's a fiesty, ticked-off lesbian on cables news tonight at 9pm.  She was delightfully insane about  Warren, and had Robinson on for an exclusive the day this was announced.  9pm tonight should be fun.  ;)

it was carelessness or something else, we let them know that we are watching and not sitting idly be while things like this happen. We've got to keep their feet to the fire so we keep their attention.

HBO has given the committee permission for a PRAYER at their own damn event to be posted on their own site?  Someone needs to be beaten severaly.

Yes it probably was carelessness, but such frequent carelessness suggests something about how seriously the community and its issues are taken and it's not a good sign. I'm waiting to see what substance is going to come out of the administration before rendering judgment, but it's not looking good.

I find it hard to believe that between the PIC and HBO, someone didn't bring up the question of including Bishop Robinson's prayer on the broadcast.  These are extremely highly paid PR professionals who make their living checking and checking again the details involved in this kind of production. Add to this the given that so much has been made of the Rick Warren's choice and the addition of Bishop Robinson's prayer in response.  It's been covered on talk and news shows as well as on websites and the printed news.  Trust me... for a show that is being reviewed by most media watchers as flawless, I find it hard to believe this was just an oversight on someone's part.  Someone made the decision as to at what point filming would begin and exactly what would be included in the time frame for the "show".  In the end, I'm still thankful that this administration, though not perfect, has included the GLBT community in these proceedings more than any I can remember in my lifetime.  Someone once said... how does the mouse eat the elephant?  One bite at a time.  I'm thankful that some bites have been taken, but intend, as Bishop Robinson has encouraged, to speak up and hold this administration and the media to their promises and the truth.  Believe me, someone's ass is being chewed out even as we speak. :-)

PIC is claiming that this was simply case of miscommunication; That PIC meant to have Gene Robinson's invocation as part of the broadcast...that they are happy that people at least heard it...except they didnt  Gene Robinson's mic was also cut  

 

HBO isn't off the hook either unless they can some how blame PIC for not introducing/nor identifying the Washington DC Gay Men’s Choir

Gene Robinson talked about it today on Talk of the Nation. The audio's not up yet, but here's how TV critic Aaron Barnhart described the conversation:  

Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson just addressed the issue on NPR's Talk of the Nation. He said he had been in interviews all morning and no one -- certainly not Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC -- mentioned the snub. "I know very little about it," said Robinson before telling host Neal Conan how he learned the news: "I had a delightful day meeting all the other participants in the program. ... A little later in the morning I happened to see a schedule," and it showed him giving the invocation at 2:25 and HBO cameras going live at 2:30 p.m. Robinson said he had "no idea" why it was scheduled this way but postulated, "The fact of the matter is HBO is an entertainment station and perhaps an executive at HBO thought, 'Well, who would possibly be interested in a prayer? People are tuning in to see Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder." As you will read below, HBO officials made it clear that they had nothing to do with the scheduling. Also, a caller to "Talk of the Nation" called in to confirm that NPR did not air the invocation, either.

Bishop Robinson is scheduled to be a guest on The Daily Show tomorrow (Tuesday).  I wonder if Jon Stewart will ask him about this whole thing.

Does anyone know what happened with CSPAN's lack of coverage of Sunday's events?  They were supposed to broadcast the events from the Lincoln Memorial from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (it was listed on CSPAN's website).  I recorded it because I thought it was the best chance to see Robinson's invocation, only to find that they didn't air any of it.

For not accepting crumbs anymore. Everyone who blogged, tweeted, emailed, made phone calls to bring attention to it right when it happened. It's like we're being tested for how much we'll take, and what's the least it would take to satisfy us.

The event was carefully scheduled and orchestrated.  They all knew when coverage would start and if the PIC scheduled Robinson before coverage was to start, then they fully well knew he would not be carried in the broadcast.  End of story - no wiggle room.

Do they care?
Gallup.com reports that the opposition to Warrens invocation is slight.

52% percent say they don't know enough to have an opinion either way. Of the other 48% those who approve outweigh those who disapprove 39% to 9%.

Do we care?
Dr. Rodney Powell, a board member of Faith In America, an advocacy group that targets religion-based bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In response to Warren speaking recently at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church to commemorate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr he wrote to Warren: "Your religious beliefs do not give you the right to oppress gay Americans and encode your religious beliefs into customs and codify them into laws that deny equal civil rights and first-class citizenship to other Americans."

Powel's reading of his letter on youtube.


Why should we care?
Warren describes his Saddleback church as a mere testing ground, a laboratory for his vision of slaying "the global giants." He encourages his followers to model themselves after Hitler Youth ('Brown Shirts'), to take over the world (like 'Lenin' and 'Mao nearly did') and to do "what ever it takes" in order for his church to dominate the world ('training 400,000 church's world wide' for his 'revolution') with his self described "radical" vision. Warren does not believe in cooperation. Angrily saying, "Moderate people get moderately nothing done." Comparing his crowd of 30,000 followers to a Nazi youth rally, and compelling them all to take a similar oath, while trying to subdue his Hitleresque rage is chilling, as if he were compelling them to take the reins dropped by Hitler, but exterminate the correct people this time.

YouTube: Rick Warren 2005 speech in Angel's Stadium.

this is the man Obama asked to bless him and the Nation.

 

 

I'm a little shocked that you can say "the jury is still out as to whether Obama will come through on the issues that really matter to our community"

He's against same sex marriage, what bigger issue do you need than a matter of equal rights?  

Now he's allowing Rick Warren a national platform, and Warren is not just against same sex marriage, he's been very vocal against it. But the Reverend Wright fiasco already demonstrated to us that Obama is a poor judge of character.  

What's actually far worse for me is that he is a religious fanatic, and as long as one is influenced by religion, one can never allow people freedom of choice.  Obama believes in the made up stories, passed around for centuries, as God's law!

Don't expect anything significant from a man who is willing to inject so much religion into politics, heck, we've got two reverends delivering prayer's before he is even inaugurated.  Enough already. 

. . .please cease in insulting our intelligence.

 

Bill Clinton said that he felt our pain.  He then turned around and proceeded to institute "Don't Ask Don't Tell," had gay rights activists visiting the WH and their possessions searched with rubber gloves even though heterosexual visitors were not subjected to the same and let us not forget the Defense of Marriage Act.  To name a few.

Obama has FILLED his administration with Clintonistas.  This has their fingerprints all over it.

I'm from chicago and had great respect for Obama.  However, since he started with his transition, he seems to have listened to them as opposed to those who actually got him elected.  I would love to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.  And I would love to be proved wrong.  But I think we're in for Clinton III.  Get ready to get screwed without lube.

This wasn't an unfortunate error.  Rev. Robinson wasn't invited until the furor over Rick Warren had reached a fevor pitch on the blogosphere.  We need to keep a fever pitch over this.  It's not only insulting to his gay supporters, it's insulting to Rev. Robinson.  How convenient that both HBO and the PIC can point fingers at each other and we can't file a FOIA request to see who's lying...I suspect they both are.

Rachel Maddow reported on the whole thing tonight and quoted AfterElton.  You can watch the clip here -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#28740984

. . . like buttah!

Sweet as halvah yet full of bite. . .

. . .now, she cuts the mustard.

If you're not already, you should definitely add Bishop Robinson's blog to your reading list: http://canterburytalesfromthefringe.blogspot.com/

Yesterday, he posted about the events at the Lincoln Memorial, including saying a private prayer with U2, at Bono's request, before they performed. Most recent post:

I have been invited to be on the President's Platform for the inauguration/swearing in. An astounding honor!